Eleven years and 2 months old Kim Jung Hee stopped at a nearby river and checked his appearance in the water's mirror. He quickly wet a portion of his hair to control an unruly strand, and then he straightened his collar to make himself look more presentable.

Part of the reason he always adjusted his speed on his way to school was to make sure he passed through this part of the rural area at the right time because a specific house was nearby. Despite the humid air, the forest is surprising dry with good footing, and Jung made good time traversing it. When he noticed a certain girl walking down a dirt road, his hopeful face blossomed into a full-grown happy one.

He quickened his pace until he matched the the girl's face and he is walking beside her. Jung smiled dorkily at the girl when he was beside her. The girl turned to him and sighed. "Are you stalking me?" Eun Mei asked bluntly.

"Not at all," Jung hee said brightly. "It is just that the cosmic alignments of the universe are adjusting themselves to let two beautiful creatures meet at the right place and at the right time."

The girl scoffed. "And what do you think I did in my past life to deserve such a terrible curse?"

"Aah! But my dear Eun Mei, you might be as beautiful as the noonday sun, but you think too highly of yourself,” Jung said imperiously. “It is not about you, but me. You see, I used to be a hero in my former life, a hero that united the kingdom of Silla together-"

Song Eun Mei rolled her eyes. Jung hee always finds it fascinating that girls can convey a lot of meaning with a slight movement of the eyeballs. "So, the former great hero of Silla has asked to be my obnoxious companion on my daily walk to school? The only ten minutes of my day when I'm supposed to be alone and able to think quietly? The hero, then, is a moron," she said harshly.

But Jung Hee was not deterred. "Why, of course! The goddess of Korea offered a hundred beautiful beauties, an entire kingdom, and riches beyond compare! But the great hero only wanted the company of the fair Eun Mei, and so alas, the cosmos aligned themselves to his whim!"

“beautiful beauties?”

“umm-”

Despite herself, the absurdity of the boy and his words made her giggle. Eun mei knew why the boy was talking like that since both their classes are now studying the Three Great Korean Kingdoms in history class. And the boy is reminding her subtly that they might have a test today.

I better go to the library and study a bit. I can't afford to fail another test in that subject, Eun Mei thought, abit worried. She is trying to decide if she need to go by lunch or just ditch korean language class all together.

Jung Hee smiled to himself. Despite the unexplained system that he possessed and all the capabilities he has now, the highlight of his day has always been these few moments when he had the rare chance to make this sad girl laugh at his antics.

It was like an addiction he could not wholly satisfy—her rare smile.

Admittedly, it took a lot of effort to force that smile to come out of her usually cold, yet beautiful face, but that made it even more precious to him once it came out.

He didn't know when, nor did he truly analyze it, but he knew he is in love with the girl ever since they met those first few days in school. His memory of them when the town arranged a massive celebration for the great leader's birthday and the two of them, at 8 or 9 years old, were partnered in a dance as part of the presentation was still one of his happiest memories.

Jung Hee continued to chat casually with the girl who tried her best to ignore him, until, unfortunately, they finally reached the outskirts of the school grounds. They've been schoolmates all their lives since Guangzu People's School is the only primary school available in a hundred-mile area. In all that time, Jung hee and Eun Mei became classmates only once or twice in elementary level. Now they are both in their final year of grade school, and they are in different classes again.

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The girl did not even say goodbye when she veered towards her class, and Jung hee could only look forlornly as they separated. Dejected, he entered his own classroom and walked towards his locker room. In Korea, a vast number of lockers are located inside classrooms for easy access.

Jung hee estimated that he still had ten more minutes before the school ceremony, so he went to his locker and replaced the books inside his bag with his early subjects and-

A huge hand smacked him from the back. He could swear that his lungs almost leaped out of his mouth from the impact. He staggered in front of his locker door and groaned silently.

"Heya, Jung!" Cao Kwang Ho said brightly to his best friend. Unaware of his personal strength, he did not notice Jung groaning as he pulled himself up again, even though he was looking right at him. "You look gloomier than usual this morning!"

Jung straightened up and faced the big Korean boy. The dorky smile plastered in his pimple-ridden pumpkin face made it hard for Jung to remain angry with his friend. He sighed. "What do you need, you big oaf?"

"Eh?! Jung hee! You hurt my feelings! Just because I sought you out early this morning, you think I have something to ask of you?"

Jung just stared at him.

Suddenly, Kwang is looking elsewhere besides Jung's face. "Well, since you are already asking, I suddenly thought of something to ask. Not that I was thinking about it a while ago, mind you..."

"Spit it out," Jung said as he closed the door to his locker and started walking to his seat. Jung expertly navigates around the wheelchair of one of his classmates as he makes a path towards his seat.

