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The second semester had begun.
Kang Chan felt as if everything was unfamiliar, including the school that he was leaving early for, the students crowding in front of the school gate, and even Seok Kang-Ho, who was giving the students a sharp look while holding a training stick.
Kang Chan went to school with Kim Mi-Young. She didn’t seem aware that he was getting the acceptance letter today.
“I’m going to drop by the athletics club, so you go up first,” Kang Chan told Kim Mi-Young.
“Okay! Let’s watch a movie later. I have some time to spare since it’s the first day of school.”
“I’m not sure if I can. I might have to go home first before going anywhere else, but I’ll let you know after seeing how things go.”
“Sure!”
After saying goodbye to Kim Mi-Young, Kang Chan headed to the athletics club room.
Click
“Hello!” the kids greeted.
The athletics club room was packed to the brim with kids.
“What’s going on? Why aren’t you in your classrooms?” Kang Chan asked.
“We had a morning meeting to get rid of bullying, and to put a stop to people taking money from other kids, and forcing them to run errands. We’ll start today,” Heo Eun-Sil answered from inside the room.
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She had removed her makeup and looked different, but more importantly, the look in her eyes had changed. Now that Kang Chan had thought about it, the look in Moon Ki-Jean’s eyes was quite lively. The same went for Lee Ho-Jun, Cho Sae-Ho, and Cha So-Yeon.
“You’re all in the athletics club, so don’t ever act out in the bullies’ stead,” Kang Chan told the kids.
“Alright, sunbae-nim.”
“I’m fine with you guys helping kids that are having a difficult time, but I’m not okay with you ‘helping’ irrelevant kids and fostering a scary atmosphere by attacking in groups. Got it?”
“We’ll be careful, sunbae-nim.”
This should be enough.
But when did the look in their eyes change?
Kang Chan smirked as he sat in an empty seat and listened to the kids’ discussion.
After a while, Seok Kang-Ho opened the door with a click and poked his head. “Go to your classrooms now.”
As instructed, the kids headed to their respective classrooms.
“Let’s go,” Seok Kang-Ho said.
The atmosphere made it seem as if Kang Chan was being dragged away. Unfortunately, he had no choice but to follow Seok Kang-Ho to the principal’s office.
The door was wide open.
The lights in the office were on, and there was also a camera inside that would broadcast the moment Kang Chan received the awards.
“Mr. Principal, I brought Kang Chan, the senior student,” Seok Kang-Ho said.
“Oh!”
The principal patted Kang Chan’s shoulder with a broad smile on his face.
After the commotion that came with greeting Kang Chan, an employee from the teacher’s office gestured to the principal.
“Ehem! We will now begin the opening ceremony for the second semester in the year 2010.”
His loud voice rang out from the speakers all over the building.
With the principal’s speech over, the time had come to give out the letter of acceptance, the scholarship certificate, and the certificate of commemoration.
“Kang Chan, a senior student, has been given a full scholarship to a national university in France. We hereby present to him the letter of acceptance, the scholarship certificate, and the certificate of commemoration.”
“Wow!” exclaimed the people listening from the entire building.
The awarding ceremony ended on that note.
“Sunbae-nim! Congratulations!” the kids greeted Kang Chan when he returned to the athletics club room. They had run over to him as if they were flying. Kim Mi-Young was with them, looking full of worry. Hence, Kang Chan smiled lightly.
“What happened? I didn’t know!” Kim Mi-Young asked.
“I was notified rather suddenly too. I’m thinking of going home and giving this to my parents. I’ll come back here after. What do you want to do?”
“Can I come with you?”
“Of course. Cha So-Yeon, tell the teacher about this. When I get back, lunch is on me. Let’s eat together.”
Thinking that today was his last day at school, Kang Chan wanted to at least have a meal with them. After instructing Cha So-Yeon, he headed home with Kim Mi-Young.
“You’re really not going to France?” Kim Mi-Young asked.
“I already told you that I’m not!”
“You can’t go alone!”
“Even if I do want to go, we have decided to go there together once you’re ready.”
“Yeah! But if you end up going to the military, I’ll write you a letter every day and visit you every week.”
She was taking this too far.
Kang Chan walked with Kim Mi-Young, which he hadn’t done in a while. After some time, they arrived at the apartment.
“Don’t just stay here. Come with me,” Kang Chan said.
“You want me to go to your house with you?”
“Yeah. I’ll just give these to my parents. We’ll leave right after.”
Though hesitant, Kim Mi-Young followed Kang Chan and went on the elevator.
Ding.
When they arrived at the seventh floor and opened the front door, Yoo Hye-Sook noisily ran over. However, she hesitated when she saw Kim Mi-Young.
“This is Mi-Young. I decided to buy my friends lunch at school to commemorate these rewards, but I didn’t think it would be right to go home alone, so I took her with me,” Kang Chan explained.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Kim Mi-Young greeted Kang Chan’s parents.
“Come in. Stay for a bit.”
Kang Dae-Kyung gestured for them to come inside. The four of them sat at the table.
“Here you go, Mother.”
