Chapter 6 – Graduate (6)
[Chapter 1 – Verse 2] It’s Definitely a Dream
“…”
“Student Kang Moon-soo, come up and solve problem 3 on page 338.”
“…”
“Student Kang Moon-soo?”
“Hm…”
‘I’m sure I walked out the school’s main gate…’
So why am I in the classroom?
Thanks to my experience of teleporting to the gymnasium without warning, I wasn’t shocked, but that didn’t mean I was okay with it.
Why, again—
“Student Kang Moon-soo, come up and solve problem 3 on page 338.”
“Oh, yes.”
The familiar voice of the teacher snapped me out of my thoughts.
Instead of the dusty rooftop, I was in the familiar third-year classroom, surrounded by classmates.
It was even during class time.
‘This is insane!’
The occult had activated even though I didn’t encounter that female student. And it seemed the time and place had changed too.
“Student Kang Moon-soo?”
“Oh, sorry. I’m feeling a bit dizzy.”
I was genuinely dizzy.
“Hmm~ You do look a bit pale… Are you very sick?”
“No, I’m fine.”
“Then solve problem 3 on page 338.”
“Yes.”
For now, I decided to tackle the problem in front of me and think later.
***
I vaguely recalled solving problem 3 on page 338 in front of the class before, just like now.
Vaguely.
Meaning, this wasn’t the third time. If it was, I’d remember it vividly.
Still, to be sure, I checked the date on my smartphone as soon as class ended.
“As expected…”
I had gone back much further than the day of the aptitude test in the gymnasium.
It wasn’t surprising that the occult had pulled another occult trick, but…
‘Why so suddenly?’
The problem was I didn’t know why.
I still hadn’t figured out what caused me to get caught up in this time-travel occult nonsense, and now even the timeframe had changed?
“Ugh…”
My head throbbed from too many thoughts.
At that moment, I overheard a conversation from a group of friends gathered around a desk like knights at a round table.
“Hey, reading law books now won’t change your aptitude test result.”
“Yeah, give it up. They say even if you retake it in ten years, it’s the same.”
“It’s funny seeing a guy who’s bad at studying reading law books.”
“Why not borrow the power of religion like me?”
“Just accept your fate.”
With the once-in-a-lifetime aptitude test looming, everyone was on edge.
Very few students were calmly waiting for it.
Slam!
“Leave me alone!”
A student who had reached their limit after ignoring the taunts slammed a thick law book shut and shouted.
‘…I remember this too.’
I wasn’t there because I went to the bathroom, but I heard it escalated to the point of nearly becoming a physical fight.
No choice, then.
I didn’t consider myself a meddler, but my feet were already moving to intervene.
“Stop it. He wants to be a great judge like his father. With two older brothers already working as a lawyer and a judge, it must be even more pressure.”
“…”
“…”
All eyes turned to me as I stepped in to mediate.
But…
‘What’s that?’
The way they looked at me was strange.
“Hey, Moon-soo.”
“What?”
“I’ve never told anyone at school about my family. How did you know?”
“Uh…”
Because you mentioned it during the argument. The rumor spread like wildfire back then.
But that was a future that hasn’t happened yet.
And it’s a future that won’t happen now. Though the fact about his family’s jobs being revealed is the same.
It’s not a big deal.
‘…Or is it?’
Knowing information that hasn’t been made public could definitely be a problem.
“Moon-soo’s a stalker…”
“No way, you…?”
“I didn’t know you were into that!”
“I’m disappointed, Kang Moon-soo.”
My friends started jumping to weird conclusions.
“No, it’s not like that!”
“Let’s just stay friends.”
“I said it’s not!”
“Moon-soo, it’s too late to hide it.”
“Hide what?!”
I wanted to go back in time again.
***
‘What dream…’
At some point, I realized I was accepting this situation as “reality.”
There’s plenty of evidence, but it’s too long and vivid to be a dream. I gave up on a scientific approach.
And,
“Thanks for the help, Moon-soo.”
I became friends with a guy I wasn’t particularly close to before.
“No problem, no problem. Friends help each other out. Who knows? Maybe one day you’ll become a great judge and help me in return.”
I waved it off with a humble smile.
