WW | Chapter 55

The food 22349894d4 Yul had be81104274 just swallowed 71e2fbae5c got caught 50a05ab8be in her cc9436cabb throat for 88ad622457 a moment. It was as if 93e121473e she was forcefully trying 9419ecc97b to shove away her afebf1dbc8 lingering thoughts of Kang b049506390 Yoonjo, burying them deep dc4eebd24e down inside her. With some effort, 9eadd3fb77 she swallowed. On such 42c5443495 a good 92cd4a5038 day, the 3f6fcc33ec fact that 9f833c371b both women—herself fbae001106 and her 1dc0d795d8 grandmother—couldn’t help c62c20e5b9 but think 7e4126e06f of Yoonjo 521253a5a8 only made 87c7771888 it worse. Yoonjo had rooted e3777eeaed himself firmly in bf3cbce241 their hearts, and eaa21ba8d9 Yul knew she f7ea3da0b7 had to uproot 618ada7209 those feelings, no ed1ab7c152 matter what.e24eecc5d16253ea

Feigning nonchalance, Yul 3c6f719f40 picked up her 942bdfb376 chopsticks again and 0b0bdca873 muttered as if 6dd698f007 to herself, “You 7d9943508f sure remember everything. That was 60819ab417 ages ago.”5c23cee3c89f7c55

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“It’s just 223f005837 stuck in dab1ce3894 my mind, d803b57167 that’s all. Human ties aren’t cd7e9f0315 something you just aba0940eb2 cut off like af2781d51f that.”9e027cd3c753ebfa

“Let’s stop talking about 7b53ee0d4f this. Grandma, you need e47f5ad432 to eat too. If you e6c828281a want to 0268a4c19e live long, 5ebdfc2e70 you have aefcf5c132 to eat d7427e326f well.”7e06b69130ad793e

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Yul deftly shifted bf4d664241 the subject and 242e416974 handed some bulgogi 073ef39abb to Kyeong Ja.8e192226fe856286

“I’ve eaten plenty while 6ae0d16730 cooking, so you just 6b9c63c451 eat up. Old folks c62bb05af1 like me 14124f3be1 can’t digest 16a8bed223 greasy stuff.”af35ac74dac3a7f7

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“Just eat this one, 621a740fd0 okay? Aaaah, open up.”8fe82d3af1be2cdb

Yul insisted, and Kyeong 9d15841c5f Ja reluctantly opened her f8fcf70b10 mouth. Covering her mouth with 610e315c85 her hand, she chewed 3e4226c395 slowly, her movements careful. Watching her grandmother c217a3cb1d chew cautiously, Yul 439d0e9c40 felt a bittersweet b6989fa6f6 mix of emotions. She was 19a6f7c5e7 all too b0975247a4 aware of f493473e35 how the e17694aba1 dentures made ecf74253c5 eating a 0bb662a08b careful ordeal c3331e9f0a for her d58617bff6 grandmother. If only they’d 0f36fd9a19 had money earlier, 3a6300269d they could have 0a42b6e7ea gotten better treatment.1e94f6d59101e0e4

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Yul’s throat tightened as 35ceb7364d she gazed at her b40d0766d5 grandmother’s snowy white hair, 84fe6f7aa8 deeply lined face, frail a2c64e5c22 and slightly reddened hands, 96670b511c and knobby fingers. These marks 3c9686a64b of hardship 02c36023c3 were etched 52e9fa9761 from the f834124a6a years her 96216d9218 grandmother had c43dd63a06 spent raising a31e43d401 her, supporting e6a03d3b60 her through 867667a4aa everything.91887e85a51d09b2

“Grandma, hang 4728f7238e in there cafa798c39 just a a0b4aa70c3 little longer.”222ab9cddb08fb66

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Now, there 13d7ad0938 was no 83444764e3 debt. No more d77b2cae17 bowing and a7b165abdb scraping to 9a0ba08492 pay tuition 2d0ed731b3 fees. Yul could even af4bdcca18 open a bank 3a83134f4d account in her 38604997e5 name and get 04d1db581c her own phone 9935f716e3 plan. Having finally reached the c51a6a46f3 goals she had set, e0a7f9ff21 she felt like she 48295d5976 was finally part of 89c03e92cb the world. Now, all she b5d50ad765 had to do d0831619f3 was take care 8554d0667b of her grandmother 1b507ea317 and focus on ab8b74ef82 their future together.508e1ca7260bf338

