01
On a gentle afternoon bathed in sunlight, Ri-hyun stood at the podium and took a deep breath. Her first lecture was about to begin, and she was trembling uncontrollably. Assisting professors as a teaching assistant and delivering a lecture herself were worlds apart.
“Hello, everyone.”
Her greeting came out faintly, slightly strained. The prepared notes lay before her, yet it all felt unreal. Even as an adjunct lecturer, the fact that she now held the title of professor was almost unbelievable.
“I’m Cha Ri-hyun, and I’ll be teaching Korean History.”
She clenched her fists tightly, trying to hide the growing tension. Then she added one more line.
“Please take care of me.”
A faint smile spread among the students, and a few in the front row responded politely with, “We’ll take care of you, professor.” The awkward atmosphere eased slightly, allowing Ri-hyun to steady her breathing once again. She wanted to perform well—no, she had to. If she failed to prove herself, she could not be guaranteed a contract for the next semester, and her dream itself would slip away.
“Attendance will be taken electronically, but for today’s first class, I’ll call your names individually.”
With a composed manner, she checked the roster and clearly called out each student’s name.
“Kang Seon-woo.”
“Here.”
Filled with both excitement and responsibility, Ri-hyun looked at each student as she continued.
“Kang Ji-won.”
“Present.”
Her initial nervousness resurfaced when she called the next name, three letters so charged that they made her heart ache.
“Kang Tae…jun.”
The word rolled around in her mouth with an unpleasant clarity. The name of an old love etched into her memory brought his unforgettable face to mind. Her left chest throbbed, and her throat burned. Seven years had passed, yet her clumsy emotions still gripped her soul.
“Ha…”
She swallowed a sigh without realizing it and turned her gaze out the window. A futile attempt—memories of Tae-jun were scattered across the campus, and gray fragments of the past invaded her mind.
“Let’s break up.”
“What do you mean, break up?”
“I’m not interested. Honestly, you’re annoying and in the way.”
The love she had believed was destiny ended in a brutal betrayal. Unlike Ri-hyun, who had given everything, Tae-jun treated their relationship as a fleeting pleasure and coldly demanded a breakup.
“Are you saying I’m just a bother?”
“Yes.”
Ri-hyun couldn’t accept it. She clung to the hope that there must have been another reason, but only cruelty returned to her. Tae-jun was preparing to study abroad in the U.S. with his fiancée, leaving in just a week.
“You were seeing me while already engaged to someone else?”
“It happened that way.”
“Why?”
“Because I wanted to sleep with you.”
It was purely physical desire, and that was why she abandoned him. She had no choice—her scorched pride had to be preserved.
“Let’s never see each other again.”
Determined not to show her misery, she had not shed a single tear in front of him, even as she struggled with longing over the next seven years.
“Professor, I think someone is absent.”
A voice from somewhere pulled Ri-hyun from her brief reverie. She spoke calmly.
“Seems so.”
Her lips trembled slightly, and she deliberately shrugged her shoulders. Separate from her pain, it was a deliberate gesture: she would not be bound by the bitter past.
“The next student is… Kim Mi-jung.”
“Yes.”
As if old scars didn’t exist, Ri-hyun carried herself with composure. That was when the front door opened with a slight creak. She glanced casually, but her pupils cracked. The silhouette crossing the threshold resembled him—the one who had haunted her memories. Thick eyebrows over dark eyes, a sculpted nose, lips unusually red, and a masculine aura. He looked uncannily familiar.
“Sorry for entering during class.”
The deep voice matched her memories. Ri-hyun ground her teeth. Could this be a mistake? Unfortunately, the man before her seemed unmistakably Tae-jun. Their gazes locked, and her mind went blank. Her breath caught in her throat, and moving a single finger felt impossible.
Kang Tae-jun.
She could not deny it. The one who had stormed into her life like a tempest, gentle yet cruel, was unmistakably him.
“Cha Ri-hyun.”
Tae-jun boldly said her name, and she was thrown into complete confusion. The students murmured in unrest. Entering mid-lecture to call out a professor’s name was unprecedented. Leaving aside the high-end suit and incongruous aura that clashed with the campus setting…
Tae-jun’s long legs moved, closing the distance. His steps appeared relaxed, but the oppressive presence forced her to gather what remained of her shattered composure. She would not be swayed by whatever his intentions were.
“Go back…!”
“You’re late for the first class.”
He was faster. Tilting his head toward her, he continued.
“Would you allow it, professor?”
The close proximity was a clear provocation, yet she maintained her composure. Her determination not to ruin her first lecture suppressed the turmoil within her.
“Did you just call me ‘professor’?”
“As a student attending class, I should show proper manners, shouldn’t I?”
Ri-hyun’s eyelashes twitched at the ripple of shock. Not only was the reunion bruising, but now he claimed to be a student? Her heart felt as if it were shattering.
“You’re attending class?”
“Yes.”
His answer was unwavering, his gaze resolute and relentless.
“…Why?”
The question came out of nowhere, but Ri-hyun had to know. He was hardly anyone she was comfortable with, especially someone who had left for the U.S., using an engagement as an excuse. Why was he now attending university lectures?
“Because I need to.”
Her eyes narrowed slightly. The word need carried a deeper meaning. Ri-hyun knew well the obsession, desire, and traces of dominance embedded in that single word.
“Because I miss it… again.”
Even though the words were not directed at her, Ri-hyun forgot to breathe. It felt as though a crack had formed in the wall of resentment she had built.
“Is he your boyfriend?”
“What are you doing in class?”
Voices whispered from somewhere, and she quickly responded.
“Quite a strange reason.”
Though confusing, she refused to be swayed by emotions that could scatter like sand. She could not let go of the opportunity she had fought to secure. Above all, Tae-jun was now no one to her—just a fragment of the past.
“Seriously…”
“What’s your name?”
She cut off his words and asked his name as a deliberate act of dismissal. A warning not to cross the line.
“You should know.”
“I don’t.”
As she drove her point home repeatedly, a subtle change flickered across Tae-jun’s face. His previously relaxed expression stiffened, and his black eyes darkened with intensity.
“Kang Tae-jun.”
The name dropped sharply, edged with a certain intensity, as if suppressing rising irritation.
“Attendance confirmed. Be punctual from the next class onward.”
“As you wish.”
His attitude was not typical of a student showing deference, but he did not care at all. He calmly claimed a seat in the front row, crossed one leg, leaned back, and stared at Ri-hyun, as though he had been waiting for this moment all along.
