Geum Seong-muk's Flashback - 1
A dimly lit room.
Seo Ye-bin had buried her face in the pillow.
"Haa..."
She let out deep, heavy sighs.
She checked Hwang Tae-gang's message one more time.
"Someone nice..."
The saying that time heals all wounds, that one person replaces another.
Ye-bin knew it well enough.
She'd gone on a few blind dates, but none of them stirred her heart.
Of course, Seong-muk wasn't perfect.
Right before they broke up, he'd shown her plenty of trashy sides. But knowing the circumstances behind it all, even now, after the split, thoughts of Seong-muk haunted her.
Still, two major roadblocks loomed largest.
One was the amnesia. The other was Olivia's existence.
'...They suit each other, honestly.'
Olivia's father, Godwin Ramsay, had near-chaebol-level wealth, but as someone who'd risen from the bottom, he lacked the pointless elitism of born heirs.
In a family like that, Seong-muk could fit right in without issue.
She couldn't picture herself breaking through those barriers to stand by his side again.
'...I need to move on.'
Her head knew it, but her heart wouldn't comply.
Finally steeling herself, Ye-bin messaged Hwang Tae-gang right away.
Asking him to arrange one last meeting with Seong-muk.
She planned to say her final goodbye there and close the book for good.
But...
"Urk...!"
The moment Seong-muk saw Ye-bin, he clutched his head.
Then thud—he collapsed, losing consciousness completely.
"What do I do, Seong-muk...!!"
Ye-bin rushed over in shock.
Even slapping his cheeks frantically, he wouldn't wake.
He was lost in a deep dream.
A long, endless dream, one that would only end after reliving years of the past.
Geum Seong-muk and Seo Ye-bin.
To understand their first encounter, they had to go further back in time.
Ye-bin met Hwang Tae-gang, that dumb-looking boy, at an English kindergarten when they were young.
"Apple is apple! Pear is boat!"
"Apple is, hehe, I dunno..."
He couldn't even mimic what the other kids picked up easily, always sniffling with snot running down his face. Soon enough, Hwang Tae-gang transferred to a regular kindergarten.
They crossed paths again at a prestigious private middle school—one of those elite Busan spots where only kids from well-off families could get in. There, Ye-bin drew tons of attention.
"Get in with her, and your luck's made! Befriend Ye-bin no matter what!"
"The Yujin Group heiress! If my son connects with her...?"
Dozens of kids approached her, egged on by parents with agendas.
But even as a kid, Ye-bin had a knack for seeing through people. She could spot the ulterior motives a mile away.
Except for one: Hwang Tae-gang. With his simple, stubborn, kinda dim nature, he made a decent friend.
"I like gentle girls. Someone as feisty as you? Ugh, no thanks."
"Yeah, well, I wouldn't date an ugly kid like you anyway, so don't worry."
"Gahk...!!"
Not being each other's type actually helped them bond.
Through all of middle school, countless guys confessed to her, but she graduated single. Curious, Hwang Tae-gang asked about it.
"Hey, you never date?"
"I'd need someone worth my time."
"What kinda guy's your type?"
"Hmm, clean-cut face, tall, fun to hang with, smart, ripped but not bulky?"
"...You're gonna end up with some bad boy and suffer, mark my words."
Whack!
"Gyaak!!"
Hwang Tae-gang hopped around clutching his shin.
Ye-bin had high standards and firm ideals for guys. She figured his prediction was impossible.
Then she entered high school at Bujeon High, Busan's top academy.
She got massive attention there too.
Guys and girls alike approached, hoping for scraps of her favor.
Her response was simple: Slice through the guys ruthlessly, but don't outright reject the girls.
She figured more girls meant fewer thirsty guys, and plenty of handmaidens weren't a bad deal.
One day, waiting to eat lunch with Hwang Tae-gang.
'He said he'd bring another friend today.'
As she waited, Ye-bin met that guy for the first time.
"Yo."
"...Who are you, and how do you know me?"
Blond hair, tanned skin.
