CHAPTER 3
(Tomi's POV)
The only reason I even left the dorm that morning was because of food. I wasn't even joking.
Yuri had woken me up talking about some school department thing happening on campus—music, free tteokbokki, cheap lemonade, and apparently a dance battle. I told her I wasn't going. I hadn't even unpacked all my boxes yet, my hair was a mess, and I still had leftover noodles from last night.
But then I smelled the spicy chicken skewers from our window. No joke, it was like my stomach jumped up and punched me in the throat.
Ten minutes later, I was in jeans, a hoodie, and my dusty white sneakers that made my feet look like two retired clouds.
"Nia! You coming?" I shouted as I tied the lace on my left shoe.
She poked her head out of her room, headscarf tied and brows already perfect. "Of course. I'm not missing a chance to watch K-dramatic people do K-dramatic things."
Yuri and Sasha were already waiting outside the dorm when we came out. Sasha was somehow wearing a tank top even though it wasn't exactly warm. I envied her skin—it didn't even flinch.
"Festival time!" Yuri sang, raising her arms like we were going to Coachella and not just the business and culture department event.
Honestly, I didn't even know which department I belonged to anymore. Everything was so scattered and different from the Nigerian university structure I'd read about online.
"Where are we even going first?" I asked as we walked.
"There's a music showcase in front of the main building. After that, food tents near the art hall," Sasha replied. "Oh! And apparently a surprise guest."
I didn't even ask who. Surprise guests in Korea always ended up being some random guy who once acted as "classmate 4" in a K-drama. I just wanted chicken.
The air was cool but not cold, and campus looked so alive. Banners in Hangul stretched across the paths, bright tents and loudspeakers blasting K-pop in every direction. Everyone looked so... confident. Stylish. Like they had somewhere to be. Even the guy selling lemonade wore layered fashion like he stepped off a magazine cover.
I immediately regretted not brushing my eyebrows.
We found a spot near the performance area and just stood there, watching students sing, dance, and mess around. It was kind of fun. I even caught myself laughing when some guy tripped mid-backflip and acted like he meant to do it.
Then someone started screaming.
Like actual screaming.
At first I thought someone got hurt, but then the screaming turned into chants.
"MIN-JAE! MIN-JAE! MIN-JAE!"
I froze.
"No way," Nia muttered beside me.
"Wait, Min-Jae?" I asked, because I felt like I was dreaming. The real Min-Jae?? My idol?. Oh my gosh!! "He's only, like, the hottest actor right now," Sasha added. "He was in that romance drama with the cursed time traveler."
Ohhhhh ohhhhhh.. I felt like I was in paradise, the dream of a fan girl coming to pass.
Then the crowd parted slightly, and someone in all black walked past with an iced coffee in hand, mask on, cap down. It was the most un-bothered walk I'd ever seen in my life.
The screams got louder, and he just waved lazily like he couldn't be bothered.
"Is that him for real?" I squinted.
"Yep," Yuri confirmed. "That's Min-Jae."
He walked to the small makeshift stage near the podium, nodded at someone, then stood with his arms crossed, just waiting.
I leaned to Sasha. "Why is he here?"
"Special guest speaker. Something about creative entrepreneurship and global branding."
I blinked. "What does that have to do with our school?"
"No idea. But apparently his assistant used to attend here or something. Maybe a favor?"
Min-Jae cleared his throat, adjusted the mic, and spoke in Korean. I caught some of it—not enough to fully understand, but enough to know he was talking about starting small, the value of consistency, and... something about 'not everything that shines is a diamond.'
He spoke with this casual confidence that I found kinda funny. Like he didn't even care that hundreds of students were literally staring at him like he was Jesus with a skincare routine.
I leaned against the table behind us, just taking it all in, until the back of my hoodie snagged on something.
I turned around and realized I had leaned into a stack of lemonade cups.
"Oh crap," I whispered.
Three of them fell. One hit the ground, the other spilled on my sneaker.
Smooth.
Nia was too busy recording Min-Jae to notice. Sasha laughed, but helped me pick it up.
And just as I bent down to grab the last cup, someone else reached at the same time—and we bumped heads.
"Ah!" I winced. "Sorry—!"
My eyes locked with someone behind a black mask and cap.
It was him.
Min-Jae.
The actual Min-Jae.
Face to face. For like 0.5 seconds.
We both blinked.
"괜찮아요?" he asked softly.
Oh crap. Korean. I fumbled.
"Uhm—ye—yes. I mean—na—I'm fine. I mean... I'm good."
His eyes squinted a little. I think he smiled. Or smirked. I couldn't tell.
He stood up, nodded politely, and walked back to the podium like nothing happened.
Meanwhile I stood there, holding a soggy paper cup like I just met God and embarrassed myself in front of Him.
