Chapter 308

***

Rumble rumble-.

Rumble rumble-.

Jeong Won-i has always had exceptional leg strength, thanks to running around with his older siblings from a young age. Even when playing tag with Hong Soo-hyuk, who came to visit from Seoul, he never got caught once.

That little guy zoomed along the riverside track on his tricycle.

Rumble rumble-.

The melted ice on the water surface and the long-stretched sunset seemed to get excited by Son Jeong-won’s energetic race, turning a fiery red.

Swoosh-.

A gust of wind made the reeds by the river tremble.

“Ohhh-. Buttocks-.”

Touching that deep brown buttocks felt so soft and fun-.

Heheheh-.

Even Geon-ma, sitting on the back of the tricycle, marveled along with Jeong Won-i.

“Uncivilized noona-.”

He gestured to Choi Mi-kyung, who was sitting next to Kim Eun-jung, chatting away. Jam jam-.

“Oh my, my little one-. Did you call noona?”

Choi Mi-kyung, who ran over with quick steps, crouched down and wiped Son Jeong-won’s nose with her hoodie sleeve.

“What is it-? Our Jeong Won-i? What should noona do for you? Should I give you a kiss? Uuum-.”

“Son Jeong-won, that, please get that for me-.”

It was a fruit that looked like a sausage or a blunt, elongated stick.

Jeong Won-i, pointing at the reed fruit, clasped his hands together with a smile that could even charm a ghost. Please-.

“Ahaha-, should I pick that for you?”

Choi Mi-kyung, who had puckered her lips like a chicken’s butt, awkwardly scratched the back of her head.

“Yes, hehe-. Son Jeong-won is getting so dignified-. Hyung, let’s go in, it’s almost mom’s time-.”

“Right. It’s dangerous for kids. Noona will pick it for you, wait.”

“Yes, hehe-.”

Choi Mi-kyung, who went down the steps, soon came back with two reed fruits.

“Our Jeong Won-i, be careful riding your bike-.”

“Yes, hehe-. Uncivilized noona, thank you-.”

Rumble rumble-.

Jeong Won-i, pedaling the tricycle with his short legs, rode away along the track.

Woo-!

Geon-ma, sitting in the back, barked once towards his former owner, Choi Mi-kyung.

Probably meaning “Good job.”

Choi Mi-kyung, who had solved the sudden homework, sat down next to Kim Eun-jung.

“Haa-, refreshing.”

Huuung-.

She took a deep breath and made a snorting sound, revealing her white teeth.

“Mi-kyung, your snort is so provocative. It’s making me feel weird.”

“Eun-jung, your voice isn’t exactly wholesome either.”

“A provocative voice that tingles down to the cytoplasm, nucleus, and mitochondria is my specialty. There’s no one I can’t seduce over the phone.”

Kekekekek-.

The two exam students, driven mad by the pressure of the upcoming college entrance exam, exchanged nonsense and giggled.

Swish swish swoosh-.

“Haa-. I like the smell of autumn wind.”

“I don’t. When the wind blows, it smells like cow dung.”

“It doesn’t smell much near Eun-jung’s house, though?”

“Since we started feeding the cows feed from Mr. Son Gwang’s company, the smell has lessened. But I’ve always felt like the wind smells like cow dung since I was little.”

Kim Eun-jung pouted.

When she first entered kindergarten, Kim Eun-jung was teased by kids who said she smelled like cow dung, and she cried every day.

Kang Jin-soo, Lim Hyung-seop, and some other brats… Those damn kids who didn’t even wash properly… Kim Eun-jung muttered curses under her breath.

Back then, Son Jin-hyeok fought with those kids to defend Eun-jung, but ended up getting beaten up himself. He was smaller and cried more than the other kids.

If Choi Mi-kyung hadn’t stepped in to scold those two, Son Jin-hyeok would have kept crying while hugging Eun-jung.

“Live long enough, and you’ll see. That guy turned out to be such a big shot.”

A big shot, huh…

Choi Mi-kyung shook her head.

She’s always lost in her own thoughts and talking to herself. She’s starting to act more and more like Jo Seol-chan.

But having many friends is a good thing.

While other rural areas are emptying out, Choi Mi-kyung’s neighborhood is bustling with people, and laughter never stops, whether from kids or adults.

“Eun-jung, are you ready for the college entrance exam?”

“Well, I can cover any lacking scores with essays, so I’m fine.”

The influence of Hong Ki-jun, a powerful figure leading the world.

Just by changing corporate culture and tweaking hiring and evaluation systems, his impact has reached every corner of society.

Even the college entrance and job markets.

These two exam students haven’t fully grasped it yet, but they vaguely sense that the world is changing rapidly.

“Should I not go to college?”

“Mi-kyung, are you thinking of getting a job right away?”