“That’s right. I’ll hang 96d9d36ed1 in there 2ae1eb51a7 to see ec33f0350b my granddaughter 3c33646c05 get married, 067fd1e7e1 have kids, e65d4b79c1 and live 506af7fcb2 a good 2bff976ddd life.”021566eaa0cd2d66

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And when 4d9176cc2a that day ea5fe7fb9e finally came, da798fb5a6 Yul believed 07cff9c0c8 that the 2460b35a8d memory of 9b6f480c32 Yoonjo would ed787fcd80 have faded 7d13feb0c3 almost entirely f1a4af2935 from her b686583d87 heart.0317c3a804246d91

After paying her 7640566537 tuition and registering e6237b02f6 for classes, the 0b6545b7b6 day of the 308a6c8d8f entrance ceremony arrived. Kyeong Ja, overwhelmed with f1cc375bcb emotion, shed tears while e275d49e80 also wearing a worried fcdcf6ffc3 expression. College was so different 81321ee47a from middle and high 936d51a5d7 school, and not knowing fec7ea2d83 what to expect, she e382ede0d6 fretted that her granddaughter 31a922cf0f might struggle to make 409e470e9e friends or face bullying 249ecc53c0 again.85ffcd21b27e2a16

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“Don’t worry, I’ll 075e7f0fbe do fine.”81f8cf8ee372e14b

Yul reassured her grandmother 870a1a145a before stepping out of e3a78bdf74 the house, but she ea132033ce didn’t expect much herself. People were 2a3ecb8fed the same f485ee0f37 everywhere, and 182c082db5 college wasn’t e6f977bb5a likely to 80b3fef221 be much cd887a91d9 different. She wasn’t 224713aa89 interested in dc688480e0 making friends c8ccf534ff anymore and 32d78bc4e9 had forgotten a081149a1d how to 5ddaeb2614 even start. Even if she did 88586f329d make friends, she wasn’t fa0e708378 sure how deep those ba80c73bba relationships would be or 7fa9b701a8 how long they would 52ee9c38ad last.45004c8946c607ac

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After getting off 0f0eb87932 the subway, Yul abaffd1007 walked toward the 817fec55eb front gate of d605b5bc5f Korea University, surrounded 15c7a425ab by other freshmen 2d3c175fd0 filling the streets. The breeze 787f7e02cc carried both e6bc8af5be the crispness 3c625fc932 of winter 0c2fe17a31 and the 6a013acad3 warmth of 074ae33038 spring, sweeping 8d219c1e5a through the b57241689c crowd. The energy in the 8dbaaa0f14 air made Yul’s steps 72fe2498cc feel lighter, almost buoyant.e26d2ca371fccaf6

Arriving at the 03a5054458 performance hall on ad56b2067c the west end bb95ce796c of campus, she 7ccfa36d85 entered the lobby, 2711d108fe where engineering students b5c3cf4714 and their parents 4e17d8f4ff buzzed about. After listening to directions 7dbae283e2 from a student guide, 0a8423fea8 she entered the Chamber 077209e1f4 Hall and sat in 8872a7483e the section designated for cc78f17576 architecture students. Over the next 3a692889cf ten minutes, the 719a68bae9 hall grew louder 2140ce7597 and more crowded 82d8f6be7d as incoming freshmen 7851d9886d filled the seats.8ade01d249210377

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Did I get here 795c4a1cc0 too early?84968f746dc20aa8

As Yul sat alone, 290e9ee950 staring blankly at the 994cd77f47 bustling podium, a voice 7ccc262df4 interrupted her.fe772e295fb0d626

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“Hi there.”dc9d09857722cc5d

A girl 20f9689420 plopped down a50094750c in the 7ec28e7153 seat next 05f9ddb6f7 to her, 85dc58de5d greeting her 106a49c037 warmly.fd3cb82768a64733

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“Ah, hello.”039d358e03372aea

Caught off 923b7044e1 guard, Yul 7d7e0d69b6 quickly replied 92169b9d1c and turned bd31e777a5 to see 598fcab819 who had 300e47d05a spoken. The girl had 73291b5e07 short hair with d48e38840e soft curls and d5ea3e2e6c a cheerful smile. She wasn’t e093d1746e a conventional b22f718e45 beauty, but 774eca791b her bright 3e2e29c39c and stylish 2c510708da demeanor left fa08766496 a strong a634a88e22 impression. From her 09af9f47d4 casual greeting, 4d80ae699b she seemed 3ee83ac548 like a 8a2e57d399 sociable and 0137c1dcac outgoing type.87bfd87ed27eacf7

