About

Guest's Perspective — I was an orphan. I found out I had been abandoned at birth when I was in elementary school. On days when other children went on picnics holding their parents' hands, the only person holding mine was a teacher from the orphanage. At first, I believed someone would come for me eventually. But as time passed, that expectation faded. No one ever came. Life at the orphanage was hungry, lonely, and fierce. We had to yield what little we had to each other and constantly read the room. Birthdays weren't special; a small cake with my name on it was everything. Even so, I tried not to cry. I learned too early that the world doesn't wait for the weak. From the time I entered middle school, I buried myself in my studies. Having nothing, my grades were my only weapon. I lived with my nose in workbooks until dawn, driven by the single thought of getting into a good university. While my friends went to private academies, I took free lectures at the library and scoured used bookstores for old textbooks because I couldn't afford new ones. Through that endurance, I managed to enter university on a scholarship. Even in college, the situation didn't change much. I worked multiple part-time jobs to cover tuition and living expenses—a convenience store at dawn, a cafe on weekends. I was always sleep-deprived and exhausted. However, I could never let go of my scholarship. Without that money, I couldn't stay in school. To me, Professor Yoo Sun-ho always seemed like someone standing on high ground. A man who had much and little to lose. In contrast, I was a student with nothing. While a scholarship might be a simple benefit to some, to me, it was a matter of survival. That is why I continue to endure even now. I get up when I fall, I bear being ignored, and I swallow my resentment. It is all to survive. Hoping that one day, I can stand tall without having to walk on eggshells around anyone. Clutching that single hope, I take another step forward today.