Chapter 1
Chapter 1
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: When I Returned to School, the Goddess Knew Me
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March on campus was dazzling to a cruel degree.
The school was gripped by an epidemic called excitement.
New freshmen decked out in brand-new uniforms clustered together, their laughter ringing out. The air buzzed with the fresh scent of budding crushes everywhere you looked, and the lecture halls brimmed with electric anticipation.
For me, Kang Minwoo—a returning student stepping back onto campus after two years in the military—it all felt like a profound disconnect.
'I wanna go home.'
I'd buried my face in a textbook at the farthest corner seat in the massive lecture hall of Building 304.
While I'd rotted away those two years in the army, most of my classmates had graduated or jumped into the job market. All that was left for me were awkward underclassmen and unfamiliar classroom vibes.
My goal for the semester wasn't anything grand. Romantic campus life? That was a luxury I couldn't afford.
Just lay low like I was dead, scrape together some credits, and quietly snag that diploma. That was it.
"Alright, everyone saw the orientation materials, right? The core of this 'Consumer Behavior Theory' class is the final group project."
The moment the word "group project" left the professor's mouth at the podium, a collective groan rippled through the room.
Whoa... damn.
"Professor, please... no."
"I hate group projects so much..."
I frowned and clicked my ballpoint pen against my teeth.
If it was a solo report, I could pull an A+ pulling an all-nighter. Group work? Especially mixed with 24th and 25th Class kids?
For a returning student treated like a fossil, there was no harsher punishment.
Why do all these profs love group projects so much?
"Form your own groups. Four per team. I'll give you time now, so sort it out and submit the lists. Anyone who doesn't? I'll pair you up myself."
The room erupted into chaos the second the professor finished.
Students glanced around, then quickly clustered with close friends like they'd planned it all along.
I propped my chin on my hand and stared blankly at the frenzy.
No one I knew anyway. I'd just wait it out and tag along with whatever leftovers formed a misfit group.
That's when it happened.
The buzzing noise in the room dropped like someone had turned down the volume dial.
Gazes snapped toward the front door in unison.
"Whoa... it's Yoon Seo-ah."
"Insane. You see her outfit today?"
"Is she seriously not a celeb? Nah, she's prettier than one."
Yoon Seo-ah.
A name I'd heard drilled into my skull back in the army by some junior.
The legendary freshman who'd crashed the school forum the day she enrolled in our department. Not just pretty-faced, but an angel personality too—earning her the title "Business School Goddess."
I looked up toward the entrance.
White off-shoulder knit top hugging her figure, slim jeans highlighting her lines. Long straight hair swaying down to her waist. She stood out like she didn't belong.
The guys gawked slack-jawed; the girls shot looks laced with envy and jealousy.
'Damn, she's gorgeous.'
That was my only thought.
She's from a whole different world than me.
Getting tangled with a social queen like that? Nothing but headaches. I'd have to treat her like royalty, and her entourage of noisy flies would swarm.
I lost interest and ducked my head back to fiddle with my phone. Tonight's lunch—pork cutlet from the cafeteria?
But contrary to my expectations, the commotion didn't die down. If anything, it felt like the eye of the storm was shifting my way.
"Seo-ah, Junior! Join our group? My bro says he'll handle all the research!"
"Hey, Yoon Seo-ah! Seat's open here! Team up with us!"
She was swarmed in seconds.
Especially the guys with waxy hair, practically drooling as they pitched recruitment like it was courtship.
Among them, I spotted Park Jin-tae, the Student Council President, decked out in his department jacket, strutting like he owned the place.
"Hey, Seo-ah Junior. You know me, right? Student Council President Park Jin-tae."
He flashed a sleazy grin, blocking her path and deliberately brushing back his hair to show off the luxury watch on his wrist.
"For this group project, I've got all the answer keys. I know exactly what the prof likes. Join us, and bro'll give you a free ride. Just slap your name on the presentation."
Blatant pickup line. Jeers erupted around him, but Park Jin-tae didn't flinch.
Yoon Seo-ah's brows twitched in distress as she flashed the world's most harmless smile.
"Oh, Jin-tae Senior... that's so kind of you. Sorry."
Even her rejection was so sweet and polite that Park Jin-tae's face flushed red with embarrassment.
"Huh? Why? Got someone already? You don't know many people."
"I do. Over there."
Her slender white finger sliced through the air, pointing straight to the back corner of the room.
Dozens of eyes followed her fingertip.
And there I was, mouth agape mid-yawn.
'...Me?'
I twisted around, half-expecting a ghost behind me.
No ghost.
Looking front again, Yoon Seo-ah was weaving through the crowd, heading my way.
Click-clack, click-clack, click-clack.
The crisp heels echoed closer, syncing weirdly off-beat with my heartbeat.
Whispers crashed over me like waves.
"What? She knows that guy?"
"First time seeing him. Who is he?"
"Whoa, Yoon Seo-ah approaching first? What's this guy's deal?"
She reached my desk and leaned down, eye-level with me.
Up close... yeah, okay, I'll admit it. Unreal.
Porcelain skin without a single flaw, clear brown eyes shadowed by long lashes, full red lips slightly parted.
She smiled brightly, her eyes curving into crescents, sweetening the air around us.
