"..The end."
"Yes, thank you for your hard work. You may step down now."
At Teacher Han Ari's instructions, the fourth participating team bowed their heads and stepped down from the stage.
At that moment.
I suddenly felt every nerve in my body go on edge.
"..S-Sh*t. Our turn is next, right?"
Crazy.
I was nervous.
"...Prez."
"Yeah, I know."
I nodded back at Gyeongwon, who was looking at me with a tense expression.
The guy's face was slightly stiff, likely
because he was nervous too.
We had vaguely thought that once their team was done, it would be our turn, so we had just been waiting.
But suddenly, they rushed out the stage and then the realization hit me.
Ah, damn. We have to go up there now.
The thought crossed my mind, and the tension of the moment before the presentation finally washed over me.
"... Okay, then-"
The sight of Teacher Han Ari raising the microphone to her lips felt as if it were happening in slow motion.
Wait a moment.
I need to prepare myself mentally.
"Well then, next up is the fifth participating team. The 'Ghost Story Club'. Please come up."
"....!!"
Badam. My heart began pounding.
Teacher Han Ari, calling us up without any hesitation, felt merciless.
Come up? The Ghost Story Club?
'Just one more minute....'
"Prez, let's go."
"Yeah."
But despite my wildly thumping heart, my body stood up on its own.
I walked down the slightly sloped, passing between people.
The room was quiet, and all eyes were on us.
Even though I was usually a pretty good talker, my presentation experience was limited to standing in front of friends during CA sessions, so this current situation was on a whole different level.
I was nervous.
My jaw was stiff, and even my gait felt awkward under scrutiny.
Being dragged in front of a crowd, I felt like a lamb being led to the slaughterhouse.
With my eyes wide open, I walked stiffly across the space between people.
And when I arrived in front of the stage.
'We're Screwed.'
I started to take a step, then hesitated.
It felt like I was stepping onto the execution platform.
I quietly turned my head and saw the club members walking behind me, and in the front row, Chaerin was smiling brightly.
And dozen other people.
I had to go up on this stage and face them all.
"What... a sh*tty situation..."
I couldn't even tremble as the club members came up behind me, so I could only lift my foot and step up onto the stage.
Thump- thump-
'Damn. Even the air feels different.'
The back of my head down to my shoulder area felt numb and tingly.
My heart was also turning cold, like whoosh~
But despite the nervousness, my body moved on its Own.
It was almost as if I've been unconsciously programmed to do this.
Thank goodness.
There are people who freeze up when nervous, while others are the type whose bodies move on autopilot without them even realizing what they're doing.
I was lucky to be the latter.
Thinking on my feet. Last-second cramming.
It's a good thing I was the type to react
immediately when pushed into a situation, rather than freezing up. I wondered if the members behind me managed to get up onto the stage alright.
"They must have. They're not kindergarteners."'
I walked to the center of the empty stage, found the microphone the previous team had left behind, and picked it up.
As I straightened my back, the PPT slide was fully displayed on the screen in front of me.
[Earthquake Damage Prevention Through Structural Improvement of Door Hinges]
10311 Ahn Gyeongwon
10312 Oh Dukhun
10313 Yoon Sunah
10314 Lee Joon
10315 Lee Jinhee
10317 In Hayoon
I turned around and saw that Gyeongwon was already tapping away at the laptop.
'When did you turn it on?'
Oi, Ahn Gyeongwon.
You should take your time with things like this. Okay?
I wasn't even mentally prepared yet almost died alone.
What's the rush that you had to turn it on so quickly?
'Gyeongwon, you b*stard. I'm going to 'expelling' you from the Ghost Story Club.'
I walked to the center with the microphone in hand and looked around the audience.
Murmur, murmur-
Countless eyes were on me.
For a moment, I thought my body had frozen stiff, but it was just an illusion.
"Hello, we are the Ghost Story Club team from Grade 1, Class 3."
