Chapter 10
Chapter 10
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: A Study Rival and the Book Thief
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I had come here thinking I'd just lightly review the main subjects in the morning, but as I turned the pages one by one, noon arrived before I knew it. I thought I'd look a bit more and memorized a few more things, and suddenly lunchtime had long passed.
‘Now I don't need to look at this book anymore.’
Kang Hyun kept devouring books until he felt that certainty, and surprisingly, they were easier to understand than expected, so memorizing one didn't take long.
From the time he arrived in the morning and started studying until lunchtime passed, he had already memorized the entire exam scope for three subjects.
Some might say you need to understand principles and apply them, but everything starts with remembering and knowing the material.
For Kang Hyun, this kind of studying wasn't difficult at all. It was like adding just one more letter to the dozens or hundreds of law books already in his brain.
‘This pace is good.’
If he bet with Yoon Haneul on this midterm too, even if she went all out, he thought he could win.
There was a gap in their accumulated knowledge so far, but school exams depended on how deeply you could dig into the set scope in a short time.
Then, suddenly,
‘Huh?’
It was the moment Kang Hyun stood up to eat lunch. Across from him, in the back seat, a burly guy with a crew cut was peering into his book in exactly the same posture Kang Hyun had been in when he arrived.
‘He definitely hasn't gotten up from his seat once today either. He's studying really hard?’
Suddenly, an unfamiliar competitive spirit flared up in Kang Hyun.
He slid back into his seat with a screech, opening the next book to study more.
‘Until that guy gets up.’
One page, two pages.
Kang Hyun immersed himself in turning the pages, and time passed until it was after two, nearing three o'clock. Before he knew it, he'd finished another book.
‘Whew, more than I thought.’
Kang Hyun rolled his stiff shoulders, turning his head side to side.
Then, one man caught his eye.
“…!”
The crew-cut guy showed no sign of getting up. He wasn't sleeping or playing around either. He was reading books, writing things down, memorizing, repeating his studies.
Kang Hyun started paying attention to him more and more.
‘Let's see who lasts longer.’
One hour, two hours passed.
His stomach growled, and he was tired from the recent events, but Kang Hyun's determination drove him deeper into focus.
He even lost track of time after that.
Only after a long while did Kang Hyun snap to attention and look around.
The reading room was empty, as if everyone had gone out for dinner.
‘Huh? Already this late…?’
Only as the sun began to set did Kang Hyun finish memorizing all the books he'd brought and finally stand up. Since that guy was gone from his seat, it seemed Kang Hyun had won the study showdown.
Rising from his seat and stepping outside, Kang Hyun felt so proud that he started humming, his steps light.
‘I've finished up to my goal, so dinner and then one more review sounds good?’
A smile played on his lips as he pondered what to eat for dinner.
Then, he patted his pockets to check his money and grimaced bitterly.
One thousand two hundred won.
After bus fare, that was all he had left. Without skipping the bus, he couldn't even buy a triangle kimbap.
“Ah… I should have brought a lunchbox.”
Kang Hyun gave up on the restaurant district and turned to head to a convenience store.
But then,
“Excuse me.”
Turning at the unfamiliar voice, he saw the crew-cut student from the library staring at him with blinking eyes.
“…?”
His face could be called rough or intimidating, but his kind voice and eyes convinced Kang Hyun he wasn't a bad guy at all.
“If you haven't eaten, want to share this?”
He held a plastic bag with a wrapped sandwich.
“Me?”
Kang Hyun, caught off guard by the kindness, pointed at himself and asked.
The guy nodded with a smile.
“You seemed to be studying so hard. You didn't eat, right?”
Just as Kang Hyun had been aware of him, he'd been aware of Kang Hyun too.
“I've been coming here a long time, but you're the first I've seen study with that kind of focus. You look about my age too…”
“Eighteen.”
“Oh, same age! Friends!”
Kang Hyun had assumed he was older, but the guy was even happier to hear they were the same age. It was an amusing situation.
He grinned playfully and introduced himself without hesitation.
“I'm Han Hyun-ho. Not going to school, but same age as you. Oh, you're from Korea High School, right?”
Kang Hyun tilted his head at the unexpected comment but nodded.
“You study so hard, but you're not in school? That's surprising.”
“Ah… well. I'm getting an electrician's license to work. Family's scattered, no money at all, no choice.”
“Ah, sorry.”
Kang Hyun apologized at the unexpected backstory. Han Hyun-ho waved his large hand.
