"Kwon Taek Joo"
He raised his head because of the call. The classmates who ate together also paid
attention to the spokesperson. Ambient noise disappears.
The person who appeared in front of the crowd was Yuna Hyun. First-year student in the department of information and mechanical engineering at a Korean university , where there are only three female students out of 150 students. Because of the so-called "beauty of a technical university", even before enrolling, Yuna Hyun received the attention of her seniors, classmates and juniors.
Even on that day, stories related to her were being discussed. Those who always considered her a subject simultaneously
remained silent and watched the two people's conversation.
"I'm Yuna Hyun."
She tilted her head to introduce. At that time, Kwon Taek Joo entered his second semester . It's not like he didn't know her when everyone around him mentioned Yuna Hyun. It's just that he doesn't care as much as others.
"Yes?"
"Can I sit here?"
"It's up to you."
Kwon Taek Joo superficially agreed. Everyone eats their portion anyway , so it doesn't matter who sits next to who. Yuna put the tray down opposite Kwon Taek Joo. It wasn't until then that others in the crowd began to ask questions properly . What kind of liberal
arts are you studying, have you completed all the assignments for your core courses,
where are the friends you used to hang out with, etc. Gossip.
Yuna answered moderately and stared at
Kwon Taek Joo. He focused on the meal and did not participate in any conversations.
He was completely indifferent to the fact that a person was sitting in front of him and staring at him.
"This two-person exercise, I want to do it with you."
The surroundings became quiet again after the unexpected announcement. The crowd
rolled their eyes and watched the situation carefully . Some of them had sinister smiles
and others were disappointed. Kwon Taek Joo finally looked Yuna Hyun straight in the eyes.
"With me? Why?"
"You're the one with the highest score. I'm curious how the class leader does his
homework."
Yuna's tone was quite aggressive. It's not about doing homework together , it's about
giving challenges. Kwon Taek Joo learns that she ranked second in her class in her first
semester . Even if he didn't care, the others were still making noise so he couldn't help
but know. However , he had no intention or spirit of competing with her. For Kwon Taek
Joo, grades are just a matter of rank, and rank has nothing to do with him. So he refused Yuna's offer.
"Sorry but please find someone else."
"Why?"
"I feel like if I can't do it my way. I cannot fit in with others."
The decisive answer surprised Yuna. The vast majority do not want to work in groups with passive people, because the probability of having to work increases. Kwon Taek Joo is different. Instead of looking for a team member with ability and strong arguments,
he prefers a member who is suitable for him.
That way, even though the workload increases, in return you will feel comfortable. Kwon Taek Joo said go ahead and stood up with an empty plate, whispering behind him. He also felt Yuna Hyun's eyes following him closely . However , there was no other way because he was not interested.
Since that day, Yuna suddenly appeared anywhere and asked to do homework together . That scene was witnessed by many people and the behind-the-scenes story about
whether the two were flirting or dating became noisy. Most of them are poor quality rumors.
Female students at technical universities always receive a lot of attention. They are
treated like princesses in every word. The boys compete with each other endlessly but they will degrade the girls with dirty words if they are rejected. They are especially interested in the love life of girls, whether they have a boyfriend or not, when they met, when they feel like they will break up, and every time they have free time, they chatter.
On days when girls walk or arrive late with a strange man, they exchange bad stories
and jokes behind their backs. As a female student. It is difficult to focus on studying. If you get high scores like Yuna Hyun, you will get more attention. You are criticized if you get along with everyone because they will think you are flattering your seniors. And vice versa, if you draw a certain line, you will be considered cruel.
Kwon Taek Joo is the only person in the department who doesn't care about the girls.
No matter how noisy the surroundings were about those girls, he didn't say another
word. When he was in his first year, he lived in harmony with his classmates and was respected by his seniors due to the influence of a family environment that had been
soldiers from generation to generation.
However , Kwon Taek Joo also completely dislikes topics related to women. Stories
originating from that illusion were not interesting to him. But he seemed very special to his female classmates. Is that why Yuna Hyun still persists in following Kwon Taek Joo?
From meals at school, when going to the library, when listening to lectures or even when he was playing basketball on the soccer field. She watched the match without interest in the sunlight, sweating profusely and asked to do her homework together .
Yuna Hyun studied so well that she entered the school as valedictorian. Above all, she
is beautiful, strong and has good sociability . It is natural for such a person to receive everyone's attention. However , the problem is that the more we talk, the more things change. The bad rumors are as much as the compliments for her. Just the fact that she followed Kwon Taek Joo cannot be imagined that there would be countless behind-the-scenes stories being woven. Even
though he knew that, he couldn't continue to refuse.
At that time, starting with 2-person exercises, Kwon Taek Joo often accompanied Yuna.
Exercise comes first and the two seem very comfortable with each other. The story of
the two dating was spread publicly , but that didn't matter. Yuna Hyun also seemed more
comfortable just talking about this and that with her group mates. In fact, when rumors
spread that she and Kwon Taek Joo were dating, the number of people criticizing her
decreased significantly .
If you compare college life to a marathon, the two are very good running partners. They
always take turns holding first and second place and often do homework together .
Unlike Kwon Taek Joo's prediction, the two people's opinions are quite consistent.
During the exam period, anyone who comes to the library must reserve a seat in advance. Most of their meals were at the academy , but when it was too late, they ate late at a familiar store in front of the school.
But when they leave school, everyone takes time for themselves. They have never met
privately outside. Kwon Taek Joo is the same, and there are extracurricular classes for
Yuna almost every day. She seems to not only pay for her own tuition, but also directly
earn living expenses. Kwon Taek Joo sometimes works part-time to earn pocket money , but he usually spends the rest of his time exercising. Sometimes he goes out with
friends and goes to the game room or billiard room. The two are similar in many ways,
but not exactly .
When the first semester of the second year begins, more than half of the motivation
disappears. That's because Kwon Taek Joo is preparing to enlist. It's good to join the army when you're young, but you want to be more cautious. If I go, I like a place where I can experience it in a meaningful way. The most received question around that time was
"When did you go to military service?"
Yuna Hyun is no exception.
"Aren't you going to serve?"
"It's frustrating because I can't reply to everyone at once. I will go. Of course I have to
go."
"When?"
"Hmm.. After 2nd year?"
"Very good."
"What?"
"That's it. I'm ready to come back here. And you?"
"Let's go."
Study until late at night and then go home
together . The long staircase connecting the central library to the main door is illuminated
by the dim light of a street lamp. No human voices were heard, the surroundings were
quiet and insects could be heard from afar. Normally , they would talk about this and
that, but that day, Yuna Hyun was silent. I don't know if something is wrong or not, but
her face is not very bright. At times like these, Kwon Taek Joo is not the first to start a
conversation. He just kept silent and pretended not to know.
When reaching the mezzanine, Yuna Hyun who was walking in front suddenly turned
around and looked back.
"Do you want to go on a date with me?"
(No, No he doesn't want to.)
"Is this a new trick? Falling in love with your opponent to confuse them and take the top
position?"
How silly. Yuna Hyun giggled as if she was surprised. Kwon Taek Joo took that mild
reaction as a joke and ignored it. He passed Yuna and went down the stairs first. He didn't understand why she didn't quickly follow. Then suddenly , Yuna ran to close the distance and punched Kwon Taek Joo's back heartlessly . What's wrong? He looked back at her giggling.
"Let's go on a date, Kwon Taek Joo."
It was too dark so he couldn't see Yuna's face clearly, but her cheeks seemed to be turning red.
(Haha! She only got close to him by asking to do homework together , a new way to get
close then ask them out.)