If the weather became milder and warmer outside, a monstrous storm raged inside Ashil's body. Since the opening ceremony for the freshmen, he came every morning to stand facing the notice board, with all those letters pinned on it. Every morning, he stared for several minutes at this single white letter. Every morning, he watched the other students walk past him and the board without paying attention. Everyone was walking too fast to worry about something. Even an object as random as a frame made of cork on which people had come to hang the misfortunes of their poor existence. But for Ashil it was not just an object. Not just an activity. Not just pieces of paper. Not just words written under drunkenness. Oddly, all this represented for him a portal to another world. Towards another alternative of life.

If on the day of the ceremony he hadn't worried about what he wrote, today it was the opposite. With a clear mind, he finally understood what he had put on this white piece of paper. It wasn't just any thought. It was a rebellious thought that went against society. It was a truth that everyone saw without denouncing it.

Since Ashil realized the words on this piece of paper, he was sick. The desire that came to his mind was to tear and throw in the trash this monstrosity. This ugly truth. Even if nothing really prevented him from doing such an action, he knew that if he had the audacity to do it, the steps, the eyes that never cared about their environment, would stop at once, putting suddenly their attention on him. And that, he didn't want to take the risk of seeing such a spectacle.

He sighed heavily and then went to join the classroom of his first class, letting the student life overcome him again.

Sitting in the high places of the amphitheater, the professor's voice being distant, his eyes on the outside, Ashil witnessed the decline of the sun. He was used to long days, but this one was going slowly. He had the impression that someone was enjoying to extend it without letting the string of its longevity break. He even stopped taking notes, preferring to let his thoughts wander.

Sometimes he felt a slight nudge against his arm, which incited him to refocus on the lesson. He obeyed this request for a few minutes before looking at the blue sky again. He couldn't concentrate. In any case, not today. Too many things upsetted him, especially this notice board.

He had hoped it was going to change something. He hoped it brought something to some people. The harsh reality was that no one was looking at it. This board was just a work of art that didn't have the spark of the masterpiece. Yet, his letter kept calling him, as if it didn't belong in the middle of those other stories. As if it should never have been at such a place at first.

Unable to concentrate and the teacher's voice constantly bringing him back to reality, breaking the train of his thoughts, Ashil suddenly got up. He took his few belongings and left the amphitheater in silence. He walked nonchalantly in the hallways, his heart heavy. He knew where he was going, anyone would have guessed it.

Arrived in the hall of the main building of the campus of the Human Sciences, he went to sit down, facing the board. His back against the wall, he closed his eyes, waiting for the end of classes.

The end of the day was over since ten minutes. His legs stretched out, his head resting against the wall, his eyes were no longer closed, but they were staring at the ceiling, which had become greyish from looking at it.

A knock in his foot made him look down. In front of Ashil stood Jaeyeon and Byeolhae.

"So you skip now?"

Ashil shrugged when he heard his friend's remark. Whether he skips a class or a few minutes of it, that will not change his schooling. As long as he had good grades, he didn't care more than that.

"What's going on with you lately?" Byeolhae asked him in a soft voice, sitting down beside him.

Ashil shrugged again. He wasn't sure of his answer. And even if he was, he didn't know if he could reveal it to his friend. Although she was one of his best friends.

"Did you have any feedback about our activity?" Ashil said in a distant voice.

"No, why?"

"Really, nothing? Not even through the representatives of the psychology section or the student office of the campus of the Human Sciences?"

"No. But why are you asking such questions?" Byeolhae asked him, intrigued.

"For nothing..."

Still facing Ashil, Jaeyeon smirked, finally understanding the weird behavior of his friend.

"Why do you care so much about this board?" Jaeyeon asked him directly, going to sit next to him.

Ashil was ready to answer him, but he changed his mind.

Yes, why did he care so much? He could seek all the excuses of the world, none will be up to his true reason. Although he wanted something different to happen, transforming his daily life, he had guessed the fear that was purring in him. It wasn't the fact that all the students passed by the board without taking a look at it, worrying only about their life, that bothered him. It was the fact that even being in a city as populous as Seoul and even being surrounded by his two friends, he felt, day after day, so much alone.

This loneliness never left him and even if he made sure that no one sees it, deep inside him, he would like to find someone who feels like him. Who feels so empty and useless even though they are surrounded by light and life. That's why he was so concerned about this board. He wanted to witness the sadness, the pain, the misery caused by society. He wanted to see that he wasn't the only one feeling trapped between four walls.