After his shower, Lucian got ready for college. It had been three months since the semester started, and despite being an introverted freshman, he had quickly become popular.
Lucian Reyden—full name, eighteen years old, 179 cm tall, with a beautiful, cute face often framed by glasses—wore his neatly pressed clothes with the precision of someone from a wealthy family. His parents lived abroad for business, leaving him alone in his house. After graduation, they wanted him to help run the family business.
Checking his phone, Lucian saw the time and immediately called Kai—but there was no answer.
He's never been up early in his life, he thought. Haaa… let's go.
He went to the car and told the driver to head to Kai's apartment.
Kai's apartment looked like a typical bachelor's place: messy, cluttered, chaotic. A young man with long, half-neck hair lay sleeping shirtless amid the clutter. His phone buzzed endlessly until it finally woke him.
Lucian's voice screamed over the line:
"If you don't come down in ten minutes, I swear I'll slap you! And that slap will keep you awake for a week!"
Kai bolted upright. "Omg, omg, it's late! He's gonna kill me!"
Clumsily, he scrambled to get ready, eating a sandwich in one hand while quickly tying his hair and trying to look presentable.
"Ohhh… okay, someone's angry. How do I handle this cute angry?" Kai muttered to himself.
Rolling his eyes, Lucian got into the car. "Hurry up," he muttered.
Once Kai joined him, they sat together.
"Please don't be angry. I know I'm late. Tomorrow, I'm your alarm," Kai said with a nervous grin.
Lucian snorted. "Great… stupid joke. First of all, did you take your tablets?"
Kai shrugged. "Yeah… if not, would you leave me like this?"
"Shut up. Driver, please go. We're already late."
(For context: Lucian and Kai were childhood friends. Their mothers had been very close, and before Kai's mother passed away, she made Lucian's mother promise to take care of Kai. That's why they were so close.)
They arrived at their college, a popular city university. Kai was in his third year in the Department of Science, while Lucian, a freshman, was in the same department.
"I'm going this way. Bye, careful," Kai said as they parted.
"Bye," Lucian replied.
Before entering his classroom, Kai muttered to himself, "Where is he…"
The most handsome man in the university finally appeared: Rowan Silvers. Tall, 192 cm, athletic, wealthy, and impeccably talented in academics and athletics, Rowan was admired by everyone. He had a noble presence and a rigid personality, never accepting love proposals despite his popularity. He was also Kai's best classmate.
"Finally, you're here. I was literally searching for you. Tell your fans to meet you when you're free and appoint a manager to handle your schedule," Kai teased.
Rowan, straight-faced, replied, "Can you shut up?"
"Did I say something wrong? Don't tell me you don't have money to hire a manager," Kai joked.
Rowan sighed, "Omg, this guy…"
Lucian called Kai again.
"Hey, we just departed minutes ago. Miss me already?" Kai teased.
"Ohhh, stop it. I'm going to the canteen after class. Let me bring you a drink. Don't go anywhere," Lucian said.
"My caffeine?" Kai asked.
"It's not yours," Lucian replied.
"Whatever. I'm waiting," Kai grinned.
After ending the call, Kai turned to Rowan.
"Who was that?" Rowan asked.
Kai smirked, leaning back. "Sweet and cute voice, right? That's my Lucian."
At the mention of Lucian's name, Rowan felt a sudden spark of attention, his usual composed expression faltering for a brief moment. A pulse of excitement, subtle but undeniable, flickered across his face. At the same time, a small twist of jealousy tightened his chest—Kai had called him my Lucian.
Meanwhile, gossip started spreading among the students. "Did you see her? She's finally here…"
Rowan didn't care. Kai, on the other hand, perked up instantly, curiosity and mischief in his eyes.
Suddenly, a clumsy girl dashed toward Kai. She froze for a moment, her eyes locking on his. Memories rushed back—the same eyes… the same face… someone he had helped once, someone he couldn't forget.
Kai's chest tightened. Dark memories clawed at his mind, images of what he had done to her flashing vividly. Panic surged. He couldn't face it—not now, not here.
Without thinking, he grabbed Rowan's hand and bolted toward their class.
The girl stumbled, trying to call after him, but Kai was already gone.