"Hi, Senior."
I nodded awkwardly, my eyes under the cap brim darting lost for somewhere to land.
Wasn't even holding her hand or anything. But mine was shaking.
"Uh... hi? Think you got the wrong guy. Don't know you."
"Kang Minwoo Senior, right? Business Major, 19th Class."
How'd she know my name? No uniform, no name tag.
Reading my wary look, she tucked a strand of hair shyly behind her ear and added,
"Heard about the returning student list from the department TA. Since you're back this semester... I've actually heard a lot about you before. They say you crushed projects as a freshman. A hidden ace."
Total bullshit.
Freshman year, I was just a slacker boozing with buddies and hitting pool halls. GPA barely scraped over 3.0. Project ace? No way that rumor existed.
But her face was so innocently convinced it made me wonder if I'd forgotten something.
"So, anyway... wanna team up with me? I'll work super hard. I'm not the type to coast on looks."
She clasped her hands, pleading earnestly.
At the same time, I felt the stares of every guy in the room boring into my skull.
Park Jin-tae's face especially twisted like he wanted to devour me.
Warning lights flashed.
Reject her. Instinct screamed sirens.
Get mixed up with the department idol? My "quiet, peaceful college life" would shatter instantly.
Gossip fodder daily, pointless rivalries—guaranteed.
"Sorry, I'm doing solo or just with whoever's left..."
"Has to be you, Senior."
Firm interruption.
She was still smiling, but her voice carried an edge.
She stepped closer. Leaning over the desk, a whiff of shampoo hit me, short-circuiting my brain.
"Everyone else... I can tell they're just after me. I really need to study hard for that scholarship. I want someone solid and reliable like you, Senior. Please? I'll buy meals, coffee—everything."
Her fingers grazed my sleeve end.
Slender white digits. And those big eyes welling up...
I let out a short sigh.
Damn, what chance does a guy fresh off two army years have?
No defense against tears or that "only you, Oppa" gaze.
"...Fine. But you better work hard. My GPA matters."
"Really? Yay! Thank you, Senior!"
Yoon Seo-ah beamed like she'd won the world. The smile was so bright it left me dazed for a sec.
She plopped her designer bag on the empty seat beside me and sat down.
"Please take care of me from today, Minwoo Senior."
"Yeah... sure."
"Minwoo Senior" from her lips felt oddly ticklish.
Every guy in the room glared murderously, but the milk was spilled.
I pulled my cap lower, dodging eyes. A tiring semester—no, a warzone semester—loomed ahead.
I had no idea back then.
That the way she looked at me wasn't simple kindness.
The class dragged on boringly.
The prof's "orientation" was just self-aggrandizing ramble; I pinched my thigh to fight sleep.
Yoon Seo-ah beside me? Straight-backed, hanging on every word. Taking meticulous notes too.
'Not just a pretty face—she's actually a model student.'
I whistled inwardly.
God's unfair. Crafts someone with it all, then half-asses a guy like me?
"Senior, check this."
She nudged my arm.
Her notebook had cute handwriting:
[Prof's talking too fast, right? ㅠㅠ]
I smirked and scribbled in my note's corner:
[He's always like that. Just skim it.]
She giggled behind her hand at my writing.
Pretty cute. My lips tugged up unconsciously.
She's not bad. Kinda nice even...
"......"
Suddenly, her eyes flicked to my wrist. Specifically, my watch.
For a split second, her gaze darkened oddly.
"Nice watch, Senior."
"Huh? Oh, bought it in the army. Cheap thing."
"No way, it suits you perfectly. Rugged... sexy."
Sexy?
The watch, or me?
Probably the former, but the latter almost fluttered my heart.
My neck heated; I cleared my throat.
"Ahem. Thanks."
After class, heading out.
She snagged my number, sad she had a liberal arts class next.
"Saved it? I'll Kakao you! Don't skip lunch!"
I tilted my head watching her wave goodbye.
Overly friendly. Even for a nice personality, why so warm to a drab stranger like me? Not like I'm a chaebol heir.
'Guess she's just outgoing. Pretty girls are supposed to be sweet.'
I shrugged it off and headed to the back smoking area for a cig, phone buzzing in my pocket.
Yoon Seo-ah paused at the hallway's end, just before the stair corner.
Her bright smile vanished like erased. Blank face, staring at her phone.
Ice-cold gaze.
The screen showed the number she'd just saved: Kang Minwoo's.
[♥My Minwoo Senior♥]
Her white thumb caressed his name tenderly, preciously.
"Found you."
Her murmur held no laughter. Thick, chilling ecstasy oozed instead.
"Took so long... not letting go this time."
She glanced around—no one—then pressed lips firm to the screen with his number.
A soft smack echoed in the quiet hall.
Those clear brown eyes suddenly gleamed murky with sticky desire.
Her wallpaper flashed briefly.
An enlarged group photo from basic training: Kang Minwoo in uniform.
Red circle only around his face.
"That Park Jin-tae punk... daring to show off in front of Senior?"
Her brows furrowed, like spotting a nasty bug.
"Gotta clean up the flies buzzing around Senior first. He deserves only purity."
She looked up again, perfect "Business School Goddess" smile back in place.