Our meeting stirred my heart so deeply that I felt an overwhelming happiness inside me—almost as if I had won the lottery. I knew that taking the entrance exam was an important moment that would determine my future, yet I couldn't focus on it at all. As a result, I failed to get into the school I truly wanted. Instead, I enrolled in the law program at a private university.
I had always dreamed of becoming a teacher, but instead of taking the language exam, I chose the social studies exam so I could become a lawyer alongside Tushig and attend the same university. Looking back, I realized that when a woman falls in love, she can become blind. I gave up even my dreams, believing that as long as I was with him, everything would be beautiful. It was a mistake—a choice made in the name of love.
Still, we were happy. We walked hand in hand through the streets of our provincial town, laughing together, delighted that we would be studying at the same school.
Autumn arrived, and we set off to the city as new university students. Tushig moved into a dormitory, while my family relocated to the city so I could study from home. My older sister had come the year before to attend medical school, but living alone had been difficult for her. Not wanting both of their daughters to struggle, my parents decided to move with us.
Living at home as a student was comfortable—I never had to worry about food or basic needs. Yet, I couldn't help but feel a sense of regret. If I had lived in the dormitory, I could have spent more time with him. That thought lingered in my heart.
I believed that as long as we had love, distance wouldn't matter.
We sat together in every class, though instead of focusing on our studies, I found myself watching him. From the side, he looked so adorable that I felt completely immersed in happiness. After classes, I would bring food from home, and we would sit together in the schoolyard, sharing meals. Sometimes, when affection overwhelmed us, we would kiss. We were so playful that we would even pass food and drinks to each other with our lips. We went to the library to study, yet I often ended up sitting on his lap, talking about everything but our lessons.
Those moments were truly beautiful.
I learned everything about him—his favorite things, his hobbies, the foods he loved, and even the things he disliked. Yet, not once did I realize that I myself was not ready for a relationship.
One day, Tushig secretly brought me into his dormitory so we could work on our assignments together. He put on quite a little act to sneak me past the dorm supervisor without being seen. In his room, there were four of them—Zorigoo, Bilgee, and Uuganbayar, his roommates. He introduced them to me, and they even nicknamed us "the lovebirds."
We were laughing together when suddenly there was a knock on the door.
A girl walked in.
Without hesitation, she stepped forward and kissed him on the lips as he sat at the edge of the table. I was stunned for a moment, then anger surged through me as I stood up.
"Hey! What are you doing? How can you kiss someone else's boyfriend?" I demanded.
The girl looked startled.
"Oh, I'm so sorry! I lost a card game and this was my punishment!" she said quickly, before running out of the room.
Tushig, meanwhile, had been frozen in shock. After a moment, he asked blankly, "Who was that?"
Zorigoo answered, "That's Nomin from room 105."
I turned to Tushig, still upset.
"Why are you just sitting there? Do you like being kissed by other girls?" I asked.
"No, no! I didn't do anything," he said hurriedly. "She just came and kissed me—you saw it yourself."
Gradually, my anger faded, and I let the incident pass, choosing not to dwell on it any further.