Chapter 5

5. New Semester Begins (1)

After tossing and turning all night, Yuseojun finally woke up at nearly 8 o'clock. He managed to open his heavy eyes and sit up, only to find Go In-hyuk humming in front of him.

"Haha, you're a real sleepyhead, aren't you?"

He seemed to have already washed up, as he was drying his hair with a towel.

Yuseojun stretched and replied,

"Usually, I wake up early. I didn't sleep well last night because I changed my sleeping place."

It wasn't a lie. Compared to the average student, Yuseojun was quite good at time management. He had a relatively regular sleep schedule, going to bed and waking up at consistent times. Of course, this was due to his parents, who were farmers.

"Haha, that's not bad. I'm also the type who wakes up early in the morning."

Go In-hyuk smiled.

Yuseojun understood the meaning. If they had different sleeping schedules, it would have been a problem. One person sleeping while the other was awake and turning on the lights or making noise would have been disruptive. Fortunately, their sleeping times were similar.

Yuseojun instinctively checked the diary on his desk. Sure enough, the diary was still there, just as it had been. The events of yesterday were indeed not a dream.

As his eyes moved to the desk, Go In-hyuk's gaze followed.

He casually reached out to touch the diary and said,

"Wow! A diary! The notebook looks quite old, so you must have been writing it for a long time, right?"

Startled, Yuseojun jumped out of bed.

Go In-hyuk, puzzled by the sudden action, burst into laughter.

"Got you! I don't read other people's diaries. It's not fun anyway. You must have written something important, right? Is it about love?"

Feeling embarrassed, Yuseojun waved his hand.

"Nothing important... not really..."

As he returned to his seat, Go In-hyuk said,

"Hurry up. Don't you want to eat breakfast? The dormitory breakfast ends at 8:30."

Go In-hyuk patted Yuseojun's shoulder as he hurriedly washed up and changed clothes.

"The humanities building is close, but the natural sciences building is far. You'll have to run there right after breakfast."

Yuseojun put a few textbooks and stationery into his bag.

"Aren't you bringing any books?"

"Well, today's classes are general physics and general chemistry, and I don't think they're necessary. If the professor is a grumpy one and scolds me for not having the book, I'll bring it next time."

"You don't need books?"

"They're all in my head."

Go In-hyuk waved his finger at his head, as if it were nothing.

Yuseojun finally understood. Indeed, he was a genius. It meant that he had already completed the undergraduate level, especially the general courses.

Feeling a bit envious, Yuseojun tidied up his desk.

He picked up the first diary, hesitated, and then put it in his bag. He planned to read it carefully during the free period. He put the other diaries in a drawer. No one would come in and rummage through them.

The two of them had breakfast in the cafeteria. Many students, who had woken up late and rushed over, were there. Lazy kids. Though they thought they were late, they were relatively on time compared to others.

After the first class ended, there was a break until lunchtime.

Yuseojun headed to the central library. Since his student ID hadn't arrived yet, he could enter the library with his acceptance letter or tuition receipt. The library was a bit crowded with new students who had come to check it out. Seeing freshmen visit the library right after starting university, he thought, "This is Seoul National University, after all."

He found a seat in the reading room. The partitioned desks provided a relatively private space.

He took out the first diary.

The first entry he checked was from March 3rd. The content was nothing special, just his impressions of the first class.

He focused on the entry from March 4th.

*

March 4, 1987, Wednesday. First major class. Thinking about it as a major class, I'm a bit nervous. When the class started, the professor came in. He's a well-known professor in the academic world, but he looks very strict.

As soon as he came in, he checked if we had the textbook. He scolded the students who didn't have the textbook, saying they were mentally incompetent. It's frustrating to be scolded on the first day.

The professor asked a question about the origin of Western philosophy. When he asked who started the Ionian school when ancient Greek philosophy was divided into two major schools, I was scolded for not knowing anything about philosophy.

Fortunately, one student answered correctly with Anaximander, and the discussion moved on to Anaximander's philosophy. Who is this? I've never heard of this philosopher before. As homework, we were told to research Anaximander by the next class. The amount of homework on the first day is overwhelming. Is this what university classes are like?

*

Yuseojun smiled, imagining his own frustrated face.

"Major classes are not easy, it seems. Major classes..."

He checked his schedule. The major course for first-year students in the first semester was "Ancient Western Philosophy."

He still found it hard to believe the content of the diary. It would be strange to easily believe a diary predicting the future. The name of his roommate, Go In-hyuk, matched, but he wondered if the other details were accurate.

He decided to verify the truth by attending the major class the next day. Would the same questions be asked, and would the same homework be assigned?

If so, he knew what he needed to prepare. First, he needed to check the textbook and bring it. Then, he needed to research Anaximander. If he prepared well, he could make the first class interesting.

He flipped through the diary to the next page. After a few pages, the number of days without entries increased.

It seems that the "three-day enthusiasm" applies here as well. He probably tried to write regularly at first but gradually found it tedious. Yuseojun smiled inwardly, feeling he could gauge his university life in advance.