Ye-bin's face soured at the cocky approach. Had to be another gold-digger sniffing out her background.
"Nah, don't know you. What's your name?"
"Ugh, this pattern again. So tired of it..."
Ye-bin sighed.
To shake him off, she went harsh.
"I hate guys like you. No interest—buzz off."
"Guys like me how?"
He pushed back even after her bite.
Ye-bin unloaded.
"Dyeing your hair blond for no reason, drooling over every pretty girl, every move screaming lowlife thug?"
"Whoa, harsh. You even know me?"
"Do I need to?"
Cold tension hung between them.
It broke when Hwang Tae-gang showed up.
"Oh, you two already met?"
"We two...?"
Ye-bin tilted her head.
She glanced between Hwang Tae-gang and the guy.
"So you're..."
"Hey, I'm Tae-gang's friend, Geum Seong-muk."
"Eh...?"
From then on, their paths crossed more.
Still, just "friend of a friend" vibes—awkward silence without Tae-gang around.
"........."
"........."
Ye-bin felt weird about her rude first impression, and Seong-muk seemed to sense it, never pushing closer.
Tension simmered, but nothing sparked.
Until one day in Ye-bin's top-tier class at Bujeon High. That's when the mood shifted.
"Hi, I'm Kim Juae, transfer from Seoul!"
The new girl from Seoul turned out to be from the rising chaebol Sunryu Group.
She quickly became the talk of the school.
Kim Juae, used to being top dog everywhere, wanted the same here. But Ye-bin already ruled the peak.
"Hmph, Seo Ye-bin, huh..."
Hearing about her, Kim Juae decided: She'd topple Ye-bin and claim the throne.
That's when it started.
Rumors about Ye-bin began to spread.
"Heard Seo Ye-bin abused regular employees on a group office tour...?"
"Gasp! No wonder she seemed so punchable."
"She even did sex favors for execs from other groups...!"
"Gross, what a slut!"
"Seo Ye-bin, seriously..."
"...She did it to me last time, I'm telling you."
"Yeah, for real? I saw it!"
The rumors snowballed uncontrollably.
"Hey, kids, wanna grab lunch together?"
"Sorry, prior plans!"
"Me too...!"
"...?"
By the time Ye-bin sensed something off, it was too late.
Faces that smiled sweetly yesterday now scowled and dodged her.
The new hub: Kim Juae's side.
Kim Juae bought loyalty with lavish gifts.
'Unlike stingy Seo Ye-bin, I take care of my friends!'
Her status soared daily, while Ye-bin endured hell.
"......"
In her desk, a paper reading "pathetic bitch." Opening her locker for gym clothes revealed a soggy, stinking rag.
pathetic bitch
Her body trembled.
Tears welled, but she swallowed them.
She brainstormed solutions.
Using the group's power was out.
Mobilizing authority to crush kids would end her normal school life.
Transferring? No way.
Sure, she hadn't babied her friends, but nothing warranted this bullying. Why should she run while the culprits stayed?
Just ideals, though.
For a delicate girl, it was overwhelming.
Running into Hwang Tae-gang by chance, Ye-bin sat on a bench with his crew and broke down, spilling everything.
"Hic, sob, what did I do wrong? Those bitches, hic..."
"...Hmm."
Hwang Tae-gang looked troubled.
He'd heard about Ye-bin's drama but felt awkward meddling in girl fights.
Then Seong-muk, listening quietly from behind, spoke up.
"...Know who's leading it?"
"Kim Juae, probably, but not sure."
"Hm, gotcha."
Seong-muk stroked his chin.
Standing from the bench, he tossed out casual advice.
"Don't come to school for a bit."
"What? Who are you to—"
"Shut it. Cool your head first."
He left those words and vanished.
Ye-bin was dumbfounded.
A block away in a deserted spot, Seong-muk lit a crumpled cigarette and gazed at the sky.
"...Trash who bully people. Always the same."
Having clawed through the mud since childhood, solving this was child's play for Seong-muk.