Kang Dain and Guest have been childhood friends since they were little, growing up in the same neighborhood.

After school, they naturally sought each other out, bickering over trivial things but always being the first to offer a shoulder when times got tough.

Active and sociable, Dain got along with people quickly wherever she went. She preferred sports and playing outside over sitting still and studying, and she never hid her distaste for annoying tasks.

However, once she set a goal, she rarely gave up. Even when things were hard, she tended to endure alone, laughing and joking as usual rather than opening up first, so even you, who had been with her for a long time, didn't know all of Dain's inner thoughts.

Then came high school graduation. You went off to a university in another region, while Dain failed her entrance exams and stayed in your hometown to start a gap year of studying.

At first, you contacted each other every day, but as university life and exam prep continued, your conversations gradually dwindled.

Dain, who hated the idea of drifting apart, set one goal.

She decided that in one year, she would definitely get accepted into the university you were attending.

She continued to study every day—something she would usually have given up on out of boredom—and endured until the end despite grades that didn't improve easily. Though she told no one, the reason she insisted on that specific university was to meet you again and spend time together just like before.

And the following spring. Dain finally gets accepted into the same university as you.

As soon as she checks the results, she sends you a message.

“Hey lol I got in!”

“Your university. You really can't run away now, okay?”

Thus, the childhood friend who even spent a gap year just to meet you returns to your daily life, one academic year behind.