Chapter 5 Part 2

“Why bother with that? Your internal grades are good, your SAT scores are excellent, and the tuition is cheaper too…”

“I’m applying to K University.”

He declared his choice unwaveringly, without a change in expression. The homeroom teacher tried to persuade him further but eventually gave up. Ki-hyeon silently returned to the classroom.

K University’s Computer Science Department.

Would they welcome him if he got in on his own merits?

That was the only motivation sustaining Gihyun at the moment.

***

Gihyun, who had secured his place at K University without any issues, had gathered all the money he could for the registration fee. He had also moved into a goshiwon (a small, inexpensive lodging) near the university.

Until the semester began, Gihyun took any job he could find, from day labor to factory work. Whenever he felt overwhelmed, he would ride the bus from its starting point to its final destination to clear his mind.

That day, too, was one such return trip. Sitting in the front seat of the bus, Gihyun was looking out the window. The bus pulled into a stop, and a crowd of people boarded.

“Insufficient balance.”

The embarrassing electronic voice echoed as a passenger tried to tap her card. A woman about his age seemed particularly flustered, apparently without any cash on her, unable to decide what to do.

Gihyun could have ignored it—it wasn’t his problem. But the moment reminded him of a time in high school when he hadn’t prepared money in advance and was scolded by the bus driver, a memory that had left him drowning in shame alone.

Triggered by this memory, Gihyun displayed a rare moment of compassion, perhaps only once a year. He pulled out two crumpled bills from his pocket and stood up. He paid the fare for the woman, then quickly returned to his seat.

“Thank you.”

The woman moved closer to Gihyun and bowed towards him. He glanced at her briefly.

To Gihyun, she was a woman with an indistinct appearance, the kind of face that wouldn’t catch anyone’s attention unless looked at closely. He didn’t respond and turned his gaze back to the window.

The woman, looking embarrassed and hesitant, eventually took a seat behind Gihyun. As soon as the bus reached the stop in front of K University, Gihyun got off. He quickly forgot about the incident as the day went on.

***

As the professor detailed the class expectations, Gihyun frowned slightly. The class involved strict attendance checks and weekly exams—it was one of the toughest lectures. No wonder the enrollment had been less competitive.

He considered dropping the class, but it would disrupt his schedule, and he definitely did not want to retake this course. He decided he would just have to get through it, even if it meant scraping by with a barely passing grade.

Gihyun was well aware that his appearance generally garnered favorable attention, and he planned to use it to his advantage again.

Scanning the room, he looked for someone who seemed good at taking notes. He noticed a woman seated across from him diligently organizing what the professor said. She had a plain, unassuming look, and something about her suggested she wasn’t mean-spirited.

Gihyun kept an eye on her, and as soon as the class ended, he walked over to start a conversation.

“Excuse me.”

When Gihyun initiated the conversation, the female student’s eyes lit up with a welcoming gleam. Surprisingly friendly for a first meeting, Gihyun found himself momentarily taken aback. He tried to recall if he knew her from somewhere, but couldn’t place her.

“Hello.”

“…Yes.”

“Do you remember me? From the bus…”

Only then did he remember the incident where he had helped with her bus fare. He didn’t actually recall her face, but he pretended to recognize her. Then, he glanced at the name written on her spiral notebook.

“…Cha Min-joo.”

When he called her by name, she smiled brightly.

He could feel that she had a favorable impression of him.

Things were going smoothly.

***

Gi-hyun managed to get through the midterm exams without much trouble. Despite barely attending the lectures, he was able to write his answers smoothly, thanks to the notes he had borrowed from Min-joo. Her meticulous summaries were so well done that memorizing them was enough to tackle the exams. However, as soon as the exams were over, he forgot where he had placed the notebook.

“Hello.”

As he was leaving the lecture hall, someone approached him. It was Cha Min-joo.

“About the notebook you borrowed the other day.”

“…Sorry, I lost it.”

He wasn’t really sorry, but he pretended to be.

“I’ll buy you a meal instead.”

He tried to compensate for the loss of her diligent work with a single meal. Fortunately, Min-joo did not seem upset and responded,

“I have more notes.”

“……”

“I made copies for a friend. I was worried it would be a waste of time… You don’t need to bother finding it if it’s too much trouble.”

Relieved of his guilt, Gihyun only later learned that Min-joo was in a precarious financial situation and really needed her scholarship. Nonetheless, having promised a meal, he took her to a restaurant his classmates had recommended for its reasonable prices. Min-joo followed with a bright smile.

“It’s delicious.”

As soon as the food arrived, Min-joo began tasting it with joy. Unlike the unenthusiastic Gihyun, Min-joo actively engaged in conversation.

“How did you know about this place? It’s like a hidden gem.”

“My classmates told me.”

“I usually don’t like plain rice, but the side dishes here make it easy to eat.”

