I Became a Gifted International Student
Episode 2
August 2020.
Hyun-soo is 17 years old again.
‘It’s so unfamiliar.
Those who have regressed will understand.
When you become 30 years younger overnight, even if it’s your own body, it’s alien, like you’re in someone else’s body.
For Hyun-soo, the difference was even greater, as he went from living in the darkness of paralysis to regaining his vigorous 17-year-old body.
‘But humans adapt.
Nevertheless, Hyunsoo adapted quickly.
First, he started doing things he couldn’t do because of his physical limitations.
“Son, I told you to raise the seat and pee!”
“Yes!”
Going to the bathroom without help.
“Son, eat.”
“What? Meatless…… yuck!”
“Where did you get the side dish? Don’t you think starving for three days will change your habits?”
“Wow, King, you’re like a saint. This castle is a disaster.”
I scooped rice with my own hands.
“But why are you working out so much these days? Do you have a club in mind?”
I worked out every day until I was drenched in sweat.
I feel like I’m getting rid of all my past resentments.
“What are you doing? What are you doing like a man?”
“Heh, heh, heh. At least I don’t feel bad.”
And once a day, Hyunsoo hugged his parents tightly.
“Thank you.
They were devotedly supporting their ugly son, who was approaching fifty.
It was said that their fondest wish was to die a day later than their son.
‘Thank you.
Hyun-soo thanked them every night with tears in his eyes so that he could return to the past.
There was no more sadness in his parents’ eyes.
The normal family life he had longed for.
If there’s only one thing he wishes for…….
‘No matter how much I search my cell phone, I can’t find her number.
If I could regain my health, there was one thing I would like to do…….
He was single until the last day of his life, so it was no different at 17.
“Whoa.”
* * *
Hyunsoo’s family immigrated to the United States about a year ago.
“At the time, I was young and excited about the idea of studying abroad, but when I think about it now, it was a big sacrifice for my parents.
From a young age, Hyunsoo was a well-rounded student who was both academically and athletically gifted with good dexterity.
Through elementary school, he attended various academies and showed off his talents. …… As he got older, he became increasingly selective and focused.
-He has a really good brain, so why don’t we make him study hard and prepare for the competition?
Hyunsoo’s love of studying also helped him excel in international competitions, and he was on track to go to MinSago, which was his goal.
But a connection with a benefactor opened up a great opportunity in the United States.
-There is a high school that is the most popular among the upper class in the United States. It’s public, but it’s in one of the most expensive school districts in the world, so every single student is from a wealthy family, especially the top 1%. These scholars, called the “elite,” are given a top-notch, individualized curriculum. They don’t have to choose between academics and athletics.
Johannes High School’s offer of admission to the scholarship program.
‘I had to drop out after my accident, but looking back, it was a great school.
The high enrollment meant that high school sports were thriving, but the quality of education was world-class.
This is made possible by astronomical donations from universities and beyond.
-While civil affairs is a great option, I think this is a better fit for my son. The variety of experiences you gain at a young age will be a great asset to you later in life. I support your decision, as long as you think about it carefully.
At that time, Korea was a country of arts and crafts, arts and crafts, and studies. There was a clear line drawn…… Johannes boasted a well-rounded education system that was world-class in all areas.
Of course, Hyunsoo was already excited about the possibility of studying abroad.
-Yes! I want to go, I’ll do my best.
Naturally, he chose to go to Johannes High School, and that’s how his family prepared for the move.
“Didn’t you say that families should live together?
Hyunsoo could have gone to study abroad on his own, but his father’s strong will brought the family together.
He gave up his job as an executive at a large company and used the money he had saved to pay for the immigration settlement.
“I heard it was expensive, but I didn’t realize how expensive it would be.
At 17 years old, I didn’t have much of an economic understanding, but now I realize that Silicon Valley is just as expensive as it was in the past and will be in the future.
Starting with the basic American unit of housing. Even for Hyunsoo’s family, who were used to apartments, a small, old house cost 2 billion won.
Add to that the fixed costs of health insurance, car insurance, utilities, and other living expenses, and you have some of the most expensive living costs in the world.
“My parents gave up everything for my education.
Hyunsoo understood the weight of this, having lived to almost his parents’ age.
Immigrating to the United States in their 50s to a country with a completely different language and culture, giving up a comfortable upper-middle-class life in Korea?
Sure, Dad saw promise in the business he and a few partners were pursuing, but suddenly, Hyunsoo’s accident brought them all to a halt.
