Chapter 39
Chapter 39
The Semester Begins
The semester began.
After spending the Lunar New Year holiday at home, Yu Yeon-seo attempted a memory synchronization.
“Grandmother...”
Just then, a memory of his grandmother surfaced.
Judging by the eye level from which he was looking at Park Geum-ju, he couldn’t have been more than an elementary school student. His eyelids felt heavy, and his vision was blurry, as if he had been crying a lot.
“...You’re becoming more and more like that child.”
Park Geum-ju glanced coldly at her grandson reaching out with both hands, then turned her back, went into her room, and closed the door.
“Stop bothering me. I’m busy.”
Left behind, Yu Yeon-seo stared blankly at the closed door. He felt an indescribable emotion, but he knew one thing for sure: he was very sad.
<Random Memory Synchronization Complete. Synchronization Rate: 20.18%>
Leaning over the sink, Yu Yeon-seo, who had been coughing up blood, turned on the cold water and washed his face.
‘All my memories of Grandmother are like this.’
She was always scolding him and never gave him a warm hug. It might be understandable when he was older, given his foul personality, but shouldn’t she have been kinder to him as a child? He was her grandson, after all.
It wasn’t that she was gruff but secretly cared for me...
‘She was acting that way because she felt guilty now.’
It was a little bittersweet.
After the Lunar New Year, March arrived, and with it, the new semester.
‘What will university life be like?’
He recalled the countless videos he had watched in the year 2207. Scenes of students hanging out with their classmates on a campus full of cherry blossoms, or conflicts sparked by a senior causing a scene at a department drinking party.
Dramas are just dramas, not reality, he thought, but he still felt a little excited.
(Im Seung-hyeon) Young Master
(Im Seung-hyeon) Are you sure you don’t need me to come?
In truth, Im Seung-hyeon had arranged his entire schedule. He hadn’t meant to rely on him this much, but it was undeniably convenient. As one of the few people outside the immediate family who knew about his amnesia, Im Seung-hyeon sometimes treated Yu Yeon-seo like a child left by the water’s edge.
(Me) It’s fine.
Yu Yeon-seo chuckled and typed his reply. He’s a lot like Yu Eun-ho, now that I think about it. Aren’t they the same age?
He had learned how to drive instantly after doing it once in auto-action mode. It seemed his senses from his time as Kang Jin-hu were still intact, as he learned physical skills quickly.
“This is too flashy...”
The only problem was that all the cars he owned were incredibly extravagant. Wasn’t it a bit much to drive one to school?
After much deliberation, Yu Yeon-seo chose a matte black foreign car, the most understated of the bunch.
“What’s that?”
“Whoa...”
But his worries had been for nothing.
The rare car drew initial attention, but what if the person getting out was Yu Yeon-seo? The man was even more conspicuous than the car.
Unfazed by the stares—something celebrities were used to—Yu Yeon-seo stopped a passing student.
“Where’s the business administration building?”
“...That way.”
“Thanks.”
Yu Yeon-seo gave a brief nod and strode off with his long legs. The spring sunshine and cherry blossoms seen in the media were all lies. It was still chilly.
“Wow.”
The student left behind stared blankly at Yu Yeon-seo’s retreating back for a long moment before opening the university’s online community and rapidly tapping on the screen.
-Yu Yeon-seo is here right now
he asked me where the business building was and then left
└fr??
└what does he look like in person?
└(OP) Freaking handsome
Yu Yeon-seo was part of the class of ’12 and had attended the university briefly at a time when online communities weren’t as common as they are now.
Stories passed down like folktales from a few upperclassmen included legends like, “If you look for the most radiant person in the lecture hall, that’s Yu Yeon-seo,” or how the path would clear like the parting of the Red Sea when he walked by, and even cartoonish advice not to bother “that person” by talking to him.
-Yu Yeon-seo is looking for his classroom now
(Photo)
└was there a rumor he was coming back?
└there was an article about it
└wow i can’t believe i go to the same school as yu yeon-seo lol
└his legs are so damn long fml life is unfair
└└is it just the leg length that’s different?
└└└fml
‘Is this it...?’
Ignoring the commotion behind him, Yu Yeon-seo entered the lecture hall and sat in the very back row. The students who came in after him paused at the sight of him, then cautiously moved to their seats.
Click.
