Chapter 61: The Bet

 

“Alright, time to switch seats, don’t you think? Let’s make some progress and just shuffle seats randomly with the program.”

 

At the teacher’s words, I sneaked a glance at Eun-ha, who had her eyes closed, and hands clasped together. I couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle at her sight.

 

“How many clicks should I make? Three?”

 

“Teacher, since it’s May, let’s do it five times~”

 

“Alright, I’ll click five times~ No complaints later, okay?”

 

“Yes~”

 

I silently watch the laptop screen projected onto the classroom display. As the teacher clicks the mouse, the students’ names shuffle around.

 

When the seating arrangement was finally settled, the students eagerly searched for their names. Some groan in dismay, while others beamed with joy.

 

“Ah, Teacher, please click it one more time!”

 

“Didn’t I say no take-backs?”

 

I too look for my name on the screen. I found it in the center of the third row. Naturally, I check who’s sitting next to me.

 

“Huh?”

 

I blinked in disbelief at the clear writing ‘Shin Eun-ha’. Rubbing my eyes and checking again, I confirmed that Eun-ha was indeed my partner. It was a moment of secret joy at such a coincidence.

 

“Wow! Yes!”

 

With the sound of a chair dragging, someone stands up. It was Eun-ha, clenching her fist in excitement, seemingly thrilled.

 

I turned my head away, biting my lip to suppress my laughter. She was just so cute and lovely.

 

“Eun-ha, it’s okay to be happy, but try to keep it in your heart, okay?”

 

“S-sorry!”

 

Immediately, the homeroom teacher’s warning flied at her, and Eun-Ha sat back down, her face flushing.

 

“Ah... so cute.”

 

“Are you talking about me?”

 

Yujin, sitting beside me, teased.

 

“Would it be? Obviously, it’s about Eun-ha.”

 

“Ah, it was fun being Han-gyeol’s partner. Too bad.”

 

“If anyone sees it, they would think we were parting ways forever. Let’s just move to our new seats.”

 

“Such a Cold-hearted person...”

 

“I enjoyed it too.”

 

One by one, the students began to rise and move to their new seats.

 

I bid farewell to Yujin and quickly moved to sit next to Eun-ha.

 

Our eyes met as she approached with a beaming smile, carrying her belongings.

 

“Are you that happy about being partners?”

 

“I-it’s embarrassing... but yes, I’m really happy.”

 

“It shows.”

 

“Do you not like it?”

 

“I like it too.”

 

After I sat down, Eun-ha followed suit. For a moment, we just looked at each other, exchanging silent glances.

 

“Let’s get along well.”

 

“I’m counting on you too, Han-gyeol.”

 

“Alright, everyone, enough chatting. Shall we start the lesson?”

 

Hiding our fluttering hearts, we focused on the lesson. Eun-ha looked beautiful, quietly listening and flipping through the textbook. Whenever our eyes met, she would give a bright smile.

 

Just having Eun-ha beside me made the class more enjoyable.

 

I wanted to playfully interact with her, but I couldn’t during class, nor did I want to disrupt her studies. However, as soon as the class ended, Eun-ha quickly turned towards me.

 

“Han-gyeol, Han-gyeol. Wanna go to the canteen?”

 

“Isn’t it lunchtime after the next period?”

 

“Just thought we could celebrate being partners again with a drink or something.”

 

“A celebration drink? That’s fun. Let’s go.”

 

We left the classroom and headed to the canteen.

 

“I hope we don’t have to change seats again.”

 

“Me too. But I keep wanting to be playful with you during class.”

 

“Same here. Still, we have to focus on our studies, so let’s just hold back a bit.”

 

“I enjoyed sharing notes with you at the beginning of the semester.”

 

“Yeah, that was fun for me too.”

 

Sharing these light-hearted moments, we soon arrived at the canteen.

 

Eun-ha got orange juice, and I chose apple juice, then we headed back to the classroom.

 

“Ah- By the way, what is in our 4th period?”

 

“Calculus, I think? The math teacher will probably ask you to solve a problem again.”

 

“Because of Yujin, I’m always the one getting picked on.”

 

“But you solve every problem without a single mistake.”

 

“It’d be embarrassing if I didn’t.”

 

“It’s cool how you solve them so easily.”

 

“Really? I’ll do my best then.”

 

“Get it wrong sometimes, okay?”

 

“Why?”

 

“It might make you look cool to other girls too.”

 

Eun-ha’s cute jealousy almost made me spit out my apple juice with a chuckle.

 

“You’re jealous in such a cute way?”

 

“How great would it be if you were cool and handsome just for me?”

 

“Actually, I think I only look cool and handsome to Eun-ha.”

 

“That’s not true. Han-gyeol, you’re objectively handsome and cool.”

 

“Thanks for the compliment. But you know, Eun-ha, you’re objectively pretty and cute too.”

 

“No, well... you don’t need to compliment me too.”

 

Her bashful reaction was incredibly adorable. We arrived at the classroom and took our seats just as the bell rang.

