The warm sunlight cast a joyful glow over the Jukheon University campus. As always, the campus was bustling with movements from one end to another. Bora was finally finding it easy to be herself, not having to worry about anything or anyone. She knew she had to convince her mother that she was capable of taking hold of her life, but she was still scared she'd fail. Bora's mind wandered to her mother's expectations, her heart racing with anxiety.
Yeorin's life was no different. He never had too much cordiality with his Father or Mother, but to him, they were everything. He was preparing for his upcoming shoe launch and at the same time combining it with his workload from school, so he was mostly busy. Yuna came to the campus seldomly to give him updates about what was going on and relay some messages to him personally. She was his personal aide and assistant, but Yeorin took her more like an elder sister, someone he could confide in. Yuna is the only person Yeorin could express what he felt to, why he felt it and they'd share ideas on how to deal with it. He always lets his guard down around her and he enjoyed her company since they both found each other amusing.
It was time for class, and Yeorin had a lot to do concerning his new shoe launch. He was working with time, he was still at the designing stage; he'll still have to send it to the coloring team for color approval and/or suggestions, then to the manufacturing team for creation, then to his father, the CEO for first approval. Lastly, it'd come back to him (Yeorin) for the final approval. As he scribbled notes on his sketchpad, brainstorming ideas for his show's concept art, he found it hard to come up with the perfect concept. "No, this is not it," he'd say and tear off the sheet and scribble on his sketchpad again, "Aniyo (no)," he'd tear again. Yeorin's eyes dropped as he scribbled, his hand moving slower with every passing minute.
He hadn't slept a wink since the night before, and it was time for him to prepare for his first class of the day. He stood up from his reading table and headed for the bathroom. He washed his face and did his daily routine - push-ups, stretches, and calisthenics. He was finding it hard to follow through on his daily routine perfectly, his eyes were heavy, his movement slow. His bones were weak, and his mind even weaker.
He finally finished his routine and went into take a shower. The water poured over his skin, caressing it with soft care and a tender touch, making him feel even more sleepy. He stood in the bathroom for a while after washing up, hoping the lingering sleepiness would wear off but it didn't.
As Yeorin stood in the bathroom, trying to shake off the sleepiness, he heard a knock on the door, *Bang! Bang! Bang*
"Who could that be?" Yeorin wondered silently. A familiar voice whispered through the other side of the door, "Yeorin, are you okay in there?" It was Yuna.
"Yeah, I'm fine," he replied, his voice still heavy with fatigue. "Just getting ready for class."
Yuna's voice came through the door again, "Well, hurry up, you don't want to be late." Yeorin took a deep breath and stepped out of the bathroom, and put on his clothes before opening the door. His eyes meeting Yuna's concerned gaze.
"You look like you've been up all night," she said, handing him a cup of coffee. Yeorin took it gratefully, feeling a slight boost of energy. "Thanks, Yuna. I owe you one." Yuna smiled and patted him on the back. "Anytime, Yeorin. Now let's get moving."
As they walked towards the class, Yeorin couldn't help but feel grateful for Yuna's presence in his life. She was more than just an assistant or confidante - she was a true friend. And he needed friends like her now more than ever, with the pressure of his shoe launch mounting and his relationships with his parents still strained.
Meanwhile, Bora was struggling with her own demons. She had convinced herself that she was finally free from her mother's expectations, but the fear of failure still lingered. What if she couldn't make it on her own? What if she let her mother down? The thoughts swirled in her head like a vortex, making her feel dizzy and disoriented.
As Bora walked to class, she bumped into Yeorin and Yuna. "Oh, sorry," she said, trying to sound cheerful. Yeorin and Yuna exchanged a concerned glance, "it's alright," Yuna said, but Yeorin said nothing, keeping a straight face. Bora was shocked to see Yeorin again; she was about to ask why he had snubbed her the last time, but Yeorin was too busy and tired to exchange words with anyone, so he left, dragging Yuna by the hand,"Gada (let's go)," Yeorin said.
