In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

Oh my god.

What did I just do?

“Are you okay?”

I hurried towards the moaning police officer on the marble floor.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t realize…”

“I–I’m okay.”

“Hold my hand and stand up.”

My mind was overwhelmed with thoughts as the young man took my hand and stood up.

What just happened?

It was ridiculous.

My body moved without me realizing and I threw a complete stranger to the floor.

He looked puzzled, it was the same for me.

That flip move I just tried, it was the same move as the one I saw in the movie playing on the TV.

“Hello.”

After moving from the hospital to a cafe, the man introduced himself.

“I came from Eunpyeong police station. I’m the investigator in charge of this case.”

“Yes, hello.”

A short sports cut.

His tanned skin and big build reminded me of a detective.

The business card he gave me read ‘Traffic Investigator Corporal Jang Kyungil.’

“Excuse me, does it still hurt?”

“I’m okay.”

Corporal Jang smiled coolly.

“I was in a judo club in the past. This much won’t– aaah…!”

“Are you alright?”

“Aah… I mean, it doesn’t hurt.”

It looked quite painful, but I moved on.

“I heard that doing a flip is amazing. It’s not a skill you learn in a day or two. If you did it subconsciously, are you actually an athlete?”

“Ah, yes….”

“Iya, no wonder.”

It was a lie, but I couldn’t just say ‘without realizing, I copied a skill I saw on TV, haha.’

Soon after, he took out his notebook and began asking questions.

I answered faithfully.

After the short q&a session, I brought up a question I was curious about.

“Was it a drunk driver? The car was swerving everywhere.”

“It wasn’t a drunk driver, they had epilepsy. I heard from her husband that she had an episode while dropping off her daughter at the test site.”

“Can a person with epilepsy have a driver’s license??”

“It’s possible.”

The police officer nodded.

“Well, it’s complicated to explain, but there’s no legal issues regarding them getting a license.”

“…is that so.”

The fact that I couldn’t take my CSAT because of the family member of another test-taker made me bitter.

“Then, what happens now?”

“They’ll be charged. No matter the circumstance, it’s obvious that two people were almost sent away.”

I almost died.

It was only now that I realized how reckless it was to jump in front of a speeding car.

If I went through this same situation again, would I still be able to do the same thing?

Honestly, I can’t guarantee it.

My life was also precious, but there was only one person who would miss me.

“Have you contacted your family?”

“My grandmother is in Gunsan. I’m trying to get in touch with her, but it says that she’s unavailable. I guess she’s still at the temple for my CSAT.”

“Ah…”

With an expression that was hard to explain with words, the young police officer awkwardly changed the subject.

“I really mean what I’m saying, you did a good job.”

“Yes, thank you.”

How many times have I been told this today?

I think it’s been 26 times.

But the police officer said something different.

“You might feel depressed and bitter right now, but life isn’t free of charge. Your kindness will be returned.”

“What?”

“It won’t be bad for now.”

I asked the smiling man who was packing his notebook.

“What do you mean?”

“Do you know what the hospital and the police station have in common?”

“What?”

“Rumours spread very quickly.”

He extended his arm and we shook hands.

What do you mean rumours are spreading?

It was when I was about to leave the hospital’s cafe, following after corporal Jang, who left behind a vague riddle.

I realized what he meant.

“Oh? They’re here.”

A group of people surrounded me.

Gender, clothes, I couldn’t tell because they were all dressed differently.

However, the moment I saw a person carrying a camera on their shoulder, I got a sense of what was going on.

Someone stuck out a business card.

“Hello, Sun Woojoo-ssi. I’m Noh Yonggi from KTN. Do you have a moment to spare?”

I vacantly blinked, soon understanding.

So that’s what he meant.

The story must have spread through the people working at the hospital and police station.

Well, it was a good story for me.

-On the day of the CSAT, a student on his way to take the exam threw himself to save an old man who was pulling a wagon.

I smiled at the business cards that reporters handed out.

“Yes, I have time.”

There was a proverb in EBS’s English textbook that I saw while studying for the CSAT.

If life gives you lemons, make lemonade.

A proverb that means if life gives you a crisis, you should turn it into an opportunity.

Yeah, I’ll enjoy what’s already happened.

I was willing to make lemonade.

♫♪.ılılıll|̲̅̅●̲̅̅|̲̅̅=̲̅̅|̲̅̅●̲̅̅|llılılı.♫♪

KTN evening news.

A middle-aged news anchor with tidy hair was on TV.

2014 college admission exam.

With such a background on the screen, the news anchor opened their mouth.

-On issue talk talk, we will be discussing an issue popping up in one of the corners of the internet, anchor Hong Aran.

[t/n: i think issue talk talk is a made up show, i ended up spending a while searching for something that doesnt exist;;]2

-Yes.

Moving to the right, another anchor appeared on the screen.

She was standing in front of a screen with internet search rankings on it.

-Today, when the CSAT was held, it was sad yet heart-warming news, wasn’t it?

-Yes, of course.

When anchor Hong Aran touched the screen, the number one internet search word expanded.

-Today on issue talk talk, we will be reviewing the ‘Galhyeon-dong’s righteous man’ case. He’s been on top of the real-time search keyword since morning. Shall we take a look at the video?

The source was written on one side of the blurry video.

It was a BlackBox recording of a car parked nearby.

The video began when an old man appeared on the screen, having difficulty with pulling the wagon.

A young man in a yellow padded jacket appeared and pushed the handle with him.

Then, it changed to a CCTV screen.

The car was heading towards the old man, and the young man, who was walking, ran and pushed the old man down.

Kung!

There was no sound, but the wagon was smashed in an instant, the waste paper inside flying everywhere.

The vehicle idled for a bit before stopping.

The screen returned to the briefing room.

-The accident happened in front of a high school in Galhyeon-dong, Eunpyeong-gu, around 6am today. A car was speeding and caused an accident. Police investigations have found out that the driver has been suffering from epilepsy since last year. Police believe that the driver stepped on the accelerator while having a seizure.

-That’s unfortunate news. Were there any victims?

-Yes, as you can see, an old man in his 70s who was pushing a wagon. Mr. Choi almost suffered a tragic accident, but fortunately he was saved by a passerby.

-The personal information of the rescuer became a hot topic today, right?

-Yes, that’s right.

When anchor Hong Aran touched the screen, a video thumbnail appeared.

A young man in a yellow padded jacket.

-The righteous man who saved the old man in his 70s was a test taker who was on his way to the CSAT. Would you like to see the first interview obtained by reporter Noh Yongki this afternoon?

A young man sitting in a cafe.

His yellow padded jacket was taken off and he was wearing a black sweater.

He seemed a bit tired, but his handsome face was clearly shown.

[Sun Woojoo / Galhyeon-dong’s righteous man] : Isn’t it a waste?

The young man smiled bitterly and continued.

[Sun Woojoo / Galhyeon-dong’s righteous man] : It’s a bit of a waste, but life comes first. I don’t think it’s comparable to an exam I can always take next year.

[Reporter] : When you went to save him, what were you thinking…

[Sun Woojoo / Galhyeon-dong’s righteous man] : Aah, back then? I guess I wasn’t really thinking of anything. Before I could think, my body moved.