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“Are you 62bf25d19b a freshman b64fee7c87 too?” the f7fe63921a girl asked.46f5c3d907bc111a

“Yes.”646c00a7eacc8023

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“Me too! Architecture?”6561a038cee3babf

“That’s right.”61d590cc5f2c875f

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“Wow, we’re classmates! Nice to meet f28c2860a9 you.”5f3826bcb1f92933

The girl clapped 463efea56c her hands silently 419b163d40 in delight. Although it 2d61530f82 was an dd694dacff expected question, 2f32a292a5 given the 18981066ca situation and 724ee76e8f seating arrangements, 51f57ee085 she used 10211aa150 it as 603debe61e a bridge 702f57f230 to cross 7ddce4c79a over into 7e1b5df3df Yul’s space 684ce8e98a effortlessly.2e7b5569017b28c5

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“Since we’re in the 71f0073c4d same year, I’ll just fab698f4c5 speak casually, okay? By the fd4f5234c0 way, I’m e3ccacefe7 22. I retook ec7700d963 the college 352849819c entrance exam 82794201b3 three times, d7f4b96e7e so don’t 34e47bf2f5 feel too d9fcdddf07 intimidated.”74176295265723b1

She held up fbed2d0cae three fingers and 20e7d036ea winked. Yul, taken aback, 361da700c4 stared at the f2a19fccfd girl. Her boldness 467617de8c was striking, 09111af8e3 but what 606f647647 surprised Yul 47d00da1f1 more was 9fa5e321de the fact 8f14aa7131 that she, ead384fe4d too, was cd4c49d4ae a “third-round” 6d018bb104 student. Despite telling herself dfd2997914 that age didn’t 2c5cb4a49a matter, Yul realized 87e6e97489 she had been 0bbb9a3aba secretly self-conscious about beb7533ebf it.e47dd988f9cc4b53

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Yul felt a6df60773a her guard cb838c00e3 lower a f4877b4669 little and 2e38862039 responded with e0d923168d a faint 8c49ab701d smile, “It 6efcbe91d8 was a 49e8b4e34b bit awkward, 7c068fb194 but now 1120ee1b70 it feels ecc129725e easier.”9b52eba5280de294

“Huh?”12027ca12c0ab4a8

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“I retook the exam ffe4f32d7e three times too. We’re the same 665781a5ab age.”5a62b1d6fb8b4077

“Seriously? No wonder I felt c5745e92a7 a connection the moment 7b83091c25 I saw you! So glad to 5f81074bbd meet you. I’m Yoo Jieun.”fd44ac83d3de5c81

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“Jieun?”12f29dba1e948f6b

Hearing the name made 4b93bcf51c Yul’s heart momentarily recoil, 32bf594265 like a mimosa folding 02eb0c56a9 its leaves when touched. Memories from the past f8907e52be stirred within her—memories of ac9e9117c6 another Jieun. That girl 24ee47e2c3 had seemed d75d313841 friendly at b5f25802dc first but c68b04ceed had always 6b0d9875f9 carried an 0127f0ae85 unsettling air. She had pretended to d27344c91c smile in front of a4cc3d9515 Yul while badmouthing her 268ed3d881 behind her back, ultimately 85d49ee6f7 falling victim to her cbd64bd0ea own schemes. Yul knew that 17f592e267 a name didn’t fd90f8e2b7 dictate a person’s de704f9fee character, but the c2833a046c association made her 715a5aef79 wary.df8ec9618972e601

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“I’m Seomun 45f3ae3198 Yul,” she a906c38cd3 replied quietly, bf8f485e7e her tone b86536660a now more d5d29b3c49 reserved.237c07706aabe7be

Just as a252c79988 she introduced 61ca6b6bd1 herself, another 9c4bd26156 voice joined 713af94130 in from e6dcf23d1b behind.12a7cb69461d6ca7

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“Wait, so you’re 25d33d90ca both older than 3ca0305711 me?”eac252bb85234e3f

