West Seoul University Series

by Leigh Ban

  “Mom! Mom! Mom!” I shouted out as soon as Mom picked up.

  “Yumi? How are you, darling? Give me a minute. I’m stir-frying mushrooms right now. Actually, I’m almost done. I just need to turn off the stove.”

  “Take your time,” I said and slumped on my bed.

  While I waited for her, I peeled off my black jeans and pulled my clammy lace blouse over my head. Although the warmest part of the year was over, it had been an unusually hot and sunny day.

  “Alright. What is it, Yumi? You haven’t called in weeks. You know what? I was about to head to the police station to file a missing-persons report for you.”

  I snorted. “I hope you were planning to show them an old photo of me. If you gave them a recent picture, they’d assume I must’ve run off to a commune for wannabe witches.”

  Mom chuckled. “It’s good to hear your voice.”

  “I know, I know. I should call you more often. Sorry about that. I’ve been busy with all sorts of things for the beginning of the semester. Anyway, you’ll never guess what happened. Do you remember me telling you about Professor Choi? She’s the professor that encouraged me to apply for my summer internship.”

  “Sure I do. Are you taking one of her classes again this semester?”

  “Yeah, I had Behavioral Economics with her today. Do you know what she told me after class? Mom, she wants to nominate me for the Hope Scholarship for Young Economists.”

  Mom gasped. “My daughter? A Hope Scholar?”

  “Well, no. Not yet. Or… if I’m not selected, maybe not ever.”

  “But getting nominated by your professor is still fantastic news. I’m so proud of you, Yumi. Don’t you worry. You’re on the right track.”

  “Thanks, Mom. If I don’t update you later, you should know that it’s going to be because I didn’t win the scholarship. By the way, how is everyone doing?”

  “Oh you know how things are, honey. Not much has changed.” She laughed to herself. “Yuhan is very tense and stressed out because he’s preparing to apply to college. As you know, he’ll be taking his college entrance exam soon. The house turns dead silent from the moment he comes home because your dad and I don’t want to interrupt him while he’s studying. We’re just so pleased that his grades have gone up drastically in the past two years. What else? Hmm… Your dad got a gym membership again because he’s put on weight.”

  “How many days has it been since then? I hope you reminded him to start out by paying for a month, not a year.”

  “You know him too well. At first, he wouldn’t listen to me when I suggested he should start out with a one-month membership. Yumi, I had to remind him of what happened the last time he paid for a one-year membership.”

  “He went for two weeks, didn’t he?”

  “If he was here next to me, he’d insist that technically he went for three weeks. But truth be told, he only went twice during the third week. I don’t blame him though. It’s not easy going to the gym when you’re exhausted from spending eleven hours at the firm.” The doorbell rang in the background. Mom hastily added, “Looks like I have to go. I miss you, darling. Wish Yuhan luck!”

  “What’s his first-choice school?”

  “West Seoul University, of course.”

  Chapter Three

  “For those of you that just arrived, please come to the front!” Professor Lim yelled out, flailing his arms.

  There was a large crowd of students gathered around the first two rows of the lecture hall. As I made my way toward the podium, I wondered what was going on. The beam projector had been rolled down. Perhaps we were about to participate in some sort of interactive lesson. I stood next to two girls who were decked out like they were headed to a wedding straight after class.

  “Wish me luck,” said the girl in a peach cap-sleeve dress.

  Her friend giggled, adjusting the neckline of her poufy white blouse.

  A couple of minutes later, once the clunky wooden doors stopped swinging open and shut, Professor Lim announced, “I’ll be assigning everyone their partners today.”

  Aha. It was then that I remembered what he’d said last lesson.

  “Some of you may have heard from your friends that there are no exams or quizzes for Society and Love. Maybe that’s why you’re taking this class.” Professor Lim glanced at his laptop screen with a smirk on his face. “Instead, you’ll be going on five partner assignments throughout this semester. You will also be required to hand in an assignment at the end of the semester, but more on that later. Let’s get you all paired up first. Could I have the girls stand to my left and the boys to my right?”

  Since I was already standing to the professor’s left, I simply watched the other students as they moved around. When I saw the male students in a group, it suddenly struck me that he was going to be assigning us with a partner of the opposite sex, as if we were going to be preparing for a ballroom dance competition. I was reminded of the wacky review from Snarky Students Say: There was an even ratio of male and female students, but somehow I still ended up alone.

  “Your partners will be drawn from my computer software. As I’d like everyone to get to know a complete stranger through this course, you will not be paired up with someone from your major. Otherwise, the selection is entirely random. When I read out you and your partner’s names, raise your hand so that you can identify each other and find a seat together. Now let’s begin.”

  Two student ID pictures appeared on the beam projector screen. A couple of people tittered nervously. It was as if we were being set up by the town matchmaker.

  Professor Lim said, “Sara Kim, a sophomore majoring in chemical engineering, and Junghoon Park, a senior from the history department.”

  Two students put up their hands. Once they made eye contact, the guy pointed to the back of the lecture hall. They made their way there separately. The next few pairs were somewhat less awkward; they headed to their seats together.

  When there were only around twenty of us waiting for our names to be called, I saw my photo appear on the screen.

