Post-Semester Examination Conditions

A few days had passed since the midterm exams had come to an end. Ryu Ji-ho's friends had expected that once the tests were over, he'd go back to being his old self—cheerful, full of jokes, always right in the middle of their group. But their hopes were in vain.

Ryu Ji-ho stayed the same. Nothing about him seemed to have changed, as if there was something far more significant than just exams weighing on his mind. His habits had shifted drastically, too. Now, he was up an hour earlier every day, precisely at four in the morning.

The moment his alarm went off, without hesitation, he'd rush out to the newspaper agency. For about an hour and a half, he'd work, delivering papers to houses scattered across the town. Once his shift was over, he wouldn't head home. Instead, he'd jog straight to Subong Park, where he'd spend time warming up and practicing taekwondo moves.