The Price of a Lesson
Yeon Seoha, Baek Suyeon, Kang Hasol.
These three were the ones in class who ranked near the top of the entire school, and close enough to Yeoncheong to call her a friend.
"That's all I know for now. Even I can't keep track of how my classmates are doing this year, since we only just ended up in the same class."
Suyeon shrugged, and Yeoncheong sank into thought.
Seoha certainly looked the part—she had the air of someone who'd obviously be a top student. Hasol, on the other hand, came as a surprise.
"Huh, so Hasol's good at studying too..."
"That little too is rubbing me the wrong way."
Clearly displeased by Yeoncheong's phrasing, Suyeon raised an eyebrow.
"You're not seriously thinking we only became class president and vice president because of our personalities, are you?"
When Suyeon leaned in close and pressed the question, Yeoncheong looked away. Only after a long, unblinking stare-down did Suyeon finally withdraw her gaze.
"Maybe it's better to ask Seoha to teach you? She sits right next to you, and she's first in the grade."
"Let's ask Hasol first."
Suyeon's suggestion was the textbook approach. But Yeoncheong chose Hasol.
"Why?"
"Taking time away from the number one student feels... kind of heavy, you know?"
"Ah."
Suyeon nodded, seeming to understand the feeling.
Once the conversation had more or less wrapped up, Suyeon sprang to her feet and held out a hand toward Yeoncheong.
"Come on, let's go ask."
"Right now?"
She didn't bother stating the obvious—that it was club time.
"Obviously. Hasol has tons of friends, so if you don't grab her right away, her schedule fills up."
"Hasol's in the cooking club, though. Ah... that place always felt a little off to me."
Yeoncheong's opinion did not matter in the slightest. Leaving her open textbook and reference books spread out where they lay, she was half-dragged away by Suyeon.
"Hasol!"
Suyeon flung the door open and barged inside, her beaming smile and boundless energy making it possible.
Yeoncheong, by contrast, stepped in with all the caution of someone entering a minefield.
Thinking back on how much I suffered from those cookies I got last time...
The spicy cookies Seoyun sunbae had force-fed her had tormented her for ages. It was only natural that her memories of the cooking club weren't fond ones.
"Oh, it's Suyeon and Yeoncheong. What's up?"
Hasol, who had been concocting something at one end of the cooking counter, looked over at the pair. Having gotten the other members' permission, Suyeon made her way over to Hasol's station.
While Suyeon and Hasol talked over the reason for their visit, Yeoncheong's eyes drifted to the counter.
A green liquid, bubbling away.
At this point, isn't this less a cooking club and more an alchemy club?
In the name of "research," the cooking club frequently attempted experimental dishes. The spicy cookies Yeoncheong had once been saddled with were one such product.
Of course, they cooked normal food too, but from Yeoncheong's perspective, the negatives caused by the experimental dishes loomed far too large.
It was the very club whose name had once sparked her curiosity, only for her to lose interest the moment she learned what went on inside.
"Oh, that's the health juice I'm making for exam season."
Hasol had finished her conversation and come over at some point. Judging that Yeoncheong was interested, she launched into an explanation.
Despite being touted as her own original creation, the green liquid was in a state that made calling it "juice" a bit of a stretch.
Yeoncheong's instincts spoke. Change the subject. Now.
And she executed immediately.
"Could you help me out?"
"Which subject are you struggling with?"
"Math, for starters... and physics too, if possible?"
Worrying it might be too much to ask, Yeoncheong studied Hasol's expression. Hasol just waved a hand, telling her it was nothing.
"Our club was planning to wrap up tomorrow and take a break until exams anyway. I'll help you from then on."
It was the first midterm of the new school year. Every student wanted to start off on the right foot, and Hasol was no exception.
Relieved, Yeoncheong exhaled—and Hasol, saying the timing worked out perfectly, held out a glass of the burbling green liquid. The smell hit Yeoncheong's nose and she recoiled instinctively.
"Try a sip and tell me how it is. I think it's because of how it looks, but none of the club members will drink it for me."
Yeoncheong's head whipped around. The cooking club members, cowed by her fierce glare, averted their eyes.
If it's undrinkable, you should have stopped her from making it.
Then, as she glanced around for support, Yeoncheong realized her friend was nowhere to be seen.
"Where did Suyeon go?"
"She said she was done with her errand and headed back."
She fled.
Before Yeoncheong could even curse Suyeon for using her friend as bait, Hasol pressed the glass into her hand.
Hasol's expectant face made "I really can't drink this" impossible to say. Eyes squeezed shut, Yeoncheong downed the health juice (?) in one go.
There were crises large and small along the way, but she drained the glass clean. Wiping the juice from the corner of her mouth with her uniform sleeve, Yeoncheong spoke.
"It's... it's actually not bad..."
The cooking club members looked at Yeoncheong as if she'd done something heroic.
"Really? I'll make it for you again sometime, then."
"Huh? Uh, sure?"
Yeoncheong froze, unable to process what had just happened. She cursed herself for being too weak to say it tasted awful.
When she returned to the club room looking green around the gills, Suyeon greeted her with a sheepish smile.
"Y-Yeoncheong! Did the talk go well? Something suddenly came up, you see."
Yeoncheong glared at Suyeon, whose excuse wouldn't have fooled a child.
"You—Baek Suyeon!"
The deep sense of betrayal boiling inside her leaked straight into her voice.
Yeoncheong lunged to grab her, and Suyeon blocked her path with a chair and bolted. The chase that erupted between the two was only brought to an end when a nearby club shouted at them to keep it down.