“No! It's fine, even if circumstances suck. Not the sharpest, still studying technician level, but I'll get there soon!”
Despite being the same age, Han Hyun-ho smiled brightly, seeming to have a clear dream.
Then he suddenly stretched out his hand, pointing in the opposite direction from Kang Hyun's neighborhood.
“There's a meat place that way. I work there. Come here on days off. I'll hook you up.”
Kang Hyun nodded admiringly at Han Hyun-ho's words.
He didn't seem to have any special talents or a solid family background. But he wasn't discouraged at all, pushing forward with his own will, right?
Plus, instead of being ashamed, he proudly shared his dream. Han Hyun-ho shone.
“Impressive.”
Kang Hyun let out genuine admiration. Recognizing it, Han Hyun-ho grinned satisfied.
“You're the same, coming here on days off to study hard.”
Kang Hyun didn't know when Han Hyun-ho had noticed him, but he'd seen him studying and thought he was a good guy. People take a liking to others in just seconds, after all.
“From morning, you were the hardest worker here. First time seeing such an intense guy, got curious. That desperation hard to find at our age? Felt similar to me, hope that doesn't offend…”
“No! Not at all!”
At Kang Hyun's vigorous denial, Han Hyun-ho chuckled mischievously and stuck out his rough, thick hand.
“Let's get along from now on. Live around here, keep coming, we'll see each other often. And the meat place invite is real. I don't say anything lightly.”
Kang Hyun shook his hand and smiled.
“Yeah, thanks. I'll eat this well.”
Kang Hyun had hidden his tough family situation from others out of vague fear they'd treat him strangely.
But Han Hyun-ho, unable to attend school, worked weekdays and studied for his dream on weekends, showing no shame at all.
‘I need to be proud too!’
Kang Hyun felt Han Hyun-ho was a really good friend. The firm, reliable grip during the handshake made him think they could help each other in the future.
“Eat up, and fighting when we head back in!”
“Yeah!”
Kang Hyun's heart warmed; it had been a while since he'd met a friend who clicked like this.
But that's when the incident began.
“Ah, shit! What the hell!”
Han Hyun-ho suddenly cursed, looking shocked and flustered toward Kang Hyun.
In the quiet reading room, people might frown at the outburst, but oddly, everyone sighed deeply, faces saying it was bound to happen.
“What happened? Which bastard…”
He trailed off, speechless. Seeing his face, Kang Hyun turned to the desk—and his expression turned to shock.
All the reference books stacked on the desk, notebooks, pens—everything was gone. Completely clean.
The rumors of petty thieves in the library must have been true.
“Wow…”
Han Hyun-ho's face scowled deeply, anger boiling over.
“Ah, damn. What now. This guy's fair, hits rich and poor alike.”
“Yeah…”
Kang Hyun couldn't continue, glancing at his watch.
He'd left the reading room for dinner, chatted briefly upon return, less than an hour total.
The librarian had mentioned ongoing thefts, and he'd thought ‘If it happens in front of me, you're done.’ But seeing it happen was absurd.
The thief had targeted one spot systematically, taking everything boldly, like he owned the place—not even leaving a pen. Clearly not a first-timer.
‘The bold, clean method screams experienced thief.’
Kang Hyun's mind raced, while time seemed to slow.
He started calculating the most efficient, simple way to catch the guy and slap cuffs on him.
“Whew… Guess studying's done for today. Gotta grab people leaving the library, check bags one by one.”
Han Hyun-ho fumed beside him, gearing up for a straightforward approach.
He actually seemed capable of it.
His flushed face and bulging forearms looked ready to smash the room and interrogate everyone.
He wasn't the type to bully aggressively, but…
“See you later.”
At the reading room entrance, as Han Hyun-ho said goodbye to Kang Hyun and stormed out, Kang Hyun called him back.
“What if I can solve this simply? Want help?”
Having finished thinking, Kang Hyun spoke confidently.
“What?”
Han Hyun-ho burst into hearty laughter.
“Haha, thanks for saying that! But it's fine. Can't drag someone busy studying into this; rude.”
“No! Won't take much time, and I owe you for the sandwich.”
Kang Hyun blocked him, declaring boldly.
But this had an unexpected effect on Han Hyun-ho.
He tilted his head ‘Huh?’ then strained to remember something.
Suddenly, his eyes glazed as he pointed at Kang Hyun.
“…That voice, that face. Kang Hyun, are you the famous one on SNS… No, did you save someone on the subway?”