“Yeah. Even if you’re not from a vocational high school, there are many companies where you can work and receive college education.”

“Easier said than done.”

“My cousin said that even if you get into a company, you don’t immediately use what you learned in college. He got scolded because a college graduate couldn’t even operate a copier.”

“If you can read a lot of books and spout sentences that could be used in essays, you might be able to get a job. Not just that. That guy has a few medals too.”

Kim Eun-jung pointed at Jin-hyuk, who was sitting by the riverside with Jo Seol-chan, reading a book.

“Right? It would be hard without separate preparation.”

“Even with a Ph.D., there’s no salary difference, so getting a job right away might be okay. The problem is that it’s almost impossible. Even those who prepared separately ended up disappointed. We in the humanities will definitely have things to learn in college. We’ll gain a lot.”

To get high-level information that helps with getting a job, college is essential. Kim Eun-jung muttered while chewing on a yellow, withered leaf. She looked like a calf chewing on fodder.

“Right. Let’s go… to college. If you want to become a professional, you have to go through it. They say that in a few years, only those who will become scholars will go to college. It’s a pity.”

“It’s the fate of those around during the transition. We have to adapt to the world.”

At Kim Eun-jung’s old-sounding words, Choi Mi-kyung nodded.

Though she spoke as if college wasn’t a big deal, Choi Mi-kyung had already decided to go to medical school.

When Seung-hoon goes into training, I’ll have to sneak out for a meeting.

“Hae-won, who got a job at the credit union, said that big companies require you to write a thesis for the entrance exam. You also have to take a personality test, but I won’t pass because of my personality. I’m confident in essays, but I won’t do well in interviews either. So, I need a college degree.”

“What about Eun-jung?”

Choi Mi-kyung’s eyes widened.

Her way of speaking and thinking is usually strange, but in formal settings, she’s more logical and intelligent than anyone.

“Thanks for saying that, Mi-kyung.”

Kim Eun-jung suddenly stood up, brushed off her butt, and stretched.

“Udadadadad-! This annoying uniform is finally over!”

What’s she talking about, wearing the uniform even on weekends…

Choi Mi-kyung sighed quietly.

“This uniform creates a dull shadow, killing my skin tone. Mi-kyung, you don’t understand me.”

“Right…”

How can I understand someone as 4D as you?

“I’m shedding the shadow. It’s called escaping the shadow.”

Is this the military?

Who else but Kim Eun-jung would use such strange expressions.

“After graduation, I plan to transform into semi-hip hop. I’ll dye Jo Seol’s hair brown like our cow. Just thinking about it makes me satisfied.”

Yeah, go ahead…

“Today- I’m happy- I’ll always pray when I wake up in the morning-.”

Kim Eun-jung hummed a song as she walked towards Jin-hyuk.

She’s acting out again mid-conversation. She’s a friend, but I really can’t understand her. Choi Mi-kyung sighed and followed.

“Beautiful- Constrained- I also have things to do on holidays-.”

Hey, you!

Please stop singing so weirdly!

*

How enjoyable is it to read a book in a scenic spot under the sun.

Even though the wind is quite chilly, Jin-hyuk isn’t about to give up that pleasure.

Jin-hyuk was helping Jo Seol-chan with his certification exam.

It’s not that Jin-hyuk has extensive professional knowledge to help.

“You need to understand the problem first.”

“Eee-, the answer is easy but sometimes the problem is hard.”

It’s similar to teaching elderly people preparing for the real estate agent exam.

It’s like explaining the meaning of key vocabulary in Chinese characters to those who can’t understand the problem.

“Why did you get this question wrong?”

“Eee-, this one came up as open circuit, short circuit, but I know what an open short is? But since it’s in Chinese characters, I didn’t know what it meant. Both start with ‘dan’.”

“Ah, it was hard because of the Chinese characters.”

“Eee-, even Seung-chan from the next village got this wrong. Hehehe-.”

Seung-chan, not Seung-chan, it’s Seung-chan.

Jin-hyuk drew a line on the ground with a stick.

Then he erased the middle with his finger, breaking the line.

“What’s this?”

“Open.”

“In Chinese characters?”

“Open circuit.”

“Right, open circuit. It means the line is broken.”

“Looking at just one, it’s easy, but short circuit is confusing too. The character ‘rak’ makes me think of falling, so it seems like open. Open, short is open, closed. Easy, right?”

Yes, I understand. Jin-hyuk nodded.

Without the Chinese characters, anyone familiar with common Chinese characters would understand.

「短絡」

Jin-hyuk wrote the Chinese characters on the ground.

“Short ‘dan’, connect ‘rak’. Let’s understand it this way. The two are too close, short, narrow, and connected. That’s why it’s a short circuit.”

