Little Han Taeho at Baekje University English Department
Park Woo-jin wore a confident smirk. The car he'd driven today immediately stole everyone's attention. It wasn't quite a Porsche 718 or 911, but it was unmistakably a sleek, high-end sports car. As it passed through the main gate of Baekje University, heads turned.
"Whoa, what's the occasion today?"
"Nice cars keep rolling in."
Basking in all those stares, Park Woo-jin's shoulders rose higher and higher. Among Baekje University students, car owners were the kings anyway. With the campus surrounded by open fields, you needed a vehicle to get anywhere. And this was a Porsche, no less.
You peasants will never afford something like this in your lifetime.
With that smug thought, Park Woo-jin strode boldly onto campus. But as he headed to the parking lot, he froze.
"Shit. What the hell? Why's there a Ferrari here?"
An elegant beast occupying three parking spots. Just seeing it made Park Woo-jin shrink a bit.
Why the hell is there a Ferrari at our school?
Baekje University was a bottom-tier school even in Daejeon. For a top-of-the-line luxury supercar like that to show up here was baffling. It left Park Woo-jin utterly flustered.
"...Insane. A Ferrari, of all things."
And on the very first day he'd finally brought his own car to show off. The Ferrari had swooped in and stolen all his spotlight. He bit his lip hard.
Fuck.
Just moments ago, cruising through the gate in his Porsche had felt amazing. Now that high crashed straight to the bottom. He swallowed his irritation for now.
Whatever. So-hyeon noona probably can't even tell a Porsche from a Ferrari anyway.
Clinging to that excuse, he started walking again. His destination was the library. Kim So-hyeon, the queen of the English department. He'd finally scored a date with her—lunch together. That's why he'd brought the car. They'd have to leave campus to eat properly.
But then...
"Huh? Let's just eat on campus."
"Why bother going out?"
"But I even brought my car..."
"Gas is expensive."
Gas money? Who cares about that? Park Woo-jin had planned to put Kim So-hyeon in the passenger seat of his Porsche, cost be damned. But she was being way too casual about it.
"We'll eat at the cafeteria. My treat."
"...No, I'll pay."
"Nope. I told you, I'm not letting a junior buy for me."
A reasonable suspicion crept in.
Is she avoiding going out because she thinks it'll mean an expensive meal?
It irked him. Saving a few bucks on food wasn't the point right now. All he wanted was to cruise in his cool car with a beauty by his side. But Kim So-hyeon had no idea about his grand vision.
"The food here's not bad once you get used to it."
Park Woo-jin couldn't agree, but he had no choice. He followed her up the stairs.
"Man, I wish our school had elevators. It's already on a hill, and now more stairs."
"Yeah? Maybe you need to work out more, Woo-jin."
Park Woo-jin's face flushed red. His casual remark had backfired, costing him points.
Damn it.
Just as the two entered the cafeteria above the library, Park Woo-jin's eyes were drawn to a woman. She was paying at the kiosk ahead of them. Dressed in a black dress, her curves from waist to hips were a work of art.
Whoa.
Even from behind, she was striking enough to turn heads. A glimpse of her profile showed a pretty face and ample chest. She could hold her own against Kim So-hyeon, which surprised him.
"Huh?"
As Park Woo-jin got lost in her looks for a moment, Kim So-hyeon noticed her too. With a startled voice, she said,
"You're So-jeong, right?"
Hearing that, Park Woo-jin realized who she was.
The queenka from the French department!
The senior who stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Kim So-hyeon. Seeing her in person for the first time, Park Woo-jin confirmed the rumors were true. And today, Moon So-jeong had clearly dressed to kill, fresh from the salon, all sultry intent.
"Huh?"
Coming face-to-face with her alluring front, Park Woo-jin's heart pounded.
Then he noticed the man beside her.
Boyfriend...?
Made sense, given her looks. But checking him out...
What the? Who's this pretty-boy looking dude?
Birds of a feather, huh?
Shin Jaewoo, holding hands with Moon So-jeong, observed the pair with interest. Kim So-hyeon did the same, scanning them both.
"So-jeong, what brings you to campus? Transferring back? And... who's the guy? Boyfriend?"
"Ah, not that serious yet."
"Not yet, huh?"
Birds of a feather indeed—Moon So-jeong and Kim So-hyeon were chummy. Kim So-hyeon pounced on So-jeong's flustered slip-up. So-jeong's face and neck flushed red.
"N-no, that's not... Anyway, what about you? Here with your boyfriend?"
"Hmmm, nice try changing the subject... Oh, this is our English department junior. I owed him a meal from before."
Unlike So-jeong's fumble, Kim So-hyeon's words flowed smoothly. Park Woo-jin bit his lip.
Just a junior...
It stung. She still saw him that way. And he didn't like Shin Jaewoo either. This alpha-male type who seemed to have Moon So-jeong—a beauty on par with or better than Kim So-hyeon—in the bag.
Die!
All good-looking guys needed to drop dead.
"Ahem. Hi, sunbae. You're from French lit, right?"
He'd heard her name earlier but hadn't committed it to memory. Park Woo-jin straightened his clothes and offered a handshake, subtly flashing his watch.
This here's a Rolex.
Not the world's priciest brand, but the iconic men's luxury watch. At least that's how he saw it. Even his entry-level model cost around five million won.
This is my level.
He wasn't hiding his wealth.
"Park Woo-jin, English department sophomore."
"...Nice to meet you. Moon So-jeong, French lit sophomore on leave."
So-jeong shook his hand reluctantly. Park Woo-jin caught her eyes lingering on his watch before flicking away.
Heh. Knew it. Classy, right?
He glanced at Shin Jaewoo. Even to another guy, the man was handsome. Probably reeled in So-jeong with that face. But faces only got you so far.
Women are so damn shrewd.
They were vainer than men. As the saying went, women were the real social animals. They hated falling behind in their circle. While he exchanged greetings with So-jeong, Kim So-hyeon eyed Shin Jaewoo appraisingly and greeted him.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Kim So-hyeon, So-jeong's friend."
"...Shin Jaewoo, So-jeong's high school senior."
"Ah, so that's the connection? High school sunbae-hoobae?"
Kim So-hyeon's interest deepened. She said,
"Fancy running into you. Wanna join us for lunch?"
So-jeong wanted to say no immediately. But the one in control here wasn't her—it was Shin Jaewoo. And he'd been asked directly.
"Sure, why not."
He had no reason to refuse.
So-jeong's been out of the loop for a while... Better to hear the real campus scoop from current students.
He was curious about these two. Park Woo-jin's gaze wasn't friendly, but that was fine. Looking at him, Shin Jaewoo felt...
Just like looking at my little bro.
The "little bro" being Han Taeho, of course. Total Little Han Taeho vibes.
In that case, this'll be easy.
That thought solidified once they sat at a table. Park Woo-jin casually placed his Porsche key on the table.
"I was gonna take noona out somewhere nice, but she insisted on here."
"Sorry for not treating you to something fancy."
"Nah, noona. When did I ever ask? Lunch is on me."
This Little Han Taeho seemed into Kim So-hyeon.
Looks like he's eyeing Nyanbyeol too, but...
Still, no major mistakes so far. He was pursuing So-hyeon while respecting boundaries—especially with Shin Jaewoo as So-jeong's goalkeeper. But dropping that line was a subtle flex to everyone: I have a car. The Porsche key was his trophy.
Cute.
Shin Jaewoo chuckled softly. He knew exactly what to do. He'd learned from Han Taeho how to handle these types. Simple: play along at their level.
Shin Jaewoo placed his own key on the table.
It was the Ferrari key.