 

Right on time, the math teacher entered.

 

He glanced at the seating chart attached to the podium, looking puzzled.

 

“Did you guys change seats?”

 

“Yes. During the third period.”

 

“Where’s Newton?”

 

“Here, I am.”

 

“Oh, really? What’s this? Are you two partners now?”

 

“Yes. We were lucky.”

 

The math teacher then turned to Eun-ha.

 

“Newton’s girlfriend, are you happy about this?”

 

“Me?! Yes, I’m really happy.”

 

“Oh...?! That’s...”

 

Eun-Ha’s candid response seemed to slightly fluster the teacher.

 

“Haa...! Let’s just get on with the lesson. Everyone, open your books.”

 

***

 

After math class and lunch, we returned to the classroom.

 

“Han-gyeol, I got a text from Hyun-joo unnie. You know about the Korean tutoring you wanted...”

 

“Oh, right. She said she’d ask for me.”

 

“What should we do? The tutor said they don’t have any openings, so it might be difficult for you to get a spot.”

 

“Then it can’t be helped. Tell Hyun-joo Noona I’m thankful she looked into it for me.”

 

It seemed like I would have to find a Korean tutor or a language academy myself.

 

I wanted to find one before the June mock exams, but it looked like I should start searching now. Tutoring seemed difficult, so an academy might be the better option.

 

“Hey, Han-gyeol.”

 

“Yeah, what’s up?”

 

“If it’s okay with you, maybe I could teach you Korean?”

 

“Eun-ha? No, I don’t want to take away from your study time.”

 

I firmly declined Eun-ha’s offer.

 

“Think of it as a date. Just until the June mock exams!”

 

“I appreciate the thought, Eun-ha, but I can’t. I’ve been focusing more on Korean since the midterms, so I’ll do well in the mock exams.”

 

“I just want to be of some help to you.”

 

“You already are. Just helping me out with the questions I don’t know is enough.”

 

I felt bad for continuously rejecting Eun-ha’s kindness, but it just wasn’t feasible. However, Eun-ha didn’t seem to give up easily.

 

“Then let’s make a bet.”

 

“A bet? What kind of bet?”

 

“We have about three weeks until the June mock exams, right?”

 

“Yeah, that’s right. Are you suggesting we bet on our grades?”

 

It wasn’t a bet I was eager to accept.

 

“Yeah. For the next three weeks, I’ll help Han-gyeol with his Korean studies.”

 

“Ah, Eun-ha, I’ve already said I don’t want to take away from your study time.”

 

“You’re worried about my grades dropping, aren’t you?”

 

“It’s not just about grades dropping; I’m also worried about your grades not improving as much as they could.”

 

“Then let’s do this.”

 

Eun-ha firmly grasped my hand and proposed.

 

“For the remaining three weeks until the June mock exams, I’ll help you with Korean twice a week. If your Korean grades don’t improve, then you’ll have to look for a tutor or join a language academy. But, there’s one condition.”

 

“What’s that?”

 

“If your Korean grades improve, but my grades drop or don’t improve, then you’ll still look for a tutor or a language academy. In other words, if it’s not a win-win situation, I lose. But if it is a win-win, then you’ll continue learning Korean from me.”

 

It was a tempting offer, but I still didn’t want to take away Eun-ha’s time.

 

Of course, it would be great if both our grades improved, but I didn’t want to overburden her.

 

“Still not keen on it?”

 

“Han-gyeol, I know you don’t want to take away my time, and I really appreciate that. But as your girlfriend, I want to help you. It’s not about being stubborn. I promise not to neglect my studies or overdo it. So please, trust me, and let me help you for these three weeks.”

 

It was hard to refuse Eun-ha’s earnest request. As I hesitated, Eun-ha continued to press on.

 

“What if our roles were reversed, Han-gyeol? What would you have done?”

 

“Huh? If the roles were reversed...?”

 

I might have insisted on helping Eun-ha in any way I could.

 

“You would have helped me, right?”

 

I nodded silently.

 

“Han-gyeol’s feelings for me aren’t much different from mine for him. That’s why I want to help. If it were me, Han-gyeol would have definitely helped. So now, in this situation, the first thing I want to do is to help Han-gyeol. I’ll ask one last time. I’m not forcing you. Can I help you for just these three weeks?”

 

It was hard to refuse when she put it like that... But I couldn’t just accept her condition as it was.

 

“I have a condition too.”

 

“What is it? Tell me.”

 

“The criterion for ‘improvement in Korean’ is based on my Korean grade reaching 1st grade. And it’s the same for Eun-Ha; your math grade also needs to be 1st grade. If either of us fails to achieve this, I’ll look for a tutor or an academy instead of relying on Eun-ha.”

 

Eun-ha looked into my eyes for a moment and then nodded.

 

“Okay. Han-gyeol’s Korean at 1st grade, and my math at 1st grade. I accept.”

 

So much for dates for the next three weeks.

 

Wait, could tutoring be considered a date?

--- The End OF The Chapter ---

 

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