Chapter 24
Ji-hoo’s Story
It had been the perfect admission into a good university, and even into the very department he had always dreamed of.
With the fluttering excitement befitting a freshman, Ji-hoo wrapped up orientation on a high note, his heart brimming with anticipation for college life.
From the beginning, however, rumours about Lee Yeon were already everywhere among the men.
Whenever a group of guys got together, the conversation inevitably turned to her.
“They say she’s unlike anyone you’ve ever seen.”
“Someone ran into her on campus today damn, I should’ve gone there too.”
The chatter came from upperclassmen and classmates alike, buzzing with excitement.
But Ji-hoo couldn’t relate.
He had never once seen her in person.
Because Lee Yeon hadn’t shown up at orientation, Ji-hoo remained unaware of her even after the semester began.
They were supposedly taking the same classes, but maybe because he always sat up front, he could never seem to spot her.
And then, not long after, Ji-hoo finally laid eyes on her.
From that day forward, he could not erase the impact of that first encounter the feeling of a bomb detonating inside his chest.
It was her profile.
A profile so captivating that it was impossible to look away.
Among the sea of new freshmen, Lee Yeon stood out as if she were the only one in the room.
Even if he hadn’t heard a single rumour, he would have known instantly, ah, so that’s the famous Yoo Lee Yeon everyone talks about.
Not just him he was certain every boy and girl in that lecture hall was sneaking glances at her.
The graceful slope of her forehead, the perfectly arched nose, the delicate tip, the lashes thick and dark that seemed to sweep the heavens, and those clear, oversized eyes framed by her small face hers was the kind of beauty that demanded attention.
Her hair fell to her chest, and the way she sat so straight and composed only made his chest ache.
A girl like that must know how gorgeous she is.
She’s bound to be proud and aloof.
Ji-hoo tried desperately to look away, to rein in his eyes that sought her out again and again.
And once he realised just how often he was doing it, he clung stubbornly to his prejudice, as if it could keep him safe.
But it didn’t take long for that prejudice to shatter.
It happened after class, as the crowd filed out of the lecture hall.
Lee Yeon was walking just ahead of him.
And as they reached the door, she suddenly stopped forcing Ji-hoo, who was following close behind, to bump right into her.
“Ah—sorry.”
“No, it’s my fault.
I stopped.”
The moment she turned, those deep, round eyes looking back at him in apology, Ji-hoo’s breath froze.
His body locked up, as if pinned to the spot.
It was like a jolt of electricity coursed through him.
Everything else vanished the people, the sounds, the world itself.
For that instant, it felt like only the two of them existed.
His heartbeat thundered in his ears, wild and uncontrollable.
And then it hit him this was his chance.
Thanks to that unintentional pause in her stride, he had a reason to speak to her.
He grabbed the chance without hesitation.
“Are you hurt?
From the bump, I mean.”
“No, I’m fine.”
She smiled with her eyes, as if to tell him he really didn’t need to worry.
And when she began to turn away, ready to continue on, Ji-hoo quickly spoke again, desperate to keep her there.
“I’m Eom Ji-hoo.
And you are…?”
Of course, he already knew.
But he pretended otherwise.
“I’m Yoo Lee Yeon.”
He wanted so badly to keep the conversation going, but his mind went blank.
So he blurted out something ridiculous asking if she’d gone to look around campus, though they were already weeks into the semester.
Still, it was enough to walk alongside her, matching his stride to her slower pace.
“Of course I’ve looked around.
I don’t even know how many laps I’ve taken already.”
She held up her fingers, counting playfully one, two trying to recall.
The sight made him want to laugh out loud at how cute she looked.
“I haven’t even done it once yet.”
“What?
Really?”
Wasn’t a campus tour practically a freshman’s rite of passage?
The truth was, he only wanted to talk longer, to stay with her a little more.
So he tried his luck, using the excuse of a campus tour.
Their university was one of the largest in Seoul, sprawling and beautiful, the kind of campus students dreamed of.
“Yeah.
I don’t know my way around yet.
If you’re free, would you show me?”
“Sure, I’ll give you the tour.”
Her easy, matter-of-fact answer surprised him.
He had half-expected her to guard herself, to assume he was hitting on her.
But Lee Yeon accepted effortlessly.
She showed him around, telling him which spots guys tended to like, where the library was, and where the cafeteria was.
She even seemed to think he genuinely didn’t know where to eat.
There was no pretence, no false modesty.
