Episode 4
I decided to revise my plan based on Moon Do-hwan’s advice.
I would get a two-room apartment near the university and live with Si-ha.
And in the meantime, I’d take some time to think.
About what I want to do with my life from now on.
There was no need to rush into a decision.
It was all thanks to my brother.
Honestly, that 200 million won was, in a way, money that gave me time.
But I hesitated to spend it.
It was probably because of a vague fear of the future.
If I thought of it as an inheritance for Si-ha, it became even harder to spend.
What could I offer if Si-ha grew up and got married someday?
‘Absolutely nothing.’
That’s why this money is so precious now.
Just the cost of a wedding is around 40 million won.
And considering that a single apartment costs over a hundred million won, I thought the parents should help out to some extent.
Of course, I know it’s a choice, not a necessity.
But I wanted to help.
Because this money was something our parents left behind for the two of us.
– Saturday morning.
“Si-ha, how about this place?”
“Aaah.”
I looked at the building in front of us with Si-ha.
It was close to Kangin University and had a vacant room on the first floor.
Jeonse deposit: 120 million won.
Two rooms, one bathroom.
I had debated a lot about signing the lease here.
For Si-ha’s sake, it had to be somewhere not too close to bars.
If it was too close, we’d often see drunk college students vomiting outside.
But if it was too far, we’d have to rely on public transportation.
I couldn’t let Si-ha suffer the hellish subway.
From what I researched, the area was inhabited by relatively normal (?) college students and other people.
Of course, that information came from the realtor.
He was someone who knew the area well.
“Okay. Let’s head to the convenience store nearby. The movers are working hard right now, so let’s bring them some drinks.”
“Aaah!”
Si-ha took the lead, dragging a toy suitcase just right for his size.
Even though the movers were handling the actual moving, Si-ha was fully dressed like he was moving himself.
I followed behind him with a smile.
The way his chubby little butt wobbled as he walked was adorable.
Even the way his short legs made for tiny steps was cute.
“Hyung.”
Si-ha suddenly turned around and called me.
“Yeah? Are you telling me to hurry?”
I wanted to watch his back a little longer, but I walked up to stand beside him.
Because that’s what Si-ha wanted.
“Today, we’re going to get a nice cold juice. And your favorite chocolate milk too.”
“Aaah.”
“But Si-ha, can you keep pulling your suitcase? Should I carry it if you’re tired?”
He shook his head.
Si-ha confidently asserted that he could do it on his own.
If he gets tired, I’ll just carry it then.
The only issue might be having to carry both Si-ha and the suitcase.
We walked together toward the convenience store up ahead.
“Let’s see… should I get some coffee drinks? For the man and the lady who are helping organize everything. What would you like to drink, Si-ha?”
“Aaah.”
I thought Si-ha would pick chocolate milk, but he chose a character-themed drink instead.
It had some kind of toy attached to the lid.
He slapped his suitcase enthusiastically as if to say he already liked it.
That’s some drumming he’s doing.
I picked out the drink Si-ha wanted and handed it to him.
After buying several drinks, Si-ha and I returned home.
It looked like the moving was almost done, as the movers were wiping off sweat.
“Please have some drinks while you work.”
“Aaah.”
The movers looked at Si-ha with a pleased expression.
Our Si-ha really is adorable.
“Oh my, thank you. You didn’t have to bring anything.”
“Well, you’re working hard. At least a drink should be offered.”
“We’re getting paid for all this, though.”
“Still.”
“Haha. Someone was raised well……”
Just as one of the movers said that, a younger man next to him elbowed him in the ribs.
He was probably concerned about our family circumstances.
He could’ve just spoken comfortably…
It’s both touching and a little awkward when someone offers such small kindness without knowing everything.
‘I’m really fine,’ I thought. ‘You don’t need to go that far.’
“Haha. You’ve got a great character. If I were the boss, I’d hire you on the spot.”
The younger man beside him sighed.
“Who’d be happy getting hired for such a tough job?”
“Shut it, kid. Still, I’ve got pride in this work. I fed my kids doing this. What’s wrong with that?”
“Geez… just drink your juice and move the boxes, will you?”
Si-ha let go of his suitcase with a thud and reached for a box with a smack.
Of course, it didn’t budge because it was heavy.
Watching him, we all smiled.
“Si-ha, are you trying to help with the box? You’re so sweet.”
“Haha! These siblings have amazing character. Fine, I’ll hire both of them.”
“Alright, enough. Let’s just wrap things up. Almost done anyway. Hey, Si-ha, that’s an empty box. It’s dirty. Dirty.”
“Aaah.”
Of course, Si-ha didn’t understand.
But hearing the word “dirty,” he pulled his hand away and ran over to show me.
His little hand was black with grime.
“Hyung.”
“Alright, I’ll clean it. Just a second.”
I opened the toy suitcase Si-ha had put down.
Inside were the precious box tissues and wet wipes.
I pulled out a wet wipe and cleaned Si-ha’s hand.
“It’s dirty. Dirty.”
“Aaah.”
“There. All clean now, right?”
“Aaah.”
Si-ha clapped his hands together.
Then he scurried off toward the door.
“Si-ha, wait up. Let’s go together.”
I closed the suitcase and followed him.
To our new home.
***
Kangin University, Building 51.
I was now at the Department of Korean Literature.
I had left Si-ha with Moon Do-hwan for a little while.
In front of me was the name of the department chair.
