Episode 9
Yoonseo propped her chin on her hand and stared at the amount stamped on her bankbook. It was the first time in her life she had such a large sum in her account.
At first, she thought about returning it because it felt burdensome, but on second thought, she realized it might be far too little as compensation for dealing with the rude Kwon Dohyun.
He had offered it first, and it was a fair reward gained through negotiation. Besides, Yoonseo also needed the money urgently.
The moment the money came in, she paid the overdue rent the next day and even sent Junseo a text.
She waited for Junseo at home all Sunday, but her younger brother didn’t even show his face.
She had put the side dishes she bought from the deli into the fridge and even sent his allowance to his account, but not a single word of thanks came.
What on earth has he been doing, and where?
The fifteen million won Dohyun had given Yoonseo was enough to handle the immediate problems in front of her, but for Dohyun, it was probably pocket change—barely enough for a cup of coffee.
Still, thinking about why that wallet had opened gave her an idea of where Kwon Dohyun’s attention was, which made her feel even more uneasy.
Should she return the remaining money and just diligently tutor him?
Yoonseo opened her laptop and ordered several books on coding basics and math: calculus, discrete math, linear algebra.
Just as Dohyun said, he would one day enter DK Group and gradually rise higher. Daekyung Department Store, DK Mart, and the outlet—all would definitely need IT, and especially DKON had various shopping mall apps, making it a company developers wanted to join.
At the very least, she needed to understand enough to communicate with a PM in whatever department Dohyun went to…
Should she also teach him probability and statistics? He’s in business administration, so he should handle that, right?
While choosing books thinking about a course tailored to Dohyun, her phone lit up, and Yoonseo immediately answered. He was probably calling out of guilt.
“Han Junseo, where are you? Why aren’t you home?”
―PC room. I didn’t go home because I heard Han Yoonseo was there. If I’m in that small room with you, I’d have a fit.
Because of Han Junseo, she seriously considered making a hacking app. He never tells her where he is, so maybe she should plant something on his phone.
Her determination to make an app just for Junseo this semester’s practice flared up. She couldn’t keep her heart calm, never knowing what trouble he might get into.
“I’m the one losing it too. I just told you to go to school properly. Is that really something to get so angry about?”
―Am I a kid?
“Then I guess not.”
―Stop picking on my words, seriously.
Who’s the one who should be angry, anyway.
―I heard you paid the rent to the landlady. Where did you get it? Where did that money fall from last week?
“Tutoring fee.”
―Who gives that much for tutoring? Got a new student?
Indeed. There’s someone like that. Someone willing to hand over fifteen million won in a month.
―Isn’t he a scammer? Be honest. He’s not some kind of old-style… You don’t go to weird bars or anything, right? Someone like you could even do Ten Pro. Looks-wise… either of us.
“Is that really something you say to your sister?”
A kid talking about Ten… old-style? Yoonseo, exasperated, grabbed her neck and lay on the bed for a moment.
―I’ll live properly on my own, so stop with the silly worries. Let’s just stop caring about each other.
“Hey. Once you graduate, all this will end.”
―End it now! Now! Why am I responsible for you? Did I ask you to take responsibility for me?
“You really…”
Her father’s traffic accident had started because of Yoonseo.
For the first time, she had pestered her busy parents: “Come to my graduation.” They couldn’t come to the entrance ceremony, but she wanted them to bring flowers and celebrate. If she had known about the accident, she would never have asked her father.
Her father ended up a vegetative patient, her mother left him at the hospital, and her grandmother had to manage the remaining grandchildren and her vegetative son. Yoonseo was the root of all that misfortune.
Thus, Junseo grew up as a child without parents. Whenever he was teased, he’d beat the kids until their faces were a mess, and the grandmother would go to the school to apologize with her head bowed.
During adolescence, Junseo’s resentment turned toward Yoonseo. The endless poverty, the absence of parents, and Yoonseo, who fiercely took care of herself in that situation, became even more hateful.
So until Junseo graduated. Until their grandmother passed.
Yoonseo had to repay her emotional debts to them to free herself from guilt.
It was also why she had to be polite to a client willing to pay fifteen million won without letting her pride get in the way.
