With the Korean college entrance exam only about a month away, a story posted on Seoul University's Facebook page is moving many hearts, reminding people what true friendship is all about.
The anonymous writer who described himself as someone from a poor family, writes that he assumed that his friend was also from a similar background because the friend washed dishes as a part-time job and bought school uniforms with his own money he earned.
Then one day, the writer saw his friend's father drive an expensive Mercedes-Benz to school; when he later realized that his friend was the son of a billionaire, he felt betrayed and vowed to never talk to him again.
However, when the writer started attending college, he received something unexpected. He learned that the scholarship he had been receiving was actually given to him from his old friend from high school. The rich friend qualified for a scholarship because he had the highest G.P.A., but asked to give his scholarship away to the friend instead.
The rich friend, now in college, still works part-time, the writer explained in his post. Not only does he work to pay for his own tuition, but he also donates regularly to the poor. It also turned out that the two friends are actually attending the same university.
The rich friend said, "Someone like me, who has all this privilege, needs to live out and experience what it's like to have less, so we can empathize with others...That's how we can build a better society."
A recent report revealed that 70% of the students of top universities (Seoul, Yonsei, and Korea) come from wealthy backgrounds, making many students who are about to take the college entrance exams feel discouraged.
In the midst of the discouraging news, the story of someone who is privileged but tries to work hard is moving a lot of netizens and encouraging many students.
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