Chapter 57: Consultation

 

It was the day midterm exam report cards were distributed.

 

For that reason, Eun-ha had scheduled a consultation with Hyun-joo Noona after school today.

 

“Han-gyeol, could you come with me to see Hyun-joo unnie? I’m a bit scared of her.”

 

Eun-ha seemed slightly anxious about the meeting with Hyun-joo Noona.

 

“Really? I thought Hyun-joo Noona was your kindest cousin.”

 

“She’s also a strict tutor... My math scores have gone up, but not by much, so I’m a bit nervous.”

 

“If Hyun-joo Noona is okay with it, I’ll come, but if she’s even a little uncomfortable, it might be better for you to go alone.”

 

“…You’re right, aren’t you? Just a moment? I need to call her.”

 

Eun-ha quickly took out her phone and called Hyun-joo Noona.

 

Honestly, I wanted to accompany her if Eun-ha wished for it, but I thought that might be a bit presumptuous.

 

If it was a meeting between a tutor and her student, it was proper for me not to intrude.

 

“Unnie, can I come with Han-gyeol? Yes, yes. Oh- it’s okay? Then I’ll come with Han-gyeol. We’ll be there in about 10 minutes. Okay. We’ll hurry!”

 

Click-

 

Eun-ha hung up the phone with a flush of relief on her face.

 

It seemed Hyun-joo Noona had given her permission.

 

“Han-gyeol, Unnie said it’s okay-! Let’s go together.”

 

“But will anything change just because I come along?”

 

“Just having Han-gyeol by my side makes me feel calmer.”

 

“Then I’m glad. Let’s go. Where are we meeting?”

 

“We agreed to meet at a cafe. It won’t take long.”

 

Walking a bit further with Eun-ha, we arrived at the cafe where Hyun-joo Noona was.

 

Hyun-joo Noona was engrossed in something on her laptop at a corner table.

 

“Unnie-! We’re here.”

 

“Ah, you’ve arrived? What would you like to drink? I’ll buy it for you. Han-gyeol, you choose too.”

 

“Thank you so much. I’ll have an orange ade, please.”

 

“I’ll have the same as Han-gyeol.”

 

“I’ll give you my card, so go ahead. I was working on an assignment.”

 

“Okay.”

 

I received the card from Hyun-joo Noona and headed to the counter.

 

I could have gone alone, but Eun-ha followed behind me.

 

“Han-gyeol, doesn’t Hyun-joo Unnie seem a bit angry?”

 

“Did she? She seemed the same as usual to me.”

 

“Maybe it’s just my imagination? Ugh- It’s a bit scary.”

 

“Don’t worry too much. It’s not like your grades dropped or anything.”

 

I patted Eun-ha’s head to reassure her.

 

We returned with our drinks and sat down, and Hyun-joo Noona closed her laptop. She then started speaking with a bright smile.

 

“Now, let’s take a look at our lovely Eun-ha’s report card, shall we?”

 

“That... Well, my math grades have improved! Including calculus!”

 

“Wow, really? Did you get an A?”

 

“That... I got an A in probability and statistics...”

 

“Is that so? If you’re better at statistics, why don’t you just choose that for the CSAT* instead of calculus?”

 

“When I said I’d study the full range of statistics, I thought calculus might be better.”

 

“Really? Well, we should look at the other subjects too, so can you show me the report card?”

 

“The other subjects too...?”

 

“Of course.”

 

Eun-ha cautiously handed over her report card.

 

Hyun-joo Noona unfolded it and read through the details with her eyes.

 

“Eun-ha always gets an A in Korean. As you said, your math has improved significantly...but let’s aim for A’s in both subjects in the final exams.”

 

“Yes...!”

 

“Your social studies subjects are okay too, but especially work harder on the ones that overlap with the CSAT subjects. Got it?”

 

“Yes~”

 

Hyun-joo Noona returned the report card to Eun-ha, who happily stashed it in her bag, clearly relieved to have gotten through the ordeal. She was adorably triumphant.

 

“Now, shall we take a look at Han-gyeol’s grades as well?”

 

“Mine? I just came along with Eun-ha.”

 

“Oh, I’m not forcing you. It’s just pure curiosity. If it makes you uncomfortable, you don’t have to show me.”

 

“Ah! I didn’t mean to say I minded. Just a moment, please. I’ll show you right away.”

 

“Oh~ Looks like you did well on your tests?”

 

“Not really, but...!”

 

I showed my report card to Hyun-joo Noona, just like Eun-ha did. Come to think of it, I hadn’t even shown it to Eun-ha before.

 

“Well, let’s see. Hmm- Korean is a B?”

 

“You’ve hit the sore spot...”

 

“What?! Wait...! Aside from Korean, you’ve nearly got all A’s?!”

 

“What-?! Really? Han-gyeol has almost all A’s except for Korean?”

 

“Well, it’s not final yet, there are still performance evaluations and finals to go.”

 

“But for now, it’s A’s, isn’t it?”

 

“Well, for now, yes.”

