Ice Princess (1)
'I just thought she meant we'd attend class together, but did she mean meet up in front of school and head in as a pair?'
The timing was impeccable too. She showed up right at my usual commute time, holding bread and a drink like she'd been waiting for me.
'Well... at least I survived thanks to Yesul. Heh.'
Yesul stared at me blankly before shoving the bread and drink into my hands, then asked about what had just gone down in front of school.
"But you and those two looked kinda tense out there. What happened?"
"Huh? Oh... that. Mincheol sunbae is Yu-mi's boyfriend, and he hates seeing her hang around other guys. We just happened to run into her this morning on the way in, and boom—face-to-face. Man, I was scared shitless. You saw him too, right? That guy's built like a tank. Thought I was gonna get decked."
Yesul didn't buy my vague brush-off, her face saying she wasn't letting it slide.
"But you 'just happened' to run into her? What a coincidence. And if her senior boyfriend hates that so much, shouldn't she keep her distance from him?"
She's awfully persistent today?
I found it odd—Yesul was usually so attuned to others' feelings, always considerate. But here she was, prying like there was no tomorrow. I'd thought I'd signaled let's drop it, but apparently not.
"It was a coincidence, pure coincidence. We've bumped into each other on the way to school a few times before. Same deal today."
I didn't want to tell Yesul about me and Yu-mi. I knew Yu-mi wasn't the type to blab, but admitting I'd hooked up with a girl who had another guy? Even with a close friend like her, it felt... hesitant. Especially since she and Yun-su hadn't even gone that far yet.
Yesul stared right through me, like she was trying to pry the truth out.
"You said you were drinking with that sunbae last night. And now you're commuting together this morning? In the same clothes from yesterday?"
Gah!!
Her sharp jab at my outfit—same as Mincheol's—hit like a dagger. I flinched hard.
Shit... I blabbed about it in the group chat last night, didn't I?
Awkward under her suspicious gaze, I scrambled for an excuse.
"I got so wasted I crashed at a motel nearby. Yu-mi took a cab home. We texted about grabbing hangover soup this morning, but we both bailed 'cause it was a hassle. Then boom—ran into her on the way here. That's it."
"Hmmm..."
Her drawn-out hum made me desperate to change the subject. I yelled at her,
"Hey, hey—we're gonna be late for class. Our buildings are on opposite sides, so we gotta hustle."
"...Fine, let's go."
She didn't push further and followed me without a word.
****
The class Modern Advertising Expressions in Contemporary Culture was blatantly geared toward group projects from the syllabus announcement, and surprisingly, a ton of students had signed up—mostly freshmen who looked way too young.
These kids got no fear. Makes sense at Korea University—no one's gonna slack on group work here.
I'd seen horror stories on online forums about group project nightmares, but this school felt different.
Please... please... put me in a group with Yesul...
If I got grouped with her, I'd happily run coffee errands every day. At my repeater age, I doubted the younger kids would vibe with me calling them "hoobae" during group work. At least with Yesul, I'd have someone to chat casually with and actually enjoy it.
The professor had arrived and was introducing the course.
"I assume you've all reviewed the lecture style beforehand. Just to be sure: this class focuses on forming groups to share ideas, organize thoughts, and visualize them. Every lecture topic becomes material and reference, so you'll need consistent group work. Time to produce results will fly by, so let's form groups today."
Fuck... please, group me with Yesul.
I'd braced for this and signed up early to avoid awkward age gaps, but now that it was happening, anxiety kicked in.
As I eyed the prof nervously, he checked the electronic attendance list for the total headcount.
"Okay, 52 students. We'll do 13 groups of 4. I'll randomly assign based on the current attendance roster."
Yes! Let's go. God, you're on my side.
But the heavens screwed me. Yesul got slotted into Group 1 right off the bat and moved seats with the others. She gave a small wave as she walked away, and I felt my soul detaching from my body.
Fuck... right from the start...
Groups were called one by one, seats shuffling noisily, until the prof named mine.
"Next, Group 9: Kim Seonghwan, Class of '23. Min Yu-ri, Class of '23. Koo Hanjin, Class of '21. Park Younghan, Class of '21. That's it. Stand up, make eye contact, and move seats."
Wait? Min Yu-ri? Koo Hanjin? Park Younghan? ...What the hell?
The familiar names jolted me. I scanned the room and spotted them in a corner: two guys jumping up gleefully, and one girl sitting stone-still.
