Chapter 10

Chapter 10

[Translation By Divinity]

In the morning, Kang Hyun had come to the library thinking he’d just skim through the main subjects, but as he turned page after page, it was already noon. He thought he’d read a little more and memorize a few more things, and before he knew it, it was well past lunchtime.

‘I don’t need to look at this book anymore.’

Kang Hyun continued to read until he was confident he had mastered the material. It didn’t take him long to memorize an entire book, as his comprehension was better than he had anticipated.

He had arrived in the morning and started studying, and by the time lunchtime passed, he had already memorized the entire syllabus for three subjects.

Some might say that understanding the principles and applying them is necessary, but everything starts with remembering and knowing the subject matter.

Moreover, this kind of studying wasn’t difficult for Kang Hyun at all. It was as easy as adding another letter to the dozens or hundreds of law books already in his brain.

‘This pace is good enough.’

He even thought that if he were to bet with Yoon Ha-neul on the upcoming midterms, he might win even if she gave it her all.

There was a difference in the depth of their study experience, but school exams were about how deeply one could delve into a set range of material within a short period.

Then suddenly,

‘Huh?’

It was the moment Kang Hyun got up to have lunch. He noticed a boy with a crew cut and a sturdy build sitting in the back, across from him, still engrossed in his book in the same posture as when Kang Hyun had arrived.

‘He hasn’t gotten up from his seat even once today. He’s studying really hard, isn’t he?’

Suddenly, a sense of competitiveness Kang Hyun had never felt before arose within him.

He sat back down with a thud and opened the next book to study even more.

‘Just until that guy gets up.’

One page, two pages.

Kang Hyun started flipping through the pages, becoming engrossed, and before he knew it, it was past two o’clock, nearing three. He had already finished another book.

‘Phew, I’ve done more than I thought.’

Kang Hyun’s shoulders felt stiff, so he rolled his head from side to side.

Then, a man caught his eye.

“…!”

The crew-cut boy still showed no signs of getting up from his seat. But he wasn’t sleeping or slacking off. He seemed to be repeating the cycle of reading, writing, memorizing, and studying.

Kang Hyun started to become more and more conscious of him.

‘Let’s see what you’ve got.’

One hour, two hours passed.

He was hungry and tired from the events of the past few days, but Kang Hyun’s determination kept him focused.

He even lost track of time after that.

It was only after a long while that Kang Hyun snapped out of it and looked around.

The library was empty, as if everyone had gone out for dinner.

‘Huh? It’s already…’

It was only when the sun was setting that Kang Hyun finally memorized all the books he had brought and was able to get up from his seat. Seeing that the other boy was no longer there, it seemed Kang Hyun had won their silent study competition.

As he left his seat and walked outside, Kang Hyun hummed a tune, feeling proud, his steps light.

‘I’ve finished what I aimed for, so it would be good to have dinner and check things over one more time, right?’

With a smile on his face, Kang Hyun pondered what to have for dinner.

Then, he suddenly remembered to check his money and reached into his pocket, only for his smile to turn bitter.

1,200 won.

After deducting the bus fare, he only had 1,200 won left. It wasn’t even enough to buy a triangle kimbap without a discount.

“Ah… I should have packed a lunch.”

Kang Hyun gave up on going to a restaurant and was about to turn around to find a convenience store.

But just then,

“Excuse me.”

He turned his head at the unfamiliar voice, and the crew-cut student he had seen in the library was looking at him with blinking eyes.

“…?”

His face could be described as rough and rugged, but his kind voice and eyes assured Kang Hyun that he wasn’t a bad person at all.

“If you haven’t eaten yet, would you like to share this with me?”

He was holding a plastic bag with sandwiches in his hand.

“Me?”

Kang Hyun pointed at himself, asking the boy in surprise at the unexpected kindness.

The boy smiled and nodded.

“You seemed to be studying really hard. You haven’t eaten yet, have you?”

It seemed he had been conscious of Kang Hyun, just as Kang Hyun had been conscious of him.

“I’ve been coming here for a long time, but I’ve never seen anyone as focused as you. You look about the same age as me…”

“I’m eighteen.”

“Oh, we’re friends then!”

Kang Hyun had assumed he was older and revealed his age, but the boy seemed even happier to be friends.

With a playful smile, he introduced himself without hesitation.

“My name is Han Hyun-ho. I’m not attending school right now, but I’m the same age as you. You go to Korea High School, right?”

At Kang Hyun’s unexpected words, he tilted his head in confusion and nodded.

“It’s surprising that you’re not in school when you seem to be studying so hard.”

“Ah… well, I’m planning to get an electrician’s license and work. With my family scattered and no money, I don’t have much choice.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

Kang Hyun apologized for the unexpected story. Han Hyun-ho waved his large hand dismissively.

“No, it’s okay! Things are tough, but I’m doing alright. I’m not the smartest, so I’m still studying for the technician’s license, but I’ll get it soon!”

Despite being the same age, Han Hyun-ho seemed to have a clear goal in mind and smiled brightly.

