Networking did not start with handshakes.
It started with a smell.
Warm bread on a tray. Coffee that looked too smooth. Small pastries arranged like they belonged in a magazine. Even the cups looked expensive. The embassy had set up a long table under a white canopy near the formal building, and staff walked around refilling drinks like calm ghosts.
JP stared at the table like he had been starving for months.
"This is where my tuition went," JP whispered.
TZ leaned closer and whispered back, "Your tuition went to banners and therapy schedules."
JP grabbed a pastry anyway. "I'm reclaiming it."
NC stood beside the group with her phone in her hand, checking the event program that Andrew had sent. She looked calm, but XH noticed the way NC's fingers tapped lightly against the screen. NC was nervous too. NC just packaged it better.
Andrew walked up with two people behind him.
One was a tall guy in a navy suit with a relaxed smile, a lanyard that read "Medical Student, USA." The other was a woman with a neat bun and a badge that read "Medical Graduate, EU."
Andrew gestured warmly.
"Guys," Andrew said, "this is Daniel. He's in the US pathway. And this is Maris. She graduated from a European program."
Daniel gave a friendly nod. "Hey. You're Health Track, right."
Maris smiled gently. "I've heard about your cohort. You've been through a lot."
That sentence landed like a soft weight. Not pity. Not admiration. Just recognition.
XH nodded. "Yeah."
Kitty stood slightly beside XH, eyes alert. She didn't speak first, but she watched everything. She watched how Daniel's eyes moved, how Maris held herself, how Andrew introduced them with pride. Kitty always observed before she trusted.
Jihye whispered to Anna, "They look like they already have their lives together."
Anna whispered back, calm, "They just look like it."
Cherry stepped forward slightly, chin lifted. "We want to know systems, not inspiration."
Maris's smile widened a little, like she liked Cherry's bluntness.
"Good," Maris said. "Inspiration fades fast when you see tuition."
JP laughed once, sharp and surprised.
Daniel leaned his elbow against the table casually. "Okay. What do you want to know."
TZ asked instantly, "Money."
Daniel blinked, then laughed. "Fair."
NC stepped in smoothly. "We're looking at two potential tracks. US and Europe. We want to understand entrance requirements, exam styles, and long-term licensing."
Daniel nodded. "US is a whole machine."
Maris nodded too. "Europe is a different machine. Same pressure, different shape."
XH didn't speak yet. He felt like if he spoke too early, he'd waste the moment. He listened with his whole body.
Maris continued, "In Europe, many programs are direct entry or integrated medical education depending on the country. A lot of international students enter with language proof, IELTS or equivalent, sometimes entrance assessments, sometimes interviews."
JP leaned in, pastry forgotten. "So you don't do the same multiple-choice torture."
Maris smiled. "You still get tortured. Just differently."
She lifted her fingers slightly, counting.
"A lot of written exams. Open questions. You will see prompts like 'Illustrate,' 'Demonstrate,' 'Evaluate.'"
Kitty murmured quietly, "That sounds harder."
Maris looked at Kitty and nodded. "It is. You cannot hide behind guessing. They want to see your thinking."
Daniel stepped in. "US is heavy multiple-choice. It's not always easier. It's just different pressure."
TZ asked, blunt, "What about SAT."
Daniel shrugged. "Depends on your route. For many, there are standardized exams and entrance requirements before you even get to medicine. And once you're in, the US licensing pipeline is a beast."
XH finally spoke, voice quiet but focused. "USMLE."
Daniel's eyes lit slightly. "Yeah. USMLE Step 1, Step 2, Step 2 CK, Step 3. Step 1 is foundational knowledge. Step 2 is clinical. Step 3 is more independence and real practice style."
JP made a face like he had tasted something bitter. "That sounds like four boss fights."
Daniel laughed. "It is four boss fights. And you need stamina."
Cherry asked sharply, "And tuition."
Maris's smile faded slightly, not sad, just real. "Tuition is not a joke."
Daniel nodded. "It's expensive. Even if you find scholarships or aid, the cost is heavy."
TZ leaned forward. "Numbers."
Daniel hesitated like he didn't want to scare them, then decided honesty mattered more.
"It can be tens of thousands per year. Sometimes more. Depending on school."
JP whistled softly. "So the embassy pastries are not the expensive part."
NC asked carefully, "If there were a tuition discount."
Maris's eyes sharpened. "From your campus."
NC nodded. "The headmaster promised a fifty percent tuition discount support for students who complete the program."
The air changed slightly.
Not because the discount wasn't good.
Because everyone knew the headmaster was gone.
XH felt his throat tighten.
Daniel looked surprised. "That's big."
Maris nodded, then her face became careful. "Promises like that are only as strong as the person who enforces them."
Cherry spoke quietly, the sharpness softer now. "And our person is dead."
Nobody corrected her.
Andrew's jaw tightened for a fraction, then he smoothed it out.
Daniel cleared his throat softly. "Who's leading now."
