82. December, One Step Away from Becoming an Adult. (1)

December 16th.

The day the initial acceptance announcements are made for the university that Aki and I both listed as our first choice.

The *Suneung* was long finished, but it wasn’t yet vacation, so, like always, we’d gone to school. We were now tucked away in a corner of the first-floor landing.

According to the school’s announcement, posted beforehand, the time for checking admissions results was from 10:00 AM, and it was currently 9:57.

Aki had said, “I want to check it in a place where there’s no one, just the two of us…!” So, we’d moved our spot to a corner of the school building instead of the classroom.

“Ugh…. My heart is pounding…!”

Clearly quite nervous, Aki placed both hands on her chest and her lips trembled.

I was pretending to be calm, but I was just as nervous, staring intently at my phone and repeating, ‘When will it be 10…?’ dozens of times in my head.

“Woo-joo~chan, we’ll be able to get in, right…?!”

“Yeah, the interview didn’t go badly….”

Considering my good grades, I thought we’d get in. But the school we applied to had quite the reputation, so I couldn’t relax completely.

Of course, being anxious wouldn’t change the outcome, but still.

To slightly exaggerate, in just three minutes, no, two minutes, the next year would be decided. It would actually be stranger not to be nervous.

“Hoo, hoo…! Ah, this won’t do. Woo-joo~chan, hold my hand…!”

“Ah, okay.”

*Thwack.*

Aki grabbed my hand.

A strong force tightened.

‘She must be really nervous….’

It wasn’t the ticklish hand-holding she usually did; Aki’s grip was considerable, as if she were grabbing the hand of an enemy. She was probably too nervous to control her strength.

If I showed that I was trembling too, Aki would probably get even more worked up, so I gently gripped Aki’s hand and chuckled softly.

“Don’t worry too much, it’ll be alright.”

“Right, it’ll be alright…?”

“Yeah, for both of us….”

“Ah, it’s 10 o’clock…!”

Aki abruptly shook off my hand.

“Name, birthday, uh, and application number…!”

“…….”

It was a shake-off unlike anything I’d experienced until now, so I was slightly, truly slightly hurt. But I didn’t show it and picked up my phone.

–

[Early Admission Results Announcement]

[Name]

[Date of Birth]

[Exam Number or Application Number]

–

I filled in everything the website demanded, and with a *thunk*, pressed the View button at the bottom.

Then.

A results window appeared, marked with headings for Exam Number, Name, Date of Birth, Admission Unit, and Admission Status, and the result was.

–

[Admission Status]

[Admitted.]

–

“…Eh?”

Admitted.

I was accepted into university.

The instant I registered that fact, I felt my heart plummet, followed immediately by a wave of relief, and a complete release of tension.

‘Ah, thank goodness…’

It would have been a disaster if I hadn’t.

“…Woo-joo-chan, how did it go?”

“I passed. What about you, Aki?”

“……”

Aki suddenly went silent.

Sensing something was wrong, I subtly shifted my gaze.

Aki was staring blankly down at her phone.

‘Uh…?’

Don’t tell me she didn’t…?

I tried to see Aki’s admission status displayed on the phone screen, but her hand was covering that part, making it difficult to see.

“…Woo-joo-chan.”

“Uh, yeah?”

“You know. We…”

“……”

She didn’t make it.

The moment I heard Aki’s listless voice, I knew it, instinctively.

Before a disappointed Aki could even get the words out, I quickly took her hand.

“Aki, don’t worry too much. Even if it didn’t work out this time, there’s always next time, right? Let’s look at your second and third choices first, and if it really doesn’t pan out, you can always apply during the regular admissions period…”

“…I think we need to go look for a place.”

“Huh…? What did you say?”

Suddenly.

Aki grasped both my hands, interlacing our fingers.

“I said, we need to go look for a place to live, together…!”

“…Huh?!”

Instinctively, my gaze darted downwards.

Aki’s cell phone, placed on the edge of the stairs, the ‘Acceptance Announcement’ section displaying…

–

[Result]

[Accepted.]

–

Exactly the same word I had seen just moments ago.

The word ‘Accepted’ was there.

“Y-you…passed?”

“Uhn, I passed! I got accepted!”

“……W-wow. Wowaah, aaah!”

“Ah, Uju-chan…?!”

“Wow, I’m so…! No, ah, that’s amazing. That’s really amazing!”

I thought her expression was bad because she didn’t make it, but she actually passed. A twist upon a twist – without realizing it, I swept Aki into a hug.

No joke, I was tens of times happier to learn that Aki had passed than when I learned that I had passed. So, I babbled like a fool and shook Aki up and down in a tight embrace, and Aki smiled gently, embracing me back and patting me on the back.

“Heheh… That’s funny. You weren’t that happy when you passed, so why are you so happy now that *I* passed~?”

“I don’t know. I don’t understand. I just feel happy! I’m so relieved. Ah, seriously. Aki, you did so well. You worked so hard, and I love you so much!”

“Ah, aht…”

My heart yearns to plant a k*ss right there and then, but I can’t in case someone passes by.

So instead, I squeezed Aki tightly and patted her back with all my might. So much that Aki eventually cried out, ‘Uju-chan, it hurts…!’ and pushed me away, signalling that she wanted me to stop.

