Chapter 2 - Unfortunate Encounter - (ii)

Hae Soo, on the other hand, couldn’t stop thinking about that cold guy.

“Why does he look so familiar?”

She hated when her brain did this—when she knew she had seen someone before but couldn’t remember when or where. Sighing, she shook the thought away.

“What are u talking about?” Tae Hee feels something that got her friend attention.

“The guy that also in the line, the guy infront of me. Somehow I think I know him” She replies.

“Whatever. Probably just another random senior or something,” Tae Hee didn’t have a time to look at other people that time other than that two guys. She wants to kill them for sure

—

After the break, they returned to class. Hae Soo stepped inside, barely paying attention. Until she looked up.

And froze.

Her jaw almost hit the floor. There, sitting at his desk, as if nothing had happened.. Was that cold guy. In her class.

also as her classmate..?

Hae Soo blinked. Once. Twice.

“Huh—?” She whipped her head toward Tae Hee, who had already walked past her, unfazed.

“Tae Hee,” she hissed, grabbing her friend’s sleeve.

Tae Hee raised an eyebrow. “What?”

Hae Soo slowly pointed toward him. “Why is he

here?” she whispered.

Tae Hee gave her a blank stare. “What do you mean? He’s always been here?”

Hae Soo’s brain short-circuited. Always… been here? She had been in the same class as him for seven months. And somehow—SOMEHOW—she never noticed?!

Oh my.

She wanted to scream. But instead, she just stood there, staring at him in disbelief. Hae Soo couldn’t stop staring. *Seven months. Seven. Whole. Months.* And she never realized this guy was in her class?

There were only about 20 students in S-1, and yet he somehow blended into the background so well that her brain just refused to acknowledge his existence.

Was he a new student? No way, right? It was already July. Confused, Hae Soo did the most uncharacteristic thing ever. She walked toward his desk.

Tae Hee, who had been about to sit down, snapped her head toward Hae Soo like she just committed a crime.

“Wait..Hae Soo? What are you doing?”

Hae Soo ignored her. She needed answers.

The cold guy was flipping through his notebook, completely unbothered. She cleared her throat. “Hey, excuse me?”

Silence. No reaction. Not even a glance. Bet that he’s also an *NPC* in this class too similar to the other. Tae Hee watched from her seat, looking deeply entertained.

Hae Soo frowned. Was he ignoring her?

She tried again, leaning slightly closer. “Hey. You. Have you always been in this class?”

This time, he finally looked up. Dark eyes. Blank expression. Therefore, in the most flat, uninterested tone, he said—

”…What?”

Hae Soo blinked. “I mean… are you a new student? I don’t remember seeing you before.”

He stared at her for a few seconds, as if processing whether her question was even worth answering.

Then, he sighed. “I’ve been here since the start of the semester.”

Hae Soo felt her soul leave her body.

Tae Hee slammed her forehead against her desk, laughing. *“Oh my god, Hae Soo. Seven months.”*

Tae Hee was losing it.

Hae Soo, on the other hand, was still in shock. Seven months?! How?! She glanced back at the cold guy, still half-expecting him to say, “Just kidding, I transferred yesterday,” but… no.

He was dead serious.

Hae Soo stared at him, her brain refusing to accept reality.

“Are you sure?” she blurted out.

His blank expression didn’t change. “Why would I lie?”

Good point.

But still. How did this happen? She remembered everyone in class, even the ones who barely spoke.

And yet, somehow, this guy’s presence completely erased itself from her memory.

Was he some kind of ghost?

Before she could question him further—

“Hae Soo!” A voice called from the hallway.

She turned just in time to see Kang Min Jae walking toward her, looking as relaxed as ever. Her senior.Hae Soo blinked, momentarily distracted.

“Sunbae?” In Korean culture, "sunbae" (선배) means "senior" or "predecessor," referring to someone who is older or more experienced, especially in a school or workplace context.

Min Jae grinned. “Yo, you free? Need to borrow you for a sec.”

Hae Soo hesitated, glancing back at the cold guy.

But when she turned to him, he was already ignoring her again.

Like their conversation never even happened. She scowled. Rude.

Letting out a sigh, she turned back to Min Jae. “Yeah, sure. Do you need something? I got 7 minutes more before the next class.”

Min Jae smirked. “What, can’t a sunbae just call his hoobae for no reason?” In the context of Korean culture, especially in the context of K-pop and K-dramas, "hoobae" (후배) means "junior" or "underclassman", referring to someone who is newer or less experienced than another.

Hae Soo gave him a flat stare. “No, its just i don’t have much time right now, be quick. What do u need?”

He let out a chuckle. “Alright, alright. I actually do need a favor.”

She raised an eyebrow. “A favor?”

Min Jae stopped walking and leaned against the wall, tilting his head slightly.

“You see… I kinda forgot to return some books to the library. And by ‘forgot,’ I mean I absolutely did not forget—I just don’t wanna go.”

Hae Soo narrowed her eyes. “So you’re making me do it?”

He grinned. “Not ‘making’ you. More like… asking nicely?”

She crossed her arms. “Where are the books?”

Min Jae pulled out a slip of paper from his pocket and handed it to her. It was a *late return notice.*

Hae Soo took one look at it and sighed. “These are already overdue.”

“Exactly. That’s why I need you.” He flashed another charming smile. “You’re responsible. The librarian likes you. If I go, I’ll probably get an hour-long lecture.”

She sighed again. Of course.

Min Jae was a senior, a year older than her, but somehow, he acted more like a lazy junior.

“Fine,” she muttered, taking the paper. “But you owe me.”

He clapped his hands together. “You’re the best, Hae Soo.”

She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah. Go do your actual responsibilities, sunbae.”

Min Jae just laughed, patting her head before walking off.

Hae Soo looked down at the *overdue notice* and shook her head.

“Seriously. What am I, his assistant?” She thought to herself.

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