Saturday morning I woke up still feeling like I was floating.
It hadn't been a dream. I checked my phone just to make sure—the score was still there, real and permanent.
Min-Ji was already up making celebratory pancakes.
"The conquering hero emerges," she announced when I walked into the kitchen.
"It's too early for dramatics."
"It's never too early for dramatics. You got 166 on the LEET. That deserves drama."
Yoo-Na appeared from her room, also looking unusually awake for a Saturday. "Okay, emergency roommate meeting. We're celebrating properly today."
"I thought we celebrated last night with takeout and dramas?"
"That was preliminary celebration. Today is official celebration. We're going out."
"Out where?"
"Wherever you want. Your choice. Anything."
I thought about it. "Can we just... do something normal? Not fancy, just fun?"
"Normal we can do," Min-Ji said. "Noraebang? Pojangmacha? Walk along the Han River?"
"All of the above?"
"Perfect. It's a plan."
My phone buzzed. Bok-Jin.
Bok-Jin: Good morning, genius. How does it feel to be officially brilliant?
Me: The same as yesterday but with less anxiety.
Bok-Jin: Want to grab lunch? I have something for you.
Me: Something for me?
Bok-Jin: A surprise. A good one. I'll pick you up at noon?
Me: Mysterious. Okay. See you at noon.
"Boyfriend?" Yoo-Na asked, reading my expression.
"He has a surprise for me."
"Cute. Is he joining us for celebration activities tonight?"
"Probably. Let me ask." I texted him: The roommates are planning celebration activities tonight. Want to join?
Bok-Jin: Absolutely. What kind of activities?
Me: Noraebang and pojangmacha. Very sophisticated.
Bok-Jin: My favorite kind of sophisticated. I'm in.
At noon, Bok-Jin picked me up and drove toward a part of Seoul I didn't recognize.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
"You'll see."
"You're very mysterious today."
"I'm building suspense."
He pulled up to a small bookstore—the kind with floor-to-ceiling shelves, a cat sleeping in the window, and the smell of old paper.
"A bookstore?"
"Not just any bookstore. The best used bookstore in Seoul. Specifically for law books."
We went inside, and the owner—an elderly woman with reading glasses on a chain—looked up and smiled at Bok-Jin.
"You're back! Is this the girlfriend you told me about?"
"This is Ji-Mang. She just got her LEET score. 166."
"166! That's excellent. Congratulations, dear." She turned to me. "Your boyfriend came in last week asking about law school preparation books. I set aside some options."
She led us to a back corner where she'd stacked at least twenty books—law school study guides, case law compilations, first-year survival guides, books about environmental law.
"You bought me books?" I asked Bok-Jin.
"I didn't buy them yet. I wanted you to choose which ones you actually wanted. But I figured with your score, you're definitely going to law school next year. Might as well start preparing."
I looked through the stack. Some were practical guides. Others were deep dives into specific legal topics. One was called "How to Not Die in First Year Law School" which seemed both humorous and necessary.
"These are perfect," I said. "But this is too much—"
"It's a congratulations gift. And an investment in your future. Pick whichever ones you want."
I ended up choosing five books—three about law school preparation, one about environmental law careers, and the survival guide because it made me laugh.
At the register, the owner wrapped them carefully. "You're a lucky young woman. Not many men understand that books are the best gift."
"I'm starting to realize that," I said, smiling at Bok-Jin.
After the bookstore, he took me to lunch at a small restaurant that served the best bibimbap I'd ever had.
"Okay, real talk," he said as we ate. "How are you feeling? Now that the pressure's off?"
"Relieved. Exhausted. Like I can finally breathe."
"And?"
"And terrified that I'll mess up my fourth year and waste this score."
"There it is. I was wondering when the anxiety would return."
"It never really left. Just took a brief vacation."
"You're not going to mess up your fourth year. You're going to keep being excellent like you always are."
"That's a lot of faith."
"It's the appropriate amount of faith." He reached across the table and took my hand. "You just proved you can handle intense pressure and come out successful. Fourth year is going to feel easy in comparison."
"I don't know if 'easy' is the right word."
"Easier. Relatively speaking."
I squeezed his hand. "Thank you. For the books. For being there yesterday. For everything."
"You don't have to thank me. That's what I'm here for."
That evening, the five of us—me, Min-Ji, Yoo-Na, Bok-Jin, and Min-Ji's boyfriend Jae-Hyun who'd appeared from vet school—descended on a noraebang in Hongdae.
"Ground rules," Yoo-Na announced as we ordered drinks and fried chicken. "Tonight we only sing happy songs. No ballads about heartbreak. This is a celebration."
"What about rock ballads about triumph?" I asked.
"Allowed. Encouraged, even."
We started with girl group songs from high school, then moved to classics everyone knew. Bok-Jin turned out to have a surprisingly good voice, which he'd been hiding this entire time.