When Kang Chan saw Kang Dae-Kyung giving him a look, Kang Chan held out the letter of acceptance, scholarship certificate, and certificate of commemoration. Tears suddenly welled up in Yoo Hye-Sook’s eyes, but she cried a little less because Kim Mi-Young was with them.
While they were having a simple cup of tea, Kang Chan got changed.
He no longer had to wear his school uniform ever again.
Kang Dae-Kyung offered to give them a ride to their school on his way to work, so the four of them headed to the basement parking lot.
During the entire drive, Yoo Hye-Sook’s phone never stopped ringing, not even for a moment.
How did the older ladies learn that Kang Chan had received the acceptance letter?
“Enjoy your lunch. Ah, right! Channy, do you have money?” Yoo Hye-Sook asked.
“I still have plenty of allowance. I’ll call you at dinner.”
After waving them goodbye, Kang Chan went past the school gate, finding the kids running in the sports field.
‘Would you look at them?’
Just like what Seok Kang-Ho had said, they were in better shape.
It looked as if they would be able to properly play their part if they just kept practicing persistently like that for a little more than a year.
“Can we watch a movie after lunch?” Kim Mi-Young asked Kang Chan.
“Do you have time?”
“The schedule of my hagwons matches the school’s regular class schedule, but since we have no classes today, I just have to go home by 5 pm.”
“Okay.”
It would be nice to watch a movie.
Kang Chan wanted to comfort Kim Mi-Young anyway since she was tired from studying.
While sitting in the stands, they saw Seok Kang-Ho walking toward them with a grin, but it was soon replaced with a more dignified expression when he saw Kim Mi-Young.
“Let’s have lunch. My treat!” Seok Kang-Ho exclaimed, then took out a white envelope and smacked it two times with his hand. “Phuhuhuhu, the school gave the teachers a bonus. Let’s have meat today.”
This fucker shouldn’t have pretended to be serious. What was even the point of changing his expression if this was how he was going to act?
Kang Chan worked out a bit, then headed to a BBQ restaurant with the kids.
“Sunbae-nim, when are you going to start attending the French cultural center?” one of the kids asked.
“Tomorrow.”
“Huh? Does that mean you won’t come to school anymore starting tomorrow?”
“That’s right.”
The kids looked jealous and upset, but that didn’t stop them from eating a lot of meat.
Kang Chan parted ways with the kids in front of the school, then headed to the movie theater with Kim Mi-Young. The first movie they ever watched together was a romantic comedy, but it wasn’t that funny. They had patbingsu afterward.
Before parting ways, Kang Chan asked her not to study so much that she’d tire herself out.
Kang Chan called Seok Kang-Ho before he went home.
- Where are you?
“I’m at the movie theater in Cheongdam-dong. You?”
- I just left the school. Let’s have a cup of coffee.
“Sure.”
Kang Chan met Seok Kang-Ho at the specialty coffee shop in the intersection where he frequently saw him at.
“What were you up to?” Seok Kang-Ho asked.
“I watched a movie.”
“Was it good? If it is, I’ll watch it with my wife as well.”
“I wouldn’t if I were you. It’s just about an idiot who keeps wavering because of a woman. He cried in the end, which made the girl fall in love again,” Kang Chan said. He then shook his head.
“Ah! I got a call from the real estate agency. Thursday is the auction day. They also said that they’ll give us some discount on the property lien if we want,” Seok Kang-Ho said.
“Forget about it. If we get involved with those fuckers that way again, it’ll just tire us out.”
Seok Kang-Ho smacked his lips, perhaps because he still couldn’t give up the building since he was the one who showed it to Kang Chan. Even if so, Kang Chan would never change his mind.
“Have you heard anything from Smithen?” Seok Kang-Ho asked.
“No. Since we have made up our minds to kill Yang Jin-Woo anyway, let’s take our time planning it out.”
“I agree.”
“Now, then. Let’s go home.”
“Alright.”
Kang Chan and Seok Kang-Ho headed home, ending Kang Chan’s Monday in a good mood.
***
Tuesday.
Kang Dae-Kyung and Yoo Hye-Sook had gone to work when Kang Chan received a call from Lanok to tell him that they should meet at the hotel after lunch.
Kang Chan had been meaning to meet him anyway to thank him for the acceptance letter and discuss their schedule on Wednesday and Thursday.
They decided to meet at 2 pm.
Kang Chan thought about having a sandwich for lunch, so he went to the hotel a bit earlier. He was already sitting in the lobby by 1 pm. Just as he was ordering coffee and a sandwich, Joo Chul-Bum appeared out of nowhere.
“Are you having lunch here?” Joo Chul-Bum asked.
“Yes. I have an appointment at 2 pm. Just like last time, I’ll be using a room, so prepare one for me.”
“Understood, hyung-nim.” Joo Chul-Bum went to the front desk.
Kang Chan took his time finishing his sandwich. He then looked all around him while drinking coffee, but he didn’t find Lee Ji-Yeon.
“Here is the key to the room,” Joo Chul-Bum brought over a card key. It was around 1:40 pm when Kang Chan thanked him and received it.
After about fifteen minutes, Lanok arrived at the hotel.