Chapter 11
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: The Bet (3)
Not long after I sent the text, Cha Ji-hyuk replied with an explanation of the solution.
He'd zeroed in on exactly the parts I hadn't understood and broken them down, unlocking the answer to a problem that had seemed utterly unsolvable.
It felt like all the pent-up frustration just melted away.
Why didn't I ask him sooner? I wondered.
The rush was like chugging soda when your throat's parched.
Seizing the moment, I fired off photos of other problem types that had stumped me before.
A few minutes ticked by as I solved more problems, waiting for his reply.
-Ding!
The alert chimed again, and I snatched up my phone on reflex.
This time, there was a photo attached to a short message.
The image showed the problem with his handwritten solution scrawled right on top.
Circles around the key points, underlines on tricky conditions.
I slowly followed his steps and tackled the problem again.
And...
"Got it..."
The words slipped out under my breath.
The issue that had blocked me no matter how many times I stared at it unraveled like it was nothing.
I hesitated for a moment,
then sent a quick reply.
-Thanks to you, I get it now. Appreciate it.
Time to dive back into studying.
But I couldn't let go of the phone.
"Is it too curt...?"
Compared to the care shining through his response—even across the screen—mine looked curt and half-hearted.
I mulled over what to add as I agonized.
-Ding!
His reply popped up.
-Glad to hear it. Good job.
Praise packed into those few words.
Seeing it, my grip tightened on the phone without thinking.
"Hee..."
A laugh escaped me.
What's so great about this...?
"Gah!!"
I snapped to my senses and shot up from my seat, slapping my cheeks with both hands.
Great? That short, oblivious praise made me feel great?
Was I really that weak to compliments?
No way!
I rubbed my stinging cheeks and shook my head.
It wasn't his praise that felt good—it was finally nailing those stubborn problems.
With skills like this, I'd win our bet and stick it to him come finals.
"Yeah, that's it."
Muttering to myself, I refocused on the problems.
This one was a variation on the type that had tripped me up earlier, just with tweaked numbers.
I recalled Cha Ji-hyuk's explanation and worked through it.
I figured out what the setter was testing for and built the equation step by step.
The answer emerged soon enough.
I jotted it down, then flipped to the answer key to check.
And...
"It's right..."
Seeing my solution match, a thrill surged through me, making my body tremble.
Who knew math could be this fun...
On impulse, I grabbed my phone and snapped a photo of the freshly solved problem, solution and all.
I was about to send it to Cha Ji-hyuk when...
"W-What am I even..."
I caught myself and dropped the phone like it burned.
Why was I about to send this?
To fish for more praise?
Or just to hear him acknowledge I did well?
No, that couldn't be...
Right—it was to double-check if my solution was solid.
I might've missed something, after all.
I picked up the phone again and sent him the message.
(Photo of the problem I'd just solved solo, answer and steps included)
-Is this how you solve it?
I set the phone face down and tried to focus on the next problem.
But unlike before, my concentration wouldn't stick.
My eyes kept drifting to the phone without me realizing.
I half-heartedly poked at problems, killing time, until...
-Ding!
The alert rang out.
I lunged for the phone to check his reply.
-Yep.
"Huh...?"
His response was brutally short.
Yep. That was it.
I stared at the screen for a long while.
I scrolled up and down pointlessly, hoping for more, but nothing.
"...That's it?"
The words leaked out.
I spaced out for ages before letting out a hollow chuckle and closing the phone.
What was I even expecting?
I'd texted to confirm if my solution was correct, right?
I got my answer—time to study.
"Ha... Let's push on."
But studying didn't go smoothly like before.
The next day.
I headed to school as usual and, upon entering the classroom, went straight to my seat to start studying.
Thanks to Cha Ji-hyuk's texts yesterday, I breezed past the types I'd fully grasped.
Now it was time to push into new material.
...But my thoughts kept drifting back to yesterday.
Yep.
Just two letters.
I'd snapped a photo, poured effort into every step, and that was all I got back?
Yep?? Really?? Just two lousy letters, no effort?
I wasn't expecting praise or encouragement.
Not even a little.
