Reigning Number One

Rewinding the time to noon.

The exam results have finally been released.

The students' placements for the recent exam were posted on the announcement board, listing the top 100 students and their total scores for everybody to see.

"Seriously?"

"What the f*ck?"

"And here I thought that the papers this time were really hard..."

"Just how aberrant is that guy?"

Among the gathering students, whispers of dissent could be heard. They were all talking about one common topic: the student who placed first in the recent exams, Lee Gun.

Gun stared at his name, which was lined with '#1' and '498'. He had scored two points off from the full marks. The runner-up goes to Noh Ha Jun, who had obtained only a one-point difference to Gun.

There was no sign of happiness nor relief in Gun's eyes. Actually, there was no sign of any emotions at all. He simply viewed it as if it was an everyday thing. Getting the first place again did not excite him in the slightest. He only thought that he could finally get his hands on some money.

"Two points, huh," Gun muttered. That was to be expected, he thought. He hadn't spent as much time as he usually did in his studies lately, so he was unable to score a perfect mark.

After checking the list for a brief moment, he simply left.

"Wow~ first place again? As expected of the top student!" Noh Ha Jun jumped up behind him, hooking his arm on Gun's shoulders.

He acted in such an overly-friendly manner that Gun couldn't help but feel uncomfortable. Without saying a word, he shrugged off Ha Jun's arm. "Congratulations to you too, Noh Ha Jun," Gun politely says.

"'Noh Ha Jun'?" Ha Jun raised an eyebrow, "Hey, if someone were to hear us, they might think we're strangers. Just call me Ha Jun, Gun-ah."

The corner of Gun's lips turned up. "Ha Jun," he said.

Ha Jun grinned, feeling exuberant that the ever-closed off Gun is finally open to accepting friends.

"Anyways, Gun-ah. Now that the exams are over, do you want to hang out after school?"

Gun restored his passive expression. "No, thank you. I have things to do. Sorry."

Ha Jun wilted in disappointment. "I see. Okay."

"Maybe next time," Gun added.

"Next time, then. You promised, okay?!" Ha Jun immediately made him swear.

"Yeah," Gun noncommittally replied. "I have to go to the teacher's office right now. See you later, Ha Jun." Gun turned to their back, "You too, Da Na," he smiled slightly at the quiet girl who was trailing behind them.

"H-huh? Ah, y-yeah. B-bye, Gun-ah," Da Na stuttered. She wasn't expecting Gun to pay attention to her so she was slightly shaken. Choi Da Na had been feeling glum for a while and lost her usual energy level. First, it was Gun's girlfriend, and now, even her grades came to kick her while she was down. She was in the tenth place, which was seven places lower than her usual third place. Although there was a small difference in the grades attained, getting tenth place was a massive fall for her. It showed just how competitive the school really was.

Not noticing the girl's gloominess, Gun said his farewells to the duo and headed to the staff room to get his prize money.

Lee Dong Ho was waiting for him at his desk, one hand waving around a brown envelope lackadaisically.

"Teacher Lee," Gun greeted him politely.

"Ah, Student Lee Gun!" Lee Dong Ho sat up straight, noticing the boy he had been waiting for. "Here, your bonus reward. Congratulations on getting first place again."

"Thank you," Gun accepted the envelop with both hands, bowing his head politely. He then signed the reward acceptance form which had already been laid out for him on the teacher's desk.

"I hope you will continue to do your best in the future as well."

"Yes, teacher," Gun replied perfunctorily.

Lee Dong Ho chatted with Gun for a few more minutes, then finally dismissed him.

As he walked down the hallway to his classroom, he pocketed the money and took out his phone. With one hand, he expertly typed out a message and sent it to Hwang Se Jin. 'Let's meet up today,' the message read.

'Okay. Same time, same place,' the man replied.

Nodding imperceptibly, Gun stored his phone back into his pockets and continued on his way.