Chapter 13
The worst situations always hit right when you're riding high. The intense pleasure from last night's wild sex with Yumi was still lingering faintly, and then Yumi-sunbae had proposed we become friends with benefits. No strings attached, just pure, easy sex. For Seonghwan, who until yesterday hadn't even dreamed of this reality, it was thrilling enough on its own—but she had to go and leave him with that tantalizing hint of what their future might hold. He was floating on cloud nine.
But then, that bubble burst with a single shout echoing from the university's main gate that morning.
"Why the hell are you two coming in together?"
Seonghwan and Yumi whipped around at the voice behind them. Black hoodie emblazoned with a famous sports brand logo, matched perfectly with training pants from the same line in the same color. The outfit was ordinary, but fashion's all about who wears it. The guy striding toward them with a hardened glare was over 180cm tall, broad-shouldered and solidly built, his two-block haircut framing fierce eyebrows, a sleek jawline, and a rugged stubble that made him stand out.
Gulp... Of all the timing, running into Mincheol-sunbae the morning after banging Yumi-sunbae.
The man glaring murderously at Seonghwan was Yumi's boyfriend—the one who'd shown open hostility toward him ever since Seonghwan joined the club. He'd faded from memory during Seonghwan's club hiatus, but looking back, Mincheol had always been obsessively possessive about his girlfriend. That obsession sometimes spilled over into aggression toward other guys, though he usually restrained himself in front of Yumi.
But right now? Mincheol looked ready to deck Seonghwan if he so much as breathed wrong.
"Uh... good morning, sunbae."
Mincheol stalked right up, eyes locked on Seonghwan's bowed back as he bent at the waist in greeting.
"Skip the bullshit. Answer my question."
Seonghwan froze mid-bow. Straightening up felt like inviting a fist to his face if his poker face slipped. A bead of sweat trickled down his cheek in the chilly late-winter air.
His savior? Yumi herself—the girl he'd spent all day yesterday fucking.
"Why are you being such a dick this early? And why take it out on a junior?"
Yumi snarled at Mincheol, who shifted his glare from Seonghwan's back to her face.
"A dick? You think this is just me being pissy? That's all you see in how I'm feeling right now?"
Flames seemed to shoot from Mincheol's bulging eyes.
"Yumi, you tell me. Out of all the students heading in this morning, why are you two—different houses, different buses—stuck together like glue?"
"So what if our destinations match even if the routes don't? Were you babysitting my front door this morning? Should I climb the school fence just to make you happy?"
Yumi wasn't the submissive type with guys. It didn't matter if she'd once liked him; that didn't change her now. And Mincheol sure as hell wasn't the "whatever, it's fine" kind of guy—especially not when it involved Yumi.
But today, he was relentless.
"Your house? Yeah, that's what I mean. Forgot I hit the gym right by your place every morning? You didn't show today. I waited and waited, ditched my workout halfway, and stood around out front. When'd you even leave? I didn't catch a glimpse of you."
Seonghwan's heart plummeted.
Fuck... right. Mincheol-sunbae mentioned switching gyms near Yumi-sunbae's place to train together.
He'd heard Mincheol had moved his gym—far from campus—just to win her over. It wasn't just the gym; Mincheol dedicated nearly all his non-study, non-workout time to her. Lunch was a given, and even after class, he'd linger at the bus stop, acting cute for her despite his packed schedule. That's how he'd snagged Yumi, whose looks and body drew every guy's eyes on campus. She'd warmed to his aggressive pursuit.
"And come to think of it, Yumi—you're wearing the exact same outfit as yesterday? Haha... fucking hell. What the fuck is this?"
Yumi flinched at his words, glancing down at her clothes. Seonghwan's face drained of color in horror.
Mincheol eyed them both, his expression darkening as he clenched his fist and stepped toward Seonghwan.
"...Sunbae, it's like this..."
Seonghwan started to stammer an excuse, then squeezed his eyes shut at Mincheol's twisted scowl.
Busted. Fuck. There goes my college life—branded the asshole who stole his sunbae's girl.
As he braced for the punch, a woman's shout pierced his ears.
"Seonghwan!"
"...Huh?"
Seonghwan, Yumi, and Mincheol turned toward the voice.
"Seonghwan, why'd you go on without me? I told you to wait just a sec. Huff... huff..."
"Y-Yesul?"
Yesul—panting, hands on her knees from sprinting—stopped in front of him and caught her breath. Once steady, she straightened, shot him a scolding look, and laid into him.
"I said wait a bit. I went to grab you a sandwich and coffee from that side gate shop, and you couldn't hold out?"
"Huh?"
Seonghwan blinked at her in confusion. Sure enough, her hands clutched a sandwich and a coffee tumbler.
Did I ask her for that yesterday? And she timed it for my commute?
"Oh..."