Dad has no choice but to take over the failing laundry in a hurry. He needed a way to make money right away with as little chance of failure as possible.
Luckily, the laundry, which had adopted the Korean service system, was doing well, but the steep medical bills kept my father working late into the weekends.
I rarely saw him until Hyunsoo’s company was established. After that, Hyunsoo was too busy to spend time with his family.
“What was I in such a hurry for?
I always felt grateful, but I realized I wasn’t good at expressing it.
I beat myself up because I had to fix my body for my family, but was I missing something more important?
‘A miraculous second life. This time, it has to be different.
Hyunsoo spent weeks reflecting on the past and pondering how to live his life in the future.
If the future unfolded as he remembered, he wouldn’t have to worry about money.
If he wanted to, he could become the richest man in the world, something that would never happen again.
I made a plan for a while, but…… the biggest problem was that my heart wasn’t in it.
In the past, he’d earned trillions of dollars, won a Nobel Prize, and gained worldwide fame.
He’d worked his whole life to achieve it.
All of that evaporated with the regression, but…… didn’t feel the slightest bit regretful.
On the contrary, he was happier now.
I have a healthy body, and I’ve made up for lost time.
-What kind of life would I have had if I hadn’t had that accident?
It was a scenario that haunted him for the rest of his life.
For Hyunsoo, his nightmares were dreams in which he was able to function. A dream so happy that he didn’t want to wake up. But why are they nightmares?
No matter how vivid the dream, there comes a moment when you wake up, and the weight of the emptiness you feel is enough to make you psychotic.
No matter how much money and fame I gained…… I was not free.
‘Let’s forget the past.
Hyunsoo thought long and hard, but the conclusion was simple.
-I’ll live a normal life now.
Be a good son to my parents and take care of myself.
I’ll go to school like a normal 17-year-old and have a relationship.
What do I like, what am I good at?
Instead of chasing after things as I did in the past, let’s go with the flow for once.
“I deserve that now, don’t I?
An ordinary, simple life.
Hyunsoo decides to take this opportunity to overwrite the painful memories of his accident once and for all.
* * *
“Huh?”
Jessie, who looked as good as a doll, looked at her iPad and sighed.
“What’s going on?”
“I’ve got more students. My schedule is already hell this semester!”
The student’s profile popped up on Jesse’s screen.
Kyle, who was lying on his bed playing a game, glanced at it and quickly dismissed it.
“Asian.”
“That’s all you got, a scholarship student who almost got demoted to a regular student last year?”
“Oh yeah? You’re the student body president and you’ve been shitting the bed since the beginning of your term.”
He added, now interested.
“Didn’t you almost lose credits for shitting on a student in charge last time?”
“That shit! Do you have nothing but shit in your head? God, why does our school even bother to evaluate people on leadership?”
“Who’s this guy this time?”
“Typical Asian international student. A bookworm who’s been studying his whole life. His pronunciation is terrible, his conversation is terrible, and it doesn’t matter how good he is at math or science. It’s written in big red letters that you’ll barely make it through a presentation or debate.”
“Aah. Did you say Hyun? I remember. He’s a sophomore this year, right? I think he was in charge of laughing in gym class because he’s not very athletic.”
They looked at Hyunsoo’s photo carefully.
“He looks fine, but I don’t know why he came to the U.S. I mean, he can still fly and crawl in his country, so they let him in as a scholarship student.”
“So what’s your role?”
“That’s my main goal. The first is to improve my English. If they let you off the hook last year because you’re a freshman and it’s your first year in the country, if you don’t have the skills of a scholar by this year, you’ll be demoted. Worst case scenario, expulsion.”
“And that’s going to knock your leadership grade down a notch.”
“Shut up. The second condition is worse. They want me to sign up for athletics, any sport. Are you crazy?”
“Athletic club? Asian physical? Poohahaha.”
Kyle practically rolled on the bed in laughter.
“Laughing? Are you laughing now?”
“I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t be laughing if you were in my shoes. This is an assassination attempt. You’re not going to graduate with a perfect GPA.”
“Ouch, swear.”
Jesse ruffled his blond hair wildly, and Kyle wiped away a tear and fought back a laugh.
“Don’t worry about it too much. I’m not asking you to be a starter. You’re not short for an Asian, so I’m sure they’ll let you play one of the less popular sports if you work on some basic fitness. Failing that, we’ll put you on the football team. We’re always short on ball boys.”
