Ch.218Side Story – I Became a Heroine After the Pure Love Ending (9)

“Hey, Doha-min.”

“Oh, Class President.”

Summer vacation of the third year of high school.

Hamin, who had been clutching his head while working through today’s study material, suddenly turned his head at the familiar voice calling him.

It was Ahn Seong-kyung, who was taking classes with him in the supplementary A class.

“You’ve been calling me Class President for all three years. We’ve been in different classes since second year.”

“But you actually were the class president for all three years. Do-young also calls you Class President even though you’re in different classes.”

“She probably has a stronger impression of it. She saw me being class president for 12 years straight since we went to the same elementary and middle schools.”

“Ahaha, what do you need?”

“…Um, this problem here. Could you teach me an easier way to solve it?”

“Ah… just a moment. Sit here, can you show me that problem?”

Hamin naturally guided her to sit in the chair in front of his desk.

Seong-kyung promptly sat down and opened her notebook along with the workbook she was holding to show Hamin.

“…And finally here. I think it might be easier to understand if you think about substituting this equation backwards from the first one and then solving it.”

“Ah, definitely. That’s faster and easier than the method shown in the answer key. Thanks for showing me. As expected of someone who made Do-young’s midterm/final averages 69/74 in freshman year.”

“Is… that a compliment?”

“Of course. I could never do something like that myself. Teaching others while sacrificing your own first semester grades.”

“Ahaha…”

Seong-kyung, who had been focusing on Hamin’s solution rather than the workbook’s answer, nodded and quickly copied the solution into her notebook while speaking.

“But why did you suddenly ask about this problem? Looking at your notes next to the workbook, it seems like you already solved it correctly.”

“Haa… this? Haa, it’s because of Lee Jeong-gyu.”

At Hamin’s question, Seong-kyung took off her red-rimmed glasses and let out a deep sigh.

It was a sigh mixed with deep-seated irritation.

“That thick-headed jerk keeps pestering me about how to solve it. When I teach him according to the answer key, he doesn’t understand. I don’t know why he’s making such a fuss when he can’t even follow the method in the answer key.”

“What… You said earlier you couldn’t do it like me. So you were looking for a solution for Jeong-gyu.”

“N-no! That idiot doesn’t know his place and insists on going to the same university as me, so I had no choice but to ask!”

Seong-kyung, hit right on the mark, panicked and quickly copied down the rest of Hamin’s solution.

“You already got the problem right, but you’re asking for an easier method because you want Jeong-gyu to find the answer somehow. That’s our Class President for you. Even though you pretend otherwise, you really take care of your boyfriend.”

“Th-that’s ridiculous! Anyone watching would think I’m some girl devoted to that kind of guy because I like him! I’m just seeing him because he threatened that he’d die without me, so I have no choice? D-don’t misunderstand! After all this, if that jerk doesn’t get into the same university as me, I’m cutting him off immediately! I mean it!”

Huffing and puffing, Ahn Seong-kyung left the classroom clutching the workbook where she had meticulously noted Hamin’s solution.

“Despite what she says, she’s going straight to tell him the solution.”

Seong-kyung went out through the back door of the classroom and turned right.

That was the direction of supplementary B class where Lee Jeong-gyu belonged.

“Is Ahn Seong-kyung gone? Doha-min, teach me next. I’m cramming through all the previous years’ mock exams to prepare for the CSAT.”

“Me too, me too! This is an English grammar problem from my academy, but why is this wrong?”

“Skip the academy problems, that’s your homework. The mock exam solutions come first.”

“What does it matter if we’re both asking because we don’t know? It’s up to Doha-min who he helps first!”

“Doha-min, are you here? What’s the answer to this problem? The guy next to me says it’s number 4, but I just can’t believe him. I think I’ll only trust it if you tell me!”

“Um, wait a moment.”

This was a very natural scene at Bulsa High School.

After classes or exams, when there were problems students didn’t understand or couldn’t figure out the answers to,

this current picture of them asking Hamin for solutions and answers instead of the teachers was common.

Especially on mock exam days with particularly difficult tests,

as soon as the bell rang, students from Hamin’s class and even other classes would come to him seeking answers.

This was true even for Ahn Seong-kyung and other A class students who were in the same special class as Hamin and aiming for prestigious universities.

Even the top students in the school,

when they felt they had reached the limits of their abilities, would swallow their pride and seek Hamin’s guidance.

“Please sit down one by one. I’ll help as much as I can.”

Even though he hadn’t finished his own work yet,

and knowing that wasting time here would eventually become his own burden later,

Hamin still didn’t turn away any of the students who came to him and had them sit at his desk.

“Oh, so that’s how you do it. Thanks, now I understand perfectly. If I were to use a restaurant analogy, it’s like I’ve finally found a place that suits my taste perfectly.”

“Th-that’s a good analogy… I’m glad it helped.”

And so Hamin, who was essentially volunteering as a teacher for other students even during vacation,

let out a heavy sigh as he looked at the calls for him from various places and his own neglected workbook.

“Hamin-ssi!”

“…Huh. Oh, it’s Sahyang. What’s up? Do you have a problem you don’t understand?”

Just when he was starting to reflexively think that all students calling him wanted help with problems,

Sahyang from B class opened the A class door looking for Hamin.

