Chapter 5

Back in Seoul, life passed by uneventfully. For Kim Jong-myeong, the movie was just another project that had come to an end. Lee Jeong-hyang had called to say that he only needed to make a brief appearance at the premiere and didn't have to participate in the promotional activities. It made it seem as if he had just attended a summer camp. So, in the past few days, apart from carrying his baseball bat and playing the role of a baseball hero, bullying the kids around, Kim Jong-myeong hadn't done anything productive. Finally, his grandfather, who couldn't stand it anymore, decided to have him apply for middle school.

In South Korea, middle schools and high schools are generally separate. Despite the principle of nearby school admission and teacher rotation, well-reputed middle schools and high schools are always difficult to get into, given the Koreans' extraordinary enthusiasm for education and academic credentials. Moreover, it was now summer vacation, and March was the official start of the school year in South Korea. Therefore, unless you had exceptional skills, it was hard to apply to a good middle school at this time.

Of course, Kim Jong-myeong had exceptional skills.

On a morning in mid-July 1999, Kim Jong-myeong followed his grandfather, who had taken a special leave to accompany him, into the HanYang University Affiliated Middle School.

HanYang University is located in the southernmost part of Seongdong District, just a bridge away from the famous Gangnam District. Therefore, the affiliated middle and high schools of HanYang University became the choice for many wealthy people from Gangnam and officials from Seongdong and Jung Districts. According to his grandfather, many nouveau riche and newly powerful figures chose to send their children to privately established elite schools with fancy names. However, many genuine large conglomerates and experienced central government officials generally sent their children to well-reputed public schools. In South Korea, no one wanted to offend large conglomerates and high-ranking government officials, and the media naturally dared not investigate the children of these high-ranking officials and conglomerates. Therefore, these children mostly received normal treatment in school and could live a normal life.

Of course, Kim Jong-myeong's grandfather chose this school for other reasons, with some well-intentioned considerations: first, the school had always had a good reputation. Second, his grandfather lived in Geumho-dong, Seongdong District, which was only two subway stops away from the school. Third, when Kim Jong-myeong's parents, who were engaged in management and operations, returned, they were likely to work in Gangnam District or its surroundings. In that case, their residence would not be far from Gangnam, so even with the principle of nearby school admission, Kim Jong-myeong could continue his studies at this school, which was just a bridge away from Gangnam.

Upon arriving at the school, a chubby principal with a sweaty head and wire-rimmed glasses came out to greet them with a smile. However, this smile was just a professional habit; in his heart, he had already cursed the grandfather and grandson for disturbing his vacation. But the caller was a close senior from the university, and the grandfather bringing his grandson for an interview was an elderly fourth-level civil servant, so he couldn't refuse. He had to ask the teachers to organize a temporary interview.

The interview proceeded quickly. In South Korea, the admission interview mainly reviewed basic materials, and the decisive factor was still the exam scores. Although they acknowledged Kim Jong-myeong's academic performance, one of the teachers with black-rimmed glasses expressed their concerns: "Your grades are excellent. Additionally, although you grew up in Los Angeles, your Korean oral skills are surprisingly good. However, there are two significant issues. First, you only attended elementary school in Los Angeles for five years. Second, the final Korean college entrance exam requires Korean language, English, and a second foreign language in addition to English. The second foreign language is fine, as it is a course that starts in middle school. However, we don't have a clear idea of your Korean writing skills. Therefore, we hope you can take a comprehensive written test here, covering Korean, mathematics, social studies, national history, and ethics. If you pass all subjects, you can enroll in March next year. If you fail any subject, I suggest you spend a year in the sixth grade of elementary school before entering middle school."

The test papers were distributed, and Kim Jong-myeong scanned the questions, then asked seriously, "Teacher, if I can score 90 or above in each subject, can I directly transfer to the current first grade of middle school after the summer vacation?"

The teacher with black-rimmed glasses, who was clearly a supporter, raised his eyebrows in response to the questioning looks from the other teachers: "Of course, you can." After a pause, he added, "But I hope you can finish the test within an hour and a half."

Twenty minutes later, when Kim Jong-myeong pushed open the door of the meeting room with five test papers and declared he was ready to submit them, the adults sitting on the chairs in the corridor, who were chatting, all looked stunned, followed by various expressions of amazement.

Most of the teachers sneered, while the teacher with black-rimmed glasses was slightly surprised. His grandfather was angry and somewhat disappointed. The chubby principal still smiled, but inside, he was overjoyed: "Get lost, you brat from Los Angeles. Go to the affiliated middle school of Kent Foreign High School. Why come to our school? You made me come to school on such a hot day, you deserve it!"

The teacher with black-rimmed glasses took a step forward, took the test papers, and read Kim Jong-myeong's math paper at the door of the meeting room. After carefully checking a few questions, he frowned and glanced at the child in front of him. After reviewing the paper several times, he finally sighed and smiled, "You're Kim Jong-myeong, right? If I were you, I would have taken a nap in the meeting room before submitting the papers. Mr. Choi will take you to complete the enrollment procedures. You will report to my class, 1-3, in September. I am your homeroom teacher and the vice-principal of the school. My name is Park Jang-hwa."

The expressions of the people around him changed dramatically again. Even though he was almost 60, Kim Jong-myeong's grandfather couldn't help but change his angry expression to one of extreme satisfaction in just three seconds. The teachers around him returned to the slightly stunned look they had when Kim Jong-myeong submitted his papers. As for the principal Mr. Choi, he still smiled, seemingly having a consistent demeanor, but at this moment, he cursed again in his heart: "Damn, on such a hot day, I have to help with the procedures? Why can't you go to the affiliated middle school of Kent Foreign High School?"

The Kim Jong-myeong family had obtained permanent residency in the United States, which is commonly known as dual nationality, so the enrollment procedures were quickly completed. Of course, the sweating Mr. Choi didn't think so.

After solving the enrollment issue, Kim Jong-myeong continued to carry his beloved baseball bat and wander around Seongdong, Jung, and Gangnam Districts. This time, his grandfather didn't interfere with his activities. After all, in his grandfather's eyes, the first priority for a boy was good academic performance, and sports came second.

PS: I'm genuinely curious, why has Gangnam become a forbidden word? I'll have to make some changes to the two chapters I have prepared.

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