At the End of Summer Vacation
After I finished editing the video, I flopped onto my bed.
From the pool shoot that morning to the water games afterward, then coming home and wrapping up both the contest video edit and the making-of film... I was so worn out I could have closed my eyes right there and drifted straight into dreamland.
But it was still only around 7 p.m.
And I still hadn’t eaten dinner, either, since I’d been too focused on the edit.
So if I went to sleep now and slipped off to dreamland, I’d almost certainly wake up in the middle of the night, wandering around in search of something to eat.
Even if I was tired, it made more sense to hold off on sleeping for now, rest a little, and deal with dinner first.
Lying there on the bed, I looked out the window and saw the sky already darkening, the sun sinking low.
At this rate... it looked like it’d be completely dark in another thirty minutes or so.
Come to think of it, when summer vacation first started, the sky was still bright at 7 p.m.
It was easy to forget because of the lingering heat, but this year’s summer solstice—the longest day of the year—had actually passed at the end of June.
Since then, sunset had been getting earlier every day; I just hadn’t noticed.
But now that I was finally done preparing for the contest and watching the sun go down this early, I could really feel summer vacation drawing to a close.
...
I’d already finished all my vacation homework ahead of time, so what should I do before school started again?
Maybe I should pick up a short-term part-time job and make some money?
After dumping all my pay into Bitcoin, there were plenty of times during summer vacation when I’d wanted to go out with my friends but had to give up because I didn’t have enough cash.
There was even that time at the department store café when I’d had to ask Han Sia to spot me for coffee because I was short on money. I’d been so embarrassed I could barely lift my head.
So if I made enough pocket money with a short-term job before school started, I probably wouldn’t have any trouble hanging out with my friends without touching the steady income from my sandwich shop part-time job.
.
.
.
Then, a little later, my smartphone chimed with a message alert.
The sender was Yu Soha.
She must have watched the making-of film I’d sent earlier.
Yu Soha: Thanks for sending the video, Oppa. Somi unnie and Sia unnie loved it too.
Yu Soha: After watching the video you sent, I thought maybe I should’ve joined the contest too. If something like this happens again, I hope you’ll let me in from the very start next time.
Yu Soha: By the way, I had no idea Oppa knew how to edit videos. Or did you learn it just this time? If so, I’m kind of embarrassed... Is video editing one of those things where talent matters too?
Yu Soha: Take your time replying. I still have to help with dinner anyway. Thanks again!
...
Mm. It was worth pushing myself a little longer, even after finishing the contest video, just to keep going when I wanted nothing more than to rest.
Actually, the making-of film hadn’t required me to worry about things like motion continuity or matching the beat of the music at all, so it hadn’t taken much effort to put together.
It had taken less than an hour to finish...
And yet they’d all liked it that much. Making videos was a better deal than I’d expected.
Especially since it didn’t cost me anything extra.
.
.
.
After a simple dinner, I got ready to turn in early for the night.
I washed up, brushed my teeth, tidied up the clothes scattered around the room, turned off the lights, and dove into bed.
-♪-♫~♩-♬
But the moment I closed my eyes, my phone rang with another message alert.
I was so tired... I just wanted to ignore it and fall asleep...
But when I thought about the fact that the only people who ever messaged me were my friends, curiosity stirred awake and made my hand move on its own.
...
And then, in the middle of the night, I received a completely unexpected gift...
Han Sia: This is my return gift for your video. You probably already saw it during the day, but I thought you’d like being able to pull it out and look at it whenever you want. Just like the video you sent me.
Han Sia: For the record, you don’t have to delete it. As long as you keep the security settings tight enough so nobody else can see it, that should be fine. If it’s you, Jung Ian, I’m sure you know better than I do how to handle this sort of thing, so I can trust you with it, right?
Han Sia: Ah, and don’t tell Somi. It’s a secret.
Han Sia: No, don’t tell anyone. Just keep it to yourself.
Haah... all my sleepiness vanished in an instant.
A suddenly sent bikini selfie was way too stimulating.
Of course, I’d already seen Han Sia in a bikini at the pool today, but keeping a photo like this was a completely different feeling.
At the same time, though, deleting a gift like that on my own just felt wrong somehow.
In the end, I got out of bed and started agonizing over what to do with the picture.
...
Then, when I checked again, I realized there had been messages that arrived even before the one Han Sia sent.
Since no alert had sounded, the sender had to be Yu Somi.
She’d been on a roll lately, sending me message after message whenever the mood hit, so we’d mutually agreed to turn off message notifications.
So, since I was up already, I checked Yu Somi’s message too...
Yu Somi: Ian! Thank you so, so much for making the video!!! (≧∇≦) Watching it brought back all the memories of how hard we worked together this summer vacation... (omitted)... With this, I feel like I’ll be able to remember this summer vacation vividly for a long time, so I’m really happy... (rest omitted)
Yu Somi: So I started wanting to give Ian something too... Ta-da~ It’s the photo of the bikini I wore today! ( > ᴗ • )
Yu Somi: Ah, and you absolutely can’t delete this photo by mistake, okay? My size changes every year, so this was the last time I’ll ever be able to wear this swimsuit. Which means this photo is a one-of-a-kind limited edition that can never be seen again! ( ✧ ̫ ✧ )
Yu Somi: And keep it a secret from Sia~❤ You have to look at it all by yourself!