“I hope that day really comes. But no illegal stuff.”
The aspiring judge smiled back.
“Yeah.”
“Oh, and Moon-soo, one more thing I’d like you to keep in mind.”
“What’s that?”
“No matter what your aptitude test result is, don’t cross the line with friends. I prefer girls over guys.”
“It’s a misunderstanding~!”
When I first returned to the time just before the aptitude test, I felt no excitement.
But this classmate, studying law books during breaks to become a great judge like his father—I used to be indifferent to his story, but going back in time changed my perspective.
‘This might be an opportunity.’
The prevailing belief is that aptitude test results “never” change, even if retaken years later.
It makes sense—your innate talent doesn’t change.
But that doesn’t mean the result of the “first test” is set in stone.
A stretch?
Doesn’t matter.
‘It doesn’t hurt to try, right?’
Since no one in human history has ever gone back in time, you can’t say it’s “absolutely” impossible.
I’ll pioneer this field and become a trailblazer.
“Hm… Oh! Maybe I should read some fantasy novels in the meantime?”
A new realm I know nothing about!
Not science, but science fiction!
Doing something I don’t normally do should influence my aptitude test result in some way.
‘As long as it’s not too expensive…’
I browsed an online bookstore on my smartphone, checking the prices of fantasy novels.
“They’re cheaper than I thought?”
For the price of one Americano, I could buy two books.
‘Nice.’
There were about three days left until the fateful day of the aptitude test.
I’d read them in my spare time while working my convenience store job.
***
Fantasy novels often featured time-travel plots.
I didn’t have time to read them all, but they typically followed protagonists who changed their failed lives by correcting past choices or mistakes.
A very compelling premise.
Who hasn’t wanted to change the past at least once? It’s easy to relate to while reading.
‘Should I get my hopes up too?’
Though unintentional, my situation was similar to a fantasy novel. Even the unclear cause or mechanism of going back in time matched.
What’s left?
Like the protagonists in fantasy novels, I’d boldly abandon scientific explanations and change my failed future!
“Whoa!”
“She’s here!”
“Everyone, back to your seats!”
My homeroom teacher, whose aptitude was “high school teacher,” entered the classroom with a stack of envelopes.
“Everyone, have you been waiting long?”
“…”
“Yes!”
I had waited a long time.
From three days before the aptitude test until today, when the results came out, time had never felt so slow.
‘I put in a lot of effort.’
I read a ton of fantasy novels, which were hard to relate to from the prologue due to their unscientific nature, hoping they’d influence my aptitude test.
“Number 1, Kang Moon-soo.”
“Yes!”
“Number 2—Hey! No running in the classroom.”
“Sorry!”
“Number 2, Kang Seung-ho.”
“Yes.”
As soon as my homeroom teacher called my name, I dashed like the wind to grab my envelope.
‘…I’m nervous.’
Like the protagonists in fantasy novels, I wanted to change my future.
Should I have read academic books or papers instead of fantasy novels to get a good aptitude?
That thought crossed my mind, but right now, I was just desperate for anything other than “shaman.”
“Please…!”
With fervent hope, I looked at my aptitude test result.
“Oh…”
Shaman
There was no miracle.
***
Was three days too short to change my aptitude? Or was reading fantasy novels the wrong approach…
Either way, I didn’t have the luxury to wallow in failure.
‘The fifth time was too much!’
I just wanted to avoid going back in time again. If I could, I wouldn’t care if my aptitude was shaman.
Of course,
“Hey, Kang Moon-soo, how long are you gonna hide it?”
“Yeah, you’re the only one in class keeping your aptitude test result a secret.”
That didn’t mean I’d reveal my aptitude. I had no desire to meet Yoo Il-am again.
“That’s unfair, Kang Moon-soo!”
“Don’t live like that, dude!”
I felt no reaction to my friends’ complaints. I’d heard these lines at least once before.
‘Seriously…’
How could they say the exact same things, word for word?
Repeating the same situation for the fifth time would drive anyone insane.
But since I didn’t know the conditions or cause of this occult—using fantasy novel terms, “regression”—I had no idea where to start.
For now, I’d text my homeroom teacher to prevent the girl’s suicide—
“No, wait.”