JP laughed, not amused. "Sleepy Man."
Daniel blinked. "That's his name."
NC replied calmly, "It's what we call him."
Maris didn't ask more. She didn't need to. She knew enough about institutions to understand the shape of the problem.
Maris looked at XH then, voice gentle. "The most dangerous moment is when leadership changes. Programs get used as bargaining chips."
XH felt the sentence slide into his chest like a quiet knife.
Bargaining chips.
Health Track had already been treated like that.
They had been moved, tested, threatened, compensated.
They were valuable only when convenient.
Kitty's fingers curled slightly against the edge of the map she still held. She looked calm, but her eyes darkened for a fraction.
Daniel tried to lighten the mood. "But you're here. That means there are still paths."
JP nodded enthusiastically. "I like paths."
TZ asked, "What's the difference in teaching style."
Maris answered, "In many European programs, the professors want explanation, not selection. You will write. You will justify. You will be graded on clarity."
Daniel answered, "In US style, it's about clinical reasoning fast. Multiple choice trains you to pattern-recognize, but it can also train you to panic. You will sit for hours. You will manage time like it's a weapon."
Jihye spoke up softly for the first time, voice quieter than usual. "So it's not just being smart."
Daniel smiled. "Being smart helps. But being consistent matters more."
XH heard that and thought of Year One.
Consistency had carried him. It had saved him more than talent.
Kitty watched XH's face as Daniel spoke. Kitty was not looking at Daniel anymore. Kitty was looking at the way XH's jaw tightened, the way his eyes sharpened like he was seeing the future as a real thing instead of a rumor.
Kitty whispered, barely audible, "You're thinking too hard."
XH looked at her, surprised.
Kitty's cheeks warmed slightly. She looked away. "Just… breathe."
XH's throat tightened again, but this time it wasn't fear. It was gratitude.
JP noticed and leaned forward dramatically.
"Kitty is giving emotional support," JP announced loudly.
Kitty snapped, "JP."
JP grinned. "I'm sorry. I'm proud."
Cherry rolled her eyes. "You're annoying."
JP nodded proudly. "Correct."
The conversation shifted toward comparisons.
Maris asked, "What's your current assessment system."
NC said, "We have a new platform. It's like a scoreboard."
JP pulled out his phone instantly. "It's literally a scoreboard."
He turned his screen to Daniel and Maris, showing percentages.
Daniel whistled softly. "They rank you."
Maris's eyes narrowed slightly. "That creates competition."
Cherry said, "That's the point."
Anna spoke quietly, "It creates pressure."
XH didn't want to show his own screen.
But for now, the group followed the map, chasing a clue like it was a harmless game.
And maybe that was the point.
To let them feel harmless again, just for a while.
Not because he was ashamed. Because he didn't want to turn his life into numbers in front of strangers.
But the numbers existed anyway.
Maris looked at them and said gently, "Be careful with ranking systems. They can make you forget why you started."
XH felt that sentence land deep.
Why did he start.
He started because his high school marks were not enough for government medical universities. He started because he wanted a path. He started because he wanted to become someone his grandmother could be proud of. He started because he wanted to stand in a white coat and not feel powerless.
He started because he wanted to be useful in the world.
Daniel asked, "So what do you want. US. Europe."
TZ answered first. "Whatever is possible."
JP answered, "Whatever is cheaper."
Cherry answered, "Whatever is prestigious."
Jihye answered, voice softer. "Whatever gets us out."
NC answered carefully. "Whatever is real."
Kitty didn't answer. She looked at XH.
XH's mouth went dry. He realized Kitty was waiting for him to say something. Not because she needed his decision. Because his decision was part of the story now, whether he wanted it or not.
XH spoke quietly. "I want the path that doesn't break my family."
The truth came out before he could soften it.
Maris's eyes softened. Daniel nodded slowly.
"That's honest," Daniel said.
Kitty's gaze stayed on XH. Her expression softened just a fraction, then steadied again like she didn't want her feelings to show.
Andrew stepped in again, voice warm. "This is why I invited you. The embassy isn't just games. It's… perspective."
JP looked around at the polished grounds. "It's also free pastries."
Andrew laughed.
A staff member walked by carrying a tray of wine glasses. The smell was sharp, expensive.
JP stared. "Wine at noon."
Cherry muttered, "They're diplomatic."
NC shook her head slightly. "We're students. No."
Jihye whispered, "Just one sip."
Kitty didn't reach for one. XH didn't either. The last time alcohol had been used as coping, it had created chaos.
Maris looked at their hesitation and said gently, "Good. You're learning control early."
Daniel nodded. "Your future patients will thank you."
The words future patients hit XH like a soft echo.
He had almost forgotten the most important reason he was here.
Not to win.
Not to be ranked.
Not to prove something to the campus.
To become someone who could help.
A small commotion happened near the central lawn.
A staff member's voice rose slightly, friendly.
"Treasure hunt begins in ten minutes. Please gather by the map station."
JP lit up again instantly. "Treasure."
