“Yes…… a little.”
Haneul looked at Jeonghun with the desperation of a man grasping at his last lifeline.
“I want to take a leave of absence next semester and properly try my hand at tutoring academy work.”
“Take a leave of absence to do that?”
“Yes — you probably have a rough idea, but I need money urgently for my sister’s hospital bills.”
“Ah, I see.”
Jeonghun answered his junior’s sincere career consultation with genuine care and thought. According to him, it took longer than people expected to build a reputation with students and become a popular instructor at a tutoring academy. On top of that, it was difficult to work as a full academy instructor while still a university student. Because of those legal restrictions, Jeonghun said he himself still hadn’t been able to drop the title of “assistant instructor.”
“Ah, nothing is ever easy, is it.”
“Still, if you want to give it a shot, just say the word — I’ll introduce you to my academy.”
“Thank you, Jeonghun.”
Jeonghun told him to think it over carefully before deciding, then left, saying he had plans. The moment Jeonghun was gone, Haneul let out a deep sigh.
“Huuu…….”
Jeonghun’s advice hadn’t just been about tutoring — it had been about every occupation, and it was all thoroughly realistic. Haneul already knew, in truth, that there wasn’t a job anywhere in the world that brought in a fortune without an investment of time and effort. Even so, he couldn’t help the way his shoulders drooped and his legs went weak.
But Haneul soon straightened his posture and sank into thought. He couldn’t just sit there in a daze because things weren’t working out — could he? He slapped both cheeks with his palms to hold back the tears that kept threatening to spill.
“Right — I’m in no position to be picky. Even if the pay is less than I hoped, I have to do it.”
Haneul tallied up the money left in his account against what he had coming in this month. Even if he took a leave of absence from now on and devoted himself entirely to earning money, the thought of having no way to raise tens of millions of won in surgery costs with his current means was suffocating.
“Haa…… should I look into a bank loan?”
But there wouldn’t be a bank in the world willing to lend that kind of money to a university student with no steady income. Even so, Haneul decided not to give up hope and to go to a bank in person.
“They won’t lend it to me — but still…….”
The word “loan shark” flickered through his mind, but he shook his head hard. He couldn’t put himself in serious danger again. And so Haneul remained unable to find any breakthrough for raising the money, and his worries deepened.
“Ah, I’m going to be late.”
Haneul checked the time on his phone, jumped to his feet, and ran toward the central library. And then it happened. Pivoting sharply as he ran, Haneul’s face collided with the broad shoulder of a tall man in a suit.
At the moment of impact, it felt like crashing into a solid block of stone. Without even managing an “ow,” he rubbed his face and rushed to apologize.
“Oh, oh, I’m so sorry.”
“…….”
But Haneul, already anxious about being late for his library assistant shift, bowed at a ninety-degree angle and took off running without looking back.
Jaehyeok had been about to call out to Haneul — but stopped himself and closed his mouth. Then he slowly began walking in the direction Haneul had dashed off.
“He really does squeeze every second out of twenty-four hours.”
He recalled the schedule that Go Hyeonjae had handed him. Haneul truly did finish his early morning milk delivery, then come diligently to campus, fitting in studying and part-time work between his classes.
Thinking idly about Haneul as he walked a familiar path, Jaehyeok entered the central library that came into view at the end of the road. Passing through the lobby on his way to the general reading room, Jaehyeok turned his head at a familiar voice. There was Haneul, chatting with the librarian from the previous shift.
“Okay, I need to put these back where they belong first.”
“Alright, I’m off then — good work, Haneul!”
Jaehyeok pulled a random book from a shelf and sat down in the seat closest he could get to the information desk at the center of the lobby. After doing a handoff with the previous shift’s librarian, Haneul diligently slotted the mountain of books back into their proper places, occasionally answering students’ questions about where to find things with a friendly smile.
The Haneul Jaehyeok observed was busy and industrious all day long. Even with a schedule packed tightly enough to be irritating, he never stopped smiling. Jaehyeok found it remarkable, and tilted his head slightly.
Like that, Haneul moved quietly around the library with quick, light steps, going here and there. But now, seeing him fiddling with his phone at the information desk, it seemed he had more or less wrapped up his tasks for the day.
“Excuse me, which section would I find books on history?”
“If you go over to the 900s aisle, you should find quite a few books on history.”
Haneul pointed toward the shelving unit at the far corner of the reading room. In that moment, his gaze seemed to meet Jaehyeok’s, who was sitting near the entrance to the reading room — but Haneul clearly didn’t recognize the man who had saved his life.
“Hm.”
Jaehyeok let out a short, involuntary sigh of displeasure. Just then, someone walked up to Haneul.
“Haneul, I’m here.”
“Hyung, you’re here already? You’re even five minutes early today.”
The person who had come up to Haneul was the library assistant working the next shift. Jaehyeok slowly made his way toward Haneul, who was exchanging lighthearted banter with the next shift’s librarian.
“I’ll head out now.”
Jaehyeok watched as Haneul gathered his bag and stepped out from behind the information desk. Just then, a jingling sound was followed by the clatter of something dropping.
“Where did it go?”
While Haneul was searching for whatever had fallen on the floor, Jaehyeok reached the information desk. He watched for a brief moment, then called out Haneul’s name.
“Yun Haneul?”
Haneul’s gaze traveled slowly upward along Jaehyeok’s frame. His eyes met Jaehyeok’s, and he furrowed his brows, staring at his face intently before speaking with careful uncertainty.
“Yes…… I’m Yun Haneul. Who are you?”
Hm……
Haneul didn’t recognize Jaehyeok — the very person who had saved his life. And he made absolutely no effort to conceal the fact that he was trying to place him. Jaehyeok looked down at him for a moment, then gave a slight nod by way of greeting.
“I’m Kwon Jaehyeok.”
“Ah…… yes, and?”
He really doesn’t know who I am.
But Jaehyeok didn’t mind. He got straight to the point with Haneul, who was still trying to figure out who he was.
“Six o’clock this evening. The café in front of the back gate — let’s meet briefly.”
Then he held out a business card — one made specifically to be given only to particular people. Most who received it reacted with considerable delight. But the expression on Haneul’s face as he looked down at the card was a mixture of puzzlement and suspicion. Jaehyeok felt an incredulous laugh escape him at how guileless Haneul was, wearing every thought on his face.
This guy……
And before Haneul had even looked up from the card, Jaehyeok walked out of the library without a backward glance and headed toward the main lecture building.
The venue for Jaehyeok’s lecture was a hall that could seat two hundred people. But that large hall was so packed with students eager to hear him that there weren’t enough seats — people had to stand crammed into the corridor as well. Jaehyeok was momentarily caught off guard by the turnout, which exceeded his expectations, but quickly composed himself and began the lecture.
“Time is a finite resource.”
He spoke in a low, clear voice. The murmuring students fell silent all at once, and the large hall went quiet in an instant. Jaehyeok slowly swept his gaze across the room. In that moment, amid the sea of students, one face came into sharp focus.
His gaze rested on that person for just a moment. Then, as though nothing had happened, he smiled and wrapped up his opening remarks. He advanced to the next slide and continued in a calm voice.
“Now, let’s look here. Using the Eisenhower Matrix method, you can prioritize the tasks that need to be done.”
