Chapter 54
Chapter 54
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 54
Chapter Title: Mother's Embrace and Final Preparations
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“ Oh dear, why’d you go and buy all this? ”
“ I wanted you to at least have some warm water while you’re working, Mom. ”
“ You don’t have any money... You should’ve gotten something tasty for yourself with that. ”
“ No, I ate tons of delicious stuff already. Hotel buffets are the best. I wanna go back with you someday for sure. ”
“ Oh, my fine young man. ”
At Mother’s gesture, Kang Hyun stepped into her arms, and she held him gently.
A cozy sensation.
It had been ages since he’d felt the warmth of Mother’s embrace.
“ Son. Don’t worry. ”
“ Huh? ”
“ Our boy’s already plenty filial. So right now, chase whatever you want. Spread your wings as far as they’ll go. ”
Mother pitied how hard Kang Hyun pushed himself for the family.
If the weight of her and the household crushed him, forcing him to abandon his dreams and collapse, it’d haunt her forever.
“ I’m doing enough now, and I’ll keep it up. ”
“ Good, good. The gift means the world—thank you. ”
Mother’s gentle smile.
They hadn’t escaped poverty yet, but she was no longer the gloomy mother etched with deep lines of worry.
Kang Hyun went to his room, set his bag down, and stood quietly in thought.
‘I’ll... succeed.’
He vowed it.
He never wanted to see Mother sad again.
He wanted to make her even happier going forward.
It was a quiet Saturday, yet Kang Hyun’s fists clenched tight all the same.
The weekend flew by, and the week vanished in a frenzy.
When you threw yourself into nonstop tasks without a moment’s rest, time blinked past like nothing.
- Hey? That’s Kang Hyun.
Some college students passing by glanced his way and whispered.
- Heard he hit up the general assembly last week and snagged senior level.
- Isn’t that usually for upperclassmen?
- Guy made finals in the mock trial tourney, so guess that’s plenty.
- They say he owned the real deal. Totally unreal!
What went down at the law society conference had tongues wagging—not just inside circles, but out in the world too.
A mid-event rank-up.
Brief news bite, but the impact rippled wide.
Kang Hyun hitting rare university senior status in the International Law Society? Even made broadcasts.
Most folks had no clue about the society itself, but the chain of events burnished his halo plenty.
On top of that, his solid showing in the Korea University mock court contest left even Kang Hyun satisfied.
He’d steamrolled the multi-day prelims so thoroughly and one-sidedly that people started treating his team’s finals berth like a given.
That’s right.
Korea University mock court finals advancement.
No nail-biters, no fluke wins—just relentless blowouts all the way.
Even in his packed schedule, though, he carved out time for total immersion in one thing.
Thud, thud. Tap.
A slender, soft hand bounced the tennis ball with casual ease.
“ Phew, ready? ”
“ Ready. ”
Sweat-drenched Yoon Haneul and Kang Hyun faced off on the court.
They signaled, and Yoon Haneul unleashed a textbook swing with her racket.
The ball rocketed straight into Kang Hyun’s side of the court with a sharp smack.
“ You’ve gotten seriously good. ”
“ You’re the one zoning out. ”
The outdoor tennis courts near school.
The pair, soaked in sweat, poured everything into the game.
Every swing of her racket flashed the bear character grip band Kang Hyun had gifted her.
“ Nah, I’m locked in! ”
“ Here it comes! ”
She flashed a bright grin and smashed the ball clean.
This was their time—pure, undivided focus on themselves. It rang true for Yoon Haneul, and just as much for Kang Hyun.
Snatched moments for major studies, Kim Jong-hwan’s research gigs, mock trials growing fiercer by the round, evening shifts at the BBQ joint.
A normal person would crack under that load, but Kang Hyun powered through step by step, even picking up tricks for rest and stress management.
Their pre-dawn sessions stretched till the morning sun warmed the air around them.
“ Ha! ”
Kang Hyun smashed the incoming ball hard; it cleared the net by a hair and streaked in a straight line.
It nailed the back line of Yoon Haneul’s court perfectly.
He’d gone easy on her a bit, but it was his point.
“ Nice one. ”
“ Huff, huff—huh? ”
He first thought she was praising him, scratching his head bashfully—then caught her drift and grinned.
“ Oh. Finals pep talk? ”
“ You got this, right? ”
“ Obviously. ”
She steadied her breathing, took her spot, and chugged water before speaking.
“ First place gets a gift from me. ”
Yoon Haneul’s sweat-clung tennis outfit hugged her curves. Feeling extra shy today, Kang Hyun averted his gaze and turned away.
Then her old words popped into his head, and he mumbled them out.
“ ...That cocktail spot you mentioned before. ”
“ Yeah. ”
“ This weekend? ”
Yoon Haneul steadied her breath, giving Kang Hyun a curious look.
Seemed amazed he’d remembered; she tilted her head to scan his face before tossing it back.
