My Wife in Her Twenties (1): Caught by the TA
My wife and I started dating in our second year of university. We were both timid and quiet by nature, so neither of us had many friends we spent time with. As for me, I was just an ordinary guy in terms of height and looks... The only time friends ever stuck to me was when I drove my father’s car and they wanted a ride.
My wife, Yun Chaehui, was different. Tall, with a voluptuous body and especially those prominent breasts, she would cause a stir across the entire department whenever she showed up in a tight T-shirt or a short skirt that revealed her thighs. Yet because her figure was so perfect, men rarely dared to approach her casually. Her seductive face played a large part in that, too. In truth, Chaehui simply felt embarrassed and shy whenever people came up to talk to her, but the men all assumed she was as cold as ice. Those who tried to get close with romantic intentions lost even more confidence... Who would dare make a move on such a sexy college girl?
As I’ve said before, a loser like me ending up with Yun Chaehui probably happened because two outsiders with few friends simply clicked... That was all there was to it.
Even though we shared the same classes, we had never once exchanged greetings. Then we were placed in the same group for a project. Within that group, I was the one who worked the hardest and most diligently. And because I seemed like an easy mark, I was saddled with every task—organizing the PPT, research, video editing, all of it. The presentation, of course, was going to be handled by one of the seniors.
Perhaps she felt sorry for me after watching that. One day Chaehui offered to help with the PPT. We worked together until late that evening, and afterward I drove her home in my father’s car. She told me it was her first time riding in such a nice vehicle.
After that, the more time we spent working together, the more naturally we began sharing all kinds of stories. And since we both used to eat lunch alone...
“Would you like to have lunch together tomorrow…?”
I finally managed to ask after a long internal struggle. Chaehui lowered her head and gave a small nod.
That was how one semester passed. By the time we entered the second semester of our second year, we had officially become a couple. Naturally, the entire department was shocked. Some people simply found it interesting, but most of the male students felt a burning sense of injustice. They were probably all thinking, If I’d known she’d date a guy like him, I would have asked her out first.
Anyway, as a couple we happily chatted, ate meals together, worked on assignments, and I walked her home. On weekends we went on dates. Because Yun Chaehui was a devout Christian, we even started attending church together every Sunday.
For nearly two months after we began dating, we never once held hands. Other couples might head straight to a motel on day one, but… since Chaehui believed in Christianity, I assumed she wanted to keep her purity until marriage. And even though we were dating, I simply didn’t have the courage to reach for the hand of someone as sexy and beautiful as her.
There was no physical contact, yet our conversations flowed easily and we fell deeper in love with each other. We were endlessly considerate, cherished one another, and loved each other. Exploring each other’s bodies could wait until after marriage; for now, simply confirming our love through conversation felt more than enough.
I think the first time we held hands was around the end of October, right after midterms. The hesitation and electric thrill of that moment still linger in my memory. Of course, my wife had been harassed by delinquent upperclassmen during her school years and therefore had some physical experience, but… none of it had been because she wanted it. Holding hands with me—the man she loved—must have felt far sweeter than having her breasts sucked by those thugs.
Once we held hands that first time, we held them every time we met afterward. The jealousy from those around us, especially the male seniors, only grew stronger. Among them, several repeat students and the University TA in particular would watch us with especially lewd, sticky eyes. Their gazes were so vulgar that you could practically feel them stripping Yun Chaehui’s clothes off right there.
Then one day, it happened. The University TA sent Yun Chaehui a message.
Chaehui told me her heart pounded violently. She was terrified that something might happen to me. She hurried straight up to the TA’s office. That day she was wearing a short dress. The light fabric fluttered just above her knees, and the neckline plunged low enough to reveal her deep cleavage. At 168 centimeters tall and wearing high heels, she stood at eye level with most men… and the heels made her legs look even longer and more elegant.
“Oh, Chaehui, you’re here?”
The University TA pulled up a chair beside his own and motioned for her to sit. Chaehui tried to steady her breathing as she gracefully took the seat. As she leaned forward, the TA got a clear view of her cleavage and the white bra faintly visible beneath. Chaehui stared straight at him. Only then did the TA raise his eyes from her exposed thighs.
“Ah… ah…! No, this bastard Gyeongsu is in serious trouble.”
“What? Why… why?”
The TA handed her an exam sheet. It was my midterm. Red marks were scrawled everywhere, along with circles and erased traces. Chaehui couldn’t understand what any of it meant.