Hearing the sound of a camera shutter from somewhere, Yu Yeon-seo instinctively turned his head.
“Gasp...”
The student he made eye contact with gasped. After staring at the student for a few seconds, Yu Yeon-seo silently mouthed, “Go ahead and take a good one,” and waved.
Click. Click.
Now that I’ve given them an opening, they’re just taking pictures openly. Yu Yeon-seo leaned back comfortably in his chair and crossed his legs.
‘Why did I even worry about the car?’
I’m more conspicuous than the car. Yu Yeon-seo let out a small sigh. Guess I can’t even dream of having someone mark my attendance for me.
-saw yu yeon-seo on my way
asked for a picture and he took one for me!
└but why aren’t you in the picture?
└(OP) i’d look bad standing next to him so i just asked him to take a selfie with my phone lol
└└and he did it? wow i should ask him too
Yu Yeon-seo’s long-awaited return to university stirs up online community
Yu Yeon-seo returns to Hankuk University, flood of eyewitness accounts say he’s “so handsome it makes you curse”
While Yu Yeon-seo was setting not just the university community but the entire internet ablaze, his cousin, Park Seon-woo, was also on campus.
“Hey, Park Seon-woo. What are you doing after class?”
“I have to meet someone, so not today.”
He casually waved off his classmates’ invitation.
“Who are you meeting on the first day of the semester?”
“Just...”
Park Seon-woo trailed off. Noticing his hesitation, his classmates surrounded him.
“Just who?”
“Aren’t you leaving?”
“Don’t tell me it’s a girlfriend?!”
They all jeered, “Ooooh.” Park Seon-woo irritably told them to get out of his way. But his classmates were dead set on teasing him, making a fuss and asking who she was and where she lived.
“Park Seon-woo.”
At the sudden low voice, Park Seon-woo’s classmates turned their heads.
“Gasp.”
“Y-Yu Yeon-seo?”
Park Seon-woo’s shoulders flinched. He approached Yu Yeon-seo and whispered.
“Uh... hyung, did you not see my text?”
“Didn’t see it. Friends?”
“Y-yeah... classmates.”
Park Seon-woo hesitated noticeably. Is he awkward because it’s the first time we’ve met on campus? Yu Yeon-seo wondered, and decided to greet his cousin’s classmates first.
“Hello.”
“Oh, yes, hello!”
“Big fan!”
Friendly for a first meeting. Yu Yeon-seo let out a small laugh.
“So, what’s your relationship with Seon-woo...?”
Park Seon-woo urgently grabbed Yu Yeon-seo’s shoulder, but unfortunately, Yu Yeon-seo was faster.
“Cousins.”
“What?”
“Whoa! Then, Park Seon-woo, you’re...”
“Juseong? A chaebol?!”
Park Seon-woo clutched his head. He had planned to meet quietly in a secluded spot, but they had run into each other sooner than expected.
“What, was it a secret?”
“Not exactly... a secret, but...”
“Then why is he acting like that?”
Yu Yeon-seo watched Park Seon-woo’s classmates with amusement as they made a fuss. They were looking up the Juseong family on a search engine, making a racket with comments like, “Whoa, Park Seon-woo’s name is really there?!” and “My college buddy who I practically lived with at the PC bang is actually a chaebol?!”
“There was no reason to reveal it. Let’s just go.”
Embarrassed, Park Seon-woo lowered his head and led Yu Yeon-seo away.
“I mean, I wasn’t born in the spotlight like you, hyung. My face isn’t even known, so I can’t just go around saying, ‘Yes, I’m a third-generation heir of Juseong.’ I can’t do that.”
“How are you going to run a MyTube channel being this timid?”
“Actually, I’m doing it to try and fix my timidness...”
Park Seon-woo laughed awkwardly.
“Even so, being with me, your face is probably all over the internet by now.”
“Whoa... this is no joke.”
At Yu Yeon-seo’s nod, Park Seon-woo looked around. No one was openly taking pictures, but everyone was staring at Yu Yeon-seo.
“This must be tiring for you too, hyung.”
Yu Yeon-seo shrugged. Honestly, it was a bit awkward when he first entered this body, but...
‘I’ve gotten used to it.’
His achievement as the only soldier not ‘disposed of’ was used not only for training new soldiers but also for propaganda, so he was no stranger to this kind of attention.