“No, it’s about the individual college counseling session with our homeroom teacher. It’s your turn now. They want you to come to the faculty office.”

“…Oh.”

.

.

.

The air in the counseling room was heavy.

Sitting across a desk, Hamin clasped his hands together and gazed into the eyes of his homeroom teacher, Ms. Yeo Mi-so.

Why did the ticking clock sound so loud?

He wondered why the wall clocks at Bulsa High made people’s hearts so uneasy.

“…Hmm.”

Teacher Yeo Mi-so, who had been looking at Hamin’s academic records from the past three years, spoke in a calm voice.

It was quiet, but neither too heavy nor too light.

“Hamin.”

“Yes, Teacher Mi-so.”

“Honestly, I’m not sure if I should be saying this to you. Your grades are significantly better than mine were when I was in school.”

“Please speak freely. I need your accurate assessment.”

“Alright. If you say so, I’ll get straight to the point.”

Teacher Yeo Mi-so nodded and looked directly into Hamin’s eyes as she spoke.

Hamin waited for her answer with eyes mixed with expectation and anxiety.

“There is a possibility. If you can maintain the grades and scores you received on this mock exam in the actual CSAT,”

“Phew… That’s a relief. Is that really true, teacher?”

“Yes, compared to last year’s successful applicants’ scores, I think you have a chance.”

At the positive response from the homeroom teacher, who needed to view the student’s path with the most objective eye possible,

Hamin sighed in relief and clutched his chest.

“Even the teachers who are usually lukewarm are secretly expecting something. They wonder if Bulsa High, which doesn’t typically aim for prestigious universities, might actually produce a Seongcheon University applicant. Even teachers who were experiencing burnout have become passionate about teaching recently.”

“I-I’ve just been following the guidance of you and the other teachers and working hard.”

“Hehe, you don’t need to be so modest. You deserve the praise, Hamin.”

This was an individual counseling session held before the college application process in the second semester.

The university Hamin had prioritized was Seongcheon University, known as the country’s top science university. Specifically, he was aiming for the medical school, which had the highest competition rate and lowest acceptance rate.

It was also run by the same foundation as Seongcheon Science High School, which Hamin had unfairly failed to enter due to an unfortunate accident.

“But…”

Fortunately, his first worry did not betray Hamin.

However, the anxiety in his eyes still hadn’t left its place.

And as if to prove why that anxiety remained,

the teacher took a deep breath before continuing with words that carried a heavy resonance.

“It’s only a possibility. While there’s hope, the opposite result is equally possible.”

“…”

“You know the reason, don’t you? Hamin.”

Hamin quietly closed his eyes and nodded.

The second worry was casting a shadow on his reality, just as he had expected.

“Seongcheon is known for scrutinizing academic records much more strictly for students who aren’t from Seongcheon High. They don’t take even freshman year grades lightly. Of course, the score you received during your freshman year midterms wasn’t seriously low, but since your goal is Seongcheon, it’s difficult to be confident.”

Two years ago, the past when he had neglected his own studies to help Do-young avoid failing

was now holding Hamin back.

Although he had overcome that hardship and made a promise with Do-young,

proudly taking first place in the final exam that semester,

the mistake from his freshman year still remained as a deduction factor in his academic record.

“…I see.”

“It’s the nature of the school. While your current grades would make you a desirable candidate at any school, Seongcheon is literally where the most renowned elites from across the country gather.”

“…”

“Of course, I’m saying you might not get in, not that you definitely won’t! So there’s absolutely no need to feel discouraged! Fighting!”

While giving a cold assessment to Hamin, who had lowered his head heavily,

Teacher Yeo Mi-so looked sympathetically at the seemingly dejected Hamin.

She had been his homeroom teacher for two years, freshman and senior year, and

in a way, they had formed a bond that could almost be called familial.

“And if we’re being honest, the reason your grades were poor back then was because I approved your proposal to directly teach Do-young, which led to that result, so I also bear some responsibility…”

“It’s okay, teacher. I’m not discouraged.”

Hamin, who had lowered his head under the desk, answered while stroking his cheeks.

Although his expression was slightly dark, there was still some strength in his voice as he responded to the teacher.

“I’ll only submit one early application to Seongcheon. Applying to multiple places is a financial burden.”

“A-are you serious?”

“If I apply to safer schools just for security, I’ll lose the chance to try for Seongcheon in the regular admissions.”

“That may be true… but admission to Seongcheon still has uncertain factors. Not just for early admission, but aiming for Seongcheon through regular admission is much harder!”

“I’ll try to overcome it in the CSAT. As you said at first.”

With those words, Hamin carefully rose from the counseling desk chair.

“…Ah. Right. What you said earlier about being partly responsible for my grades dropping. You don’t need to think that way.”

Before leaving the faculty office, Hamin turned to her and said:

“Even if you hadn’t allowed me to help Do-young then, I would have prioritized helping her reach her target score over my own studies.”

“…Even knowing that the result from back then is holding you back in your college applications now?”

“Yes. Even knowing that.”

There was not the slightest hesitation in that “yes.”

“May I ask why?”

“…I don’t want to use Do-young as an ‘excuse’ in my life.”