Chapter Twenty-One – Whispers on Campus
(Joon-Ho’s POV)
When he stepped back onto campus, it wasn’t the same.
Before, Joon-Ho could walk through the university courtyard with nothing more than a glance or two, blending in despite his sharp looks. Now, the air buzzed with whispers the moment his shoes touched the pavement.
“There he is—Daehan’s heir.”
“Did you see the news? That’s him.”
“He was hiding it this whole time?”
He didn’t need to turn his head to know eyes were on him from every direction. Students paused mid-conversation, pretending to check their phones, only to steal glances. A few were bold enough to point, others too shy to do more than murmur as he passed.
He kept his face unreadable, his steps measured, shoulders squared the way his father would expect.
But inside? He hated it.
This wasn’t what he wanted. University had been the only place where he could breathe, where nobody knew who he was. Where Amara had looked at him like just another boy, not someone with a name that weighed like gold chains.
And now…
His chest tightened. Did she know yet? Had she seen him online like everyone else?
He almost hoped she hadn’t. But part of him ached to see her reaction, to know what she thought, even if it was anger.
As he neared the library steps, a group of classmates lingered nearby. One of them, a tall boy with sharp features and too much curiosity in his eyes, muttered just loud enough:
“So the rich boy finally shows himself.”
Joon-Ho ignored him. He had been trained for this—silence, poise, control.
But then his gaze swept across the courtyard. His heart stuttered.
Amara.
She was standing in the shade of a tree, her roommate beside her, books cradled against her chest. She hadn’t noticed him yet, but just the sight of her sent a thousand memories crashing down. The way she had laughed softly in the library, the way her skin had warmed under his touch at the party, the way her voice had trembled when she whispered his name.
For a heartbeat, he almost forgot where he was. He wanted to go to her, to close the space between them, to explain everything.
But then her roommate leaned close, whispering something, and Amara turned her head. Their eyes met.
And all that hope shattered.
Her gaze was cold—hurt wrapped in anger. She didn’t look away, but the fire in her eyes burned him more than any words could.
Joon-Ho’s chest clenched. He forced himself to keep walking, to pass by as if unaffected, as if her presence didn’t unravel everything inside him.
Because he couldn’t protect her if he pulled her closer. Not from his family. Not from the world.
Still, even as he disappeared into the library, her eyes stayed with him, searing into his thoughts, reminding him of everything he wanted and couldn’t have.