It was only later, through Suyeon, that Yeoncheong learned Hasol was the proud owner of a hopelessly dull palate.
A new visitor arrived at the club room where Suyeon and Yeoncheong sat. Suyeon swung the door open as if showing off her own home.
"It's been a while since I've been over here, but it's fine, right?"
"It's nice and quiet. Good for studying."
Hasol looked around with curiosity, as if it were her first time visiting the Annex where the clubs were gathered.
"Anywhere's fine. Sit wherever you like."
Having finished her survey of the room, Hasol sat down beside Yeoncheong. When she dragged her chair in until the distance between them nearly vanished, a natural tension crept into Yeoncheong's body.
It felt different from being next to Seoha or Suyeon.
"Let's see where you're at first."
A soft earnestness blended into her usual cheerfulness.
"At this level... it's a good thing you found someone to teach you in a hurry."
Murmuring as she looked over Yeoncheong's quiz paper, Hasol shook her head slowly. The downpour of red ink falling across the test made Yeoncheong's embarrassment grow by the second.
"Another slip or two and you'd be in remedial classes..."
Having finished her assessment, Hasol looked up.
"You've got the basics, though. We just need to drill the question types you keep getting wrong."
Looking at the rain-soaked test paper, Hasol asked about Yeoncheong's other subjects. Yeoncheong shook her head.
"I'll manage the rest on my own. I can't take up too much of your time."
And so began Hasol's intensive lessons, aimed squarely at the problems she'd identified.
Contrary to appearances, Hasol turned out to be the picture of a proper model student.
How to approach a problem, which formulas to use to arrive at the answer.
Unlike Suyeon, whose answers tended to just pop out of nowhere, Hasol worked through each step methodically.
Having finally encountered a normal way of thinking, Yeoncheong's studying began to pick up speed. Watching the smooth progress, Suyeon shot a small glance of jealousy their way.
"Ungh... mmmh."
Glowing with the satisfaction of having studied properly for the first time in ages, Yeoncheong stretched with delight. Hasol watched her and smiled lightly.
"Good work today."
"What good work? You're the one who did the hard part, teaching me."
Checking the time, Yeoncheong saw that club period was nearly over. She felt guilty for having eaten up so much of it.
"Sorry for taking up so much of your study time..."
"Don't worry about it. Teaching you is my review, anyway."
"Hasol..."
For a moment, Yeoncheong wondered if Hasol had descended from heaven as an angel.
She wasn't just a fun friend to be around. There was a reason everyone got along with her so effortlessly.
"I'll definitely make it up to you after exams."
Yeoncheong's affection for Hasol soared in an instant. Hasol smiled, saying she looked forward to it—until Suyeon elbowed her way into the cozy little atmosphere the two had built.
"Yeoncheong, what about me? I did help you out too, you know."
"I'll think about it."
At that noncommittal answer, Suyeon's lips pushed out into a pout. As Hasol chuckled and began gathering her things, she suddenly pulled a water bottle from deep inside her bag.
Green liquid, visible through the clear plastic.
The bickering pair went still.
"Hasol, what's that?"
"You drank it so well last time, Yeoncheong, that I made another batch. I brought some for Suyeon too, since she missed out last time."
"Ah... d-did you, now?"
Suyeon glared at Yeoncheong as if to say, what on earth is this about? The problem was that Yeoncheong had drunk the health juice (?) far too enthusiastically.
"Suyeon. You first."
Hasol held out the bottle with an innocent smile. Apparently, Suyeon had no way to refuse this either.
S-Suyeon, if you have a conscience, drink half.
Yeoncheong conveyed her will with her eyes, powerfully. Suyeon twisted the corner of her mouth at the sight.
Tilting her head back, Suyeon chugged the health juice. One clean, audible swallow rang out, and then she lowered the bottle.
Her whole body shuddered at the taste she'd never known before.
"Here you go, Yeoncheong. She says she likes you, you know."
Swallowing her churning resentment, Yeoncheong accepted the mostly full bottle.
Ha Yeoncheong. Once is hard, but twice isn't any harder.
Having made up her mind, Yeoncheong downed the green juice in one go again this time.
The green liquid slid down her throat, but she paid it no mind. If anything, she figured it was a win that she had to drink even a little less than last time.
Every lesson has its price.
These days, it was a saying Yeoncheong understood all too well.
Hasol kept helping her with math from then on—always capping each session by handing over the green juice.
Yeoncheong had clearly promised to repay her once exams were over, and yet it felt as though she was paying a toll every single time.
Still, her math was genuinely improving, and by now it was too late to admit it tasted terrible, so Yeoncheong simply accepted it as fate.
Time marched steadily on. The cherry blossoms fell like rain at the first gust of wind, and the midterms loomed right around the corner.
The club room, now home to a trio who'd grown used to the arrangement. Yeoncheong was the first to rise from her seat. Hasol, studying beside her, looked up.
"Heading home to study again today?"
"Yeah. I'll head out first."
As exam season approached, Suyeon and Hasol stayed at school studying late into the afternoon, while Yeoncheong went home early to study on her own.
"Math is the first day, you know. Make sure you review."
"This debt of gratitude—I'll truly never forget it."
Yeoncheong clasped both of Hasol's hands in hers and nodded solemnly. So long as the dreaded green juice wasn't included, Hasol was nothing short of a savior to her.
After bidding the two of them goodbye with a promise to see them next week, Yeoncheong left the school.
The weekend passed in a blur as everyone burned their final reserves of energy, and the day of the midterms dawned.