Han Ri Ta left the library that day starstruck by Yeorin, "How could one be so perfect at what he does, how could he be so cool and cold and dashing and cute at the same time?" Her mind raced through things. In all her time on earth, and Jukheon (even since high school), no one had ever been like that to her, not even the leader of the Top Tier Boys - Bang Su Ki. They all fell, and she had them all under her feet, able to toss and play with their feelings as much as she wanted. The only person who tried to prove hard to get was Song Mi, but he gave in later on. Their relationship was rather a joke, it was a gamble between Ri Ta and her girlfriends, but Yeorin was different, and she knew he'd not be all that easy to catch.
Ri Ta couldn't explain why, but she couldn't get Yeorin out of her head, why she felt so vulnerable towards him. She had tried severely to brush off their encounter as a mere annoyance, but her mind kept wandering back to him. His piercing eyes, his mature voice, his stylish gait, his aloof demeanor - everything about him drew her in. She found herself seeking him out on campus, trying to "accidentally" bump into him. But Yeorin remained elusive, always polite but distant. Ri Ta's usual charms didn't seem to work on him. Her pretty face, her wealth, her long curly hair, her nice body shape, no matter how many times she tried to flaunt it, he didn't seem attracted, and it only made her more fascinated.
One day, she spotted him at the library, buried in a book. She sat down beside him, trying to strike up a conversation, "what are you reading? Oh... Tempest by Shakespeare, I love this book, let me join you." But Yeorin's responses were brief and curt, never meeting her eyes, "thanks, but I prefer doing things alone, mihane (I'm sorry)," he said smiling at her, his eyes still covered with his dark shades and his presence as astounding as ever. Ri Ta's attraction only grew stronger, but she couldn't understand why he didn't seem to notice her. Many nights she soliloquized on her sleepless pillow, "Maybe I'm not doing enough. Should I get him something? A gift? But I don't know what he likes. Gosh! This is running me crazy."
As the days went by, Ri Ta's attraction to Yeorin only intensified. She would watch him from afar, studying his every move. But Yeorin remained oblivious, focused on his studies and his own world. Yeorin, on the other hand, had a lot to deal with on his own end. His company had a new shoe launch coming up, and he needed to plan it and budget it with his father - Mun Tae Gwang. Even though he wasn't the actual face of his company, he still had to make decisions concerning it. No decision was made without his consent; that alone was draining for him.
Ri Ta's roommate - Kim Ji-Hyun noticed her fixation and teased her about it. "Ri Ta's got a crush!" She'd chant, laughing. But Ri Ta didn't care. She was determined to get Yeorin's attention, even if it killed her.
And so, she continued to watch and wait, hoping that one day, Yeorin would see her in a different light.
Ri Ta's fascination with Yeorin only grew stronger as the days went by. She found herself thinking about him at odd moments, writing about him in her song book, wondering what he was doing, who he was with, what he was thinking. She tried to shake off the feeling, telling herself she was just curious, but deep down, she knew it was more than that.
One bright evening, as she was walking across campus, she saw Yeorin sitting on a bench, staring off into space. She felt a sudden urge to go to him, to sit beside him, to talk to him. But she hesitated, unsure if he would even want to talk to her.
As she stood there, frozen in indecision, Yeorin looked up and caught her eye. For a moment, they just stared at each other, Ri Ta feeling like he could see right through her. Then, Yeorin looked away, and Ri Ta felt a pang of disappointment.
But she didn't give up. She took a deep breath and walked towards him, sitting down beside him on the bench. "Hey," she said, trying to sound casual. "What's up?"
Yeorin turned to her, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Not much," he said. "Just thinking."
Ri Ta felt a flutter in her chest. "About what?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady.
Yeorin shrugged. "Life, I guess. Just trying to figure some things out."
Ri Ta nodded, feeling a sense of connection to him. "I know how that is," she said. "Sometimes it feels like everything is just too much to handle."
Yeorin looked at her, his eyes softening slightly. "Yeah," he said. "Exactly."
And at that moment, Ri Ta felt like she had finally broken through to him as she had finally gotten him to see her. But as they sat there in silence, she realized that he always avoided her eyes. He tried his best not to look her in the eyes for too long. Even though she had no idea what he was really thinking, what he was really feeling, and she wondered if she ever would, she felt like she had found something - she needed to make him look her straight in the eyes.
The flowers were falling from trees so much that they could have been mistaken for snow. Yeorin was an expert artist, so he always stayed on that same bench just to sketch whatever he was thinking or the bustling campus of Jukheon University. But this time, he was thoughtless, just sitting down there, his arms folded, his curly hair being swayed by the cool evening breeze, and his mind raced back to New York. It was quite tumultuous for him there, he had always had to walk on eggshells, and had to see things from another angle all his life. Being confined to his own space and place was the only thing that gave him comfort. He wasn't able to live like a normal kid in New York - they knew about his background, they knew his father, but didn't know B&S was owned by him. But here in Jukheon, he was able to live a double life, it wasn't all that hard, all he had to do was not act like much and no one would see or notice him. But that was about to shatter, a queen bee was attracted to him.
Ri Ta just sat beside him. She knew his mind was busy thinking about things, but she couldn't say what exactly it was. She just sat down beside him all quiet, her curly hair playing with the wind, her black cotton gown ebbing like the evening tide. She wanted to know him more, she wanted to get closer to him, for the first time in forever, the sociopathic and narcissistic Han Ri Ta was developing cold feet.