Lee Yu-min got out of bed and stretched to relax his heavy body . His head was clear and his body was in perfect condition . He was worried because it rained a lot in the morning. But when he looked out the window, the weather was clear and sunny.
Today is a really important day. I worked hard for a few days , no, a year , to prepare for today, and today is the best condition. Today is the day of the college entrance exam . Considering Yumin's grades, if he just manages his condition well and there are no special variables, he can easily get into a top university in Seoul .
Yumin went to the bathroom, washed her face briefly, and then headed to the living room . There, her mother and her younger sister, who was still in middle school, were already preparing dinner .
"Yumin. Are you awake? It'll be done soon , so come and sit down."
"Yes, Mom."
"Brother. I made the scrambled eggs today ."
"Okay. Thank you."
The woman who was giving Yumin a warm smile right now was not Yumin's biological mother . Likewise, this lively and cute younger sister, who was in her second year of middle school, was not her biological sister either.
Yumin lost his mother when he was young . His mother and younger sister, who are now his mother, became one family when his father remarried two years ago . His mother, who had been alone, came into our house with her only daughter and became one family.
Although they had only been together for two years , Yumin thought of her as his real mother and younger sister. His current mother seemed more like his real mother than his real mother, whom he could not even remember .
Of course, his lovely younger sister was the same. Yumin was an only child, so he always wanted to have an older sister or younger sister . Perhaps the best thing about his father remarrying was having a younger sister ?
His father seemed to have come to work earlier than usual today because of the college entrance exam. Yumin sat down at the table. Perhaps because it was a special day, he could see that the food on the table had been prepared with care . Yumin first tasted the egg roll that his younger sister had been bragging about . Was it because he had lived alone with his mother before remarriage ? His younger sister was a good cook for her age. The carrots, onions, and green onions that were finely chopped gave it a nice color, chewy texture, and nutritional value . Of course, it tasted good too. "How is it, oppa ?"
"Gayoung's egg rolls are always the best. They're delicious."
"Hehe…"
Yumin's are delicious and nutritious .After finishing dinner , I packed my bag and headed to the front door . My mother and younger sister also followed me to the front door to see me off. "Oppa. Fighting!" "Yumina. If you just do as you've been doing , you'll get good results." "Okay. I'll be back."
The place where the college entrance exam was to be held today was the middle school that Yumin graduated from. It was across a low mountain from Yumin's house. If you include the time it took to walk to the
bus stop and take the bus , it would take more than 20 minutes, but if you walked over the mountain, you could get there in 15 minutes . Yumin, who wanted to breathe in the mountain air and relax, went to the mountain path .
This mountain behind has only a narrow road that can only accommodate one person and a small temple on the top of the mountain, so there are usually hardly any people coming and going .
Yumin climbed the mountain along a quiet , deserted road . The road was rutted here and there, perhaps due to the rain that had fallen in the early morning , and here and there, large rocks rolled down from the mountain ridge could be seen.
" Did I come this mountain path for nothing? I should have just taken the bus ."
Yumin walked on dry ground as much as possible to keep his shoes dry . The path became steeper as he got closer to the top of the mountain.
Yumin caught sight of a car . It looked like a black luxury sedan, but it had veered off the road and crashed into a tree on the side of the road.
It seemed like there had been an accident. Did he slip on the wet road ? Or maybe his brakes failed? He must have hit it hard because the thick tree, which was thick enough for a grown man to hug with his arms outstretched , was half-tilted, and the front of the car was completely crushed. Yumin hurriedly ran. The car had heavily tinted windows , so he had to get right up close to see inside . There was one person in the driver's seat , and one in the backseat. Both were unconscious, either badly injured or unconscious. Yumin wanted to open the door , but it was locked from the inside . Yumin looked around hurriedly. He looked for something that could break the window .
Yumin picked up a stone of an appropriate size and broke the window to prevent anyone inside from getting hurt. Then, he unlocked the door and examined the two injured people .
First of all, both of them were breathing. However, the person sitting in the backseat was bleeding heavily from the wound on his forehead . Yumin, who was still a high school student, could not possibly provide proper first aid . However, he could tell that it would be dangerous if he left it like this . Yumin quickly took out a handkerchief and pressed hard against the bleeding area . Then, he took out his cell phone with his other hand and called 119. Yumin quickly relayed the current location and situation and received a reply that they would be dispatched soon . Yumin looked at the handkerchief that was turning red and put more strength into his hand to stop the bleeding. It seemed that he would not be able to let go until the 119 vehicle arrived .