"Girl." Yuri turned to me. "What just happened?"
"I think I hit heads with Min-Jae," I said blankly.
Nia blinked. "I recorded it."
Sasha laughed. "You'll be famous by tomorrow."
I groaned.
Please no.
MIN -JAE
The only reason I even agreed to the university festival gig was because Tae-ho wouldn't stop bugging me about it.
"They asked nicely, and you haven't done any live campus appearances this year," he said.
"So?" I had muttered, eyes glued to my phone. "Tell them I'm filming. Or sick. Or dead."
He laughed like I was joking.
I wasn't.
But somehow, three days and five follow-up emails later, I was in the backseat of the van, sipping iced coffee, wearing a black mask and a hoodie pulled so low it could double as a disguise in a spy movie.
"Smile for once," Tae-ho said, glancing at me through the rearview mirror. "It's just an appearance. You wave, say a few words, eat a free meal. No one's going to bite you."
I didn't smile. I adjusted my cap and took another sip.
This was his fault anyway. One of his friends from college worked in the planning committee for this university's business and culture festival. Tae-ho used to go to school here before moving into entertainment, and apparently, he owed someone a favor.
"Just one hour," I reminded him as we pulled into campus.
"One hour," he confirmed. "And you can even ghost everyone after the speech."
The second I stepped out of the van, I regretted it.
Screaming.
Real, high-pitched, echoing screaming.
I adjusted my mask quickly and kept my head down. My iced coffee was still cold in my hand, and my only goal was to walk to the temporary podium, do my job, and leave. No eye contact. No stopping. Just walk like I didn't hear them.
It wasn't that I hated the fans. I appreciated them, honestly. I just didn't know what to do when they were... like that. Shouting my name like I was BTS or something. I was just Min-Jae. I acted. I took photos. I went home. That was it.
As I walked past the rows of booths and tents, I took in the bright colors, music, and smells. Someone was grilling spicy chicken nearby. I could smell tteokbokki too. It reminded me of the old days—before everything got loud and shiny.
People were dancing near the main stage. A backflip went wrong, and I actually chuckled under my breath.
The university campus felt alive in a way I hadn't felt in years.
I was standing near the podium, waiting to be introduced, when I saw her.
It was like a glitch in the Matrix.
Same girl from the audition hall. Same girl from the crosswalk three days ago.
She was standing near the music tent, a little apart from the crowd. Wearing a hoodie and sneakers, like she hadn't planned to show up for anything important. Her expression was blank, kind of unimpressed, like she didn't get what the hype was about.
It was her.
Again.
Coincidence? Seoul was big. But three times?
I tilted my head slightly, trying not to stare.
She wasn't screaming. She wasn't holding her phone out for a picture. She was just... there. Observing.
Interesting.
I almost didn't hear the MC calling my name.
I adjusted the mic and gave the same speech I'd given twice before: starting small, working hard, staying grounded, blah blah blah. It was true, mostly. But I wasn't really thinking about what I was saying.
I was thinking about her.
Why did she look so familiar beyond those two sightings? Had we met before that?
Maybe she was just... memorable.
After the speech, I asked Tae-ho for a minute alone. I needed air.
I stepped around the side of the lemonade stand, planning to walk off the weird energy. That's when I saw her again.
She was trying to balance some cups, clearly flustered. I wasn't trying to sneak up on her or anything—but we turned at the same time, bent to grab the same cup, and... bam.
Foreheads.
I actually winced.
"Ah!" she said.
Our eyes met.
She froze.
I froze.
It was her.
Now that I was this close, I could see the flecks of brown in her eyes. The way her mouth opened slightly like she wanted to speak but couldn't figure out what to say.
"그건처가요?" I asked, keeping my voice low.
She blinked fast. "Uhm—ye—yes. I mean—na—I'm fine. I mean... I'm good."
Her Korean was rough, but she tried.
I respected that.
I gave her a short nod, let the corner of my mouth lift just a little, and walked back toward the stage like it didn't rattle me.
But it did.
It really did.
Back inside the temporary greenroom, Tae-ho was waiting with his phone.
"You bumped into someone?" he asked.
I raised an eyebrow.
"Already on student Twitter," he said, flipping the screen toward me.
There it was. A blurry video clip. Me. The girl. The bump.
The caption: "MIN-JAE bumped into someone?? WHO IS SHE??"
Great.
"She looked familiar," I said, grabbing my water.
"Fan?"
"Don't think so."
He shrugged. "Cute, though."
I didn't answer. I was still thinking about the way her eyes had widened in that half-second. Not in the fake surprise way, but like she genuinely didn't expect life to go that way today.
Neither did I.
I took another sip of water, leaned back in the chair, and for the first time all week...
I smiled.