Chapter 2
Chapter 2
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: The College Entrance Exam
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Three years was a time that felt both short and long.
Especially for guys who’ve done their military service, they’ll understand what I mean.
How could 21 months drag on like this?
I never imagined that a mere 21 months would feel longer than my six years as a trainee.
-Military service… yeah, no.
I finally understood what Seok-hwan hyung had said before we parted at the terminal.
A lot had happened in those three years.
After helping out at Grandma’s store and living that way, I enlisted in the military as soon as I turned adult age.
I didn’t want to burn through food money without earning any.
I agonized over my career path back then, too.
Having given up on my childhood dream of becoming an idol, I’d wandered aimlessly for a while before finally revising my future hopes.
A composer.
Whether inherited from my parents, who were instrumentalists, or not, I had a decent musical talent, so I chose to become a composer to make the most of it.
If I couldn’t be an idol, I could make music for idols, right?
That was one line of thinking.
Starting as a composer and later moving into producing seemed like a pretty cool career path.
That’s why I prepared for the college entrance exam.
I figured getting into a good music university was essential for becoming a composer.
Of course, studying for the exam while in the military was no easy feat.
There were all sorts of obstacles.
For someone like me who’d neglected studies for six years obsessing over being an idol, the high school equivalency exam and college prep were massive hurdles.
Thank goodness I’d mastered English and Chinese during trainee days; otherwise, I’d still be grinding away at it.
Two years of study, starting from square one with that mindset.
After countless workbooks and mock exams, all that remained was the actual test.
Winter 2013. Right now.
Three years after leaving the company, I, Seon Wooju, at 21 years old fresh out of service, was a college entrance exam student with the big day looming.
Breath fogging in the freezing cold weather.
I finally got why they say it suddenly turns brutal on exam day every year.
Ugh, it’s cold.
While scrolling the internet on the smartphone I’d bought upon discharge, I walked down the street.
Still early dawn.
Streetlights still glowing bright.
[Which stars are taking the college entrance exam today?]
Clicking the portal entertainment section article showed familiar faces.
TNT’s Han Tae-hyun, Raviang Rose’s Jeon Yu-bin, and so on.
Faces I’d passed by at TJ Entertainment filled the screen.
All familiar faces.
Among them, the one that caught my eye was TNT’s Han Tae-hyun.
TNT.
After I got cut and they added a new member, TNT debuted right away.
The result? Massive success.
Not just success—a mega hit.
They swept all the rookie awards that year, every single one, and got tagged as the greatest rookie idol ever.
Honestly, even I hadn’t expected them to blow up that big.
Whatever.
It had nothing to do with me anyway.
I let out a long breath and stared at the hill ahead.
Maybe because of yesterday’s snow.
The road up to the exam center was iced over.
How am I supposed to climb this?
Lost in a moment of panic, I turned at a weird noise.
Clunk—
The sound of a manhole cover bumping a wheel.
An old man pushing a handcart was struggling up the hill.
Was it because he reminded me of someone?
He overlapped with my grandma back in Gunsan.
He was climbing the hill with effort, but swaying every time the wind blew—it tugged at my heart.
Should I help?
Dawn meant plenty of time before check-in. I checked the digital watch I’d used in service and nodded.
Might as well rack up some good karma.
Who knows.
Maybe some higher power up there sees me and thinks, ‘What a fine young man,’ and blesses me.
With that thought, I flashed a cheerful smile.
“Sir.”
“…….”
“Sir.”
“…You callin’ me?”
A weak voice came back.
“Looks tough, huh? I’ve got some extra strength to spare, so let me push you to the top of the hill.”
“You’ll help?”
“Yeah.”
“You look too scrawny to have any strength.”
“Don’t worry. I’m fresh out of the military, so—hup…!”
The moment I grabbed the handle and pushed, I realized something was wrong.
“…Huh?”
“What’s up?”
“Nothing, haha!”
I laughed it off outwardly, but cold sweat poured inside my puffer jacket.
This weight is real?
Soon, two shocking facts hit me.
“…….”
I’d thought it was just full of cardboard boxes, but nope—radios, scrapped appliances, junk galore inside. That was first.
Second, the old man pushing the cart had muscles bulging alive on his arms.
And those massive calves peeking with every flap of his pants.
I’d stuck my nose where it didn’t belong with someone who could’ve handled it solo. Regret washed over me.
“Kid, you okay?”
“This thing’s insanely heavy. Looked light from afar.”
The old man burst into a hearty laugh.
“Aigoo, kid. Nothing easy in this world.”
“You’re right.”
“Ain’t just anyone can do this. Takes know-how.”
“How many years on the handcart?”
Breathless, words tumbled out.
“My whole life.”
“Huff, huff… Impressive.”
A proud smile bloomed on the scrap collector grandpa’s face.
“With this, I sent my daughter to college… Aigoo, strength’s gone already? What good’s a young guy like this?”
Finally reaching the hilltop, I clutched my knees.
Whoa, this is insane.
Steam rose from inside my puffer, sweat dripping down my mutton chops.
Lesson learned today: Never underestimate a handcart.
“Thanks, kid. Didn’t help much, but sweet heart. Cute looks too. Pretty enough to kill.”
“Yeah, yeah, take care.”
“Where you headed now, kid?”
“Up ahead to school for the exam.”
“Ah, college entrance?”
“Yeah.”
“Aigoo, exam kid suffering to help an old timer.”
His warm hand gripped mine tight.
“You did a good deed. You’ll be blessed.”
“Thanks.”
Didn’t help much, but it felt rewarding.