"Aish!.. jinja (seriously), he's so full of himself," Bora said, shaking her head while she pressed on in the direction of her own class.
Yuna walked Yeorin till they reached the lecture hall, "I'd be waiting in the car, alright? Don't work yourself up."
Yeorin peered into her eyes from his sunglasses, "sure," he mouthed and went into class.
While in class, he had barely settled in properly when he received a message from an anonymous number. "Who's this?" He asked himself.
"Hello Yeorin," the person greeted further. Yeorin took his phone and replied to the message, maintaining maximum politeness - "hello good morning"
"How are you doing? Good morning." The messanger replied.
As the conversation unfolded, Yeorin replied, "Fine," keeping his response short and precise. The anonymous number immediately noticed his worn-out appearance and inquired, "You good?"
Feeling perplexed, Yeorin glanced around the classroom in search of a familiar face, but he found none. He had not yet had the opportunity to become acquainted with anyone in the class.
Responding with "Nuguseyo (who are you)?" Yeorin queried the owner of the anonymous number.
To his surprise, the owner of the number stood up and began walking towards him. As she drew closer, Yeorin recognized her as the sophomore who had asked for his number at Seo Jeong Coffee Shop when he had left his glasses and nose mask behind.
Yeorin's eyes narrowed as he awaited a response from the number. "Hey, Yeorin! Fancy seeing you here!" she exclaimed with a dazzling smile, introducing herself - " Annyeong, johneun Eun Jeong Mi-ieyo (hello, I'm Eun Jeong Mi)." She was dressed in a black and white versity jacket, a black crop top, a pair of white baggy pants and a white Nike Dunk Disrupt 2. Yeorin rose his gaze and caught her eyes, she returned the gaze with a dazzling smile on her face.
Maintaining a polite yet distant expression, Yeorin exchanged brief greetings with Jeong Mi. Despite his reserved demeanor, Jeong Mi chatted away, seemingly oblivious to his lack of interest.
"Hey, Jeong Mi." Yeorin"s matured voice rang out filling Jeong Mi's ears, Jeong Mi's eyes sparkled with excitement. "I can't believe we're in the same class again! What a coincidence, right?" Jeong Mi chatted on. Yeorin's response was brief and neutral, his gaze never meeting hers. Jeong Mi refused to take the hint, chatting on about everything and nothing, her words falling on deaf ears. Yeorin's eyes remained fixed on the professor, his mind elsewhere, as Jeong Mi continued to try and capture his attention.
Yeorin's attention remained fixed on the professor, his mind preoccupied with other matters. Despite his efforts to appear engaged, Jeong Mi continued to speak animatedly, failing to notice his disinterest.
As Jeong Mi's voice filled the air, Yeorin's mind drifted elsewhere, and he offered polite but detached responses in an attempt to end the conversation. Desperately wishing for the class to conclude, he silently urged the clock to move faster.
Finally, as the class came to an end, Yeorin swiftly excused himself and left, leaving Jeong Mi behind, puzzled and disappointed by his hasty departure.
Yeorin headed East of the campus, on his way to go meet Yuna, he encountered Ri Ta who was dressed in a red and black checkered skirt and a loose purple sweatshirt, coupled with her signature chin-high boots.
"Have you been avoiding me now that we're dating?" Ri Ta said, her voice pinged with a slight anger. Yeorin was left discombobulated, "da-dating?" Yeorin questioned. He was running late for a meeting so he didn't have time to get a reply, let alone debate with Ri Ta so he left hurriedly.
Upon reaching the far end of the campus, Yuna, radiant in a beige loose gown, greeted Yeorin as he entered the black Escalade. She could sense the tension within the atmosphere but she couldn't point out what exactly was wrong with Yeorin, "he's always on edge," she thought to herself
Let's go!" Yeorin's voice shot out from the car cracking the wall of her subconsciousness. Unquestioningly, Yuna hopped into the car and without a word, Yuna began driving.