Thanks to the countless simulations I had run through in my head, I was already reflexively holding the microphone and greeting the audience.
As I bowed my head, applause erupted like thunder.
From down below, it had sounded like just a few people clapping sporadically, but from up here, the sheer sound of it was overwhelming.
I realized why the teams that presented
before us had seemed so hesitant and
awkward among themselves.
That earlier male team, fussing among
themselves about which PPT slide should be shown first, whispering back and forth to move it here, no, move it there, completely oblivious to the audience.
When I was down in the audience, watching them, I thought, Why are they acting like that? We're listening, they should speak toward us. Why are they just whispering nonsense into the microphone among themselves?.
But now that I was up on the stage, I found myself feeling the same way.
Rather than speaking to all those people, I'd rather hide within this circle, retreating to the safety of my Own team.
It's like when girls excitedly rush onto the stage for a talent show at camp, but as soon as the music starts, they hide their faces in the corner of the stage, only swaying their bodies.
I used to think, why are they like that, hiding among themselves like idiots?
But standing there, I've become exactly the same.
'....F*ck. Let's do this.'
"Today, our presentation topic is the structural improvement of door hinges using magnets. Please watch this PPT with me."
I thought I'd let out a curse or two, but before I knew it, my lips had naturally started presenting the PPT.
This must be what they call seeming perfectly fine to others while your own mind goes completely blank.
'Really? I'm were nervous?'
' I didn't look nervous at all!'
I kept muttering something into the microphone, barely aware of what I was saying. Gyeongwon, as if understanding, nodded and flipped to the next slide of the PPT.
Swish-
Why are you flipping it? Did I tell you to flip it?
With the smooth animation of the page turning, the next slide unfolded.
On it was a photo of a collapsed building.
"...Could everyone please take a look at this image first?"
"...."
I pointed toward the screen.
"What do you think this picture looks like to all of you?"
No reaction.
Silence.
No one answered my question.
This. Is. Big. Trouble.
Actually, no, it wasn't really a big trouble.
Since I had just asked everyone to look, they were probably all examining the image.
It's just that, with dozens of people sitting there, there was no reason for any random individual to answer just because the presenter asked a question. That's probably why everyone was just sitting quietly.
Even though this was a typical scene in any Korean classroom, standing in front of a large audience for the first time made my heart suddenly drop.
"...Have you seen it?"
"..."
No response.
Were they even listening?
"Alright, now that you've seen it..."
I turned to face the screen and let the words spill out of my mouth.
".This picture is....."
Now I understand why teachers always urge students to answer questions during class.
When you're one person facing many, it's only natural to feel this intimidated.
The people sitting down were probably just listening quietly without much thought, but as the one explaining, I couldn't help feeling constantly ignored.
"....This image is of a building that has collapsed due to earthquake damage. Have any of you experienced an earthquake before?"
"....."
silent
I feel like I'm going to cry... But i gained my composure.
"I've experienced it once. The shaking was so intense that I ouldn't even stand properly. I still vividly remember how terrifying it was."
It happened just yesterday.
Well, actually, since it was past midnight, it was technically today. I was just carelessly mixing it up and throwing it out there.
This wasn't part of the pre-planned script, a big mistake.
Why was I even bringing this up?
"Anything placed high up shook violently and crashed to the floor, dust rained down from the ceiling, and I couldn't even walk properly, so I literally had to crawl through the hallway. Some of you might think,
Earthquake in Korea?, or dismiss it as just a personal experience. But in reality, earthquakes aren't such a distant issue for us. Would you take a look?"
I nodded to Gyeongwon, who nodded
back and flipped to the next slide of the PPT.
(The ??? incident that happened to a student in 2017)
Ah, there it was.
From here on, I remembered what I had prepared.
"In 2017, a major incident caused by an earthquake occurred in South Korea. Does anyone here know what it was? This event wasn't unrelated to anyone else, it was closely tied to us students."
"...."
"Anyone?"
As expected, the audience remained quiet.