[Professor Kim Hoseop]
I knocked on the door.
Knock knock.
“Come in.”
I heard the professor’s gentle voice.
I opened the door and stepped in.
“Hello, Professor. I heard you asked for me.”
“Come on in. I’ve been waiting. Have a seat.”
“Yes, sir.”
I sat down in the prepared chair.
Kim Hoseop sat as he turned on the electric kettle.
“Do you like coffee? Or would you prefer tea?”
“Coffee, please.”
“I heard about your parents’ passing. Unfortunately, I had something else going on at the time, so I couldn’t attend.”
“It’s alright. It happened suddenly for me too, so I couldn’t contact many people.”
“That must’ve been overwhelming. You were probably the one holding things together, shi-hyuk .”
“Yes…….”
I looked at Kim Hoseop, who was brewing coffee.
A graduate of Sungkyunkwan University.
I remember his research topics were modern fiction, literary criticism, and regional literature.
He always spoke extensively about his research topics, so I remember them well.
He is currently the head of the department and the one who will recommend me to the scholarship review officer.
“I heard about it. Your first semester is covered, but since you’re unsure about the second, you want to apply for the scholarship through the recommendation-based selection process.”
“Yes. My grades have dropped, and I don’t think I’ll be able to keep the top spot in the department.”
“I have kids too, so I understand. Don’t worry. I’ll recommend you.”
“Thank you.”
“You’ll need to bring a copy of your family relation certificate too.”
“Yes.”
Kim Hoseop placed the finished coffee in front of me.
“Since you made it to the top of the department, you’ll also receive an external scholarship. Actually, it’s a new one that just started. This one.”
“I’ve never heard of it before.”
“This one isn’t deducted from your tuition. It’s given in cash. To the top three students.”
“How is that possible?”
“Because it was donated by your seniors from our department. Of course, it’s from those who are doing well. Since it’s not school money, it’s given to you as cash.”
“Oh.”
“The amount is one million won.”
Getting one million won just for having good grades was quite a lot of money.
Especially since I didn’t have to do anything extra to get it.
I felt a bit amazed.
There really are alumni who earn that much and donate for their juniors.
“That’s fascinating. Just how much do they earn to give such a large amount?”
“It didn’t come from just one person.”
Whether it came from one or not, it still seemed like a large sum.
If the top three students are chosen from across all four years, that’s twelve people.
That’s 12 million won.
And it would be used for other student-related things too.
“Well, one of them does earn a lot. But let’s put that aside.”
But I’m really curious about that story.
“I didn’t call you just to talk about this scholarship. It was a part of it.”
Was there something else to talk about with the department head besides the scholarship?
“Ahem. I heard you’re considering working from home…….”
“Ah…….”
“Dohwan told me. He asked if I knew of any good part-time jobs.”
“My brother really… asking something like that. Professor, I’ll handle it myself. I’m more capable than I look. That’s why I’ve decided to raise Si-ha.”
“Can’t speak for your abilities, but you definitely have determination. That’s probably why you decided to raise a child.”
“Ha ha.”
“I’ve had a good impression of you these past two years. Remember your entrance interview?”
“Ah… you still remember that?”
“Of course. I’ve never seen someone speak with that much confidence.”
Kim Hoseop was the interviewer at my entrance exam.
His question that day was very simple.
A question often asked at university interviews.
Why did you apply to our department?
At the time, I answered like this:
(‘Because it’s the best department I could get into with my scores. It’s also the department my father attended. And I want to study hard and get high grades in my first and second years so I can relax and prepare for employment in my third and fourth years.’)
(‘That’s an answer with neither dream nor romance. Most people don’t prepare like this for interviews.’)
(‘Most people probably don’t say it, but they don’t have grand reasons either. Should I try saying it in English now? I’m a bit confident in that.’)
(‘You do realize this is the Korean Literature Department, right?’)
That was my first university interview, so I was nervous and the answer came out without passing through my brain.
When I got home later, I kicked the blanket in embarrassment.
I never thought Kim Hoseop would remember that.
“That’s embarrassing.”
“I found it very impressive. I later learned why you were so confident in speaking English.”
Kim Hoseop pulled out an iPad and showed me a file.
“Have you ever thought of going down the same path as your father? The remote work part-time job I can connect you with is something like this.”
“If that’s the case, I’d be really grateful.”
I looked at the iPad from Kim Hoseop.
It felt like a self-help book in English.
The publishing company to translate for was KI Media.
The English text was divided into segments of 20 manuscript pages based on the 200-character-per-page format.
“Huh?”
Kim Hoseop said,
“That’s just a sample. I’ll send you the file, and you can translate it and send it to the publisher by email. Then they’ll decide. I’m just making the connection, so don’t thank me too much.”
“No, this alone is more than enough. Thank you, Professor.”
I bowed my head deeply.
“You’ve worked hard, and that made me want to help. It’s all because of your own efforts.”
“For someone who worked hard, I don’t have many friends though.”
“That’s because you’ve spent the past two years sweeping up all the grades. You’re practically a 24-hour cleaning robot.”
“Anyway, thank you again!”
After bowing again, I turned to leave the room.
“Hey, you have to give the iPad back before you go! I got that through an overseas purchase.”
“Oh, right!”
I handed the iPad back with a hint of reluctance.
Kim Hoseop snatched it quickly like it was something precious.
It really was an expensive one, huh?
That made me feel like it was understandable why he treasured it so much.