“No, I don’t have time for that. I don’t have time for English, I don’t have time for P.E., I don’t have time for you. You’re a junior, you’re supposed to be considerate, not hand me a landmine.”
She whined for a while longer. Kyle teased her appropriately, and they bickered for a while.
“You know, maybe you worked hard over vacation and you’ve changed, and now you speak good English and you’re a good athlete, so don’t worry about it too much.”
“…… Let’s beat you up.”
Jesse listened to Kyle ramble on with all the clichéd bullshit that only happens in the movies…… and finally gave him a good, hard slap.
* * *
Jesse’s nightmare lasted until the first day of the new semester when her perfectionism got the best of her.
It fueled her to do anything, but it also made her want to avoid anything that would cause her to fail, even if it meant dying.
-Failure is just a part of life, and what matters is how you get back up when you fail, and how you don’t give up until you succeed. You don’t have to enjoy failure, but you don’t have to be afraid of it either.
I calmed myself by repeating my father’s words, but it didn’t make me feel any better.
“No matter how many times you experience it, you never get used to that…… dirty feeling.
With a heavy heart, she went to her first mentor meeting with her assigned student.
“Hyun? I’m Jessie.”
Her first impression of Hyunsoo was good.
“He looks better than I thought.
He was even better in person than in the photo. He has a very pretty face, but his overall appearance is masculine. He’s 6’1” (=185 cm) tall, which is tall for an Asian.
“He’s surprisingly regal and confident.
She decided to simply test Hyunsoo’s English first.
She had read his profile, but she needed to see for herself how bad his English was.
But then something very strange happened.
“This is the first time we’ve spoken to each other, right? I’ve been so busy last year…….”
Jesse said in a lighthearted tone, but as soon as Hyunsoo saw him, he asked with suspicion.
“Vice President Jesse L. Goldstein?”
Only after receiving Jesse’s questioning stare did Hyunsoo regain his composure and laugh awkwardly.
“Ahhh…… sorry. I’m a foreigner, so my English is a little rough. You’re not the Vice President, you’re the Student President, right?”
“…….”
His English is too fluent for a mistake and an excuse. Jesse glared at Hyunsoo with even deeper suspicion.
“But how did you know my middle name? I’ve never revealed it to anyone, have you been stalking me?”
“Oh?”
The current student body president, and in the not-too-distant future, Vice President of the United States. My second (?) encounter with Jesse Goldstein is apparently off to a rocky start.
* * *
Hyunsoo noticed some strange things after the regression.
Of course, the whole premise of regression was a problem, but…… he regressed and gained extraordinary memory.
“I was very confused.
Humans are forgetful animals. If it’s a memory you don’t normally recall, let alone a year. We can’t even remember yesterday’s events.
But Hyunsoo has traveled back 30 years to find out where his house is now. Even without using an app, he was able to find the exact location along a complicated road.
He can also remember his phone’s password from 2020, what he did yesterday, and what he said to his parents. I remembered every single conversation I had with my parents, word for word.
No, remembered is more accurate than knew. I didn’t have to rummage through my memory, the information just came to me.
“Is this possible?
At first, I just assumed that because I was back in my 17-year-old body, my present-day memory was intact.
But when I reunited with Jesse Goldstein, it became clearer.
“Born July 7, 2004, a fraternal twin with one male brother, graduated from Johannes High School in 2022. Goes to Stanford and later enters politics and makes a breakthrough, eventually becoming Vice President of the United States of America……. ‘She was one of the first angel investors to invest in our company.’
As soon as I saw her, I thought of all the conversations we’d have in the future because we’d gone backward, or rather, regressed. I remembered every step she was going to take, and I remembered what day and what time it was going to happen.
“Is this what perfect memory looks like?
Hyunsoo was surprised to find himself calling her by her future title. Luckily, the term ‘Vice President’ is used to mean not just vice president, but also the more common vice chairman, so she didn’t feel like a total weirdo.
“Your middle name? I saw it in the school magazine, in a column with a brief Q&A interview with you.”
This time, I didn’t make a mistake.
“The October 2019 issue.” Colin, who had seen the interview, asked Jesse. She didn’t want to give it away, so she just said the initials L, and it was exactly on the third page, bottom right-hand corner.
A perfect memory, with relevant information coming to mind on its own.
Jesse nodded in silence.
“Your English is pretty good, huh?”
For some reason, she was particularly interested in Hyunsoo’s English skills.
“Well, let’s go to the testing center now. You know you’ll take a placement test on the first day, right?”
