First Place
By, Lu Choi
I am a 18 year old boy. My name is Alex I go to international school in Korea. My mother is from Korea and only two of us live in this huge house in Gangnam. My father? He passed away the day before I was born. I’m not sad or happy, I have no time to think about my own feeling. Everyday at school, I need to get full marks. After school, I go to the academy until 10, well because of Myungbaek who is our president he made a law that every students must be home before 10. I have to come back before 10 and then when I come back, my tutors come and teach me until 2 a.m. I am sick and tired of my life but I just can’t stop studying. I need to make my mom happy. I know my mom is much more tired and she is trying more than me. Tomorrow there will be an exam, I must be in one of the top 30, or else I am dead.
[Next Morning]
It was the day. I was memorizing what I am going to be tested on today and my mom was beside me feeding me. After eating I walked out of my house and head up to school. There were many students that were talking with their friends, their parents. I was walking by myself just memorizing some information. I came into the classroom and sat on my chair. The teacher came in, and the test started.
[Few days later]
“Today is report card day. As soon as I give it to you put it straight into your backpack,” said the teacher with strong voice.
I was worried, I was too worried, and I was scared. I got my report card I stuffed it into my backpack carefully. I went back home and my mother was waiting on the couch drinking her coffee. She asked, “I heard you’ve got your report card, can I have it?” I opened my backpack and handed in the report card to her with trembling hands. As soon as she got my report card, she was stunned.
“What is this result? You studied that much and you are ranked in tenth place in the entire school? You can’t even go to university with this result! What are you doing? Why are you wasting your time standing there? Get in and back to work!” she shouted at me. I didn’t reply and I just went back into my room, opened my workbook and my textbook and started studying.
From the next day, I had to go to one more academy and studied with 3more tutors after academies have finished. I am tired and sick of my life. If I wait for just only one more year, I would be free in university enjoying my day with everyone… However before that I need to work hard for one more year. There are 3 weeks left until the exam.
At night time, I heard my mother talking with her friends about academies that are good in Gangnam. I know that, from the next day I will be going to that academy. Yes, I am going there from tomorrow. Now my sleeping time had decreased by 2 hours since I will be going to another academy. In that academy, they got permission from education office that students are allowed to study and learn until 1a.m. There is one week left until the exam.
Tomorrow is the day, I am almost ready. In these days I haven’t got enough sleep, but I am too busy to be even tired. Tomorrow is the day.
[The Next Day]
Everything was over, I hope this time I am in the top 5 if I am not, I will be in big trouble. I was walking back home, and I felt nauseous but I didn’t really care. I thought I would be fine after taking a little rest. As soon as I came back home I started studying for the next exam. I have lost 8kilograms in three weeks, I am tired and I wanted to sleep but my mom wouldn’t let me take a rest.
My results came out. I was in the third student from my school. I hope my mom is satisfied with this result I’ve got. I thought she would be happy but I was wrong.
“What is this result? Explain to me! Tell me that this isn’t your own result! You know how much I am paying every month and spending my day searching for good academies and looking for good tutors? Why can’t you do better than that! I am very disappointed…” she screamed at me again. Just like last time. I went back to my room and my tutor was in there waiting for me.
I went to school the next day and my desk and chair was gone. I looked around but I couldn’t find it. Then, Sam and Lucy who are on the first and second place came up to me and slapped me. Then said, “You are sly as a fox! Just because you wanted to be in the first place, you did this? Thanks for doing that!”
I was confused and so I asked, “what did I do..?”
Lucy slapped and cried, “Your mom fired both our parents! Now we have no one to earn money! We are doomed!”
My classmates talked in whispers among them-selves when they saw me. During lunch time, some of the students threw eggs at me but I didn’t care. I was the one who did the wrong thing, if I was in first place my mom wouldn’t have fired them. Lucy and Sam didn’t come to school after that day, I only heard that they moved to the countryside to hide from loan sharks. I was always alone at school. No one came and talked to me but they either glared at me or whispered to each other. The last exam for this year was coming up.
[Last exam day]
When I entered the classroom, I saw my classmates pouring flour on my desk and pouring glue on my chair. My teacher came in, so everyone sat down. She saw me standing beside my desk and chair, but she didn’t say anything or let anyone to bring me a clean desk or chair. I cleaned it by myself, no one helped me.
Like Alex’s mother always wanted, he won first place. Her mother was happy, but as soon as she entered his room, she screamed. She dropped her knees and covered her face and started crying. In front of her, there was a memo and Alex’s body hanging on the ceiling. On the memo it said…
‘Are you satisfied now, mother?’