Today is the day of the college entrance exam. I came out a little early , but I found a car that was in an accident. It took longer than expected from the time he broke the window and opened the door to the current situation . If the 119 vehicle had arrived early, he would have barely made it to the test site . Yumin was anxious about the test and about the person whose life was in danger . However, all Yumin could do was to apply more strength to the hand covering the wound .
The long-awaited 119 vehicle has arrived. The mountain road leading here is narrow , and the rain that poured down in the early morning has caused the road to be damaged and there are obstacles here and there, so it arrived much later than expected.
The safety personnel took the two patients out of the vehicle , administered emergency treatment, and loaded them into the 119 vehicle . After seeing the vehicle depart, Yumin quickly ran to the CSAT testing center .
Yumin arrived at the testing site out of breath, but it was already too late. The college entrance exam had already started, and Yumin could n't even enter the testing site. Yumin stood there blankly for a while, staring at the classroom being used as the testing site .
---------- 4 years later ----------
Yumin finished writing his answers and got up from his seat and headed to the podium. Looking around, there weren't many people left . Students taking this course's exam were largely divided into two groups. Those who just gave up and left quickly, or those who used up all the time and fought until the very end .
The exams for this course were that difficult. However, Yumin did not fall into either category. He was able to write all the answers with 10 minutes left before the end time . "Yumin, did you finish it?" "Yes."
The teaching assistant for this class, Jung Soo-ji, looked at the answer sheet that Yu-min handed in and was impressed . She had to look at it carefully to know for sure, but it was probably all correct.
"Yu-min. This semester is going to be a great one, isn't it?"
Yumin has never missed a single exam since entering college . That is something that even Sooji, the teaching assistant, knows well.It was true.
"I don't know. I just finished my final exams." "If I pass the exam again, should we go eat something delicious together ?" "Haha… ."
"Of course. I'll buy it for you."
Yumin failed the college entrance exam on time, so he had to retake it. And the following year, he was able to enter Y University, a prestigious university . But that joy was short-lived. Not long after entering college, both of his parents passed away in a car accident.
The death of his parents was a great shock and a source of sadness to Yumin, but he could not just sit back and do nothing . He still had to take care of his young sister .
Suddenly becoming the head of a household, Yumin worked part-time and tutored in his spare time. However, he did not neglect his studies . At least he had to pay his tuition with a scholarship to make ends meet. Otherwise , he would have had to take a leave of absence. Fortunately, Yumin was able to attend college with a scholarship this year , and although he did not have much money for living expenses , he was able to earn enough to cover his expenses . Yumin could not join the military . As a result, Yumin, who was currently 23 years old , was a junior in college. Suji was Yumin's senior and teaching assistant. So she knew Yumin's family situation well . Suji liked the kind and honest Yumin, and felt sorry for him . So whenever she saw Yumin, she would often buy him food or take care of him.
"It's okay, Suji-sunbae. I 'll be going now ."
"Okay. You worked hard."
Yumin headed to the subway station to go home. She had already told her younger sister, Gayoung, that she would be home early, so she was probably preparing dinner. Gayoung ,
who is currently a senior in high school, will be entering college next year . Gayoung, who received intensive tutoring from Yumin, a genius and a younger sister-in-law , and who also worked hard herself, got good grades. Since she didn't have any accidents on the day of the CSAT like Yumin, she also got a good score on the CSAT . As long as nothing happens, she will definitely be accepted to a prestigious university.
Yumin's cell phone rang. When she checked the caller ID, it was Shin Minseo. Minseo is a student that Yumin tutors. No, Minseo took the CSAT and therefore quit tutoring, so it would be more correct to say she was a student . Minseo is a repeat student and took the CSAT this year, just like her younger sister Gayoung .
Minseo's grades improved considerably under Yumin's tutoring . Although not as good as her younger sister Gayoung , she was still good enough to get into a four-year university in the Seoul area. It was a score.
[Minseo. What's going on?]
[ What 's going on? I told you I was going to come to your house. You can't even see my nose because your tutoring is over? Your final exams are over, right? Can you come today ?]
