I read in an article, if you keep running into the same person, again and again, it could be a sign that you and that person have a powerful connection. It's likely that you and that person are aligned. It's already written in the stars. When I first read that, it mesmerized me. Could this be real? Will I meet someone like that? Of course, they only wrote about the wavelength of two people. They didn't guarantee that you'll like that person. I'm struggling to not kill that person, let alone like. Is this what the universe really wrote for me? After all those struggles and coming here to Korea to meet a jerk? Thanks a bunch, Universe. I don't know if you are listening, but trust me, never try to make me meet him again.
The orientation was over. I sat there the whole time, not really paying attention to what was happening. How could I pay attention to people's speech when I'm well aware of his stare all the time? It was even worse for Jae Hye. She was stiff the whole time. I guess he didn't get along with her as well. We were asked to wait in the same room for a while, we'll be informed soon what project we'll be in and under whom we'll be doing the projects.
"Waah, I really hate him. I didn't even know he went to India. I get that we don't get along well, but how could he not say anything to us?", she says in frustration.
"You would've seen when he left right?", I mean even if they don't talk, they are still brother and sister, they must live in the same house.
"He moved out of our house four months ago. He only contacts our mom or Jae Hyun. Long story for another time. Just keep in mind, you can curse him all you want in front of me, we are on the same page here", she says with a thumbs up. I'm inquisitive about what happened between them, but I don't want to look nosy, so I shut up. She says he only talks with their mom and brother, which means he's not on good terms with his dad either. Something big must've happened, not my business though.
A professor from the Department of Chemistry makes an announcement getting all our attention, "You can check your emails to know about your mentor. Each one of you will be working under a Ph.D. scholar, helping on their projects, and not to worry our professors will also be there to guide you. Your mentors will help you, in and out of university. So that you don't have any difficulties navigating and adapting. Today, your mentors will show you around our university, if there's time left you can also ask them to show you nearby. We hope you have a great time and good learning. Thank you, you can leave now. Please contact your mentors for further information", she smiles professionally and brightly at us and left the room.
This must be it. The moment I'm waiting for. Every one of the research scholars in this room is handsome and young, which means for the next three months I'm destined to work under them. Universe, I know you wouldn't let me down.
I quickly recover from smiling like an idiot only to see Jae Hye blush, her face is tomato now. She's smiling ear to ear looking at her phone.
"Ahem, any good news?", I nudge her.
She shows me her phone, her mail screen is visible. I got it the moment I read the name, Kang Chul Soon, must be her crush, he is her mentor. Happy for you girl. I pat her and give her a knowing look. She says he's not here and shows his pic. I thought from his name he must be an intimidating guy, but the guy in that pic was soft and cute. He's the cute kind that'll make you go aww. That's what I exactly did. Let's find out if I'm ending up with a cute guy or not.
I unlock my phone and hastily open my mail, the university wi-fi is very slow, it takes forever to load my e-mail. When I couldn't take the suspense any longer, I pace here and there to find a signal. I walk looking down at my phone, the corridor is crowded. I keep walking hoping to see my mail.
My legs come to a stop when finally, my mail loads, I stop dead in my tracks to take a look at the mail. I wish I hadn't. I didn't see the person in front of me, the shock from the mail had me paralyzed. I dropped the phone in absolute shock, but the person caught it before it ended up on the floor. Thank goodness, I don't want to spend my days in a new nation without a phone. My mentor is...
Speaking of the devil. He stood there in front of me, shooting lasers with those brownie eyes, I mean brown eyes. Yes, the Great Park Jae Hee is my mentor, out of all those handsome people, he is my mentor. He holds my phone up and gives a you-are-so-clumsy look and hands it over to me. I take it without meeting his eyes.
"Didn't you check your mail?", he asks accusingly. He could've asked it casually, but no, he didn't.
"Just now", I answer still not looking at him.
"You know, it's bad manners when you answer a person without looking at them, especially someone older than you", he says with irritation. After putting me through hell in flight, he's talking about manners? Just great. At least, I shouted back at him in flight, now I can't even talk back at him. Shit, I shouted back... I'm done for sure.
"Umm...okay", no, I don't have the heart to say sorry to him.
"I'll email you where to meet me, come after lunch. Don't be late, one of the things I hate the most is tardiness", he says sternly. This makes me so worried. The way he said it, one of the things I hate... makes me more worried.
"Can you text me instead of sending a mail, it takes forever to load", I ask him as politely as I could.
"That's your problem. I'll mail", he leaves just like that.
I kick the spot where he stood. Why is this happening to me? Do I look like a joke to you, universe? If you are going to give me something I wished for, just give it. Why are you giving side effects along with it? Granting my wish to go to Korea, and giving a side effect in the form of human.
I walk inside the classroom hanging my head low and take my seat beside Jae Hye.
"Chin up, princess", she says with a silly laugh. Good for you, you ended up with your crush. I'm stuck with your arrogant brother for the next three months. Must be nice to be you, as always sucks to be me.
I glare at her, "I know some people are arrogant, lunatic jerks. I get it. And your brother is one, I can let it slide. But I want to know why? Really why?"
"Uh-oh, your mentor is my brother?", she asks in shock.
"What a twist, haha", I laugh humourlessly.
"I agree that he's an asshole, but I have the same doubt as you. Why is he this rude toward you? I get that he is rude to me and our dad, there's a reason"
"Exactly, just why?", I bang my head on the desk she puts her head in between my head and the surface so I don't get hurt. That just made my heart go aww again. Sister is an angel, brother... I don't even want to say what he is.
"Beats me, how could he do this to this innocent little girl? Just look at this face, cute, pretty...", before she exaggerates, I stop her.
"Is that sarcasm I sense here?", I ask her tilting my head in her direction.
"Eyy, I only speak the truth, you really are pretty. Just my type, you know", she winks at me.
"Really? Then will you date me?", I play along.
"I've been waiting forever for you to ask me this", she says in an animated tone. We both laugh and make our way out to the cafeteria. I'm glad to meet her. It's a wonder to find a friend this soon in a new place. If this is what people call destiny I'll agree. She has this aura to put people at ease, exactly opposite to her brother's. Don't think about him, at least while being with her.
I quickly finish my lunch, to go soon to meet my mentor. I sigh a trillion times on my way to his cabin. I heard people talking in the cafeteria (no, I gathered that information) that his lab is like his kingdom, no one dares to make an entry. Another shocker, he's not a Ph.D. student anymore, he completed his Ph.D., just recently and is going to be a professor for undergrad students (Thank God, I'll leave Korea before that). Not just that, he has published six papers as of now, out of which two were published in international journals. He visits other countries to attend conferences, and that's the reason for his visit to India. The biggest shocker is they said he's a friendly person, huh? People here worship him, he even tutors UG and PG students in his free time for free. When it comes to physics, he is arrogant, he has a right to be arrogant, and that's how good he is. If I heard this before meeting him, I would've made him my role model. But now, I'm amazed, I think he is cool. Mostly, I'm scared of him.
I wait outside his cabin, take long breaths, and assure myself that I won't die (physically, mentally I can't give assurance) and knock. I could hear some rustling inside but he took like two complete minutes before saying come in. I slowly walk in; he's sitting by his desk looking intently at his desktop. I stand there awkwardly. He motions for me to sit, and I obey.
"First, let's start with some attitude training sessions"
You've got to be kidding me.