Whispers of the Fantasy Species
"If it's our department's fantasy species... That has to be the guy you're talking about, right? His name was... Yuhan?"
"Yeah. Yuhan."
"Didn't he... basically never show up to events like this?"
"Basically? He hasn't shown up to a single one since enrollment."
In simple terms, he was the type who completely ignored department life. Normally, no one should even know someone like that existed in the department, but even so, Yuhan was surprisingly famous—not just in the department, but across the whole school.
And it went without saying that it was all because of his looks. Of course, Yuhan—who'd had some bad experiences because of his appearance—tended to bundle up head to toe whenever he went out, except at home. But even he had moments where he couldn't hide his face.
Exams. He had to show his bare face every time for ID checks against his student photo, and after it happened over and over, he naturally became famous. You know, the rumor: "There's this gorgeous guy in our department who hides his face like a celebrity in disguise—he could outshine most idols."
A few people who'd heard the rumors or seen him in person tried to get close using shared classes as an excuse, but not a single one succeeded in befriending him. The moment anyone got even a little clingy, Yuhan wouldn't show up to the next class at all.
That was a big reason why he got that ridiculous nickname, fantasy species. Try to get friendly, and poof—the next day, it's like he never existed. Of course that nickname would stick.
Anyway, the key point was that this guy—who'd been a total ghost since enrollment—was now expressing interest in a department event for the first time. And Se-rin, who had a duty to make sure the freshman retreat went off without a hitch for the new students, had no intention of letting this opportunity slip.
"Hey."
"Uh, yeah?"
"You know a lot of people, right?"
"Yeah, I do..."
"Then starting now, casually spread the word. The fantasy species is coming to the retreat."
"I-is that okay? What if he hears about it and suddenly backs out..."
We're screwed, right? Se-rin caught the worry plain on Jin-hee's face and shook her head firmly. In her mind, the odds of that happening were basically zero. Hearing rumors about himself only worked if he had people in the department who knew him, right? No need to worry about that.
What they needed to worry about now was how to screen the flood of applicants who'd go crazy and sign up once the news leaked.
"But don't make it too obvious."
"G-got it. Oh, what about you then?"
"Me?"
That was obvious. She had to grab this lifeline that dropped from the sky and tie it down tight before it vanished. That was her top priority right now.
'Shit, if I'd known it'd turn out like this...'
I should've just exempted his fee separately from the group text I sent him...
He'd volunteered so readily, so the chances were low, but what if he changed his mind over the fee? 'Should I just cover it for him?'
The fee was 50,000 cash. They'd booked the best facilities their budget allowed, but even accounting for that, it wasn't cheap. With that money, you could order two full-sized fried chickens—not the sneaky "two-bird set" that was really one and a half—twice over. Or hit the PC bang for a 50-hour all-you-can-play pass. Karaoke? You could scream till your voice gave out and still have change. It wasn't pocket change for her either.
But if spending it meant getting a full three-day course of the fantasy species' face—something you could barely glimpse even during the semester? And if it breathed new life into their doomed retreat? And if it let her build a connection with Yuhan, who never let anyone get close...?
'...Isn't 50,000 a bargain?'
Three massive perks for a measly 50,000. No more agonizing needed.
The problem? Yuhan already knew about the fee. Bluntly waiving it might trigger his usual pattern and make him withdraw big time. She needed an excuse. A solid reason to comp his fee.
'Ah.'
It hit her: He was the first to reply to her group text. Didn't new stores or marts give perks to their first customers? If the student council covered it as a "first applicant special," that could work. For an on-the-spot excuse, it was pretty damn solid. Se-rin nodded, satisfied.
Now she just needed to reply. As she glanced down at her phone, her eyes landed on Yuhan's message. How long she stared like that...
"Heehee..."
A giggle like a kid with a secret slipped out, and pure joy lit up Se-rin's face. Yeah, even as student council president—with all that responsibility—she was still just a woman in her prime, crazy about hot guys and naughty stuff like anyone else.