Then, he suddenly stretched out his hand and pointed in the opposite direction of Kang Hyun’s neighborhood.

“There’s a barbecue restaurant over there where I work. I come to the library on my days off. Come visit sometime. I’ll give you plenty of service.”

Kang Hyun nodded, impressed by Han Hyun-ho’s words.

He didn’t seem to have any special talents or a wealthy family, but he wasn’t discouraged at all and was working hard towards his dream with sheer willpower.

Moreover, instead of being ashamed of his situation, Han Hyun-ho spoke confidently about his dreams, which made him seem even more admirable.

“That’s amazing.”

Kang Hyun expressed his genuine admiration. Recognizing it, Han Hyun-ho grinned with satisfaction.

“You’re the same, coming here and studying hard on your day off.”

Han Hyun-ho didn’t say when he had noticed Kang Hyun, but it seemed he had seen him studying and thought he was a decent guy. They say it only takes a few seconds for someone to form a favorable impression of another.

“You were the most diligent person here since this morning. I was curious about you, this new guy I’d never seen before. The desperation you have, which is rare for our age… I wonder if you’d be offended if I said it was similar to mine…”

“No, not at all!”

At Kang Hyun’s quick denial, Han Hyun-ho chuckled playfully and then suddenly extended his rough, calloused hand.

“Let’s get along from now on. You live in this neighborhood, so we’ll see each other often if you keep coming here. And I’m serious about the barbecue restaurant invitation. I don’t make promises lightly.”

Kang Hyun smiled and shook his hand.

“Okay, I’ll gladly accept this. Thank you.”

The reason Kang Hyun tried not to reveal his difficult family circumstances to those around him was out of a vague fear that they might treat him differently.

But his friend Han Hyun-ho, despite being in a situation where he couldn’t even attend school, was working on weekdays and dedicating his weekends to studying for his dream. And he didn’t seem to feel any shame about his situation.

‘I need to be more confident too!’

Kang Hyun felt that Han Hyun-ho was a genuinely good friend. The firm and reliable grip he felt during their handshake made him think that they could support each other in the future.

“Eat up quickly and go back in there and fight on!”

“You too!”

Kang Hyun’s heart warmed at the thought that it had been a long time since he had met a friend he connected with so well.

But that’s when the incident began.

“Ah, shit! What the…”

Han Hyun-ho suddenly cursed, his eyes wide with surprise, looking flustered as he turned to Kang Hyun.

People in the quiet reading room would normally be annoyed by such an outburst, but strangely, they all sighed, wearing expressions that suggested they had expected this.

“What happened? What kind of bastard…”

His words trailed off as he saw Han Hyun-ho’s expression. Kang Hyun turned to look at the desk and couldn’t help but gasp in shock.

All the reference books, notebooks, and pens that had been piled on the desk were gone. Completely gone.

It seemed the stories about the thief in the library were true.

“Wow…”

Han Hyun-ho’s face was deeply furrowed, his anger evident.

“Ah, damn it. What do we do? This bastard doesn’t discriminate between rich and poor.”

“I know, right…”

Kang Hyun couldn’t say anything more and quickly glanced at his watch.

It hadn’t even been an hour since he left the reading room to get dinner and came back after chatting for a bit.

He had thought, ‘Just wait until it happens in front of me,’ after hearing the librarian’s warning about things going missing, but now that it had actually happened, he was dumbfounded.

The culprit had deliberately targeted someone and taken everything. To boldly take everything, even the pens, as if they owned the spot, this was clearly not their first time.

‘The method is bold and clean, so it must be someone who’s been doing this for a while.’

Kang Hyun’s mind started racing, while time seemed to slow down.

He began to calculate how to efficiently and easily catch the culprit and put them behind bars.

“Sigh… I guess studying is out of the question today. I’ll have to stop everyone leaving the library and check their bags one by one.”

Han Hyun-ho, still fuming beside him, was preparing to take a very straightforward approach.

It seemed like he could actually do it.

With his flushed face and bulging veins, it looked like he was about to tear the reading room apart, gather everyone, and interrogate them one by one.

He probably wasn’t the type to resort to violence…

“See you later then.”

As Han Hyun-ho greeted Kang Hyun and was about to stride out of the reading room, Kang Hyun stopped him.

“Hey, I think I can solve this easily. Want my help?”

Kang Hyun said confidently, having finished his thoughts.

“What?”

Han Hyun-ho burst into hearty laughter.

“Haha, thanks for the offer! But it’s okay. It wouldn’t be right to ask someone busy studying to waste their time helping me.”

“No, it won’t take much time, and I owe you for the sandwich.”

Kang Hyun blocked Han Hyun-ho’s path and spoke confidently.

But this action had an unexpected effect on Han Hyun-ho.

He tilted his head, saying “Huh?” and suddenly started trying to remember something.

Then, his eyes glazed over, and he pointed at Kang Hyun.

“…That voice and face. Kang Hyun, are you the famous one from social media… No, did you save someone on the subway?”