Chapter 34 – Midterms Approached – Part 2

Chapter 34 – Midterms Approached – Part 2

Man-su’s Cousin Brother placed the incredibly good Marbling Ring Beef on the grill.

Sizzle-

Woojin watched the scene as if it were a work of art.

And he chose words that ordinary people would say.

“The color is amazing.”

The Older Cousin smiled triumphantly.

“This is 1++ Grade No.9 Beef. I’ve only eaten it once, but I can say it’s the highest grade of beef. What more can I say? Here, try it.”

The Older Cousin placed meat on Woojin’s and Mansu’s plates.

“Don’t use anything else, just dip it lightly in salt and try it.”

Woojin picked up his chopsticks and carefully grabbed a piece of meat.

He had eaten beef a few times before, but he had never seen marbling like this.

Woojin soon brought the meat to his mouth and closed his eyes.

The savory aroma filled his mouth.

‘It’s something that cannot be expressed in words…’

He seemed to have just blinked, but the meat had already slid down his throat and was gone.

“How is it? Isn’t it incredibly delicious?”

Woojin nodded at his older cousin’s words.

“It’s a taste that makes it hard to control one’s consciousness.”

“Huh?”

Mansu said with a laugh.

“Brother, he means it’s really delicious.”

“Ah, right, right. Eat a lot. I’m treating you today. Woojin, it’s all thanks to you. They agreed to regular deliveries to thirty places. We’re getting a lot of group orders too. Is there anything you need? I want to give you a gift.”

“I’m fine. I think we need to add more meat…”

“Oh, right. Hahahaha! Eat a lot!”

“Brother, with such good food, shouldn’t we have a glass of soju?”

“Didn’t you say your exam is coming up soon?”

“Just a few glasses will be fine.”

“Mansu, if you drink alcohol, the GABA neurons that are usually closed will open, and chloride will act all at once, making you sleepy. If you’re going to study today, it’s better not to drink.”

Mansu didn’t understand what he was saying, but he was gradually getting used to Woojin, so he nodded positively.

“Then I’ll just drink cider.”

“I’ll have cola.”

After they had finished several plates, his older cousin said with an expectant voice.

“If things go well, I think we can open a second branch.”

Mansu’s eyes widened.

“Is it going that well?”

Older Cousin grinned and spoke to Woojin, who was savoring the last piece, as if joking.

“Woojin, could you give me some help? This experience made me realize I definitely need advice from a young person. Hahaha!”

“If it’s a second location, are you thinking of franchising?”

“You could say that.”

“With your wife?”

“No, she’s pregnant, so she can’t fully dive into it now.”

Older Cousin continued speaking casually as if it were a joke.

“A friend of mine wants to do it, but when I heard him say that, I wanted to approach it a bit more professionally. Woojin, you seem to have an eye for trends, and I’d like your help. I’m not asking for it for free. We can draw up a contract, and I can even share some equity, though it won’t be a lot. Hahaha!”

Older Cousin, of course, didn’t entirely trust Woojin.

He was only a first-year university student. But he definitely thought Woojin had a good eye.

In terms of talent, that is.

He wasn’t in a position to hire a professional right now, and he wanted to leverage Woojin’s talent, which had helped get the store off the ground.

“Can we order another plate?”

“Sure. Order more.”

Then, as if something suddenly occurred to him, Mansu spoke up.

“Go for it. Don’t you want to try starting a business? Is that why you joined the Business Department? This is also experience.”

“Just ordinarily…”

Mansu, as if excited, started talking regardless of whether Woojin spoke or not.

“Mark Zuckerberg created Facebook in university, and Bill Gates founded Traf-O-Data, right? And…”

Mansu rattled off a list of successful people from their university days.

Woojin was lost in thought for a moment.

‘Is it ordinary for me to enter the Business Department and then, in reaction to that, start a business? All those countless people who achieved business success in university… Then what about an office worker…?’

Woojin, having neatly organized his thoughts, nodded and said to Older Cousin,

“Yes. Because I still have several years left before I become an office worker.”

***

The next day, Woojin went to school and was on his way to the Professor’s office.

It was Woojin who had applied for a consultation yesterday.

When he knocked and entered, Professor Lee, who taught Introduction to Business Administration and was watering a flower pot, greeted Woojin.

“Welcome.”

“Hello.”

