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."

After a few more words, the call ended. The apartment became silent once again. Taehyung placed the phone beside him and leaned back against the wall. Outside, snow had begun falling over Seoul. For the first time in a long while, there was no exam to prepare for. No assignment due tomorrow. No lecture waiting in the morning. Only winter vacation. Yet somehow, he felt no relief. Because while everyone else was going home, Taehyung would remain here. Alone. With two months to prove that his father hadn't made a mistake by believing in him.

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