Chapter 72
“I see.”
I simply acknowledged it. I had gone there for similar reasons too, so it didn’t seem strange to me. Going there for other reasons wasn’t strange either.
School Counseling Class is a space for students… what’s strange about going there for any reason? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
“B-but, School Counseling Class or the li-library… You can just s-stay there quietly, and it’s f-fine… O-of course, I w-went to the li-library m-more often…”
I nodded quietly. I didn’t try to draw out more from her. Rather than reacting, simply affirming made it easier for Shin Yerim to keep talking.
Even now.
“I-I also w-want to f-fix it… b-but it d-doesn’t w-work… so it’s f-frustrating…”
At her words, I asked:
“Do you want to fix it?”
At my question, Shin Yerim nodded several times.
“T-to be h-honest… I t-tried a l-lot to f-fix it…”
Repeated failures. Those experiences were probably still weighing on her.
I asked quietly:
“If you aim for success from the very beginning, you burn out quickly. Look, I can barely make a small light sphere right now. If Leon Wolf told me to make a meteor, what do you think would happen? Do you think I could do it?”
Shin Yerim glanced at me nervously. I nodded as if to say it was okay, just say what you feel.
“N-no… I-I mean… i-it’s not that you l-lack t-talent for m-magic…”
I waited for her to finish.
“It’s n-not that… it’s j-just… I th-think it would be h-hard…”
“That’s right. In my current state, I can’t make a meteor. It’s a completely different level. Making a small light sphere and tearing open the sky to create a massive fireball that could burn down a city, those are totally different things.”
I spoke as if agreeing with her.
“But let’s say I really want to make that meteor right now. Because Leon Wolf told me to, I get impatient and want to prove I can do it immediately. If I think like that, what do you think happens? Do you think I’ll succeed?”
Shin Yerim hesitated again. She seemed to be thinking about how to answer without hurting me.
Every time this happened, it became clear how considerate she was. Even with a single word or action, she always questioned whether it was right or wrong. It was obvious she didn’t want to hurt anyone.
But honestly, that’s hard. Even actions without bad intentions can hurt people. Everyone has different inner worlds and different triggers.
Some people are hurt by casual questions. Others aren’t hurt even by deep ones.
Moderate altruism helps people live together… but excessive altruism that you can’t handle ends up destroying yourself.
“It’s okay, I won’t be hurt. This is just a hypothetical situation. We’re just simulating different scenarios using me as an example. Take your time and think.”
So I made it clear, this was imaginary, and there was no real person to hurt, no matter what she said.
After a moment, she spoke:
“N-no…”
“Why?”
“It’s h-hard… you’re j-just m-making l-light… you c-can’t suddenly m-make the s-sun…”
I nodded. That was right. Seeing my reaction, her expression brightened.
“Then let’s go back to your situation. When you tried to fix it, what kind of goal did you set?”
There are many reasons people give up on goals. But the most common one is: “No matter what I do, it doesn’t work.”
If you dig deeper into that reason, you usually find something more specific.
The standard was too high. The goal was too big. It was something that couldn’t be achieved immediately, something that required years, but you tried to fit it into a few months.
Maybe that’s just human nature. I was like that too. I set goals that were too high and gave up halfway countless times.
“I-I… I t-tried to f-fix it w-within s-six months…”
Within six months.
Setting a deadline probably made her feel even more pressured. And that pressure turned into impatience.
“How did you feel when you set that goal? Were you anxious, or…”
“I w-was a-anxious…”
“In what way?”
“It f-felt like… a t-ticking t-time b-bomb…”
A time bomb. A feeling anyone could understand. It probably was one, in a sense. I didn’t know why she chose six months, but it likely meant something was coming up.
Why six months? Not one year, not two.
“I’ve been there too. My grades weren’t that great originally. I only found my dream when I was 18. So when I suddenly tried to study hard and improve my grades, it wasn’t easy.”
Back then, right before final exams in the first semester. That was when I finally got my act together. I was already far behind everyone else. So I set an absurd goal, to recover my grades completely in that one exam.
“I failed. Someone who was averaging rank 7 suddenly aiming for rank 2 or 3… in just a few months. So I started over, step by step. I focused on studying properly, even if it meant taking the long route. Because to reach the goal of entering university, what matters isn’t a sudden spike; it’s consistency. Right?”
Shin Yerim nodded blankly.
“What matters is the method and the process. If you get the process right, the results will follow.”
I explained carefully how to set proper goals and build the right process.
“When people talk, a lot of sentences are exchanged. Even if you’re slow, focus on accuracy. When you’re speaking now, do you feel rushed?”
“A l-little…”
“Why do you feel rushed?”
“I-I’m a-afraid… they’ll l-leave while I’m t-talking…”
In short, she was anxious that people would leave mid-conversation because she spoke too slowly.
“Then how about setting a goal to deliver just one sentence without stuttering during a conversation?”
Her eyes trembled. She already looked like she expected to fail.
So I suggested something she probably had never thought of before.
“If you’re worried people will leave before you finish a sentence… should we do something a little sneaky?”
“W-what…?”
I smiled lightly.
“You’re a medic, right? You work in the infirmary. That means you have to explain medication instructions and procedures.”
“Y-yes.”
“Then practice saying those sentences without stuttering. No matter how slow you are, people have to stand there and listen to instructions. So you get practice, and you can also deliver the information properly.”
In a place where even a small mistake or lapse could lead to death, the words of doctors and medics were essentially commands. No one would walk away midway.
She had been listening with an uneasy expression, but at my last words, she flinched slightly.
‘Deliver the instructions properly.’
“Start with short sentences. Not long instructions, short ones. Like ‘Take this after meals.’ That way, it’s less burdensome for both sides. Want to try now? I’ll count seconds. Let’s compare how long I take versus how long you take when you focus.”
She nodded slightly.
I spoke first. Including a brief pause, four seconds.
“This is… take… after meals…”
For the first time, she completed a sentence without stuttering.
“About 7 to 8 seconds. Honestly, that’s something people can wait for. What do you think?”
She thought for a long time. Then slowly nodded.
“I’ll… t-try…”
“Good. Let’s start with one sentence at a time, then gradually increase. It’s okay to be slow. It’s okay if people leave midway. Just focus on completing the sentence.”
We left the counseling room together after she finally agreed.
“Th-then… I’ll t-try to…”
She was about to say something.
At that moment…
In what should have been a quiet dawn, a deafening roar tore through the silence.
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