Episode 17

“Great-Yoo-seung, Light-Yoo-seung, God-Yoo-seung. Praise and worship him. You raised my 3-point score to 5 points.”

“Yes, praise me more.”

“If there are 100 fans of Park Yoo-seung in the world, I am one of them. If there are 10 fans, I am still one of them. If there is only one fan, that person is me. If there are no fans of Park Yoo-seung, then I am no longer in this world.”

Yoo Tae-woon’s face was beaming with joy.

“Are you that happy?”

“Of course. The second evaluation has a high reflection rate. If I do well, I might be able to apply to Professor Park Sung-gwang or Professor Choi Sung-chul, even if I can’t apply to Professor Jang Yong-hwan.”

“Both are capitalist picks.”

Professor Park Sung-gwang had connections to Jin & An, a joint law firm, and Professor Choi Sung-chul had advantages for entering the financial sector.

They were mainly the choices of students who wanted to make a lot of money quickly.

“Yeah. I’m from the near-poverty class. I have to repay my parents who raised me with such difficulty. And also pay for my sibling’s tuition.”

“……My apologies. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. It’s a score I earned thanks to you anyway.”

In the original story, Yoo Tae-woon had entered a good law firm and then became a successful lawyer in private practice, but it was only mentioned in passing, so I didn’t know that he had such circumstances.

It wasn’t something that a silver spoon like Park Yoo-seung should be saying.

Yoo Tae-woon just laughed good-naturedly as if he didn’t care.

Feeling sorry for some reason, I added a word.

“You should definitely open your own practice when you get enough experience. You’ll definitely do well.”

“Really? Do you think so?”

“Yeah. Definitely.”

Since he had done well in the original story, he would be able to be even more successful if he met a good mentor and built a better career.

As I was doing something akin to atonement, something small was hopping towards us like a rabbit from afar.

“Did you do well on the test?”

It was Lee Ha-roo.

“And you?”

“5 points. I just gave up as soon as I met that top student from the police academy, and they gave me that score.”

“Shin Seo-joon? You got lucky.”

“What about you, Master?”

“I obviously got 10 points.”

“Kya.”

“What about Han Seol?”

“Hmm… Ah, she’s coming over there.”

As she said that, Han Seol was trudging over. Her steps seemed heavy, and her head was bowed, so I couldn’t see her expression.

‘Did she not do well?’

I thought that it was possible.

If the problems given to the other students were similar to what I had experienced, then you couldn’t guarantee a result just by studying law hard.

As I was agonizing over how to approach her.

“I, I……”

Han Seol spoke first.

“Th, that…… Don’t be too disheartened. Rather, it might be good to get a bit of a setback before the real competition starts after the semester begins,”

“I. Got. A perfect score.”

“?”

Han Seol held out her smartphone.

Her second evaluation score was on the screen. It was exactly 10 points, no more, no less.

“What? You did well.”

“As expected of Han Seol Unnie. I knew it!”

It seemed like she had picked up some strange speech habits from Lee Ha-roo.

I was relieved that she had done well, so I let out a sigh, but then Han Seol suddenly grabbed my hand and started jumping up and down.

“It really was just like what you said!”

“Whoa, hold on a second.”

“My head went completely blank as soon as I saw the problem, okay? I was about to give up, but then I remembered what you said, and when I looked at the other person, they seemed to be the same! When I calmly read through the evidence one by one and retraced the precedents, I found something that fit!”

“Okay, I get it, calm down!”

The other person couldn’t even find the issues, let alone write an answer, and Han Seol was overjoyed at having chosen civil law.

I was dragged around by her enthusiasm for a while before finally being released.

Yoo Tae-woon was looking at her with a somewhat envious expression.

“It’s good to be young.”

“What’s good, you punk.”

My wrist almost broke. How was a study-obsessed person so strong?

* * *

With the second evaluation, the pre-law program was over.

After going home, I shut myself in and focused on studying.

I had to review as much as I could and recall my memories before the regular semester started.

But even that was only until today.

“The entrance ceremony will now begin.”

Today was March 2nd. The day of the entrance ceremony.

At first glance, it seemed like almost all of the first-year students were in attendance.

Along with the announcements, the boring procedures such as the address and the pledge to the flag were carried out.

Of course, not all of these fellow students were here just to participate in such formalities.

Everyone’s main interest was in what was coming next.

“Next, we will have the presentation of awards to the students with excellent pre-law school scores.”

