Chapter 9 …
At first glance, he seemed like the kind of person who would be exhausting to deal with, but strangely enough, she kept running into him, and it felt ominous.
Her intuition about bad premonitions usually proved correct.
Haeju trusted her own streak of bad luck.
The fact that she kept coincidentally crossing paths with Jeong Taeheon might mean he would become a new jinx or a signal of misfortune in her life.
“Know your enemy and yourself, and you can win every battle.”
If she wanted to avoid the risk that was Jeong Taeheon, she needed information about him.
“Is he the famous handsome guy from the Business Administration department on Eta? Everyone calls him a risk.”
“That’s right. Jeong Taeheon, the biggest risk in the Business Department. He’s tall, well-built, handsome, and so rich that he’s known for driving his foreign car whenever he feels like it. He’s also lucky—remember the guy who bought a lottery ticket with a number he casually picked last year and won third prize? On top of that, he’s got a good personality and a wide circle of friends. He has it all, so life’s basically on easy mode. There were even rumors that he was a third-generation chaebol, but actually…”
Her senior lowered her voice. The freshmen swallowed nervously, waiting for the rest of the story.
“He’s not a third-generation chaebol. He’s fourth-generation, and the eldest son of Cheongsin Group.”
“No way.”
“Insane.”
“……Excuse me?”
While the classmates reacted with astonishment, shock and disbelief flashed across Haeju’s face.
What did she just hear? So that Jeong Taeheon… isn’t a car poor at all, but a fourth-generation chaebol?
The two extremes couldn’t be more different.
She had already guessed some things about Jeong Taeheon’s reputation, but never imagined he’d be the eldest son of Cheongsin Group.
It made sense, though—Haeju’s life was closer to that of a car poor than a chaebol heir.
The news wiped away any drowsiness.
Bo-young, seeing the freshmen’s reactions, continued with a proud expression:
“You know him, right? The eldest son of Cheongsin Group has been famous since he was a kid. He went to high school in the U.S. and mingled with the children of politicians, business leaders, and celebrities. Articles would pop up online or posts on forums, but they’d get deleted immediately. They say he was such a wild kid that Cheongsin Group even set up a special task force just for him.”
“Wow, total ‘rich kid syndrome,’ huh?”
Hajun admired him, but Seryeong suddenly asked, looking puzzled:
“Usually, if someone went to high school in the U.S., wouldn’t they finish college there too?”
“Normally, yes. But he caused so much trouble in the U.S. that the chairman wanted him close at hand. Maybe they wanted to start his succession training early, since he’s the eldest son.”
“Then why do people call him a risk?”
“High risk, high return. That’s what people mean when they talk about Jeong Taeheon.”
Bo-young took a sip of her drink and continued:
“If you end up with him, it’s better than hitting the lottery, so there’s a joke that it’s better to confess to Jeong Taeheon than buy a lottery ticket every week. He doesn’t pick and choose people, so he’s had many ordinary girlfriends before.”
“Oh, does he not date guys?”
Hajun asked playfully, and Bo-young laughed.
“Sorry, Hajun. He’s a confirmed heterosexual. But even someone as perfect as him has flaws.”
The freshmen’s eyes sparkled, waiting for the details. Bo-young looked at them with satisfaction and continued:
“The problem is, Jeong Taeheon is infamous for letting girls come and go freely and for pushing them away without hesitation. Rumor has it he’s had multiple girlfriends at once, sometimes even overlapping extensively. He treats clubs like his own home, shows up for dates in sloppy clothes, and goes through half-hearted, cheap courses. He’s moody too—if he doesn’t feel like talking, he ghosts. Ultimately, girls can’t stand him, and relationships never last beyond 100 days.”
Haeju’s mind flashed with a scene.
She had personally seen him on a date at a budget-friendly café in sweats, only to get scolded and slapped before breaking up.
“Wow, that’s the worst.”
“Is he really supposed to have a good personality? Sounds like trash.”
“He only acts like that to girlfriends. As a friend, he’s fine.”
Her senior smirked slyly.
“But you know… if someone’s had multiple girlfriends in school, there are also some discreet rumors that circulate. He has a bit of a reputation for that.”
“What kind of reputation?”
The three freshmen swallowed nervously. Bo-young put a finger to her lips and lowered her voice.
“This is just for you guys today. Don’t tell anyone else.”
“Of course.”
