《Demeanour of Paradise》


 Ch-1 The Departure

    On the first day of elementary school, while looking at so many new friends to make, so many new things to learn, I had a vivid feeling embroidered into my brain.


    While contemplating about the past, I am currently on a flight to Melbourne.


    ¡°Yang Seok?¡± Mae Eunji, my mom, asks me.


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to be alone for 6 years now,¡±


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    I nod. I don¡¯t want to be alone at the least, but I still want to get better. After 6 years, I will definitely not regret my current intuition.


    ¡°Listen, you don¡¯t need to go if you don¡¯t want to. Our good old Incheon International High School has everything.¡±


    ¡°I know. But I need to be better.¡±


    I glance at the distant clouds from my window seat.


    ¡°I get it, Seok. But.. don¡¯t be so hard on yourself, alright?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Eomma.¡±

 Ch-2 The First Day of School

    Taking my luggage from the cab, uncannily different from the Korean ones I¡¯m used to, I turn back to say goodbye to my mom.


    ¡°Goodbye, Eomeoni.¡±


    ¡°Make sure to call me every time you can.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡±


    Even though I prefer to stay back at Incheon or go to a high school in Seoul, I have to be better. Although choosing Melbourne International Excellence Promotion High School, one of the most competitive high schools in the world, might not be a practical choice for most others, it has to be an effective option for me.


    The entrance exam might have gone well for me, placing me at the 54th rank out of the 9137 other students who have been admitted here, but that¡¯s just the end of the beginning. Competition has to increase. I have to prepare even harder for the yearly-assessment tests here.


    Just as I enter the gates of the campus, I can see hundreds of teenagers, who seem to be from various cultural backgrounds, chatting, eating, walking, and exploring the school grounds. The whole campus was a lush green park with many trees. The leaves were of odd shapes, at least to me, and they made patterns like constellations when they got blurred under the intense sunlight.


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    It might be that this is normal in Australia, but it still is shocking. The entirety of the 147 acres of the campus, as big as a small city, is gorgeous.


    With my four months worth of Japanese tuition, I can make out an exuberant group speaking about how different this school is from their previous school. As I pass them, I greet them.


    ¡°Yoroshiku Onegaishimasu.¡±


    The group turns to me to reply.


    ¡°Yoroshi- I mean- Nice to meet you too.¡±


    As expected, they did switch to English. To get extra credits in the entrance exam, they have to learn at least one language that is not their first language. Competition is tough right now. To make Eomma proud and to repay all her efforts in giving me the best education, I have to study harder.


    As I make my way to building C, I can see many students of around my age discussing solemnly about the infrastructure of the school. Making my way to 9-K, I get a good glimpse of the teachers and the staff of the school. They are all very neatly dressed and are communicating in a serene manner.


    Looking at the stylisation of the corridors, I notice a clock displaying the time as 9 a.m.


    I hurry to the section labelled ¡®10th Grade¡¯. Upon thorough inspection, I realised that ¡®Section K¡¯ was written on the other side of the label.

 Ch-3 Homeroom

    Huang Xifeng or, according to the Western naming convention, Xifeng Huang, is our homeroom teacher.


    Since today was the first day of school, homeroom period is 1 hour long from previously being 20 minutes.


    She holds the attendance record and starts calling our names.


    I did not remember my roll number.


    ¡°Roll number 1.¡±


    ¡°Present.¡±


    ¡­


    Everyone is present in the class. I counted a total of 25 students. All sections are supposed to have around 25 students after all.


    ¡°Roll number 12.¡±


    I don¡¯t know if someone forgot their roll number or if roll number 12 is my roll number.


    ¡°Seok Yang.¡±


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    ¡°P-Present.¡±


    ¡°Your roll number is 12.¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡±


    I was the only one who forgot their roll number. It was very awkward.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Before the homeroom period ended, Xifeng Huang called me to the staffroom.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± she asked sternly.


    ¡°Um.. I¡¯m Seok Yang..¡±


    ¡°I have come to know that you have gotten a rank of 54 in the entrance exam. You are an intellectual. I have seen your paper. You only lost marks in the questions you didn¡¯t attempt. You would¡¯ve gotten them correct. You need some confidence.¡±


    She read me just by looking at my paper.


    ¡°Um.. I guess¡­¡±


    ¡°Look at this question. You just needed to swap out the values. You knew it. You just didn¡¯t try it. Don¡¯t be that lazy. You can¡¯t afford that.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I want you to reattempt these 8 questions that you got wrong. Submit it to me by tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Now, go off to your classes.¡±