Chapter 10: The Auditing Student

“Even so, now that you’ve become an Omega, I can’t let you go live abroad.
If you truly want to leave, then get married early and go that way.”

“Yes, I know.”

“You don’t need to pay any attention to what CEO Song says.
No matter how much this industry only looks at family background when arranging marriages, do you really think I’d send you off to just any man?
Without my permission, it will never happen.
Don’t get into pointless power struggles—just ignore him.”

Seon-kyung hadn’t expected her grandfather to know that much.
Startled, she forgot to hide her expression and blinked rapidly.
Perhaps amused by his granddaughter staring at him with wide, rabbit-like eyes, Chairman Woo let out a hearty laugh, then suddenly remembered he still had more to say and cleared his throat.

“You don’t have to study abroad either.
You seemed so disappointed that I went ahead and took care of something.”

Chairman Woo reached toward the low mother-of-pearl cabinet placed by the window.
He opened the drawer and pulled out a thick, white document envelope.
Setting it down on the floor, he gently slid it toward Seon-kyung’s knees.

“There’s a Department of Art History in Korea too.
It may not be exactly where you wanted to go, but there should still be plenty worth learning.”

Seon-kyung opened the envelope.
Inside were several thin booklets and documents.

On the cover of the booklet at the very front was a university logo and a familiar sculpture.
It was a Korea University admissions guide.

It was March.
Not only had the period for additional admissions long since passed, but enrollment procedures had ended quite some time ago.
Classes were already in their second week.
On top of that, Woo Seon-kyung hadn’t even taken the CSAT.
There was no way she could attend university…
She couldn’t understand what she was supposed to study, or how.

As she slowly read through the documents behind the guidebook, Seon-kyung spotted the word “Auditing Student.”
She tilted her head in confusion.

“An auditing student?
You mean I just go and sit in on the lectures?”

“I was originally thinking of building them a wing and making you a spot, but these days they don’t allow donation-based admissions anymore.
Instead, they said as long as you pay, you can attend classes—so I paid for all four years’ worth of major courses.”

Strictly speaking, an auditing student was not an official undergraduate.
You could pay to attend lectures, but you couldn’t earn a bachelor’s degree.

Instead, you received a certificate of course completion at the end of the term.
Naturally, it was of no help at all for employment.
In a society that valued credentials and specs as much as this one did, it offered no real advantage.

“Finish your studies at Korea University.
If you complete all the Art History major courses, I’ll hand the gallery over to you immediately.”

“Grandfather!”

“When it comes to doing business, I don’t care about academic pedigree or titles.
In the end, it’s all about ability.
Just think of it as getting something ten years earlier than planned.”

“…..”

The completely unexpected proposal came with two conditions.

She would attend school properly.

She would complete her major courses without getting caught up in any scandals.

“If any trouble comes up, you quit school that very day—and forget about ever getting the gallery!”

Woo Seon-kyung found herself at a loss for words.
She had always assumed her grandfather would decide her future for her, but she never imagined it would be like this.

With a face caught between joy and disbelief, she stared silently at the documents in her hands.
Watching her reaction, Chairman Woo calmly lifted his teacup and asked,

“What’s with that look?
Don’t you like my proposal?”

“No… that’s not it.
I’m just surprised.”

Originally, she had planned to return after completing graduate school in the UK and then inherit the gallery.
She thought everything had gone off the rails because of her awakening…

Yet through an unexpected path, Seon-kyung had been given the chance to realize her dream.
At least four years.
Perhaps even sooner.

“Others might feel hurt if they heard this, but you know I cherish you the most, Seon-kyung.
There’s so much I want to give you.
The gallery is a given, and I even wanted to hand over a proper company—but of all things, you had to become an Omega… tsk!
At least choose your future husband properly.
I’ll even carve out a title for that guy myself.”

That guy.
It seemed Chairman Woo had already assumed Seon-kyung’s partner would be a male Alpha.

“Grandfather… are you really okay with me marrying a man?”

“You nearly died and went through hell to become an Omega—what are you talking about?
Of course you should get married and have at least one child!”

She couldn’t tell whether his thinking was progressive or simply old-fashioned.

Letting out a hollow laugh, Seon-kyung exhaled deeply, feeling oddly lighter.
It felt as though a heavy burden she’d been holding in her heart had finally been lifted.

***

By mid-April, spring had fully settled in.
The famous cherry trees of Korea University, once sending pale pink petals swirling even in the slightest breeze,
had already shed their blossoms and changed into fresh green leaves.

Wasn’t it said that the flower language of cherry blossoms was midterms?
The students who had been floating on excitement were forced to calm down and focus on their studies.
Exam season had arrived without warning.

Cafés and the campus library were always packed with students studying.
The competition for seats in the central library was especially fierce.

Those who lost out in the seat wars wandered around looking for other places to study,
and lately, rumors had been circulating that the College of Humanities had changed noticeably.

