West Seoul University Series

by Leigh Ban

  “Isaac?” I screeched.

  Although I wanted to ask him what was going on or at least curse him out, no words came out of my mouth. The woman on his back knitted her brow, as if we’d met before and she couldn’t quite remember my name. My face burned. Was she his high school friend? Had he lied about her gender? That didn’t make sense since she appeared to be older than him, perhaps in her thirties.

  “Hey, Yumi. I didn’t expect to see you here,” Isaac said with a grating smile on his face.

  “I… can’t believe it,” I quavered. Though I was angry more than anything else, I didn’t have the strength to lash out. I felt tears form in my eyes. So I began running. I ran down the main street of Sinchon like I’d gone mad. My black platform boots pinched my toes badly and I could feel the blisters forming, but that didn’t stop me.

  “Yumi? What’s going on?” Isaac shouted out.

  He didn’t chase after me. I didn’t exactly expect him to, seeing as he was carrying another woman on his back. Yet I felt disappointed when I finally looked back after arriving at my building. Didn’t he care about me enough to come and give me an explanation?

  Seconds after I slammed my front door shut, my phone rang. Although I tried to ignore him at first, when he called the second time, I caved in.

  “What’s going on, Yumi? Why did you run off?” Isaac asked.

  “What was I supposed to do? Stand there and cheer you on after you lied about meeting up with your high school friend?” I said, my words coming out in a rush.

  “I was with my high school friend until I—”

  “Until you got a booty call from a woman you’re seeing on the side?”

  “Hang on.” He laughed. “You have it all wrong.”

  “I don’t want to hear excuses. Isaac, you’re not nearly as suave as you think. I’ve got you all figured out now. You were clearly a little nerd all your life. I mean, you had to have been. If your high school grades were as abysmal as your college grades, you wouldn’t be studying premed right now. I bet the grown-ups around you told you that if you got into med school, tons of girls will start fawning over you. So since you entered college, you’ve been going around with a dumb smirk on your face, acting like you’re the campus Casanova. Fake it till you make it, huh?”

  “Yumi, stop,” he murmured.

  “Frankly, I pity you,” I spat out. “Do you really think the girls you’ve exchanged numbers with care about you? Do you honestly believe the girls you drink and hook up with like you for who you truly are? Newsflash: they don’t. You mean even less to them than they do to you. I’m so glad this semester is over. Now I don’t have to feel handcuffed to you anymore.”

  “Handcuffed to me?”

  “I felt trapped from the moment I found out you were my partner. I had to leave early for our first two days because being with you was suffocating. You made me feel like a prisoner. Thank goodness I’m not stuck with you anymore.” My voice trembled as I released a haughty laugh. “Don’t you dare try to talk to me again. I’m blocking your number. And if you ever see me on campus, turn around and be grateful I’m not the type to cause a scene.”

  After I hung up, I broke into sobs.

  “Yumi, my star student,” Professor Byun called out as he waved me over.

  “Thank you for inviting me, Professor Byun,” I said, giving him a small bow as I went to his table.

  “Have you tried the smoked salmon eggs benedict yet?” he asked.

  “No. I actually just arrived,” I replied. I was ten minutes late, as I’d struggled to get out of bed earlier. Although I’d only had a few shots of tequila last night and hadn’t been drunk, I had a throbbing headache.

  “It’s delicious. You have to try it. We still have one empty seat here.” He pointed to a chair across the table. “Would you like to come join us?”

  “Sure. Thank you so much,” I said.

  Once I took my coat off and tossed it on my chair, I went over to the catering display. There were trays of bacon breakfast pizzas, shrimp and avocado salad, mini frittatas, and even fluffy pancakes drizzled with maple syrup. The smell was divine. Without wasting another second, I grabbed a plate and filled it up. Food always cheered me up—or at least distracted me from the pain.

  “That’s a lot of pancakes you’ve got there. Looks like someone’s hungry.”

  When I turned my head, I saw Seungwoo smirking.

  “How are you, Yumi? It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

  “Yeah,” I muttered, putting down the tongs.

