Dae-jin was jolted awake by the unpleasant blare of his alarm. He hadn't slept much after everything that happened the night before – his brain just wouldn't shut up. At some point in the middle of the night, he decided the best thing to do was pretend it didn't happen. It's not like they were ever going to run each other again.
With a heavy sigh, he sat up in bed and dragged himself to the shower. He still had a little time before his first class, so he stopped by a convenience store on the way to campus to grab something for breakfast. Odds were, he wouldn't have much time to eat later. He picked out a few things, paid quickly, stuffed them into his bag, and walked briskly toward the university – already running a little behind. Missing class wasn't a luxury he could afford.
By the time he made it onto campus, it was almost 8:30 – just enough time to navigate the maze of hallways and find his classroom in the massive building. Other students were rushing around too, laughing and chatting with friends as they weaved through the corridors. Dae-jin didn't really have time for friends. Most of his free hours were swallowed up by work. Honestly, he hadn't even thought about making any – his life was too full, too busy, and lately, way too exhausting.
Walking down the hallway, he fumbled through his bag, trying to fish out the bottle of water he'd just bought – when suddenly, he heard something.
Ughh..I left my chem book at home. Again. Three times in a row? I'm actually cursed.
It wasn't out loud. But it echoed in his head – clearly, annoyingly, and for some reason, way too familiar.
Dae-jin's heart slammed against his ribs as he froze mid-step. His fingers trembled slightly as he hastily zipped up his bag, eyes darting around the hallway. His breath caught, and cold sweat prickled at his neck.
" No, no, no...I've never seen him here before. And now this? " - he covered his face with both hands, groaning.
After a few seconds, he slowly peeked through his fingers – just in case he was imagining all of this thanks to sleep deprivation.
But no such luck.
About four classrooms down, right by the door, stood Jae-hyun – the guy from last night. Tall, effortlessly cool, and still dressed in that infuriatingly flawless style like he'd stepped out of magazine. He was talking to some guy lazily leaning against the frame, tossing his hair back. Just as Dae-jin was about to breathe, Jae-hyun casually turned mid-sentence and his eyes locked onto Dae-jin's.
For a split second, they just stared at each other. Then it hit.
Wait...is that–? Holy shit, it's him. Why is he here? Should I wave? No, that's weird. Don't wave–
Dae-jin's breath caught in his throat.
If he waves at me i'm gonna jump off the nearest window. I swear to God!
Jae-hyun's hand twitched when he heard this inner monologue and he dropped his hand instantly to his side, it almost made a sound.
I'll just go over to him, no big deal, right? Besides, he's still ridiculously hot. - another thought came from Jae-hyun.
Dae-jin just stood there, watching as he slowly started to walking toward him as he gave a quick wave to the classmate standing next to him and said, " I'll be back in a minute."
No way. Absolutely no way I'm talkin to you. And watch what you're thinking – I hear everything.
Dae-jin panicked internally. Then he spun on his heel and dashed down the nearest staircase. He hurried toward his classroom, luckily his class was in a different direction than where he'd seen Jae-hyun. Probably, he had just gotten the floor wrong when looking for his water. Struggling to catch his breath, he entered the room and sank into a seat by the window, gazing outside.
"Maybe it would've been better if I actually jumped out the window..."
...…
The rest of the day crawled by with torturous slowness. Each minute felt stretched and heavy, as if time was conspiring to trap him in this endless loop of anxiety. Dae-jin wanted to leave as soon as possible to avoid running into Jae-hyun even by accident. His mind refused to settle; it spun endlessly, about everything, especially why all this was happening to him. He couldn't be that unlucky...or could he? He wondered, a bitter knot tightening in his chest.His swirling thoughts was interrupted by the sound of the bell. This was what he had been waiting for – the last class was over, and he could finally to home. Fortunately, he didn't have to work that day, so his afternoon was free, and all he wanted was a long, satisfying sleep at least.
He carefully packed up his notebooks and picked up his bag, planning to leave the classroom last. He stepped out the door and instinctively turned his head to the right. There he saw Jae-hyun leaning against the wall with one foot resting on it. He looked so confident, like he owned the entire corridor – as soon as Jae-hyun noticed him, his smile widened, easy and effortless, as if seeing Dae-jin was the best part of his day. Maybe it really was.
- Hey! - he greeted frist.
Dae-jin rolled his eyes.
- Hey! What do u want? - he asked, avoiding eye contact.
- Just to talk, maybe. Are you free? We could go somewhere. - Jae-hyun asked, his tone casual but hopeful.
Why are you so damn tall? - Dae-jin thought making him laugh.
- Wanna know the secret? - he asked, winking.
Dae-jin squinted, trying to keep his distance, but inside he knew this guy just wouldn't let him be.
- I'm Dae-jin. I didn't introduce myself last time. - he said quickly at last.
- Yeah, okay. Good start. So, are we going somewhere? There's a nice café nearby. - Jae-hyun continued the invitation with a very confident smile.
- Do I have any other choice? - Dae-jin sighed deeply.
- No, you don't. - Jae-hyun laughed.