“This section here… and this part… and this one—they’re all copied straight from online sources.”
“Excuse me?”
“I checked everything. It looks like that bastard Gyeongsu cheated during the test.”
“Gyeongsu… there’s no way he would do that…”
“Really? So that’s what you believe.”
The TA snatched the paper back.
“I thought about it for a long time, but I think I have to report this directly to the professor…”
“What?”
“At first I considered talking to Gyeongsu myself… but knowing how he usually acts, he’d just deny everything. That’s why I called you instead.”
“............”
Chaehui couldn’t understand why he had summoned her.
“If you report it to the professor… what will happen to Gyeongsu…?”
The University TA’s eyes glinted.
“If I tell the professor, Gyeongsu will be expelled on the spot. Given the professor’s personality, he’ll make sure Gyeongsu never sets foot in this department again. In practical terms, it’s expulsion.”
“..................!”
In reality, the University TA had erased my original answers and rewritten the online material in handwriting that imitated mine as closely as possible. To conceal the forgery, he had marked the sheet heavily in red pen, making it look like a messy graded exam. If Chaehui had examined it carefully, she might have realized the handwriting wasn’t mine… but she was so flustered that she barely looked at the paper; her heart was simply racing.
“Then… what should we do…?”
Tears welled up in my wife’s eyes. That was the kind of woman she was—tears came instantly at the thought of her beloved boyfriend’s misfortune.
“That’s exactly why I called you.”
My wife looked at the University TA.
“I don’t really want to hand this over to the professor as is. It would ruin Gyeongsu’s life.”
The TA pulled out a cigarette and lit it. Neither I nor anyone in Chaehui’s devout Christian family smoked, so she immediately began coughing at the smoke. As her body shook with each cough, the TA stole another lingering glance at her legs and breasts.
“You could help Gyeongsu out a little.”
“Yes…? How…?”
“Well, it’s simple…” The TA smiled faintly where she couldn’t see and exhaled a long stream of smoke. “Gyeongsu’s a bit… inflexible.”
He slid his chair closer to my wife. She hated both his cigarette smoke and his face, but she didn’t want to seem rude, so she leaned in as well.
“I could make this whole thing disappear…”
“Really? How?”
Her eyes widened. The TA grinned.
“You could help us out, Chaehui.”
“How…? How, oppa?”
My wife grabbed his arm. Oh fuck… The incredibly sexy Yun Chaehui is actually grabbing my arm. The TA was already beginning to get aroused.
“Actually, you already know, don’t you? All the guys in our year are crazy about you.”
“............”
It was true. Ever since her freshman year, whenever there were MTs or department events, the upperclassmen always tried to call only Chaehui over to help. But she kept such a firm wall up that they eventually grew tired and stopped approaching her.
“Next week, before we graduate, we’re getting together for a simple meal and drinks with our closest friends.”
The TA lit another cigarette and crossed his legs. One hand held the cigarette while the other rested on the back of the desk behind my wife. She flinched. It seemed he wanted to feel as if his arm were around her.
“Can you come that day, Chaehui? Come hang out with us. We’re graduating soon.”
“...........”
My wife hesitated, head lowered. She didn’t understand what he was really asking.
“Hey, Chaehui. Don’t overcomplicate it. You’re still young, so maybe you don’t realize yet—the world isn’t that complicated.”
The TA leaned even closer to her face.
“I have the power to decide this right now. If I decide it would be nice for you to come to our graduation farewell party, my mood improves. And when my mood improves, I’ll do what you want. The world is…”
He blew cigarette smoke directly into her face.
“Cough… cough…”
Unable to turn away, Chaehui lowered her head toward him, covering her mouth with her fist as she coughed.
“It’s fucking simple.”
The TA wore a vile smile as he watched her bowed head… that TA bastard.
“This Friday night, come to the Hof in front of the school. By six o’clock. It’s no big deal. Our most cherished junior shows up to give her seniors an early graduation celebration. Then Gyeongsu can keep attending school without any problems.”
Looking at Chaehui’s troubled expression, the TA boldly placed his hand on her back, stroked it once, and added,
“I’ll assume you’ll be there that day, Chaehui?”
My wife… nodded. That’s the kind of woman she is. She cannot refuse a request. Even if the TA had never lied about my exam paper, she probably would have gone anyway.