Grinning ear to ear, she started typing a reply to Yuhan. Super careful, double-checking for typos.
She wrote out a draft, thought it was too long and deleted it, then rewrote because it felt too short—repeat. Meanwhile, what was Yuhan up to?
'What's taking so long? No reply?'
He was chilling, browsing Sena's Vtube channel, waiting patiently.
'Did it fill up already?'
He'd replied right away when he saw it, but honestly, not that quick. Maybe, he thought, smacking his lips in mild disappointment—
Ding!
The sharp chime halted the fun video he'd been watching. The awaited text was here. He checked: one message, looking hastily typed.
Followed by a correction. Still typos, though. Looked like she panicked over the first one—he'd play dumb.
He was about to ask for the account to pay the fee when...
So that's how it was. Reeked of a hasty excuse, but no need to pry. They were waiving money I was supposed to pay—why question it?
She griped once, then started sending details on schedules and such. Staring at the phone dinging nonstop felt weirdly good. Everything was in the group text already, but she was retyping it all—must be into me.
'Well, duh.'
Who wouldn't be?
She seemed ready to keep texting excuses forever, so he wrapped it up vaguely, got up from the bed, and headed to the bathroom. Annoying, but Jina would drag him to the gym soon anyway—better wash up early.
'Oh right.'
Needed to tell them about the retreat. Everyone else would be fine, but Jina... Day three of training, and from what she'd shown so far, no way she'd let him go easy.
Even if he'd already paid, she couldn't block it outright... but 'What if she trains me till I collapse?'
Couldn't rule it out. When he said he'd guest on Sena's stream, Jina squeezed his stamina till he was on the brink. A school event? Three days and nights away? Unimaginable hell.
But he couldn't hide it, so he waited for a good mood and casually brought it up while she fixed his awkward leg form—
"...What?"
Jina's face went dark instantly. She'd been all smiles seconds ago.
'What the...'
Did I slip? How does a face flip like that in a heartbeat? Even pros couldn't pull it off.
And it wasn't just her face. Her grip on his leg tightened—gruuumph—still bearable, but...
"Huh? Yuhan. Say it again."
"Uh... I'm going to the freshman retreat. So no workouts from Thursday to Saturday..."
"Thursday to Saturday—that's two nights, three days?"
"Y-yeah? Noona, my leg's starting to hurt..."
"Two nights, three days?"
My bad. Should've waited till she wasn't holding me.
Squiiiish—
In seconds, her hands clamped his knee like a vice. Veins bulging on her knuckles—she was squeezing like a lemon. If it were a real lemon, it'd be pulp by now. Mine felt next.
"Yuhan."
"Y-yeah."
"How many days since you started training?"
"Two...?"
"Yeah, day two. Tomorrow's three."
"..."
"Thursday... that's day five?"
Jina glared murderously. Not even a week in, and already skipping? Why ask me to train you then?
"You gonna keep disappointing noona like this?"
'Damn...'
Expected pushback, not this guilt trip. Had to admire it. But no backing down.
"I... was gonna say no, but a friend begged, like, 'Please just once?'..."
No friends in Yuhan's phone—or life. Too handsome; guys stayed away, or maybe he didn't bother. 'Don't really care.'
Key was Jina knew that. Fake-friend excuse to provoke her—and bingo.
"A friend?"
"Yeah."
"...A girl? From your department?"
"Said friend. Obviously a guy."
"How'd you meet?"
Didn't expect this grilling, but easy enough to dodge. At the end...
"...Fine. Guess can't be helped. Go ahead."
Permission granted.
"Wait."
What?
"Upperclassmen can drive separately, right?"
"Uh, probably... Not sure..."
"Should be fine. Noona'll drive you."
"O-okay..."
Well, permission secured anyway...
"Better than a cramped bus for you, right Yuhan?"
"Y-yeah..."
Good enough. He nodded eagerly, affirming her words in his head.