At some point, the facilities had begun to upgrade little by little.

For example, old desks and chairs would be completely replaced with new ones overnight,
or outdated, yellowed heating and cooling units would be swapped out for modern system air conditioners.

Even the restrooms that had been closed for several days under the excuse of plumbing work
had been fully renovated and reopened spotless.

But the most eye-catching change was undoubtedly the newly opened café.

Normally, campus cafés were small shops with unheard-of names.
They rarely spent much on interior design,
just barely furnishing the space like a rest stop café at a bus terminal.

Yet on the first floor of the Humanities Building,
a franchise café owned by a major corporation had moved in.

What, had some rich alumnus donated hundreds of millions of won?
The exterior still looked old and worn,
but the inside was clearly transforming, and it was fascinating to see.

Clean, comfortable, and pleasant.
With all three boxes checked, the College of Humanities quickly gained a reputation
as the perfect place to study.

Aside from the upgraded facilities, there was another topic of gossip.
Starting about a week ago, an unidentified student had begun appearing on campus.

At first, he drew attention simply because of his striking appearance.
But strangely enough, no one actually knew who he was.

He wasn’t a freshman, nor a returning student.
He belonged to no identifiable group.

Judging by the major textbooks he carried, people assumed he was from the Department of Art History,
yet even the students from that department said they didn’t recognize him.
If he wasn’t even an undergraduate,
who exactly was this person who showed up to campus every day and attended classes so diligently?

He looked fairly young,
but no one could tell what year he belonged to.
The classes he chose also ignored any year-based structure, taken entirely at his own discretion.

Since his attendance was called every class,
he seemed to be officially registered somehow…
In the end, the only thing people managed to learn
was the three-character name “Woo Seon-kyung,”
and the peculiar fact that he only attended required major courses.

Eventually, unable to contain their curiosity,
a few Art History students took it upon themselves to visit the department office.

When they asked just who Woo Seon-kyung was,

“Oh, him?”
“He’s an auditing student from our department.”
“Please take good care of him.”

The teaching assistant even referred to the auditing student as “him.”
She added that they shouldn’t bother him and should subtly look out for him instead.

“This is ridiculous.”
“What, is he some young master or something?”
“Is he, like, a fourth-generation chaebol heir?”

Without realizing they’d stumbled onto the correct answer,
the group grumbled as they left the office.
After all that effort, the only thing they’d gained was the word auditing student.

Their unanswered questions only fueled pointless curiosity and wild rumors.

***

Today was the Western Art History lecture.
Woo Seon-kyung entered the classroom and, as usual, took a seat in the far corner of the back row.

The classroom, previously as noisy as a marketplace,
fell noticeably quiet the moment he appeared.
Students discreetly shifted their gazes, busy watching the auditing student.

An ivory shirt, clean and neatly pressed, paired with jeans,
and brand-new canvas sneakers.
It was an utterly ordinary college student outfit.

But the watch casually fastened around his wrist
was a high-end luxury item no student his age could easily afford.

On top of that, there were countless eyewitness accounts claiming
he disappeared in a foreign car after class ended.

The students sitting nearby lowered their voices as they whispered among themselves.

“He is an omega, right?”

“Seems like it.”

“Whatever it is, he must be from a ridiculously rich family.”

“Don’t rich kids usually study abroad?”

“Then why is he auditing?”
“That doesn’t even get you a degree.”
“Isn’t it a waste of time?”

“Maybe he’s not smart enough to get into Korea University,
but still wants to look like he goes here.”

“Money down the drain.”

In the past, there had been cases of elderly, wealthy people auditing classes
to fulfill the academic dreams they’d missed in their youth.
But that culture had nearly disappeared by now.

Who would pay a large sum of money to attend classes
without earning even a single degree?
The students’ curiosity only grew in response to such bizarre behavior.

Most people just whispered behind his back,
but occasionally, someone gathered the courage to speak to him directly.

However, the auditing student, famous only through rumors,
never engaged in long conversations unless they were related to class.

“Yes.”
“No.”
“It’s fine.”
“I’m not interested.”

Those were the only answers anyone ever got.
And once class ended, he always left without a trace,
never giving anyone the chance to grow closer.

“That’s all for today.”
“Good luck on your midterms.”
“I’ll see you next lecture.”

The two-hour major course ended.
At the professor’s closing remarks, Seon-kyung immediately closed his laptop and textbook.

He could feel people around him hesitating, clearly wanting to strike up a conversation,
but he ignored it and stood up while packing his things.

He exited the classroom faster than anyone else.
But the moment he stepped outside the door,
his arm was suddenly grabbed.

Pulled sharply to the side without warning,
Seon-kyung nearly cursed out loud in shock.

Only after recognizing the person as Kwon Mu-yeol did he hurriedly let out a breath of relief.