CH 490

“Isn't this going way overboard?” Han Jin-Seong spat out a long groan at the sight of a bus parked in front of his school.

Quickly dealing with one's business was worthy of praise in practically every part of the world. Especially more so, if one also happened to be expertly handling it—the stream of praise would figuratively be unending. Everyone would welcome someone of that caliber with open arms.

...With the sole exception of Han Jin-Seong, that was!

“Gee whiz...! Couldn't you do it at a reasonable pace that even guys like me could keep up? I haven't even finished preparing myself yet...!”

It hadn't been that long since the school grades problem was brought up, yet the big bros had already finished preparing a bus, and now he was collecting kids after school? Sure, Han Jin-Seong often saw other students climbing into their respective cram school buses right after school ended, but... Those were operated by cram schools, no?

It wasn't as if Jin-Ho hyung and Co. had opened a cram school of their own, so what the heck was up with this arrangement?

“Argh, hyung! Hurry up and get on the bus already!”

Other orphanage kids poked their heads out the bus's window and yelled at Han Jin-Seong. They must've been picked up from other schools.

“...Bloody hell.” Han Jin-Seong groaned again. Why did it feel like he was a cow getting dragged into an abattoir? 'Goodbye, dear PC Room. Goodbye, my beloved games...'

How could he not groan when all the things he loved had to be thrown aside while he focused only on studying? However, Han Jin-Seong was a man of his word, wasn't he? He chose this path, so he had no regret whatsoever...!

“...Whatsoever? My ass!” Han Jin-Seong exploded in irritation while stepping into the bus. However, he immediately began tilting his head at how empty the bus was. “What the hell? Where's everyone?”

“We are it, hyung. And you're the last one we're picking up.”

“Huh?” Han Jin-Seong tilted his head even more.

“Other kids were picked up by different buses. One bus would've taken too long, so they hired three, apparently.”

“Holy cow. They have officially lost their minds…”

If that was the plan, why couldn't the big bros get smaller buses?! To think that a limousine bus came to pick up only six kids... Even going overboard had a limit, didn't it?!

“Hyung, don't you feel like we're from well-heeled families?”

“Say what? You're dirt-poor, though?”

“Oh, come on! Can't I just enjoy this moment? Ah?!”

Han Jin-Seong chuckled while taking a seat on one of the empty chairs. When he thought about it, even those rich kids wouldn't be able to experience a whirlwind event like this.

“Well, I might not have a rich dad, but I sure do have a rich big bro.”

If Han Jin-Seong was being honest... That big bro was way more dependable than some illusory father figure.

***

While standing in front of a nondescript building...

“...Huh? This whole building was rented out for us?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

“Wha?! What the hell...?” Han Jin-Seong covered his face in disbelief. His expression implied that he was rendered totally speechless.

Was there anything even remotely comparable to this situation? How about... A little brat brought home a puppy from a pet store and then asked a neighborhood big bro to build a dog kennel... Only for the big bro to buy a whole dang apartment block instead!

They could've just created a relaxing atmosphere where a small group of kids could study together, but no! Buses were hired to bring the kids together, then a whole building was rented out just to create a room for them to study in...!

Han Jin-Seong groaned loudly. “You know, I sometimes think that...”

“Yeah?”

“Jin-Ho hyung's brain is... Maybe it's built a bit differently from ours?”

“What kind of an obvious statement is that? Compared to Jin-Ho hyung, our brains are made of udon noodles, dude!”

“No, that's not what I...” Han Jin-Seong faltered, then gave up with a long groan. 'Yup, we gotta find him a good wife ASAP.'

It was because Kang Jin-Ho didn't have kids of his own or a family to look after that he had no concept of how precious wealth could be. Indeed, that had to be why he could do something this 'barbaric' without batting an eyelid! People should understand how scary it was to see the numbers in their bank accounts decrease at an alarming rate!

Han Jin-Seong inwardly swore to have an earnest talk with Kang Jin-Ho one of these days.

“Even if that's the case...!”

Just before Han Jin-Seong could say something, one of the windows upstairs suddenly opened, and Jo Mi-Hye peeked her head outside. The first thing she did after that... was to yell at Han Jin-Seong. “What are you doing, oppa! Hurry up and come inside already, will ya!”

“...”

“Everyone's already waiting for you upstairs!”

“...Yes, yes. Everything's my fault,” Han Jin-Seong spat out more groans while trudging inside the front entrance. He noticed all the plastic and vinyl covering the walls and ceiling by the foyer. It was as if the building's remodeling hadn't finished yet.

'...What the hell? Why remodel the whole place?!'

Was the building being a bit drab and run-down a hindrance to their education or something?! If one's concentration was so weak, how could one commit to improving their education in the first place?! Han Jin-Seong oh-so wanted to raise this point with someone.

If they needed a space, couldn't Kang Jin-Ho and Co. borrow a simple office space somewhere? What kind of wasteful show-off of one's wealth was this?

However, Han Jin-Seong soon learned that this was no simple show-off of one's wealth.

***

“If you don't mind me asking... Uhm, what is this?” Han Jin-Seong cautiously asked while pointing at a piece of paper before him.

