Chapter Text
“I still don’t get your choice of subjects honestly.” mumbled the older brother unimpressed before taking the next turn to the left, barely managing to not collide with a maniac who seemingly forgot all traffic regulations.
Seoul traffic has always been a nightmare and apparently everyone decided to be even a little bit more unhinged on this particular March day. Inho sighed with frustration and gripped the steering wheel tighter than necessary. Junho on the other hand just enjoyed the view out of the window as they drove down to Gwanak-gu.
“Look, I know, they might not seem like the obvious choice for a criminal justice major but I need these extra credits. Also, business classes can always come in handy - maybe I’ll invest in stocks one day!”
“Please don’t.”
“Inho.”
“Okay, fine. Let’s say business classes may not be completely buffoonish-”
“Thank you!”
“-but why philosophy?”
“Philosophy- it’s, y’know- it broadens your horizon and stuff.”
“Aha.”
“Thank you for the overwhelming support, hyung.”
“You just picked it because you think it’ll be a piece of cake, didn’t you?”
Oh, absolutely. But Inho the smartass did not need to know that, so Junho settled for a simple eye roll that was promptly reciprocated by his brother.
“Whatever.” The older man said as he pulled over to the side of the street. Next to them a multitude of young people were passing by.
Some were seen carrying books on mathematics, others on Korean literature and others on chemistry, psychology, biology - a variety of students but all of them belonged to the Seoul National University.
“We’re here. Have fun pretending to be Confuscius. See you tonight.”
And that was the younger Hwang brother’s cue to climb out of the vehicle.
“Bye hyung.”
Junho said before Inho took off again, leaving the younger one to his own devices.
He followed the stream of students who, just like a herd of sheep, were all heading towards the same direction and what lied ahead was the main campus that sat at the foot of the imposing Gwanak Mountain.
The whole complex was buzzing with that kind of pleasant and excited energy which you can uniquely find at the beginning of each semester; when hopes are still high and you haven’t succumbed to the pressure yet.
But that was a misery to worry later about.
For now Junho liked to admire the scenery of the campus as he was passing by the library, the lively cafeteria, a small coffee cart and all those other faculty buildings which spanned all over the place until he reached his final destination.
“Ah, building Nr 6. That’s philosophy.” He smiled and made his way into the lecture hall that was slowly filling up.
Okay, yeah, Inho did have a point, he did sign up for this lecture because honestly he hoped for an easy mark. After all, all you have to do is make things up and babble, blather and ramble like your life depends on it. He could do that.
But on the other hand, Junho dreaded the thought of coming here week after week and boring himself to death listening to some old rusty guy talking over and over like a broken record about If killing People is Maybe Morally Bad? (It’s bad. Junho already knows that, thank you VERY much.)
Well, now he’s already sitting in the third row and there’s no turning back now. Junho wasn’t the type to turn back on challenges, and no matter how boring that lecture and the professor might be, he’ll stick through to it.
Except it was already due to start and there was no sight of the professor.
Five minutes passed…seven…now ten.
Junho looked around and noticed that plenty of the students did not seem fazed at all, like the girl sitting a row below him.
“Hey. Hey you.”
“Hm?” The brunette girl, who had been browsing her phone rather boredly, decided to dignify him with a glance. “What?”
“Uhm, where’s the professor? Y’know if maybe, I don’t know, something happened to him?”
“The only thing that could have happened to him is a queue at Starbucks.”
“Wait wh-”
Before Junho could finish the sentence, the door slammed open and a lanky man came rushing towards the desk at the front, and along with a hideous cloth bag and some loose notes he did indeed also hold a Starbucks cup, just as predicted.
“Goooood morning, everyone. Hello, hello and welcome to the new semester!” The man smiled apologetically and swiped a strand of his long hair out of his face.
“Sorry for the delay. Hope you had a wonderful time this summer - I sure had! Scuba diving in Jeju! Highly recommendable! Oh, for those of you who don’t know me yet - because I do spot some new faces here - I’m Professor Seong Gihun and I’ll be guiding you through this introductory course on Ethics and Social Philosophy this semester! And I know, it's a really nice day and you have to sit in a lecture hall. The weather forecast even said it’ll be sunny this whole weekend, so be brave and we’ll power through those 90 minutes of lecture and then you are again free as a bird!”