“Absolutely.”
The classmates nodded vigorously. Haeju also focused intently on Bo-young.
“He’s supposedly impotent now due to wild behavior in the U.S., drugs, and sex parties during his study abroad. Rumor has it Cheongsin Group lets him meet any girl to try to fix it.”
“No way.”
“Crazy.”
Haeju set her jaw, resolving to keep her distance from Jeong Taeheon.
Seeing the freshmen react excitedly again, Bo-young concluded proudly:
“Anyway, the gods are surprisingly fair. Honestly, in our department, we’ve got senior Hyunwoo—the face and personality everyone admires—so no need to envy Business. And the student council president is pretty handsome too.”
“That’s true. Honestly, I was surprised. Right when we entered, the seniors were all so good-looking. And the classmates too…”
Hajun, about to flatter, looked at Haeju mid-sentence.
Knock, knock.
Someone knocked on the door, and he stopped speaking. A familiar face appeared.
“You guys still drinking? Time to wrap it up.”
“Speak of the devil. Hyunwoo, your room’s done?”
“Everyone passed out. Bo-young, you too—put the others to bed.”
As Hyunwoo approached the sprawled group, Bo-young hugged the classmates next to her.
“No! You’ll stay till the end, right?”
“Yes! We can do it!”
“We’ll stay up all night.”
The classmates nodded resolutely, embraced by their senior.
Haeju, rubbing her sleepy eyes, widened them again. She still had to endure to impress the seniors.
“All right. Hyunwoo, come join us. Let’s just do three drinks and call it a night.”
“Promise.”
Hyunwoo sat beside Haeju with an exasperated expression and poured soju from a nearby paper cup.
“Cheers!”
Three drinks turned into four or five naturally.
Two of the freshmen passed out, leaving Haeju as the last survivor.
There are stages of getting drunk.
Haeju, inexperienced with alcohol, didn’t know, but even she went through them.
First: feeling slightly buzzed, the world spinning, recognizing she’s drunk.
Second: extreme drowsiness, unable to control her body. Haeju remembered only up to this point.
Finally: sleepiness magically disappears, and memory blackouts occur.
Haeju reached the last stage.
In this state of forgotten memory, she felt paradoxically clear-headed, seeing the world more sharply than ever.
Bo-young looked at her with admiration:
“Our pretty Haeju, awake?”
“Seems like it. I’m sober, not drunk at all. Wow, amazing. Not sleepy at all at this hour. I feel fine.”
Haeju raised her arms, and Hyunwoo and Bo-young exchanged glances:
“Totally drunk.”
“Exactly.”
“I’m really fine. I can even sing.”
Bo-young asked expectantly:
“Can you sing well?”
“I like it.”
Haeju smiled faintly, surprising everyone who had seen her barely smile before.
She was shy, reserved, and didn’t even know how to dress up, yet she stood out naturally. Rumors of a pretty new student in the department had already started spreading.
“What kind of songs do you like? Want to sing one?”
“Sure.”
When she sang, the expressions of the two seniors and a nearly asleep classmate froze.
Next, the scariest situation after blacking out from drinking:
“Were you a trainee somewhere? You sing so well.”
“Sing? Did Haeju sing yesterday?”
“Yes, really well. I thought she was a professional singer.”
“No way. If she was a trainee, she’d probably dance well too.”
“Probably, but I didn’t see her dance.”
“What? Was there an idol trainee among the freshmen?”
“…I wasn’t a trainee.”
First: creating a “dark past” she didn’t remember, and then having rumors based on that spread.
Haeju immediately denied it, but gossip travels faster than clarifications. The rumor spread rapidly.
“By the way, I remember only Hyunwoo and Haeju were left last. Nothing happened, right?”
“I don’t remember…”
“Nothing happened.”
Hyunwoo, looking at his phone, replied firmly. Bo-young laughed:
“Right. Worry about the right people. Also, senior, Haeju is really interested in tutoring. You know a lot about that, right?”
He remained expressionless, head down:
“I’m not an expert, but I’ll teach what I know if necessary.”
“…Thank you.”
Second: the friendly senior becomes strangely cold, and the one Haeju wants to impress most is the same person.
And lastly:
[Jeong Taeheon, Car Poor ㅇ]
She had even sent a mysterious message to Jeong Taeheon—the top socialite in the Business Administration department—in a liberal arts class group.