[I can't today... I made plans to meet my younger sibling .]
[You see your younger sibling every day, right ? Younger sibling. Younger sibling. You always talk about your younger sibling ...] [I'm sorry. I made a promise in advance ...] [Huh. Do you think I called you because I missed you? I did it because my mom kept telling me to .]
When Minseo's grades improved significantly thanks to Yumin's tutoring , Minseo's mother was very happy. That's why Minseo's mother really likes Yumin. Every time she went to tutor, she treated him to a hearty meal and also gave him a generous amount of tutoring fees. Thanks to that, Yumin was able to have some free time.
However, Minseo's mother's love for Yumin went a little too far. Since Yumin was kind, honest, and went to a prestigious university, she secretly thought of him as a son-in-law . In fact, Minseo also had feelings for Yumin , but it wasn't that she didn't have feelings for him.
[Okay. I'll go tomorrow or the day after.]
[Come tomorrow, okay?]
[Okay. I'll go tomorrow.]
[I promised. Huh.]
The call ended. Yumin sighed to herself . Minseo couldn't understand why she always grumbled whenever she saw her . But she listened to me well. She listened diligently in class and did the homework that was assigned to her. Sometimes she was cute and well-behaved, and other times she was as shy as a cat. She was completely unpredictable .
Arrived home . Yumin's house is an old 24-pyeong apartment. After her parents passed away, she sold the house she had originally lived in and moved to a smaller apartment.
At first, she managed to maintain this house with the money her parents left her, but because she wanted to secure some space for her younger sister , she couldn't move to a smaller house anymore . But now, she has some room to spare. " Brother. Come on in. Wash up. Dinner is ready." "Yeah. You worked hard."
Gayoung speaks politely to her brother. The age difference is not that big , only 4 years, but when she first met Yumin, she used polite language to him, which became a habit. After her parents passed away, she came to rely on Yumin like a father, and this became even more fixed .
After briefly washing her hands and feet, Yumin headed to the kitchen . On the table was food that Gayoung had prepared with great care .
As Yumin and Gayoung began to live alone, they began to share some of the housework . Yumin started to do it when Gayoung became a senior in high school . He tried to do all the housework , but Gayoung, who usually followed Yumin's every word and was obedient, asserted herself strongly at this time . "You earn money and do everything for me. I'll at least prepare the meals and do the laundry." In the end, Yumin gave in. Yumin , who was originally mean and easily manipulated by others , could not win against Gayoung .
In fact, Yumin likes the food Gayoung cooks . Yumin, who lost his mother early , grew up not knowing what his mother's cooking was. To Yumin, the only thing he could think of as his mother's cooking was his stepmother and his younger sister who inherited her cooking skills . " Where did you decide to put your application ?" "Y University , Business Administration."
The business administration department of Y University is the department that Yumin attends. Although Y University is also a prestigious university, Gayoung could aim for a higher one. However, Gayoung did not give up on this, just like when she shared the housework . Yumin will be a senior next year . While Yumin hopes that Gayoung will go to a slightly better university , he is also somewhat excited about attending the same department as his younger sibling, even if it is only for a year .
In fact, if you go to Y University's business department, you won't be disappointed. Rather than going to a higher university and lowering your major , this might be a good choice . Yumin decided to raise Gayoung's hand at this point .
"Okay. Okay. Let's get accepted and go together."
"Yes. I will definitely do that. Next year, you will be my junior, right? Haha."
Gayoung's smile was dazzling. Gayoung, who was so small and shy, had now completely become a woman . She grew taller and her breasts also swelled considerably.
Yumin didn't look down on Gayoung because she was her younger sister, but Gayoung was really pretty and had a great body . When they went out together, she could feel the attention of men on her younger sister .
Yumin spent some leisurely time with Gayoung for the first time in a long time . They sat together on the living room sofa, watched TV, and chatted . This ordinary, ordinary life was so blissful. I just wished this happiness could last a long time. " Gayoung. Good night."
" Good night , oppa."
Yumin and Gayoung went to their respective rooms . Yumin's final exams were over, so winter break had begun. Minseo's tutoring was over, so he had to look for another part-time job . Yumin fell asleep while thinking about this and that . How long had he been asleep? Something felt different than usual. Yumin slowly opened his eyes. It wasn't the room he had fallen asleep in .
"Where is this?"