Chapter 5: Eighth Grade, Spring

3. Eighth Grade, Spring

Seo Gi-hyeon is undeniably brilliant. Of this, Im Jeong-woo was certain.

The exam that Im Jeong-woo, having come to study abroad at a younger age, had taken two years to pass, Seo Gi-hyeon had completed in just one. As a result, Seo Gi-hyeon, who had been attending special English classes for non-native speakers until last semester, was now enrolled in the regular English curriculum.

Once again, Im Jeong-woo was struck by the profound error of judging others solely by their appearance.

“Ah, today is quite difficult.”

Because of this, Im Jeong-woo found himself sharing yet another class with Seo Gi-hyeon this semester. With their only differing subject, English, now aligned, they were practically inseparable, save for trips to the restroom.

However, Im Jeong-woo felt no significant change, as Seo Gi-hyeon’s presence in his life wouldn’t diminish simply because one class had shifted.

“Jeong-woo.”

Seo Gi-hyeon, who had been muttering to himself beside Im Jeong-woo, eventually leaned in and whispered.

“Was English class always like this?”

“Like what?”

“Was it always so boring?”

Having transitioned from activity-based learning to a strictly textbook-driven curriculum, Seo Gi-hyeon struggled to adapt. Im Jeong-woo, having experienced a similar struggle in the past, could only offer comforting words.

“Hmm… the words just won’t register. I don’t really understand what they’re saying.”

Despite such complaints, Seo Gi-hyeon consistently outperformed other foreign students on quizzes and exams. Yet, he never seemed to study harder than anyone else.

Seo Gi-hyeon was simply intelligent. His rote memorization skills surpassed others, and combined with his quick wit and sharp intuition, he was perfectly suited for tests.

Upon realizing Seo Gi-hyeon’s exceptional intelligence, Im Jeong-woo studied relentlessly to avoid falling behind, barely managing to maintain similar grades. He was always striving, studying more in secret, and sacrificing sleep before exams to prepare several times more diligently than before.

The reason, of course, was Seo Gi-hyeon. But it wasn’t born of inferiority.

He wanted to achieve similar grades and stand on equal footing, but for a different purpose. He believed it was the only way they could remain together in the future.

Im Jeong-woo did not want to lose his place beside Seo Gi-hyeon. Just as their current companionship felt natural, he wished for no change in that regard. Naturally, he also had no desire to yield his spot to anyone else.

In any case, it didn’t seem as though anyone else could fill that void. At the time, Im Jeong-woo recognized this as possessiveness, yet he didn’t find it strange.

Seo Gi-hyeon was a friend he had found amidst a lonely study abroad experience, a comfortable companion he could call upon at any time, under perfect circumstances. It felt only natural to want this relationship to endure.

As far as Im Jeong-woo knew, no one in the world wished to lose a close friend.

“What are you eating for lunch today?”

Seo Gi-hyeon, who had been idly doodling in his notebook, whispered again.

“I don’t care. You pick something you like.”

“Hmm… I want pizza, and spaghetti, and salad.”

Knowing he would eat everything except the salad anyway, Im Jeong-woo replied nonchalantly, “Let’s just go and decide then.”

Seo Gi-hyeon eats a lot. To be more precise, he eats an incredible, enormous amount. Consequently, whenever Im Jeong-woo saw him eat, he always wondered if Seo Gi-hyeon’s superior intellect, or his disproportionately strong physique for his size, wasn’t somehow linked to his diet.

Given how much he consumed yet remained slender, it was clear all those calories were channeled elsewhere.

Having spent the entire class distracted, Seo Gi-hyeon sprang from his seat the moment the bell rang, faster than anyone else. His swift steps carried him to the cafeteria, where, despite his haste, many students from the opposite classroom had already arrived. Seo Gi-hyeon always grumbled about this.

“Hey, over here!”

“You’re here?”

From a distant table, two figures seated side-by-side waved simultaneously. White trays lay before them.

“What? You guys already got your food?”

“We were probably the tenth ones in line.”

“How do you manage that every time?”

“We ran a hundred meters in ten seconds flat the moment the bell rang.”

“Stop lying. The world record is nine seconds.”

“Oh, as expected of our brilliant Dr. Seo.”

Amidst what seemed like their perfectly matched lives, this was perhaps the most significant difference. During his time in the special English classes last semester, Seo Gi-hyeon had made two Korean friends.

‘I’ll introduce them to you too.’

‘Is that really necessary?’

‘Yes, it is.’

‘It might be awkward.’

‘Don’t worry. You just need to sit there. They’ll introduce themselves.’

Im Jeong-woo initially wondered what he meant, but he understood once he met them.

‘Oh, what’s this, Seo Gi-hyeon? You said friend, but isn’t he more like an older brother?’

‘Wow. How tall is he? He could touch the ceiling on his tiptoes.’