“I’ll only interfere until graduation. Just two more years. You’ll just have to bear with it a little.”
―Damn.
The call ended with a curse. Yoonseo felt defeated toward her brother.
Thinking of her brother returning to the empty house alone, she felt guilty. Living in the dorm just for her own comfort was selfish.
She knew that, at a distance, money solved things most conveniently.
Every time Yoonseo faced that version of herself, she felt anguish.
“Firstborn is really kind.”
She knew she wasn’t.
And Han Junseo knew it too, which made him hate her even more.
Still, today she spoke a bit harshly, didn’t she, Han Junseo.
Her phone buzzed again. Yoonseo rubbed her head and answered without even looking at the screen.
“Come to think of it, you really are a kid. So take the money I give you and go to school properly.”
She struck first before any more nasty words could come. But a little laugh came from the other end.
―Yes, sister. Waaah.
What? Yoonseo pulled the phone from her ear.
[KWON DOHYUN]
It was him.
At this late hour…
―Sister, I’m in front of the dorm. Can you come down?
“Now?”
―Yes, sister. Dohyun won’t go to school properly unless you come instead of the money.
“…You’ve been drinking, haven’t you?”
A ridiculous, hollow laugh escaped her. She could clearly picture Dohyun teasing her.
The student who had paid fifteen million won for tutoring. Was this a preview of his boss’s tyranny?
―I drove here. What drinking?
Actually, it was Yoonseo who felt like drinking.
―Come down, won’t you?
After some hesitation, Yoonseo picked up her phone and got out of bed.
Meeting Dohyun, so light and simple, would make her laugh even at her disbelief. In her life, the only man who could make her laugh just by words was Dohyun.
Sometimes she thought students smoking in front of the dorm were so uncool, but Dohyun was definitely different.
Wearing gray sweatpants and a hoodie, Dohyun was smoking in a corner of the dorm. The hat made him look like a model.
As Yoonseo approached, he dropped the cigarette to the ground and stomped it out.
In front of his sneakers lay five more cigarette butts.
“When did you get here?”
“Some time ago.”
“…Isn’t Monday a free day for you?”
Tomorrow was Monday, tonight was Sunday, almost midnight. No reason to be outside in the cold wind at school. What was going on?
“Yeah. I came anyway and thought I’d hear your voice while I’m here.”
“…….”
“I thought Han Yoonseo might want to drink.”
“Me?”
“Yeah. Your voice says so.”
“…No.”
“Your eyes, nose, everything says it.”
Eyes, nose, and voice that want to drink? Ridiculous. Yoonseo laughed, and Dohyun followed her.
“Want to eat or drink with me sometimes?”
“……”
“Not heavy, just light.”
It was a bright moonlit night. The slightly chilly wind seemed to pause for a moment.
Still March.
Light and easy meetings?
Yoonseo had found everything burdensome for some time. Could she casually meet a man like him?
She couldn’t let the fragile balance she had worked hard to maintain be shaken by him.
Dohyun unzipped his gray hoodie and draped it over Yoonseo’s shoulders. The good scent and warm comfort hit her at once. Perhaps because of his size, it felt like he was wrapping her whole body.
“No.”
“Hm?”
He tilted his head.
A witty refusal—what could that be? A light rejection he could laugh off.
“I’m a virgin.”
“Ah?”
“You believe in free love, and we’re not compatible.”
Dohyun opened his mouth, covered his face with his large hands, and laughed out loud. Shaking his shoulders with laughter, he lowered his hands and wiped the corners of his eyes with his index finger. Tears of laughter seemed to come.
“Then I’ll burn even more, Yoonseo.”
“……”
“After all, I’ll be your first. Damn, it’s thrilling.”
Pressing his palm to his chest, Dohyun zipped up the hoodie he had taken off for her.
“Don’t let anyone else unzip this.”
“…Huh.”
“Keep an eye on it. Got it?”
He ruffled her hair as if he had done well. When she swatted his arm away, his huge hand covered her cheek. When he stretched her cheek, a soft “ugh” escaped her.
“Cute thing.”
…Her face said she was dying of happiness.
