Is there a time in life as free as a college student’s vacation?

After working hard to get good grades by cutting back on sleep, it would be nice to rest a bit as a reward.

Yoon Na Eun seems to be a person who doesn’t know the words laziness and negligence at all.

Hee Won clicked his tongue as he scanned the table with his eyes, unsure if it was a cafe or a library. This must be why the term ‘cafe worker’ was coined.

Na Eun, who had been doing this for five hours, said she had a conscience and ordered cake and drinks more than twice.

He shook his head as he admired her face, worn out with fatigue no different from exam period.

“Don’t you know the word ‘rest’ exists?”

“… It’s vacation. When else is there a better time to study something other than school work?”

Na Eun refuted weakly, feeling embarrassed at Hee Won’s rebuke.

Not understanding Na Eun, who started dedicating herself to another study right after the final exams ended, saying she couldn’t waste precious time, Hee Won hardened his expression and asked.

“Are you doing this again because you can’t sleep?”

It was a question asked remembering Na Eun’s condition of not being able to sleep for about 2 weeks after first contacting Han Jae Kyung.

She chuckled at Hee Won’s concern and shook her head.

“No. You know. I sleep well.”

“…”

He averted his gaze as he realized what Na Eun meant.

There had been a few times when she accidentally turned on the communicator while tossing and turning, even though she wore earrings even when sleeping.

Hee Won, who was flustered every time hearing everything from her labored breathing to the rustling of blankets, would tell her, but on days when she didn’t answer because she was sound asleep, he would first remove his own earring to cut off communication.

Hee Won felt embarrassed, but Na Eun seemed rather nonchalant, saying it could happen.

Na Eun took a sip of the drink in front of her and said.

“I’m just busy. There’s a lot to do.”

“With your grades, you shouldn’t have to worry about employment. What’s the problem?”

Thanks to her thorough management of qualifications to the point of feeling obsessive, the range of jobs Na Eun could get was quite wide.

Yet Hee Won found it suspicious that she kept focusing on learning something as if she didn’t know how to rest.

Hee Won scanned the title of the book Na Eun had been studying until just now on the table and muttered.

“… I didn’t know you were interested in law school.”

“I’m just preparing in advance. I need to get a job right away for now. This is just preparation for much later.”

She awkwardly changed the subject. Hee Won tilted his head, finding Na Eun’s strangely embarrassed appearance curious.

“Much later?”

“… No, just, I think it’ll be a stepping stone for what I want to do. I’m just trying.”

She’s beating around the bush again. Hee Won was about to not probe further, but curiosity got the better of him and he finally tried to fish it out.

“What is it that you want to do?”

“…”

“You know making that expression makes me really want to dig deeper.”

Hee Won raised the corner of his mouth as he drank his share of coffee.

Flustered by his gaze full of interest, Na Eun slightly moved her body back and averted her eyes, then soon rolled her eyes as if contemplating.

After hesitating for a few seconds, she implored him based on her trust in Hee Won.

“Promise you won’t laugh.”

Hee Won nodded without hesitation at Na Eun’s words that she would tell him if he promised.

Promise. Na Eun, who placed her trust in those three syllables, hesitated for a moment and then said.

“If it’s possible much, much later… I want to work in the National Assembly.”

After thinking quietly for a moment at her somewhat unexpected words, Hee Won asked.

“As a member of the National Assembly?”

Is that what you want to be? Na Eun carefully nodded with a slightly flushed expression at his question.

Hee Won didn’t laugh as promised, but he found it a bit surprising as it was so unexpected.

“You’re more ambitious than you look.”

Na Eun pouted at Hee Won, who said it was unexpected as he never thought she’d be interested in politics.

“It’s not ambition like that, it’s just my dream. I’m working hard because I want to achieve it someday.”

Of course, right now, the top priority is to get a job quickly, earn money, and contribute to the household to lighten her mother Soo Hyun’s burden.

Thanks to her diligent school life, she’s received good grades so far, and when she graduates next year, she should be able to go where she wants without much worry about employment.

After working for a few years, she should be financially stable, and if she saves up gradually, the day will come when she can afford the enormous law school tuition.

While others said it was nearly impossible to work and attend law school at the same time, Na Eun was desperate because she knew she didn’t have many options left.

She stuttered uncharacteristically but carefully explained her step-by-step plan for her dream.

“When Dad was around, honestly, I relied on him completely. Since connections are most important to get a party nomination later, I think I subconsciously thought it would work out somehow.”

She felt embarrassed recalling her past self who tried to live life too easily.

“But after Dad passed away… it felt a bit overwhelming. First, getting a proper job is the priority, and when I save some money, I want to enter law school and become a lawyer. I hate to admit it, but without a professional job, it’s hard to even get a nomination, let alone run for election. I need some fame too… Actually, since there’s no set path to enter politics, the future looks dark, but I guess it’s the same for civil service exams or other jobs.”

Hee Won was a bit surprised by her quite specific plan.

He knew Na Eun was serious about studying and managed her qualifications more thoroughly than others, but he didn’t know this was the motivation behind it. He suddenly became curious.

“So what do you want to do after becoming a member of the National Assembly?”

“…”

As Na Eun avoided his gaze, Hee Won laughed. Pull each other’s hair and fight in the assembly hall? At his joking question, she blushed.

No, that’s not it… Na Eun hesitated before continuing.

“Do you know that our country has more welfare blind spots than you might think?”

At her words, Hee Won’s gaze stuck to Na Eun like a magnet.

Na Eun’s face had become somewhat serious. Her eyes seemed to sparkle a bit.