  “Have you finished your exams?”

  “Well, yes, but I still have a term paper to submit,” I said as I took brisk steps toward my table, hoping he’d leave me alone.

  “I see. When’s it due?” he asked, trailing a couple of steps behind me.

  “Sometime next week,” I replied. Then I realized I didn’t have anything to drink and made my way to the drink station.

  “I had an interview at the Financial Supervisory Service last week.”

  “How did it go?” I said, enunciating my words so I sounded robotic. After taking a quick glance at the selection of beverages, I poured myself a glass of orange juice. Not because I particularly liked orange juice, but because there was a line for the coffee machine and the juice bottle was right in front of me. I needed to get back to my seat pronto.

  “Could you pour me a glass too?” Seungwoo asked with a smug expression on his face. “I found out I got the job two days ago, which was what I expected. I was still relieved though. According to one of my interviewers, the Financial Supervisory Service received a record-breaking number of applications this year. There were a lot of highly qualified candidates. Including some that have master’s degrees and MBAs.”

  “Congratulations,” I mumbled as I handed him a glass of orange juice.

  “Professor Byun thinks I should apply to MBA programs in America next year. He says I have a good shot. Or maybe I’ll work at the Financial Supervisory Service for two or three years first. But the thing is, my parents keep saying I shouldn’t be a big fish in a small pond. They’re also encouraging me to apply next year. They love to remind me I’m in no rush to settle down, seeing as I’m a man and I don’t have to worry about my biological clock ticking.” Seungwoo sneered. “No offense to you, of course. I’m not sexist by any means. I think women should pursue their own careers and learn to be independent. To be frank, looks fade earlier than women tend to expect.”

  Although I was tempted to pour my glass on his face, I contained my rage by gritting my teeth and reminding myself I was at an event with my professors.

  Seungwoo tapped on my shoulder with his little finger. “You know what?”

  “What?” I sighed.

  “We should meet up after you complete your paper. How does that sound?”

  “Um… I have to check my schedule. I’ve got plans.”

  “Do you use a calendar app on your phone? You really should, if you don’t, by the way.”

  “I do.”

  “Why don’t you check your schedule right now then? Put your plate down over there,” he said, gesturing to the corner of the table with his elbow.

  I groaned, unable to put up a façade. “Seungwoo, I don’t want to. I’m hungry. I want to go back to my table and eat.”

  I didn’t think Seungwoo could become any more intolerable, but he broke my asshole meter when he proceeded to make tsk-tsk sounds.

  “Don’t procrastinate, Yumi,” he said.

  “Excuse me?” I shrieked without meaning to.

  “Procrastination leads to—”

  “Shut up, Seungwoo. Stop trying to give me a TED Talk. I’m having a bad day. I don’t need you to make it worse,” I snarled.

  To my surprise, I was able to silence him, albeit only for a few seconds. He simply studied my face, giving me a curious look. “Are you jealous of me?”

  “Why would I be jealous of you?”

  “Because I’m a Hope Scholar and you’re not? At least not
yet. And because I landed a job at the Financial Supervisory Service.”

  “You may be a Hope Scholar, but I see no hope in you ever becoming a person worth my time. Now leave me alone unless you want to wash your face with this.” I swung my glass of orange juice in the air.

  “Yumi?”

  I turned around. Professor Choi was staring at me with a blank expression on her face.

  Chapter Fifteen

  After pulling an all-nighter and submitting my term paper early Wednesday afternoon, I collapsed onto my bed. Although I had one more class to attend, for none other than Society and Love, much of the weight had been lifted off my shoulders now. I closed my eyes and directed my thoughts to happier times. Like when I rolled around in the damp sand, pretending to be a beached mermaid, during the days I lived in Hawaii as a kid. And the month I binge-watched true crime shows until dawn every day, right before I started college. And of course, the night I saw The Nutcracker at the Seo Woo Center while Isaac sat next to me. Oh, Isaac. I yelled out his name, pushing myself upright in doing so. Apparently I’d fallen asleep without realizing.

