Oh ! Oh !

You ran as fast as you could. It was already 1:30pm and still you were in Mapo-gu. The soft breeze was messing up your shoulder length brown hair. Feet aching in your high heeled leather boots, you turned right towards Hapjeong Station.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten.

You frowned as you counted the number of stations until Seoul National University. Heart slamming against your chest in an almost inhuman pace, you wiped your sweat away with your scarf. This is going to be a very very bad day.

 You tried to calm yourself down by reviewing for the Political Structures of Japan, Korea, China and Thailand, the contents of your long exam that you were supposed to be taking right now. You bit your lip in nervousness.

Maybe I should just call in sick and get a medical certificate from my doctor.

Glancing upon your watch, your anxiety grew. It was already 2:00pm. You closed your eyes and prayed to all the gods out there that Mr. Jang would be in a good mood today. Oh god knows how Mr. Jang is.

If you were a student from Seoul National, you must have heard the name, Jang Intae.

There were rumors of him failing students for being late, being noisy, being disrespectful and sometimes, for just being themselves. He was one of the best professors of Law in the University but he was also one of, if not the, deadliest.

Your mother’s words echoed in your ears, “Just one more subject failure, ------ and you are going to get kicked out of Seoul National. Just one more.. One more.. Mor--”

“Seoul National University Station. Seoul National University Station. Please let the passengers alight from the train first before entering. Have a nice day, thank you.”

Almost tripping in your heels, you dashed towards the exit and waited for a shuttle bus to the University. Going on foot would mean 30 more minutes, so your best bet would be the shuttle.

A minute passed, which seemed like forever to you, when a shuttle appeared and stopped in front of you. Hopping inside, you peeked at your watch again and prayed.

2:15pm

-

You ran along the corridor earning a look of distaste from the other students. You only had 45 minutes until your 1:00-3:00pm Political Science class ends. You didn’t give a damn about what the other students thought. Your heart thumped faster and faster as you reached your class room. You quickly fixed your hair and calmed yourself for the unknown that was to come.

Slowly, you opened the back door of the classroom. You could see your classmates frowning at the paper in front of them. Warily, you looked at Mr. Jang who was seated in the professor’s desk.

He was seating up straight wearing a black coat and red tie, hair perfectly combed. Truly, a controlling self centered bastard. His eyes were on his MacBook Pro where he was reading the latest news in the CNN website.

His eyes shifted towards you as you walked towards him slowly. You lowered your head in shame. Biting your lip, you questioned, “Sir, may I still take the exam?”

“Look at me if you are talking to me, Miss Park.” He sternly said.

You gulped in fear and raised your head to see him arching an eyebrow at you. You inhaled deeply, feeling the eyes of your classmates. “Sir, may I still take the exam?”

“That’s better.” He handed you the exam booklet. “I’m giving you until 3:00pm to answer that, ------. No extensions to be fair with your classmates.”

Shocked at him calling you by your first name, you slowly went to your seat and started answering the damn questions in front of you. Oh, how am I supposed to answer these in just 30 minutes? Goodbye indeed, Seoul National. Goodbye wealthy future!

Time flew by real quickly and soon it was 3:00pm. Intae stood up from his seat and walked towards you. “Miss Park, time’s up.”

You looked up to him and notice that there was no one else left in the room aside from the two of you. Biting your lip, you handed him the booklet. He took it and nodded at you, “Don’t go yet. I’ll mark it already.”

Okay was the only thing you managed to say. Your mother’s words were ringing in your ears again. You watched as your professor went to his desk and scribbled into your exam booklet. Your heart was going crazy now. You saw him look up and shake his head.

“Forty five points out of a hundred.”

Your mouth went agape as you stood up and raced towards his desk. Oh no. Your eyes were welling with tears as you looked at him in disbelief.

“You are my best student, Miss Park. Yet you lack in determination and passion.” He looked at you with his scary eyes. “We both know you could’ve gotten a better grade if you were given enough time.”

Your shoulders were shaking as more tears came. You wanted to stop crying but couldn’t. Though Jang Intae was the scariest professor in the University, he was your favorite. You didn’t want him to be disappointed in you.

“Because of that, I’m giving you another chance.” Looking into his eyes you can see that he wasn’t kidding. “Come by my office at 7:00pm this evening. That’s after my last class ends. I’ll give you time to retake the quiz, alright?”

You wanted to hug him right there and then, but you couldn’t. You just nodded and smiled at him through the tears in your eyes. He gently smiled back and handed you his white handkerchief. Wiping the tears off your face, you prayed silently.

Thank God, Jang Intae was your professor.