4

By the time Taehyung reached the apartment, the sky was completely dark. The hallway smelled faintly of cigarettes and damp walls. He unlocked the apartment door and stepped inside. Silence. Joonho wasn't home. For once, the apartment felt peaceful.

Taehyung dropped his backpack beside his mattress and sat down heavily. His body ached from exhaustion. His phone was still in his hand. The results. His father. The disappointment was waiting for him. For several minutes, he simply stared at the screen. Then, with a shaky breath, he opened the university portal, downloaded the results, and sent them.

Almost immediately, his phone began ringing. Appa.

Taehyung answered.

"Hello."

There was no greeting. Only silence. A dangerous silence. His father had already seen the results.

"So this is what you've been hiding."

Taehyung lowered his eyes. "I wasn't hiding them."

"Then why didn't you send them this morning?" His father asked

Taehyung had no answer. His father let out a bitter laugh.

"Two years." The words were quiet. "Two years in Seoul. Two years of tuition. Two years of rent. And these are the results you bring me?"

Taehyung clenched his jaw and replied. "I passed."

"I know you passed!" Hyungwoo snapped the sudden anger that made Taehyung flinch.

"Passing isn't the issue."

The line fell silent again. Then his father continued.

"When I was your age, I worked before sunrise and after sunset. I didn't have opportunities. I didn't have university education."

Taehyung had heard this speech before. Many times. But tonight, something in his father's voice sounded different. More tired. More disappointed.

"I gave you the chances I never had."

"I know." Taehyung whispered

"Then why are you always behind everyone else?"

The question hit harder than any insult. Because Taehyung asked himself the same thing every day. He swallowed.

"I'm trying, Appa."

"Trying?" His father scoffed. "Everyone is trying."

The words hung between them. Taehyung stared at the cracked wall beside his mattress. His chest felt tight. For a moment, neither spoke. Then quietly, he said,

"I won't come home for winter vacation."

The silence on the other end was immediate. "What?"

"I'll stay in Seoul."

His father sounded confused now. "Why?"

"I need to study." Taehyung's voice grew firmer.

"I wasted too much time already."

The words surprised even him.

"I have three years left."

He looked around the tiny apartment. The peeling wallpaper. The broken heater. The room that never felt like home.

"I'll use the vacation to prepare."

His father didn't respond immediately.

"I'll do better next year."

Still silence. "I promise."

Another long pause. Finally, Hyungwoo sighed. A deep, exhausted sigh.

"You promised that before."

The words hurt. Because they were true. But Taehyung didn't take them back. This time, he meant it. "I know."

His father was quiet for several seconds. Then he said, "Fine."

Taehyung blinked. "Fine?"

"If you're staying, then study." His father's voice became stern again. "No excuses." "No wasting time." "No lies."

"Yes, Appa."

"And next year..." The older man's voice hardened. "I want to see improvement."

Taehyung looked down at his hands. "I will."

A New Determination

The call ended. For a few seconds, Taehyung continued staring at the dark phone screen.

Then his grip loosened. The phone slipped from his hand onto the mattress. The apartment was silent. Too silent. His father's words kept replaying in his head.

"After all this time?"

"You promised that before."

"I want to see improvement."

Taehyung buried his face in his hands. He had passed. He had completed two full years of university. Yet somehow, it felt like he had failed. His chest tightened.

Before he knew it, tears were sliding down his face. No one was there to see him. No one was there to hear the quiet sob that escaped him. For months, he had carried everything alone.

The pressure.

The loneliness.

The fear of disappointing his family.

The constant feeling that he wasn't enough.

Eventually, exhaustion won.

Still wearing his jacket, Taehyung lay down on the thin mattress. His eyes closed. And for the first time all day, his mind went quiet.

When he opened his eyes again, the room was dark. For a moment, he didn't know where he was. Then reality returned.

The apartment.

The results.

The phone call.

Taehyung reached for his phone. 8:03 PM. He had slept for hours. Slowly, he sat up and rubbed his eyes. His head felt heavy. His body felt even worse. After grabbing a towel, he headed for the bathroom.

The water was freezing as usual. He clenched his teeth and forced himself through the shower.

When he returned to the kitchen, he tied an apron around his waist and began preparing a simple dinner.

Rice.

Eggs.

A few vegetables.

Nothing special. Just enough to fill his stomach.

The sound of a door opening interrupted him. Joonho. Taehyung glanced up briefly. His roommate walked into the kitchen without saying a word. Like always.

Joonho opened the refrigerator, grabbed a bottle of alcohol, and shut the door. For a few seconds, his eyes landed on Taehyung. Neither spoke.

Then Joonho turned around and headed back to his room. A moment later, the bedroom door slammed shut.

Taehyung released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. Some things never changed.

After dinner, he washed the dishes and returned to his room. The small desk beside the window was covered with textbooks and loose papers. For a while, he simply stared at them. Third year.

The words felt strange. He had actually made it this far. Slowly, he opened his laptop. Instead of watching videos or scrolling through social media, he searched for next year's subjects.

Marketing.

Business Finance.

Management Strategy.

Economics.

His stomach twisted. The courses looked harder than anything he had taken before. Good. Maybe that was exactly what he needed. He downloaded study materials and saved every useful document he could find.

Hours passed.

Then another thought crossed his mind. Money. His father was still paying for everything.

Tuition.

Rent.

Living expenses.

After today's results, the guilt felt unbearable. Taehyung opened another tab. Part-time jobs for university students. Dozens of listings appeared.

Convenience stores.

Cafes.

Warehouse work.

Night shifts.

Tutoring.

The pay wasn't much. But it was something. If he worked during winter vacation, maybe he could cover some of his own expenses. Maybe he wouldn't have to ask his parents for money every month.

Maybe his father would have one less burden to carry.

The clock slowly crept toward midnight. Outside, snow continued falling over Seoul. Inside the small apartment,

Taehyung sat alone at his desk.

A stack of third-year study materials on one side.

Part-time job listings on the other.

For the first time since seeing his results that morning, he felt something other than disappointment. Determination.

The next three years won't be easier. If anything, they would be harder. But this time, he was going to prepare before they began.

No more excuses.

No more hiding.

No more lies.

Just work. One step at a time.

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