Ae-cha stood backstage, a supernova of joy contained only by her hands pressed tightly against her mouth. This is real, she thought, a dream blooming before her eyes. It had started with Mia's impulsive idea, fueled by the unwavering support of newfound friends. Even her cousin, bless him, had rallied his entire freshman class and a surprisingly enthusiastic teacher to help with the model. The models, radiant in their outfits, clamored around them, their voices a chorus of praise.
"Can we keep them? Please?" They begged, their eyes wide with delight. Ae-cha could only manage a helpless smile, overwhelmed by the sheer gratitude, when a stagehand beckoned her forward. The audience erupted, a tidal wave of applause washing over Ae-cha and her team. Joy swelled within her, almost too much to contain. As the cheers subsided, the other contestants – designers with their own teams and models – took to the stage. Behind Sang-ho, Ji-hoon stood, his team arrayed around him. But his gaze remained fixed on her, unable to break free. She seemed ethereal, almost unreal. Standing amongst her teammates, her face illuminated by a radiant smile, she was everything he'd remembered and more. Seeing her again after so long sent a familiar tremor through his heart.
"The winner is..."
(Sound of a locker snapping shut)
Chin-sun leaned against Ae-cha's locker, concern etched on her face. "It's okay, Ae-cha. At least some big names in fashion saw your work."
Ae-cha offered a gentle smile, then sighed softly, her gaze sweeping over the worried faces of her friends. "
It doesn't matter that Ji-hoon and Sang-ho won. I'm just glad others appreciated my designs."
Mia snorted, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Heck yeah. I wonder how they managed to bribe the judges. Or maybe they were just too chicken to vote against the golden boys and miss out on an interview with those big shots. Ugh!"
"Money and power... that's all that matters in this world," Bai chimed in, her voice laced with bitterness.
Inside their private lobby, the Players lounged, as. Sang-Ho, scrolling through social media, slammed his phone onto the table.
"This is infuriating! We won, but all the media can talk about is that four-eyed charity case. She's trending everywhere!" He threw a frustrated look at Ji-hoon. "Can't you do something about it?"
Byung-ho scoffed. "Like what, exactly?"
Sang-Ho thrust his phone at him, a venomous expression twisting his features. "I don't know... maybe stop this from circulating." He jabbed a finger at a reel on the screen, his voice dripping with disdain.
Byung-Ho simply shrugged, sinking deeper into the plush sofa. Ji-hoon, lost in his own world, barely registered their complaints. His mind was consumed by a single, burning question: Who was she? He'd tasked his private investigator to dig into her past, but the results were baffling. It was as if she didn't exist before now. And yet, last night, he'd seen her. Her face was radiant, almost luminous. He had to find her, no matter the cost. Breaking the silence, he asked,
"Do you know anything about that girl... the one who dressed as spring?" His words drew confused stares. "Who?" "The model," Ji-hoon clarified impatiently. "The one on the glasses girl's team." Recognition flickered across their faces, but they merely shrugged, uninterested.
"She was kinda pretty," Jeong-hoon drawled, leaning back with a lazy smirk.
"Yeah, like a fairy or something," Chan-yeol chimed in, his eyes still lingering on the memory.
"I wonder if she's single..."
"Shut up," Ji-hoon snapped, his voice sharp.
Jeong-hoon's smile widened. "Ah, someone's intrigued." He raised an eyebrow, a glint of mischief in his eyes. "I'll bet a hundred thousand won you can't get her to do it with you."
Ji-hoon, his face hardening, hurled a cushion at him. The others erupted in laughter.
"Hey, I'm in," Byung-ho called out, his voice laced with confidence. "It's easy money..."
"And a fairy's involved, you say?" Ji-hoon smirked, a dangerous glint in his eyes as he turned back. "You're on."
Meanwhile, Chin-sun stared at her image on her phone, a conflict brewing within her. Should I do it? she wondered. With a decisive click, she completed her WeChat account. Her profile picture: her spring-inspired stage appearance. She looked ethereal, almost otherworldly.
A notification immediately popped up. "Hey fairy," it read.
Chin-sun's eyebrows shot up in surprise. This fast? she thought.
"Hi," she replied cautiously.
"You looked beautiful onstage."
"Thanks 🤭," she responded, adding a playful emoji. "How did you know?"
Ji-hoon paused, his fingers hovering over the keyboard. Then he typed, "You were vital... the spring fairy."
Chin-sun smiled, a warmth spreading through her. This King Hoon account was surprisingly charming, even on their first interaction.
Moments earlier, Ji-hoon had been idly scrolling through WeChat when a new profile appeared: Chinpop. His breath caught. The profile picture... it was her. The girl who had taken root in his mind, refusing to be dislodged. What luck, he thought, a surge of exhilaration coursing through him. He'd messaged her immediately, which led to their current exchange.
