chapter 31

Chapter 31. Jung Soo-yeon

Hong Yu-ri, now a freshman in the Korean Language and Literature department at Yeonha University, was navigating the chaotic world of university life. Countless orientation events had fortified her stomach, increasing her alcohol tolerance, and the trials and tribulations of group projects had gradually strengthened her mental fortitude.

"Ugh, this is so hard. Where's my dream campus life?"

Amidst the challenges, Ryu Yeon-woo's drama and subsequent variety show, starring her favorite celebrity and high school senior, were a welcome respite, a comforting oasis in her hectic freshman year.

–"Jin-wook hyung, can you boil some water…?"

Yu-ri sat at her desk in the dormitory, her laptop open to an assignment, her phone propped up next to it, playing a rerun of "Summer's Table," a show she had watched countless times.

Lately, something had been bothering Yu-ri, a burden she had acquired after being asked a favor by her former homeroom teacher during her visit to her old high school for Teacher's Day.

Ding!

A notification popped up on her phone screen, overlapping Yeon-woo and the octopus on the video.

– Kim Joon-soo: Noona, have you eaten?

The school had implemented a mentor-mentee program, pairing successful university students with high school juniors aiming for similar schools, hoping to boost the university acceptance rate.

Her assigned mentee was Kim Joon-soo. While she had known him before, being paired as mentor and mentee meant he contacted her multiple times a day, which she found increasingly bothersome.

Tap, tap, tap Yu-ri's fingers flew across her phone screen.

-No, I'm busy with assignments. You should be studying too.

While she could have ignored him, she felt obligated to respond, considering he was her mentee.

– Kim Joon-soo: I'm nervous about the June mock exams. I need a score good enough for Yeonha University.

Yu-ri, who had initially suspected Joon-soo might have a crush on her due to his frequent messages asking if she had eaten or if she was feeling well, relaxed whenever he sent messages like this, confirming he was just a high school student focused on getting into Yeonha University.

-You need to manage your time well. You should be able to solve most problems now, right?

Ding!

A reply arrived almost instantly.

– Kim Joon-soo: Yeah, time management is key. By the way, I think Yeon-woo will easily get into Korea University.

He subtly switched to informal speech and changed the subject to Yeon-woo.

"He's using banmal(Informal speech) again." Yu-ri, as the unofficial number one fan of Ryu Yeon-woo, knew that Joon-soo was his best friend. Getting updates about Yeon-woo's life was a perk of the mentor-mentee program.

She started typing, "Are you using banmal with me again?" but then deleted it.

-Fighting! (Good luck!)

She didn't want to seem like a nagging older sister, despite the one-year age difference.

"Why do I even care how he sees me? Seriously!"

"Hmm?" Her roommate, still slightly drunk from the previous night's festivities, looked up at Yu-ri's involuntary murmur.

"Nothing, unnie, go back to sleep."

"Mmm…"

-Hong Yu-ri: Fighting!

Kim Joon-soo, slightly disheartened by the short, impersonal reply, returned to his studies.

'What if Yu-ri noona gets a boyfriend before I get into Yeonha University?'

'That's not the point. Getting in is hard enough.' He shook off his thoughts and focused on the problem he had been stuck on.

However, studying was a challenge for a lovesick high school boy. The words on the page blurred together.

He glanced at Yeon-woo, who was effortlessly solving problems in his workbook.

'Dude, you have the looks and the physique, can't you share some of your brainpower with your friend?'

"Hmm? What?" Yeon-woo asked, noticing Joon-soo's gaze and smiling brightly.

"Nothing. Don't smile like that. It's distracting."

Yeon-woo chuckled at Joon-soo's random comment.

Joon-soo sighed dramatically.

'Is he going through puberty like So-hyun?' Yeon-woo tilted his head, looking at Joon-soo curiously.

Time passed, and the June mock exams arrived. Groans filled the school as students received their scores.

"Ugh, my score went up, but it's still not enough."

Joon-soo was no exception. While his score had improved since March, it wasn't high enough to confidently forgo early admissions and focus solely on regular admissions. Sung-sik's score was actually better than his.

Joon-soo decided to resort to his last option.

"Um, Yeon-woo?"

"Hmm?" Yeon-woo put down his book and looked at Joon-soo.

"I have a favor to ask…"

Yeon-woo, seeing Joon-soo's hesitation, spoke first, "Do you want to study together at your place until the CSAT?"

"What? Really?" Joon-soo's eyes widened in surprise.

Yeon-woo had noticed his friend's worries and his frequent sighs. "I don't know how much help I'll be, but let's study together."

