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Doesn't Yu-ri Lee know that I live alone? Of course she knows. I mentioned it last week, and Yu-ri herself submitted it as an item for discussion at the faculty meeting.
But am I a responsible student?
I'm also Han Seong-jin, a well-known delinquent at Jinsoo Higher Education Academy and in the surrounding area. My life was full of rumors related to women. Although I've since put an end to that, I was so promiscuous that many of those rumors were likely true. I'm not the typical naive romantic comedy male lead—the type that's an insensitive, chaste boy—like Gong Young-bae.
She must know what it means for a woman to offer to come to a man's home.
"Okay then, I get it…! I'm going inside first!"
With that, a flustered Yu-ri Lee hurried back to her apartment. I laughed, then walked past her building and headed toward my own place.
Yu-ri Lee's apartment is in a complex where middle-class people live, but my home is in a slum a little farther out. The multi-family houses here are cramped together. The streets smell musty due to poor sanitation, and garbage bags are piled up in front of the buildings, forming small mountains. Things get a bit better on collection day, but right before, it's absolute chaos. Rats occasionally scurry across the streets, and the cries of stray cats rummaging through the trash at night are a regular part of daily life. This is the neighborhood where I live.
I walked toward the oldest-looking multi-family house on my street. I inserted the key into the old-fashioned iron door, which had no common door lock, and opened it to reveal a very dirty and messy room. Near the entrance was a box filled with dozens of plastic convenience store lunch boxes. The mattress on the floor was just as disheveled as when I woke up this morning. A mountain of clothes was scattered everywhere, and the only other things in the room were an old computer with poor performance and a guitar standing in the corner.
Even though I'm a twenty-year-old adult, I'm still a student. The house I live in is closer to what a person just starting out in life might have, rather than a student's place. At least now it's like this because I've worked hard to organize it. At first, it was ten times worse. The previous Han Seong-jin had spent far more days sleeping somewhere other than at home.
"I guess I'll have to make this place livable before Yu-ri visits."
I unpacked my bag, grumbled, and started cleaning. There was so much to organize in a house that wasn't very big. No matter how many times I cleaned, more trash seemed to appear, and just removing the rust and grime from every corner of the house took several days. After eating a quick convenience store lunch, I played some music on YouTube and started cleaning the bathroom.
One hour… two hours…
After several days of hard labor to make the bathroom—which looked like it was infested with cockroaches—fit for a human, my arms ached, and I was drenched in sweat. Even for a young man with a good physique and stamina, it was difficult.
"Wow, I'm thirsty."
I opened the refrigerator, wiping the sweat from my forehead with my sleeve, but…
"Oh, damn it."
There was no water. Since there was no water purifier, I swore to myself, grabbed my debit card, and went to the nearest convenience store to buy two bottles of water.
"That's ₩6,600."
Beep! The transaction was completed. My phone vibrated with a familiar electronic sound. When I saw the text message, I sighed.
[Web Transfer]
[XX Bank Approval] Han*Jin (xxxx) 03/15 18:34
(Amount) ₩6,600 Eleven Seven XX Branch
Balance ₩162,442
Only ₩160,000 was left in my bank account. Fortunately, yesterday was rent day, so I still had a month until the next one. I wondered if I could survive on this amount.
'I need to get a part-time job right away.'
After cutting ties with his parents, Han Seong-jin didn't go through a real estate agency. Instead, he simply called the number on a flimsy 'For Rent' flyer posted on a telephone pole, signed a contract directly with the landlord, and had been living there ever since. Even without any help from his parents, the reason he had been able to live without a part-time job was because he used money stolen from his gang and the compensation he received after organizing the gangs from other academies.
But I put an end to all those grubby activities and had no intention of making money that way. The natural consequence was financial hardship. The reason I only eat convenience store lunch boxes is not only because I don't know how to cook but also because of the difficulty of affording food. But even that was now reaching its limit.
After returning home, refilling my water, and cleaning the bathroom, I went back to the convenience store and asked the clerk at the counter.
"I have a question."
"Uh… yes?"
The male clerk, who looked a bit older than me, was momentarily shocked by my expression.
"When I came in earlier, I saw a sign saying you were looking for a part-time worker. Have you found anyone yet?"
"Oh, you're looking for a part-time job."
The clerk looked a little relieved.
"No, we haven't had any applicants. Have you ever worked part-time at a convenience store?"
"Yes, I have. I'll adapt to the job much faster than you think."
That was only half-true. I had worked a part-time job before, but not as Han Seong-jin.
"But are you sure you'll be okay? I'm the manager here, but this neighborhood is a bit…"
"A bad situation? Lots of young people trying to drink and smoke, and a lot of guys who come and cause a ruckus?"
"Huh? No, how do you know that?"
How did I know? Because until last year, this was the place Han Seong-jin and his gang frequented the most to smoke cigarettes. The neighborhood is bad, security is poor, and with gangs like his roaming around, it was only natural for the area to feel unsafe to an employee. Of course, I couldn't reveal that I was the former gang leader, so I came up with an appropriate cover.
"I live here. I see a lot of strange people on my way around, so I have a general idea."
"…But do you really want to work here part-time? We get all kinds of difficult people, and all of our part-timers quit after they can't last two months. We want to hire someone who will stay for a while…"
"Don't worry. I can guarantee that something like that will never happen here while I'm working. If it does, I can take care of everything. So, can you just let me work?"
In response to my earnest request, the manager made me wait and spoke to the store owner on the phone. After several 'yes, yes' replies, he ended the call and came back to me.
"Okay, so when can you start?"
"The sooner, the better."
"Oh, do you have time right now? The afternoon part-timer just left to use the restroom for a moment. We're supposed to have two people working in the afternoon, but one person quit… If you want to work, you can start training today."
"But I haven't signed a contract yet, and I don't have a health certificate."
"Don't worry about that. If you're serious about working, the store owner will come tomorrow and draw up the contract. You can apply for the health certificate and bring it as soon as it's ready."
They hadn't signed a contract or even seen a health certificate, but they were trying to get me to start right away, which showed how desperate they were. Since I already knew how to deal with any potential issues with the contract, I agreed to the job without worrying too much. The manager immediately told me my hourly wage and working hours. Just then, the other afternoon part-timer returned.
"Manager, I'm back… Huh? Who's this next to you?"
"Oh, hello. This is the person who will be working part-time in the afternoons from now on. This is the part-timer you will be working with from now on."
When I looked back, a very beautiful woman was standing there.
…
—What, did you like this bitch? My bad. This bitch has been my bitch for a while. Should I have told you beforehand?
—What is this…?
—Sigh… ♥ I'm sorry, Senior… I… Everything was taken from me… Even my first kiss and my first time… I wanted to give them to you… I'm sorry I couldn't keep my promise…
—No way… That's a lie, right? Are you doing this to make fun of me? Huh? Say something!
—I… I've become Seong-jin's now… So I can't go back anymore… I'm sorry… And… I really liked you… I'm sorry…
—Ahhh!!!
…
Just like me, her hair was dyed blond and tied in a ponytail. Unlike me, her skin was slightly tanned. Her makeup was quite heavy, and one arm was adorned with accessories, giving her a flashy look. She was the very stereotype of a gyaru. In addition, she had breasts as huge as Yu-ri Lee's, so any man's eyes couldn't help but be drawn to her.
I know this woman.
"Choi Su-yeon?"
She was Choi Su-yeon, a gyaru girl who was a year junior at Jinsoo High Education Academy and a member of the second-year group. She was another person who, like the other heroines, had been drawn to Han Seong-jin.
"Seong-jin Senior?!"
And Choi Su-yeon also knew me.
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