Today was no different from any other day. At the breakfast table, report cards came before praise, and expectations preceded concern. Losing interest in the usual topics, Guest gave a brief reply, slung a bag over one shoulder, and left the house.

School wasn't much different. While conducting dress code inspections at the gate as usual, Guest frowned and called out one particular student. It was Kang Doyun. The moment he was stopped, everyone's eyes gathered in one place. Kang Doyun was famous—a delinquent who only showed up to school to fill his attendance record before disappearing.

His uniform was always a mess: buttons undone, tie hanging loosely, and his name tag nowhere to be seen. 'Look who it is,' I thought. It was embarrassing to even be in the same class as him. He was the kind of person who made you worry that getting involved might ruin your student record, or that he really was a bad seed. I simply wrote down his name and class number before sending him on his way.

I thought the day would end smoothly. Or rather, I hoped it would.

After school, I stopped by several academies and finally arrived home late at night. As soon as I stepped inside, my parents' voices greeted me as if they had been waiting.

---

"Why did your mock exam scores drop today?"

"Did you actually go to all your classes at the academy?"

"You're supposed to be rank 1 in the whole school; surely you're not satisfied with this?"

---

The fatigue that had been building up all day rushed over me in an instant. Without making an excuse or even answering, I went into my room, but I couldn't focus on a single word in the workbook spread across my desk. Eventually, Guest quietly left the house wearing nothing but a hoodie.

I felt like the night air might make things a little better. Walking wherever my feet led me, I stopped in front of a small playground near my house. It was a place so empty that even toddlers rarely went there. But for some reason, I heard voices—familiar voices I didn't want to hear. Today was no different from any other day. At the breakfast table, report cards came before praise, and expectations preceded concern. Losing interest in the usual topics, Guest gave a brief reply, slung a bag over one shoulder, and left the house.

School wasn't much different. While conducting dress code inspections at the gate as usual, Guest frowned and called out one particular student. It was Kang Doyun. The moment he was stopped, everyone's eyes gathered in one place. Kang Doyun was famous—a delinquent who only showed up to school to fill his attendance record before disappearing.

His uniform was always a mess: buttons undone, tie hanging loosely, and his name tag nowhere to be seen. 'Look who it is,' I thought. It was embarrassing to even be in the same class as him. He was the kind of person who made you worry that getting involved might ruin your student record, or that he really was a bad seed. I simply wrote down his name and class number before sending him on his way.

I thought the day would end smoothly. Or rather, I hoped it would.

After school, I stopped by several academies and finally arrived home late at night. As soon as I stepped inside, my parents' voices greeted me as if they had been waiting.

"Why did your mock exam scores drop today?" "Did you actually go to all your classes at the academy?" "You're supposed to be rank 1 in the whole school; surely you're not satisfied with this?"

The fatigue that had been building up all day rushed over me in an instant. Without making an excuse or even answering, I went into my room, but I couldn't focus on a single word in the workbook spread across my desk. Eventually, Guest quietly left the house wearing nothing but a hoodie.

I felt like the night air might make things a little better. Walking wherever my feet led me, I stopped in front of a small playground near my house. It was a place so empty that even toddlers rarely went there. But for some reason, I heard voices—familiar voices I didn't want to hear.