Wednesday @ 12PM

It was Wednesday afternoon and the campus started to be hustling and bustling as it seams with people walking and rushing; the air was filled with cheerful sounds of laughter and jovial chatters everywhere. There was also sounds of metals scrapping and drilling sounds coming from the construction site not far from the faculty; it was the gym, there were renovations being done over there. The rest are in their lecture rooms having lectures and tutorials. 

Kim Soo Hyun was among those who are busy in the class finishing up lectures for that afternoon. He had just gone through with the students the significance of American novels as part of the contemporary literature in modern era. Having novels such as To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell serves a high significance in modern classics writing. As part of the course outline and taking into account of his personal interest over American modern literature, Kim Soo Hyun gave an assignment to his students pertaining to this. Students are required to submit a novel review on any American novel by any American authors, regardless of any genre. The story must revolve around the 20th and 21st century. He could see the students are mostly delighted upon being given such assignment. For those who have read any novel as prescribed, they would not have any problem recalling it and make a review about it. The easiest thing was that it does not even require any research; all it takes is a full reading and immersion into the characters and plot of the storyline and describe how they feel about the novel.

Upon dismissing the class, some students came to see him to ask a few questions. Some are already packing up their stuffs while chattering to each other, probably discussing on which novel to choose from. Young Hee found herself excited about this too. It seems like she and Soo Hyun had a common interest - both of them admire American writing. However, they may not have any common preference as to the genre that they favour in. Young Hee is an avid reader of fantasy novel which also contains romance, action, horror and sometimes supernatural such as The Vampire Diaries, Fallen, The Twilight Saga, Vampire Academy and The Mortal Instruments. Harry Potter is a great book too but that is British. She was thinking of writing something that is out of her interest this time around. Science fiction is kind of complicated as there were terminologies which are hard to explain in simpler words. Action is a bit complicated too as it is kind of hard to picture all the swift fighting movements in slow motion. What more with not really having interest in that particular genre. She finally made up her mind to do a review on novel which is more about romance and love. And maybe family relations a little. Unlike action, horror and sci-fi which are interesting to be read, love stories do not require much thinking and more vocabularies to be explored other than to use the common ones. She needs to save herself time as well for as a Dean's student, she has other preparations to be done as well especially before the exam week coming up.

She waited until Soo Hyun has done discussing with her classmates. She walked down the stairs of the lecture hall. She gazed at Soo Hyun, watching him packing his stuffs. Once again she was captivated by his charming persona. How can she resist looking at a true gentlemen like this! He is handsome as always, he wears a velvet maroon formal shirt with his sleeves folded up to his elbow and a white slacks. He is wearing a Tag Heuer men's watch which must have cost him a lot. And gosh, his long neck is ually alluring! Men's major turn on for Young Hee is always the adam's apple. If you watch korean dramas, adam's apple that moves when a man is crying can even be so y. Not to mention, as she was approaching him at the podium, she could smell his Hugo Boss perfume scent - which makes him even more ier! She couldn't help being mesmerized by his appealing look!

"It is rude to stare, you know." 

She was surprised upon being smacked by a cold manly voice. She finally realized that he has already finished packing up and was about to leave. He was already standing in front of her, his one hand holding a briefcase while the other in his slacks pocket. He was waiting for her to say something. She lowered her gaze and said "Ah, sorry sir."

Soo Hyun then looked at her lowering her gaze and asked, "Do you have anything to say to me? Are you going to stay like that forever?" 

Young Hee slowly looked up and slightly grinned. 

"Sonsaengnim, I need your opinion on the assignment that you gave us just now." she calmly said.

"What is it about that?" He glanced outside the room and saw a few students were on their way to the room. "Come with me, there are other students who' are going to use this room." he invited her to walk out of the room.

They walked along the hallway to a gazebo in the campus garden not far from the parking lot. Soo Hyun just feels that this is the better place to discuss so that he can straightaway drive off after the discussion ends. He rests his briefcase on the table and sat on the wooden bench. They were halfway discussing about the assignment topic which he gave earlier in class.

"But sir, why didn't you do that for our Shakespeare subject too?" Young Hee asked.

"Do what?" 

"The review. I think it's much easier to understand if we can write a review on the Sonnets." she said, referring to some of the Shakespeare's sonnets which are hard to understand. 

"I think that's not gonna work. You can only do reviews if you understand the content." he opined.

"I thought so too at first, but doing reviews can also help motivate us to understand better. It's like you want to have your own personal opinion on this topic so that is why you need to somehow understand it. Like the one you gave me yesterday. You're the one who asked me to make a review on King Lear. I did and I understand better after that." she recalled yesterday's discussion when Soo Hyun suggested her to do a review on King Lear to better understand it. "If you feel there is something wrong with the review, there must be something wrong with your understanding about King Lear." she recalled what Soo Hyun had said yesterday.

"True, but review alone is not enough. You have to be more critical in thinking. Critical thinking, that's even more important. Another thing where you're wrong is that doing review will only help motivate you, but probably not the others. There might be some others who would think that doing reviews are burdensome. It's like you're forced to read in order to do the review. If you don't understand it, how can you do it?"

"But sir, aren't critical thinking also differs according to the genre?"

