Meanwhile, the two girls, having completed their monster-fighting excursion in the park while enjoying the cherry blossoms, safely returned near home.
Avoiding the traffic congestion of the festival, the two of them returned in a good mood and, completely disregarding exams, relaxed and had fun.
And the price for such laziness…
“Come out in order by number and pick it up.”
It came back to them as a report card, quite literally.
Just a few days after the midterms, the midterm report card was in her hands.
Needless to say, there couldn’t be any good scores for an average person who wasn’t a genius and just had fun.
“Ugh, I messed up.”
Holding a brief report card with scores simply noted on thin paper, she quietly examined the numbers.
Seeing that there were no scores over 70 except for Korean and Science, she grumbled a few words as she returned to her seat.
She hadn’t expected much, of course, but it was still disappointing compared to how carefully she had answered.
As she turned her back on the report card with indifference, her classmates started to gather around her desk after the morning assembly.
“What did you get?”
“I bombed everything except for Korean and Science.”
“No, I mean what score did you get?”
Those who didn’t study were more concerned about others’ scores.
Knowing that they were trying to find comfort by looking at someone who did worse than them, she readily handed over her report card.
Aside from the scores of 80 in Korean and Science, it was a list of unremarkable numbers.
As if they couldn’t believe it turned out that badly, her friends commented with bewildered expressions.
“You did well—!”
“Yeah, it didn’t turn out that badly?”
While saying that it didn’t turn out badly, they were seeking out her cheeks as usual.
What’s so good about scores that even with a little preparation, only yield an average of 60 to 70?
Secretly relieved thinking ‘Oh, she really messed up,’ those deceitful girls…
In the quiet yet tense atmosphere among students who struggled with studies, after regular classes ended, the teacher continued with advice on the day they were handed back their report cards.
“Since there are schools where you can’t get in at all depending on your elective subjects, you need to start thinking about universities and majors, okay?”
“Yes—”
The optional choices in the transition from 1st year to 2nd year.
In the past, it was simply called Humanities or Sciences, but now it has changed to elective subjects.
Indeed, today’s students cannot understand “Sorry for the Humanities.”
Even the advice to drop out of Sciences if they were going to neglect their studies doesn’t resonate with today’s students.
What’s Humanities? What’s Sciences? Those must be the kind of responses one would get.
Even when in class, friends clung to each other, but when it was time to go home, classmates would subtly step aside for Shiyeon.
After realizing that they were more than friends, almost family, it was nice that the persistent invitations to hang out became less.
“Phew.”
On the way home, Shiyeon, seeming to feel stuffy, zipped down her coat all the way.
It was the end of April, and the weather felt rather warm.
Recalling the nights lately where she’d kicked off the thick blanket while sleeping, she thought it was time to prepare for the approaching summer.
That aside, she casually asked Shiyeon, who was unzipping her coat.
“Are you hot?”
Since it was me who advised her to dress warmly in case it was cold, I felt a little guilty and asked.
Because I was particularly sensitive to the cold, it worried me when Shiyeon wore something light.
“If I take it off, I’m cold, and if I wear it, I’m hot…”
To that question, Shiyeon tilted her head, seemingly unsure, and continued to speak, looking straight ahead rather than at me.
I know, that ambiguous temperature where you can’t tell if you’re hot or cold.
Yeah, it’s time to put away those thick clothes.
“Then I’ll go and take out some light clothes.”
Saying that, I mentally noted down one of the chores I had to do.
Then suddenly, I paused, feeling as if I was about to recall something I had forgotten.
“Wait, did I clear out the wardrobe last year…?”
Thick clothes, light clothes.
Talking about clothes, I remembered the state of the wardrobe.
As I thought carefully back through my memories, I confirmed that I indeed had no recollection of throwing out clothes last year.
After finishing everything at year-end, I had felt a bit unsettled, but it turned out I had forgotten to organize my clothes.
The forgotten events of last year had now crossed into the present day.
“Phew.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I have to throw out what needs to be thrown out.”
Having arrived home with Shiyeon, I took out all the winter clothes and spread them across the living room, regardless of whose they were.
As soon as I got home, Shiyeon sat down at the computer, quickly scribbling with a pen.
She seemed a bit shy about showing her drawings, so every time she went to the wardrobe, she Alt+Tabbed.
As I took out all the winter clothes from both rooms…
“What are you doing?”
It seemed like she was bothered by me repeatedly going in and out of my room, so she finally came out to the living room to ask.
“Oh, you came out at the right time.”
I was planning to have her try them on one by one, so her coming out first saved me a bit of trouble.
After glancing at Shiyeon, I pointed toward the pile of clothes and said.
“Try on one piece from over there, and set aside the ones that don’t fit.”
After saying that, I began trying on my own clothes that I had laid out in the living room.
Winter clothes that wouldn’t be worn again until at least October once I put them away in the wardrobe.
If a piece fit well for now? Then that means I probably wouldn’t be able to wear it next winter.
Even if I put back clothes I never wore because I felt bad about them, I knew it was pointless.
Forget about price tags still clinging—there’s no one to pass them onto…
No matter how much money one has, what’s wasteful is wasteful.
Even if one’s yearly salary were 100 million, there’s no reason to lick the lid of a yogurt.
With a mindset like peeling off one’s own flesh, I repeatedly put on and took off clothes over my underwear for a while.
After setting aside those that didn’t fit well among the three pieces, I slowly sorted through the clothes.
As I pushed my head through a shirt’s neckhole, Shiyeon suddenly asked from her direction.
“Is this okay?”
“Where?”
After just putting my head through the neckhole of the shirt, I approached Shiyeon, wobbling like a necklace.
The unspoken rule was to show me clothes that she found hard to decide if she should toss or keep.
Pulling on the collar from the back and stretching her arms up to gauge the size.
Her arms, belly, and shoulders weren’t a big issue, but… the problem was the chest area.
The fabric stretched and creased enough to be visible where it was tight, making it easy to see where the pressure was.
“Does it feel a bit tight around the chest?”
“Yeah… it’s still bearable.”
It happens sometimes, even when bought in the same size, where some clothes fit and some don’t…
“It must be a sizing error. Take it off, you should toss it.”
Encouraging Shiyeon to toss away the clothes that didn’t fit, I continued putting on the clothes I was wearing.
Once I put my arms into the shirt I had been wearing, I realized there was still plenty of room.
The worry that my growth plates might have closed was a misunderstanding, as it seemed I was still growing, even if just a little.
Given that this is my physique, what can I do?
Let’s simply be grateful that my growth hasn’t stopped yet.
“Is that it?”
“Uh, did you try everything on?”
“Yeah, these are the ones I can’t wear.”
“Got it, take the ones you can wear back in.”
I instructed Shiyeon to take the clothes she could wear back.
Among the folded foldable shopping bags carelessly lying on the table, I grabbed two and laid them out in the living room.
After collecting the clothes that didn’t fit and folding them into the bags, I headed outside.
Next to the recycling station in the apartment complex was a friendly clothing collection bin that couldn’t get greener.
Holding the bag, I approached and stuffed everything in haphazardly, disregarding the neat folding.
‘Today’s tasks are done.’
Feeling the refreshing achievement of finishing a significant task, I stretched out and headed towards the shared entrance.
Upon returning home, the clothes I had left sprawled around the living room were protesting for someone to neatly fold and put them back in the wardrobe.
Just as I was about to finish up the unfinished task and head to my room…
“Mary, Mary!”
Hearing an urgent voice calling
