Chapter 44
Chapter 44
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: Intensive Training Begins
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"Here to make copies of these materials."
"Huh?"
Kang Hyun looked down at the stack of documents in his hand and nodded, impressed by her sharp eyes.
"This copy room isn't run carelessly. Every document has passed through my hands, and no information has escaped my eyes. Events, policy research, promotional materials. There should be a 'Data Sharing Program' zone at Standing Avenue. Feel free to use the materials. Don't you need stuff for the mock trial competition?"
Kang Hyun's mouth hung open in an "ah" of realization.
Just as he had given wings to her future, Lee Mi-yeon was now offering him substantial help in return.
"Still... I can't just accept something this big without thinking. I'll consider it."
"Kang Hyun, as I said, I feel like I've received help from you that's worth more than money can buy. More than anything, when everyone ignored and mocked me, when I was in despair, you appeared like magic, listened quietly to my story, and gave me steady answers."
"..."
Kang Hyun fell deep into thought at her words.
A small act of kindness returning as great reward. He reflected once more on his actions.
It had started simply because he hated seeing students like himself suffer.
Then came the incident where he delved in to help Dean Kim Jong-hwan with his research.
In a way, there was no real need for him to step up like this, fight, and work to solve the problems.
But Kang Hyun was different.
Having spent so long in the position of the weak throughout his life, and now climbing confidently upward after overcoming it, he simply couldn't walk past such things.
"Become an even greater person and help many more people like me. So use it well, okay?"
Lee Mi-yeon's words had turned into a plea.
After much contemplation, Kang Hyun finally accepted her offer.
"Thank you. If you ever need help in the future, just let me know."
"That would be great for me!"
Lee Mi-yeon nodded vigorously.
Her face was slightly flushed, perhaps from shaking off her past hardships and repaying Kang Hyun.
Thus, this small but hard-fought incident came to a close on this day.
The 'Korea University Intramural Mock Trial Competition' that Kang Hyun had been eagerly anticipating was now right around the corner.
A week later.
"Where are you going?"
"We need to start preparing for the competition in earnest now."
Kang Hyun took Woo Si-hyung to Standing Avenue, Seoul's first city-built large-scale public sharing hub, now fully completed.
Its exterior was cleaner and more stylishly designed than any university building.
'I'm really glad Lee Mi-yeon offered this help.'
With the competition looming, the urgency was palpable throughout his body—a perfect timing.
Now, Kang Hyun had to pull out all the stops, using every means and option available, to elevate their abilities to the top level and compete on equal footing with them.
Even with personal efforts, the gap would widen against a team receiving full support, training in an optimal environment with the best data for analysis.
In that context, gaining unrestricted access to the Standing Avenue facilities was a huge boost for them.
"It's a shared office! We didn't apply, so we can't get in... And it's ridiculously expensive!"
"That would be true normally. But..."
Woo Si-hyung swallowed hard as Kang Hyun paused dramatically.
"We got sponsored."
"What?"
With a click, Kang Hyun pulled out a gold access card, opening the automatic doors. Woo Si-hyung's eyes went wide.
"Whoa!"
The interior was even more cutting-edge than the exterior, with everything top-notch.
Soundproofed spaces were perfectly configured for various purposes, allowing individuals to perform at their peak. The lounge for breaks featured meticulous design down to the smallest details.
At the lounge's center, an unmanned cafe had a barista robot diligently pulling espresso shots, while young students and professionals grabbed laptops and materials from the adjacent rental center, bustling about.
The LED ceiling displayed fast-scrolling ads promoting the 'Shared Hub' in large letters.
Though not massive since it was on campus, the overall vibe felt substantial and solid, brimming with an innovative, creative atmosphere that was impressive.
Woo Si-hyung was stunned, but Kang Hyun had never seen the inside either, so he couldn't hide his own overwhelmed expression.
In the end, Kang Hyun and Woo Si-hyung just stared at each other, blinking.
'Not just Korea University— the scale of this business is no joke.'
Woo Si-hyung snapped out of it first, rubbing his eyes and asking Kang Hyun,
"We can really use this place?"
"Yeah. The manager said to use it as much as we want."
"For real? We're not getting scammed, right?"
Not knowing the full story, Woo Si-hyung pressed, but Kang Hyun just handed him an access card without further explanation.
"Come here and study or prep materials whenever you need, even if I'm not around. It's room 401—apparently some expert room with a video recording studio, audio room, and conference space inside."
"What? Whoa!"
Woo Si-hyung, unable to contain his excitement, tried to hug Kang Hyun, who barely dodged.
"Good timing, huh?"
"This is insane! Are you getting sponsorship from a chaebol or something?"
"Come on, don't call it chaebol support over something like this. It's just someone I know helping out because I'm studying hard."