The big guy didn't notice that he was already doing the Hinata finger alignment thingy as he continued to speak. "Well, you see, my family is going to the Guangzu town hall this evening to celebrate the head commissar's 71st birthday..."

Jung wasn’t surprised by this since Kwang’s family are very important in town and is frequently getting invited in lots of government-sponsored celebrations.

"And?"

"And I am wondering if I can borrow your shoes for the occasion," Kwang said, his vast cheeks blushing.

Jung involuntarily turned his gaze back at his locker where his precious rubber shoes is stored at the moment. "My shoes?" he asked.

The shoes were one of Jung's few personal possessions, a gift from his parents when he was nine years old, and they were very important to him both financially and sentimentally. Kim Hyusil deliberately bought a shoe several sizes bigger than Jung’s feet so he could grow into it and, therefore, use it for a lot longer. Jung appreciated it since it was also his own philosophy, and he took care of those shoes for a long time.

Even so, it was not that he had a problem letting his friend borrow his shoes. It was just surprising to him since the big guys' family is one of the wealthiest and most influential families in the whole province. Kwang has at least a dozen pairs of shoes in his own house. Jung had seen them.

"Well, you see the kids there are trying to blend in with the err, locals. Your shoes are still presentable, yet obviously not brand new, so I thought..."

Jung Hee sighed. For the elite children of the communist party, the new trend now, as Kwang gossiped to them, is to look like a peasant. It somehow made them look cool. "Fine, just take it," Jung said. "In return, I want to borrow five books, and I can keep them for a week."

Kwang nodded immediately to him. Jung borrowing books is nothing new. Jung discovered early on that Kwang's family has a small library. In fact, his father is the only one in the whole town that has a full encyclopedia set, although it was dated back to the 70s. And Jung had been borrowing books intermittently for the last three years. He always returned the book in good condition, and he already had Kwang's parent's trust.

"I'm just glad some kids are still interested in reading," Kwang's father would say sadly.

"It's a deal!" Kwang said happily.

Jung let his locker open, and Kwang grabbed the shoes. The big guy stuffed them in his backpack, and the two friends walked on towards the schoolyard. Despite the disparity in their heights, with Kwang almost a foot taller than Jung, their foot sizes are almost the same.

“Just make sure you are wearing socks when you wear them,” Jung quipped.

The school bell rings, and the 2000 plus students of Guangzo People's School stood in attention as they sing North Korea's national anthem, followed by a pledge of allegiance to the fatherland and the great leader.

When class started, it is as if Jung Hee is not the only one in school who felt the hours suddenly started crawling to a snail's pace. He listened attentively to the lectures despite already knowing most of them. Jung dutifully asked clarifying questions and sometimes even gently argued with his teachers.

His teachers loved him, especially the younger ones. They feel a sense of fulfillment and accomplishment when they believe that Jung is learning something new from their lessons. However, this is just an illusion as most of what Jung knows he taught himself. Despite this, Jung always puts on a good show by appearing genuinely interested in his studies and grateful for the efforts of his teachers. This has endeared him to them and further perpetuated the illusion of their effectiveness as teachers to themselves. By putting on this facade, Jung has managed to maintain a positive relationship with his teachers while still being able to learn at his own pace and in his own way.

When he was younger, the other students despised him for becoming a teacher's pet, and some tried to bully him for it. His eyes quickly discourage that. Besides, big Kwang is always by his side at that point. Ironically, Jung remembered how he first met Kwang because the big guy tried to bully him during his first days at school.

After the last beatdown, Jung asked the big guy why he hated him so much, and the guy blurted out that everything seemed so easy to him. The big oaf insists that it is not the normal way of things. Kwang was always considered stupid by other students since he is terrible at school and only good at bullying other students.

It was Jung who realized that Kwang was only compensating because people think he is stupid. Sadly, this includes his parents. From then on, Jung patiently taught the kid everything from math to science and later history.

Again, It was Jung who was able to find out that there is something wrong with Kwang's eyes. Kwang's sight made the letters in books so small and jumbled that it was hard for him to concentrate while reading. He explained this properly to Kwang's father, and when the corrective lenses arrive and Kwang uses it, it is as if a whole new world opens up to him.

Kwang's family was grateful to Jung, especially Kwang himself. It gave the boy a new sense of confidence, and almost over time, his bullying days were over, and he was suddenly a gentle giant.

Kwang's grades improve considerably, although he is still not one of the top students. Now he can follow the lessons given by the teachers. So it was not a puzzle why, for the following years after, Kwang followed Jung like a puppy.

Their history teacher arrived, and class began anew.