Is this why people do volunteer work?
After warm words and a bow to the elder, I headed on my way.
The exam center entrance soon appeared.
But rubbing my sore shoulders as I walked, another weird noise forced my gaze aside.
Vrooom!
A car charging from afar.
What? Is he nuts?
A white sedan was speeding wildly down the school side alley.
Driver must’ve been drunk—movements all off.
And the direction it was heading…
“Sir!”
The scrap grandpa from before had parked his cart and was on the phone, right in the car’s path, looking pissed.
I yelled urgently.
“Grandpa!”
No reaction.
Ears probably bad—he was practically shouting into the phone.
Meanwhile, the car barreled toward the cart, my heart pounding anxiously.
‘No!’
No time for thoughts.
Feeling like time froze, I sprinted full tilt at the cart grandpa.
The car closed the gap in seconds.
“Watch— out—!”
As the license plate loomed, I shoved the grandpa aside.
Bam!
The car smashed the cart to bits and crashed through a salon’s glass front.
“You oka—.”
The fallen grandpa, luckily, seemed fine.
The problem was me.
“Urk—!”
Pushing him full speed, my foot slipped on ice.
Whoa?
What’s this?
Ice was the culprit.
Center of gravity shifted back instantly, body in temporary zero-G.
Like dropping on a Viking ride.
Then it happened fast.
Thud—!
Body hit something once, then tumbled down the hill.
When spinning stopped, a beef shop sign with a cow grinning innocently came into view.
Ah. Head hurts.
Vision blurring.
‘Sirloin for 3: 45,000 won….’
That was my last memory.
* * *
Came to in a hospital.
Time: 10 a.m.
Hearing I’d missed check-in and couldn’t take the exam felt like the world collapsing.
If there’s a god, I’d ask.
What grudge does he hold against me?
It’s always like this.
Just when life seems to go well, bam—screwed every time.
Parents died on my 7th birthday.
Started piano contest prep, Grandma got cancer diagnosis.
Dropped from debut group right before debut.
Now, saved a life on exam day and miss the test.
What do I tell Grandma?
She’s probably praying at the temple for her grandson’s exam success. Felt hopeless.
Gonna lose it.
Thanks to years of misfortune, my mentality recovered quick.
Actually, this was better than most.
Others hit out of nowhere with zero payoff, but this time I saved a life—rewarding.
The issue: saved just the life.
“Cough!”
The elder on the bed next to the ER was hunched in pain with every cough.
My shove cracked his ribs.
Feeling guilty, I spoke up.
“Must hurt a lot because of me.”
“Ayu, don’t say that.”
His kind-faced wife waved it off.
Her husband beside nodded.
“If not for Seon Wooju, our dad wouldn’t even be lying here safe.”
“Glad you see it that way.”
The hospital visitors were the grandpa’s son and wife.
Thought the son looked professorial—yep, university hospital prof on his card.
Grandpa’s name: Choi Ik-hyeon. Son: Choi Yong-jae.
“Choi with Ik-hyeon as given name?”
“Yes, that’s Father. Something wrong?”
“Nothing.”
Just recalled the paragon of “defend the throne, repel barbarians” from exam books.
They eyed me worriedly.
“How’s your body?”
“Doc says miraculously fine. Rest today, good as new.”
“How about resting here? Haven’t properly thanked you, we’ll cover bills too…”
“I’m good. Wasn’t for reward.”
I waved off their insistent lunch offers.
Felt burdensome.
Not in the mood to eat smiling with them.
As I said goodbyes to the son and wife, the bedridden grandpa grabbed my wrist.
“Kid….”
Ribs cracked, voice weak and choked.
“I’m sorry.”
“Huh?”
“I committed a great sin. You had that important exam, and you got stuck with a jinxed old man… I did wrong. Really.”
“Don’t say that.”
Gripping his tear-glistened hand tight, I said—like vowing to myself.
“You can retake the exam, but not a life.”
“Still….”
“Really, it’s fine.”
I grinned to reassure; he wiped his eyes, son and wife helpless-faced.
“See you later.”
Final waves to the lunch-pushers, then as they faded from view, I sighed.
Another year of studying? For real?
Doomed to unintended repeater, feeling bleak, when the lobby TV caught my eye.
Action flick on the movie channel.
One I’d seen in service.
Protagonist top spy worldwide, loses memory, on the run—something like that.
Scene was early.
Cop aims gun at hero.
Memory gone, hero surrenders, hands up meekly.
Cop approaches, grabs shoulder.
Right then.
Unknowingly martial arts ingrained, hero reflexively flips and slams the cop.
…Hm?
Watching the familiar scene felt off.
Not quite— a sensation?
Beyond sight, sound, smell, taste, touch—the sixth sense, kinda.
Trying to pin that odd sense, phone vibrated.
“Hello.”
-Is this Seon Wooju?
Deep voice.
“Yes, who’s this?”
-Hello. This is Investigator Jang Kyung-il, Traffic Investigation Unit, Eunpyeong Police Station.
“Ah, yes.”
-Yeah, need your victim statement for this morning’s accident probe. Mind sharing your location?
Named the hospital; bright voice from his end.
-Good timing. I’m in the lobby.
“Huh? I’m in the lobby too.”
-The tall guy on the phone now?
“Where are you?”
“Right here—”
Voice from behind, hand on my left shoulder.
Right then.
My body moved on its own.
…Huh?
Felt like someone else controlling me.
Grabbed the hand, spun lightning-fast, slammed him to the floor in a flash.
Thud—!
A chill silence fell over the hospital lobby.