9th Political Lawyer Prologue
Parents expect their kids to be a little more outstanding than others. And that expectation often turns into unfounded belief.
Parents also say things that should never leave their mouths from the moment they believe their children are smarter and have a higher IQ than others.
“Because you’re innately smart, if you study just a little you’ll catch up quickly.”
“Why aren’t you studying when you have talent? You could improve your grades so quickly if you put in a little effort.”
They’re right.
It’s just a matter of time.
Suppose you were a child who had an extraordinary talent, even if you studied just a little your scores would immediately rise but that’s only when they were at the bottom to start with. The higher you go, you have to study not a little but with your teeth clenched until the veins in your eyes burst only to rise up by a few ranks.
However, parents’ unfounded beliefs are contagious and when their children also start to believe that their grades are not a problem and that they can start anytime, they fall into an abyss they can never climb out of.
Of Course there are supplementary means that assist effort.
That is private educational institutes.
But, institutes are a result of parents’ financial resources.
In my case, what my parents said was true.
I was a pretty smart guy, but that bloody effort and my parents’ wealth were not on my side.
Until Middle school I somehow held on, when high school came around I was lingering in the middle to the mid-lower ranges.
And unexpectedly, or rather the expected miraculous results didn’t happen.
I entered a local private university that welcomed whoever was willing to pay money and since I paid tuition consistently and on time I didn’t have any problems until graduation.
It might have seemed like a matter of course but any decent employer wouldn’t cast me a look. I became unemployed, saddled with student loan debts worth tens of thousands upon graduation.
However, God hadn’t abandoned me.
He finally threw me a glimmer of hope and for the first time in my life I gritted my teeth to make sure I didn’t miss it.
When the supplementary services such as defense soldiers were changed to public service workers, I was lucky to be one of the first to benefit from it.
Since my workplace was the korea legal aid corporation I spent time lolling away.
The lawyers, of course, did all the busy and important work, and all the miscellaneous chores were left to public service workers like me.
This was the opportunity that God had given me.
Because I felt painfully obvious how pathetic I was here.
The legal aid corporation is one of the places where those who passed the difficult judicial exam and spent 2 bloody years at the judicial research and training institute do alternative military service for three years as public service lawyers.
That is to say it was a place where fruits of effort gathered, but I was stunned to find out a more surprising fact.
“The people who will be judges and prosecutors in the future will be those who got within the top 10~20 of their judicial training grades. And they’re the ones who will be appointed as military attorney’s …… and when our alternative service is done we’ll be lawyers.”
Public defenders that looked like study machines in my eyes were not 1st class prosecutors and judges but rather mere 2nd class……..
Seeing the surprise on my face the public defender smiled bitterly.
“Why did you think that if you passed the bar exam the game was over?”
“ That, That is …. Obvious…..”
“Ofcourse, most people think that if they pass the judicial or administrative exams they’ve found the key to success.
He lowered his voice as if he were telling me a big secret.
“Passing the judicial and administrative exams is not the key to success but rather the key to escaping from the prison like life at rock bottom. Once I get out of prison, wouldn’t I have a new life, or be able to dream of an even better life?”
I looked in amazement once again at the face of the public defender who had wasted his youth that would never return in the back alleys of Noryangjin.
He and I were different.
Our thoughts and our vision.
Looking at my surprise he laughed as he said.
“You still have good prospects. We have plenty of time to escape from prison. Living like everything is lost, aren’t you too young?”
“I’ve already been ruined. You and I have different starting lines.”
“Starting line? What starting line?”
“University. A graduate of a famous university like you and a graduate from a third rate one like me can’t be the same.”
He laughed mirthlessly at my weak appearance.
“Why? Does it look like I graduated from Seoul university?”
If he hadn’t graduated from Seoul university then it would be from Yonsei University.
However, his ensuing remarks upset my expectations.
“Why do you think I’m talking about this with you when I’m already up to my neck with work?”
“Yes?”
“I’m saying this to you because you’re my university junior. According to you I’d also have graduated from a 3rd rate place. Haha.”
He smiled cooly, tapped me on the shoulder once and disappeared.
Left alone, I was dazed for a while.
No, It just felt like awhile to me, it could have actually been a very short time.
However, physical time didn’t matter. It was at that moment that I realised there was still an opportunity, so I decided to seize it.
Footnotes:
SKY: Seoul, Korea and Yonsei University are considered the big 3 in university and can be considered where the ‘elites’ go. Either academic or otherwise.
Private educational institutes: Hagwons are legit one of the few things I’m jealous about in Korea, not as a student but once you’re out of school and you want to learn something there’s a hagwon for everything.
Social service agent: This took so long to figure out. As ya’ll know by now Korea operates a military conscription where every guy has to serve roughly 2 years. So depending on your physical and mental health you get put into either the actual military like the army, navy, marine etc Or you serve as a social service agent – Well what is now called social service agents (since 2013) used to be called public service workers (Since 1994/5) and before that were called defense soldiers. Defense soldiers were both riflemen i.e. actual soldiers as well as administrative staff.
Y’all they even used shortened jargon for the bar exam.
Judicial research and training institute is where people who’ve passed the exam go to train for 2 years. At this point they were level 5 civil servants. It’s changed now and people have to go to law school.
Noryangjin is a place where students who want to prepare for civil service exams all come together to study because there are a load of hagwons. Think of how Itaewon is known as the foreigner place, Noryangjin is known as the place to study.
