READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 194
Amidst the chaos of everyone failing their exams, a few days later.
In the classes that followed the exam, the teacher explained the correct answers and the common mistakes, including students who had issues with their scores.
During this process, those who had misfilled their OMR cards and students truly struggling with their scores began to surface, and the school plunged into a busy period.
And once all the procedures related to the exams were wrapped up…
“From the countless professions in the book, let’s take some time to find out what suits you.”
Taking a brief break from the intense studying, a moment of leisure emerged, and the term ‘career path,’ which encapsulates an important aspect of life, began to subtly manifest.
Future, career, profession.
Words that were simplified to ‘dream’ during elementary school had evolved.
These three words are often mentioned and repeatedly emphasized as crucial each academic year.
However, the classes covering these important three words are scarcely held once or twice a week.
In other words… it’s only during technology/home economics class.
Even though teachers say to think about your future from middle school onward, they also insist that focusing on studies right now is the way to go.
Are they saying to just focus on studying, or to find a way to make a living even now?
A chaotic orientation regarding future career paths given to students confused by the first scores of their lives.
Still, the majority of students aren’t particularly concerned about their career paths yet.
Very few friends carry over dreams from elementary school seriously into middle or high school.
If there are any, they’ve probably had somewhat realistic dreams since elementary school.
For others, they think they’ll figure it out in their third year of middle school.
They think they’ll figure it out in high school.
They think they’ll figure it out while attending university.
Those without a clear goal just push the responsibility onto their future selves.
Friends who have vaguely imagined their future selves can at least jot down broad outlines like teacher, creator, programmer, or chef, even if they aren’t very specific.
“I used to say I wanted to be a landlord when I was in elementary school.”
During elementary school days, jobs like magical girl, doctor, or member of parliament roamed freely as whimsical professions.
Thinking back, this too has shifted a bit towards reality, unlike the dreams of elementary students.
To be honest, wanting to be a landlord was just a cute joke to tease the teacher.
If I save consistently, maybe I could manage to get a house somewhat outside the metropolitan area?
Anyway, without any hesitation, I noted down public official.
As the teacher instructed us to turn our desks around, it was time to explain the reasons for our chosen professions to the assembled friends.
“I can earn money by playing games.”
The friend sitting in the back, who selected creator as his career path, simply liked games.
“I want to earn a lot of money.”
Sitting next to me, Eun-young, who views high grades as a badge of honor, has set her sights on becoming a doctor.
Her reasoning is simply to earn a lot of money.
“A stable job.”
When it was my turn, I listed public official and emphasized the stability aspect of that role.
Unless I can’t handle it and quit, it’s a job that is more stable than I expected.
The other friends sitting around looked puzzled at the mention of a public official, as if they couldn’t understand.
Especially Eun-young, whose expression seemed to scream “Anyone can’t just become a public servant.”
Her face expressed the thought that someone who can’t even study can’t be a public official.
She has no idea about the existence of a ‘special selection for magical girls.’
Confirming my firmly established career path, the day at school came to an end.
After all classes were over, waiting lazily for the teacher to return, Siyeon came over and asked.
“What did you write as your career hope in tech class?”
“Hmm? Me? Public official.”
“Public official? Isn’t that exam super hard?”
When I answered public official, Siyeon’s expression stiffened.
She must have heard some horror stories about the public service examination, as she looked at me with a worried expression.
Also, she’s in the dark about the existence of the ‘special selection for magical girls.’
Even if others don’t know, you really should.
Thinking this, I couldn’t remember when I actually told her about it, so I pondered.
“Come to think of it… when did I mention that?”
It was when magical girls had just begun or when the government brushed past with that information, so quite a few years must have passed.
Even just combining the elementary and middle school years, it’s been over seven years.
It’s unreasonable to expect to perfectly retain the complex explanations presented by those stuffy-looking uncles back in kindergarten.
Today, I must go home and explain it once more, even briefly.
By the way, talking about the future aspirations we wrote in tech class now made me curious about Siyeon’s career hopes.