"I would like to meet you sometime :)" he typed.
Chin-sun's response was immediate: "I barely know you."
Yeah, right... Smooth, Ji-hoon thought, inwardly cringing. He scratched his head, trying to recover. "I'm Ji-hoon," he texted, hoping to sound regular.
Just then, he noticed she was offline.
"Fuck," he cursed under his breath, running a hand through his hair. He'd been so caught up in the moment, so desperate to make a good impression, that he'd completely blown it. Now, he'd probably come across as a stalker... some creepy guy hiding behind a computer, acting all weird.
Chin spun around at the sound of Jimin's voice, his tone as cool and detached as ever. "This week's packed with meetings. Make sure you dress the part." He tossed the instruction off casually as he settled into his desk chair.
Chin mumbled a curt acknowledgement, her focus already back on the screen. She quickly sorted through his emails on his laptop ,efficiently completing the other task he'd assigned earlier. Satisfied, she grabbed her bag and headed towards her lecture hall.
Three hours later, her head swimming with information and dizziness, Chin decided to grab lunch in the cafeteria with Bai. Just as they were about to enter, a familiar voice called out,
"Chin-sun! Bai!"
They turned to see Sung-joon Bae hurrying towards them, a sheepish grin on his face.
"Sung-joon Bae," they exclaimed in unison, a mixture of surprise and amusement in their voices.
He finally reached them, bending over to catch his breath, his cheeks flushed. He looked different now. Back in high school, Sung-joon had been one of those effortlessly popular, quietly confident guys. A true gentleman – handsome, with a perpetual tan and an easygoing charm. Now, he'd filled out a bit, his features rounder, but he still retained that undeniable appeal, now tinged with a disarming brightness.
"I... I didn't realize you both attended Y University as well," he managed, still slightly breathless.
"Yeah," Chin replied, smiling. "We're freshmen in the business department. Majoring in Chartered Accountancy."
"That's great!" Sung-joon beamed. "I'm in the Computer Science department myself. IT and Networking. Third year."
A wave of warmth washed over Chin and Bai as they remembered Sung-joon from high school. He and his best friend had been their protectors, shielding them from bullies and offering unwavering support. He'd always been like a big brother to her, always attentive, always caring.
"Heading to lectures?" Sung-joon asked, tilting his head.
"No, Bai and I were just about to grab lunch," Chin replied.
"Oh! My treat," Sung-joon exclaimed, his face lighting up. He brushed aside their protests with a wave of his hand.
Lunch was a joyful affair, filled with laughter and reminiscing about old times. "Min-sun's here too," Bai mentioned casually.
"That little brat! He completely forgot about me after I graduated. How is he, though?"
"Charming as always," Bai chimed in, a mischievous glint in her eyes, "and he and Chin are dating."
"Bai!" Chin's cheeks flushed crimson, mortified by Bai's forwardness.
Sung-joon nodded, his eyes flickering with a momentary hint of something unreadable, before he quickly recovered, offering a cheerful smile. "Finally, that little devil has settled down! For a while, I thought he was going to be a monk until graduation."
Chin laughed awkwardly, her gaze fixed on her plate.
Just then, Sung-joon's phone chimed. "My bad," he apologized, glancing at the screen. "Gotta run. Can we exchange WeChats before I go?"
They readily agreed, pulling out their phones. As Chin's connected to the internet, her phone immediately exploded with notifications from WeChat – several new friend requests and a flurry of fifteen messages from King Joon. She blinked in surprise. Fifteen messages? That was… unexpected. Scrolling through, Chin saw that half of King Joon's messages were apologies, the other half were a series of photos – pictures of his activities, carefully framed to avoid showing his face. A smile tugged at Chin's lips as she added Sung-joon's contact to her WeChat.
Meanwhile, Ji-hoon couldn't seem to stay away from his phone, glancing at it every few minutes as if he was expecting some sort of message. At first, the others had dismissed it, but the frequency was becoming noticeable.
"What are you even looking for?" Jung-hoon finally asked, his voice laced with amusement.
"Nothing much," Ji-hoon replied, feigning indifference. "Just checking the latest feeds."
"Hey, we've got lectures," Chan-yeol reminded them, stifling a yawn.
"Can't we just skip it, like usual? Pay the lecturers to mark us present?" Byung-ho groaned, already losing interest.
"Unfortunately, our GPAs aren't going to raise themselves," Chan-yeol sighed, a hint of exasperation in his voice. "Besides, we've got exams in a few weeks."
The others reluctantly agreed, grumbling as they followed him out of the lobby.
As the door closed behind them, a subtle smile played on Ji-hoon's lips. He'd noticed that his messages had finally been read. "That's progress," he murmured to himself, a flicker of satisfaction in his eyes. "I can work with that."