“ For real? ”
“ You busy or what? ”
“ Nah, not me—you. Finals are Friday. ”
“ Saturday works. ”
Joy flooded her blank face in an instant. More surprise, more delight than her usual cool.
Kang Hyun couldn’t help smiling at the sight. Then, buzzing with excitement, he said,
“ Right after awards. Before exams hit. ”
“ Awesome! ”
Nodding hard, she undid her ponytail to fix it up, pondered a sec, then floated it casually to Kang Hyun.
“ Skip that—let’s go on a trip instead. ”
“ Huh? A... trip? ”
Her sudden pitch sent his heart hammering.
He blanked out for a beat, then blurted like his soul had fled.
“ W-where to? ”
“ Might not have time... ”
“ No, I’m good! ”
He cut her off sharp, no hesitation.
Felt weird how his mouth moved first without checking his calendar or plans, but no backing down now.
He just waited for her reply.
She blinked, shot him a cheeky grin, turned away, and switched gears.
“ Got it. Anyway, exam today—gonna pull an all-nighter. ”
“ Test today too? ”
“ Yup. ”
“ Shoulda said something; we could’ve skipped. ”
“ Nah, I like this better. ”
She strode ahead; Kang Hyun calmed his racing heart and trailed her like always.
“ Welcome... Oh? Hello! ”
“ Ah, hi. ”
Shared office ‘Standing Avenue’.
The part-timer spotted Kang Hyun and bowed; he returned it awkwardly.
“ Here for the laptop? ”
“ Yeah. ”
“ Manager said to pass it on. Admin privileges—IP’s wide open, so big data system’s good to go right away. ”
She handed over the gray bag, and he took the laptop smooth as anything, bowing in thanks.
“ You got this! ”
“ Thanks. ”
He left the part-timer beaming like she’d met a celeb and hustled up to the fourth floor.
Slam.
“ You’re here? ”
“ Running late? ”
Finals topic drop day at last. Kang Hyun, Yoon Chan-rim, and Woo Si-hyung had camped here whenever free—to pivot fast on whatever came.
“ Seok Ji-hoon’s crew made it up. ”
“ Total expected. ”
Seok Ji-hoon, Dan Cho-rok, Hwang Jae-eun.
Professor Cheon Ung-jae’s squad hitting finals? Right on the money, all around.
They swallowed hard and eyed the posted bracket in heavy silence.
“ Y’know, maybe it’s not that bad. We could be the top dogs? ”
Yoon Chan-rim shattered the quiet with her cute lilt, loosening the tension as everyone cracked brief smiles.
“ Hell yeah—we ain’t slouches! ”
Woo Si-hyung boomed the hype. Oddly, he packed the most swagger prepping this tourney.
He had the edge in experience out of the trio.
Dozens of debates under his belt, intl placements, high school mock court nods. Topping it: winning the US-hosted intl debate ‘VOA’. Unshakable anywhere.
“ Hyung’s always killing it. Me? Need an energy drink stat. ”
Yoon Chan-rim griped, but he held his own fine.
Genius material himself. Locked in long passages after one look or listen; no language walls. Weeks of docs? Hours for him. Straight jaw-drop.
The crowning touch.
Riding high on wins, this finals was their victory lap.
Plenty winded after the run, yet they burned with resolve—flaring hotter right when it counted.
Kang Hyun dragged the laptop over, clicked through to the tourney topic.
“ Foreigner employment case. ”
Per his intel, finals theme was ‘international law’ or domestic ties—primed for thorny, epic scope.
The case? A beast.
Normal squad? Barely scrape written sub on deadline.
But these three: undefeated finalists, skills peaking.
“ Tons of articles to hit. ”
“ Labor Standards Act 8, 14, 17; Employment Security Act 33; Private International Law 25, 28. Immigration Control Act too, maybe. ”
Kang Hyun rattling off statutes? Old hat for the duo now.
Woo Si-hyung scribbled them down, replying,
“ Written due Thursday midnight, but oral Friday means prep too... ”
“ Tuesday? Nah, Wednesday wrap? ”
Written scores plus oral made the total—no skimping.
Plus Seok Ji-hoon’s team? Oral beasts like last time. Killer solos, and argumentation their wheelhouse. Real worry.
“ Wednesday morning. Shoot for AM if we can. ”
“ Yeah. ”
“ Sounds good. ”
Kang Hyun’s call hinted at brutal all-nighters, but it welded them tight.
Words barely done, they snapped into roles like pros.
Kang Hyun on the written brief; Woo Si-hyung collating opinions, case files, statements.
Yoon Chan-rim dug laws, past rulings, transcripts—stockpiling intel.
Their flow? Seamless, like a battle-tested unit.
Case angles shift logics, data needs, key statutes.
Hashing that out solo? Hours lost.
But this trio? Synced beyond belief in record time.