Bae Jung-yoon gazed at Go Hoon with a soft smile. Even though they had seen each other just a few hours ago, that face still felt unfamiliar and unsettling.
Go Hoon felt absolutely no joy at the sight of Bae Jung-yoon. If anything, he wished their paths hadn’t crossed even once over the past two years. The fact that he was hiding something from Bae Jung-yoon weighed on his conscience like a moral debt. A relationship maintained with guilt—that kind of connection was the last thing Hoon wanted.
‘Should I just drop this class?’
A storm of thoughts flashed through his head in an instant. But giving up just because of Bae Jung-yoon seemed like a waste, especially after all the effort he had put into enrolling. The blood, sweat, and PC room fees he’d spent to optimize his application timing—how was he supposed to get that time and money back?
Besides, this course was notoriously hard to get into. Everyone said the enrollment competition was brutal. Hoon had applied without much hope and miraculously gotten in—he figured he’d just been lucky. But now, he was beginning to think that “luck” was just setting him up for this mess.
Bae Jung-yoon stood there silently, not rushing him. There were plenty of other empty seats—so why this one? Hoon spent a good while suppressing the irritation rising within him before finally opening his mouth.
“No.”
As if he’d been waiting for that very moment, Bae Jung-yoon grabbed the chair.
“Then I guess it’s okay if I sit here, right?”
Instead of answering, Hoon pulled the bag off the desk and stuffed it behind his back. Seeing that, Bae Jung-yoon smiled softly and whispered, “Thanks.” He loosened the strap of his messenger bag and took the seat beside Hoon.
“I was too busy to say anything earlier, but can you give me your number?”
He handed over his phone, asking for Hoon’s contact info as casually as if it were the most natural thing in the world. His easygoing tone didn’t help Hoon’s hesitation.
‘I really don’t want to get involved with him.’
But he had no good reason to say no. Hoon took the phone, typed in his 11-digit number, and handed it back.
Bae Jung-yoon tapped the screen with his fingers. Bzzzz, a vibration sounded, and a call from an unknown number came through immediately.
“That’s me. Save it.”
Bae Jung-yoon stared at him, almost like he was making sure Hoon actually saved the number. Left with no choice, Hoon moved his hand and added the number to his contacts.
[Bae Jung-yoon – Business.]
Seeing that unfamiliar name saved in his phone left him oddly unsettled.
“Oh, Jung-yoon sunbae. Hello!”
A female student walking past them greeted Bae Jung-yoon warmly. He responded with a smile that curved his eyes and waved at her.
“It’s been a while. How’ve you been?”
“I’ve been well. What about you, sunbae?”
“I’m doing fine too.”
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the girl noticed Go Hoon sitting beside him. Her eyes widened, and she gave him a hesitant greeting.
“Oh, Go Hoon sunbae… you’re here too. Hello.”
“Yeah. Hi.”
He didn’t recognize her at all, but Hoon replied casually without showing it. The girl gave a slight smile and tucked her hair behind her ear. Watching from the side, Bae Jung-yoon turned to her again.
“Looks like we’re in the same class again.”
“I know, right? It’s like fate or something. Oh, by the way, sunbae, I saw your cat on X-Star.”
She suddenly lit up, chatting excitedly.
“It was so cute! What was the name again? Um… Kkongddeok-i?”
The moment he heard that familiar name, Hoon deliberately fixed his gaze on his phone screen. But he couldn’t help perking up his ears.
“Yeah. Kkongddeok-i.”
“Can I come over with some friends to visit your place and see Kkongddeok-i sometime?”
“Mm… I’d like to say yes, but I actually lost Kkongddeok-i recently. I’m still looking.”
There was a note of sadness in Bae Jung-yoon’s voice.
“Oh no… I’m so sorry. I didn’t know you’d lost your cat.”
“It’s okay. Things like that happen.”
Clearly embarrassed, the girl apologized repeatedly, bowing her head. Unable to smooth over the awkward atmosphere, she quickly moved to the back row with her friend.
Hoon, who had been listening to the entire exchange, started fidgeting with his phone. But his pupils were shaking, betraying his composure.
‘Should I say something about Kkongddeok-i?’
After all, he had been sitting right next to them, overhearing everything about the cat—earlier and just now. Not asking anything at all might seem cold. But poking his nose in felt awkward too, especially with such a touchy subject. He found himself caught in a dilemma.
“Hoon-ah.”
While lost in thought, Bae Jung-yoon’s voice dragged him back to reality. Hoon turned his head without realizing it and flinched when he saw Bae Jung-yoon staring at him quietly.
“…Huh?”
He must’ve said something to him, but Hoon answered stupidly and out of sync. Bae Jung-yoon propped up his chin and spoke again.
“You know we have the department welcome party tonight, right?”