"You can sing?" I asked during a break between songs.
"I contain multitudes."
"Apparently."
Around 9 PM, stuffed with fried chicken and slightly tipsy from soju, we moved to a pojangmacha near campus. The kind with plastic stools and steaming pots and ajumma who remembered your order.
"To Ji-Mang," Yoo-Na said, raising her soju glass. "Who worked her ass off and earned a 166."
"To Ji-Mang," everyone echoed.
"And to all of us surviving this semester," Min-Ji added. "Because honestly, we all deserve recognition."
We clinked glasses and drank, and I felt something warm settle in my chest. This—sitting with the people I loved, celebrating small victories, existing without pressure—this was what I'd been working toward. Not just the LEET score, but the life that came after. The ability to enjoy moments like this without anxiety eating away at me.
"Speech!" Jae-Hyun called out. "The guest of honor should make a speech!"
"I'm not making a speech—"
"Speech! Speech! Speech!" they all chanted.
"You're all terrible," I said, but I stood up anyway. "Okay, fine. I just want to say thank you. To all of you. For putting up with my stress, for forcing me to take breaks, for believing I could do it even when I didn't believe it myself. I couldn't have done this alone."
"You could have," Bok-Jin said quietly. "But you didn't have to."
"Exactly. So thank you. For being here. For being my people."
"We're always going to be your people," Min-Ji said. "Even when you're a fancy lawyer and too important for us."
"I'm never going to be too important for you. You know too many embarrassing stories about me."
"That's true. We have blackmail material for decades."
We ordered more food and stayed until almost midnight, talking and laughing and just existing together.
Walking home, Bok-Jin held my hand and I felt perfectly content.
"This was a good day," I said.
"The first of many, I hope."
"Many good days?"
"Many days where you let yourself enjoy your accomplishments instead of immediately finding the next thing to stress about."
"That's very optimistic."
"I'm an optimistic person. You'll get used to it."
At my building, we stopped in our usual spot.
"I'm proud of you," he said. "I know I keep saying it, but I mean it every time."
"I know. Thank you for being proud of me even when I'm not proud of myself."
"That's the easy part. You're incredible. Someone should tell you that regularly."
"You tell me that regularly."
"Good. Then my work here is done." He kissed me—sweet and unhurried and perfect. "Get some sleep. Enjoy your Sunday. No studying allowed."
"I make no promises."
"Ji-Mang—"
"Fine. No studying. One full day off. I can do that."
"Good. I'll see you Monday at running club?"
"Yeah. See you Monday."
I went upstairs and found both roommates in the living room with knowing expressions.
"Good celebration?" Yoo-Na asked.
"Perfect celebration."
"You deserve it. You worked so hard."
I collapsed onto the couch between them. "Thank you. For today. For forcing me to take breaks all semester. For not letting me become a complete hermit."
"That's what friends are for," Min-Ji said. "Plus, it was self-interest. Stressed Ji-Mang is very annoying."
"Rude but accurate."
We sat there for a while, watching late-night television and talking about nothing important. Around 1 AM, we finally went to bed.
In my room, I looked at the stack of law books Bok-Jin had bought me. One year until I'd need them. One year to maintain my grades, prepare applications, and figure out the next step.
But tonight, I wasn't thinking about next steps. I was just letting myself feel accomplished.
I'd done it.
Sunday I actually took a full day off like I'd promised Bok-Jin.
Slept in until 10 AM—a luxury I hadn't allowed myself in months. Had a slow breakfast with my roommates. Read a novel for fun, not for class. Took a walk with no destination in mind.
My phone buzzed around 2 PM. Su-Jin from LEET study group.
Su-Jin: Hey! Some of us are meeting for coffee to celebrate. Want to join?
Me: Yeah, definitely. Where?
Su-Jin: That café near campus. The one with the good lattes. 3 PM?
Me: I'll be there.
At 3 PM, I met Su-Jin, Tae-Min, and Min-Seo at the café. We'd spent months studying together, stressing together, and now we got to celebrate together.
"Okay, we need to talk about what law schools we're applying to," Su-Jin said after we'd ordered. "Compare notes."
"SNU is my top choice," I said. "Then Korea University and Yonsei as backups."
"Same top three for me," Tae-Min said. "Though my score probably puts Korea University as more realistic."
"Don't sell yourself short. 164 is excellent," Su-Jin said. "I'm going for SNU too. We could end up in the same first-year class."
"That would actually be amazing," I said. "Having people I already know."
"Though we won't know for a year," Min-Seo pointed out. "We still have to finish fourth year, then apply, then wait for acceptances."
"Don't remind me. I just want to skip ahead to knowing where I'm going."
"No skipping," Su-Jin said. "We have to survive fourth year first. Which means we should probably keep meeting up. Support system and all that."
