Minjin's stele inscription and Minjun's unwritten pebble stones

When Minjin arrived home at their apartment, her cat Cleopathra was already sitting near the doorway as she entered and took off her shoes. Minjin smiled, noticing that the cat seemed to be waiting for her. This time, she gently held Cleopathra's face and squeezed it, even though the cat's wrinkled appearance made her look somewhat frightening. As Minjin walked inside, she saw that Tae-sung was sitting in the dining area and already eating.

Minjin approached him, and he finally noticed her. "Have you already had dinner?" he asked.

Shaking her head, Minjin replied, "No, oppa."

"Then let's eat together," Tae-sung said. He unwrapped the plastic bowl on the table, set it in front of himself, and prepared the utensils. 

Minjin placed her backpack on the chair next to where she would be sitting. When she saw the food, a smile lit up her face—it was bibimbap. This was the perfect dinner for her, as she felt both hungry and exhausted from her schoolwork. She quickly grabbed the gochujang in front of her and poured it into the bowl. After mixing everything, she scooped up a handful and took a bite.

Tae-sung smiled when he saw her eating with enthusiasm. "So, how was school?" he asked in English.

Minjin took a moment to respond, swallowing before she spoke. "I have to tell you something, oppa."

Tae-sung looked up at her, curious. "What is it?"

Minjin turned to face him as well. "I'm struggling with my Korean. My chemistry teacher gave me a list of books to help me understand Korean scientific terms because I couldn't grasp everything in class earlier," she said, her tone reflecting her sadness as she shook her head.

Tae-sung chuckled softly. "So, you're asking for money?" 

Minjin wrinkled her nose as she smiled at him. "Can you give me some?" 

Tae-sung smiled back and reached behind him to grab his wallet. He pulled out a card and handed it to Minjin. 

Her eyes widened when she saw that it was a credit card. "You're letting me use your credit card, oppa?" she asked. 

Tae-sung chuckled and replied in English, "Yes, this is a supplementary card. It's exclusively for you."

Minjin's eyes widened in surprise upon seeing her printed name on it. "A supplementary card? You want me to have that?" she asked, also in English.

Tae-sung suppressed a laugh when he saw her reaction. "You solicited money from those students. Did you think I couldn't financially support you?" he said, speaking English.

Minjin awkwardly chuckled. "That was not what I meant, oppa." She said in English.

Tae-sung chuckled and shook his head. "Get this. But spend it wisely. I would know what you'd be spending this card for. If your bill is higher than mine, when you become an adult and have stable job, you'll repay me." He said in English.

Minjin smiled and respectfully received the credit card. "Thank you, oppa. I'll spend it wisely." She said in English.

Tae-sung smiled. "So, how are you and Minjun?" he asked, continuing to speak in English. 

Minjin was busy inspecting the credit card. "We hate each other," she replied in English. 

Tae-sung stifled a chuckle. "Why is that?"

Minjin rummaged through her backpack and pulled out her wallet to put in her credit card. After putting it back, she turned to Tae-sung. "He's mean to me. He's always been like that since we were little."

Tae-sung lowered his head to mix his food. "He seems like a responsible guy. He's willing to help you with your studies."

Minjin snorted. "That's just a facade, oppa. Don't be fooled." She scooped another handful of food and took a bite.

Tae-sung couldn't help but chuckle as he returned to his meal.

After dinner, Minjin took a bath before sitting down in front of her computer. She noticed that the language setting was set to English. She paused for a moment, wondering if this was better. Since most of their homework consisted of worksheets from books and notes, and they rarely wrote essays, it seemed logical to keep the language setting in English.

Next, she searched online for the English equivalents of the Korean scientific terms used in her Chemistry class. She sighed when she saw that the translations of the usual English terms were significantly different in Korean, which she found quite complicated.

Putting her chin on her palm, she sighed deeply again and said in English, "This is hard."

###

As morning arrived, Minjin hurried off the bus and began running along the side of the street. She maneuvered through the crowd, offering apologies under her heavy breathing. Just as she neared the gate, she noticed she wasn't the only student sprinting. A teacher stood outside the gate, holding a stick in hand.

Minjin reached the gate and was finally able to enter. Once inside, she sat down on her feet to catch her breath. She wore a light brown autumn coat over her school's autumn uniform, but underneath her skirt, she had on her school jogging pants. The autumn breeze felt cold, but despite this, she was sweating from running.

The bell finally rang, prompting her to stand and head out onto the school grounds. When she arrived at the classroom, Ms. Yun was already at the front, ready for the morning self-study session. She rummaged through her backpack to gather her school supplies. After placing her backpack behind her chair, she heard Minjun smirking at her.

"You're always barely on time," he teased.

"At least I'm not late," she replied, annoyed.

"Are you going to keep doing that for the whole semester?" Minjun asked, though his eyes were still focused on his book.

"Just mind your own business," Minjin said as she opened her book.

Minjun smirked in response to her.

After the morning self-study session, Mrs. Soo arrived, prompting Minjin to sigh and slump her shoulders. 

