Na-eun's Midterm Triumph and the Boyfriend Question
Now that we're at university, Na-eun's midterms are finally over. Just as she'd promised herself, she'd climbed all the way up to 3rd in her class. Truly something worth celebrating.
If she'd maintained scores like this back in her first and second years, she could've gotten into Jinhan University through early admission. Unfortunately, Na-eun was the kind of student who'd hovered around 3rd or 4th place in her freshman year. That made it incredibly tough for her to aim for Jinhan via early admission.
Even if she aced every subject with top grades this semester, it might not be enough. Sure, an upward-trending graph like hers would look great for early admission, but it still wouldn't shine as brightly as the consistent top performers' steady records.
Still, there was one silver lining...
"But, like, I've improved a ton, right?"
Seeing Na-eun's eyes sparkle like that, I could tell just how brimming with confidence she was.
"Yeah, you've shot up amazingly."
"Hee hee hee! I told you I could do it~"
Watching her beam with pride, grinning so smugly at herself—it was unbearably cute. Like some small animal puffing up with swagger.
...Though her figure was anything but small-animal-like.
"Alright then, Na-eun. Time to study today too, yeah?"
"Aww... Yeah, okay..."
She pulled a pouty face like it was the end of the world, but her body was brutally honest. She was already pulling books out of her bag.
"Here."
"Looks like you've memorized all the words for today."
"Of course! It was homework."
That's right. I'd assigned her English vocab as homework.
A lot is a lot, and a little is a little. Fifty words—decently hefty, but not overwhelming, right?
"How long did it take you to memorize them all?"
"Hmm~ I think about an hour."
An hour—not bad at all.
Na-eun's focus was seriously impressive. If she'd put that level of concentration into memorizing English words from the start, she could've nailed them in under an hour easy. The fact that it took her that long probably meant she was aiming for perfection.
"Oppa, that memorization trick you taught me? It's seriously gold!"
"The paper-folding test method?"
"Yeah! One full cycle, and boom—almost everything sticks!"
The technique I'd shown her was dead simple.
You take a sheet of paper, fold it in half twice to make four quadrants. In the first one, jot down all the words you need to learn.
Then, looking at those words, write their meanings in the other boxes. Check off the ones you don't know, fill in what you do.
Next, review the mistakes, write the correct answers in the boxes while memorizing again. Then, looking at the meanings you wrote, try spelling out the English words.
Obviously, check off unknowns there too, fill everything in, memorize once more. Finally, look at the English words and rewrite the meanings one last time.
Run through that full cycle once, and you'll have most of those words locked in. Of course, this is mostly short-term memory at first, so you need extra review to shift them to long-term.
Once they start sticking long-term, they'll linger for a month or two at least—fuzzy recall if nothing else.
That's the method I'd taught Na-eun.
And look at her now.
"Na-eun."
"Yes, Oppa?"
"Sabotage."
"Sabotage... um, to sabotage? Like, to interfere deliberately?"
"Intentionally disrupt. Nailed it."
Check her out—remembering sabotage perfectly from two months ago.
For the record, it just popped into my head randomly while gaming last night, so I threw it at her as a test. No way did I expect such a spot-on answer.
"Let's keep pushing hard."
"Yes~! But Oppa."
"Yeah?"
"I'll keep working hard and all, but don't you think it's time for a reward soon?"
Na-eun was sneaky sharp with her math. That's why she hit me up for prizes like this every now and then.
"Didn't I give you a break last month after exams?"
"That was just a quick breather~"
And she had that sly, cheeky edge too.
But nothing about it annoyed me. Was it her looks? Or maybe she just knew how to tease without crossing the line.
Either way, Na-eun was the kind of person you couldn't stay mad at.
"Fine, fine. It's May, so a little downtime sounds good. Plus, with June mocks coming up, recharging makes sense."
"Right, right~"
She nodded eagerly, flashing that beaming smile.
Part of me wondered if she loved breaks too much, but hey—I'd been the king of slacking in my senior year too. Still was, kinda.
"So, what do you wanna do for fun?"
"Hmm~ Can't you pick, Oppa?"
"Again?"
"You've gotta have way more playtime experience than me."
If I said this out loud, she'd chew me out, but honestly? Na-eun looked like the pro at having fun. I was the type who got called a nerd. Sure, post-army I'd bulked up some, and ditching glasses after LASIK helped me look less bookish and more fun-loving now. But back in school? Total nerd vibes.
Na-eun, on the other hand? She screamed "party girl who loves fun over studying"—total social butterfly material. Flashy looks, killer style.
Come to think of it, maybe I should be asking her for fun spot recs.
...Kidding, obviously. If we stacked up her three high school years against my one wild freshman college year, I'd probably edge her out in sheer playtime. Or at least variety.
"Alright, got it. But heads up—this won't be as epic as last time."
"Not as fun as before?"
"Yeah, that was kinda my secret weapon."
Movies and killer eats? Total killshot from my side.
To top that now, we'd need grown-up stuff or couple-level dates. Na-eun wasn't an adult yet, and definitely not my girlfriend.
Girlfriend...
Thinking about it, Na-eun had to have a boyfriend somewhere. With looks like hers, it'd be weirder if she didn't.
Maybe that's why I blurted it out without thinking. A question that could come off rude.
"Hey, Na-eun. Got something I'm curious about."
"What?"
"You don't have a boyfriend?"
She shook her head without a second's hesitation.
"Nope, no boyfriend. Total newbie here—never dated."
...Na-eun's a total newbie? Never even once?
Even Seung-min Jeong had dated in high school. And Na-eun outshone him in looks and personality?
One of two things: Either her killer looks scared everyone off from confessing, or she's super conservative and turned down every guy.
Probably the latter. Girls like her? Guys would confess regardless of flashiness.
"Once you hit university, you'll meet some great guys."
I phrased it gently, and she looked me dead in the eye, nodding firmly.
"Yeah, definitely. For sure."
* * *
Seonwoo Oppa asked if I've ever dated.
Oppa, who's never asked me stuff like that before—why now? Just casual curiosity? Or did he want to check if I had a boyfriend?
If it was the latter... why check? Could it be—could it finally be—that he's starting to see me as a girl?
Not just his friend Seung-min's little sister, but Jeong Na-eun, a girl?
I hope so. That would be amazing.
Then all those weekends I'd spend an hour primping every morning, working out with Oppa, trying to look as stylish as possible even in uniform—it'd be worth it.
Even if not, no biggie. This level of effort is my baseline from now on.
Chances like this to get closer to Seonwoo Oppa might not come again otherwise.
Gazing at his handsome face as I thought that, I admired him. The soft, bespectacled look from before? The dazzling, glasses-free vibe now? All of it—every bit—gorgeous.
Seonwoo Oppa said I'd meet a great guy in university.
University will have great guys. And one's standing right in front of me.
Seonwoo Oppa, you're that great guy. To me, no one else qualifies.
So when I confess later, please say yes.
I'll work hard to appeal to you so you'll accept. I'll keep showing these feelings without hiding.
So please, Oppa—don't meet other girls in university.
Because I'm here.