The students with excellent scores.

That was what everyone was gathered here to see.

The scores themselves had been announced on the website, but the final rankings had not been revealed.

Everyone was here to find out who those five people of glory were.

After the awards ceremony, the list would be posted on the bulletin board.

‘I wonder how it’ll be.’

In the original story, the first evaluation rankings had been kept.

But this time, the group evaluation and the second evaluation had been changed a lot, so there was a high possibility that there would be some changes.

-Thump. Thump.

Along with the familiar sound of a cane, Dean Kang Chang-soo stepped onto the podium.

“First place. Shin Seo-joon.”

‘Even this is unchanging.’

He was indeed the strongest character in this world.

Shin Seo-joon walked onto the podium with a relaxed gait, received his award, and finished his greetings as if he was used to it.

“Second place. Han Seol.”

“……It’s a little disappointing. I’ll be back.”

Han Seol whispered and walked to the podium.

She had gotten good scores in both the group evaluation and the second evaluation, but it seemed like she had failed to turn the tables because Shin Seo-joon had created too big of a gap in the first evaluation.

“Third place. Jeong Min-shik.”

“Fourth place. Choi Jeong-in.”

The third place was the same as the original story, and even the fourth place seemed to be the same, although he was a minor character who only appeared in this scene and never appeared again.

……And then, next.

“Fifth place.”

Kang Chang-soo’s low voice echoed.

In fact, my main concern had already gone past this point.

The thing that I was most curious about was whether Han Seol, who had earned scores with me, had succeeded in becoming the top student.

The next thing that I was curious about, was whether I had managed to get into the top 10%.

Since my first evaluation score had been so terrible, there was a possibility that I wouldn’t be able to make it, no matter how much I had done in the group and second evaluations.

All I could do was hope that my group and second evaluation scores had been enough to overcome it.

Therefore, I was just waiting for the entrance ceremony to end quickly.

I just wanted to go to the hallway and check my score on the bulletin board as soon as possible.

But……

“Fifth place. Park Yoo-seung.”

What?

For a moment, I thought that I had misheard.

“Fifth place. Park Yoo-seung. Are you not here?”

“Hey, what are you doing? They’re calling you.”

“Wow, you’re 5th place? Really? As expected of hard work not betraying you.”

The voices of Lee Ha-roo and Yoo Tae-woon next to me seemed very surreal.

No, was I really 5th place? After being a complete mess in the first evaluation?

I was pushed out of my seat and found myself standing in front of Kang Chang-soo.

The old dean was looking down at me with piercing eyes.

The award certificate that had been handed to me. The standard questions and answers.

I turned around to greet the audience, as I had been instructed.

……It was a very dazzling sight.

-Clap, clap.

-Clap, clap, clap, clap.

The applause that had started with a few people was already filling the entire hall.

At first glance, it seemed like it had started from Yoo Tae-woon and Lee Ha-roo’s direction. Those guys.

I knew. This thunderous applause wasn’t just for me.

The students had clapped in the same way when the awards from first to fourth place had been given. The same applause that had no personal feelings, no judgment, no recognition.

Yes, it was the same applause.

……On the day that I had passed the second stage of the bar exam a long time ago. I didn't receive any congratulations from anyone.

My parents had passed away early, and my only sibling had collapsed and been taken to the hospital.

At the happiest moment, all I received was the heavy burden of reality.

Since then, I had lived like a cow just to pay for the hospital bills.

There were no achievements to celebrate, no one to congratulate me.

But what about now?

It was a scene that I had only dreamed of, envying it from the other side of the screen.

The main characters who were walking the path of the law, standing in their respective positions, shining brightly on the best stage.

I had wished that I could have that kind of moment too.

A moment where I could achieve my dreams, proudly show my achievements in front of a crowd of people, and puff out my chest.

I was standing on that stage with them.

Bathed in the same light.

Receiving the same applause.

For the first time, I understood what it meant to be congratulated.

“……Thank you.”

* * *

I was about to step down from the podium after finishing my greetings.

“Soon.”

At that moment, Kang Chang-soo turned off the microphone and whispered something that was just barely audible.

“Your brother-in-law will be calling you.”

“……Excuse me?”

My brother-in-law, which meant the husband of my younger sibling. For Kang Chang-soo, it was my father, the husband of his younger sister.

I asked back at the sudden comment, but no answer came back.

‘What’s up with him, all of a sudden?’