Professor Lee smiled as he watered the flower pot.

“Just like this, water is essential for people too.”

“How do you think about it from a microeconomic perspective?”

At the sudden question, Professor Lee put down the water and replied.

“That the human body is 70% water?”

“If you look at the human body from a microeconomic perspective, magnesium is 0.01%, chloride is 0.02%, potassium is……”

Professor Lee wondered where to cut off Woojin’s words, which seemed to be giving him a headache.

But Woojin’s expression was the opposite.

‘Is the knowledge I have correct?’

Professor Lee, who had talked with Woojin before, could feel it clearly.

It was a curiosity, like an academic fervor, about whether what he knew was correct.

“If I decompose the water you mentioned, Professor, the most abundant elements in the human body are hydrogen at 62.7% and oxygen at 23.8%. Is that right?”

Professor Lee nodded vaguely and quickly spoke up.

“You want advice? Is it about the exam?”

“No. It’s about business. I wanted to ask for your advice, Professor.”

“Business?”

“Yes. There’s someone who runs a fast-food business, and they asked me to join them. I’m thinking of opening a second branch.”

“Hmm… So you’re opening a franchise?”

“Yes. How can I make it successful?”

Professor Lee’s lips curved slightly.

“A franchise… It’s simple, no need for theoretical arguments. Sales are determined by location. The spot is crucial.”

Woojin nodded.

He thought the same.

“So…”

Professor Lee, who had been speaking, handed Woojin a thick compiled book from his drawer.

“These are companies that have successfully become startups. They’ll be helpful.”

“Thank you.”

“Hey, don’t read it here. Return it when you’re done.”

“Thank you, Professor.”

Woojin bid farewell and left, and Professor Lee felt a sense of pride as he watched the closed door.

That night.

Woojin had to feel a little empty.

He had carried home what the Professor gave him like a treasure, but it was all information he already knew.

On the contrary, the information in his own brain was more extensive than the contents of what the Professor had given him.

Woojin, who had been lost in thought, approached the mirror and looked at himself.

It’s best to act immediately once you’ve made a decision.

Time, which cannot be retrieved, continues to slip away while you ponder.

Woojin decided to use everything that had passed him by to come to a conclusion.

‘Come out.’

Blink.

Woojin swept his hair back and grinned.

“Woojin, that’s an excellent choice.”

As always, the Unconscious Woojin, who was admiring his own face, sat in front of the PC.

Before connecting to the internet, he quickly scanned the contents of the assignments Woojin had been working on.

Then he laughed, holding his stomach.

“Professors, really, giving out assignments like this. Even a Candle elementary student could do it.”

Soon, Woojin displayed a video uploaded by a YouTuber, and then wrote the same content in the comments and in the email the YouTuber had uploaded.

“It’s a very simple Room method and truth: first, become famous. What I do is positive, and the more people know about it, the more money will come in. It’s like that with anything. Whether you run a big business or a small corner store. It’s a very simple essence. Do you know why our country has a high suicide rate? What’s the reason supercars in this small country achieved the world’s number one sales rate for several consecutive months? You must know, of course.”

Woojin took his hands off the keyboard and stretched, interlacing his fingers.

He would call him again only after he showed him the results.

“Woojin, you’re an adult now, so let go of those petty moralistic mindsets. All you want is to not deviate from the legal net, right? Legally, there’s absolutely no problem. But to be thinking like this when the exam is right around the corner, it’s so naturally me!”

***

The first midterm exam approached.

There were two proctors, and the exam papers were handed out to the students.

Woojin received the exam paper and looked around with a smile.

“You have one hour, and if cheating is discovered, you will be immediately dismissed.”

With the teaching assistant’s voice, Woojin looked at the wall watch.

Tick-tock.

He picked up his pen exactly at 1 o’clock.

His eyes moved rapidly from side to side, and his wrist moved as if there was an earthquake.

Had it been just over 10 minutes like that?

Woojin tapped the exam paper with his finger and stood up from his seat.

The teaching assistant who received the exam paper looked at Woojin with strange eyes.

The other students were the same.

“Keep up the hard work.”

As Woojin left, the teaching assistant looked at Woojin’s exam paper.

It was an essay exam, and the paper was filled with densely written words.

The teaching assistant had a question.