Mrs. Soo began discussing their lesson for the day, and once again, Minjin felt lost. She tried to glance at Minjun's book to see which page he was on. As she turned the pages, she attempted to read the text. She noticed that their topic was the Three Kingdoms Period (1st century BCE–7th century CE), during which Hanmun was officially used in government records, Buddhist texts, and Confucian teachings in Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla.

Minjin secretly grinned to herself upon seeing the Hanmun characters.

Mrs. Soo spoke in front of the class. "All three kingdoms adopted Hanmun as the official written language for governance, influenced by China's advanced bureaucratic system. In Goguryeo, Hanmun was used for laws, royal decrees, and diplomatic records. The famous Gwanggaeto Stele, erected in 414 CE, is inscribed in Hanmun. It records the military achievements of King Gwanggaeto the Great, detailing his victories in wars, territorial expansion, and leadership. The inscriptions on the stele provide notable examples of the king's accomplishments." 

Mrs. Soo turned to the board to write an inscription in Hanmun. Minjin rested her chin on her palm as she observed Mrs. Soo write the Hanmun with precision and clarity. Noticing Mrs. Soo's style made Minjin smile. Minjun glanced at Minjin, curious about why she wasn't staring out the window or dozing off. When he saw her smile, it made him smile as well.

Minjin scanned the room and noticed that some students sighed while others yawned. It took a while for Mrs. Soo to finish writing the inscriptions in Hanmun. She then turned to face the students. "This is an example of Hanmun or classical Chinese."

Minjin silently mouthed the words as she read them. "Daewang gidae baekje, chu gi to, ji gangdong ji hae, yi je cheobang."

Minjun fixed his gaze on Minjin, his eyes widening in surprise as he noticed that Minjin could read the Hanmun on the board. 

"Ya, can you read that?" Minjun asked.

Minjin gave a slight smirk. "Why can't you? Aren't you supposed to be the crown prince of the school?"

Minjun smirked and then faced the front. He raised his hand. "Saem," he called out.

Mrs. Soo turned to him. "Yes, Minjun-ah?" 

Minjun ginned as he looked at Minjin. "Minjin-ah can explain the Hanmun inscription you have written on the board."

Minjin slowly turned her head to Minjun, wearing an annoyed expression, but Minjun continued to grin at her.

Mrs. Soo smiled gently. "Really, Minjin-ah?"

Minjin turned to Mrs. Soo with an awkward smile. "I am not sure, Saem."

Mrs. Soo maintained her smile. "It's fine. Can you read and explain this?" 

Minjin glanced at Minjun for a brief moment while he continued to grin. Then she turned to face the board. "Daewang gidae baekje, chu gi to, ji gangdong ji hae, yi je cheobang," she said with a precise enunciation. Every head that turned to look at her had their eyes widened in surprise.

Bang Eun-Kyung covered her mouth in shock. Mun Sara had a similar reaction; her eyes widened, and her mouth dropped open. She then turned her gaze to Minjun, who wore a proud grin that clearly showed his approval of her.

Mrs. Soo chuckled gently, showing no signs of surprise. "Can you please explain that, Minjin-ah?"

Minjin sighed silently in exasperation. "The great king, having subdued Baekje, took its land, from the east of the river to the sea, to control the four directions. This means King Gwanggaeto conquered Baekje, one of the neighboring kingdoms, and expanded his territory over large regions."

Minjun's grin faded as his eyes widened, and his mouth fell slightly open. "Whoa, what are you?" he asked, amused.

Minjin heard him and stamped her foot down on his, causing him to react in pain.

"Aw! Park Minjin!" he exclaimed loudly, trying to reach for his foot.

The students' attention had shifted to him, and they chuckled in their seats. However, Mrs. Soo remained calm about the situation. Park Minjin simply ignored him, offering an awkward smile.

Bang Eun-Kyung couldn't help but smile and shake his head at the scene. Meanwhile, Mun Sara silently smiled to herself as she watched Minjin openly embarrass Minjun, who naturally reacted to the situation. She realized that despite their constant arguments, they were comfortable with each other, though they were both unaware of it.

Mrs. Soo smiled gently. "Thank you, Minjin-ah. You may sit down."

Minjun kept his glare fixed on her, nursing his foot with one hand while Minjin calmly took a seat. "You have been physically hurting me," Minjun said.

Minjin turned to him with a sarcastic smile. "You brought me here, so you have to endure it."

Minjun raised an eyebrow. "Why would I bring you here?"

Minjin smirked for a moment before responding with another sarcastic smile. "You just confirmed it by asking me that question." She then turned to face the front.

Minjun smirked as he turned to face the board. "How did you know I was being called Jeoha?" he asked.

Minjin sighed in exasperation. "Why are you even asking me that? You're popular."

Minjun looked back at her with a smirk. "You knew all along, yet you didn't even once approach me."

Minjin's eyes widened as she slowly turned to him. "Ya, I didn't know until Mun Sara told me weeks ago."

"And yet, again, you didn't come to me," Minjun said with a grin that faded into a frown.

Minjin sighed in frustration. "You seem fine with your life, Minjun-ah. You have lots of friends already; that should be more than enough."

Minjun smirked as he faced the board, but Minjin kept her eyes on him and noticed that he was upset. She sighed deeply upon seeing his reaction and also turned to face the front.