  When I glanced out the window, the streetlights were in the midst of flickering on. I instantly jumped out of bed; I’d agreed to meet Dana for drinks. After taking a quick, clean-everything-at-once shower, I threw on the first items of clothing I saw scattered around and tossed a couple of beauty products into my handbag—I needed to apply my lipstick and eyeliner on the elevator to save time.

  However, once I met up with Dana at the bistro, I couldn’t help but regret the lack of effort I’d put into getting ready. I felt awfully frumpy wearing a ratty faded black sweatshirt and an ill-fitting pair of jeans while Dana looked knockout gorgeous in her red dress and sheer tights.

  “Want to go to a soju bar next?” she asked after I finished my last glass of wine.

  I gave her an apologetic smile. “To be honest, Dana…”

  “You’re not up for partying tonight?” she muttered. A look of disappointment took over her face; she was an open book.

  “But I don’t want to go home just yet.” I squeezed her hand. “We haven’t had one of our wild nights in what seems like forever. Where should we go next then?”

  She giggled. “You’re the best, Yumi. Let’s go to the cheapest, rowdiest place nearby.”

  “And pretend we’re freshmen again? Ah, sweet memories. I’m in,” I said, grabbing the bill as I got up.

  Once we left the bistro, we did exactly what she suggested. Within five minutes, we were sitting at a small table in a crowded, dimly lit soju bar.

  Shortly after the bottle of soju and fish cake stew we ordered was served, Dana said, “I need to use the bathroom. I’ll be right back.”

  “Alright,” I said, waving her off.

  A minute later, while I went through my email inbox on my phone, wondering if Professor Choi was ever going to respond to the “Thank you for this semester” email I’d sent her, specifically to check whether she’d begun to question my character after seeing me lash out at Seungwoo. To be honest, I was just praying she wouldn’t bring it up with Professor Byun, seeing as he was the one who arranged for Seungwoo to be my “mentor.” My train of thought was interrupted by a hand on my arm.

  “Hey,” said a guy in a big gray hoodie and camo pants.

  “Hi,” I mumbled, my mind still preoccupied with thoughts from the brunch incident.

  He pointed to my sweatshirt. “I like your style.”

  “This?” I laughed incredulously, tugging on the collar, which was wrinkled and stretched out from wear. “I’ve had this for years. It’s comfortable, I guess, but it’s not exactly cute.”

  “Comfort is important.” He nodded, eyeing me up and down. “So you’re into being effortless, huh?”

  I shrugged.

  “I love a girl in a black sweatshirt,” he said.

  “You do?”

  “Yeah. It shows you’re confident in yourself, you know. Like you don’t need attention or validation. It also makes you seem kind of mysterious. So what’s your name, baby?”

  I furrowed my brow. “Did you call me ‘baby’?”

  “You’re, what, in your early twenties? You’re a kid to me, baby.”

  “If you want to keep talking to me, stop calling me ‘baby.’ What are you then? A grandpa?”

  “Ooh. You’re a little feisty, aren’t you? I like that.” He simpered. “That’s your charm, isn’t it? You wear dark lipstick, you’re hard to please, and you don’t let men mess around with you. But honestly, your attitude just makes us guys want you even more.”

  “You’re being ridiculous,” I retorted, reminded of Isaac all of a sudden. Although I was furious at him, I badly wanted Isaac to gaze at me with that sexy smile of his. Fat chance that was ever going to happen though. I’d blocked his number. We were never going to say another word to each other. I wasn’t going to be the idiot that fell for a guy’s stupid lies just because he was charismatic, funny, and easy on the eyes.

  “No, I’m not. It’s the truth. Most men enjoy a bit of a challenge. There’s nothing more satisfying than a woman who initially seemed unbreakable and cold-hearted going weak at the knees for me.”

  “So you’re telling me I’m nothing but a dumb challenge for people like you?”

  Even though I had no idea who he was, I felt as if he’d just impaled my heart with a stake. Was that all I had been for Isaac too? Did he flirt with me and plan special moments for us simply because he enjoyed the chase? No wonder he’d been sneaking around with another woman after asking me out.

