.  Shortly after, my mom also headed to her room at an awkward pace. It wasn’t that she hated to stay with me, but I felt like she was being considerate of my feelings.

  Staring at the closed door for a while, I turned my head back to the front and looked at the phone in my hand. Rolling it over on my palm, I murmured, “Perhaps…… this time, I’ve finally succeeded in changing my future……”


  A few months ago, I read about our future––Ban Yeo Ryung, the Four Heavenly Kings, and mine––from the book in the other world. Now, I was at a step away from that destined time to come.

  Holding my new phone with a tightening grip, I said to myself, ‘Now I took a step forward, just one step forward, but I’ll be able to change the destined future. I could definitely do that.’


  The future to come would be different from the original. I kept myself determined.

  My parents were taking my confessions quite seriously, instead of regarding them as my grumble. Their changed behaviors convinced me of it.

  My mom stopped herself from constantly finding fault with me––thinking that I was clouded by jealousy of Yeo Ryung––which she often did at the dinner table. So did my dad. If they tried to habitually throw me a joke about it, my parents poked each other under the table as a warning to keep their mouths shut.

  Well, since the table was too compact, their intense, secret fight was visible to me anyway. Slightly revealing a dumbfounded expression, I tried not to be so obvious that I was aware of their cute little quarrel.

  On the other hand, I started to have a dream about myself wandering all day around the bookstore near the cram school I’d once attended. The book I’d been looking for was, of course, just one. According to my expectations, it was the ‘Eclipse of the Sun,’ a story about me, Ban Yeo Ryung, and the Four Heavenly Kings.

  In my dreams, I became anxious, not being able to find the book, whereas, in real life, I felt nervous about finally getting it in my next dream. I did want to read that book again, but since the story in this world had utterly changed from the original, what was the use of looking it through? It would make me feel uneasier, wouldn’t it?

  In thoughts of next March 2nd, I also spent more time wondering already what I should do if I ended up returning to the other world that day. It made me feel sorry about my parents who got me a new phone with trust in their daughter.

  ‘Mom, sorry. My grades couldn’t get any worse but don’t seem to get better either……’


  While I was drowning in anxiety every day, the weather became hotter as it turned June. Watching the gradually lighter outfits of college students, we, who couldn’t take off our prison-like school uniforms, moaned in envy and pain.

  I was annoyed at Kim Hye Woo’s notes, thrown at me from the diagonal direction during the whole class.

  ––It’s too hot. I’m roasting

  ––I’m roasting

  ––I’m roast

  ––I’m roasted…… This is the dead’s note

  Feeling intolerable, Kim Hye Hill, sitting beside me, gestured to give her the notes. When I handed them out to her, she quickly wrote a few words on one of them, then folded it in half. Stealing a glance at it, I reflectively burst into a giggle.

  ––Too much noise, sir. Please die with dignity. Manners Maketh Man^^

  After then, Kim Hye Woo stayed quiet until the end of the class. As soon as the bell rang, he leaped to his feet, then shouted to his sister.

  “Hey, Kim Hye Hill! How can you speak like that to your brother?!”


  Poking his side with a pencil, Lee Mina uttered, “Give me 100 won, please.”


  “Oh…… right,” replied Kim Hye Woo. Even though Lee Mina was close to extorting his money, he didn’t argue. Instead, Kim Hye Woo searched his pocket and took out a coin.

  Having received 100 won, Lee Mina tossed it into a metal case beside the computer with a clink.

  “Thank you for your payment,” she smiled.

  I shouted at her, “Mina! To think of it, we……” then suddenly paused since another bill collector appeared in front of me.

  Showing me some weird dance moves, Yoon Jung In requested, “100 won, please, ma’am.”


  “Here you go,” I sighed, handing him out the coin.

  Yoon Jung In also tossed it into the metal case beside the computer.

  Someone asked, “Hey, what was Mina’s name today?”


  “Minjoo.”


  “Oh, that’s right.”


  This weird thing started to take place in our class all because of Ban Hwee Hyul.

  As high temperatures were hitting the peninsula, we were losing our appetites, also getting sick of eating the same lunch meals. Thus, we decided to collect some cash and order pizza. However, just placing an order felt lame, so what eventually came out was the so-called ‘Ban Hwee Hyul’s New Naming Class.’


  If Ban Hwee Hyul calls us with a different name, we must use that one as our new name for a day. If we forget it and call someone with his or her original name, then there was a penalty fee of 100 won.

  Writing down the new, mistaken names wasn’t a foul or cheating, so all kinds of weird names began to fill and mess up the student list attached in front of our class. Next to Kim Hye Hill’s name, we wrote ‘Kim High Heel,’ then crossed it out with a black line to replace it with ‘Kim Hye Jin.’


  On the other hand, Ban Hwee Hyul sometimes got confused about our names with someone else’s, which created a hilarious situation.

  Just in time, someone in the class called, “Siyeon!”


  “Hey, 100 won!”


  “No, I didn’t call Lee Siyeon…… not Jung Siyeon…… but Park Siyeon.”


  “That was perfectly honest with you. As a prize, I’ll give you all three: Lee Siyeon, Jung Siyeon, and Park Siyeon.”


  “Are you insane?!”


  Amid the fuss, the door opened, and Mr. Noh Min Chan, our teacher, appeared. Those who had been his fans were now showing indifference to him, which seemed that everyone in our class was better at getting along with each other. However, at the same time, the overall atmosphere got twice as loud as it did before. So, I wasn’t sure whether this was good or bad.

  Carrying the roll book on his shoulder, Mr. Noh found the student list cluttered with black writings. Looking bewildered, he asked, “What are all these? Are you all changing your names in a group?”


  “Teacher, do you want to join us too?”


  “Hwee Hyul, what’s our teacher’s name?”


  As someone threw that question, Ban Hwee Hyul raised his head and stared at Mr. Noh. Looking at Ban Hwee Hyul’s clear big red eyes face to face, Mr. Noh seemed to have felt nervous for some reason.

  Shaking his head, he uttered, “Sorry, folks. No matter what you guys are doing, count me out.”


  “Mr. Noh Jin Goo,” said Ban Hwee Hyul.

  As soon as his response returned, Mr. Noh’s brows met in the middle.

  Noh Jin Goo! Our teacher’s name is Noh Jin Goo!––chanting out, the kids wrote the name in big letters on the blackboard.

  Mr. Noh looked like he had now given up the situation. Slowly browsing the student list, he asked, “Why doesn’t Donnie have her name changed? She’s the only one here with a clean row.”


  “Oh……” I scratched the back of my head embarrassedly.

  Someone in the back yelled, ‘Ugh, that’s right! He’s completely discriminating people!’


  I responded in my thoughts, ‘No, that isn’t true. You guys would have no idea about my tearful history of Hammurabi and Ham Baknoon!’


  Taking his eyes off the list, Mr. Noh called, “Yoon Jung In.”


  “Oh, come on, teacher! 100 won, please!” he replied.

  “Um…… it’s my first time, so please have some mercy, Yoon…… Jaemin…… Come follow me for a sec, Yoon Jaemin.”


  “Yes, sir.”


  Getting up from his seat willingly, Yoon Jung In walked after the teacher. We shared eye contact in wonder, ‘What else is going on?’


  “Well, a lot of events are held in June though.”


  “I wish, at least, it isn’t Sports Day.”


  Their conversations reminded me of the Sports Day held last fall. Moaning involuntarily, I felt that Sports Day would now traumatize me.