Chapter 6 …
The junior stammered and hesitated for a moment before heading toward the shop at their friends’ call.
Taeheon, with long, confident strides, quickly overtook Haeju.
He looked at her face and, with a face full of certainty, spoke.
“Insurance fraud, right?”
“……”
At that moment, her steps came to a halt.
Haeju frowned, lifting her head to look at Taeheon without answering. Her vision was shaky, making it hard to focus.
Taeheon muttered to himself with a meaningful expression.
“Could it be… she’s following me?”
As her vision cleared, she saw a strikingly handsome man standing there.
He looked at her with an expression that mixed suspicion and curiosity.
Once Haeju confirmed that the man was Jung Taeheon, she answered firmly.
“No.”
“You answer well.”
He smirked slightly.
Ka Poo—no, Jung Taeheon—moved closer to her.
Haeju hiccupped lightly, her eyes still unfocused, but she lifted her head and stood straight in front of him.
“What’s with you? Why are you staggering like that?”
She thought she was standing upright, but her body didn’t seem to cooperate.
Haeju let out a heavy sigh, laced with the effects of alcohol.
“It’s because I drank.”
“Judging by where you’re coming from… seems like you’re coming back from some kind of freshman welcome party. A freshman, huh?”
“Yes.”
“That makes sense.”
What did “that makes sense” mean?
More than that, she wondered where this man had suddenly appeared from. Was she so drunk that she was seeing things? Why was Ka Poo at the front of our university at this hour…?
“Taeheon senior! Aren’t you coming in?”
“Uh, no. Tell them I’m going home first. I’ll meet my friends and go with them.”
Taeheon waved to the junior with a cheeky smile.
The junior peeked out, trying to see who was standing beside him.
Taeheon stepped slightly to the side, blocking Haeju from view.
Only after the junior had gone inside did Taeheon turn back.
Haeju looked at him with a surprised expression.
“You’re a student at Korea University?”
“Yeah.”
“Me too. I’m a freshman here.”
Given that it was this late and they were drinking in front of the university, it could only be a Korea University student. There were no other universities nearby.
Taeheon watched Haeju smile broadly at his obvious statement. His ears were slightly red.
“So that makes me your senior, huh?”
Haeju nodded.
She was surprised he was a student here. She hadn’t thought someone like Ka Poo would be at Korea University.
Korea University was famous for gathering students who had spent their school years buried in books, boring kids with no sense of fun.
Instead of dreams and hopes of a beautiful campus, it was full of nerds whose main features were glasses and checkered shirts. Ka Poo felt entirely out of place in that setting.
“Finally, this serious social problem has seeped into our school too,” she thought.
With that height, that face, that voice, and that level of education, plenty of people would line up to date him even if he wore only a standard school jacket without a car. So why choose the path of Ka Poo?
She couldn’t understand it at all.
“Speaking casually?”
“You kind of slipped into it already.”
“I’m awkward with formal speech. You don’t seem that much older anyway.”
She wanted to say that formal speech was about manners, not age, but he didn’t seem like someone who would listen.
Strangely, his casual tone didn’t feel unpleasant.
Haeju nodded lightly.
“If he came from over there, he’s either from Philosophy or Media Studies. Not the type for Philosophy, probably Media Studies.”
“What’s the type for Philosophy?”
“There’s a type. You’ll get the feeling once you’re at school for a bit. So… am I right?”
“…Yes, Media Studies.”
“See?”
Taeheon smirked again.
He had been stiff yesterday, but today he smiled so freely. Well, maybe it wasn’t strange; breaking up with a girlfriend isn’t exactly a cheerful moment. He probably would have been slapped harder if he made such a face in that situation.
“They make freshmen introduce themselves, right? Not to me?”
“Do we have to do that for students from other departments?”
“I wanted to see how Media Studies trains their juniors.”
“……”
“You going to tell your senior about me?”
“…Is there anyone in our department you know?”
“Not many. Maybe I should transfer just for this.”
She wouldn’t transfer for a simple greeting, but stiffly acting now could cause problems if he told the department senior and she got targeted.
Even drunk, Haeju didn’t forget that she had to stay in the seniors’ good graces to get extra tutoring jobs.
“You’re such a traditionalist…”
She muttered, pouting her lips.
The man crossed his arms, raising one eyebrow with a playful look.
“Traditionalist?”
Oops.
It seemed her inner voice had slipped out. All thanks to the alcohol.
Haeju quickly composed herself. She had to maintain a good impression on her seniors.
“I take back what I just said.”
“I’ll decide whether to let it slide based on how you act.”
“Hello, Senior Jung Taeheon. I’m Haeju Seo, a freshman in the Media Studies Department at Korea University.”
Haeju bowed deeply.
Suddenly, she swayed.
A large, solid hand caught her shoulder and steadied her before she could lose her balance.
Through a faint smell of lingering cigarette smoke, she caught a warm, fresh scent, like freshly sun-dried laundry.
His voice came closer.
“Oh? You already know my name?”
“Your ex-girlfriend shouted it pretty loudly yesterday.”
“Ah.”
Taeheon nodded, remembering, and relaxed his shoulder.
“She does have a loud voice. And a hard hand.”
He muttered, brushing the spot on his cheek where she had slapped him yesterday. It didn’t seem to have left a mark, probably because it was only one slap.
“…You’ll let it slide, right?”
“Let it slide? For what?”
“……”
“Ah, the ‘traditionalist’ thing? Just something I said.”
Haeju sighed and continued walking.
Every time she spoke to him, she felt her rhythm get thrown off.
Deciding it was better to put some distance between them, she quickened her pace.
But no matter how fast Haeju moved, Taeheon kept up without missing a step.
In fact, it was Haeju, drunk, who became winded.
“Your home’s far from here. Take a taxi.”
“I’m fine.”
“It’s dangerous to go alone. There are lots of spots here without CCTV.”
“Hoo… I’ll get used to it. I have to live here from now on.”
“There was a murder nearby not long ago.”
Haeju froze in her steps.
“This area is notorious for violent crimes every year. Your neighbor could just have been released from prison.”
“……”
“If I had two lives, going alone wouldn’t be bad. Experiencing danger once will make you understand the importance of security. I only have one life, so I couldn’t make such a daring choice.”
He stood there, watching Haeju frozen in place.
Her alcohol-dilated pupils trembled slightly. She nervously met his gaze.
Taeheon’s lips curved into a kind smile.
“Want me to walk you part of the way?”
A brief silence passed. Then Haeju spoke.
“…Take an umbrella with you.”
“Good idea.”
Taeheon chuckled softly and walked alongside her with light steps.