Had he memorized the answers in advance, or had he just written a bunch of wrong answers that weren’t the solution?

As the Professor would know, it was too fast, much too fast.

Meanwhile, Woojin was waiting for someone at the School Main Gate.

Vroom-

A sports car with a thunderous exhaust sound approached Woojin.

Soon, a man dressed as if he loved hip-hop appeared.

He had met Woojin once before; he was the YouTuber Kkirit, who had uploaded the video of Woojin encountering a cult.

“Wow. You were an S University student? I thought your speaking skills were extraordinary when you were fighting the cult, but by the way, you’re even more handsome, aren’t you?”

Woojin smiled slightly and offered a handshake. Woojin’s hand, clasped with his, was slightly upward.

“Long time no see. I’ve been enjoying your videos.”

“Thanks to that video, my subscriber count has gone up a lot.”

“You’ve passed a million; congratulations.”

“Thanks~! People seem to be getting tired of my mischievous image, so thank you for the content material.”

“I think you’ll change your image and people will see you in a good light. Let’s both win. Shall we go?”

“But are you sure it’s okay not to say anything? If we get rejected…”

“No. There’s a low chance of that, given they are good-hearted people.”

At that moment, passersby began to glance over.

“Isn’t that the YouTuber, Kkirit?”

“I think so?”

“Wow… that car is really pretty.”

“Did he come to shoot a video? He’s with a super handsome guy.”

Kkirit waved at them and then said to Woojin,

“Shall we go right now?”

“Let’s go.”

***

Mansu’s Older Cousin looked at Woojin, who had come to the store, in surprise.

Isn’t it exam period?

Woojin smiled subtly and sat down at one of the few tables.

I wanted to eat it on my way after it’s over. One Spicy-Sweet Ciabatta. And a Cola.

Okay~ I’ll make you a Gold Room.

Just then, his wife greeted a newly arrived customer.

Welcome…

His wife blinked.

Because a person with a bucket hat and dirt on his face had entered.

He was dressed in worn-out clothes.

What surprised her wasn’t his attire.

A smell like food waste was stinging her nose.

He looked like a homeless man among homeless men.

He fumbled through his pants and pulled out a stack of papers that looked like business cards.

And he spoke in a slurred, slow voice.

If I bring these… they’ll give me a thousand won…

Honey, what’s going on?

His older cousin, who had approached his wife, also blinked.

It was a flyer for an expired event.

And it clearly stated that only one person could use one sheet…

Was it because his eyesight was poor and he couldn’t check?

His older cousin gave a bitter smile and said,

Sir, this is expired…

Oh… isn’t today the 19th…

It ended a long time ago…

I’m sorry…

He turned and left the store. But then.

“Teacher! Give me that.”

“Yes?”

Older Cousin began counting the flyers he received.

“One, Two, Three… You brought 19 sheets? The event period is over, but by the owner’s discretion, the event is still on until today! Since it’s nineteen sheets, I’ll give you nineteen thousand won.”

As Older Cousin smiled and offered the money, the Homeless Man hesitated for a moment.

“You can take it. Thank you for finding them. Customer.”

“Honey, since he’s come all this way, tell him to have something to eat before he leaves.”

“Please try some food too. We’re giving it away for free to those who come at this hour.”

Of course not.

“Ah… Thank you. Just… pack it up for me here.”

Wife said.

“Do you have any companions with you?”

“There are three of them, but…”

Woojin nodded as he watched the scene.

Soon after he left, Woojin said to Older Cousin.

“Brother, that Homeless Man from a little while ago. He’s a YouTuber.”

“He was a YouTuber customer. Huh? What? A YouTuber?”

“Yes. I think there’s a need for advertising.”

“Advertising? Ah… on YouTube…”

The couple was stunned.

“So it was filmed just now?”

“Yes.”

“Why didn’t you tell me first?”

Woojin didn’t say anything because he thought the couple wouldn’t be good at acting.

An actor who is truly good at acting is good at lying.

To deceive himself into believing he has erased his usual self and become a completely different character, that is the righteous path.

However, the couple were ordinary people, not reporters, so it wouldn’t be natural no matter what, and their micro-expressions couldn’t help but be unnatural.

“If you had told me…”

Woojin answered with a slight smile.

“I knew this would happen.”

Just then, the door opened and a customer entered.

It was the Homeless Man, the YouTuber.