Her eyes sparkled as she looked at Gihyun—half grateful for the good restaurant tip, half fond of Gihyun himself. Gihyun knew he was popular for his looks, and thinking of Min-joo as one of those admirers made him feel trivial. He inwardly scoffed.

He responded minimally to Min-joo’s attempts at conversation, then stood up to pay the bill. Opening his wallet, he realized he had no cash—having forgotten that he’d spent it all on drinks the night before. His bank card was also bound to be declined due to a lack of funds.

Before the situation could become more embarrassing, Min-joo stepped in.

“I’ll pay.”

Rather than feeling grateful, Gihyun felt increasingly uncomfortable, a mix of embarrassment and inferiority preventing him from meeting Min-joo’s eyes. Yet, she tried to catch his gaze.

“Do you want to join a study group?”

“A study group?”

“I heard from the seniors that the finals are really tough… We could study together.”

Gihyun cynically took advantage of the situation. He scoffed internally, yet he did not outright reject the offer since it was beneficial to him.

Min-joo was adept at identifying key points. She understood the professor’s tendencies well and was diligent enough to accurately predict questions for the weekly exams. Gihyun could score well even without studying on his own, simply by listening to Min-joo’s explanations.

However, he saw Min-joo merely as a means to an end during exam periods. Gihyun, who was quite handsome and a freshman, found it easy to mingle with female upperclassmen. He viewed being exclusively associated with Min-joo as a loss. Outside of study sessions, he generally ignored her.

***

While skipping a lecture, Gihyun unexpectedly ran into Min-joo, who greeted him warmly.

“Were you busy?”

“Yeah, I had a presentation assignment.”

“I tried calling you before, but you didn’t answer.”

“Oh, did you? My phone’s been acting weird lately.”

Whether Min-joo believed Gihyun’s excuse was unclear, but she seemed partly reassured, though still somewhat skeptical. It was time for Gihyun to manage this ‘caught fish’ carefully. He remembered Min-joo mentioning she had messed up her course registration.

“Got any plans?”

“No?”

“Let’s practice basketball. You signed up for PE, right?”

“Is that okay?”

“You’ve helped me out too.”

“I didn’t expect anything in return…”

“So, are you coming or not?”

Prompted by Gihyun, Min-joo nodded immediately, her face full of excitement as she followed him.

Entering the open gym, Gihyun rolled some neatly arranged balls towards where Min-joo was standing. He then joined her at the shooting line.

“You’re right-handed, right?”

“Yes.”

“Use this hand to support the ball, and this hand to guide the direction.”

Guiding Min-joo’s hands, Gihyun provided hands-on coaching, and her face turned red with embarrassment. Gihyun, touching her as if it were nothing, was astounded by her reaction. It seemed pathetic to him that she appeared inexperienced with such basic physical contact.

Embarrassed, Min-joo threw the basketball haphazardly. It didn’t even come close to the hoop, falling short. Gihyun looked awkwardly at the blushing Min-joo and noticed her delicate wrists and slender neck. Apart from her slightly plump cheeks, she was rather slim overall.

Catching himself staring, Gihyun refocused on the task at hand. Min-joo seemed almost overpowered by the basketball. He decided to change his approach.

“Just spread your hands like this.”

“Like this?”

“Yeah. Push it out as you throw. Don’t worry about the form for now, just focus on making the shot.”

Min-joo pushed the ball, which hit the backboard and dropped down. Even though it didn’t make it through the hoop, the fact that it hit the backboard excited her.

“It hit there!”

“As you get the feel for the distance, we’ll adjust the direction.”

Gihyun tossed her another ball, urging her to continue training. Gaining some confidence, Min-joo caught the ball, though her balance was off, her hands visibly twisting to the left.

He moved closer to her side. With one hand, he supported the ball, and with the other, he adjusted her hands to properly position them on the ball. Gihyun’s calm touch only made Min-joo look at him nervously.

“Try throwing it like this.”

As Gihyun coached, Min-joo extended her arm and pushed the ball forward. This time, it hit the backboard, bounced off, and went through the net. Delighted by the successful shot, Min-joo beamed with joy. She tried again, and when the ball went in once more, she came over for a high five, her face alight with triumph. She continued to throw the ball, practicing on her own.

Light filtered into the gym, illuminating Min-joo as she focused intently. Gihyun watched her, noting how her slender frame made her appear more fragile than she probably was, but he quickly shrugged off the thought with a laugh. To him, she was just a simple girl, easily moved by minor acts of kindness.

Thanks to this small investment of time and effort, Gihyun was able to maintain his relationship with Min-joo. She paid for meals and took on tasks he found bothersome, whether it was assignments or attending classes for him. It was convenient to have her do these things like a servant. Despite the one-sided nature of their interactions, Min-joo never showed any signs of displeasure.