"Wow, awesome!"
Kang Hyun led Woo Si-hyung leisurely inside.
To room 401.
*Beep, click.*
With a clear electronic chime, the door opened to reveal a brightly lit, spacious, pristine conference room.
And in one corner sat a person.
"Huh?"
"You're early."
The person nodded at Kang Hyun's words. Dressed in a simple knit, with neatly parted black hair, a small face, and large eyes, they looked up at the two.
"Hello."
It was the language genius, youngest Korea University admittee—Yoon Chan-rim, eyes sparkling as they gazed at Kang Hyun.
He had come ahead at Kang Hyun's call, waiting for them.
He leaned back comfortably in his chair as if it were a familiar spot, then straightened up politely upon seeing Kang Hyun and Woo Si-hyung enter.
"Hyung, hope you've been well? And I've heard a lot about you. Nice to meet you—I'm Yoon Chan-rim!"
Yoon Chan-rim gave a simple greeting and introduction.
"Uh, yeah... hello?"
Woo Si-hyung awkwardly returned the greeting, then whispered to Kang Hyun with a shocked face.
"How did you recruit Yoon Chan-rim?"
"It just kinda happened."
Woo Si-hyung was speechless at Kang Hyun's nonchalant reply.
Unable to make a fuss in front of Yoon Chan-rim, he just sat down awkwardly.
Woo Si-hyung wasn't without standing at Korea University.
Anyone even slightly involved in debate tournaments knew him, and he was a name professionals wouldn't miss.
Yet here he was, deflated, mumbling about meeting someone amazing, sitting quietly—which made Kang Hyun chuckle.
Truth be told, Kang Hyun didn't feel it much since Yoon Chan-rim was just the classmate next to him in lectures, but Yoon Chan-rim was truly famous inside and outside school.
With the moniker "language genius" and repeated mentions as the youngest law student at Korea University.
Their star power far outshone Woo Si-hyung's.
"Please take care of me. I have a lot to learn."
Contrary to his first impression—like a wild bull charging ahead without looking back—Yoon Chan-rim was extremely polite when manners called for it and humble otherwise.
This was a different charm from Woo Si-hyung's seemingly dim-witted straightforwardness or Kang Hyun's serious, all-knowing vibe.
Kang Hyun mediated introductions between them.
"Alright, let's all get along from here on out."
From that day, the three dove into intense mock trial practice.
The venue: Standing Avenue room 401 study room.
Excluding class time, they met at least once on weekdays for material gathering, 15-minute individual argument practice, and case-specific written submission drills.
"The order of presented materials isn't always like this. So, when searching, building a list first—like an evidence inventory—actually saves time."
"But we should memorize a few basic frameworks for urgent cases. What do you think?"
"Sounds good."
One hour a day; longer on days with spare time, like an hour at lunch plus two in the afternoon.
Weekends saw heated debates stretching past ten hours.
Pure practice time often exceeded twenty hours a week.
A staggering amount given their packed schedules.
Of course, Kang Hyun pushed hardest, dedicating extra time to prep materials on his own.
He already handled a full weekday class load—starting at nine and ending around five-thirty, maxing out at eight hours of lectures daily.
Even in brief breaks, he'd head to the shared hub to immerse in prep work.
The volume of cases to organize spanned years.
Just past mock court competition problems required nonstop study.
'I have to do this.'
Still, out of responsibility to Woo Si-hyung and Yoon Chan-rim—who had taken up his challenge and proposal—he pushed harder to meet their expectations.
Evenings on weekdays, without fail, he took the subway to Han Hyun-ho's barbecue joint.
Not a formal night part-time, but helping out in bursts of three or four hours when busy, per Han Hyun-ho's consideration—yet the generous pay plus transport stipend helped immensely, knowingly or not.
"If you're too tired, skip it—no hard feelings. Take it easy."
"Thanks."
Han Hyun-ho's hearty laugh, always positive and hardworking, gave him strength.
*Click.*
Back home late evening.
Kang Hyun arrived late, but Mother even later most days.
"You must be exhausted."
On such days, he'd think to at least prep dinner—setting rice to cook, washing bean sprouts for kimchi soup.
*Splash.*
Turning on the faucet with a scrape, staring blankly at the running water, he'd realize his fundamental life hadn't changed much.
Still the hillside slum, small house, hardworking mother. But for Kang Hyun, one big change: resolve to steel his heart and keep advancing. Endless energy for such efforts.
With those firm, the lacks felt trivial.
Even sleeping just two or three hours.
Skipping meals or living on cup ramen, he brimmed with vitality, showing no fatigue.
Perhaps the genius ability bestowed upon him like magic stemmed from his steadfast resolve.
But then,
A notification chime broke his reverie.