In a diary entry about a month later, he found his own struggles. It was about his doubts regarding philosophy and his longing for economics. The diary mentioned that he had even considered retaking a year, but it seemed he didn't actually do it.

In fact, is there a student who doesn't have doubts about their major or university after entering? He had heard that everyone goes through this, so he wasn't disappointed.

Indeed, due to such doubts, his midterm exam results in April were a mess. There were several days where he lamented his poor grades. Strangely, he wasn't too disappointed. Given the nature of this school, where the top student in every class is often challenged, maintaining the top position would be impossible.

Unfortunately, there was no information about the exam questions. If he had written even a little about them, he could have scored much higher.

"You should write your diary more seriously."

Yuseojun grumbled as he flipped through the pages.

After the midterm exam, the tone of the diary changed. He started tutoring and used the money as seed capital for stock investments. It seemed his desire to major in economics and finance was reflected in this way.

Of course, his investment skills were not impressive. Sometimes he lost, and sometimes he gained. Overall, the stock market was booming, so his assets gradually increased. From then on, the diary mostly summarized the day's stock prices and investment results.

Yuseojun's face turned red as he flipped through the pages. Suddenly, he clenched his fist.

"Yes, this is it!"

**

At 10 a.m., when the second class started, Yuseojun entered the "Ancient Western Philosophy" class. Unlike other classes, all the students in this lecture were first-year philosophy students.

Before sitting down, he scanned the lecture room. The gender ratio seemed to favor women slightly. The students' appearances were at two extremes: some were well-groomed and urban, while others looked like they hadn't shaved or washed their faces in days. Indeed, this was the philosophy department.

As soon as Yuseojun sat down, a professor entered. He wore horn-rimmed glasses, had long hair, and a mustache, and looked to be in his mid-forties. He indeed looked strict, just as described in the diary.

He scanned the students with sharp eyes and wrote his name on the board.

"Professor Lee Jeong-yong."

Professor Lee Jeong-yong made eye contact with the students for a moment, then erased his name and wrote something else.

"What is philosophy?"

The question on the board.

Everyone was taken aback as Professor Lee Jeong-yong's lecture began.

"You are proud philosophy students. If you chose to major in philosophy, I assume you already have some basic knowledge. So, what is philosophy? Who can answer?"

The students were too nervous to respond.

Professor Lee Jeong-yong called on a few students in the front row. When he didn't get a satisfactory answer, he frowned and began to question the students' qualifications. This led to a discussion about textbook preparation.

"Raise your hand if you brought the textbook."

Yuseojun recognized this scene from the diary and raised his hand without hesitation.

Only four students out of the entire class had brought the textbook.

"This is why today's students are no good. If a soldier goes to war without a weapon, what happens? A student comes to class without a book?"

Professor Lee Jeong-yong's angry voice continued.

"Today is the first class..."

A student in the front row tried to explain.

"That's your problem. When you think of philosophy, do you think of a neighborhood philosophy club? What are you doing here?"

The lecture room fell silent as the professor's criticism became harsher.

The professor's eyes sparkled as he asked another question.

"Let's see, who do you know among the ancient Western philosophers?"

"Socrates."

"Pythagoras."

"Plato."

Various answers poured in from the students.

"Ancient Greek philosophy is divided into two major schools: the Ionian school and the Italian school. The Italian school started with Pythagoras, who you all know. This school includes philosophers like Zeno and Epicurus. Who started the Ionian school?"

No one answered Professor Lee Jeong-yong's question.

Yuseojun was a bit dazed. The content of the diary was coming true. This meant that all the content written in the diary after this day would also come true in the future. Three volumes, which meant 30 years of content from now on. This information could be a powerful tool if used correctly.

"Does no one know? Today's students only memorize textbooks and have no deep understanding. Multiple-choice questions won't give you real knowledge. You are the type of students who are optimized for multiple-choice questions. In university, you need to break out of that habit quickly."

The professor ranted about the problems with the education system for a while.

The students were all silent, like bees that had eaten honey.

Professor Lee Jeong-yong sighed deeply.

As his sharp gaze swept the room again, a student raised his hand.

"Anaximander."

Most students murmured, not knowing who it was.

The professor, slightly less angry, asked again,

"Who is he?"

Yuseojun was ready to share the information he had studied in the library the day before.

Professor Lee Jeong-yong shouted,

"I've never seen such ignorant students. I'm ashamed to be a professor at the best university in Korea. What should I do? If you don't know, you need to study. I'll assign a report. Research Anaximander. Ten pages or more! The student who got the name right doesn't need to submit it."

It seemed he used this method every year to discourage students early on and encourage them to study. Yuseojun immediately raised his hand.

"What? Why are you raising your hand?"

Professor Lee Jeong-yong asked with a puzzled look.

"I want to answer about Anaximander."

Yuseojun replied confidently.

"Go ahead."

"Anaximander was a philosopher from the 6th century BC and a student of Thales. He was the first to write a treatise on natural philosophy..."

Yuseojun recited the information he had memorized overnight. The students in the lecture room began to murmur.

Professor Lee Jeong-yong's expression softened. The report was naturally no longer needed.