He got injured in the second week of promotions, and this promotion period lasted about two months. However, Hankyul couldn't even make it to the final stage. Wooseok was briefly watching the video of the last music show performance of this promotion, and upon confirming that Hankyul wasn't on stage, he immediately paused the video. Perhaps because he had come to like the group because of Hankyul, he didn't want to see a performance without Hankyul.
“The most recent video is...”
With the end of the first semester's final exams, perhaps the most relaxed period of a high school senior's life has arrived. It varies from person to person, but for some, it's a time to start writing personal statements and more thoroughly prepare for the CSAT or other exams. For Woo-seok, who's trying to push through the essay or regular admissions process, this is a period of no particular significance, as he can simply continue on as he has been.
Since he had solved most of the essay questions, he was looking for any questions he still had. Then, Han-gyeol came to mind and he searched for him. The first thing he saw was an article about the group's most recent variety show. He decided to skip the variety show videos that would take at least an hour and watch them after college entrance exams, so he checked the video site to see if there were any shorter videos. A new fancam he had never seen before caught Woo-seok's eye. Judging by the title, it was a video from about a month ago, and it was a stage fancam. The image of Han-gyeol in the thumbnail looked a little different from what he had seen before, so Woo-seok clicked on the fancam video without hesitation.
“There’s this idol who goes to our school, I think I’ve seen him once.”
"where?"
"On my way to school, the teacher who was guiding me suddenly said, 'Lee Han-gyeol, fighting!' He was walking to school. Um, he was limping. Did he get hurt?"
Suddenly, he remembered a story he'd heard from a friend a month ago about Han-gyeol's sighting. He'd clearly said he was limping at the time... Anyway, Woo-seok began to focus on the video playing.
For a group that would be fortunate if their title track was performed in its entirety on music shows without being cut off, this was the first time I'd seen them perform a b-side track, aside from a school festival. That b-side track they performed at the school festival was practically a second title track, so this fancam of the stage felt different from their previous performances. The song and lyrics had a more subdued, weighty feel than their title track, and the members' outfits were simpler than during their promotions. The one whose outfit felt the most different was the one featured in the fancam.
“Why didn’t you dress me like this before… Was it because of the concept?”
The simple yet sophisticated and slightly sexy outfits and hair made me watch the video over and over again. Since there aren't many homeroom artists, finding a top-seeded homeroom artist is incredibly difficult, so this was Wooseok's first proper fancam of Hankyul. It was also his first time seeing Hankyul in a video shot by a homeroom artist, and the new homeroom artist and styling brought back the temporarily dormant fans' hearts. I couldn't stop wanting to see Hankyul, just as I had after the school festival. I even forgot about the state of his ankle for a moment.
-He's a true legend...
-
I didn't do much during summer vacation, and already the second semester is here. It's been a truly terrifying second semester. This year, the Chuseok holiday was brought forward, so the early application period was significantly earlier. As soon as the mock exams in September were over, I had to apply for early admissions. Consequently, both teachers and high school seniors were busy with personal statements and requests for college counseling.
“Are you really going to write it all in essay form?”
"Even if I were accepted, I didn't want to go to a university where I could safely apply downward. I felt like if I were accepted, I wouldn't be able to get into any of the universities without an essay."
"Oh, so Woo-seok's grades... These universities are somewhat promising based on your overall academic record, but if you don't find one you like, you can apply through an essay. But you know the school won't really help you with your essay, right? Other than making sure you meet the minimum score on the CSAT."
“Then I can take care of the essay myself, right?”
“Yeah. I guess there’s nothing to discuss.”
Woo-seok, who had chosen only the essay and CSAT, didn't need extensive counseling. He simply continued to do what he had been doing, just like he had been doing right before summer vacation. Compared to the other kids who were busy writing personal statements, preparing for interviews, and asking teachers for letters of recommendation, he had nothing else to do. He was hanging out in the teacher's office, and seeing his friends out of class during class was honestly a bit boring.
“Are you going to counseling too?”
“I don’t know which department to go to.”
“It’s the same sky anyway.”
“Still. I can’t just go to any department.”
Woo-seok, who had already decided on his major and university, had absolutely nothing to do. Spending his days like this, which were more ordinary than most others, he found himself thinking about things unrelated to college admissions.
“Does Han-gyeol really go to this school?”
Woo-seok just couldn't quite grasp the idea that Han-gyeol was a high school student attending the same school as him. Hearing eyewitness accounts and anecdotes from friends and teachers didn't quite convince him that they were really students. It might sound like a passing remark, but he also wondered why idols kept attending this regular high school.
After mulling over this and that, Woo-seok came to the absurd conclusion that Han-gyeol would eventually leave the school. And before that, he wanted to see him in person at least once. He'd seen him from afar during the school festival, so he figured he could at least hope for a glimpse of him up close, since they were fellow students.
“If we were in the same grade, we might have seen each other almost every day...”
"Then I'll be held back. At least we'll be in the same grade next year and graduate together."
“You’re crazy, you voluntarily repeated a grade in your third year?”
My thoughts about Han-gyeol, which had been temporarily put on hold by Seung-yeon's advice that seemed realistic but was not at all realistic, had no choice but to return to them during lunch that day.
“Oh, it looks like Han-gyeol over there.”
"who?"
“There’s that slightly blond kid over there. Oh, right, Lee Han-gyeol.”
At first, I wondered who that kid with that obvious hair dye could possibly be, still attending school. But then, something about him felt familiar, and the moment I turned my head to chat with a friend, I knew for sure: there he was, the Lee Han-gyeol I'd been curious about since the end of the second semester last year.
“Even though I can barely see the eyes, nose, and mouth, you find it so well. I can’t tell even if I look.”
"You wouldn't recognize me even if I saw you right in front of me. If I gave you a group photo, would you be able to find Han-gyeol?"
“How can I find out? Unless you give me a hint.”
“Well then, that’s right.”