Yu Yeon-seo headed to the restaurant Park Seon-woo led him to. It was quite crowded, but it had partitions, which helped block some of the stares.
“Hey, Seon-woo.”
“Huh?”
“What was I... like before?”
“Why do you ask?”
Yu Yeon-seo leaned forward, closer to Park Seon-woo across the table. Taking the hint, Park Seon-woo also leaned in.
“This is a secret, but...”
Park Seon-woo swallowed hard.
“The thing is, after my accident last year, my memory has been... strange.”
“What?”
“I can’t remember things well.”
“Really? Like amnesia from the dramas, that kind of thing?”
“Something like that.”
Park Seon-woo recalled his mother, Yu Seon-yeong, who had made a huge fuss, crying, “What will happen to our Yeon-seo?” as if he were her own son. He’d heard that even if Yeon-seo recovered from his coma, he would likely be in a vegetative state... It struck him anew how quickly he had gotten better.
“Come to think of it, it’s a miracle you’re alive, hyung.”
“Anyway, it’s a secret. Nothing good will come from it getting out.”
When Yu Yeon-seo added that he was the only cousin who knew, Park Seon-woo’s expression immediately brightened.
“No wonder... so that’s why you’ve become a normal person.”
“Don’t tell me I was rude to you, too?”
“No, it wasn’t like that.”
Yu Yeon-seo waited for Park Seon-woo to speak. He couldn’t just wait until his memory synchronization reached 100%. There was no harm in finding out beforehand.
Still, seeing how comfortable Park Seon-woo was around him, he must have toned down his temper in front of family and relatives.
“Eun-ho hyung is busy with work, but he still took good care of us personally. But you weren’t that close with us, hyung.”
“Oh...”
Just as I’d expect from my brother.
“When you greeted us, you’d just give a slight nod. And when the adults asked you anything, your only answer was, ‘Yes, I’ll take care of it.’”
“And what else? Was there anything else?”
Park Seon-woo rested his chin on his hand, lost in thought. He was just a baby back then, so he didn’t know much, but he’d heard from his older sister that when Yu Yeon-seo was in kindergarten, he used to be close with his cousins and was very affectionate and charming to the adults, receiving all their attention.
But after Lee Hui-seo’s accident, he apparently grew darker and became less talkative. That was why his rude behavior in the media didn’t quite match up with those memories.
“That’s right. You used to space out sometimes.”
“I did?”
“Yeah, and then you’d suddenly run outside. We just thought you were bored with us, but you wouldn’t know, right, hyung?”
“Of course not. I don’t remember.”
Spacing out can happen when you’re lost in thought. But for a cousin he only saw occasionally at family events to point it out specifically, it must have been very noticeable...
“How were Grandmother and I?”
“Grandmother? Your relationship wasn’t great. But she wasn’t that close with us either. Though I heard she took good care of Eun-ho hyung since he’s the eldest grandson.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, she was often abroad, so we rarely saw her.”
“And you don’t know why she was away?”
Park Seon-woo frowned, trying to recall.
“I heard it was for work, and also for treatment...”
Treatment, huh... Yu Yeon-seo clenched and unclenched his fist, lost in thought.
‘What a mess.’
Yu Yeon-seo observed the diverse cast of characters unfolding before him.
[Excuse me, senior... are you coming to the welcome party?]
[Me?]
He’d heard that students who were just a few years older were called fossils. Wouldn’t it be too much for him to join in?
He was about to politely decline, but he had homework from Park Hyeon-jeong to observe people, and he was also curious, so he decided to attend.
[Are you going to be attending school regularly now? How is your grandfather’s health?]
[The future of our Hankuk University!]
But a barricade of professors had formed around Yu Yeon-seo. They offered him drinks, saying they should see each other more often, and Yu Yeon-seo drank moderately while observing the people around him.
The initially awkward gathering quickly became boisterous once the alcohol started flowing. There were even some people doing things they would surely regret the next day.
‘Maybe it’s time to head home.’
I didn’t realize I don’t really like this kind of atmosphere.
Just then, his phone buzzed with a notification.
(Writer Jeong Da-hee) Yeon-seo!
(Writer Jeong Da-hee) I’ve finished the scripts for episodes 1 and 2!
I’m done people-watching. I’ll just go home and read the script. Yu Yeon-seo politely excused himself from those trying to hold him back and headed outside.