Just—
Something like, "Watch out for this common pitfall here,"
or "Thinking of this condition this way cleans it up nicely."
Anything extra, right?
But no, just Yep.
Classic original-story personality, through and through.
Annoying jerk.
Feigning nonchalance, I glanced across the classroom.
Cha Ji-hyuk was at his desk, chatting animatedly with classmates.
Laughing, joking around, totally at ease.
Acting like he had no friends and clinging to me at lunch? All lies, obviously.
That's when it happened.
Mid-laugh with his friends, Cha Ji-hyuk suddenly looked my way.
-Whoosh!
Afraid our eyes might meet, I whipped my head away and pretended to focus on my work.
"Hey, Kang Seo-ah."
But he'd already approached and was talking to me at my desk.
Unlike yesterday's curt texts, he was back to his usual mild-mannered self.
That vibe grated on me in a weird way...
No, I was annoyed that he was interrupting my study session. I shot back curtly.
"What."
"Why are you avoiding me?"
"I'm not."
"You were just staring. Then when I looked, you turned away."
"N-No, I wasn't...!!"
I snapped at his words, raising my voice.
The room went suddenly quiet.
I felt eyes turning our way.
Realizing I'd been too loud, I continued in a hushed tone.
"When did I do that? You're imagining things."
"Just say no then. Why get so mad?"
"I told you—your face alone pisses me off."
He smirked at that, leaning in closer.
"Yeah? Too bad—you'll be seeing it all vacation long."
"Get your face outta here. That won't happen."
I parried his obvious bait with cool composure.
Playing it nonchalant to bore him into backing off.
But Cha Ji-hyuk plopped right down in front of my desk and kept going.
"You were sending problems yesterday—why stop asking?"
"You said it was right. My solution yesterday. What more is there to ask? I know it."
His eyes flicked to the workbook I was using.
"Oh yeah?"
Then he suddenly snatched it.
"So why couldn't you crack this one?"
There it was, right in front of me—the problem I'd struggled with yesterday and ultimately failed to solve.
I'd covered it with my hand, so how did he spot it?
"I-I was gonna ask about that today..."
"Why not yesterday?"
"I hit the wall late at night. Didn't wanna text that late—rude, right?"
"Your face pisses you off on sight, but you're sweet about this?"
"Shut up..."
Cha Ji-hyuk shrugged at my retort, then peered at my unfinished solution.
He picked up a pen as if it were natural and launched into an explanation.
His words flowed seamlessly.
He pinpointed exactly where I'd tripped up, unraveling it step by step like he'd known all along.
Listening, I reflected on my attitude from yesterday.
Yeah... He's teaching me this well, and I got hung up on short replies? Not the time to nitpick.
Our relationship was strictly mentor-mentee.
Nothing more, nothing less.
He teaches. I learn. Done.
"Thanks. I get it now, thanks to you."
I smiled at him as he finished, vowing not to complain from the student's side.
But then.
"Good job."
His out-of-nowhere praise hit me.
Good job? I hadn't even solved it.
"...Huh?"
I blinked blankly, and Cha Ji-hyuk continued casually.
"Sucks you didn't get the answer, but your approach was solid. If you'd memorized the formula better, you'd have nailed it. Tough problem... You've improved a ton. Good job, for real."
His sincere praise kept coming.
Something tickled in the middle of my chest.
No reason to feel good, but my heart skipped a beat late.
"W-Well, yeah! I've been studying hard! Of course I'd improve! Duh!"
I shoved my chair back to put distance between us as I replied.
Just give the solution—why tack on useless fluff?
Who asked for praise?
Seeing my reaction, Cha Ji-hyuk chuckled and stood.
"You say, 'Thanks to your teaching.' That's how it works, dummy."
His hand rested briefly on my head before lifting away.
"And late nights are fine—text anytime you don't get something. Gotta milk this bet for all it's worth."
He paused, then added in his usual tone.
"Or... do you secretly want me to win?"
Unlike before, that last bit was pure slander.
I should've gotten mad, denied it flat-out.
"Eue...?"
But I froze right there, solid as a statue.