How could anyone possibly reach a thirty-foot ceiling? The two, upon their first meeting, spouted a barrage of absurdities before belatedly introducing themselves.

‘I’m Park Jun-sung, and that’s Jang Gi-jae. My birthday is June 15th, my blood type is A, my hobby is…’

They included every detail, even those Im Jeong-woo hadn’t asked for.

Being with these two felt as if Seo Gi-hyeon had multiplied into three. At the very least, their talkativeness was an undeniable fact. So, when the four of them gathered, Im Jeong-woo appreciated not having to speak much, but it was strangely bothersome.

“Let’s go get our food quickly too.”

“Huh? Oh. Okay. I’ll be right back.”

As expected, Seo Gi-hyeon took all the food except the salad. His tray, laden with two plates, seemed about to overflow. Im Jeong-woo’s tray, carrying the same menu, was not much different, yet when they returned to their seats, Park Jun-sung frowned upon seeing them.

“Ugh, this is so unfair.”

Then, the same old routine began: why they didn’t gain weight despite eating so much. The slender Seo Gi-hyeon was treated like a rare species, while Im Jeong-woo was inexplicably teased for all his food going straight to his height.

Amidst this lively chatter, about half of lunchtime had passed. Park Jun-sung and Jang Gi-jae, having finished their meals first, simultaneously drained the last of their apple juice.

“By the way, Jeong-woo, what are you doing for spring break?”

“Classes just started last week, and you’re already asking about that?”

“It’s February now, so March is right around the corner. Spring break will be here before you know it.”

Indeed, spring break arrived in the blink of an eye. Though ridiculously short compared to summer or winter breaks, the joy it brought was magnified several times over, especially given how uninteresting the beginning of the semester often was.

Such questions were directed at Im Jeong-woo because he was an international student. Since he returned to Korea every break, they were asking what he would do during the short spring break. Of course, Park Jun-sung and Jang Gi-jae were also international students.

While not everyone, many Korean students at this private school were international students due to its specific characteristics. The alternative was attending public school, like Seo Gi-hyeon’s cousin, but some chose to pay higher tuition to attend here anyway.

Im Jeong-woo glanced sideways. Seo Gi-hyeon, stuffing a mouthful of rolled spaghetti into his mouth, seemed uninterested in their conversation.

“What about you guys? Are you going back to Korea?”

“No. We’ll just stay here. If we went, we’d probably have to come back just as we’d adjusted to the time difference.”

“Right, right.”

Park Jun-sung, nodding beside Jang Gi-jae, then addressed Seo Gi-hyeon. “This break, Dr. Seo, we’ll make sure you have plenty of fun.”

Seo Gi-hyeon always stayed in America alone during breaks, a necessity for his permanent residency application.

Originally, Seo Gi-hyeon’s family had planned to immigrate through investment, intending to open a Korean restaurant here. The reason for this decision was that Seo Gi-hyeon’s mother was a renowned Korean chef, famous enough for her name to be recognized.

However, his father’s business suddenly thrived, causing all their plans to fall apart. His father, unwilling to abandon his business, wanted to remain in Korea and adamantly opposed Seo Gi-hyeon and his mother coming to America, stating he would never be a ‘wild goose father.’

Yet, the plan, which had almost been halted, proceeded successfully because Seo Gi-hyeon himself earnestly wished to study in America. His mother didn’t want to give up on her determined son’s education, and since his uncle’s family was already there, Seo Gi-hyeon came alone.

Several months after arriving in America, Seo Gi-hyeon was adopted by his uncle and aunt, who were U.S. citizens. While he could have simply obtained a student visa, his aunt strongly encouraged the adoption. She argued that since he would be attending a private school with his cousin and wouldn’t need a homestay or dormitory, there was no reason to pay expensive study abroad agency fees.

In conclusion, there were no real issues, but the one drawback was that he couldn’t go back to Korea until his permanent residency was granted. Whenever they returned to Korea, Seo Gi-hyeon always spent a dull and lonely break. Knowing how terrible that was, Im Jeong-woo tried his best to return to America as early as possible during breaks.

“Why aren’t you happy? You always complained about being lonely.”

Seo Gi-hyeon remained silent until then. Im Jeong-woo wondered if he hadn’t heard their conversation, completely engrossed in his food, but after swallowing what was in his mouth, he blurted out,

“What about you, Jeong-woo? What are you going to do?”

Ignoring all of Park Jun-sung’s remarks, he suddenly asked Im Jeong-woo.

“It’s only a week. What is there to do? I’ll just stay here.”

Only then did Seo Gi-hyeon’s face brighten. As the corners of his usually calm lips curved into a joyful arc, Park Jun-sung and Jang Gi-jae grumbled.

“We said we’d stay too, didn’t we?”

Then, Seo Gi-hyeon calmly stated, “I only need Jeong-woo.”

Im Jeong-woo placed a chocolate chip cookie on Seo Gi-hyeon’s nearly empty plate.