Cheong smiled as she fell, trying her hardest.

Why, just looking at movies and other media, isn't it so cool to see a character burn themselves up to overcome adversity and collapse with a satisfied smile?

So Cheong thought she had finished in a pretty impressive manner.

This is how mass media leads people astray.

She should have realized that the image she imagined of herself was vastly different from what others saw.

Cheong's imagination: Lying down as if dead, yet with a relieved smile conveying that she had accomplished everything, entrusting the rest to her friends.

What her friends …