Since the regression triggered without me encountering the female student, there’s no need to keep avoiding her.
So,
‘Should I go to the rooftop and wait?’
If I meet her directly and find out why she’s trying to commit suicide, it’ll be easier to handle the next regression.
…I hate that I’m already accepting the fourth regression as a given.
“Quiet down. Let’s start the lesson.”
“Yes, Teacher!”
Click, click.
All the students in the classroom, including me, took their seats.
“Open your textbooks to page 427.”
“Page 427…”
I’d wait for the female student on the rooftop after this class.
“…”
“…”
“Student Kang Moon-soo, come up and solve problem 3 on page 338.”
“Hm?”
***
Up until now, regressions had happened after school.
But this time, it occurred much earlier—during class.
Even the one rule of timing I thought I understood was gone!
Now, I couldn’t be certain of anything.
‘This is driving me insane!’
I needed to find a way to escape this occult madness before I actually lost it.
“Student Kang Moon-soo.”
“Yes.”
“You solved this difficult problem like you memorized it. Did you study in advance?”
“Yes.”
Three times, to be exact.
“That’s excellent! Other students, follow Kang Moon-soo’s example.”
It felt good to impress the teacher by solving the problem perfectly, but only the first or second time.
By the third time hearing the same praise, it meant nothing.
So,
‘I need to find it!’
I had to uncover the conditions triggering this occult phenomenon that rewinds time, defying the laws of physics.
‘What’s the cause?’
I thought it was related to the female student collapsed on the rooftop…
I was confused.
‘…No. It’s definitely connected to her.’
I’m no occult expert, but call it intuition?
I had a strange certainty.
The problem was that I didn’t know her name or face, and her uniform didn’t help identify her.
The only clue?
‘That schoolbag.’
At the time, I didn’t think much of the bag and only glanced at it. All I remembered was that it was pink, with no other design details.
In the end,
‘No choice but to go to the rooftop and wait as planned…’
Is there only one student in this school with a pink schoolbag? It’s not as common as black or brown, but it’s not exactly rare either.
“Alright.”
Let’s not rush and try to enjoy this situation.
Every time I regress, the money I spent on fantasy novels comes back, so I can think of it as reading for free to comfort myself—
“Moon-soo hyung! Hey!”
“Hm?”
My brain froze the moment I heard someone calling me from behind.
“Moon-soo hyung?”
“Wha—?!”
Hearing the voice again, I reflexively turned around and fell into confusion.
‘What’s going on…?’
I couldn’t believe my eyes.
“Hyung, why are you so startled? You look like you saw a scary ghost. Do I look like a ghost?”
A refined, handsome boy, clearly raised with heaps of parental love, tilted his head innocently.
“That’s not it…”
I stared at the face of my second-year junior, whom I’d known since elementary school.
Choi Kang-hoon.
A rich kid with a complex about his feminine appearance, prettier than most girls.
“Hyung, something wrong?”
“Kang-hoon.”
“Yeah.”
“This is a weird question, but why are you in the third-year classroom?”
“That’s a weird question. I come by sometimes to see you, don’t I?”
“That’s… true.”
‘The problem is you’re here now!’
This close younger friend often visited me, but not now.
In other words,
‘There’s someone else!’
Someone else is changing the fixed future!
I needed to meet whoever caused Choi Kang-hoon to come find me at this time.
Tap.
To that end, I slung my arm over Kang-hoon’s shoulder and spoke in a friendly tone.
“Kang-hoon.”
“Yeah!”
His face lit up, as he liked the “manly” gesture of putting an arm around someone’s shoulder for no particular reason.
‘He really looks like a girl when he smiles.’
Keeping that potentially hurtful thought to myself, I smiled back and casually steered the conversation.
“Tell me about you.”
“Me?”
“Yeah. Stuff that happened at school today. Even small things are fine.”
I just didn’t want to keep solving problem 3 on page 338. Or deal with the aptitude test.
“Small things… Oh! There’s something.”
“What?”
“A sunbae confessed to me.”
“A confession? From a girl?”
“Yeah.”
“…That’s a small thing?”
“Yeah!”
“Alright~”
It wouldn’t be too late to start the conversation after giving this spoiled pretty boy a light scolding.