  “Yumi Go, a junior from the economics department, and Isaac Bong, a sophomore studying premed.”

  Though I had been anticipating the moment, I couldn’t help but cringe at how terrible I looked in my student ID picture. It had been taken at the beginning of freshman year, which was when I first started experimenting with makeup. My skin had broken out in reaction to the new foundation I’d tested out, and my purple lipstick looked patchier than a teenage boy’s first beard.

  On the other hand, my partner was gorgeous. In his photo, he wore glasses and his eyes glimmered underneath his frames. Although there was a boyish quality to his appearance, he had striking bone structure, including a dangerously sharp jawline. There was not a single blemish on his face; I couldn’t stand seeing my photo next to his.

  “Yumi Go?” Professor Lim repeated. “Are you here?”

  My hand shot up. “Yes!”

  I heard a husky laugh. When I turned my head away from the beam projector screen, I saw a tall, well-built guy approach me with an amused look on his face. He wasn’t wearing glasses, but he looked identical to his student ID photo otherwise.

  “Hi. You must be Isaac,” I said, grinning back at him, though I didn’t understand what was so funny.

  “Yup,” he replied. “Which means you must be Yumi. Should we go sit over there?”

  “Sure.”

  Once we made our way to the fourth row, he whispered, “Gray Sky, right?”

  “As in the weather?” I murmured.

  “Gray Sky PC Café. I believe we met there. You freaked out at me.”

  The smile fell off my face.

  Before I had the chance to say anything, Professor Lim tapped the mic on the podium. The feedback screech caused me to wince.

  Isaac stretched his shoulders. “Do you want me to cover your ears for you? You’re pretty much my girlfriend now, after all.”

  “Your girlfriend? What are you talking about? Are yo
u mad?” I hissed, glaring at him. I couldn’t believe I was trapped with him.

  “Is everyone sitting with their partner?” Professor Lim spoke into the mic, taking a look around the lecture hall. “Great. Could you all please read the text on the beam projector screen?”

  Since I would like my students to tackle problems hands-on, make a few mistakes along the way, and learn from unique life experiences instead of mindlessly regurgitating textbooks, there are no exams for this course.

  The guy sitting right in front of me clapped and whistled. His partner turned her head away and rested her forehead on the palm of her hand.

  “This semester, you will explore what being in a relationship entails in modern Korean society by experiencing so-called ‘couple culture’ firsthand,” Professor Lim said, then changed the text on the screen. “You have two options at the end of the semester.”

  Grading Policy and End-of-Semester Report: Your ten-page report must be a research paper on one of the topics from my lectures. However, if you are in a relationship with your partner at the end of the semester, you can submit a love letter addressed to them instead.

  When I read what was on the screen, I felt as if I’d been teleported onto the set of a reality show. I couldn’t believe a professor, of all people, was encouraging me to write a love letter to a complete stranger. Was this class for real?

  Professor Lim explained, “In the letter, I’d like you to outline the process through which you grew close to your partner. Since I’m an anthropologist who specializes in dating and relationships, I’m utterly fascinated by the details within the progression from friendship and casual dating to romantic relationships.”

  “We’re his guinea pigs,” Isaac muttered.

  Though I didn’t respond, I agreed with him.

  “Keep in mind I’ve developed a pretty good radar for detecting genuine attraction and affection. I have the right to invite students to my office for an interview if I need to check whether they’ve been honest with me. Also, please keep the following disclaimer in mind,” added Professor Lim.

  Disclaimer: Those of you who choose to write an end-of-semester report will be given a grade no higher than a B+. In order to receive an A, both you and your partner must submit a sincere, detailed love letter in addition to completing every partner assignment. A copy of the letter will be given to me and your partner. If a pair of students are deemed to have developed a meaningful relationship with each other over the past semester, they will be given an A+.

  Although course change period was over, so I wanted to stay on the professor’s good side, I couldn’t help but shoot my hand in the air. This was totally unreasonable. I wanted an A+ so badly, but I definitely wasn’t going to be writing a love letter for a cocky jerk.

  Someone blurted out in a booming voice, “Professor, what if we submit both an end-of-semester report and a love letter, but our partner just hands in a report?”

  Professor Lim laughed. “First off, there’s no need to write both. You’re either in a relationship or you’re not, so just give me one or the other. There are over eighty students in this class. I simply don’t have the time to read your love letter in addition to your report paper.”

  Another student stood up and yelled, “Excuse me, Professor, I have a question!”

  “I’ll let you ask once you sit down again.”

  The student stayed on his feet. “Does this mean that our grade is entirely dependent on whether we agree to write a love letter to each other?”

  “Sit down please. No,” Professor Lim replied. “I was just about to get to the slide on your assignments.”

  Partner Assignments: You are required to visit five popular date destinations in Seoul. While you are there, take a photo with your partner to share as evidence. Both of your faces must be clearly visible, and the background should indicate where you are. I will personally check the photos through my JoaJoa Messenger account. After each “date,” keep the photo as your JoaJoa Messenger profile picture. You should also write a brief one- or two-paragraph summary of your visit. Include details such as the activities you participated in and your thoughts on the place as a date destination.

