When the Clock Strikes|Pi Han Ul x Reader|

Chapter 19

The next morning, the school buzzed with tension. Exam day.

I walked into the exam hall, calm. Unlike most students fidgeting with their pens or flipping through notes in last-minute panic, I already knew I’d be fine. I had studied, revised, and my mind was sharp.

The invigilator handed out the papers. I scanned through the questions.

It's looks easy.

I worked through them steadily.
By the time I finished, half the students were still struggling. I went through my answers twice, then rested my chin on my hand, waiting for the time to pass.

When the bell rang, I stepped outside, stretching.

The boys' class came out at the same time.
And there was Ga-Min, his chest puffed up with confidence, smiling.

He spotted me and strode over, adjusted his glasses, grinning. “That was too easy. I think I finally did it this time.” 

Lee Jun yawned, stretching. “It wasn’t too bad.” 

Kim Se-Hyeon, who was already scanning through his textbook again like the exam wasn’t even over, hummed. “It was manageable.” 

Ji-Woo raised an eyebrow. “Ga-Min, are you sure?” 

“Of course!” Ga-Min puffed out his chest. “I answered every question logically. This is my redemption arc.” 

Hui-Won sighed. “Alright, let’s compare answers.” 

We sat on the benches, pulling out our question papers. 

Ji-Woo started. “Okay, question five: Newton’s third law.” 

I answered first. “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” 

Kim Se-Hyeon nodded. “Same.” 

Lee Jun scratched his head. “I think I got that one too.” 

Ga-Min beamed. “Me too! But I added an example.

Ji-Woo looked interested. “Okay, what example did you write?” 

Ga-Min adjusted his glasses proudly. “I wrote: When you slap a table, the table slaps you back with equal force.” 

There was a moment of silence. 

Lee Jun blinked. “That’s… not wrong.” 

Kim Se-Hyeon sighed. “But it’s also not the best example.” 

Ga-Min frowned. “Why not? Have you never hit a table and felt it hit back? Science is brutal.” 

I pressed my lips together, trying not to laugh. “It’s technically correct, but usually, they prefer a more standard example.” 

Ga-Min groaned. “Ugh, fine. Next question.” 

Ji-Woo read aloud. “Question twelve: What is the formula for gravitational potential energy?” 

Se-Hyeon answered instantly. “U = mgh.” 

I nodded. “Same here.” 

Lee Jun looked relieved. “I got that too.” 

Ga-Min smiled.. “Of course, I wrote the same.” 

Ji-Woo glanced at his paper. Then she froze. 

“Ga-Min…” She slowly looked up. “Why did you write ‘Ug = mgH2O’?” 

Ga-Min looked confused. “What?” He checked his own answer and went pale. “Wait. WAIT.”