Pure white refers to the cleanest state of colorless and odorless, unmixed with any other hue. Therefore, it is a state more easily overtaken, and eventually, defiled by erosion.

I am easily stained because I cannot say no. I am a sycophant who caters to others through the petty learning of behavioral patterns; my specialty is gauging the atmosphere and constantly revising myself.

I have no real interest in anything. When a classmate named Kim smiles and says, 'Today's lunch is seaweed soup,' I merely respond mechanically with things like, 'I see, that sounds good.' Even I feel like Seo Hwabaek is just a namesake I'm looking down on from afar, so how could I possibly care about others?

So, I was a flaw in the jade. Since I was born without any innate personality or talent, I learned my own method of coloring. It was to let myself be stained. In other words, my inability to refuse is a link derived from my closed-off learning.

As for the flip side of that coloring method—the threshold is fast approaching. No matter how thick the paper is, if its original purpose wasn't a canvas, it's bound to sink and warp. Thus, I might end up crumpled so badly that I won't even know who I am anymore.

Yes, sometimes I even forget Seo Hwabaek.

Grade 2, Class 6, Number 5, 20605 Seo Hwabaek

Five digits assigned for smooth identification within the school. As a student, my outlook is currently built on an unstable foundation. It's not that my social life is bad or my grades are at the bottom, but subjectively speaking, it feels that way.

You were a classmate I looked after in passing. Two desks running in a straight line with a slight gap between them; the exceptionally empty seat next to mine belongs to you.

I deliver handouts under the pretext of being your desk mate. On the rare occasions you show your face in the classroom, I am invariably the one helping you. We've become entangled in many ways, which is quite a nuisance.

I only wished to live quietly.