episode_0030

“…First of all, there’s no way I can memorize this.”

Taking breaks intermittently, I spent hours reading through the lecture materials provided by the professor.

Still stuck on the first set of materials, and to my dismay, I realized there was nearly half the pages left to go.

“Does this even make sense, seriously?”

I wasn’t meticulously reading through the lecture material word by word; I was quickly scanning for important information, so why was I still stuck on the first PDF file?

The root cause of it all lay in my obsession with counting.

Was I really counting the number of characters every time I turned a page?

No, that wasn’t it.

“Why did the professor include so many illustrations?”

The problem lay in the pictures the professor had added to aid explanations.

Number of petals, number of fruits, number of seeds.

Of course, one could overlook them if not paying attention.

Unfortunately, this subject called “Dendrology” was all about trees in ‘excruciating detail.’

Constantly mentioning quantities triggered my counting obsession.

“…I should have just attended the lectures. If I hadn’t dropped the course during the add/drop period, I wouldn’t be suffering like this.”

But it was too late for regrets now.

With little time left until the exam, I sighed and continued reading through the lecture materials, counting seed numbers once again.

“Phew, finally finished one.”

After several more hours passed, I finally succeeded in reading through the entire first set of lecture materials.

Feeling a strange sense of accomplishment, as I stretched, I heard the sound of the door lock from the front door, indicating it was past closing time.

“I’m back.”

It seemed like Jae-hyuk had come, looking quite tired, possibly having dealt with a difficult client, as he entered my room and immediately threw himself onto the bed after taking off his shoes. With a voice filled with exhaustion, he jokingly asked me,

“Have you been studying hard? You look surprisingly good.”

“Oh, really? Considering the time I’ve put in, I’ve barely covered anything. I’ve only just finished reading one set of lecture materials.”

“Huh, looks like we need to prepare for a ‘failed rice’ party.”

“Buy plenty. Seems like I’m already doomed.”

If I don’t get at least a 3.75, it will be a disaster. It would be fortunate if I manage a 2.75.

As I jokingly replied with a sigh, he burst into laughter and then slowly got up.

“Let’s have a drink together… Oh right, your exam is in two days, isn’t it? Well, that won’t work then. I’ll just drink alone and get some rest.”

“Why, did something happen at the bar? Did you run into trouble again?”

“It’s nothing, just the usual.”

“You’re lying. Your face right now screams ‘I’m so tired, comfort me, sniffle sniffle.’”

“…”

Unable to retort or perhaps too tired to argue, he quietly walked to the fridge, grabbed a beer, and started chugging it down. After grabbing a can of beer and gulping down its contents, Jae-hyuk briefly checked the calendar and spoke with a somewhat wistful tone.

“Time flies, doesn’t it? How is it already mid-April?”

“I feel like I haven’t done anything, yet over a month has passed. Ah, I should have studied earlier.”

“I knew from the start when you were chatting instead of attending lectures, buddy. I told you to cut back.”

“But this is my drug and sex. Without the community, I can’t survive anymore…”

“Come on.”

Even though it was a short conversation, it seemed to lighten the mood a bit as he opened up with a slightly improved expression.

“In two months, it’ll all be over, right? Phew, enduring this tiresome cohabitation a little longer will soon come to an end.”

“Yeah, it’s tough living with a useless vampire. I’ll buy you a steak on the day I move out.”

“Oh, I might grease my stomach beforehand, okay?”

Seems like the struggles were far from over.

Jae-hyuk nodded without a hint of hesitation, then quickly wore a suspicious expression and questioned me.

“Just a moment, are you seriously considering extending our cohabitation period by bribing me with steak?”

“Hey, don’t be a nuisance. If it’s a symbiotic relationship, that’s one thing, but how can you extend it when it’s more parasitic? I’m not that conscienceless of a vampire!”

“…It’s not exactly parasitic.”

“What?”

“Nothing, forget it.”

Blandly.

Having rested enough now, as I was about to wrap up the conversation and go check the next lecture materials, he beat me to it by lying down first.

“What? Has a brief chat turned into this already? Sorry for disrupting your studies; I’ll head to bed now.”

“No need to apologize. Alright, sleep well… and dream of me, jerk.”

“Don’t say disgusting things, damn it.”

As if repulsed just by imagining it, Jae-hyuk spat out a curse and promptly turned his back.