  Disclaimer: Although you will be asked to submit your five summaries with your love letter or end-of-semester report, I suggest you complete each one shortly after your date since you’ll probably struggle to remember what you did months ago. Each incomplete assignment without both a photo and a summary will result in the deduction of one-third of a letter grade.

  A couple of students gasped.

  Professor Lim chuckled. “My JoaJoa ID is printed below my email address on the front page of the syllabus. Once you’ve added me, send me a message to share that you’re a member of this class. You can go ahead and do that now.”

  The student who’d asked the last question got up again. “What if there are issues with our partner?”

  “If you don’t like your partner… I’m afraid I can’t help you out. However, if your partner refuses to participate in the partner assignments, please notify me. You needn’t get too worked up about this course. Consider it a refreshing change from your usual classes. Last semester, less than ten students received a grade below a B.”

  “How many students got an A or an A+?” another student called out.

  “Eighteen students—nine pairs!” Professor Lim replied.

  I wondered whether all eighteen of those students had actually been in a relationship. Were any of them together now? My guess was that maybe one or two pairs were still dating.

  Isaac smirked. “See, I told you. You’re my girlfriend now.”

  “Excuse me?” I hissed.

  “Yumi, you’re my girlfriend now. I need the A+.”

  I groaned. “You know, ordinarily, I’d rather work my ass off and get an A than do the bare minimum and settle for a B or a C. But I think this class might be an exception. Do you seriously think two strangers can pretend to be in love for a semester just because they want to receive an A for one class? What are you, a slave to your grades?”

  “Actually, I’m the exact opposite. I got an academic warning last semester.” He grinned like a child who’d broken an heirloom vase in the process of catching a mosquito.

  “I don’t care about your GPA. Why don’t you go brag about it to your parents instead? Do they pay for your tuition?”

  “Oh, they know. They lost their minds, and rightly so. If I don’t raise my grades this semester, I won’t be able to enter my first year of medicine next year,” Isaac explained. In South Korea, medicine was a six-year degree with two years in premed, followed by four years in medical school. “Now, if I stay behind in premed for another year, my parents are going to disown me. Why do you think I took this class?”

  “Because you’re desperate?” I sneered.

  “Yeah, if by desperate you mean I’m desperate for an A+. Look, I won’t be able to get anything above a C or a C− in classes like orgo. This is the easiest class to get an A+ in. I’m not asking you to fall in love with me. We just have to prove we’re a couple to Professor Lim.”

  “No way. I’d rather die of papercuts than write you a love letter.” I cast him a dirty look, but he didn’t seem fazed by it.

  Isaac and I agreed to attend the Seoul Autumn Harvest Festival that Saturday. At the end of class, Professor Lim had shared that the festival was running for the first time this year. Because I didn’t know what to expect, I just hoped that it would be an event catering to children or senior citizens, not young couples. The thought of being surrounded by lovebirds made my stomach churn.

  Since I stayed up late to work on another assignment on Friday, I woke up feeling groggy and struggled to get out of bed. However, as much as I dreaded having to meet up with Isaac, I knew I couldn’t stand him up. After all, I was trying to earn a B+, not a D. I didn’t see the point in dressing up to meet him, so I left my apartment in sweatpants. Isaac and I were supposed to meet outside a nearby subway station at two, but I decided to ge
t there early to grab lunch and work on my Hope Scholarship application essays at a café. I ordered a chicken pesto panini and a cup of black coffee, which was my usual go-to drink. Once I’d devoured my panini, I took out my laptop and began typing away.

  I became so engrossed in writing my essay that I forgot about Isaac and the Seoul Autumn Harvest Festival. When I finished my first draft, I peered at the corner of my computer screen and gasped. It was already 2:15. I pulled out my phone to see if he’d contacted me. To my surprise, I didn’t have any missed calls or unread messages. Perhaps I’d accidentally given him the wrong number. Although I’d begrudgingly exchanged numbers with him, we hadn’t sent each other a single message yet. I called him to find out.

  “Hello?” I said when I heard him pick up.

  He grunted.

  “Isaac?”

  “Yumi,” he replied in a gravelly, sleepy voice. “I’m sorry. I—”

  “Where on Earth are you? Did you just wake up?”

  “No, I’m… I’m on my way right now.”

  “Do you take me for an idiot?” I hissed. “You were clearly asleep until I called you. If you don’t arrive at the café next to Exit 3 in half an hour, I’m going to message Professor Lim.”

  “Half an hour? Yumi, it’s going to take me forty minutes to get there. I’ll make sure to arrive by three. Hey, I’ll buy you dinner to make up for this.”

  “I’m not going to have dinner with you. Get here in thirty minutes or I’m leaving.”

  Once I hung up, I ordered a second cup of black coffee. While I waited for Isaac, I attempted to work on my second essay. However, I couldn’t get into the groove again. How could he have overslept when we’d agreed to meet in the middle of the afternoon? For almost half an hour, I watched the clock tick. When he arrived, he beamed at me as if we were old friends, united at last. Dressed in a white oxford shirt with navy trousers, he looked as if he were going on a dinner date.