“Aki, let’s do everything you want to do today. What do you feel like doing? Shall we go eat something delicious? Or that amusement park night opening you mentioned before? No, maybe just….”

“Hng…. Uju~chan, you’re getting too worked up. Calm down a bit!”

“How can I not be worked up right now? This is something we need to celebrate with a ruckus. …Come here, Aki!”

“Uh, uh…?!”

I scooped Aki up in what they call a princess carry.

And, taking long strides, I arrived in front of our 3rd-year classroom door.

“Come hither~!”

*Bang-*!

I kicked open the slightly ajar door with my foot.

“Ah, you scared me!”

“Damn it, are you crazy?”

“What’s all this? And why are you carrying your girlfriend?”

“Wow, he can do that? Ju-uju’s core strength is insane.”

“……U, Uju~chan?!”

Aki’s face flushed a beet red, looking utterly fl*stered.

She was always cute, but today she looked even cuter. I gave her a gentle smile, then scanned the entire classroom before shouting loudly.

“Hey, my girlfriend got into Seoul National University!”

“Huh, really?”

“Yeah, really. Just checked the acceptance results.”

“So *that’s* why he’s acting like such a maniac…. Congrats, Fujiwara!”

“Congrats, Aki~!”

“Ah, um….”

With each congratulatory word, Aki’s face grew even redder.

Finally having received the congratulations of all our classmates, I was satisfied and gently lowered Aki to the ground.

“Wow, but saying ‘my girlfriend got into Seoul National University’ is kind of cool, isn’t it?”

“Seoul National’s legit. He’s allowed to be this obnoxious.”

“Ah, speaking of which, Ju-uju, what about you? That was your first choice too, right?”

“Judging by him not saying anything, he probably failed?”

“He failed, didn’t he?”

“Nope, not at all. I got in too~ I practically smashed down the main gate on the way in, you know?”

“Ah, shit.”

“I want to congratulate Fujiwara, but that Ju-woo-joo b*stard? He doesn’t deserve it.”

“Aren’t we doing the whole celebratory wrap-in-a-mat thing? I’ve got a good slapping arm ready for him.”

*Screech-*!

“Hey, I can hear you lot all the way in the faculty room. Did you think your lives ended just because the exam is over? Can’t you keep it down?”

“Teacher, we weren’t the ones being loud. It was Ju-woo-joo who was making all the noise!”

“That’s right. We were quiet, but Ju-woo-joo was going crazy by himself.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

*Is that the truth?* Our homeroom teacher asked with just his gaze.

I awkwardly cleared my throat, giving a slight bow.

“I’m sorry. I was just a little excited because I’m in a good mood….”

“In a good mood, you say? Why, did you perhaps pass?”

“Yes. Both Aki and I did.”

“Oh, really? Well, then it’s fine to be noisy. Carry on, I’ll let it slide today.”

“Hey, Teach! Isn’t that favoritism?”

“Favoritism? What favoritism? You lot go get your Seoul National University acceptance letters, then I’ll let you be noisy all day long.”

“Ah, Teach!”

“Quiet, quiet! Quiet down and everyone take a seat. I’ll be taking a headcount for our Lotte World trip next-next Monday.”

Winter break starts on December 31st. Next-next Monday is around the 30th, so it looks like the day before break is going to be a free day after all.

Aki, my classmates, and I sat down as instructed. Then our homeroom teacher said, ‘Only raise your hand if you *won’t* be attending. Everyone else, just stay still,’ and started scribbling something in the attendance book.

“……Woo-joo-chan.”

*Tap tap.*

Aki tapped my shoulder.

“Yeah?”

“Um, about what we were talking about earlier. When would be a good time to go look at apartments together?”

“Hmm, I wonder….”

First, I should tell my parents about the acceptance and then talk about looking for a place to live together, right?

I whispered into Aki’s ear.

“Let’s celebrate our acceptance today, just the two of us, and then we can slowly go look starting tomorrow or the day after. We have plenty of time, anyway.”

“Okay, tomorrow or the day after…. Got it. Then I’ll keep both days free.”

“Two days? Wouldn’t one be enough?”

“Ah, no. Mama told me when looking at houses, you should take as much time as you need, look at a lot. If you sign a contract after seeing only one or two, you might miss out on a better place.”

“Oh, really? Then should we just spend the whole week looking at houses?”

“Hehe, we could. We both passed the entrance exams anyway, so we have plenty of time. …Ah, but.”

Aki gestured for me to come closer.

As I leaned in, pressing my head near, Aki raised a hand, shielding her mouth slightly, and whispered,

“We were going to go on a trip after the entrance exams, remember? When are we going…?”

“A trip? Oh, the one to Japan?”

“Uh-huh. Papa said, Grandfather was asking when I’m coming, he says it’s been so long since he’s seen me, he wants to see my face…”

“Hmm, we can’t go during the semester, of course. How about right after winter break starts?”

I have to go to driving school starting the second week of January, so before then, early January, would be better.

“Right after? Like, December 31st?”

“December 31st is the day of the closing ceremony…”

“But we can go right after break starts, right? It’ll be over in the morning anyway. And airplane tickets will be cheaper then, probably?”

“Oh, is that so? Then should we really leave at noon on December 31st?”

“Uh-huh, let’s. …Hehe.”