Part 1: Uncertain Bonds
Ji-hoon sat on the edge of his bed, staring at his two new roommates—Min-seok and Tae-hyun. The tension in the room was subtle but present. While they had spoken briefly, he couldn’t quite tell what they thought of him.
Would they see him as a rival? Would they resent the fact that he had gotten a full scholarship while they had to take out massive loans? Or would they eventually treat him like a friend? Ji-hoon hoped for the latter. He missed his old friends back in Gwonseon-gu, the kind of friendships that didn’t require weighing social status or academic achievements.
They continued talking, and Ji-hoon learned more about Min-seok and Tae-hyun.
Min-seok was from Incheon, a well-known city near Seoul. His father had once owned a mid-sized logistics company, but due to a failed business deal, they were now drowning in debt. His mother worked as a nurse, picking up extra shifts just to keep the family afloat. Despite their struggles, Min-seok had excelled in school, earning a half-scholarship, but still had to take out a significant student loan to cover the remaining costs.
Tae-hyun was from Daejeon, another major urban hub. His parents ran a struggling family restaurant, famous among locals but barely turning a profit. He had worked there during his teenage years, waiting tables and washing dishes. His parents had spent years saving whatever they could, but even then, he had no choice but to take out a loan to afford the tuition.
Both of them had done their research before applying to Royal University of South Korea. They knew exactly what they were getting into, but the prestige of the university and the potential opportunities after graduation were worth the financial burden.
As they settled into their room, they noticed that their fourth roommate had yet to arrive. Min-seok checked his phone, confirming that the bed assignments included a fourth person, but there were no signs of him yet.
“Weird,” Tae-hyun muttered. “Maybe he’s a rich kid. Some of them sign up for the dorms just to secure a spot but never actually live here.”
Ji-hoon frowned. “Where do they stay, then?”
Min-seok smirked. “In luxury apartments their families own in Seoul. Some even have their own private mansions. They wouldn’t be caught dead in a shared dorm.”
Ji-hoon listened in silence as Min-seok and Tae-hyun continued explaining the harsh divide at Royal University. It was designed for the rich—a place where the children of CEOs, politicians, and business moguls received top-tier education from childhood, preparing them to inherit their family empires.
“Most of them ace the entrance exam not just because they’re smart,” Tae-hyun said. “It’s because they’re trained for it. Their families hire the best tutors, send them to elite prep schools, and prepare them from birth to be at the top.”
Ji-hoon was intrigued. “How do you guys know all this?”
Min-seok shrugged. “We researched everything before coming here. We had access to personal computers and smartphones, so it wasn’t hard.”
Ji-hoon fell silent at that.
Smartphones.
He had never owned one.
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Part 2: A Small Town in a Big World
Ji-hoon’s confession hung in the air, a quiet statement that carried more weight than he intended.
“I… I never had a smartphone.”
Min-seok and Tae-hyun exchanged glances of pure disbelief.
“Never?” Min-seok asked, his voice filled with skepticism.
Ji-hoon shook his head. “Where I come from, only a few people own luxury items like that.”
Tae-hyun tilted his head slightly, studying him with a newfound curiosity. “Where are you from?”
Ji-hoon hesitated. He had never thought much about where he was from in comparison to others, but now, in the midst of two students who had clearly done their research before stepping into Royal University, he felt the weight of his background pressing on him.
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“Gwonseon-gu, Suwon,” he finally answered.
The reaction was immediate.
Min-seok and Tae-hyun froze, their casual expressions shifting into something unreadable. Ji-hoon immediately noticed the shift in atmosphere.
“Wait… Are you serious?” Min-seok asked, his tone unusually serious.
Ji-hoon frowned. “Yeah… why?”
Tae-hyun exhaled sharply, rubbing the back of his neck. “Dude, your town’s name was all over the news.”
Ji-hoon blinked, completely lost. “What?”
Min-seok quickly pulled out his phone, fingers flying over the screen as he searched for something. The moment he found it, he turned the phone toward Ji-hoon, showing him the article that had apparently been making waves.
‘First Student from Gwonseon-gu Accepted into Royal University of South Korea – A Historic Achievement’
Ji-hoon stared at the glowing screen, completely frozen. His name wasn’t in the title, but it was all over the article.
His stomach twisted. He had made headlines?
“You seriously never saw this?” Min-seok asked, raising an eyebrow.
Ji-hoon shook his head numbly. “I told you, I didn’t have a smartphone…”
Tae-hyun let out a low whistle. “Wow. I mean, even the cheapest smartphones in South Korea cost at least ₩300,000-400,000 KRW ($225-300 USD). But I guess if you’ve never owned one, that’d seem like a fortune.”