Ji-hoo felt ashamed.
Guilty for having judged her.
How could he have presumed anything about her without ever knowing her?
And especially how could he have dared to reduce someone to just their appearance?
Walking beside her across campus, he felt the eyes of others on them.
Of course, Lee Yeon’s beauty drew every gaze.
But having her by his side made his own shoulders swell with pride.
He wanted to grow closer.
To Yoo Lee Yeon.
And for the first time, he thought maybe he actually could.
Because she was more honest and cool-headed than he’d ever imagined.
A few semesters passed, and just as he’d hoped, Ji-hoo secured the spot as her closest friend.
At first, that was all he wanted.
Before he realised that what he felt was love.
So he stayed glued to her side, always with the excuse of friendship.
Never letting her stray too far.
Keeping her within reach.
If she wanted to watch a movie, he went.
If she studied all night, he sat by her side.
If other men’s eyes lingered on her, he placed himself in their line of sight to block them out.
Under the banner of friendship, Ji-hoo indulged in everything he wanted.
But to Lee Yeon, he was just a friend.
And because she saw him that way, their relationship never went further.
It wasn’t that Ji-hoo lacked confidence.
He was proud, popular, and admired wherever he went.
So he convinced himself: eventually, she’ll see me differently.
It was a delusion.
Because if he asked himself honestly, he knew it had always been love.
From the very beginning.
That trembling he’d felt when he first saw her?
It was because his heart had already claimed her.
It was love at first sight.
But he couldn’t just blurt it out.
Not to someone so careful with men.
Yet no matter how long he waited, she never gave him an opening.
At first, he thought she was just picky.
But no she simply didn’t seem all that interested in romance at all.
And so three years passed.
Three years of hiding himself.
Hiding his heart.
The only comfort was that he, and he alone, was allowed at her side.
But as graduation loomed closer, panic set in.
If he let it end this way, if he never confessed, then she might go her whole life never knowing.
And he still had the army ahead of him.
What if they were cut off completely?
What if she drifted away?
Every time another man approached her, Ji-hoo nearly lost his mind.
How dare they, while I’m right here, try to steal Yoo Lee Yeon away?
They had guts, he’d give them that.
And just as his desire to be more than a friend grew too strong to ignore he made the biggest mistake of his life.
Drunk, reckless, he confessed.
Wrong words, wrong timing, wrong everything.
And the fallout was his own fault.
He wanted to run from the disaster he had created.
And it seemed she wanted distance too.
So he let it happen let the situation drift unresolved.
But never, not once, did he consider giving her up.
He thought he’d wait.
Apologise later.
Beg if he had to, until his hands and knees bled.
But before he could Lee Yeon disappeared.
By the time graduation rolled around, word spread that she had found a job.
He called in desperation, but her number had changed.
None of their mutual friends seemed to be in touch with her.
It was as though she’d hidden herself completely, vanishing into a game of one-sided hide-and-seek.
Where are you?
Don’t I deserve at least the chance to explain, even if it’s just a pathetic excuse?
Even during his military service, he asked around, hoping someone had news.
But there was nothing.
It should have been impossible for someone with a face like hers to hide.
But she had no social media, no trace.
Ji-hoo searched relentlessly, but not a single person claimed to have seen her.
So he never imagined, nn his wildest dreams, that he would meet her again here, at Wuseong Card.
It felt surreal.
No wonder he had failed to find her before she had hidden herself completely.
Severed every tie, erased every trace.
But not even thick glasses and stiff, unkempt hair could disguise her from him.
Beneath the unfamiliar shell, she was still the same.
Still beautiful enough to steal his breath away in an instant.
Fate.
Destiny.
That’s what it had to be.
No matter how many years had passed, no matter what guise she wore seeing her again was enough to unravel him.
This was his second chance.
A miracle.
And this time, Ji-hoo swore, he would never repeat his mistake.
If she wanted to hide, to pretend he would play along.
Fine.
I’ll act like I don’t know either.
He would take it slow.
This time, not as a friend, but as a man, he would bare his heart to her bit by bit.
But he soon realised…her walls were too high, too unyielding.
She wouldn’t even look his way.
And Ji-hoo, for the first time, began to resent her for it.
If that’s what it took, he thought, half-mad with desperation, he would resort to threats, anything, just to keep her at his side.
But then it struck him.
The reason she hid herself.
The reason she wanted to disappear.
Maybe…
A slow smile curved across Ji-hoo’s lips.
