Betting a Date on the Mock Exam
After Na-eun started school to make time for dates, she kept up her old tutoring schedule on Saturdays and Sundays—9 a.m. to 3 p.m.—and on Wednesdays, just a short session from 7 to 9 p.m.
Just as that routine was starting to feel familiar, something hugely important came up for Na-eun.
The March mock exam.
"Looks like we're doing the March mock exam, huh."
"Yeah... ughhh...."
"What, nervous?"
"Of course I'm nervous."
Na-eun nodded like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
To give her a little more courage—and a real sense of accomplishment—I made an offer I knew would hook her.
"If you do well this time, we'll take a day off."
"For real?"
"Obviously."
What's the biggest gift you can give a tutoring student? A whole day off.
Just the promise of skipping a session would give her a massive boost. If I were her, I'd grind like crazy for a holiday too. After all, she was spending six hours every weekend studying with me.
So I figured she'd study even harder...
"Oppa, instead of a day off, could you spend the day hanging out with me?"
Na-eun flipped the script with a suggestion I never saw coming. She wanted a full day with me.
"Hang out with you? Me?"
"Yeah!"
"...Doing what?"
"Anything!"
Her eyes sparkled with total sincerity when she said "anything." It wasn't a joke or teasing—she really wanted to spend time with me.
...What to do.
This might make me sound like a jerk, but Na-eun's day off was basically my day off too.
If she aced it and skipped, I'd get a break as well. It was mutual benefit, win-win.
But if we hung out, my day off vanished.
I hesitated for a second, but I couldn't drag it out. She was dead serious about wanting to spend the day with me.
Plus, as her tutor, my job was to boost her grades. Taking a break on the excuse of her success felt like a cheap cop-out—my conscience wouldn't let me.
"...Alright, deal."
"Really!? Yes...!"
Seeing her bounce with joy made my earlier hesitation feel stupid.
Yeah, if she's this excited, playing hooky for one day is no big deal.
As I packed up the books, I decided to ask her something crucial.
"Hey, Na-eun."
"Yeah, oppa?"
"Can I ask you something I'm curious about?"
"What!?"
Her eyes went wide, sparkling with excitement as she stared at me.
I went for it—a question that might be a little sensitive.
"Which school do you want to go to?"
I probably should've asked sooner, but I hadn't. Part of me thought she'd handle it fine on her own, but more importantly, asking a senior about their dream school can be tricky.
They're stressed about grades and college apps—adults casually asking "Which uni?" can piss them off.
Na-eun was always cheerful and sunny, but that meant I had to be extra careful not to add stress.
But now? We'd gotten close enough that it felt okay. I trusted she'd answer without overthinking or freaking out.
Na-eun pondered my question, opening and closing her mouth a few times.
I almost said "You don't have to answer," but then—
"Jinhan University... I want to go there."
"Jinhan University?"
"Yeah, Jinhan University."
Jinhan University—the name hit close to home.
Not top-tier nationally, but a solid upper-mid in Seoul, top ten overall.
And... the school I went to.
"...Jinhan University? My Jinhan University? Their humanities program?"
"Yeah..."
Na-eun averted her eyes, embarrassed.
There was a reason for her reaction.
Put bluntly, our school ranks in the top ten by scores. Add "humanities," and it jumps to top five territory—right below the big three.
If that's her goal...
"...You sure you can handle it?"
Her current scores? Not even close. Way short.
Math needs at least 2nd grade, Korean and English straight 1st. Humanities electives have to scrape 1st too.
Korean history's the easy one—4th grade's fine since it converts to full points from there.
Bottom line...
"You'll have to study way harder than now. This level won't cut it."
Right now? No chance. Impossible.
Her Korean and English hover at 2nd-grade edges, math around 3rd, Korean history 2nd, electives probably 3rd since I don't drill them much.
So, bump every subject up a grade (except history). And that's minimum. Korean might need even more—not just grades, but standard scores matter.
Na-eun glanced at me nervously but nodded.
"I can do it. No, I will."
"You really want Jinhan that bad?"
"Yeah, no matter what."
"Okay, then..."
I chose my words carefully, then laid it out straight.
"For this March mock exam, beat your home practice scores just a little. Even by a hair."
"Huh? You mean..."
"Hold Korean at 2nd, English 2nd, Korean history 2nd. That's baseline. Math 3rd, social studies 2nd—all steady. And improve one subject by a grade."
Home tests are comfy; school mocks aren't. Scores drop in real conditions.
So I just wanted maintenance for now—no dramatic jumps. I wasn't teaching full CSAT strategy yet; demanding miracles would be unfair.
But at this level, Jinhan was a pipe dream. Hence, "just one subject up" as a fair push.
Na-eun looked a bit troubled, but then her face hardened with resolve.
"I'll... I'll definitely improve. So think of someplace fun to go ahead of time."
It was just a casual bet for a day together, but why say it so fiercely? Was hanging out with me that desperate for her?
Nah, probably just felt that way.
I nodded back at her determined, earnest expression.
"I'll be looking forward to next week's scores."
"Yeah...! You better be...!"
No huge expectations here.
But if—if she actually hit those marks...
...She could really join me at Jinhan as a freshman.
If not, even max effort might fall short.
Over the next week, I worked harder than ever.
I asked Seonwoo oppa way more questions than usual, memorized tons more English vocab, read through heaps more Korean passages and solved problems.
One goal: Maintain scores, boost one subject.
That unlocks the date with my dream oppa.
So I gave it everything. Bone-deep effort, the kind you could write novels about.
And now, here are the results.
Grading looked solid—right at my target—but no slacking yet. Cutoffs shift, and I might've mis-marked something.
That's why the official score sheet from the teacher mattered. It had to show what I needed.
"Jeong Na-eun."
"Yes!"
My name called—I hurried up, took the sheet.
Then checked slowly, carefully.
Korean—2, Math—3, English—1, Korean History—2, Ethics & Thought—2, Society & Culture—2.
Korean, math, history, social studies—all maintained.
But English? A shining 1st grade.
They say it was easy this time, 9% cutoff—but who cares?
I got 1st. That means a date with Seonwoo oppa.
Nothing else matters.