Since she likely forgot there’s a public servant selection for magical girls, it’s clear she isn’t writing down public official.
Siyeon, who still wears a worried expression about the difficulty of the public official exam.
Instead of a reassuring answer, I tossed back another question.
“What did you write?”
“Me? Manga artist!”
Upon hearing the question, Siyeon confidently declared her aspiration of becoming a manga artist.
A manga artist… does she want to draw something like webtoons?
If she doesn’t succeed, it’ll be easy to starve to death.
That job has its fair share of such stories floating around.
Having such thoughts, I couldn’t fully support her, merely letting out a muffled sound of hesitation.
Anyway, after returning home, I explained to Siyeon about the route of becoming a ‘special selection public servant for magical girls’…
After hearing it all, Siyeon pondered for a moment and asked me.
“Then, I don’t need to study hard in school?”
A guaranteed path to employment.
As I’ve said before, the studies in middle and high school are solely for job preparation.
Siyeon pinpointed the conclusion of our conversation, reaching the truth that there’s no need for her to study hard in school.
“Hmm…”
With her arms crossed, eyes closed and head tilted slightly to the side, she let out a groan.
To whether I should confirm the truth she’s realized or tell her otherwise.
Even if I say otherwise now, she’ll naturally realize it later as she grows older, whether in high school or adulthood.
The scores assigned at school are merely indicators for workplaces looking for “more hardworking and exceptional students.”
It’s undeniable that it won’t significantly hinder living.
Especially in elementary school education, where they teach basic arithmetic or morals…
But knowing things like graph functions or analyzing the speaker’s emotions in poetry—that really wouldn’t be a problem if you didn’t know.
In the end, I had no choice but to nod in response to Siyeon’s question.
“If you just gloss over the explanation, right…?”
I spit out a vague affirmation mixed with hesitation.
At this point, I was overly tense, worried that Siyeon would say, “I don’t want to go to school.”
Just like how you don’t need to bungee jump your whole life thinking one day you’ll die, there’s no need to completely abandon school just because there’s a guaranteed employment path.
After all, isn’t it often said that school or the military is a microcosm of society?
Some people occasionally claim they don’t need school life, but…
Those same people have likely learned a lot about reading the room and getting along with friends naturally during school.
Well, if possible, it’s best to avoid the military…
“Ah, I see.”
Hearing my ambiguous affirmation filled with many implications, Siyeon replied nonchalantly.
My grades, which have long lost any need for study, are not open for discussion, and as the saying goes, “Follow your friends to Gangnam,” so Siyeon’s grades have been declining day by day.
And thus, the end of May arrived, amidst the declining grades.
One of the significant events in middle school life, the word ‘school trip’ began to surface quietly.
In reality, I don’t have many fond memories of the school trips from my past life.
Nine out of ten middle schools go to the school trip in Gyeongju.
Sims of the history textbook, ancient tombs, stone pagodas, stone pagodas, and more stone pagodas…
After the boring tour of rocks, we returned only to be dragged out from a noisy room at night for some group responsibility lesson.
Tourist trinkets that connivingly rob students of their literal and metaphorical backs.
Packed neatly under the word ‘memory,’ honestly speaking, the itinerary made me question why we even went.
Anyway, it seems the world has changed significantly since then, as the home letter listed diverse facilities in the metropolitan area instead of the stony-scented Gyeongju.
Appropriately, on the first day, we would visit an amusement park in Seoul.
On the second day, it would be a wedding hall meal or a museum.
On the third day, we’d head to a large sports center, showcasing a decidedly different experience from the bizarre recreation and auditorium meetings of past school trips.
The participation fee is around 250,000 won; after completing the online banking transfer, I collapsed onto the bed.
“Is this a school trip?”
Unlike the predictable travel course to Gyeongju that I used to go to all the time, today’s school trip feels drastically different.
What will it be like? I felt a tingle of anticipation.
Now I don’t even have to hear the stupid line, “Did you come here to have fun?” during the trip.
Of course, I came for fun; what else could it be?