So Far Away | Min Yoongi

1.0

School [sko͞ol]
n. an institution for educating students

More like an institution for punishing students to become sleep deprived.

For about fifteen years of my life, school has been really important to every single one of us. School is where we become very competitive with grades and our abilities, hoping that one day, we could get into a university.

It's a repeating process ever since high school. I wake up at five o'clock in the morning to get ready. Read and prepare my notes at eight am, and by 9:00, the school starts. Then by five pm, the school finally ends.

But that doesn't end there, oh no. Because after that, we go to a prep or night school where we get ready for universities. So regularly, I would be lucky to be all tucked into my bed at 2 o'clock in the morning.

Entering universities is such a big deal here in Korea and it's not that easy. Hell, it's not easy at all. That's why while we're still in high school, we try our best to get the highest marks just so we could get in.

If it wasn't for my mother, I already would have given up. She is a doctor, and she has been the one who kept on encouraging me to be a doctor. For her, i'll be a doctor one day.

But not if I keep on lazing around.

"Lee Eunji," the teacher calls, making me get up from my cozy slumber. "You're sleeping in class again."

I forced a smile as I notice every single one of the students staring at me, including the ones I don't talk to a lot. "I'm s-sorry, I didn't have enough sleep las-"

"It's only the first month of your last semester before graduating." she cuts me off, not making me finish my sentence. "And you want to be a doctor you say? Well, good luck on that."

Laughs filled the whole room over and over again like a noise that keeps on echoing in my ears. I take my seat back down and open my notebook then pretend to write, hoping everyone's gazes would leave me alone. Luckily, the teacher started talking again, taking everyone's attention away from me.

"It's okay, Eunji." Yuri pats my back twice before leaning down to talk to me. "You know how she can be, right? She just wants what's best for us."

Yuri is my best friend. We have been friends since the first year of high school, and to be honest, I don't know why she keeps on hanging out with me. She's beautiful, smart, fit, and very popular with the boys, even the girls too.

"I know, I just want to go home." I admitted, resting my forehead against the desk. "I'm really, really, really sleepy."

I hear her giggle making me look at her from the corner of my eye. "What?" I ask.

"She just needs to announce what our course project is, then we can leave."

Course projects are the death of me. For every course or subject that you have, there is a project that is going to be assigned to you and you should be working on it throughout the whole duration of the course.

I always laze around and try to get my other assignments done because I kept on thinking that I still have a lot of time to finish it, but really, time flies by so fast that when it's the time to submit the projects, mine are always rushed.

The teacher stands up from her desk and struts towards the middle of the board.

Dream

She wrote in big letters. She turns around to face us, looking at every single one of us which I believe that are confused as much as I am.

"That's your course project," the teacher says, throwing the piece of left over chalk in her table. She leans her back against the board, still looking at us. "Any questions?"

"Yeah, um," the girl behind me raised her hand, while everyone looks at her. "What the hell are we supposed to do with one word?"

"Well," the students all turn their heads back to the teacher. "That's up to you."

Chatter and whispers filled the whole room while I exchange glances with Yuri.

"Who can tell me what class this is again?" the teacher asks, but no one seemed to hear her except for Yuri and I because of the chatter.

"ENOUGH!" she suddenly shouts, making every single student in the class stay still and zip their mouths. When everyone's finally not talking, she continued. "I teach Preparation class. I'm here to prepare you for what's out there. What's out in high school,"

"And for your course project that you'll be submitting in the end of the school year, I need you to produce something that has a connection with the word dream."

"So we can make anything?" The boy in the front asks. "Even just a simple definition printed on piece of paper from the dictionary?"

Laughs filled the room while the teacher's face become more serious.

"Sure, go ahead." She says, taking every student by surprise. "But don't expect me to give you a high grade,"

"It's a very simple project. If I see that you've worked hard and took it seriously, i'll give you a good mark."

"I don't know what to do." Yuri whispers to me while looking at the teacher in able for her not to notice us.

"Me too." I replied.

"Since i'm feeling generous, you can work with one of your classmates." The teacher continues, making everyone cheer in excitement.

"Thank goodness, we could work together. Fighting!" Yuri says, meddling with all the noises from the students.

"But," the teacher suddenly says, silencing everyone again. "You'll be partnered with someone on alphabetical order."

Oh no.

Since Yuri's last name is Park, there is no way that we can work together considering the fact that my last name is Lee.

The teacher takes out her planning book, where all our names are written. She starts calling names starting from A, while Yuri looks apologetically at me.

She probably knows I wanted to be partners with her.

I rested my cheek against the desk, looking at the floor. I don't even care who I get partnered with, I just hope that it's a person who's hardworking.

Or maybe someone smart.

Or maybe talented.

Anything. Someone who can produce and create something with the word Dream.

"Lee Eunji," the teacher calls my name and I straightened my seat right away. I look at her as she points on her book, looking at the next name beside mine.

"You will be partners with Min Yoongi."