[Short Story] Galaxy

When the fifth-period bell rang, everyone flipped their test papers over at once.
Once this period ended, life would return to normal. A lively atmosphere filled the classroom, as if to drown out the early autumn breeze.
As that atmosphere swelled, I felt even more suffocated.


The test paper was filled with lines of meaningful-looking text. I would carelessly hope each time that filling in the blanks might change something, but in the end, nothing ever changed.
The sound of pens racing across paper echoed from all around. Yet, I hadn't even written my name.
Perhaps I was somehow rejecting the return of those days with such intense sunlight.


I folded my test paper in half. I had an urge to tear it to shreds, but my inherent cowardice stopped me.
As I continued to fold the paper, my own immaturity became visible, and it made me sad.
When I am caught in sadness, your image floats into my mind.
What kind of words would you say to me?


Thinking of you, I just kept folding the paper, over and over.

If I were to unfold the paper now, a crumpled, unsightly mess would appear. I regretted it just a little, but there was no turning back.
The paper became smaller, but my feelings for you only grew.


In my gloomy days, you were my only salvation. I empathized with your words and was captivated by your way of life.
However, the only similarity between you and me was a lingering sense of tragedy. Your eyes were clear, and you looked at things differently than I did with my sleepy eyes.
My longing for you gradually turned into something intense, like jealousy.
Every day, I busied myself comparing myself to you, but each time, it only confirmed my own incompetence.


And then,
One day, suddenly, you disappeared.
To a place I could not reach, no matter how far I stretched my hand.

The ego that had been maintained by you crumbled away easily in your absence.
Perhaps I was just drunk on my longing for you.


Thinking of you, I just kept folding the paper, over and over.

The more I folded it, the more the paper seemed to stretch toward the heavens, like a signpost leading to you.
Relying on that, I climbed up little by little.

Because I wanted to catch up to you.
If I were to be greedy, I wanted to surpass you.

Thinking of you, I just kept...

When I realized it, I was standing on the surface of the moon. The white moon illuminated my feet modestly.
However, no matter where I looked, you were nowhere to be found.
Because I had been so earnest, the meaninglessness of the repetitive task left me feeling empty.
At the same time, the audacity of my attempt to stand alongside you tightened my chest.

What spread out before me was just a galaxy.
It resembled the sky of a summer that had passed.

I stared at it.
Just, blankly.

It wasn't particularly beautiful, but it strangely calmed my heart.

I decided to slowly descend from the paper.
The moonlight faded, I passed through the darkness, and the classroom lights drew near.

The overlapping sounds of pens racing across paper welcomed me back.
I returned to my seat as if nothing had happened and straightened out the folded test paper.

And then,
I just quietly wrote my name.

(1200 characters)

I was able to receive the Reader's Award at the Autumn Pirika Grand Prix 2024.
Thank you for reading with such warm eyes.