One day, when I came home, I found my grandfather, who lives with us, reading a book about college entrance exams. When I asked why he was reading it, he said he was preparing to go to college again. At first, I didn't believe him, thinking he was just making a joke. However, it turned out he was serious; he had also bought textbooks on subjects such as English and mathematics. He had said nothing to anyone in the family, so we were all amazed.

A few days later, I dared to ask him what he was going to study. I thought it would be a subject related to his career as a teacher, like child psychology. He didn't tell me directly, but said, "When I was young, living in the country, I loved looking up at the night sky and trying to name the stars and planets. I found them completely fascinating. Even when I was working as a history teacher, I read a lot of books that made me all the more interested in their secrets. That's why I've decided to go to college. I want to learn more." Hearing his story, I began to deeply respect him for his intellectual curiosity.

Since then, we've often studied together in the living room. I never thought I would feel so comfortable sitting next to him. It is almost as if we are friends working hard together toward our goals. And seeing the way he studies purely to gain knowledge, my ideas about why I should study have changed. It's clear to me that I don't need a practical purpose to study something. Now I don't necessarily regard passing the entrance exam as a practical matter. It may actually be a way of entering a huge world of knowledge.