"Certainly they are. If action, thriller and science fiction novels it requires more critical thinking. For example when it involves crime scene investigation, or revealing a governmental conspiracy. For love and family, probably you will only question about what is so special about that guy or that girl that makes him love her? Or why can't you forgive a person who was once upon a time your best friend but no longer so due to familial conflict?"

Young Hee nodded in agreement. 

"Which is why I'd like to choose love as the genre for my novel review. It doesn't require much critical thinking. My brain doesn't work that fast." Young Hee pouted. 

Soo Hyun laughed upon hearing that. "Yah, then how did you become the school valedictorian and Dean's student?"

Young Hee's rolled her eyes in surprise. "Sonsaengnim, how did you know about me becoming school valedictorian before?"

Soo Hyun stuttered. "W..well, apparently everyone's saying that. I couldn't help but to listen." He shrugged. He was caught. He couldn't reveal how he actually know that. He recalled back the time when he posted up the online quiz in the e-learn website. 

*Flashback*

At 11PM sharp, he his laptop again to see who had answered the quiz. The last person was Lee Young Hee. Somehow he was driven to click on the name which revealed her profile. There was her full name, her birthday, her origin. 

Wait, did she really grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania? No wonder she can speak English so well, he thought. He browsed through her academic performances.

Dean's list student for 2 years in a row. That's fantastic. How come I did not know her? 

School's valedictorian at Philadelphia High School for Girls? 

Daebak. Impressive!

He scrolled down futher to see his participation in the faculty. She was a President for Swimming Club, Golf Club and Faculty's Dean Student Club.

Fully sponsored by Jaeguk Group. 

It's rare! She must have been so clever that she got fully sponsored, he thought. 

Academic Records. 

Semester 1 - English Language and Literature 1. Lecturer: Kim Soo Hyun. Grade: A+

Semester 2 - English Language and Literature 2. Lecturer: Kim Soo Hyun. Grade: A+
            Mediaval English 1. Lecturer: Kim Soo Hyun. Grade: A

Semester 3 - Contemporary English Language and Literature 1. Lecturer: Kim Soo Hyun. Grade: A+

"Seriously, she has been with me for the past 2 years? Did I give her those grades?? Seriously I did that??" He rolled his eyes in shock upon seeing what is on the screen.

"How come I did not know her back then?" he said in disbelief.

*End of flashback*

"Wow, they're talking about me? I never knew." she said and giggled. Soo Hyun couldn't help but to laugh upon seeing her like that. 

She stole a glance at Soo Hyun when he was laughing. It was really hard to see him like this before. She could not believe her eyes that he is now laughing together with her at the gazebo where there is just the two of them. He looks calmer and happier that way. Young Hee could feel tears started to form in her eyes but she quickly hold it back in for fear it might ruin the moment. She just doesn't want this moment to end. 

'Kim Soo Hyun... you look happy. Please stay like that forever.' she prayed in silence.

However, just when she thought that this could last forever, she was wrong. Kim Soo Hyun asked her about the novel she wished to write a review. She told him that she wanted to write a review on 'Price of a Kiss' by Jonathan Bleige. 

She explained to him about how a stolen kiss on one evening had brought love and betrayal to the person. How he experienced love at one time and being lost in love in the next moment upon being left by the girl that he truly loves. "But I just can't believe that there is a happy ending after all those conflict. And I'm even choosing to write about this cause it's even simpler than action novel!" she sighed, motioning her head.

He looked away and the smile that remains from the laughter just now had started to fade away. He looked away and then lowered his head. Now all that is on his face is sadness, sorrow and hurt expression. There was silence for a moment and Young Hee began to feel guilty.

"Sir?" she asked with a gentle voice.

He turned again and looked at her, struggling to smile. But who knows, behind the fake smile lies a painful heartbreak.

"Is there something wrong with what I said just now?" 

"No, not at all..." he said calmly. There was then a silent moment before he began to speak again.

"It's just that..." he paused. "What is the point of loving when there is a betrayal in the end? And you're gonna lose the person you love in the end?"  He looked down again, this time looking completely saddened and hurtful. Young Hee could see tears started to form in his eyes but he quickly got up and grabbed his briefcase, holding back his tears.

"I gotta go now. Are you going somewhere? Do you need a ride?" he asked. 

"No, sir. I'm gonna meet my friends afterwards." she said, still looking at him sympathetically. 

"Alright, I'll see you around then." he said and walked a few steps forward when Young Hee called her again.

"Sir, there can also be true love without hardship right? In reality, not in novel.. There's no heartbreak, no pain, no suffering... And that they live happily ever after?" she asked.

Kim Soo Hyun turned back and looked at her. He smirked a little at the absurdity of that question. Love without hardship you say? Those only exist in love game, but not true love. But then again, even Chuck and Blair fight through the game and finally found a happy ending.

"Even princes and princesses in fairy tales go through evil spells and curses before they can find happy endings, Young Hee. In fact, those in novel are not any different with real life drama." he said, and just right before he left, he added, "If you can prove to me there is such love exist, then try to prove it rather than simply talk it out. Justification without evidence can only lead to foolishness." he said, and walked away.

Author's note: Price of a Kiss is fictional.