Joon-soo's eyes welled up, touched by Yeon-woo's offer. "Dude! Thank you! I'll prepare all sorts of snacks!"

"No need for snacks. It'll be too much trouble for your mother. I'm on a diet."

"I can't just do nothing when the top student in our school is tutoring me! I pledge my loyalty!"

Yeon-woo had once again ranked first in the mock exams, and rumors of him being an alien were spreading seriously throughout the school. He excelled in both academics and athletics. A rumor that he was simply unfamiliar with Earth's music, hence his poor singing, was circulating as well.

And so, Yeon-woo started tutoring Joon-soo and Sung-sik at Joon-soo's house after school for about two hours each day.

Kim Yeon-ji, Kim Joon-soo's older sister, was relieved to see her younger brother, who had been obsessed with PC games and talked endlessly about ranked matches, finally focusing on his studies in his senior year.

Yeon-ji, who had taken a leave of absence before her senior year of college to focus on building her resume and preparing for job applications, had returned to her parents' home in Daejeon and was currently attending a TOEIC academy.

She returned home from the academy to find a pile of unfamiliar men's shoes at the entrance.

A surge of annoyance washed over her.

'Is he playing games with his friends again?'

'I thought he had changed.'

She marched to Joon-soo's room and flung open the door.

"Kim Joon-soo!"

Joon-soo and Sung-sik, who had been listening intently to Yeon-woo's explanations, and Yeon-woo himself, looked up at the open door.

"Noona?"

"Oh, hello. I'm Ryu Yeon-woo, Joon-soo's friend."

Yeon-ji froze at the doorway.

"Eek?!" A surprised yelp escaped her lips, startled by the unexpected sight of Yeon-woo.

"Noona, what was that weird noise?"

"N-nothing. Study hard."

Slam!

She closed the door, then opened it slightly again.

"Kim Joon-soo, come out for a second."

Joon-soo went out to the living room, where Yeon-ji grabbed his arm and whispered rapidly, "What's going on?! You ignored me when I asked you to get his autograph!"

"He's my best friend! Why would I need an autograph when I can see him in person?" Joon-soo puffed out his chest, feeling smug.

"Is there anything you want to eat? I can cut up some fruit for you."

"Suddenly?" Joon-soo, who usually got scolded for even sneaking a snack, was surprised. His sister had never offered to cut fruit for him before.

"What do you mean 'suddenly'? This is what older sisters do for their younger brothers who are studying for the CSAT. Now go back to your studies, ho ho." Yeon-ji hurried to the kitchen.

"What's she talking about…? She can't even cut fruit properly," Joon-soo muttered, shaking his head as he returned to his room.

Knock, knock

As they were studying, a knock, a sound Joon-soo had never heard in his house before, interrupted them. Yeon-ji entered.

"Here's some fruit. Study hard, hehe."

She placed a large plate of fruit on the table. The uneven cuts were unlike anything they had ever seen before.

"Thank you, Yeon-ji noona," Yeon-woo said with a warm smile.

"Y-you're welcome. Let me know if you want more, haha." Yeon-ji's ears turned bright red as she turned and left.

"Ha…" Joon-soo sighed and shook his head.

"Wow, she must have wasted half the fruit with those cuts." Joon-soo's sigh deepened as Sung-sik commented obliviously.

Jung Soo-yeon, like Yeon-woo and his friends, was also a senior in high school and had resumed her studies after finishing filming for the movie.

Having grown up under strict parents, she had never experienced rebellion or deviated from a well-behaved life, starting her acting career as a child.

She was a good student and could aim for top universities in Seoul.

Her biggest act of rebellion had been asking a male actor she had just met for his number.

She had exchanged numbers with Ryu Yeon-woo, but he hadn't contacted her since, and she agonized over whether she should reach out to him. She couldn't understand what had possessed her to do such a thing.

She hadn't asked for his number out of romantic interest. She had been impressed by his aura and leadership on set and had wanted to get to know him better, as a fellow actor.

Ding!

She quickly glanced at her phone; it was just a game ad.

"Ugh." She shook her head, annoyed by her own hesitation, and decided to just contact him.

She opened her messaging app and started typing.

Bzzt

Yeon-woo, who had just finished his tutoring session at Joon-soo's house and was walking back to his own apartment next door, felt his phone vibrate. He took it out and checked the notification.

-Jung Soo-yeon: Hello! 😊

A cute bunny emoticon accompanied the message.

'Oh, right, we exchanged numbers.' He had completely forgotten about Soo-yeon, despite thinking it would be nice to have a friend his age in the industry.