YPT 04

Chapter 4 

It had been a week since Ji-an and Yeon-ha shared their first meal together.

Coming home late from her tutoring job, Yeon-ha stopped just inside the doorway, frozen mid-step.
The atmosphere was sharp—too still, too quiet.
It was that same suffocating silence that always filled the house whenever her parents were in trouble over money.

Tension prickled her skin as she walked into the narrow living room.
Sure enough, her brother and parents were sitting across from each other, a single sheet of paper lying on the table between them.

“What’s going on…? What happened?”

At her voice, her older brother looked up and sighed deeply.
Her parents avoided her gaze.
Feeling a lump in her throat, Yeon-ha reached out and picked up the paper.

It was a notice of overdue debt.
From a third-tier loan company, no less.

“What is this? We don’t even have any loans left! Didn’t we finish paying them off?”

Her father stammered, avoiding her eyes.

“W-well… you know Mr. Kim, right? He said he needed money urgently, but no one would lend to him, so I just…”

“So what? You borrowed money—from a loan company? Two million won? Without telling us?”

Even as her eyes darted down the page, disbelief sharpened her voice.
Her father’s tone turned pleading.

“You kids would’ve said no right away, and… well, he looked so desperate. He promised to pay it back this time.”

“Pay it back? When has he ever? Are you stupid, Dad? How many times does he have to scam you before you learn? That’s why he sees you as an easy mark!”

The words burst out of her before she could stop them.

Her parents were always like this.

He’s pitiful.
She’s having a hard time.
How could we just ignore them?

They always had some noble excuse to give away money they didn’t have.
Not long ago, they’d done the same thing—taken out a loan to help some poor acquaintance—and of course, the money was never repaid.

Those people didn’t fail to repay. They simply didn’t.

And every time, it was Yeon-ha’s family who bore the burden.

By now, she and her brother had just barely managed to pay off the last of their parents’ debts with their tutoring money.
They’d thought they were finally free.

But here they were again—her parents borrowing money to lend to someone else, defaulting, and now facing a collection notice.

And worst of all, the borrower—Mr. Kim—was the same man who’d borrowed from her father countless times before, spinning sob stories that somehow always ended the same way.

Yeon-ha couldn’t understand it.
Her father had never once been able to properly repay a loan on his own, yet he still believed others would.

“I’ll take care of it,” her father said weakly. “You kids don’t need to worry.”

“And how are you going to do that? When have you ever managed to pay it off alone? That notice is proof you’re already behind!”

“This time’s different. I said I’ll handle it. Just mind your own business.”

Her chest felt tight, her voice trembling with frustration.
Unable to bear it any longer, she ran out of the house.

Her parents ran a tiny diner—a home-style lunch place in a quiet neighborhood.
The income was irregular, the customers few, and business had only gotten worse lately.

No wonder the loan company had come knocking.

She squatted down by the flower bed outside, trying to breathe.
After a moment, her brother Yeon-sang came to sit beside her.
He didn’t say anything—just sighed, the sound heavy with exhaustion.

“It’s not like I asked for tuition or money to study abroad,” she said bitterly.
“I just wanted a normal life—no debt, no calls from collectors. That’s all.”

Her voice trembled, but no tears came.
She’d already cried herself dry over the years.

Because of their parents’ endless kindness, the siblings had worked since high school—tutoring, part-time jobs, anything to cover their own tuition and help pay down the family’s debt.
And still, their parents kept getting tricked by others’ sob stories.

If only her parents’ generosity were reserved for their own family.

“At least use the money on yourselves,” she thought bitterly. “Or help us pay tuition. Why give it to strangers?”

And yet, she couldn’t truly hate them.

They were foolish, yes—but they had worked all their lives, never once resting, so their children would never go hungry.
Because she knew that, even her anger felt hollow.

“Kindness isn’t a crime,” she murmured finally. “It’s the people who take advantage who are awful.”

“I’ll take a leave from school,” Yeon-sang said quietly. “I’ll handle it. I can pay it back with enough tutoring jobs.”

“No way. Why should you carry it alone?”

“You always talked about studying abroad. Maybe not a full program, but at least an exchange semester. Don’t give that up.”

“Exchange program? In our situation? I’ll be happy if we just keep the house.”

They both sighed at the same time.
They’d grown up too fast—children forced into adults’ worries by their parents’ naïve generosity.

All they could do now was comfort each other, again.

A few days passed after the bad thing.

Every Wednesday, Yeon-ha attended the same lecture as Ji-an.
Well—technically, she’d signed up because Ji-an had registered for it.

They didn’t sit together or talk much, but watching him from across the classroom was enough for her.

Now, thanks to upperclassman Jang-hoon, she had even managed to join Ji-an’s team for a group project.

This is heaven. Who needs vacations or spa trips?
Seeing Ji-an’s face every week—that’s my therapy. My “face-cation.”

Whatever she was thinking as she grinned at him, Ji-an ignored it and began dividing the team’s work.

Their team of four consisted of Ji-an and Jang-hoon, both third-years, and Yeon-ha and her friend Se-na, both second-years.

At first Ji-an worried the younger students might slow them down, but both girls turned out to be sharp, diligent, and fully engaged.

Even Ji-an had to admit it—especially Yeon-ha, who worked with a quiet intensity he hadn’t expected.

“Didn’t they say she got into Seoyeon University without private tutoring?”

He remembered hearing that once, and as he caught her smiling at the front of the room, something flickered in his thoughts.
Maybe there was more to that bright, thoughtless expression than he’d assumed.

The next day, as Yeon-ha sat buried in her laptop, Jang-hoon dropped into the seat beside her.

“Hey, Yeon-ha.”

“Oh, hi.”

She didn’t even look up. Her eyes stayed fixed on the screen.

“So,” he began, lowering his voice, “want me to help you and Ji-an get together?”

Her hands paused over the keyboard.

“You? Help us how?”

He let out an exaggerated sigh.

“You don’t believe me? I’m Ji-an’s closest friend. If I step in, you two could be dating in no time.”

At that, she finally turned to look at him—her eyes full of suspicion.

“What do you want in return?”

“Just a little favor. Set me up on a blind date. You’ve got tons of friends, right?”

Her brow furrowed. Most of her friends were in the same department—people Jang-hoon already knew.

“Who exactly?”

“That friend of yours… Se-na, wasn’t it?”

“No way.”

Her answer was instant. Jang-hoon blinked.

“What, are you her mother now? Why not?”

“Because Se-na’s too good for you. She’s kind and beautiful, and honestly—she deserves better.”

“Oh, come on. I’m helping you out here! Quid pro quo!”

But Yeon-ha turned back to her screen.

“I don’t even plan to get together with Ji-an,” she said bluntly.
“I’m fine with just liking him. So quit the ‘quid pro quo’ thing and go away.”

Jang-hoon stared at her.

Did she just say she only wants to keep crushing on him?

He clicked his tongue, deciding it wasn’t worth the effort, and got up to leave.

Before he could walk out, Yeon-ha called after him—

“And for the record, Se-na’s still off-limits!”

Stretching her arms with a sigh, she refocused on her work.

Se-na had been her best friend since middle school; they’d even gotten into the same university and major.
More than anyone, Se-na understood her struggles—and never once judged her family’s mess.

There was no way she’d hand her off to someone as frivolous as Jang-hoon.

With that firm resolve, Yeon-ha bent over her laptop again, determined to lose herself in the project.