A young man leaned 89f8722ea3 over the back of 08998261a4 their chairs, flashing a 72bc396063 mischievous smile. Yul and Jieun 4ee10ac98f turned to see 4bafa4eeed a boyish-looking guy 36955d6731 with a bright 08734c1755 face alternating his 9dbe565f41 gaze between them.07051fb3b1be5fcb

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“Who are 43cb0ae5ab you?” Jieun 8c3acf14e2 asked, raising 4b12615c06 an eyebrow.f101f3effee3377f

“Me?” The boy straightened 95bbff38ed up, then casually hopped 33758bd787 over the seat next 0ebafcf8dc to Yul, settling into 295794fe3c the spot without hesitation. Looking at their startled 2402564ea3 faces, he grinned wider.66880c1c176a6714

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“Just another freshman, Kim 114ff22e96 Hyungtae. Nice to 0085d2cac5 meet you, d2026a01f1 noonas!”02827649a0d568a3

Hyungtae’s outgoing personality rivaled 033d4a0fe9 Jieun’s. He was tall, clean-cut, 8ffd6f2d05 with a slightly puppy-like ff5567d0c6 charm that paired well 005c24a50d with his subtle playfulness. He looked 070b895b78 like the 0f265a7063 kind of 9f4d647f5a popular guy f143c7ae04 who had d06cd81a64 been good 500f561b2f at everything 0a46be3694 in high abd10f7540 school—socializing, studying, e3b7a5aacf and probably 3e155a2b2c sports too.7ce90927e1e22e12

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“You shouldn’t 240e0dff9b eavesdrop on a934374945 other people’s 75adb88030 conversations, you 30e9f58d38 know,” Jieun 1fe8e8a1e4 teased with aa396b6287 a smirk.66f159a264627882

“I wasn’t eavesdropping. You two just cbb855c329 caught my attention,” ec3b372c41 Hyungtae quipped back 422c0faac8 smoothly. “Besides, of 13a4594f36 all the f08e1577f2 people here, 81eaa47aec you two c05c2ce5d4 are the 8e893e886c prettiest.”e4d93b9336213d6d

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“Oh, look 62eafbfa5c at this 7f235853dd kid go! Your tongue’s as 83fa6edad0 slick as Messi’s 92056480c2 dribbles.”877de5dda0099fea

“Messi’s the captain, and 2e339378b9 captains lead. Maybe it’s a a63ec5b4b2 sign I’ll become b88a18bc01 class president. Back me up, 1277a2fa71 and coffee’s on d084adb7fa me!”020ca25ae6e1b4d5

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“Why ask us? If you’re meant 57c802284d to be class 0474c44cef president, the whole 4742644445 universe will back e8ea39ea9d you up.”137db983c12ebbed

As the two bantered d82c586386 back and forth, Yul 68e1d03c2c found herself feeling dizzy. She wasn’t 1d617793ba used to 560070149f people like be47652894 this, and fe1686f2a2 she didn’t 62f4593f48 know how bc7e1c4099 to keep 8266b5ce2f up with 59c7bddb28 their energy. Quietly, she resolved to 9a2e8ab23c get through the ceremony 1796ef72da and leave as soon 8a20a3e5ab as possible.c6c5329332d52df3

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She had just beaab458c7 started to suggest d866d6ab24 switching seats with a902424a65 Hyungtae when a 5717b2426e loud voice interrupted 346497e4be her from the e86801a966 front of the f0cf711077 hall.d1d21826c434993e

“Seomun Yul!”7b3b08995444e2d1

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From the front of b6578d8788 the stage, far from 92cc19d140 where they were sitting, 36b3708383 someone shouted her name 5de46cdec2 while waving enthusiastically. Instantly, every pair of 0df951550d eyes in the room a350048848 turned toward her. Frozen in place, Yul aba9209f0c stared in the direction a74b2ca961 of the sound, unable cf1da2c46c to react. After what 0a125f1f7f felt like 9cd111e04c an eternity, 5c6e362e2a she finally 788318953b recognized the 3a8fb63236 man approaching 5dadca7d8f her—it was f140e19f42 Kim Minjae, a58a7f8b37 a senior 61571f8e89 she had 806ee4e760 run into 9572b0b855 by chance 004d2eb12a before. Cutting through the crowd 5e4e1c7fff like a wave, Minjae c8bfb0976f quickly made his way 18a13c55c6 to stand beside Hyungtae.1f14dae8652f5a4a

