Chapter 3: A Secret Study Session

In-tae gazed at the headrest of Jung Ban-ri’s seat, crumpled by Jo Gi-tae’s grip.

A slight tension involuntarily stiffened In-tae’s jaw as he noticed the fine strands of hair caught between Jo Gi-tae’s fingers.

“I’ll drink this first.”

Jo Gi-tae pulled a beer from the pile of supplies. Ye-eun immediately shook her head.

“Ah, really. Oppa, no. Go drink it over there. We agreed, didn’t we?”

“I’m thirsty, alright? Let’s not be so rigid. Wouldn’t you agree, Ban-ri?”

Jo Gi-tae popped the can open and gulped it down. The distinct sound of him swallowing echoed, and the sharp scent of alcohol permeated the air.

“Well, since you’ve already started, there’s nothing to be done. Just drink that one.”

Jung Ban-ri responded with a strained smile. It was less an agreement than a reluctant allowance.

His troubled expression simultaneously betrayed that Jo Gi-tae had practically extorted even this small concession.

An ordinary person might have considered this a tactful overlooking of their overstep. However, to someone like Jo Gi-tae, it could easily be perceived as a subtle act of defiance.

He likely expected an enthusiastic endorsement, something along the lines of, ‘Whatever Hyung does is perfectly fine!’

Sure enough, Jo Gi-tae wiped the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand, his brow furrowing with displeasure.

“Hmm, that sounds rather like a complaint—”

“Gi-tae Hyung!”

In-tae shot up from his seat, his voice rising. He quickly moved to Jo Gi-tae’s side, placing a friendly hand on his shoulder.

“Hyung, Hyung. Is that good?”

“Uh, yeah. Well. In-tae. Want a can yourself?”

In-tae shot a quick glance at Na Ye-eun, who wore a disapproving expression but seemed unable to intervene. Then, he reached for the beer in Jo Gi-tae’s hand.

“Couldn’t you just give me a sip of yours, Hyung? I need to restrain myself a little now if I’m going to really let loose tonight. I’ve been waiting for this day!”

“Oh? So you’re not planning on running away today, huh?”

“Huh? Running away? I’m going to watch you fall asleep tonight before I even think of going to bed!”

Grinning impishly, In-tae tilted the can and let the beer flow into his mouth.

“Well, look at this! Drinking all of someone else’s booze, are we?”

“Oh, whoops. It must be because Hyung was drinking it, but it tastes absolutely divine!”

He playfully tilted the now-empty can over his head, prompting a burst of laughter and cheers throughout the bus.

***

[Korea University Medical School, Pre-Med, 1st Year, 1st Semester End-of-Term MT.]

A flimsy placard, crudely fashioned from A4 paper, fluttered in the air conditioner’s breeze.

In-tae glanced at the clock beneath it. It was well past midnight, confirming that all routes back to Seoul were now cut off.

He was effectively stranded here until morning.

And not just him—Jung Ban-ri as well.

From the boozy lunch and afternoon foot volleyball to the evening’s continued drinking, In-tae had kept a constant watch on Jung Ban-ri. He had been ready to pull him out and send him back to Seoul at a moment’s notice.

But perhaps his worries had been baseless. The MT proved to be more enjoyable than anticipated, and Jung Ban-ri’s ‘mood’ seemed quite amiable.

The atmosphere was decidedly different from their middle and high school days.

To these now-adults, Jung Ban-ri seemed to have become an almost untouchable figure. In their adolescence, when they played sports, there had been no shortage of boys who would subtly touch him, as if prodding a monkey at a zoo.

Today, however, was the complete opposite. Their classmates moved with caution around Jung Ban-ri, seemingly wary of causing him any harm.

In-tae discreetly looked after Jung Ban-ri, always keeping an eye on him away from the others.

For example, after foot volleyball, he gathered most of the students for the makeshift outdoor showers, while subtly directing Jung Ban-ri and a few others—those reluctant to expose their bodies—to the guesthouse bathrooms.