And from that moment on, the lecture had been a wildfire and Professor Seong the gasoline.
Junho had seen quite a few professors in his life by now, but none as captivating as Professor Seong who transformed matters as dry as ethical principles and theories into something borderline comedic that you simply couldn’t help but be glued to every word he says. In addition to that, he kept bouncing from one corner of the room to the other, always asking students for their input - really seeking their input and opinions which made one feel oddly seen and validated. And if he almost spilled that iced chocolate milk on the lecture hall’s new computer, then it only added to his charm.
Yeah, there were many entertaining aspects about Professor Seong Gihun and one in particular that stood out to Junho was the fact that he loved to talk about his private life. Unprompted. Freely.
“We, as philosophers, deal with difficult questions, moral dilemmas and multifaceted circumstances. Therefore the question of wherever an action is right or wrong is not always easily answered. For example, last weekend me and my husband were participating in a hula hoop course in the park which was so fun because he was not very good at first but he later got the hang of it. Anyway, after that we were so exhausted, thus we sat down in this ice cream parlour nearby because I know he loves strawberry ice cream. So guess who we find sitting behind us? Kim Soo-hee, whom my husband adores. Oh you guys you had to see him, he stared at her like a deer in headlights. It was hilarious!
So, my question is: Was it morally right of me to laugh at his flustered state?
And the answer is: Definitely yes.
But, as mentioned before, the situation is not always that clear-cut.”
That bit kept replaying itself in Junho’s memory, even as Seong had already called it a day and the students were slowly emptying the lecture hall again. Maybe he was a bit too much in thought because, as fate would have it, he pumped into the brunette from the second row who raised an eyebrow at him.
“Sorry.” But wait, she also predicted the Starbucks cup, so perhaps…
“Hey, uhm, did you know that Seong is- that he is married? To a…? I mean, can people even do that here? Like, legally? Or is that-?”
The girl slowly put a chewing gum in her mouth all while staring blankly at him and it unnerved Junho even more.
“Take your time, maybe we will manage to bring one whole sentence out of you in this decade.”
“I’m just saying. It’s odd-”
“Odd, huh?” The bubble she blew popped promptly.
“No, I mean, it’s refreshing to hear him speak so …freely about it. You don’t see that all that often. It’s good, I think.”
He felt her eyes wander up and down on him for a moment, as if to assert him, and whatever she had concluded must have been in his favour because seemed to relax a bit.
“I’ve had him in a lecture last semester already and lemme tell you, this man adores his husband. Actually, they aren’t even legally married because well, as you have brilliantly deduced, Korea is still outstandingly behind in these things. But that little detail doesn’t stop Seong from calling him his beloved hubby. It’s like a teenage romcom honestly, except they’re both mid 40s men who listen to embarrassing music and probably wear Hawaiian shirts and go hula hooping in the park in their spare time. Honestly, I wish that were me.”
Despite how indeed embarrassing and parent-y it sounded, Junho had to agree, it was on some level almost wholesome. The girl was right.
“What’s your name?” He asked because at that point, he might as well start making friends with the girl who will sit in front of him for the rest of the semester.
“Why do you wanna know?”
“Dunno, maybe to socialise, ever heard of that? I’m Hwang Junho by the way.”
“Okay, I’m Yeong-ji.”
“Really? Just Yeong-ji? And your last name?”
“I don’t have a last name.”
“You are messing with me right now, aren’t you?”
“Oh, yes.” She smiled with a false friendliness that could almost fool you. Almost.
“Okay, whatever. I wish you a nice day, Miss Not-Yeong-ji without a last name and see you next week.”
“Until next week, Hwang Junho.”
With that Junho turned around and slowly headed towards the metro station.
Okay, evaluating the first day of the new semester brought a few conclusions to light.
Namely, 1) Philosophy might not be as dusty and boring as he anticipated. 2) He might have found a new friend (speculative; more evidence needed to confirm theory) 3) That Seong guy was quite something but Junho couldn’t say he didn’t like him.
This fresh start did give him more motivation than what he initially had. Yes, sure he signed up for these lectures because he needs the extra credit but he might really enjoy this semester. Tomorrow he will have his first business lecture and he was looking forward to it. If today’s anything to go by, then things can only get better.