"Definitely. Maybe not weekly, but at least once a month?"
"I'll make a group chat," Tae-Min said, pulling out his phone. "LEET survivors support group."
"That's very dramatic," I said.
"We've earned dramatic."
We spent another hour talking about our plans, our fears, our excitement about law school. It was nice having people who understood the specific anxiety of waiting a full year before finding out if all this work would pay off.
Walking home, I felt lighter. I had a plan. I had people. I had a score that opened doors.
Now I just had to make it through one more year without screwing it up.
Monday morning running club felt like returning to normal after weeks of chaos.
"How does it feel?" Bok-Jin asked as we ran. "Being done with LEET?"
"Surreal. I keep waiting for someone to tell me I have to take it again."
"You never have to take it again. Unless you really want to."
"I really don't want to."
"Then don't. You're done. You can focus on literally anything else now."
"Like what?"
"Like enjoying your fourth year? Having a social life? Dating your very patient boyfriend?"
"You're not that patient."
"I'm extremely patient. I waited through months of LEET stress."
"Fair point. You're very patient."
We ran in comfortable silence for a while, and I felt my body remember what it was like to just move without my brain spinning about test strategies.
After the run, Ji-Yeon bounced over to me.
"Unnie! I heard you got 166! That's amazing!"
"Thanks, Ji-Yeon. How did you do?"
"158! Which is exactly what I needed for my target schools! I'm so happy!"
"That's great! Congratulations!"
"We should celebrate together! The LEET survivors!"
"We basically already did, but I'm always down for more celebration."
Around us, other club members were stretching and chatting, and I realized how much I'd missed just being present here. For the past two months, I'd been physically at running club but mentally somewhere else, always thinking about practice tests and timing strategies.
"It's good to have you back," Min-Ho, the club president, said as I was leaving. "You've been kind of absent lately. Understandably."
"Sorry about that. The LEET kind of took over my life."
"Well, now that it's over, we're planning a club competition next month. Timed 10K. Think you'll join?"
"Yeah, actually. That sounds fun."
"Good. We need our fast runners."
Bok-Jin walked with me toward campus afterward.
"So, fourth year," he said. "What are you taking?"
"Advanced Constitutional Law, Environmental Law and Policy, International Law, and a Legal Writing seminar."
"That's a lot of law."
"I'm a law student. Law is kind of the point."
"Fair. What about non-academic plans? Any goals besides maintaining grades?"
I thought about it. "Honestly? I just want to have a life. I spent third year either working or studying. I want fourth year to be more balanced."
"That's a good goal. Very healthy and mature."
"Are you being sarcastic?"
"Not at all. I'm genuinely impressed you're thinking about balance." He squeezed my hand. "Want to have lunch today? Celebrate the beginning of post-LEET life?"
"Can't. I have to go talk to Professor Kwon about a recommendation letter for law school."
"Already planning ahead?"
"She said she'd write me one if I wanted. I should probably follow up while she still remembers me."
"She definitely remembers you. You're one of her star students."
"We'll see."
That afternoon, I went to Professor Kwon's office hours.
She looked up when I knocked. "Ms. Han. I heard you got an excellent LEET score. Congratulations."
"Thank you, Professor. 166."
"That will serve you well for applications. Are you here about the recommendation letter we discussed?"
"Yes. If the offer still stands, I'd really appreciate it."
"Of course. I'm happy to write you a strong letter. You're one of the best students I've had in years." She pulled out a form. "Fill this out with your target schools and timeline. Since you're applying next year, I'll write it in the fall and submit when applications open."
"Thank you. This means a lot."
"You've earned it. Your constitutional law work has been excellent, and your paper on environmental agency oversight was genuinely impressive. I submitted it for that award, by the way."
"You did?"
"Results won't be announced until next month, but I'm fairly confident you'll win. It was the strongest paper submitted."
I sat there processing. A strong recommendation letter. Possibly a paper award. A 166 LEET score.
Maybe I actually had a chance at SNU law school.
"Thank you, Professor. For everything."
"Thank you for being a student worth investing in. Now go enjoy the rest of your day. You've earned some time off."
Walking out of her office, I felt something shift. For the first time in months—maybe years—I wasn't just surviving. I was actually succeeding.
My phone buzzed.
Bok-Jin: How'd the meeting go?
Me: She's writing me a strong letter. And she thinks I'll win the paper award.
Bok-Jin: That's amazing! See? I told you you're brilliant.
Me: I'm starting to believe you might be right.
Bok-Jin: Character growth. I love it. Dinner tonight?
Me: Yeah. Definitely. Pick me up at 6?
Me: It's a date.
I walked across campus with a smile I couldn't suppress, and for once, I wasn't thinking about what could go wrong.
I was just thinking about what had gone right.