Wednesday, 23rd of November, 2005. Maru left his house while listening to the goodbye of the news presenter. The bag that would usually contain his script was filled with chocolates and yeot^[1]. In his hands were insulated water bottles that contained warm barley tea.

“Yeah, I’m on my way there.”

He got on the bus as he picked up the call he got from a junior. Although it was the same morning bus, the composition of the people inside was a little different today. There was a student muttering something while looking at the notes in his hands, a girl clasping her hands as though she was praying, as well as a student who was reading a textbook without holding the handle on the ceiling. The bus filled with students proceeded very slowly as though the driver had no intention of stepping on the brakes. The road leading to Suwon station, which would usually be crowded with cars during rush hour, was empty like the red light district during early dawn on a Tuesday.

Maru pressed the bell. The beep made some of the students flinch and look outside the window. On the day of the CSAT^[2], all students would become meerkats. They left the bus and walked towards their designated school. The weather was so cold that wearing a thick jacket wasn’t enough. He could hear the news presenter’s comment: today will be the coldest day of the year yet.

“Seonbae.”

Aram waved her hand. There wasn’t a flashy blow-up balloon in front of the newly opened restaurant. A parent, who was...