It was around early April, two months after Hyun Woo started tutoring Do Yeon, when the daughter of S Group’s chairman appeared in front of Hyun Woo.

One Saturday evening, after finishing the weekend tutoring session, Hyun Woo was paying his respects to the lady of the house in the living room when the daughter entered the home.

Perhaps Hyun Woo showed a hint of being flustered upon seeing her for the first time, as the lady personally introduced her.

“This is our daughter Ha Yeon, whom even I rarely get to see. Ha Yeon, this is Do Yeon’s tutor, Hyun Woo.”

“I’m Park Hyun Woo.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Lee Ha Yeon.”

“Ha Yeon, Hyun Woo is also in his final year of pre-med at your S University.”

“Oh, really? I’m in my final year of English Literature.”

“…Ah, is that so? Nice to meet you.”

“If we’re in the same graduating class, you must be my elder brother.”

“I was born in 1996.”

“Then you are indeed an elder brother two years older than me. Since you’re my school senior, please speak comfortably to me, elder brother.”

“Ha Yeon only has younger siblings and no elder brothers or sisters, so she always wished she had an elder brother or sister. This worked out well. Hyun Woo, please treat Ha Yeon comfortably like a younger sister.”

“…Ah, yes.”

As Do Yeon’s midterm grades improved, bringing him closer to being accepted into S University’s business school, the lady’s trust in Hyun Woo skyrocketed. Perhaps that’s why she didn’t hesitate to introduce her daughter.

Ha Yeon looked quite intellectual, perhaps because of her glasses, and had a cute appearance with a petite stature, but not quite comparable to So Hee.

As Hyun Woo later found out, Ha Yeon was already studying with the goal of getting into the English Literature graduate program at Boston’s Harvard University, and her grades and all intellectual capacities were exceptionally outstanding.

As Hyun Woo continued tutoring, his encounters with Ha Yeon became more frequent, and there were days when they would share conversations over snacks provided by the lady.

The stories Ha Yeon told about Shakespeare, Goethe, and Dante were literary tales Hyun Woo had never experienced in his life, and the classical music she played led Hyun Woo into a new world.

With So Hee, they always talked about tough part-time jobs or their major topics about the human body and diseases, but the things Ha Yeon shared about literature and art seemed like stories from a completely different world.

Just as Hyun Woo felt amazement and curiosity about the conversation topics, Ha Yeon was intrigued and fascinated by Hyun Woo’s stories about the human body and his clinical practice experiences.

When Do Yeon received a perfect score in math on the November college entrance exam and did well in other subjects to secure a stable score for acceptance into S University’s business school, Hyun Woo was summoned by the lady.

“I’m so happy that our Do Yeon did so well on the college entrance exam thanks to you, Hyun Woo.”

“Do Yeon followed along well. I’m also very pleased with the good results.”

“I told you I would give you a success bonus when we started the tutoring. I deposited it into your account today, so please check. Hyun Woo, you’ll earn a lot of money once you become a doctor, but after you finish the medical licensing exam, go on an overseas trip or something.”

“Yes, thank you.”

“Both Do Yeon and Ha Yeon really like you, Hyun Woo. Please meet with them once in a while like younger siblings and share good conversations. Come visit our home sometimes too.”

“Thanks to you providing ample tutoring fees, I was sincerely grateful to be able to focus on the medical licensing exam without needing other part-time jobs.”

“Your written exam is in January, right Hyun Woo?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Let’s have a celebration party together at the end of January when Do Yeon receives his acceptance letter from S University’s business school. That will be when everything is over.”

“Thank you so much for taking care of me as well.”

“I guess I grew fond of you over this time.”

As Hyun Woo was leaving the living room after paying his respects, Do Yeon and Ha Yeon came out to say goodbye.

Hyun Woo offered heartfelt gratitude to the lady, shook hands with Do Yeon, and was leaving when Ha Yeon followed him out to the garden.

“Elder brother, I’m so sad to hear we won’t be seeing each other anymore. Here’s my cell phone number and email address. Please make sure to reply when I send you a message later.”

“Alright, Ha Yeon.”

At the bus stop after leaving the picturesque garden, Hyun Woo checked his account on his cell phone and was startled.

30 million won had been deposited.

The tutoring fees were already incomparably higher than other part-time jobs, but the success bonus was a fortune Hyun Woo was seeing for the first time in his life.

The classy lady always transferred the money into the account so as not to hurt Hyun Woo’s pride by putting cash in an envelope and never discussed the tutoring fees in front of others.

Like mother, like daughter – Ha Yeon was also deeply knowledgeable about literature and art, overflowing with intellect and refinement.

Although Hyun Woo tried not to compare, the images of So Hee and Ha Yeon kept overlapping, and the more time passed, the more pathetic he felt about constantly making comparisons.

The less frequent his meetings with So Hee became, the more Hyun Woo exchanged messages with Ha Yeon, and whenever Ha Yeon asked to meet, he made time to see her.

In February, Hyun Woo was also invited to the celebration party for Do Yeon’s university entrance and Ha Yeon’s graduation held at S Hotel, an affiliate of S Group, where he experienced a glamorous high society party for the first time in his life.

For Hyun Woo, who was used to the image of his father lying in the emergency room and hospital beds due to accidents caused by alcohol intoxication and liver cirrhosis, and his mother worn down by life, Do Yeon’s parents seemed like aliens from beyond the Andromeda galaxy.

Gratefully, Do Yeon’s parents also congratulated Hyun Woo on his graduation and gifted him a luxury watch.

