once in the schoolall the students were seated in the cram school.we were motionless on the desksand used in our cram schoollike school supplies.when we use ourselvesare we the subjects or the objects?the English teacher questionedthough she was unaware herselfthough she had been a studentthough she had attended our cram schoolthough she was torn apart like a notebookbreaking like a pencil tipdragging around crumbs like an eraserbusy gauging surroundings like a ruler.Korean English math science social studies music arts and physicaleducation—there were secrets to good grades but no ethics.like a notebook without a pencillike a pencil without a pencil leadlike a pencil lead without an eraserevery hour, minute, and secondwere insufficient, were precarious.yet the world kept turning, andall our schoolmates who were thrown into societywithout mastering social studieswere seated in our cram schoollike fully prepared school suppliesclamping our mouths shutat the last cram schoolat the cram school for the last momentat the cram school that prepares you for death.we needed only one of these supplies:worn-out and sickly bodies or the unwillingness to live.in our cram schoolalready old or sickwe swarmed like maggots.friends we met briefly at our cram schoolfriends who could only see forward or sideways like protractorsbecame perfect school suppliescompasses that turned 360 degreespencils loaded with lead.like Korean English math science social studies music arts and physicaleducationthat filled our cram schoolbut were not oursin our cram schoolthat was never truly ourssome school supplieschose not to supply themselves any longer.some students stepped into the cram schoolgladly for the first timeto give up being students here.the class started.when we say “we,”when we transition from the object to the subjectwhen we become complete without a complementhaving evolved into a proper pronoun at lastlooking backwe decide to learn ethics in the next life.