Chapter 34 (2/2)

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I couldn't think about the money that I spent. My head… It didn't seem worth 40,000 won. I went to buy some clothes and was suddenly offered lots of things. Of course, I didn't go beyond the basics. I looked at the internet for seasonal outfits and just bought as much as I needed currently.

… Except for one cardigan.

”…”

”I can't stop looking. It's really amazing.” Dong-wook hyung was joking around. I'd met up with him an hour later, and he was surprised at how much someone could change in one day. I came up with the ridiculous excuse that I had been secretly exercising and managing my body for the past few months.

I had been training my body steadily. I maintained a slouched posture with the people I knew. Really, it was such a tedious thing. However, there was no better explanation to explain my height increase and larger body. In fact, Dong-wook hyung didn't really understand the explanation.

”You… Really… Hey… You've been working out. I don't think you would make that up.” He thought I cleansed my skin using BB cream, with the new clothes giving me a different atmosphere.  In fact, what could he do even if he didn't believe it? The different hair style also helped to a certain extent.

“Anyway, you look good. You should keep doing that in the future.”

”I’m going to try.” I smiled and climbed up the stairs of the building. It was empty due to the exam period, although it was perfect for studying. However, I was going to meet a friend whose test finished early. Otherwise, I wouldn't have come here.

“Hiii!” My friend stiffened as he looked over here.

”You…”

”This is really Hee-chul. Or at least, he claims that he is Hee-chul.” Dong-wook laughed at the sight before him. “But what are you doing? Your exam is over.”

”Didn't you see? Jae-hak sunbae has come to play in one of the rooms. That's why there are many people right now.”

“Jae-hak hyung?” Dong-wook was surprised. Ha Jae-hak was a computer engineering major and could be described as the idol of our university. He originally enrolled in the school's medical department, but it didn't fit his apt.i.tude, so he switched to computer engineering.

Two years ago, he created a start-up with a group of friends from his academic circles. The smartphone market had explosively developed during the last few years, and he created a marketing intermediary platform called 'Green Web'… It hit the jackpot.

“How much was Green Web sold for?”

“Three billion won supposedly. JC Soft bought it. Jae-hak hyung… He ate 20% of that.”

As Dong-wook hyung was talking, my friend took out his phone and looked at it. ”Then I will be going now. Go there and say hi. There is a fun compet.i.tion.”

Fun compet.i.tion?

My friend waved his hand as he walked away, and we entered the room. Like my friend said, a compet.i.tion was waiting.

It wasn't fun.

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There was a bustling atmosphere in the room. It was because of Ha Jae-hak.

“But are you really going to the UCPC (UZ Collegiate Programming Cup)? Hyung doesn't need to enter, do you?”

It was a programming compet.i.tion for university students that was regularly hosted by UZ, a large company.  Of course, there was no need for Ha Jae-hak to enter. He had created a business that was sold for three billion won.

Ha Jae-hak replied to the question. ”Well. It's fun, even if I don't care about the prize money or specs. I just don't want to lose. Aren't you curious? If I compete in such a compet.i.tion, how far would I go?”

”Ohh.”

Ha Jae-hak was a 'born talent.' So he could do things he liked without much pressure or burden. It wasn't a bluff, but a sincerity that came from his mindset. The junior students were paying respect and admiration to Ha Jae-hak.

While listening to his words, they were looking over a 'problem.' It was a question that somebody had asked a few minutes ago just for fun. A junior student had asked about the fact that one team member still hadn't been selected for the UCPC.

As a result, a contest was held on the spot. They picked a problem from an overseas programming forum and all students, including Ha Jae-hak, partic.i.p.ated to see who could solve it. If a student solved it faster than they 100% pa.s.sed. Thus, people were busy thinking about how to solve it.

‘Cute people.' Ha Jae-hak smiled quietly as he looked around at all his juniors. It was quite enjoyable to see. At that moment, the door opened.

“Jae-hak hyung!” Dong-wook, a junior he knew, entered as well as… It was a very charming male junior that he saw for the first time. Dong-wook came up and greeted Ha Jae-hak. The other junior just glanced at him once.

Then he heard some juniors whispering. ”Eh? Hee-chul oppa?”

”Really… Originally, that…”

Ha Jae-hak stepped closer to Lee Sang-hoon. Lee Sang-hoon was a junior who admired him for a long time. “Who is that person? He has a force about him.”

“He is Hee-chul hyung. He had the same student number.”

”… That Hee-chul?”

“I’ve been busy lately. When did he start looking like that?”

After glancing disdainfully at Hee-chul and the girls giggling over him, Lee Sang-yoon glanced at Jae-hak again. “He isn't that much of a good guy. You should know. He studies a lot, so he gets good grades and the professors like him…”

Ha Jae-hak remembered and nodded. His memories of the school were generally consistent with Lee Sang-yoon's evaluation. Of course, Hee-chul didn't have a bad intelligence, but according to Ha Jae-hak's standards of extraordinary friends, he was nothing special. Although he was sincere, he wasn't outstanding. He didn't have enough talent to be Ha Jae-hak's friend.

“Hyung. Please show us the problem.”

”Ahh. Yes.” Two extra sheets of paper were pulled from the printer.

”Good!” With a motivated expression, Dong-wook approached the nearest desk and started to focus. And Hee-chul… He didn't seem to care about solving the problem. He casually sat down at a table and was looking at it with one hand in his pocket. As if an answer would emerge like that.

”I don't get it. I want to throw this paper away.” Lee Sang-yoon grumbled and Ha Jae-hak focused on the problem again. Although he pretended not to be able to solve the problem, he actually hadn't been paying attention to it. It was certainly a tricky problem.

'Good.' Ha Jae-hak's mind shouted with delight. He had caught the clue to the problem. He was probably the first one.

Jakak.

At that moment, the sound of paper being folded was heard. Hee-chul had put the paper in his pocket. ”Dong-wook hyung. I’m going now. There are too many people here.”

”Now? Oh, you said you needed to study for the liberal arts exam. Still, let's solve the problem first.”

”Ah, that.” Hee-chul's voice wasn't loud. But as everyone was focusing, they could all hear Hee-chul's words. “I'm done. Well, it was difficult.”

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