Fortunately, among their classmates were several privileged young men who had clearly never experienced communal bathing. Their reaction suggested that Jung Ban-ri’s inclusion in this select group was entirely expected.

With a relieved sigh, In-tae finally focused on the drinking party.

As the night deepened into dawn, the revelers began to resemble zombies.

Despite the undeniable fatigue etched across their faces, their boisterous spirits only seemed to intensify, as if alcohol was now fueling their diminishing stamina.

“They said pre-med was for having fun! Everyone was secretly studying behind our backs! Traitors!”

A female student pounded her fist against the floor. She seemed to be unleashing a furious roar, yet to an observer, it was merely adorable drunken rambling.

As laughter erupted, a male student beside her slurred, his words thick with alcohol.

“Oh no! Hee-yeon Noona is totally wasted. Can someone take Noona for a walk?”

“Nobody? Noona, they say no one! Ah, what to do. I’ll go—”

“Ugh, no. I want to go for a walk with a handsome guy….”

The male student, who had been awkwardly rising, flushed a furious red.

“What is she even saying? Seriously. It’s not *that* kind of walk… Uh, it’s just about getting some fresh air to sober up, alright? What era is that ‘walk’ joke from?”

“Not that kind of walk? Then I’ll just go with Poppi from my house. Ah, I miss Poppi. Our loyal dog Poppi, who never betrays us….”

“What are we going to do, Jung Woo-jin! You’ve been deemed worse than a dog.”

“Oh, what is she rambling about? This noona is seriously drunk. Go to the girls’ room and sleep!”

The thoroughly intoxicated students clutched their bellies, roaring with laughter. In-tae, a piece of dried squid leg clamped between his teeth, likewise burst into a fit of giggles.

‘Ultimately, everyone is quite similar.’

From the outset, In-tae felt as though he had erected a subtle barrier between himself and his classmates.

And why wouldn’t he? These were medical students from the nation’s most prestigious university, individuals he never imagined studying alongside for a lifetime.

Even after unexpectedly becoming their peer, and despite his own ample charm and social skills, he couldn’t bring himself to truly see them as his equals.

Perhaps, deep down, he had regarded his classmates as formidable beings from an entirely different realm.

Yet, after a full day spent mingling amongst them, he realized this perception was entirely flawed.

Even if his classmates possessed superior memory, willpower, or more privileged backgrounds than the average person their age, they were, in the end, all just human.

Amidst the boisterous revelry, In-tae felt a comforting sense of kinship, emptying his glass repeatedly.

“In-tae, did you get good grades?”

Someone sitting beside him tapped his shoulder and asked. It was Na Ye-eun.

In this environment, where repeat test-takers made up well over half the student body, she was one of the rare few, a female student her age who had entered university straight from high school.

Even amidst the drunken chaos, her eyes remained remarkably clear and bright, giving the impression of a perfectly diligent, model student who had lived her entire life with unwavering precision.

“No.”

In-tae immediately shook his head.

“Oh, come on.”

Ye-eun clearly didn’t believe him.

It was, after all, practically an unspoken rule in academic circles that the so-called ‘straight-from-high-school’ students, those who entered Korea University Medical School with a single Suneung attempt, generally achieved higher grades.

They were often inherently brighter than those who required multiple attempts.

Moreover, they hadn’t yet shed their academic rigor, unlike the students who, after years of relentless study, finally entered university and indulged in their newfound liberation.

“Hmm, I’m probably… last place?”

Internally, he wasn’t just ‘probably’; he was practically certain.

“Don’t lie.”

“Huh? It’s not a lie… Do I really look that brilliant…?”

‘That couldn’t be right…’ In-tae mumbled, causing Ye-eun to giggle. “You’re really funny,” she whispered, leaning in slightly closer.

“Ban-ri always helps you study, doesn’t he?”

