Part 29

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It's late at night at Bicheondang (a communal study space for the students). Students file away one by one, but Sunjoon stays firmly planted in front of his book. It's as though he doesn't even notice Yoonhee's presence. Sunjoon had started being this way ever since the [증광시] Jeung Gwang Shi was announced. (It's an exam held every time the country is celebrating something significant, and held every 30 years or so... It's a pretty freaking big exam, the second biggest that you can take in the Joseon era. Basically, through such an exam the students can become officials for the King and graduate from SKK)  Everyone is studying hard, including those who are just trying to catch up on their classes.

When the two are left alone, Yoonhee closes and opens her book several times to try and get Sunjoon's attention. He doesn't even flinch. She drapes herself over her desk and raises only her head, to see Sunjoon's shadow cast on the wall. She takes the shadow of her own hand and motions it so that her shadow is punching the shadow of his head.

It's as though he felt the punches himself, because Sunjoon looks up. He's finally looking at her! Happy, Yoonhee sits up nicely and smiles at him. He gets up and approaches her. She doesn't want much; she would just be happy if he will hold her for a bit. But he picks up her book and tosses it into her lap. Then he forces her up and pushes her outside Bicheondang, locking her out.

Yoonhee doesn't even register what just happened. Tears start coming out of her eyes as she comes to her senses.

"Garang Hyungnim, why are you doing this?"

She can hear Sunjoon say from the inside, "You're distracting me."

Yoonhee sits down on the steps in front of the door and wipes away at her tears.

"It'll be time to take the Hwe-shi (the first of the two levels of exams--so they basically have to do two separate testings), then the Jeon-shi (the second test, where the topic they write about is directly given by the king, who then picks the best "tests". The tests are more like essays written in the format of a poem), " he said.

"And that's all the more reason you should stop distracting me."

How could he be so mean? Yoonhee wants nothing more than to stay at Sungkyunkwan longer with him, but all he wants to do is take the exam to get out of here. There's so little time left. He's wasting away this precious time, looking at his book instead of her.

Yoonhee tries to protest, telling him that he is wasting what little time they have, but Sunjoon shuts her out. Yoonhee looks at his silhouette from the door, and mutters to herself, "He's so frustrating! I hope you live happily ever after with your stupid books!"

Snow starts to fall, and Jaeshin, wrapped around a blanket with a book in his hand, approaches Yoonhee, who is now covered in snow.

"Ugh, it's so cold. What are you doing over here?"

"Ah, Gul-oh Sahyung! I came out here to try to wake myself to focus..."

"Garang is still studying? It should be freezing in there, because they don't heat it. Garang is pretty intense, staying there to study."

"I think he's staying there on purpose because he might fall asleep if it's warm."

Yoonhee looks back to Sunjoon's silhouette. Sunjoon is blowing hot air into his hands as he turns the pages of his book. Other students pass by, remarking that Sunjoon is the same as everyone when it comes to the king's exam, that he cares about his own promotion and career as much as the next person. Some even whisper rumors that the King told Sunjoon himself that he'll punish him if he does not graduate out of Sungkyunkwan through this exam. Another rumor is that since there are ghosts of students that never graduated, one of them must have Sunjoon under a studying spell. Sunjoon is completely unaffected by these words and he goes on turning the pages of his book.

"Daemul, if you're sleepy, leave Garang here and go back to the room where it's warm. The blankets are laid out already."

"It's okay. I'm going back in. He must be cold, and more bodies will make it warmer..."

"You're going to get sick."

Jaeshin looks at Yoonhee, who is shaking in the cold, and makes a worried expression. He turns his head as he says, "Don't shiver like that in front of me."

Because you're making me want to hold you, he thinks to himself, but he can't get the words out of his mouth. He looks over towards Sunjoon's silhouette.

"Whoever becomes his wife, she's going to have a troublesome life. Pfft, to be honest, he may be good looking, but I've never seen anybody that stubborn. If I had a sister, I'd never let her marry him."

Yoonhee laughs, and sees Yongha arriving with his books, dressed in fancy, thick, leather outerwear. Following him are is a servant, carrying a lot of things other than his books.

"Damn you Gul-oh! If you want to study, you should do it alone! Why would you wake me up and force me to come with you?" He sneezes.

Even the servant seems sleepy. Yongha motions him to leave the things inside the Bicheondang. The servant does so and leaves. Jaeshin, by force, takes off the leather coat from Yongha and puts it over Yoonhee's shoulders. She says that it's okay, but he puts it on her nonetheless.

"You're giving my coat to Daemul?"

You're already well covered up anyway. Why'd you bring so many things? I told you, just books and a blanket. You look like you're moving in here."

Yoonhee interrupts them. "Wait. Are you two going to study here?"

"Why? Is there a reason we can't?"

"Ah, no, but... He might throw us out if we are even a little loud..."

Yongha, with a yawn, stealthily takes the coat from Yoonhee and wraps himself with it.

"Let's go in before we freeze to death. I'm never even awake this late unless I'm with a woman! hmph."

They enter, and see that Sunjoon is still focused on his book. Sunjoon greets them with a quick smile, and turns back to his studies.

Jaeshin mutters about what a bookworm Sunjoon is, when Yongha suddenly takes out a Hwaro (it's like a bowl they would put flames in, like a small stove). The four end up studying around the Hwaro. Yongha doesn't study though, and instead takes out a bag with some sweet potatoes.

"This is why I brought this stove."

He boils water on top of the Hwaro and passes around a cup of hot water to everyone. Sunjoon glares at Yongha, as though he's warning him not to distract him, but Yongha doesn't notice. Yoonhee is scared that he'll chase them out, but Yongha doesn't care: he even takes out some rice cakes and starts cooking them on the Hwaro. He definitely is not here to study. Jaeshin is also wary of Sunjoon's glare, so he tries to stop Yongha, but Yongha starts passing around the now cooked sweet potatoes.

"We have to warm up our body so we can focus, don't we? Let's eat this before we study. We're all going to get sick because of this exam if we don't take care of ourselves."

Sunjoon lets this go, worried that Yoonhee might be hungry. Yoonhee, relieved, bites into the sweet potato. Yongha flips the rice cakes on the Hwaro and says to Sunjoon, "You know, with your skills, you're not going to have any problem passing the exam. Why would you go through so much trouble to study, risking your health? We're the ones who should be staying up to study."

Sunjoon lowers his head, and makes fists with his hand. "How can you say I'll get through it so easily?! I'm as worried as everyone else!"

The three can hear his voice shaking. They're surprised, and Yongha asks, "What? Why would you be so worried....?"

Sunjoon doesn't answer.

The smell of the rice cake cooking fills Bicheondang, and the four silently study, wrapping themselves in their blankets to bear the cold