After getting a taste of high society, it was painful for Hyun Woo to see his mother, worn out by poverty, constantly resenting his father who passed away from liver cirrhosis in their small rental apartment.

They say life is a series of choices between birth and death, but Hyun Woo resented the reality of having to live in a home filled only with the smell of alcohol, the poverty and illness of parents he didn’t choose.

Both Hyun Woo and So Hee passed the medical licensing exam and received their doctor and nurse licenses. Hyun Woo advanced to S University’s medical school graduate program, while So Hee got a job at S University Hospital.

Although he had the desire to make money, after seeing the classy home of S Group’s chairman, he wanted to become a medical school professor to achieve both wealth and prestige. He also wanted to research his father’s alcoholism that had persistently tormented him.

The ambiguous relationship of loving So Hee while meeting Ha Yeon, who called him ‘elder brother’ and followed him, continued until Ha Yeon left for the United States in August.

Ha Yeon, who was going to Harvard University’s English Literature graduate program, departed in early August for fall semester admission.

“Hyun Woo elder brother, I wish you could come to Harvard too.”

“I don’t have the confidence like you with good grades. I’m planning to apply to Harvard, Princeton, Johns Hopkins, Duke, and Yale, so I’ll let you know when the results come out.”

“I would be so happy if I could see you in America, elder brother.”

After Ha Yeon left for Boston, Hyun Woo took graduate school classes, took the GRE exam, and completed study abroad applications to send to five medical school graduate programs.

There was no point in studying abroad unless it was a top university in the world.

People around him told him to apply to other universities in the safe range, but he judged that it would be better to continue researching at S University than going to those places.

So Hee also struggled with her first university hospital job, but said her experience as a nursing assistant helped a lot.

Perhaps it was due to his excellent GRE score and well-written personal statement, even though he was a bit unsure about his grades, Hyun Woo received admission approvals from Harvard University and Duke University in North Carolina in December.

An email also arrived from a professor at Harvard Medical School, an authority on alcohol addiction research, saying that if he entered the country as early as possible to work as an intern to gain lab experience and conduct research, he would provide a scholarship.

Hyun Woo chose Harvard University between the two.

Hyun Woo didn’t realize he had bitten into the forbidden fruit at the S Hotel party last February, but somewhere in his subconscious, he had begun to crumble under the temptation of money and perhaps looked to Ha Yeon as the last straw for advancement into the upper class.

Harvard University had a high reputation, but the fact that Ha Yeon was there in Boston may have also been an important reason for choosing Harvard.

Even before leaving Korea, Hyun Woo was unaware of his desire for her that had slowly risen from the depths of his subconscious.

The thing that weighed most heavily on his mind before going to the US was So Hee.

So Hee, who looked only at Hyun Woo with an endlessly kind heart!

He couldn’t bring himself to tell her he was going to the US.

Especially with the forbidden fruit in his mouth, looking into her pure eyes and saying he was going to study abroad in the US felt nearly impossible.

After receiving the admission letter, he tried to tell So Hee several times but couldn’t get the words out.

December and January passed like that, and February began.

He had to leave in early March, so he needed to somehow tell So Hee the truth.

The sudden study abroad news to her, whom he had dated for nearly 5 years, would disappoint her and leave her in sorrow.

He was worried about whether he could tell such a cruel story in his right mind to her, who lived vigorously even in difficult and trying reality, but he wanted to go somewhere together to talk about studying abroad.

Hyun Woo suggested a 1 night 2 days trip to Baengnyeong Island to her, and although she seemed a bit surprised at the first overnight trip proposal, she soon welcomed it with a bright smile.

Hyun Woo felt a deep sense of guilt smoldering up from deep within his heart like smoke, but there was no time to spare now.

Even on the boat to Baengnyeong Island, his heart ached with apology and he couldn’t utter a single word.

So Hee asked if something was wrong with Hyun Woo, whose words had noticeably decreased, but Hyun Woo couldn’t even tell the white lie of saying ‘nothing’.

On Baengnyeong Island, Hyun Woo drank soju.

Hyun Woo, who didn’t drink often, drank 3 bottles of soju and made love to So Hee in the darkness.

During the 5 years, they had exchanged light kisses and kissed on special days like birthdays or Christmas, but they had never made love even once.

What Hyun Woo was thinking, making love like that on Baengnyeong Island…

It wasn’t with the thought of wanting to have her before leaving So Hee.

The 1 night 2 days trip was just to have a long conversation and spend time with So Hee one last time.

Unable to express his apologetic and guilty feelings, his mouth wouldn’t open and Hyun Woo’s apology turned into action rather than words.

The winter chill wrapped around his back, but as if to compensate for his apologetic feelings to So Hee, Hyun Woo sought her lips.

He spent their first night like that and made love.

After sharing their first love like that, the cigarette smoke exhaled out the window came back into Hyun Woo’s nose and sank deep into his lungs.

In the darkness, he mustered up the courage to barely spit out the words that he was leaving for the US.

At Hyun Woo’s words that he was leaving in early March, So Hee sighed, seemingly despairing at the reality of only 2 weeks remaining.

After returning from Baengnyeong Island, Hyun Woo had no confidence to face So Hee anymore and couldn’t comfort her with any words.

Hyun Woo threw himself into an unknown future as deep as the Pacific Ocean he was crossing to go to the US.

A new life in a foreign country might not make Hyun Woo be reborn, but he threw his unfortunate and poor past into the sea and flew that far distance.

Hyun Woo didn’t admit it until he went to Boston Logan International Airport, but he may have already discarded the memories of the past 5 years with So Hee one by one since leaving Korea.

Even the two times they made love over 1 night and 2 days on Baengnyeong Island…