That was understandable.
Even I never answered when teachers asked questions during class.
I always thought such things were just interjections added to make the explanation flow more smoothly, but now that I think about it, I wonder just how lost everyone else must have felt.
"The Pohang earthquake...?"
"...?"
Wondering who had unexpectedly answered when no one was expected to, I looked over and saw Chaerin, the Vice Class President, tilting her head thoughtfully at the front amid the quiet room.
Just as she always answered brightly and clearly during class, fitting her sharp personality.
Here too, she was responding to me.
'Ooh...'
Feeling as if my heart had been swept clean, I pointed my finger at her.
"Yes, that's correct! The Pohang earthquake."
Chaerin clasped her hands together and let out a soft, 'Ah-ha'.
Some of the students used to murmur in complain that Chaerin was too eager to answer, almost show-offy, but to me today, she was simply someone I was grateful for.
Regaining a bit of confidence, I pointed at the PPT again and continued my explanation.
"When talking about major events that affected students in 2017, the Pohang
earthquake is a must-have discussion. It was an unprecedented event that even resulted in the postponement of the CSAT, a subject of intense interest among high school students."
Only then did a few people nod their heads with an 'Ah..:.'
I felt my words beginning to flow a little more freely.
"The Pohang earthquake was recorded as the second-largest earthquake in South Korea's history since observations began in 1978. The actual damage was immense. But here's an interesting fact."
I glanced around the audience once more and posed a question.
"The Pohang earthquake, the second largest in South Korea's history. What do you think its magnitude actually was?"
"....."
The students fell silent again.
But even so, mixing in questions like this was definitely easier than just reading everything aloud alone.
After all, everyone was probably answering in their heads anyway.
"..Five point something?"
Once again, Chaerin from the front row tilted her head and answered, and with a grateful heart, I pointed right at her with my finger.
"Yes, that's correct! The 2017 Pohang
earthquake had a magnitude of 5.4."
TIe PPI slide to the next page, and Chaerin smiled brightly.
'Thank you.'
Even though she was just answering naturally, given her personality, from my perspective, I was truly grateful.
There's a reason why those types of students are so beloved by teachers.
"The 2017 Pohang earthquake, with a magnitude of 5.4, caused significant damage across South Korea, which even led to the unprecedented one-week postponement of the national CSAT exam, which had never been delayed before. However, an interesting fact is that, on a global scale, a magnitude 5.4 earthquake isn't actually considered that large. Would you like to take a look?"
I gestured toward the statistics slide on the PPT.
Before I knew it, my voice had regained some of its confidence, thanks to Chaerin.
(Japan Earthquake History in the First Half of 2019)
Date /Time - Magnitude
2019.01.03 / 6:16 PM - 5.0
2019.01.06/8:12 PM -5.6
2019.01.08 /9:48 PM - 5.9
2019.01.18/9:53 PM - 5.3
2019.01.26 /5:29 PM - 5.7
2019.02.21 /9:28 PM - 5.7
2019.03.11 /2:46 PM -5.9
2019.04.05 /7:08 PM - 5.9
2019.04.08/1:19 PM -5.5
2019.04.11 /5:24 PM - 6.0
2019.04.12 /4:41 PM -5.6
2019.04.28 / 02:31:00 - 5.6
2019.05.10/07:49:00 - 5.6
2019.05.15 /14:33:00 -5.5
2019.05.25 / 15:28:00 - 5.1
"These are the statistics for the first half of this year in Japan, the land of earthquakes. Can you all see?"
I gave Gyeongwon a look, and he nodded, helpfully enlarging the numbers for everyone.
"For us,a 5.4 magnitude Pohang earthquake would be enough to cause a national uproar and even postpone the college entrance exam if it happened once. But for Japan,
earthquakes of that scale happen dozens of times a year and are almost a part of daily life. Again, this isn't for a whole year, it's only the statistics up to the first half of this year. Just multiply them by two and you'll get the whole picture."