“That? That's your timetable,” said Park Yu-Min.

Han Jin-Seong immediately began shuddering grandly. 'A bloody timetable?'

Did that mean he and the other kids would have to move classes? As in... once a period ends, they must move classrooms to get lessons on different subjects? That kind of a timetable?

“What a smart way of handling this.”

Indeed, what a modern way of solving this issue! This was especially true since the orphans differed in age and school grades, so...

“...Hell no! What kinda bullsh*t is this?!” Han Jin-Seong cried out while shooting up to his feet.

Only around twenty kids were here, yet they still had to be split up? Just how few were supposed to get lessons at any given time?

“You're being noisy, Jin-Seong!” Park Yu-Min sharply rebuked Han Jin-Seong, forcing the latter to plop down on his chair.

Han Jin-Seong held his forehead and quietly grumbled. “I don't care anymore...”

At this point in the situation, he couldn't tell whether he was the abnormal one or everyone around him had lost their bloody minds!

Park Yu-Min urged everyone on. “Alright, guys! Let's get a move on!”

“Yes, hyung!

Han Jin-Seong picked up his timetable and got up. “Where is A-4, anyway?”

Jo Mi-Hye tilted her head. “Huh? Oppa, are you A-4, too?”

“Eh? Yeah, I am.”

“That's weird.”

“Why?”

Jo Mi-Hye tilted her head even more. “I'm also A-4, you see?”

“Huh?” Han Jin-Seong cocked his brow in suspicion. Wasn't he a high school second-year? Meanwhile, Jo Mi-Hye was a high school freshman, so... They shouldn't be sharing a 'class' together. What was going on here? Han Jin-Seong urgently looked around before zeroing in on Park Yu-Min again. “...! Hyung! Yu-Min hyung!”

“Ng? What's up?”

“I think there was some kinda mix-up with my timetable. It says I'm in the same class as Mi-Hye. Wait, is this even my timetable?”

“Oh, that. Actually...” Park Yu-Min looked troubled, then he glanced behind him.

That was where Jo Gyu-Min was. He stopped observing the situation and came to Park Yu-Min's aid with a bright smile plastered on his face. “Nope. You got the correct timetable, Jin-Seong.”

“Sorry? No, hang on... She's a first-year, right? And I'm a second year, so... How can we share the same class?”

“One's grade isn't important in this place. No, their academic level is.”

“I'm sorry?” Han Jin-Seong blinked his eyes in confusion.

Jo Gyu-Min explained while smiling away. In other words, while smiling in a really, despicably contemptible way! “To achieve the best possible result, you need to receive lessons matching your academic level. So, we came up with strict criteria and split everyone up into different classes. We will keep evaluating you and change classes constantly. So, you need to do your best if you wish to change classes.”

“Hang on a sec. Doesn't this mean my level is similar to Mi-Hye?”

“Yeah.”

Han Jin-Seong's face reddened immediately. He could not accept this stupid situation! “Hold on! I still started studying one year earlier than Mi-Hye, you know?! In that case, how can my level be the same as hers! Just what did you base that on, Chief Jo?!”

“Mm? Wait a second.” Jo Gyu-Min reached behind his desk and began taking out stacks of documents. “All the report cards you guys got from school are in here. If you don't mind it, should I reveal yours for everyone to see?”

“...I'm sorry for shouting at you.” Han Jin-Seong quickly declared 'GG' and crumpled into his seat in pure defeat. [1]

Jo Gyu-Min wasn't finished, however. “Don't sit down. Get to your next class, Jin-Seong.”

“...Yes, sir.” Han Jin-Seong lifelessly got up and trudged outside the classroom.

However, Jo Gyu-Min sidled up and wrapped his arm around the slumped shoulders of Han Jin-Seong. “Listen, Jin-Seong...”

“Yes, Chief Jo?”

“Originally, you were supposed to get assigned to an even lower class, okay? However, I still got you into this class in consideration of your pride. You better study hard so that people won't say stuff like I assigned you to the wrong class and stuff, okay?”

“...”

Han Jin-Seong's shoulders slumped even more. This must be hell. It had to be!

***

Unfortunately, Han Jin-Seong's hell was far from over.

While walking toward their shared classroom, Jo Mi-Hye maintained a composed smirk. Whenever Han Jin-Seong saw that smirk, he got substantial cramps down in his gut!

Jo Mi-Hye muttered haughtily, “Honestly, I'm kind of embarrassed that our level is about on par, oppa.”

“Shut up, or Imma kick you.”

“Well, you did start schooling one year before me, so I should acknowledge your efforts, at least.”

“I'm serious about kicking you.”

The pair stepped inside classroom A-4 and found textbooks waiting for them on their desks.

“Huh?” Jo Mi-Hye picked one of the books up, then her eyes bulged nearly out of their sockets. “T-this! Isn't this personal textbook written by that famous teacher, Mister Min Hong-Gi?!”

“Eh? Who's that?” Han Jin-Seong disinterestedly asked while sitting down.

“I heard an online lecture of his class this one time, you see? Mister Min is famous in Hangul teaching circles!”

