Freshman Champ (3)
“What’s this, you actually wanna eat lunch with us today?” Yun-su grinned, welcoming Seonghwan who was joining them for the first time in a while during lunch hour.
“...Yeah, circumstances. I gotta go all-in on cafeteria food for a bit.”
“Whoa... Seonghwan’s here too?”
The voice from behind made Seonghwan turn around, and there was Yesul beaming brightly as she hurried over. She dashed right to the cafeteria entrance, squeezed between the two guys like it was routine, and checked the menu.
“Pork cutlet and cola today?”
At Yesul’s half-forced menu pick, Yun-su made a circle with his fingers to show full agreement, his whole body signaling no objections.
Watching them, Seonghwan said, “I’ll have ramen...”
“Huh?”
“Eh?”
Seonghwan usually preferred Korean dishes over snacks, and fried food over Korean. (Ignoring his top love for curry rice.) He’d happily munch on deep-fried spicy green peppers, so when he passed on pork cutlet, the two stared at him in confusion.
“You always got pork cutlet if it was the special, no question.”
“Right? And you don’t even like ramen that much. You haven’t eaten with us in days—did your tastes change already?”
“Sigh... yeah, something like that.”
Seonghwan let out a breath and headed to the snack line. Yesul and Yun-su followed right behind.
“What’s up? Doesn’t seem like you’re eating it ‘cause you want to.”
“........My dad cut my allowance in half.”
“Eung? Why suddenly?”
“He chewed me out for getting wasted on the first day of the semester. Even brought up repeating a year. You guys know how it is—once my dad mentions me repeating, negotiations are over.”
“What? Cut your allowance for drinking? That make sense? Pretty soon it’ll be welcome parties everywhere—March is basically drinking season.”
“..........”
Seonghwan hadn’t told Yun-su about crashing at the motel last night, and he didn’t particularly want to now. Yun-su wasn’t the type to just let it slide—if he dug in, the story with Jo Yu-mi senior would inevitably come up.
And... Yesul seemed to guess something, quietly shutting her mouth.
“Anyway, gotta save my allowance for a bit. I’ll grab ramen today, you guys do pork cutlet or whatever. And even if I turn into a cheapskate, you gotta understand.”
To lighten the mood, Seonghwan switched to a playful tone and got back in the snack line for his ticket.
Then Yesul, standing behind him, tugged his clothes.
“Let’s go.”
“Where???”
“To get pork cutlet.”
“Huh? I said ramen.”
Yesul’s lips pursed stubbornly, and she dragged him to the pork cutlet line anyway. Yun-su cluelessly chased after her.
A generous pork cutlet was set before Seonghwan, but he couldn’t bring himself to pick up the knife.
This saintly Yesul sacrificed her own ticket for this hearty pork cutlet...
Honestly, Seonghwan had hoped deep down that eating with Yesul and Yun-su might score him a free meal. But he couldn’t mooch off them every day, and he didn’t want to act entitled just because friends offered.
Bitter. Even skimping, it’s at least a month till my first paycheck from a job. But Dad already slashed my allowance.
Seonghwan’s dad was a man of his word. As the head of a mid-sized company he’d stubbornly run for nearly 20 years, he had a solid rep now as a stable subcontractor to big corps. But just 10 years ago, it’d teetered on wage default crises multiple times. He’d held firm and turned it into the respected firm it was today—even ignoring big clients’ price freezes to pass on inflation costs, with unyielding grit.
“Hey, Yun-su.”
“Huh? What?”
Yun-su was chomping his cutlet, so Seonghwan waited till he swallowed.
“You know any part-time gigs?”
“Huh? Part-time? Why?”
At Seonghwan’s out-of-left-field request, question marks popped on Yun-su’s face. Yesul, who’d been listening, jumped in.
“Because of the allowance cut? So you’re job hunting, Seonghwan?”
“Sigh... looks like it.”
Yun-su looked exasperated and tried to dissuade him.
“Dude, this is prime study time—what’s with the part-time? Studying has its season too. Bad timing, no? Freshmen can experiment, but now you gotta focus on majors to even start competing. Rethink it?”
“You don’t get it, Yun-su. My dad sticks to his words. I’m stuck on 200,000 won a month this semester.”
At Seonghwan’s grim face, Yesul looked worried.
“We can buy your meals, Seonghwan. Saves cafeteria cash, and if you’re buying for underclassmen or something, just tell us then—maybe we cover it?”
Her concern was genuine, and Seonghwan knew she wasn’t just saying it. He’d felt her friendship bone-deep during his repeat year hell.
Anticipating hardship is one thing; reliving it is pure Avici. For Seonghwan, repeating was hell itself. High school friends who texted during his first retry went silent; their profiles were all vacation grins.
In that abyss, one ray: Yesul’s blessing.
‘Seonghwan, Yun-su’s in the army, I took leave... nothing to do. Your study room needs a manager? I applied. Cool, right? Heehee.’
‘Try this. Vitamins for dark room dwellers.’
‘One more problem, then rest? I’ll write the solution—you can check later.’