Yesul finally noticed Yumi and Mincheol, dipping her head politely.
"Hi. Yoon Yesul, class of '21."
"...Yeah, hi. We've met a few times, right?"
Yumi eyed the sudden arrival warily but returned the greeting. Mincheol, caught off-guard, followed suit.
"Think I've seen you at the restaurant too. Seonghwan's friend?"
"Yep. We took a class together last semester."
Her bright smile softened the tense air considerably. But Mincheol's suspicions lingered.
"So... you got that for Seonghwan?"
He pointed at her hands. Yesul beamed and held them up.
"We chatted on the way in today—he skipped lunch yesterday and barely ate dinner. Told him to wait while I grabbed this, but he bolted."
Mincheol glanced between them skeptically.
"You two come to school together?"
"Yeah, pretty much every day. Unless our class schedules clash."
Hallelujah. All hail Yesul-nim. ...Wait, did we plan to walk in together today?
Seonghwan cheered inwardly at his surprise savior, but something nagged: he'd never suggested walking to school with her, and even if he had, meeting at the main gate instead of the bus stop made no sense. She'd shown up at his neighborhood stop a few times, sure, but syncing at the university entrance? Way more common to meet at a campus eatery for breakfast first.
Wait, where's Yun-su anyway?
Yumi voiced his curiosity, glancing around as if hunting for someone while actually watching Yesul.
"No boyfriend with you? Seonghwan mentioned you just reunited with yours after discharge."
"Our morning classes don't line up, so I came ahead. Only Seonghwan and I share this one."
"Hmm..."
Yumi studied her briefly, then nodded. An awkward silence settled over the four.
They stood staring, lost in thoughts, until Seonghwan broke it.
"Uh, anyway—Yesul, class? Time's getting tight. We've lingered here too long."
Yesul grinned, sidling up to him.
"Yeah, let's go. See you later."
"Heading to class, sunbaes."
"...Yeah, see you. You too, Seonghwan."
Ignoring Yumi's farewell, Seonghwan grabbed Yesul's shoulder and bolted. Yumi stared holes into their backs.
Mincheol scratched his head awkwardly and apologized to her.
"Babe... shit. My bad?"
She shot him a frosty glare.
"I'm heading in. Eat lunch alone. Need to be by myself today."
"Wait, Yumi—sorry, for real. But I was waiting by your place. Seeing you in yesterday's clothes with that punk? How could I not suspect?"
"I told you I was drinking with high school buddies last night. Got home late, crashed without showering, overslept, rushed out—no time to change. Happy?"
"But..."
Her excuse felt off to him, but he had no solid ground to press.
Fuck... this ain't right.
Yumi had already ditched him and stormed off. His gut screamed something was up between her and Seonghwan, but with her alibi backed by his friend, he couldn't push further.
****
"Wait, Yesul—did we actually plan to walk in together this morning? I don't remember that."
Seonghwan knew he wasn't the sharpest compared to her, but he wasn't so dim he'd forget a promise like that. Plus, she had Yun-su now—freshly discharged and reuniting. He hadn't made any solo plans with her this year out of respect, not wanting to cockblock the couple. He wasn't that clueless.
But Yesul looked at him like he was an idiot.
"You forget already? When we registered—Tuesday's the only day our gen-ed overlaps. Yun-su already took it, so it's just us. We said we'd go together."
"Huh?"
Of course he remembered. Among the required gen-eds was "Advertising Techniques in Modern Culture." Think creatively, then promote your ideas via modern media—posters, videos, social posts. Basically, turn a theme into a killer ad.
Sounded fun and creative on paper, but it was a group project class. Seonghwan had noped out hard knowing that.
But gen-eds were mandatory unless you planned to drop out. No escaping it eventually.
His buddy Yun-su? Total weirdo who'd dreamed of group projects since freshman year. Brainstorming, collaborating, making friends, after-parties—the works. Seonghwan called him a freak but secretly envied his social confidence.
Back when Yun-su and Yesul were freshmen, he'd begged her to take it together. Easy gen-ed with her boyfriend? She signed up. Day one, after hearing the prof's plan, she dropped it.
The prof—unusually—randomly assigned groups to prevent cliques. Yesul landed in one full of 3rd- and 4th-year guys.
Creepy smiles at intros, free coffee... she bolted.
Her reason? "Cigarette stench was unbearable. They'd step out mid-chat for a smoke, sip coffee, repeat. Guys tag-teaming chain-smoking? Kill me."
Coffee and cigs... she called it smoke, but it was breath for sure. She could've dragged Yun-su to drop too, but nah—his group was prime: enthusiastic 3rd-years around a eager freshman. Perfect ratio.
So she ghosted without telling him; he'd have ditched his dream team for her.
Thus, Seonghwan—the eternal delayer—and Yesul—the smoker escapee—teamed up for the same cursed class.