Sweet Night (18+) || kth ||

Chapter 8

I arrived home a little past 8. I was only able to leave Taehyung's place around 6 since he slept fitfully and would wake up whenever I tried to pry his arms off me. He would pull me back and I have no choice but to wait for him to fall asleep and hope that I'll be luckier next time. But then, Mr. Cho arrived to pick him up for today's schedule and we had a hasty goodbye. Mr. Cho was fuming at us, but Taehyung coolly told him to leave me alone since he was the one who kept me around. On the way out, I was reminded that this should never happen again, then was told to take the half day off. He knew that it really was Taehyung's fault, but I wasn't entirely blameless. I should have been firmer last night and left earlier. I told myself that this is the first and last time that will ever happen.

It was a Thursday, so I was expecting the house to be empty. Sunny should be in school, and Mom would be... somewhere. I have long gone past the point wherein I worried over where our dear mother was spending the night. However, to my surprise, Sunny was home.

"What are you doing here?" I asked her sternly the moment I saw her. "You should be in school! Did Mom take your bus fare again?"

"Relax, unnie," Sunny said, bouncing at the balls of her feet. "The exams are coming up and we have a free day today."

"Free day at school!" I pointed out. "You should be studying!"

But Sunny merely shook her head, bouncing at the balls of her feet. "Never mind all that," she said, eagerly pulling me inside the house. It was a small one, from a low-end building in the low-end part of Seoul. A one-bedroom affair, with a space big enough for a living-dining-kitchen combined. We could barely afford the rent some months. The only reason we're not yet kicked out is because I take on odd jobs for the old landlady who's meaner than anyone else I know. We should have moved out into the country, where we would be able to afford a bigger place to live with the money I earn. Unfortunately, whatever money I earn almost always ends up in the gambling house where my mother spends them all.

The stench of stale cigarette smoke filled the house. Either Mom came home last night or Sunny was smoking more than usual. I turned to her, ready to scold her until kingdom come. But before I could say anything, she shoved an envelope into my face.

"Open it, open it, open it!" she squealed.

Bewildered, I took the envelope from her hands and looked at it. It was already opened. I raised an eyebrow at her and she gave a shrug.

"Okay, fine, so I opened it already," she said. "But I think it arrived a couple of days ago. Just be thankful Mom didn't see it first."

Intrigued, I turned the envelope over. And my eyebrows shot up even further.

On the upper left-hand corner was the seal showing an eagle standing over a shield in maroon background. Golden letters on a green background encircled the images, reading "University of the Philippines". At the very bottom was the year 1908. I glanced at Sunny again. I've heard of this university before, but I never applied for them. I couldn't even afford to apply at my local universities, why the hell should I even try overseas?

"Open it," Sunny whispered.

And so, I did. I pulled out the letter and read through it. Three times. Because the words wouldn't sink in.

Basically, the university was opening an international student program as part of their campaign to boost their international image. Any foreign student, but preferably an incoming first year, can apply for whatever field they wish to study. As a come-on, the university will shoulder all costs necessary to bring me over to the country, as well as my living expenses but only up to two semesters. Afterwards, I have two options: go home or stay. If I go home, they will also pay for my airfare. If I decide to stay, they will extend my student visa, but I would have to shoulder all my living expenses from there on. As to the tuition fees, the school will be shouldering half of it for the first two semesters as well. I would have to pay for the other half, either out of my own pocket or through a different scholarship. If I stay, I will have to pay for all of it.