  “You’re not offended, are you? I don’t mean it in a bad way.”

  “I… need to go to the bathroom and find my friend,” I said as I sprung up from my seat.

  When I woke up on Thursday, I dreaded having to go to the last class for Society and Love. Although I got up around seven, for hours, I didn’t have it in me to lift myself out of bed. To wallow in my misery, I played a break-up playlist Dana shared with me on full blast. Since I’d run out of tears by now, I stared at the ceiling, numb and still, like I was a piece of furniture in my room. I didn’t budge until my phone started ringing.

  “Hello,” I croaked.

  “Yumi? Are you alright?” asked Mom. “You don’t sound well. You haven’t caught a cold, have you?”

  “No, Mom. I’m fine. What’s up?”

  “It’s your brother, Yumi,” she said, her voice shaking as if she were about to burst into tears any minute.

  “Did something happen to Yuhan, Mom? Is everything okay?”

  “Yuhan, do you want to come and announce the news yourself?” Mom called out.

  “You can tell her,” Yuhan said in the background. However, seconds later, he came on the line. “Sis, I got into medicine.”

  I gasped. “Yuhan, you’re a superstar. I’m so happy for you. Congratulations. Which school?”

  “Thanks. All five of the colleges I applied for, actually.”

  “Wow. You’re incredible. I guess all that’s left now is for you to enjoy yourself. You deserve it,” I said.

  “Here.” Mom took her phone back from Yuhan. “Yumi, Yuhan is going to West Seoul University next year!”

  Somehow, I made it to the lecture hall for Society and Love on time. I sat at the very back of the classroom with the hood of my down jacket up over my head.

  “So the deadline for your love letters and end-of-semester reports was last Sunday. Now I’m sure you guys are curious to know about how many couples are sitting here with us right now. It’s only natural to be a little nosy, right?” Professor Lim chuckled. “I’m holding this class today specifically to share this information with you.”

  The beam projector screen displayed the first page of a slide show titled “Society and Love: Fall Semester.” Professor Lim changed the slide to one labeled “Not a lot of love.” A couple of students snickered, presumably at the giant crying emoji next to the text.

  “Last semester, eighteen students ended up in a relationship
. They all received an A+ from me. This semester, I’m sad to announce that only six students will be getting an A+. Believe me, if I could’ve given out more, I would have done that.” Professor Lim sighed. “However, only seven students handed in a love letter. Yes, you heard correctly. Seven students submitted a love letter. Six of those students wrote to their partners and vice versa, while one student wrote a one-sided love letter.”

  “Who’s the seventh student?” somebody asked.

  My head spun and my stomach churned. Though I’d suspected this situation would arise, I didn’t expect to be humiliated in front of the whole class.

  “I won’t be revealing the names of any of the students that submitted a love letter, especially the poor girl who will sadly be receiving a B+. Although I wish I could give her an A+, I did say at the beginning of this semester that both you and your partner need to show that you’ve developed a meaningful relationship together.”

  Though I was tempted to run out of the classroom right then, I knew that doing so would draw attention to me, as I’d inadvertently be broadcasting my heartbreak.

  Professor Lim added, “With that being said, I was impressed with most of your end-of-semester summaries. Only a handful of students failed to complete every partner assignment. The majority of you will be getting a B+ from me.”

  A student hooted from the middle of the lecture hall.

  “The joys of absolute grading,” Professor Lim said with a smile.

  After Professor Lim dismissed the class, I rushed toward the wooden door behind me. Though I wanted to sprint out of the building, I was slowed down by a large crowd. People were going in and out of an auditorium. There was a vinyl sign that read “Romance and Korean Cinema: Christmas Movie Screening & Party.”

  “It sucks to be single around this time of year,” said a girl in front of me. She took out a pack of chewing gum and offered one to her friend.

  Her friend took it and replied, “Thanks, babe. I know. That bedroom scene was the most action I’ll see this festive season.”