“I understood it that way when I studied, but when I took the exam, I couldn’t remember.”

“In English, we use ‘short’ for short. In Chinese characters, we use ‘dan’ for short. Memorize it as ‘short circuit’.”

“Short circuit, open circuit.”

“Right, like that. Are we done here?”

“Eee, I need to memorize it.”

“Okay, then. Next problem-.”

Any hard problems? It’s fun when it’s hard and your brain heats up. Jin-hyuk hummed a tune.

Since he’s not solving the problems directly but just helping Jo Seol-chan understand, anyone with a strength in language could help at this level.

“V is IR. This formula appears in middle school science.”

“Ugh-, I just go blank when I see Chinese characters and alphabet abbreviations.”

“Just memorize it. Seol-chan is good with his hands and creative, but weak with text. That’s why I told you to read more books.”

“I’ll just write it down and memorize it.”

Our joker captain is starting to nag again-. Jo Seol-chan grumbled under his breath.

Just then, Kim Eun-jung, with her hand in her uniform jacket pocket, approached.

“Hey, Jin-hyuk.”

“Yeah?”

“You-. Did you do that?”

“That? What?”

“Didn’t the school magazine editorial board say anything?”

“Ah!”

Jin-hyuk’s mouth opened silently like Jang Gun-i stepping on a chestnut.

His eyes widened.

Oh no. I’m screwed.

It’s a student council tradition.

Those who have served as student council president and literary club president must contribute a graduation commemorative piece to the school magazine.

“No-, can’t I submit a thesis? I have a few written.”

“Jin-hyuk, are you crazy? What kind of lunatic submits a thesis to a school magazine? That’s for academic journals.”

You need to submit prose or poetry.

“It’s tradition, tradition.”

“Right… Did you submit yours?”

“I already submitted mine. Ahem-.”

“Eun-jaaang…”

“Jin-hyuk, that makes me flutter. Don’t call me so affectionately. Only Jo Seol is allowed such affection.”

“Can’t you show me just once?”

“Jin-hyuk, you’re quite naughty. Is this because you’re a guy?”

What did you think I was asking to show?

This is why the subject is important.

“What you wrote, that.”

“If you guess the genre I submitted, I’ll show you.”

Kim Eun-jung pointed at her chin with her thumb and smiled mysteriously.

“SF.”

Jin-hyuk answered without hesitation.

Kim Eun-jung, aliens and UFOs, SF is perfect.

“Jin-hyuk, you’re out of your mind. Who submits a novel? I submitted an essay.”

I’m screwed.

I was thinking of plagiarizing.

Kim Eun-jung, with a sly smile, never revealed that the title of her submitted prose was 「UFO and Calf」.

Jin-hyuk looked at Choi Mi-kyung for help.

Choi Mi-kyung shrugged.

“I’m a science major.”

Who doesn’t know that.

You’re the only science major?

I’m a science major too!

Sigh-.

He sighed and flipped through Jo Seol-chan’s notebook.

Jo Seol-chan, who’s used to taking notes and sketching, might have some inspiring drawings or useful phrases.

「Her lips are bright red cherries

Her breath is sweet cotton candy

Her chest is firm…」

Wow, look at this guy.

Isn’t this erotica?

Startled, Jin-hyuk looked at Jo Seol-chan, who was diligently writing down wrong answers, and Jo Seol-chan casually said.

“Look at the title-.”

After checking the title, Jin-hyuk quickly entered reflection mode.

「Mom I Saw in a Dream」

This guy, Jin-hyuk wiped his nose.

He’s sensitive and creative, but struggles with literacy, making exams hard for him.

With a fire on his feet, he couldn’t just mess around.

“Seol-chan, I have homework too, so let’s stop studying for today.”

“Eee, okay. I’ll stop here today too. I’m going to pick persimmons with Eun-jung.”

Mom asked me to pick persimmons-. Jo Seol-chan packed his certification exam book into his bag.

“Wow! Can I bring a basket too?”

Choi Mi-kyung, who loves persimmons and often gets constipated, was delighted.

“Mi-kyung, are you coming too?”

“I’ll help pick. If I just study, I might go crazy. I need to use my body too.”

“That’s a good point. Whoever said that, it’s a good saying.”

“My oppa…”

Kim Eun-jung tilted her head like a chick watching a caterpillar.

Did that oppa ever study?

If true, it would be an earth-shattering event.

“A surprising and new fact.”

The world is indeed vast. Kim Eun-jung muttered and linked arms with Jo Seol-chan. The motion was as smooth as flowing water.

Jin-hyuk and Choi Mi-kyung turned their heads at the same time.

My eyes are burning-.

‘Hey, no, but seriously, this is a big deal.’

Life is indeed a series of hardships.

Son Jin-hyuk, an emotional bankrupt, has to write something…