Before checking the next lecture materials, I muttered softly while gazing at his retreating figure.

“In two months, our cohabitation will end…”

Well.

It might feel a bit empty.

Suppressing the slowly creeping emptiness, I started reading the lecture materials again.

—–

“…I’m tired.”

Monday evening after spending a weekend that didn’t feel like one.

Despite oversleeping, the persistent fatigue made me yawn widely as I took out some pickled radish from the fridge to eat.

“It’s always a pity; if only the cheap taste wasn’t there, I would’ve eaten one every day.”

The fatigue gradually subsiding and a rapidly rising sense of boredom.

However, the overly stimulating taste didn’t make me feel too good.

Eating out of necessity felt like emergency rations… no, more like combat rations given during military training?

Of course, the taste is exceptional compared to combat rations, but as I mentioned before, I get sick of it after a little, making each bite a struggle.

“I should probably save some human blood.”

After a brief contemplation, I shook my head dismissively.

Well, it’s not urgent yet, so let’s worry about that later.

There are more pressing matters at hand right now.

I sighed heavily while looking at the wall clock.

“There’s about an hour left until the exam.”

The time the professor called us was seven in the evening.

It only takes 15 minutes to get to school, so even though I needed to calm my nerves, I had to read through the lecture materials again for the remaining 45 minutes.

“Even if I look at it again, it doesn’t seem like the exam results will change.”

Considering the amount of material, I decided to leave everything to fate.

Honestly, it’s way over 400 pages. How am I supposed to read and remember all of it in just 45 minutes?

So, instead of studying the lecture materials, I chose to find peace of mind and relax.

After tossing and turning on the bed for about 30 minutes, I got dressed and headed straight to the department building.

“Come to think of it, it’s been almost a month since I came to school.”

Partly because the data collection ended early and the samples were still intact, I didn’t really need to come to school.

Last time I came, the cherry blossoms were showing off their beauty, but now they just blended in with the other trees in a mundane way.

“Time really flies, doesn’t it?”

Shouldn’t it have flown a bit faster when I was in the military? It felt like a day lasted a month back then.

Recalling the times that passed so slowly, I arrived at the lab entrance at some point.

With a nervous heart, I knocked on the door, and a dignified voice from inside told me to come in.

“Please come in.”

“Yes.”

I had only peeked inside when the door opened occasionally, never actually entered this unknown place.

Calming my racing heart, I cautiously opened the door, and the professor, who was smiling broadly, warmly welcomed me.

“You’re Jiwoo, right? Welcome.”

“Ah, hello, Professor!”

“The journey here wasn’t too difficult, was it? I heard that your species has quite a few weaknesses.”

“It tends to ease up significantly after sunset, so there were no issues on the way here!”

“That’s really fortunate.”

The greetings went smoothly, but perhaps it was because they were alone in a spacious area with the professor.

As the conversation threatened to die down, an awkward atmosphere settled between them.

…What should I bring up now? Should I mention how informative the class was?

It feels like I should say something.

Standing still in my spot, pondering over what to say, the professor, seemingly disliking the awkwardness as well, kindly smiled and brought out the exam papers.

“We still have about 15 minutes until the exam starts… Would you like to start a bit earlier?”

“Yes? Yes! I’d like to start the exam right away!”

“Alright. Just remember, cheating results in a zero, and once you receive the paper, you may begin…”

Just as the exam was about to commence, I hastily stopped the professor.

“Just a moment, Professor!”

“What’s the matter?”

“Uhm, among the weaknesses of the vampire species is an advanced phobia that prevents me from holding a pen… W-what should I do?”

Upon revealing my inability to hold a pen, the professor shot me a brief look of ‘What kind of nonsense is this?’

“I see. Jiwoo, please use the computer for your exam.”

With a nod, he even allowed me to take the exam on the computer.

Thanks to the professor’s consideration, I was able to take the test.

Receiving such kindness and then failing would truly be disrespectful, so I resolved to do well.

“…This is a real curveball.”

The moment I checked the exam questions, my mind went blank.

1. Describe everything you know about the Water Oak tree.

2. Explain the differences between the White Oak and the Red Oak.

.

.

.

From question 1 to 20, all were open-ended.

Facing problems that hinted at the professor’s determination to kill off students who hadn’t studied, I thought to myself.

For now, it seems like the Narrow Rice Party is a sure thing.