Han Jin-Seong quietly tutted away. “Oh. I guess his textbooks are great, then. Since we're gonna use them here...”

“Yes, I had a bit of a hard time writing that textbook,” said Min Hong-Gi as he suddenly entered the classroom through the open doorway.

Jo Mi-Hye shot up to her feet and cried out in shock. “Oh, my gosh! It's the real Min Hong-Gi!”

Min Hong-Gi chuckled at the girl's exaggerated reaction. “Yes, Miss Jo. There might be a lot of people on Earth, but not many fakes can catch up to the real me.”

“Wow! Even his hatefully annoying voice, too! He's the real deal!”

Min Hong-Gi nearly tripped on his feet just then. He suddenly realized that the one unique aspect that separated him from the pack, something he had been looking for all this time... was already with him.

'Aha, so... I'm hatefully annoying, eh?'

He couldn't tell whether that girl was pure of her soul or just pure in her head, but she still taught him something valuable. So, he should repay this gratitude 'severely' with his lessons!

Min Hong-Gi quietly gritted his teeth while immediately picking up the textbook. “Although I have many things to say... Let us determine your levels first before proceeding, shall we? Young man over there, your name is Han Jin-Seong, yes?”

“...Yes, sir.”

“I'll ask you a series of questions, so please answer them to the best of your abilities. Well, then. Let's get started.”

“...Yes, sir.”

A suspicious noise of someone's soul leaving his body could be heard for a brief second just then.

***

The first day didn't have any proper lessons. Most of the classes saw the teachers performing simple tests to figure out the academic levels and inclinations of their new students. Going through several of such classes took the kids late into the night. After that marathon session, the exhausted kids climbed into the bus to head back to the orphanage.

“...Let's just kill ourselves.”

“No, we can't do that. We are non-recyclable nuclear trash, so hyungs will have to waste even more money buying refuse bags…”

The joy of realizing that some of the most famous tutors in the cram school space had come to teach them was short-lived. As if these tutors had a prior arrangement, they all mercilessly ripped into the children's academic abilities. For the first time ever, the Seongsim Orphanage children had to face up to the reality of their rubbish academic levels, and that plunged them into deep pits of despair.

The path they had to take seemed a million miles long.

One of the teens sneakily raised his voice. “Still, isn't this kinda amazing?”

“What is?”

“How could such big shots show up to teach us? Even I've heard of their names, you know? And I'm not even interested in studying!”

“...Insanity, that's what it is,” Han Jin-Seong snarkily muttered. That boy must be infected with the Let's Go Overboard Syndrome, too!

“Hey, you. Watch what you say,” said Jo Mi-Hye while shooting murderous glares. “Jin-Ho oppa must've broken his back trying to hire them all just for our sakes. You shouldn't say stuff like that.”

“...Yes, yes. I know,” Han Jin-Seong sighed. Of course he knew that. What made him feel not so good about this situation was that the return wouldn't be worth all this investment. Just how successful must he become to be able to repay this debt? How much help did he need to offer Kang Jin-Ho in the future to meet that goal?

'I'm telling you, Jin-Ho hyung sure can place huge burdens on people...'

Han Jin-Seong snuck his hand inside his backpack. A soft sigh leaked out of his mouth after pulling out a thick, heavy textbook.

'Still... Yeah, I gotta at least try.'

He wasn't thinking of meeting Kang Jin-Ho's expectations or anything like that. It was just that... Han Jin-Seong was a man, wasn't he? He knew what shame was, so... Since others did so much for him, shouldn't he at least put in some effort?

Han Jin-Seong was no longer a snot-nosed little brat, so he knew that having money wasn't enough motivation for people to start something this big.

Humans were naturally greedy creatures. Even if one's pocket money was over $250, they would still find giving away one dollar to strangers a total waste. So, Kang Jin-Ho must be feeling the brunt of cracking open his wallet to pay for all this.

Even if Kang Jin-Ho didn't think much about spending all this money, that didn't mean Han Jin-Seong or anyone else should act like ungrateful brats.

The debt of one's heart that could never be repaid... That seemed to be piling up even more, and Han Jin-Seong felt frustrated about it.

'At the very least, me putting in enough effort will go some way of repaying Jin-Ho hyung...!'

Even if favorable results weren't guaranteed, the best Han Jin-Seong could do was give it his all. He quietly stoked the flames of determination in his heart.

Jo Mi-Hye glanced at Han Jin-Seong, who was quietly burning in determination, and smiled contentedly. “Oh? Oppa, I see you've brought the textbook with you. We don't have any homework, though?”

“Ng? What do you mean?”

“We all left our books in our lockers, you know? You brought that with you to study on your own later, right? Oppa, you're finally growing up, aren't you?”

“W-wait a minute. There were lockers, too?”

“...”

“...?”

Search tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w for the original.

Jo Mi-Hye's expression instantly grew icy. “Oppa?”

“Y-yeah?”

“Oppa, you really a hopeless case, aren't you?”

“...”

Jo Mi-Hye spat out a long groan and turned her head away, leaving Han Jin-Seong to dejectedly lean his head against the bus's window.

1. 'GG' means 'good game.' Usually said at the end of a match of PVP-type games. ☜