Chapter 13
Soram suddenly sat up.
Outside, birds sang peacefully, and the sunlight through the paper doors felt warm.
She had overslept.
Panicking, Soram rushed out of her room.
“You must attend class, Soram. Understood?”
She remembered the warning she had brushed off before. Attendance was more important than anything, even if she hadn’t solved the jade token problem. She needed her name on the register first.
With her feet almost tripping, she ran toward the dining hall, ignoring her messy appearance. Her hair flew wildly in the wind.
As she neared the dining hall entrance, other students noticed her and whispered. Amid the chatter, she quickly put her name on the attendance register.
Just as her racing heart calmed, someone called her.
“Soram Geum.”
It was Baek Woonhyuk, taking the seal from her hand in a flash.
“Late sleep?” he asked, stamping his own name with the seal.
Soram nodded, and he smiled faintly.
“You stayed up late copying notes, didn’t you?”
He sounded teasing, but with his flawless appearance, anyone would envy him. Even though they were both late, Soram looked disheveled while Woonhyuk was perfectly neat. His crisp white uniform matched his straight posture and clean appearance.
Following Soram to the dining hall, he teased her.
“Regret refusing me?”
“For what?”
“For rejecting my kindness.”
Soram was already focused on the food. She didn’t have time to think about his teasing. She grabbed a seat and began eating quickly, as if starving for days. First soup, then rice, then meat, all without pause.
When she finally noticed Woonhyuk, he hadn’t eaten half of his meal.
“Not hungry?” she asked, concerned.
“Soram Geum.”
“Yes, sir!” she replied energetically.
“You’ve stopped using that weird title?”
“Oh, I didn’t know what to call you at the academy.”
“Now you do?”
“Yes. The seniors taught me: Sa-hyung, Sa-jeo, Sa-je, Sa-mae…”
Soram counted on her fingers, reading the titles clearly. Woonhyuk felt strangely fluttery seeing her pure, childlike behavior.
“You weren’t told by your seniors, huh? You’re the youngest in our class,” he teased.
“Yes, they call me Soram or Ram,” she replied.
“No, by tradition, you’re…”
“You’re a little kid. Geum little kid,” he said, laughing.
“Stop joking,” she muttered.
At that moment, Kyunghwa and Yuran arrived.
“You two crossed paths while you went back to the dorm,” Kyunghwa explained.
“Why listen to nonsense?” Yuran glared at Woonhyuk.
“Your teacher says fools shouldn’t be followed. Soram, heard of ‘Sasiibi’?”
Soram shook her head.
“It means people who talk nonsense don’t need respect. They’re frauds.”
Even when Woonhyuk said her name, Yuran didn’t back down.
“Woonhyuk, aren’t you ashamed? Just one year older and you act high and mighty!” she scolded, taking Soram away for breakfast.
After finishing attendance, Soram tidied up and attended class. Morning lectures and lunch passed smoothly.
The next class with Cheongyeon, however, made her nervous. She was sweating before he even arrived.
The bell rang, and finally, Dr. Cheongyeon appeared. Fortunately or unfortunately, he didn’t look at Soram once.
“Baek Woonhyuk,” he called. Woonhyuk went forward, confused.
Cheongyeon handed him something—it was the jacket Woonhyuk had given Soram last night.
He had never had anyone mishandle something he cared about.
Cheongyeon didn’t explain, only gestured to return to their seats. Woonhyuk complied, glancing at Soram, who also looked shocked, holding her head.
“Move to the training field,” Cheongyeon announced suddenly.
Students followed him, surprised, including Soram with a book under her arm.
They arrived at the horse training field. Only then did the students realize they were going to practice riding.
Cheongyeon briefly explained the training. Each instructor would guide their students in basic skills, covering both academics and martial arts.
“Isn’t it too harsh to start practical training on the first day?”
“Be thankful we weren’t punished by Dr. Jang,” another student replied.
Soram listened quietly to the conversation between Hokwang and Woonhyuk. She wasn’t trying to eavesdrop, but their low voices naturally reached her.
“Falling off a standing horse is a minor injury. Falling from a running horse is serious. Being stepped on can be fatal. If lucky, only a bone breaks. If not, you die,” Cheongyeon warned.
Students flinched at the warning. Soram’s face was already frozen with fear.
