Chapter 16
In the end, the menu they chose was samgyeopsal.
It might sound strange for college students to eat grilled pork in the middle of the day, but—
“I’m starving. So, did you think about what to eat?”
“No. Yeonjae, what do you want?”
“I’m fine with anything.”
“You know the worst type of person when choosing food is someone who says ‘anything,’ right?”
“Yeonjae, pick something expensive. Expensive.”
“Who are you trying to bankrupt? Oh, there’s a meat place up ahead. Samgyeopsal?”
“Oh, nice. Yeonjae?”
“Ah! Y-Yes! Sounds good!”
…And that’s how it happened.
While they were grilling and eating the meat, everything was great.
She even learned some valuable new information. Dohan was good at grilling meat, and he preferred perilla leaves over lettuce.
The problem was that they had class soon.
The thought of walking into class smelling like grilled pork bothered her more than she expected. Even spraying deodorizer wouldn’t completely fix it.
Do guys not really care about this kind of thing?
As promised, Hyunoh paid. While he was at the counter, Dohan and Yeonjae stepped outside first.
The moment they left the restaurant—where the smell of oil was practically the default setting—the scent became even stronger than it had inside. No matter how much deodorizer she sprayed on herself, a faint greasy smell remained, almost as if it were mocking her.
This is a disaster. It’s basically an advertisement saying, “I ate samgyeopsal.”
Yeonjae awkwardly pulled up the collar of her T-shirt to sniff it.
“Yeonjae.”
“Yes?!”
She really needed to fix the way she jumped every time Dohan called her name.
Before she could dwell on that thought, Dohan held out the checkered shirt he had been carrying.
“Why…?”
“Aren’t you worried about the smell?”
“I mean… yes…”
“Wear this today. Give it back next time. I left it under the chair, so it probably didn’t absorb the smell.”
Yeonjae hesitated.
“Does it make you uncomfortable?” he asked.
“N-No! Not at all…!”
“Then what’s the problem?”
Dohan shrugged lightly, then took her hand and placed the shirt into it himself.
Yeonjae stood there in a daze, holding the shirt. The warmth from his fingertips and the unfamiliar weight of the shirt overlapped, making everything feel strangely unreal.
Dohan looked at her and smiled lazily.
Just then, Hyunoh came out of the restaurant.
When he saw Dohan’s shirt in Yeonjae’s hands, he gave a subtle, satisfied nod.
Meanwhile.
Si-eun was crossing campus on her way to a general education class when she immediately spotted Hyunoh among a group and stopped walking.
Hyunoh oppa!
Before he could notice her, she quickly hid behind a building.
She turned on her front camera, checked her lip color, reapplied her tint, and then carefully peeked around the corner, preparing to approach him.
“Oh my. Isn’t that Lee Dohan next to him?”
Campus was smaller than it seemed. Good-looking people always became known one way or another. And since Si-eun was well-connected and active in school life (except when it came to studying), she roughly knew about Dohan.
But Si-eun’s type had always been Hyunoh.
If there are a hundred women, there are a hundred different tastes.
Back in high school, she had been deeply into rock music, and she still didn’t like overly polished, stereotypically handsome guys.
She preferred men who gave off a free-spirited vibe—almost a little delinquent-looking.
But wait.
There were three people in that group. Two men and one woman.
Who was that girl standing between Hyunoh and Dohan?
“I’ve never seen those two with a single girl in between them like that.”
Si-eun narrowed her eyes, trying to get a better look at the girl’s face.
And when she finally recognized her—
Shin Yeonjae?!
Why is she here?
Si-eun’s mind spun rapidly. She had seen a similar scene just a few days ago.
Didn’t they say they weren’t close? Was that a lie? She didn’t even blink when she said it.
And more importantly—how is Shin Yeonjae of all people acquainted with Hyunoh oppa?
Si-eun knew Yeonjae.
Not very well—just a few conversations, since she was the sophomore vice representative.
Mostly things like asking whether she had paid her department fee or whether she would attend mandatory events.
One message in particular still stood out in her memory.
Are you attending the MT?
MT? I’m not going.
That was it.
No softening words. Just a blunt reply.
Reading it, Si-eun had thought:
So the rumors are true. She really has no manners.
Looking back now, Yeonjae had at least replied, unlike other students who left messages on read. In that sense, she had been more polite.
But based on the rumors surrounding Yeonjae, Si-eun interpreted it differently.
Yes. There had always been rumors.
She was pretty, so she must have a nasty personality. Rude. Crazy. Cold. Looks down on people.
None of it was positive.
Though the “pretty” rumor had faded after Yeonjae started wearing thick glasses following the freshman welcome party.
Anyway, who was Shin Yeonjae?
Someone who had spent an entire year in the department without forming any close relationships.
In a small department like Korean Literature, stories traveled easily. Among the girls, there were even whispers that Yeonjae had a scary aura.
But Si-eun, who had a good memory, also remembered how those rumors started.
She had confronted a senior at the freshman welcome party.
That incident had been quite a topic—spreading beyond the department and stirring up the whole school for a while.
Afterward, though, interest faded quickly since Yeonjae herself seemed indifferent to gossip.
Meanwhile, that senior continued to be avoided by freshman girls, and whenever Si-eun heard stories about him, she would sometimes think of Yeonjae.
But still—how does she know Hyunoh oppa?!
Kang Hyunoh and Shin Yeonjae.
No matter how much she racked her brain, she couldn’t find a convincing connection between them.
And it wasn’t just because Yeonjae was Yeonjae.
Kang Hyunoh was known for knowing a lot of people, yet he was also famous for never giving any room to girls who showed interest in him.
Any woman who wasn’t his girlfriend was treated like meaningless decoration on the side of the road.
He cut things off sharply—never eating alone with them, never walking home together.
Then why does he keep hanging around with Shin Yeonjae like they’re so close? How close are they? Are they dating?!
By then, the trio had disappeared from view. Si-eun stared at the empty space they had left behind.
Then she remembered that Yeonjae would be in the same major class that followed.
No matter what.
I will ask her.
At that moment, her head was filled not with thoughts of Hyunoh or Dohan—but only of Yeonjae.
That afternoon.
Wow. I’m still single, and you’re already making progress?
Wonder whose fault that is…
Whoever it is must be a real god, right?
As soon as they parted ways, Hyunoh’s message made Yeonjae type furiously while walking.
You don’t even care about girls that much, though…
Me?
Yeah.
Not true.
Are you really interested?
Nope lol.
Haha.
By the time their silly back-and-forth ended, she had arrived at the Humanities building.
Inside the major lecture room, students were scattered around as usual, chatting among themselves and not even noticing who came in.
There didn’t seem to be a place for Yeonjae there.
Not that I really want one.
As always, she chose an empty seat and sat down.
No one paid her much attention—just a brief glance at the sound of the chair scraping.
They were already sophomores. The students who were active in department life and those who quietly drifted through university had clearly split apart.
Surely she wasn’t the only ghost living invisibly in this classroom.
She had every intention of finishing her college life like this.
Just as that thought crossed her mind—
“Um…”
Someone tapped her on the back.
A now-familiar face.
Choi Si-eun, the sophomore vice representative of the Korean Literature department.
Last time, she had stopped Yeonjae in a similar way to ask about Hyunoh.
This time felt the same.
“Are you close with Hyunoh oppa?”
…Just like before. The exact same question, word for word.
