CH 15.3

***

It was my first day going to cram school. I put my pencil case and notebook in my new backpack. They said the textbooks would be given when I got there, so I didn’t have much stuff with me.

The cram school, which was a 10-minute bus ride away, started lectures at 9:30, and I had to be there by 9:00 because 9:00-9:30 is self-study time. But today was my first day, so I was told that we would have something called an orientation. 

I wore my shoes and went outside. My phone rang as soon as I reached the bus stop.

“Yes, Mr. Yeon.”

—Have you left?

“Yeah. I’m at the bus stop.”

—How are you feeling?

“Just so so. Okay.”

—Okay?

His voice, laced with laughter, tickled my ear. I took away the phone for a second and scratched my ear.

—I see. Take care. We need something delicious for dinner. Celebrating Kim Jiho getting into cram school.

“Are you going to go home early today?”

—Mhm, I’ll go home early.

“Okay.”

I got on the bus that came just in time for the call ended. It felt somewhat awkward wearing a bag after a long time. I fiddled with the strap of my bag and looked out the window. 

There was no traffic, so I arrived at the school quickly. I had been here once before during registration, so it wasn’t hard to get in. 

The lecture room was pretty full. I looked around, then I took a seat at the last row which was empty. After taking out my pencil case and notebook, I hung my bag on the bag hanger. The room was almost like a classroom, except it was better equipped than a school classroom. I didn’t know that I would come to such a place again. It felt somewhat weird.

As the time of the start approached, the seats filled up. The seat next to me was also taken up by a boy.

The lecturer then came in. I listened as he explained the schedule and plans leading up to the August exam. There was nothing to note, but I just tried to note it down. My writing was messy because it had been a long time since I had picked up a pencil.

I wondered if I would also get some calluses if I worked hard. I recalled Yeon Woojeong’s middle finger and touched my soft fingers.

“You’re going to form groups to study together in the study hall during self-study time. You should also help each other memorize English words.”

Argh. How annoying. I scratched the corners of my notebook with my pencil, then erased it because it was dirty. 

“You can just do a group of four right where you’re sitting, and a group of three for the last row.”

The three people the lecturer pointed to were me, the boy next to me, and the girl sitting in front of me. The lecturer left after telling us to get to know each other and gradually get close. I felt the boy glancing at me. The girl in front of me turned around.

“Good morning.”

“Yes! Good morning.”

I greeted them by nodding my head. The girl wore a lot of earrings on her ears, and seeing that she put a guitar bag on the empty seat next to her, it seemed that she worked on music.

“I’m Ham Yoonah. Twenty.”

“You’re older than me. I’m Yoon Suyoung.”

The boy named Yoon Suyoung somehow smiled shyly. Then their gazes turned to me.

“I’m Kim Jiho. Twenty.”

“Wow, Hyung. You have a good voice.”

Yoon Suyoung gave me a thumbs-up. It was my first time hearing it, and it seemed he was good at giving false praises.

“Jiho? We’re the same age. Shall we speak casually?”

“…… Okay.”

“You can speak casually too. We’re only one year apart anyway.”

“Ay, but you two are older than me, so how could I do that?”

I looked at Yoon Suyoung scratching his head, then I looked around. There were some who looked young, but mostly were my age. It was comforting to know that there were a lot of people out there who didn’t go to school and would take the GED. Wouln’t half of the people here pass the test? I believed that more than half of the people here would pass.

Yoon Suyoung and Ham Yoonah talked as if they had met each other in the past, and I would nod, or answer if they asked me something. I would be stuck with them for 5 months, and fortunately, their first impressions weren’t bad.

I also tried to not give a bad impression. I felt like I needed to get along with them so I wouldn’t be distracted from my studies. It seemed that I couldn’t give a good impression to my peers, but it was when I was young, so it might change now.

It was lunchtime once the lectures ended. Originally, we had to do self-study after having lunch, but because it was the first day, everyone went home. I took a bus that went somewhere else, not home. I had a lunch appointment with Seo Jihee today.

Yeon Woojeong told me that there was a contact from Seo Jihee before he changed my number, so I contacted her with my new number. Seo Jihee said she would buy me a meal, so I said okay, but I planned to pay for it.

Our meeting place was a restaurant that served wood-fired pizza, and it wasn’t far from here. I easily found the restaurant by looking at the maps. It was a restaurant with a stuffed bearded chef outside. 

“Jiho!”

She waved her hand. I approached her and bowed my head.

“Hello.”

“It’s been a long time. You cut your hair.”

We got inside and took a seat. After looking around the wild yet cozy interior, with its dolls and framed pictures everywhere, I saw the menu Seo Jihee showed to me. 

“I will have set 1 here. Anything that has “best” written over it is the most delicious.”

“Then I’ll have this one.”

“Okay. It is really delicious.”

Seo Jihee raised her thumb, then called the server and placed our order. We were served with drinks first. She took a long sip of her soda and let out an exclamation.

“How have you been? I was surprised because your number suddenly changed.”

“I moved, and I got into cram school.”

“Cram school? How is it? Is it okay?”

“Today is the first day.”

Seo Jihee covered her mouth with both hands and stomped her feet, saying you must be nervous, as if she were on her first day of school. I wasn’t nervous, but I nodded.

“Are you still working in the convenience store?”

“I am. We got a new worker after you left, but… I miss you nowadays. Come back please.”

“Why?”

“The new worker is… Is it because I compare him to you? Haah… He’s frustrating.”

She made a teary look and said it was a good thing because she would leave as well soon. I left a bit abruptly because of that problem, so I felt a bit sorry for her.

“Then Jiho, do you have no plans to do another part-time job?”

“I have, but I’m not sure what to do yet.”

“Hmm, how about working at a counter? Someone I know owns an accessory shop, and she’s looking for a part-timer.”

Seo Jihee said that it was a shop near her university that sold accessories, hats, phone cases, and other miscellaneous items. The hourly wage was the lowest, but the work was nothing compared to the convenience store, she said, adding that I just needed to check out the items and bring the customers the items they were looking for. 

“All the customers are students because it’s close to the campus, so it won’t be hard dealing with them.”

“Are you not doing it yourself?”

“Me? It overlaps with the convenience store working hours, and I’m going to take a break from part-timing for a while when I’m done with the convenience store. And Jiho, you are a good fit with the requirement she’s looking for…”

“What kind of requirement?”

“Well, that place has a lot of female customers.”

Seo Jihee wrinkled her nose as she laughed. I had the feeling that any place she suggested would be fine. Besides, the working hours were perfect. I didn’t have to do it every day, and it was before Yeon Woojeong came home, so it wouldn’t disturb my study because I wouldn’t be there all night.

“Well then… I want to do it.”

“You want to? Okay. I will give her your number.”

“Thank you.”