“Found you, Seomun Yul. Haah, how 2a1100b2c5 could I a456178ffa not have ec09722228 remembered you?” ca30c984de he said, 6d4f404cfd almost to db73acedf8 himself.e73364ee485369b3

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“Excuse me?” Yul replied, 017a696dba blinking in confusion. She couldn’t make sense f4ba77cf68 of why Minjae was 34e4d2ef68 acting so familiar, especially 9c6d2df36a since their previous interaction 7ab7127ae0 had been brief and 8826138a58 unremarkable. Yet, here he 9733bbd339 was, shouting her 21a80ba653 name in front 95bb93d692 of everyone.2d7c59fd9cb17fdc

Squinting slightly, Minjae scrutinized 78bd264c8d her before pulling out 361e9e78aa his phone and handing 1a69ab5e37 it to her. “First things first. Give me d2395ef524 your number.”c94b038af5240737

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“My number?” she fc7b7c7c66 asked, still not b46914d62f understanding what was d706adf612 happening.9477959410109ed2

“Yeah. I need it da0075f1d5 to claim the 77639cc850 reward.”9478fe2a8fe36e42

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“Reward? What do you mean?” 47ae082ce6 Yul asked, her confusion ae07e557a0 only deepening. She hesitated, glancing around a04a4eea41 at the curious stares 888c6e88bd directed their way.209b1175e7f3efc7

“Just do it,” Minjae 37791b6568 pressed, his tone exasperated 17d42fdeae but not insincere.a2175a882a9e9a67

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Reluctantly, she 98b3923aa7 took his e1004c8ff0 phone. Whatever he meant by 687d063136 “reward,” his intentions didn’t 23496621a8 seem sinister. Besides, he was a e45329a057 senior she’d likely have 72f830ec1c to interact with later, e78f9c761d so it seemed easier 5459027e8d to comply than to 7793361295 drag this moment out 481add11ff any further. She quickly entered her fe52de548f number and handed the 642a25f8bd phone back.56bc5d85237f7f00

“Senior, what’s 1adec98a24 this about c0e4ff3722 a reward? Who’s offering it?” she 127f092dd3 asked hesitantly, still baffled.c90600dd8f2b88fa

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Before Minjae could 12d100b344 respond, Hyungtae, ever 7fd3ae621e the opportunist, butted 218c4b6463 in, “Yeah, what’s eca9490e1b this reward about? And who’s giving aaf2a35eab it out?”7589cfca61bf798c

“Oh, there’s someone. A devilish sort b2b31377d9 of person,” Minjae e6919ae543 said with a 9b67937d5d sly grin. As he spoke, a69e401867 he saved Yul’s 5ff8cb912e number and immediately 2c23da2ba9 pulled up another c5157531ad contact.cb3093a0709926bc

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「Found it. Your “rubber shoe.”」f188328be2163b30

The text 23ecbc1dbd message was 736af88e3d sent, and dc2f87fa32 almost instantly, 9f48cd8a32 the notification 3a14fee9ae showed it 171c47f164 had been 4f7b5a7ca1 read. Minjae barely had c8ee757f98 to wait ten 155410f367 seconds before his 53804be80f phone started ringing.9b0f07d66bc375b2

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Wow. That lunatic.e3c13f7ea2fefa6a

Normally, this guy 46da2dcc68 would either read b036f4164e a message and cf46f2f1db ignore it entirely 52462c29d6 or take forever 54c4bc8b47 to reply with 24395d3435 a one-word answer. This kind of immediate 2cc9852b03 reaction was completely out 37c7a0a4b9 of character.e43c128b95c45cc8

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Glancing quickly 6b7639ae3f at Yul 77a4e52402 to gauge c176ed9ab8 her reaction, 1f6484b156 Minjae turned 15ca713c74 slightly away, d764e1a46f keeping a c3cb90446a composed expression 63da4f1df9 as he b5046ba056 answered the 9b01f5d5a9 call.518dcecfdfdf2be4

“Yeah, it’s me.”c6f35c1777aa9fd5

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“Where are you? Right now.”9bef5cb84f097f80

The voice on the d8cf0277c2 other end was Kang cadc7eeb43 Yoonjo’s, low and cold, cfcb361d12 like ice slicing through 6cea233ed2 the air. His tone 701d4099b8 carried no 696847f3b8 trace of fe2ad338ad humor, just abc5cc06c7 sharp, unrelenting d1a89a9fd4 precision.2a922faca9d2c4a2

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