Home With You ⸺ y.jw

OO6.⠀Late-Night Study Sessions

A week passed, and Yoorin found herself settling into a strange routine with Jungwon. Between classes, study sessions, and the occasional awkward encounter at their apartment, they were starting to feel less like awkward strangers and more like... tolerable roommates. Well, mostly.

One night, Yoorin was sitting at the small dining table in the apartment, surrounded by textbooks, her laptop open in front of her. She had a big exam coming up, and the pressure was getting to her. The clock read 10:45 PM, but she wasn't even halfway done with her notes.

Jungwon, as usual, was calm. He sat on the couch, headphones in, scrolling through his phone. Every now and then, he glanced over at Yoorin, but for the most part, he let her do her thing.

After a while, Yoorin let out an exasperated sigh, pushing her chair back. "This is impossible," she muttered, running a hand through her hair. "I'm never going to get this done in time."

Jungwon pulled out his headphones, tilting his head toward her. "You good?"

Yoorin gave him a tired glare. "Does it look like I'm good?"

He laughed softly, standing up and walking over to the table. "What's the problem? Maybe I can help."

Yoorin leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms. "You're a business major, right? I doubt you can help with philosophy."

Jungwon grinned, leaning over to glance at her notes. "You'd be surprised. I took a couple of intro philosophy courses last year. I'm not completely clueless."

Yoorin raised an eyebrow, unsure whether he was serious or just teasing her again. But at this point, she was too stressed to argue. "Fine. If you think you can help, be my guest."

Jungwon pulled out a chair and sat beside her, scanning her notes. "Alright, what's the issue? You don't get the concepts, or is it the essay question?"

Yoorin sighed, rubbing her temples. "It's just... a lot. I understand most of it, but the way the professor wants us to answer the essay questions is super specific. I'm worried I'll miss something important."

Jungwon nodded, his expression thoughtful. "Okay, let's break it down. What's the main topic you're working on?"

Yoorin hesitated, then opened her notebook to a page filled with scribbles. "Ethics and moral philosophy. We have to analyze different ethical theories and apply them to real-life situations."

Jungwon's eyes lit up a little, which surprised Yoorin. "That's actually pretty interesting. Do you have a case study to work with?"

Yoorin blinked. Was he actually into this? "Yeah, it's about environmental ethics and how different theories would apply to pollution laws."

Jungwon nodded again, pulling her notebook closer. "Okay, let's start with utilitarianism. The whole 'greatest good for the greatest number' thing. How would that theory handle pollution?"

Yoorin stared at him for a second. Maybe he really did know what he was talking about. "Uh, well, I guess a utilitarian would argue for regulations that benefit the most people, even if it inconveniences a few companies or individuals?"

"Exactly," Jungwon said, tapping the notebook with his pen. "So, you can argue that strict pollution laws align with utilitarianism because they protect the greater population's health, even if they're costly to implement."

Yoorin nodded slowly, writing that down. "Okay, yeah. That makes sense."

Jungwon smiled. "See? You're getting it. Now, what about Kantian ethics?"

Yoorin let out a groan, her head dropping to the table. "Don't even get me started on Kant. I hate Kant."

Jungwon chuckled, but his tone was still patient. "It's tricky, but think about it this way: Kantian ethics focuses on duty and universal moral laws. So, when it comes to pollution, you could argue that companies have a moral duty to follow laws that prevent harm, even if it's not in their best interest financially."

Yoorin lifted her head, staring at him in surprise. "How do you know all this?"

Jungwon shrugged casually. "I pay attention in class."

She narrowed her eyes, but there was no denying that he was actually helping her. "Okay, fine. That helps a lot."

They spent the next hour going over her notes, discussing the different theories and how to apply them to the case study. By the time they finished, Yoorin felt a weight lift off her shoulders. Her essay was finally coming together, and it was all thanks to Jungwon.

She leaned back in her chair, stretching her arms above her head. "I can't believe it, but I actually get it now."

Jungwon smiled, leaning back too. "Told you I could help."

Yoorin glanced at him, feeling a strange sense of gratitude. She hadn't expected him to be so helpful—or so patient. "Thanks," she said softly. "I really appreciate it."

Jungwon waved it off like it was no big deal. "No problem. Anytime you need a study buddy, just let me know."

Yoorin rolled her eyes, though her smile lingered. "Don't get used to it. I usually like studying alone."

Jungwon laughed. "Sure, sure. But we both know you'd be lost without me."

Yoorin threw a crumpled-up piece of paper at him, but she couldn't help laughing too. "You're so full of yourself."

"Hey, I just saved your philosophy grade," Jungwon said with a smug grin. "A little credit won't hurt."

Yoorin shook her head, still smiling. "Fine. You're not as useless as I thought."

Jungwon grinned wider, clearly pleased with himself. "I'll take that as a compliment."

As the clock ticked past midnight, Yoorin stood up, gathering her books and laptop. "Alright, I'm going to bed. Thanks again for the help."

Jungwon gave her a mock salute. "Anytime, roommate."

Yoorin headed to her room, feeling lighter than she had all week. Maybe living with Jungwon wasn't the disaster she'd thought it would be. He was still annoyingly cute, but at least he wasn't completely useless.

As she climbed into bed, she couldn't help but think that maybe having him around wasn't the worst thing after all.