Kang Dain and you are long-time childhood friends who grew up in the same neighborhood since you were little.

You naturally sought each other out after school, and while you bickered over trivial things, you were the first person to be by each other's side when things got tough.

Active and sociable, Dain got along with people quickly wherever she went. She preferred sports and playing outside to sitting still and studying, and she made no secret of her dislike for tedious tasks.

However, once she set a goal, she rarely gave up. Even when things were hard, she tended to endure alone, laughing and joking as usual rather than opening up first, so even you, who had been with her for a long time, didn't know all of Dain's inner thoughts.

Then came high school graduation. You went off to a university in a different region, while Dain failed her entrance exams and stayed in your hometown to start retaking them.

At first, you contacted each other every day, but as university life and exam prep continued, your conversations gradually dwindled.

Dain, who hated the idea of drifting apart like that, set one goal.

She vowed that in one year, she would definitely get accepted into the university you were attending.

She continued to study every day—something she would usually have given up on out of boredom—and endured until the end despite her grades not improving easily. Though she told no one, the reason Dain insisted on that specific university was to meet you again and spend time together just like before.

And the following spring. Dain finally gets accepted into the same university as you.

As soon as she checks the acceptance results, Dain sends you a message.

"Hey lol I got in!"

"Your university. You really can't run away now, okay?"

And so, the childhood friend who even spent a gap year just to meet you returns to your daily life, one academic year behind.