 

Both Hyun-joo Noona and Eun-ha gaped at me with their mouths agape.

 

“How did Han-gyeol do on the March mock exam?”

 

“Ah, the March mock exam? I got a B in Korean and A’s in Math and English. But I didn’t study much for the Social Studies... they’re pretty low. Embarrassingly so.”

 

It wasn’t long since I’d entered this novel’s world, so Social Studies were around C’s and D’s.

 

Therefore, my goal for the June mock exam was a B in Korean and A’s in Social Studies.

 

Honestly, I was confident in Social Studies, but not so much in Korean.

 

“Even with these internal grades, you seem set to do well on the June mock exam. Even your math scores are perfect...”

 

“What-?! Perfect? I heard that was rare!”

 

“Ah, Math has always been my strong suit. This time the scope was narrow, and I got lucky.”

 

“Still... This isn’t just about being confident... Could it be that you’re aiming for the Social Studies?”

 

“No. I am decidedly in favor of the liberal arts.”

 

“But with a B in Korean...?”

 

“Indeed, it’s a painful irony.”

 

Hyun-joo Noona handed the report card back to me.

 

“If you just get a grip on Korean, you could really be perfect. Could aim for straight A’s, couldn’t you?”

 

“I don’t think I’m quite there yet. Still, I plan to look into tutoring or a cram school for Korean. I thought I worked hard, but a B seems to be my limit.”

 

“Now that I think about it, Han-gyeol, you studied on your own, right? To achieve this much alone is impressive.”

 

“Ah- Noona. Can’t you tutor Han-gyeol in Korean?”

 

“That’s not possible. I majored in Math, remember? I’m not confident in Korean myself. It’s been a while since I studied it.”

 

“Then, do you know anyone who could tutor Han-gyeol in Korean?”

 

“Hmm- there might be someone, but I’m not sure if they have a spot available.”

 

“Can’t you ask for me?”

 

Eun-ha was actively trying to find me a tutor.

 

“Eun-ha, it’s okay. I can look for one myself.”

 

“But you know it’s better to get a recommendation from someone you know. And you might not have much time to look around.”

 

“That’s true. But I feel like I’m imposing too much.”

 

“Don’t worry about it. It’s no trouble at all. I’ll ask around like Eun-ha suggested. But really, I’m surprised. I didn’t know you were doing this well. You studied incredibly hard, huh?”

 

Back when I was working outside of this novel world, as someone in the liberal arts, I would often have to perform Newton-Raphson methods or statistical calculations.

 

I also kept up with my English studies consistently, not neglecting it for reasons like TOEIC or business trips.

 

I never knew that life outside would be so helpful here.

 

“Thank you for the compliment.”

 

“Anyway, I’ll look into it and get back to you soon.”

 

“Thank you so much for your concern.”

 

“Don’t mention it~ You’re Eun-ha’s boyfriend, after all. I ought to do this much. So, do you have any departments in mind you’re aiming for?”

 

In my previous life, I worked in valuation.

 

But contrary to what I had thought, there was no great sense of achievement.

 

It was incredibly busy, and it was hard to call it a life of my own.

 

It was a repetitive daily grind, almost mechanical.

 

That was why, in this life, I wanted to live a little differently.

 

“I haven’t thought of anything definite yet.”

 

After all, even in my previous life, I only needed a stable job; it wasn’t the career I truly wanted.

 

“Really? That’s unexpected.”

 

“But I’d like to go to the same university as Eun-ha.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“It might sound too childish to others, but I think spending four years at the same school as Eun-ha would make for lasting memories. I want to stick with her throughout university just like now. Ah- but I’ll have to serve in the military at some point, so campus life together would be about two years. Anyway, I really want to go to the same university as Eun-ha.”

 

Hearing my words, Hyun-joo Noona smiled warmly.

 

“I hope it turns out exactly that way. You two haven’t eaten yet, have you? I’ll buy you dinner. What do you want to eat?”

 

“What do you feel like eating, Eun-ha?”

 

I asked Eun-ha about the menu, but she seemed lost in thought.

 

“Eun-ha?”

 

“Ah- Yes! Sorry. What did you say?”

 

“Hyun-joo Noona is offering to buy us dinner. What shall we eat?”

 

“Oh- Really? I’m good with anything. What do you want to eat, Han-gyeol?”

 

“Hmm- I feel like pasta today.”

 

“I like pasta too.”

 

Thinking about it, I realized we hadn’t often eaten Western food together.

 

I wanted to take this opportunity to find out which Western dishes Eun-ha liked.

 

Besides, pasta wasn’t too expensive, so there was no need to burden Hyun-joo Noona.

 

“Alright. Then let’s go for Western food. I know a place.”

 

“I’ll gratefully accept.”

 

“Don’t mention it~ You did well on your exams, so I should at least do this. Let’s finish our drinks and head out.”

 

“Ah- Okay.”

 

“Yes.”

--- The End OF The Chapter ---

 

[TL: CSAT: The CSAT in South Korea is a major test for high school students. It's super important for getting into university, and students study really hard for it.

 

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