Yesul was a true saint. So he knew: she wanted to shoulder his allowance woes too.
But I’m Kim Seonghwan. No way I’m a bloodsucking mosquito on a girl.
To show his resolve, Seonghwan clenched his fists.
“I’m my dad’s son too. Human Kim Seonghwan. Late to uni life, but I’ll outpace you in the real world.”
Yun-su pitied him.
“Bro, such grand resolve. Sounds like a big corp interview.”
“You’re my best friend— that what you say?”
“Whatever! Checked shops near school? They hire a lot.”
“Near school?”
“Yeah, heard they post openings often. Even short monthly gigs—friends do ‘em.”
“Huh? That works?”
“Dunno. Just what I heard.”
Seonghwan pondered Yun-su’s words. Yesul watched his profile intently.
****
“Um... excuse me.”
“Oh? Welcome. How many?”
The jolly, rotund boss approached with a warm smile at Seonghwan’s greeting.
“No, not eating. Saw your help wanted sign.”
“Oh~ job hunting? Korea U student?”
“Yep.”
“Ooh, nice.”
The boss pulled out a table and offered a seat.
“Sit, sit. Let’s chat easy.”
“Th-thanks.”
As Seonghwan sat, the boss handed a drink with a kind grin.
“Sip this. You know we’re a samgyeopsal joint? Obvious from the sign. Jobs are set: serving and dishes.”
“Dishes?”
“Peak’s hectic for serving, but sides are self-serve—so not too bad. Just refill the bar now and then. When customers thin out, dishes and griddles pile up—wash then.”
“Ah........”
“So, what hours you thinking?”
Seonghwan recalled his calculations.
“Honestly, second-year now, majors ramping up. Can’t do much—weekend afternoons/evenings, like 6 hours?”
“Weekends?”
The boss’s face turned baffled, eyeing him oddly.
“Don’t know why school-area spots hire per semester?”
“Huh? Special reason?”
The boss nodded knowingly and explained.
“These uni-town spots are seasonal. Not national hotspots—main customers are Korea U students. They come weekdays after class, with friends, seniors, whatever. Weekends? Hardly. Sure, study grinders come, top uni for a reason. But not for meat.”
“Ah!!”
Seonghwan finally got it. Military base eateries boom weekends—soldiers get passes. They sustain the area.
Uni district? Weekday student rush. Korea U has ~20k undergrads/grads. Prime golden egg for restaurants.
Damn... I only thought weekends.
Sensing it, the boss spoke slyly.
“Weekends 6 hours? That’s 12 weekly. How ‘bout weekdays 7-10pm, 3 hours? Peak anyway. Customers dip by 9. First round meat, second pub—rule. Then 9-10, blast dishes. We handle cleanup.”
Hmm... 15 hours weekly? Better than weekends? Classes end, home tired anyway—study suffers.
Decided, Seonghwan asked a sudden doubt.
“But these terms too good? You flex like this usually?”
The boss laughed heartily, slapping the table.
“Not for part-timers—for Korea U kids. Look around. Seasonal, I said. Semester’s insane. Vacation? Ghost town. Lunch kimchi jjigae’s half sales.”
Made sense. Not great city access, residential sparse. Without Korea U, it’d be dead zone.
“How keep staff thru dead vacation? So we welcome school kids. Most do semester stint, quit break. Norm.”
“Whoa..”
Sweet in season, spit the bitter. Do intense term, GTFO break.
Seonghwan got Yun-su’s short-term mention. He’d planned term-only anyway. Mutual benefit.
Watching, the boss leaned in whisperingly.
“And experience: Korea U kids bring friends once or twice. Helps hiring. Haha.”
Part-timer as server and pied piper. Seonghwan bitter-smiled, nodding.
I’m hired as server-slash-bait. But what can ya do? My network’s zilch.
“Hourly 15,000 won. Minimum’s 10,000, right? Decent pay. In?”
Caught off-guard, fastball to chest. Decision time.
Seonghwan stood, bowed 90 degrees.
“Please take care of me, boss.”
Dice rolled. Time for self-reliance.
“Haha, good call. Start tomorrow. Pay daily calc, end-month.”
Seonghwan’s bow froze.
“Tomorrow?”
“Yup.”
“Uh... need prep time..”
“Prep? Teach serving order, dish method—rest you learn. Builds quick. Easy.”
“Uh........”
Boss explained like netting a fish.
“Peak’s on. March prime uni-season. Soon opening assembly, freshman welcomes. Start tomorrow, rake cash. Got it?”
His “rake cash” sounded like “lure customers fast.”
Opening assembly? I’m out.
“See ya tomorrow. Haha.”
Boss moved to tidy hall—talk over.
Seonghwan smiled bitterly at his back.
Opening assembly a no-go. Sigh, my fate... Huh? Wait?
Something missed flickered. He racked his brain.
Finally.
Fuck. March 14th—Incheon trip with Yesul-Yun-su couple?
Key promise recalled, but bus sailed. Couldn’t bail on grinning boss over quick hire.
Maybe snag a sub that day?