Midterms Done, Finals Loom – And an Unwanted Clash
Midterms were finally over, and even some of the spot quizzes had wrapped up, but our exams were far from finished. I was buried under the insane workload of third-year assignments and tests that made me want to curse, while Na-eun was drowning in the endless spot quizzes from her nursing program.
Dates? No time for that.
But even so, we had one thing we were holding out hope for.
It was none other than…
"Oppa, we're still going on that trip after finals, right…?"
"Yeah, to Japan."
A trip to Japan.
"Japan's so expensive, though…"
"Low-cost carriers make flights pretty cheap, and the lodging too."
"Still…"
"It's fine, I tell you."
I'd be footing most of the bill, so it wasn't cheap, but going with Na-eun made it worth every penny.
And I'd budgeted it more frugally than she realized. All in, it should come to just a bit over a million won.
"I'll cover what we eat there…!"
"Nah, really, it's okay."
"No way! I'm not okay with it!"
I poked at Na-eun's grumbling cheeks, twisting and squishing them under my fingers.
She was so cute it hurt, but I felt a pang of guilt too. If I were a college student who made better money, she wouldn't have to worry like this.
…Or maybe she would anyway.
Na-eun probably would worry. She was the type. No doubt about it.
Meanwhile, Na-eun rested her cheek on my shoulder and started prodding mine with her finger.
"Oppa, Oppa."
"What?"
"Um, after finals this semester, there's something I wanna try."
"Something you wanna try? What?"
"I'll tell you later."
Her bright smile lifted my mood, but I had no clue what she might have in mind.
Whatever. I'd hear about it eventually.
"Alright, back to studying."
"Okayyy…"
Na-eun slowly lifted her cheek from my shoulder. She had to tilt her head toward the book, so no helping it, but honestly, I loved the feel of her cheek there.
Unlike my cheek, hers was soft, squishy, and springy in a way nothing else could match.
"Na-eun."
"Yeah?"
"…Nah, nothing."
I lightly rubbed her cheek with my finger, and she giggled sweetly.
Watching that adorable scene, I dove back into studying.
Na-eun wrapped up her cuteness and focused too.
How long had we been at it?
How long had our "dates" turned into just heading to someone's house to study?
"…Oppa."
"Yeah."
"College English is surprisingly easy, huh."
"Compared to CSAT English, it's almost insulting to even compare."
Before we knew it, finals had arrived.
Na-eun was amazed at how underwhelming college English was, and I just responded indifferently.
"Most English classes are basically 'start from the basics again,' so they keep the difficulty low."
"Really?"
"Yep. And our school is on the tougher side compared to others, average-wise."
The truth was, Na-eun just had a brilliant mind. She found it easy because she was that smart. Nothing more to it.
Oblivious to her own genius, she just kept saying how simple it was.
I gave her a casual reply and turned back to the paper I was reading.
Na-eun seemed curious about it, peeking over at my paper.
Like a retriever eyeing its owner's every move. Without thinking, I asked.
"Na-eun, wanna read it?"
"Can I?"
Her eyes sparkled up at me, and for a second, I half-expected a tail wagging from her butt.
A puppy helicoptering its tail right there.
Amused by her cuteness—and curious how she'd react to my paper—I handed it over.
Na-eun started reading…
"…Oppa."
"Yeah?"
"…What does this even mean?"
She hadn't even turned the page, handing it back from the intro section.
I tried explaining it step by step, but then…
"U…? Uu…?"
Na-eun's brain seemed to short-circuit.
"Pfft… What're you doing?"
"I don't get it… Alien language… I don't know this stuff…"
She looked so dazed and cute that I poked her cheeks. Even in school, a little play like this was fair game, right?
Na-eun kept her confused expression through it all.
That tough, huh?
…Yeah, it was tough. Loaded with jargon, even I struggled. But I had to read it. Damn engineering department. Why'd I even come here?
I was pissed, but getting mad at myself changed nothing.
"Sigh… Na-eun, wanna grab food and head to the library? Reading room?"
"Sounds good."
We both had afternoon lectures with exams, so group study made sense.
With that, we headed to the school cafeteria for some affordable grub. It was a bit farther, but tastier than the closer spots.
But then…
"Oh, hey? See you again."
…Suhyun Kang greeted us with that smug grin.
"…Hi."
Na-eun clung to my arm like she didn't even want to acknowledge her, glaring daggers.
Suhyun glanced between Na-eun and my arm, then snickered.
"You're just radiating jealousy. This is a cafeteria, y'know."
Na-eun, hearing that, started ducking behind me bit by bit.
…Way too timid for a golden retriever.
I mean, she fit the retriever vibe, but unlike a full-grown one, Na-eun was tiny. More like a baby golden retriever, if anything.
Shaking off the obvious thought, I gave Suhyun a light warning.
"…Just go."
"Was about to. See you next semester, then."
"Like hell."
"Pfft, getting all worked up like that?"
"I said go."
"Yeees, suuure~"
Only after I snapped did she finally back off.
I ignored her completely and patted Na-eun.
"Na-eun, it's fine. She's gone."
"Ah… Okay…"
Na-eun nodded faintly and stepped out. I had no choice but to apologize.
"Sorry. Another weirdo showed up."
"…No, I'm sorry instead."
"Why?"
"I should've stood up to her more…"
I shook my head.
"No need to push yourself."
I knew how much Na-eun liked me, loved me.
That's why I didn't want her crossing paths with Suhyun at all.
Na-eun could snap if she got mad, but her sweet nature made her avoid conflict altogether.
That's my Na-eun—I didn't want her in situations where she'd have to get angry. Which meant dodging Suhyun as much as possible, but…
…Next semester, she'd be in third-year classes too, so we'd run into each other naturally.
The problem? As third-years, we couldn't skimp on major credits.
Worst case, she'd be in all five of my major classes.
I really didn't want that, but skipping them wasn't an option…
Second semester looked bleak.
Seonwoo oppa let out a deep sigh but still held my hand tight.
His feelings came through—no need to worry about that girl, sorry for dragging me into it.
Deep down, I wanted to tell him the opposite. That I'd handle it, that I'd stand tall.
But the second I saw her, my mind went blank, and all I wanted was to escape.
I wanted to get mad, but I didn't know how. My heart burned with anger, but my head couldn't figure out how to let it out, so I just hid.
I felt even guiltier toward oppa. I couldn't do anything, couldn't stand up to her.
…Should I have just grabbed her hair and started a fight? Or at least cussed her out?
No, I couldn't do that. Never have.
But sitting back just hurt us more. What now?
As I stewed…
…It hit me that there was one person in my head who could teach me how.
I didn't really want to go there. I hated the idea of snapping at anyone.
But I hated her popping up in front of me and oppa even more.
It'd only been about a month since last time, but still—infuriating. I wished she'd just vanish.
So, this once, I'd ask Seung-min for help.
He'd teach me well, the total scumbag he was.