Headscratchers / Once Upon a Time in High School

• How is it that Hyun-soo's father was totally chill over his son getting expelled, considering how he reacted to crappy grades earlier? Considering the time setting of the movie, this kind of thing pretty much destroys your future forever, and your status as a 'surplus man' becomes absolute. Hyun-soo didn't get to finish his compulsory education, he didn't make it within the top 5 as expected, and he pretty much ruined all chances of entering college. So how is it that his father showed the exact opposite reaction to that than expected when this happened? If this movie was any more realistic, his father would give up on him, yelling at him to his face that he truly is a surplus man after all and that he'll never be anything in the world and denounce him as his son for good, having been disappointed in him for the last time.
  • Mark Zuckerberg isn't the only person who didn't finish college but still became successful. There is also the late Steve Jobs as well as Bill Gates, and a whole lot of others if you do a quick Google search (In fact, there are some celebrities who never attended college period because they dropped out of high school). Are they all 'surplus men' too?
  • At the end, father also mentions "Did Bruce Lee go to college?" He did but he didn't graduate, instead switching his focus to martial arts teaching and performing. Is he a 'surplus man' too?
  • Hyun-soo hasn't ruined all his chances yet — He can still take GED tests and go to junior/community college afterward, and maybe transfer to a 4-year university if he does well enough.
    • Wait, if he knew Hyun-soo can just take the GED then why did he lose his shit over crappy grades earlier as if he couldn't?
    • Because in the beginning, daddy told him to get good grades in school. Hyun-soo didn't, so now he's a 'surplus man'.
  • Hyun-soo's father changed his mind offscreen and likely had some regret over how he treated his son, seeing as he no longer hits him and lets him come home. Estranged/disowned family members can and have reconciled in Real Life (there examples of this in Disinherited Child and I Have No Son!) so it's not unrealistic.