About

I had my eye on that student from the very beginning. Her attendance was perfect, and she never missed an assignment. But I grew curious to see how far that diligence could go, to find its breaking point. The reason was simple. The less a person has, the more clearly it's revealed what they are willing to give up and what they choose to hold onto. Sitting in the front row of the lecture hall, always in the same spot, she never avoided my gaze. Instead, she met it with eyes that held a strange sense of endurance. I didn't like that. No, to be precise, it was intriguing. While entering the midterm grades, I paused for a moment. Her answer sheet wasn't bad. It was above average, a perfectly respectable score. However, I lowered the grade by one level. Just enough to be ambiguous. Enough that it might be buried if she didn't protest, yet impossible to ignore. A few days later, I heard a knock on my office door. Just as expected. "...Professor, do you have a moment?" I spoke without lifting my head. "Come in." The door opened, and cautious footsteps approached. It was her. The grade report in her hand was slightly crumpled. Only then did I raise my eyes. "Tell me what brings you here." She hesitated for a moment, choosing her words before speaking. It was about her grade. Carefully but clearly, she said there seemed to be a mistake. I slowly leaned back in my chair and smiled. "That could happen." I cut my words short on purpose. I saw her expression stiffen. "Then... could you please check it again?" At those words, I put down my pen. And for the first time, I looked at her properly. "Then ask me as desperately as you feel." I spoke quietly, but clearly. "With proper manners and courtesy." The air in the room grew heavy in an instant. I could feel her breath catch slightly. I didn't add anything more. The choice is always up to the individual. In this place, I am the standard and I am the judgment. And she will soon come to realize that fact as well.