Shit?
Same college as me—Social Sciences. We didn't cross paths much now with different majors, but last year in gen-ed classes, we'd exchanged greetings as department-mates.
And they made me uncomfortable. More precisely, Min Yu-ri. Same year as me but two years younger. Unlike me, she got fawned over by all the seniors. And it was all because of her looks.
Snow-white skin, deep double eyelids, sharp jawline, perfect nose. Her aloof expression screamed untouchable elegance—like an ice princess straight out of anime.
In fact, Min Yu-ri had been infamous since high school, blowing up online forums. Her face rivaled any idol's; she was smart too. High schoolers posted her pics with specs, and they hit best-of status. Rumors swirled that agencies scouted her hard.
Guys swarmed her like she was a celebrity next door. But why'd any agency drop a beauty like that after one day? In my book, she wasn't cut out for the spotlight—not even as audience warm-up.
Put her in the crowd to clap? She'd just sit there, arms crossed, watching imperiously.
Look at her now—her sunbaes are up moving seats, and she's just sitting. Classic ice bitch, earning her keep on looks alone. Sigh... stuck serving three queens for this group project. Fuck.
One girl two years younger who wouldn't give me the time of day as "oppa," and two seniors older in credits but same age as me.
Killer combo. Ugh... guess I gotta move.
I grabbed my stuff, walked over, and bowed lightly.
"Hello, sunbaes. Not sure if you remember, but Kim Seonghwan, Class of '23."
Park Younghan, who'd already clocked me, grinned.
"Whoa, it is you. Thought it might be a namesake. Long time! You were in the back? We didn't spot you till your name got called. Lucky us—grouping up with familiar faces."
Koo Hanjin, same year as him, chimed in with a smile.
"Nice to see you. We signed up together hoping for this exact matchup. Heaven's on our side, haha. Sit here, Seonghwan—perfect spot."
Grateful for the warm welcome, I couldn't ignore Yu-ri completely. I turned to her.
"Hey. Long time."
"..."
She listened silently, then lifted her face to stare straight at me.
Whoa, fuck. She's even prettier now? ...Damn, she's gorgeous.
I had to admit it, locking eyes. Objectively, subjectively—Min Yu-ri was the hottest girl I'd ever seen. Separate from my crush on next-door noona Yeon, no denying it.
After an eternity of just staring, she finally turned toward the blackboard.
What a rude bitch. Pretty face wasted on that attitude. Straight-up ignoring me. Sigh... group project hell...
Truth was, it stung more because she responded to other sunbaes and peers with that haughty look—but barely acknowledged me.
Part of why I'd quit club activities? Her attitude. She'd turned away just like this the first time I'd mustered courage to greet her.
The sunbaes ignored it, fawning over her.
"Yu-ri, you said morning free after this? Wait at the cafe and grab lunch?"
"Me too, me too. Let's eat together."
"Don't you have class?"
"Class at lunch? Obviously after class. You were heading from the library, right? Gotta go there first?"
"..."
Hyenas jockeying for the doe, defying jungle law—right in front of me.
Jerks. Not even inviting me to eat...
The prof, seeing groups settled, added final instructions.
"One thing: you're now one unit. No swaps or fillers if someone drops or unenrolls. Responsibility is part of being a student—stick to my method. I'll grade solely on mid/final combined project, so discuss materials and direction early. Next class, submit your group leader. Dismissed."
He left, and the room buzzed again.
"Alright, pick a leader? With credits, should be you or me, Younghan."
"I'll do it. Always wanted to try."
"You? It'll be a hassle. Lemme handle it."
"Psh, no biggie. Trust me."
But their eyes kept flicking to Yu-ri. I saw right through it.
Obvious. Leader calls the shots on roles—means more time with her. Cute effort... I'm out.
I stood mid-convo.
"I'll head out first. Lectures ramp up next time—let's grind group work then."
Old me would've waited for a cue to leave. But post-last night, confidence surged.
New me. Radiating it. You can simp all day—good luck banging a Yu-mi-level girl.
As I scanned for Yesul to leave, a silky voice grabbed my ankle.
"Still into lewd stuff?"
Huh?
I whipped around. Yu-ri stared daggers.
Gah. Fuck. Stunning.
My body froze involuntarily.
"Still peeking at girls' sexy photos?"
"What... bullshit..."
I nearly cursed, catching myself.
Sexy? Photos? ...No way?