𝟿𝟿 𝙻𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚊 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛

one.

❦

❦

one less than one hundred is ninety-nine.

one hundred means achievement, support, motivation, and approval, just like when one gets a perfect score on their exams. 

one more than ninety-eight is ninety-nine.

ninety-eight means wisdom and knowledge, letting you know that you didn't fail, both academically and emotionally.

ninety-nine means change and personal development.

but it also means that we were never enough before.

❦

"Choi Dallia, get down here!" 

"okay, Eomma!"

"you better have enough energy to get a good score on your exams. Here, have some kimbap and rice."

"thank you, Eomma."

"now go, you better make our family proud."

"yes, Eomma."

❦

Ace first, feelings later.

"Dallia, how are you?"

"you have to worry about me, Yuna, I'm fine."

"you look dead and exhausted, are you having enough sleep?"

"Yuna, I'm fine. I'm ready to ace these exams away."

"Choi Dallia, your health matters more than these fucking exams."

"tell that to my Eomma, she's going to whoop your ass for saying that."

"your Eomma can whoop my ass for all I care, but you are not fine, my dear best friend of ten years."

"Yuna, our suneung is coming in a couple of years..."

"for goodness fucking sakes, Dallia. You need to take care of yourself before you can even have the strength to take the suneung."

"but I've got to hide my weaknesses and focus on my strengths."

"but you should focus on IMPROVING your weaknesses."

"sleeping and resting would just take time away. Let's just get to class."

"this conversation is not done."

❦

"you may start the test now."

you better fucking ace this, Choi Dallia.

Imagine how Eomma would feel if she realized the daughter she brought up since birth got a bad score on any of the exams.

❦

"are you fine?"

"I'm okay, thanks for asking."

"you don't look fine."

"thanks for noticing."

"are you always this cold?"

"can you stop fucking asking me questions?"

"sheesh, I'm just trying to help."

"please, you're ticking me off right now."

"I didn't know that Choi Dallia have this side of her."

"I didn't know that Park Sunghoon could be this annoying."

"ouch."

"that was meant to hurt."

"it did."

"good."

❦

"the topper again is Choi Dallia, congratulations!"

"she's always getting the top spot."

"I wish I inherited her brains."

"same here, girl."

"she aces everything."

"I know right, not only in academics. she does sports as well."

❦

"your soul is gone, Dallia."

"stop trying to be sarcastic, you're not funny."

"hey, at least you ace everything."

"I'm glad, at least my Eomma won't have my head."

"Park Sunghoon was talking to you, what was that about?"

"he annoyed the hell out of me."

"oh stop it. Park Sunghoon is not bad, he's a precious star."

"sounds like you have a crush on him."

"girl, I'm aromatic."

"damn, sounds like me."

❦

how does this feel?

did you really think this book was about letters about a crying girl writing letters?

sorry to disappoint you, but it's all about letters, aka the things that I'm using to express words right now.

so too bad :P

don't worry, I promise this will still be a good book <3

Clarisse

P.S. Clarification => words that are in italics are other people talking while the normal words are what Dallia is saying.