Ji-hoon swallowed hard. To them, that amount was a common expense, something that barely registered as significant. But to him, that amount of money was a life-changing sum.
He carefully handed the phone back to Min-seok, treating it as though it were a fragile treasure, afraid he might somehow damage it.
His roommates burst into laughter.
“You’re acting like it’s some ancient artifact,” Tae-hyun teased.
Ji-hoon scratched the back of his head, feeling his ears burn with embarrassment. “I just… didn’t realize they were this common.”
Min-seok chuckled. “Man, you really are from a different world.”
Ji-hoon remained quiet, thinking about what this revelation meant. His entire life, he had been struggling just to get by. While others spent their teenage years preparing for universities with the best resources, he had been fighting to even have a chance at a better future.
It wasn’t just about wealth—it was about the kind of life people were born into. And Ji-hoon was quickly realizing just how deep that divide ran.
Min-seok, realizing Ji-hoon’s feelings said “Don’t worry. I only got mine in high school when my mom finally saved up enough. Before that, I had to use the school library’s computers for everything.”
Ji-hoon appreciated the lack of judgment in Min-seok’s voice. It was a small thing, but it made him feel less out of place.
Tae-hyun, trying to lighten the mood, grinned. “Well, don’t worry. You’re at Royal University now. Everyone gets access to the student portal, and the school gives free laptops to scholarship students. You’ll catch up fast.”
Ji-hoon forced a small smile, though his mind was still reeling.
The conversation shifted to classes, schedules, and expectations for their first semester. Ji-hoon was relieved to learn that, at least academically, they were all on the same page—determined to survive in a system designed to crush outsiders.
Still, the biggest challenge wasn’t just the workload. It was the people.
“The elite students won’t just ignore us,” Min-seok warned, his voice lowering slightly. “They’ll try to get rid of us.”
Ji-hoon frowned. “What do you mean?”
Tae-hyun scoffed. “They’ll do whatever it takes to make us drop out. Harassment, sabotage, even framing people for cheating. Anything to make sure the ‘wrong’ kind of students don’t stick around too long.”
Ji-hoon felt his stomach tighten. He had fought his way here through sheer hard work and resilience. He wasn’t about to let some spoiled rich kids force him out.
Min-seok studied him carefully. “I get the feeling you won’t back down easily.”
Ji-hoon met his gaze, eyes unwavering. “I didn’t come all this way just to quit.”
A slow grin spread across Min-seok’s face. “Good. You’ll need that attitude if you want to survive here.”
Tae-hyun laughed. “Yeah, let’s all stick together. Who knows? Maybe we’ll even be the first scholarship students to make it to graduation in years.”
Ji-hoon nodded. They weren’t just roommates. They were allies.
And in this battle, he would need all the allies he could get.
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They sat in comfortable silence for a few moments before the conversation shifted back to the university.
Min-seok leaned back against the wall, stretching his arms. “Royal University takes in about 7,000 students every year. But over 75% of those are from elite families. The remaining 25% are students like us who fought our way in.”
Ji-hoon nodded slowly, absorbing the numbers. He had always known this place was different, but now, the scale of it became clearer.
Thousands of students. A massive campus. A rigid hierarchy.
He wasn’t just a student here.
He was an anomaly.
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The realization settled heavily in his chest.
Ji-hoon had fought for his place at Royal University, but the moment he stepped onto this campus, he became part of something bigger. He wasn’t just here to study—he was representing something. His name was now tied to Gwonseon-gu, to all the students back home who had never dreamed of making it this far.
Would they see him as an inspiration? Or a fraud?
Had he really earned this place, or was he just a lucky exception?
The doubt crept in, but Ji-hoon pushed it aside. He had worked too hard to get here to let fear take over.
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His roommates, on the other hand, didn’t seem to hold the same doubts.
Min-seok grinned. “Well, it’s kinda cool, isn’t it? You’re like a celebrity now.”
Ji-hoon scoffed. “I’d rather not be.”
Tae-hyun smirked. “Too late. If your face isn’t already on some student forum, it will be soon.”
Ji-hoon groaned. “Great.”
Min-seok laughed. “You better get used to it. You’re in Royal University now.”
Ji-hoon sighed. He had barely settled into this place, and already, it felt like he had been thrown into the deep end. But that was fine.
He had been swimming against the current his entire life.
And he wasn’t about to start drowning now.