The students examined the statistics carefully and began nodding their heads.
Gradually, their expressions grew more
focused.
"So why is it that a magnitude 5 earthqualke like Pohang, which was chaotic enough to rank as the second-largest in our history even though it only happened once, can
occur nearly thirty times a year in Japan without major issues? First and foremost, it must be because they're well-prepared, right? They've experienced it so many times it's natural to them."
I naturally continued my explanation and moved on to the next part.
To be honest, it's not that Japan goes through all that chaos unscathed. Every year, the national damage caused by
earthquakes is enormous.
But here, it was more effective to frame it like, Japan can withstand multiple earthquakes of the same magnitude without major issues, while Korea was nearly brought to its knees by just one!' or something like that.
Only by doing that would the value of the product we were presenting truly stand out. In fact, Chaerin's team fell short in explaining this very point, which is why the Vice Principal had pointed out, 'Is this product really necessary?'.
"The important point is that South Korea was unprepared, which is why the damage was so severe, while Japan, being well-prepared, suffered far less damage even from earthquakes of the same magnitude. You've all heard on the news that South Korea is no longer a country safe from earthquakes, right? That's exactly it. This kind of incident could easily happen again, multiple times."
A few people nodded their heads.
This was a phrase that's been repeated
countless times on the news, along with
water shortages and the highest suicide
rate.
South Korea is not an earthquake-safe
country.
"An earthquake ofa magnitude as large as the Pohang earthquake could easily strike Korea at any time. While I wouldn't say it'll happen often, but at least two more are likely to happen within our lifetimes. If we're
completely unprepared for that next time, it could go beyond just crippling a region; it could even bring down the entire nation. Even after decades of safety, a single event like this could inflict severe societal damage. So it's always best to be prepared, right?"
After finishing explaining the necessity of earthquake damage prevention in Korea up to this point, I gestured toward the next PPT slide.
"So, we started thinking. The earthquakes we'll inevitably face someday, instead of just relying on safety education, what practical
measures can we install in buildings to mitigate its damage? Here are the
conditions we established."
1 Must be something students can actually build themselves.
2 Must be effective in preventing earthquake damage.
3 Must be practical and feasible to implement in real-world society.
"It couldn't be something overly outlandish or too large-scale under the pretense of preventing earthquakes. it had to align with the purpose of a science fair, something students could actually build, showcase, and still have real social utility. After much deliberation under those conditions, we finally settled on our current research topic. To demonstrate you this isn't just talk, we've actually made a prototype ourselves and brought it here. Please take a look."
Thinking we needed to take the initiative from the start, I gestured to the club members to bring out the model.
Dukhun was about to approach, carefully carrying the door.
But I waved my hands and shook my head, mouthing, 'No, no, not you,' then pointed at Hayoon.
"Not you, In Hayoon. Hayoon, bring it out."
Being suddenly singled out, Hayoon raised her eyebrows slightly.
When companies promote new products, don't they always have pretty model come out holding the item? Hayoon has a pretty face.
I figured now was the time to put it to good use.
"...This is it, right here."
Soon, instead of the bulky Dukhun, the slender Hayoon came forward, wearing a calm expression as she gracefully carried the model door, leaving both the judges and the students looking surprised.
"...Uh, what is this...?"
As expected, the response was immediate.
The teachers in the judges' seats adjusted their glasses and leaned forward.
The students craned their necks, looking at us with expressions that seemed to ask, 'Huh?".
"This is the conclusion of our research. A model of the design we intend to present as the actual exhibit"
".....!?"
Hayoon stood still, holding the model like a showroom model, while a few
even rose from their seats to get a closer look.
"..Wow, what is this..."
"Wow. Did they really make their exhibit in advance?"
"..They've prepared a lot."
"What does that even look like? A door?"
"Hmmn..."
"That girl is pretty. Which class is she in?"
The crowd murmured.
It was the moment when the class gap between our club and the average, rambling students became apparent.