Hoon recalled the group chat announcement from earlier. The semester-opening party was scheduled for 6 p.m., and everyone who could make it was encouraged to attend.
“Yeah.”
“You going?”
“No. I’m not going.”
“Why not? You just got back from a break—going to at least one event like that might be good for you.”
He’d already been chewed out by Jo Seong-il earlier in the morning for being a damn returning student who wouldn’t even show up to the department welcome party. But still, he had his reasons.
“I’ve got work.”
He had to head to the factory.
“Work?”
“Yeah.”
“What kind of job? A café? Restaurant?”
Bae Jung-yoon showed an unusual amount of interest at the mention of his part-time job. It caught Hoon off guard.
‘It’s not even that interesting. Why is he so into it? Is he looking for a job himself?’
A rich kid like him probably didn’t even need to make money. The curiosity felt unwarranted, but Hoon didn’t think it was something worth getting annoyed over. So he replied flatly.
“No. Factory job.”
“Factory?”
“Yeah.”
When he nodded, Bae Jung-yoon fell silent. His expression turned unreadable. He was staring at Hoon with a pensive look, as if trying to determine whether he was telling the truth.
People had all sorts of reactions whenever Hoon mentioned it. Some looked at him with pity, assuming the work was hard. Others asked why he’d choose that over easier café or restaurant gigs.
The reason he worked at the factory was simple—it paid better. Significantly better. When he explained that, those who had some idea of his situation always gave him that same sympathetic look. Of course, their eyes seemed to say.
But Hoon didn’t see any reason to be ashamed about it. Living your life the best you can—what’s wrong with that?
“What kind of factory is it?”
After a moment of silence, Bae Jung-yoon softened his expression and asked.
“One that makes cosmetic containers.”
“Where is it?”
‘This guy is way too curious.’
It was starting to feel like some kind of background check. Hoon didn’t appreciate the level of attention. He wished Bae Jung-yoon would just stop digging.
Still, snapping at him out of nowhere would’ve made him look like the weird one. Hoon answered, not hiding his reluctance.
“You know the factory complex near here?”
“Oh, the one about ten minutes away by car?”
“Yeah, that one.”
That should’ve been enough, but Bae Jung-yoon wasn’t done.
“What time do you start?”
“9 p.m.”
“Ah, night shift.”
Hoon nodded, then tried to steer the conversation away.
“What about you?”
“Hm?”
“Are you going to the party?”
Bae Jung-yoon’s eyes widened slightly, surprised by the reversal. His expression said he hadn’t expected the question to bounce back to him. ‘What, does he think I’m some kind of chatbot that only answers and never asks?’ Hoon was just tired of being the one getting interrogated.
“I was…”
Bae Jung-yoon trailed off, humming softly before continuing.
“…planning to go if you were.”
The answer threw Hoon for a loop. He blinked quickly as he took in the sight of Bae Jung-yoon smiling with those gently curving eyes.
“Why?”
“Hm?”
“Why is that conditional on whether I go?”
“Because I don’t have anyone I’m close to.”
Hoon let out a quiet, incredulous laugh. Bullshit.
“You’ve got tons of friends.”
As soon as he called it out, Bae Jung-yoon smirked at an angle.
“So you knew?”
He didn’t even deny it. He clearly knew it himself—that people naturally gathered around him.
Back when Hoon didn’t know much about Bae Jung-yoon, he’d just assumed the guy was friendly and good with people. But after seeing the other side, he stopped viewing him as just a nice person. A suspicion had started creeping in: maybe he was subtly using those around him. Maybe that was why his smile now looked so sly.
“Wherever you go, it’s always lively.”
“You must’ve had a lot of interest in me.”
“It’s not that I’m interested—it’d be weirder not to notice.”
Hoon looked away, answering with a flat tone. But then came an unexpected reply from Bae Jung-yoon.
“You’re the same, you know.”
“What?”
“I just don’t get how I didn’t notice you before. That’s what’s weird.”
Resting his chin in his hand, Bae Jung-yoon looked at him lazily.
“Really weird.”
His murmuring voice pierced straight into Hoon’s ear. The gaze fixed on his face dissected every small twitch of his expression. It felt like he was being studied—like a detective analyzing a suspect.
There was something both cunning and relentless in those eyes.
“Where’ve you been, only to suddenly pop up in front of me like this?”
His gaze roamed over Hoon’s face as if memorizing each individual lash, every detail. Hoon felt like he couldn’t breathe.
He clenched his hand anxiously over his thigh. Just then, the professor walked in through the front door of the lecture hall. The buzzing chatter instantly died down.
Hoon sat up straight, pulling himself away from the chair’s backrest. His neck felt stiff as he turned his head, and yet—even throughout the entire lecture—the itchy sensation on his face never went away.