Yu Somi had sent one too.
I was tired and ready to sleep, and then these cute girls had to go and show me their bikini photos twice in a row, completely blowing away whatever trace of sleepiness I had left!!
Gghhh...! These shameless little—!
...
Hah... calm down. No matter how bad it gets, I shouldn’t give up on being a human being.
So, let’s just look at this and calm down...
No, wait. Is this even okay?
Still, this was...
...
In the end, not long after “calming down,” I passed out on the bed.
And the next morning, I decided to hide the photos they’d sent me deep inside an encrypted folder.
***- Transfer Recommendation
Song Changwon.
A first-year student at the same high school as Jung Ian, and one of the country’s leading chaebol heirs as well as one of its most gifted prodigies.
The Jung Ian who had regressed knew him from his graduate-school days... but Song Changwon himself had no way of knowing that.
Song Changwon was the kind of person people called a born winner.
With a privileged family and natural talent, and with the kind of man who worked twice as hard as everyone else on top of being handsome, the phrase “born winner” almost felt like it had been invented for Song Changwon alone.
With his tall frame and refined good looks, people were always trailing after him.
Anyone who took issue with him was silenced by Song Changwon’s own ability and talent, while anyone who envied or resented him was crushed under the overwhelming power of his chaebol family until they had no choice but to bow their heads to the ground.
This way of life hadn’t changed in seventeen years, so it was only natural that he looked down on people without wealth or backing behind them.
Still, because Song Changwon also respected and treated with deference anyone who possessed real skill and power, that small flaw had never caused him any serious problems...
But today, his life stood at a major turning point because of the butterfly effect set off by that one tiny flaw.
“...Baekseung High School. The kind of school Han Sia, whose grades are just average, attends so she can rack up her GPA easily... the sort of place people call a nobody dump school, isn’t it? To think I’d have to consider transferring there... If it’s Father’s decision, then I have no complaints, but I still don’t understand the reasoning.”
Song Changwon was currently being summoned to the study by his father.
But since he was already so academically accomplished that he could choose which domestic university to attend, he was only enrolled in an elite high school for the sake of connections and alumni ties.
So when his father suddenly told him to transfer to some no-name high school, he couldn’t help being baffled.
“Changwon, what did you take away from that gifted education program in Daegwallyeong last time? The way you’ve been acting lately... it seems that experience made a pretty strong impression on you.”
His father asked the question with a benevolent smile on his face.
Changwon, who always respected his father and followed his lead, thought seriously about it before answering.
“I realized there was an error in my standard for judging people by their wealth and background. I didn’t know there were people who had no money and no backing, yet were still outstanding in ability.”
Changwon was confident in his answer. More than anything, it was sincere, with not a single lie mixed in.
But his father, still wearing that warm smile, corrected him.
“Ho ho. As a father, I’m delighted that my son is willing to straighten out his twisted lens, but your understanding is actually rather far from the truth.”
“If you’re pointing out my shortcomings, I’ll keep them in mind.”
“Home appliances are better the sturdier they are, but your grandfather doesn’t design them on the assumption that a truck will drive over them.”
“Yes. It’s possible to build them that way, but considering a situation where a truck runs them over offers very little return on investment.”
“The same goes for how you judge people. Right now, Changwon, you’re simply the one who happened to get hit by a dump truck called Jung Ian. You can't use that man as your standard for how the world works and expect to see reality clearly.”
In truth, Song Changwon had been secretly cutting back on sleep and immersing himself in science-related study ever since taking a hard blow from Jung Ian and Han Sia during that gifted program.
The overwhelming gap in ability he’d felt there had been so shocking that it shook the foundation of the confidence he’d built in his own skill.
And his father had arranged this meeting because he was worried about his son hurting himself by taking something so absurd as his benchmark.
Changwon, who was smarter than most people his age, quickly grasped his father’s intent, and once again felt his respect deepen.
“After the presentation at the gifted program, the people who attended it went back and told all kinds of stories... apparently there were some small changes to the government’s policy for promoting the biotech sector.”
“...?!“
“When I first heard that those proud old men were moved by a presentation from a high school student, I thought it was a joke. But you’re smart enough to understand exactly what kind of situation that implies, aren’t you?”
“...It sounds like Han Sia found an oil field in a sewage treatment plant.”
“Exactly. But that doesn’t mean you should go around licking someone else’s discovery. There are people better suited to that sort of thing.”
“...”
“Go on. If you see sewage and oil in the same place, it’ll correct your misunderstanding too. Whether you’re here or there, it won’t make much difference for getting into university, so think of it as life experience and attend Baekseung High School.”
“Understood.”
“Ah, and just as Han Sia’s father did, I’m planning to assign you a helper too. I’ll set up a meeting for you soon, so go and get acquainted.”