“…Huh? How did you—”

In-tae stammered, startled by her words. Ye-eun, looking rather pleased, seemed to confirm that her suspicion had been spot on.

“You and I share a class, right? Was it the week before midterms? Around that time, Ban-ri called me and asked me to share the class materials. Even though it wasn’t his subject.”

“Of course, he could study it separately, but why during such a busy exam period? I thought it was a bit strange, honestly.”

“Then, I ‘accidentally’—” Na Ye-eun lowered her voice further, emphasizing the word. “—saw something in the library.”

“Jung Ban-ri was creating an exam paper using the materials I had given him. He was writing for a long time by hand, so I initially thought he was making flashcards or memorizing something… but it turned out to be a practice test.”

“And on the day of that subject’s exam, you had that very test prominently displayed on your desk, studying it, didn’t you?”

“…Was that so?”

“Didn’t Ban-ri tell you I shared my notes?”

Ye-eun’s gaze drifted over In-tae’s shoulder. His eyes instinctively followed hers.

Amidst the sea of flushed, alcohol-tinted faces, one stood out, remarkably pale, as if it had been colored with an entirely wrong palette.

‘While everyone else was downing soju, was he simply drinking dew…?’

Just then, In-tae’s eyes suddenly met Jung Ban-ri’s.

Had he been staring too intently? In-tae quickly averted his gaze, pressing the back of his hand against his suddenly hot cheek.

Ye-eun’s eyes, which had been darting between them, now settled back on In-tae. Her cheeks, too, were faintly tinged with a blush.

“Is it a secret, you two studying together?”

Come to think of it, In-tae still hadn’t answered Ye-eun’s question. He quickly shook his head.

“No, it’s not like that.”

“You just seemed so flustered….”

“…Ah, that’s…”

‘Because there’s another secret…’ Ye-eun, observing In-tae’s awkward expression, suddenly spoke.

“Ah. Are you perhaps worried that Hee-yeon Unnie will label you a traitor?”

“No? We’re absolutely not traitors. Ah, though that’s not to say we didn’t study…”

With the alcohol taking hold and his mind adrift, his words became tangled. How was he supposed to explain this convoluted situation?

The ‘traitor’ Hee-yeon Noona was railing against would be someone who pretended not to study while secretly achieving good grades. In-tae, on the other hand, had studied his butt off, to put it bluntly, yet still ranked first from the bottom.

Jung Ban-ri, however, was precisely the opposite.

Seeing is believing. In-tae pulled out his phone and showed her the saved image of his transcript.

Ye-eun’s eyes widened, and she covered the screen with her hand as if afraid someone might see.

It was certainly surprising. The first semester of pre-med didn’t involve any particularly challenging courses.

While subjects like biology and chemistry existed, it was said that if one had entered through ‘normal’ Suneung methods, they wouldn’t perform so poorly.

However, for In-tae, who had entered through a somewhat unconventional path, he couldn’t solve any of the problems.

“Oh, uh… I’m sorry. I won’t tell anyone else, ever.”

“No, it’s fine. It’s the truth, after all.”

“Still. Really, truly sorry.”

Ye-eun was so apologetic that In-tae almost felt more sorry for her. Looking at her expressive face, he suddenly worried.

His innocence was proven by his abysmal grades, but what about Jung Ban-ri’s?

“And you know what, Jung Ban-ri isn’t a traitor either. He’s not the type to secretly study. In fact, I’ve never once seen him studying for himself.”

Ye-eun’s expression became even more surprised. Well, it would be surprising, wouldn’t it? It was just as In-tae smiled, understanding her reaction.

“Then what do you two always do?”

“…Huh?”

In-tae’s piece of dried squid fell from his mouth.

“If you’re not studying together—even making practice tests—then what?”

The alcohol was the problem. His mind, which should have been formulating a suitable answer, was instead consumed by ‘what he did with Ban-ri.’ His face turned crimson, and his heart began to pound.