TZ muttered, "You're predictable."
JP smiled. "Yes."
NC looked at Andrew. "We'll join the treasure hunt after we meet a couple more people."
Andrew nodded. "I'll introduce you to two more graduates. Then you're free."
Cherry asked, "Any scholarships."
Andrew laughed softly. "Straight to business."
Cherry's eyes didn't change. "Always."
Andrew led them toward another small cluster.
As they walked, XH noticed a large board near the formal building listing "Partner Opportunities" and "International Education Sessions." The board included school logos. Some were American. Some European. Some looked like they belonged in another universe.
A few embassy staff stood near it, smiling, offering pamphlets.
XH felt his chest tighten again. Futures were being handed out in paper form like candy.
Kitty walked beside him, eyes scanning the board too.
Kitty whispered, "It looks expensive."
XH whispered back, "Everything looks expensive here."
Kitty's mouth twitched slightly. "At least the grass is free."
XH almost smiled.
JP turned around and pointed at them. "They're whispering."
Kitty snapped, "Stop."
JP held up his hands. "Okay. Okay."
TZ leaned in and whispered to JP, "You're going to get slapped one day."
JP grinned. "Worth it."
They met two more graduates.
One was a woman who had gone through Europe and now worked in clinical training. She spoke about long written exams and how they shaped your mind to be thorough.
She said the hardest part was not the knowledge. It was the loneliness of studying when nobody around you understood the load.
Kitty listened carefully. Kitty always listened hardest when people talked about loneliness.
Another was a man who had gone through US licensing steps. He spoke about endurance. He spoke about how Step exams were not just tests. They were mental survival experiences. He spoke about failure rates and retakes and how one failure did not define your career if you stayed consistent.
XH absorbed it like oxygen.
JP kept making jokes but his eyes were serious now. TZ asked one blunt question after another. NC kept collecting names and contacts like she was building a bridge out of their current life. Cherry kept her face sharp but her eyes were hungry, taking in every detail like she wanted to win the future.
Jihye filmed small clips, but her voice had gotten quieter. She wasn't filming for attention anymore. She was filming because she wanted proof that this world existed.
Anna stood close to NC, calm, taking notes in her head.
As the introductions ended, Andrew looked at them warmly.
"Go enjoy," Andrew said. "You deserve something light."
NC nodded. "We will."
Andrew's gaze moved to XH for a beat, then to Kitty, then away like he didn't want to make anything obvious.
"Be safe," Andrew added quietly.
JP saluted. "Yes, sir."
Andrew walked away to greet other guests.
The group stood for a moment in the open air, holding maps and pamphlets, feeling the weight of what they had heard.
Kitty exhaled slowly. "My head hurts."
Cherry said, "Because reality is expensive."
TZ said quietly, "Because the promise is shaky."
NC didn't deny it.
JP looked at the pastry table again and muttered, "I need sugar."
Jihye laughed softly.
XH glanced down at his phone again without meaning to. The grade platform pinged a new notification.
Attendance credit posted for wellness follow-up.
A number shifted.
Cohort standing updated.
Tiny movement.
XH locked the phone again. He didn't want the embassy day to be turned into percentages too.
Kitty noticed his glance.
Kitty whispered, "Ignore it today."
XH looked at her. "How."
Kitty's face softened. "By choosing a different thing to care about for one day."
XH's throat tightened.
He nodded slowly. "Okay."
JP clapped his hands loudly. "Treasure hunt time."
TZ rolled his eyes. "You are a child."
JP grinned. "Yes."
They walked toward the map station on the central lawn. Music played softly. Volunteers smiled. A bell rang lightly as if the day wanted to pretend it was simple.
The treasure hunt station had a board with rules written neatly.
"Find four locations. Collect four stamps. Redeem prize."
Kitty unfolded her map fully now. Her eyes moved over it with sharp focus.
"There," Kitty said, pointing.
NC leaned in. "What."
Kitty traced a tiny symbol near a garden icon. "That's clue one."
Jihye squealed quietly. "We start."
Cherry muttered, "This is childish."
But Cherry stepped closer anyway.
XH watched Kitty's focus and felt something warm in his chest. Kitty was good at this. Not treasure hunts. Being present. Being sharp. Being quietly determined.
Kitty glanced at XH and said softly, "You coming."
It wasn't a question.
It was an invitation.
XH nodded.
JP whispered behind them, "They're a team."
Kitty didn't respond this time. She just started walking, leading them down a path toward the garden area.
The embassy grounds stretched wide around them. Three acres of space. Multiple structures. People laughing. People networking. People living like the world would behave.
XH walked beside Kitty and felt the weight of the future in his pocket.
He also felt something else.
A small, fragile hope.
Not a promise.
Not a guarantee.
Just a moment where the world felt wide enough for him to breathe.
Behind them, the formal building stood tall, quiet, and polished.
And in the distance, beyond the embassy gates, the city waited.
Election season. Rumors. History repeating itself.