“The conditions for basic livelihood recipients in our country are quite strict. The number of people who meet all those conditions and receive benefits is less than you might think.”

“…”

“You know the national rental housing for the lowest income class? It’s extremely difficult to win the lottery? The documents you need to prepare are no joke. But a large portion of the socially vulnerable who actually need those houses are elderly living alone. Think about it. Can an 80-year-old living alone find all the required documents and apply by themselves?”

Hee Won listened to her words without interrupting.

Seeing that Hee Won seemed to be listening to her words seriously, Na Eun spilled out her thoughts without holding back.

“Usually, the community center does it for them, but if they ignore it because it’s bothersome, that’s the end of it. I think this is a problem at the national institutional level.”

Na Eun fidgeted with the hand holding her pen.

“I want to work on reducing all cases where the socially vulnerable are excluded from society.”

“…”

“I want to become someone who helps the weak by enacting laws that really help, not just ending up as armchair discussions.”

It had been her long-time dream. Na Eun laughed, feeling quite shy to lay out her concrete plans in front of someone.

It might invite ridicule if exposed outwardly because it requires too much effort and is too big a dream, but dreams always become more achievable the more you dream them.

Moreover, she was someone who was better than others at working hard for something.

“I’ve loved superhero movies since I was really young, you know? It’s cool. Strong, righteous, and using that power to help the weak.”

Na Eun smiled brightly.

“I want to become that kind of hero too, but I’m not strong, and I don’t have any superpowers. So, I thought I wanted to become someone who helps the weak in a different way.”

A hero can stop a villain who suddenly appears and points a gun at people right away.

But they can’t save the life of someone crumbling in a corner of a city without receiving any help from the state.

Na Eun leaned her elbows on the table and leaned her upper body towards Hee Won.

“I want to protect the weak with laws.”

With cheeks flushed red from embarrassment throughout her speech, Na Eun pointed her finger at Hee Won.

Hee Won stared at Na Eun’s finger pointing at him. Na Eun smiled.

“That’s something the hero here can’t do.”

There’s nothing special about company dinners hosted by the academy.

I don’t know about other companies, but this place doesn’t have a culture of forcing alcohol, nor an unwritten rule that you must stay until the end of the drinking session. You can just enjoy as much as you can eat and drink.

Until Han Jae Kyung came, Na Eun used to enjoy company dinners because of the advantage of being able to eat expensive food for free. Today too, she sat in the corner of the table, diligently picking up the appetizers in front of her.

When others clinked their glasses, she would pretend to sip her beer glass and just go along with the atmosphere. Everything was smooth.

Although she tends to drink excessively when with friends, she had never drunk alcohol beyond what she could control at her workplace where she earns money.

Amidst the chatter of about twenty people led by the director and the manager, the team leader sitting across from Na Eun showed her the menu with a face full of intoxication.

“Teacher Na Eun, let’s order some more appetizers. What do you like?”

“Well…”

I’m already full. But since it’s on the academy’s tab, maybe I’ll choose something, she thought as she looked at the menu. The team leader tilted the menu slightly towards Na Eun’s side.

“Teacher Jae Kyung, you choose too~ Shall we try the most expensive thing here while we’re at it?”

As if on cue, Jae Kyung, who happened to be sitting right next to Na Eun today as well, made a typical superficial gesture saying, ‘Please have whatever you want, team leader,’ with a smile that looked like it was drawn on.

Why do we keep ending up sitting together like this?

Noticing that somehow she and Jae Kyung always end up together at every event or meal at the academy, Na Eun realized this was the result of the manager and team leader’s skillful maneuvering and glared at the culprit across from her.

The team leader, already quite drunk, didn’t notice Na Eun’s glare and said let’s order yang jang pi then, placing the order.

Soon the ordered menu arrived, and people exchanged drinks. Na Eun pretended to take a few sips holding her beer glass and then put it down.

Next to her, Jae Kyung also quietly picked up and put down his glass but didn’t seem to drink much. She tried hard to cut off her attention to the person next to her and picked up her chopsticks.

Eventually, the team leader sitting with them asked in surprise towards her, who was removing all the cucumbers from the yang jang pi on her small plate.

“Teacher Na Eun, what are you doing?”

“Yes?”

“Why are you taking that out?”

“Ah, I can’t eat cucumber he…”

… Ah.

For a very brief moment, she felt the gaze from the seat next to her and tightly closed her eyes.

“You can’t eat cucumber? Who?”

“…”

“… I can’t eat it.”

Jae Kyung sitting on Na Eun’s left quietly answered. The team leader’s expression became ambiguous.

“Oh… Is that so? Then you should take it out. … But how did our Teacher Na Eun know that?”

“I mentioned it before when we were talking.”

Jae Kyung smoothly covered up the situation as if nothing was wrong. Na Eun gripped the chopsticks she was holding to remove the cucumber even tighter.

“Oh, I see.”

The team leader covered her mouth and laughed as if she had discovered some pleasant fact.

But even such meddling didn’t have the slightest effect on Na Eun now. She bit her lip, realizing the terrifying power of habit.

Since learning that Jae Kyung couldn’t eat cucumber when they were lovers, it had been Na Eun’s role to remove it from every food they ate together.

How could I do such a thing even if it was unconscious? It’s incomprehensible even if it’s the power of habit.

Feeling even ashamed, Na Eun deliberately focused only on eating, burying her nose in the small plate.

Jae Kyung’s gaze looking down at her from the left felt so hot, but Na Eun never raised her head.