chapter 1

The fall semester has just begun.

University roads buzzed with energy, campus halls alive with the rush of footsteps, chatter, and the occasional nervous laugh. Dormitories brimmed with cardboard boxes, new friendships, and tearful goodbyes. Classrooms opened their doors once more, welcoming a mix of wide-eyed newcomers and seasoned students who carried the weight of time on their shoulders.

For some, this was a long-awaited beginning, the thrill of their university journey finally coming to life. For others, it marked the final stretch of a chapter they weren't ready to close. So many emotions blended into the air, but still, the environment pulsed with a cheerful kind of chaos.

Amid the crowd, two students sat on a quiet bench just outside the main dormitory wing—Mirae, clutching her phone like a lifeline, and Ray, watching her with furrowed brows.

"Mirae, are you sure you don't want to live here? You've been dreaming about this for years."

She didn't meet his eyes. "You know me, Ray. I can't afford this right now. I need to save up. I've dreamed about it, yeah... but I can wait. Maybe I'll try finding someone to share with."

"You could come live with me," he offered gently. "Couldn't you?"

"Ray... It's fine."

"Just until you find something else. I won't pressure you. We've still got a month to confirm everything. There's time."

"You don't have to worry about me."

"You never leave me a chance not to worry," he said, voice tight. "You're so stubborn. I try to be there, and you just push me away—like I'm nothing to you. I'm willing to be someone for you, Mirae. But you keep brushing me off."

She paused, biting the inside of her cheek. "It's not about you. I just don't want to owe anything to people."

"I'm not people. I'm me."

The noise of the campus faded around them

for a moment—just the two of them, sitting in the middle of a new beginning, both unsure of what came next.

"I'm not trying to fix your life," Ray said quietly. "I just want you to let me in. Please?"

She gave the smallest nod.

"I'm sorry. It's not that I don't care about you. I don't know what to do."

"I understand you. Please don't worry. I'm still here, just remember that."

"Okay," Mirae said at last, her voice low and certain. "I'll stay. Just until I figure something out."

Ray looked at her, surprised but trying not to make it a big deal. "Alright. Good. We'll make it work."

She gave him a side glance. "You better not start acting weird about it."

He smirked. "Define 'weird.'"

She rolled her eyes. "Exactly."

They fell into step as they crossed the main quad, the late morning sun filtering through trees just starting to shift into autumn. Students wove past them in every direction, but their pace stayed easy, comfortable.

They didn't need to fill every silence. Some things between them were just understood.

Their bags thumped lightly against their backs as they climbed the steps toward the computer science building.

"I still hate that we got scheduled for an 8 a.m. lecture," Mirae muttered.

"You chose this major, too," Ray teased. "Can't blame the system now."

"I can and I will."

He laughed under his breath, nudging her arm with his elbow before they pushed through the lecture hall doors. They slid into their usual spots near the back—two seats slightly off-center, half-shielded from the front row energy but close enough to stay in the loop.

Laptops open. Notes ready. The screen flickered to life as the professor began speaking.

Ray leaned over slightly. "We got this."

Mirae didn't look at him, but her voice was calm. "Yeah. We do."

In a room full of strangers, noise, and motion, they were steady.

Not loud. Not obvious.

The lecture ended in a blur of clicking laptops and the rustle of notebooks. Mirae swung her bag over her shoulder, already halfway to the door as Ray caught up beside her.

"Coffee?" he asked casually.

"If you're paying," she replied without looking.

Ray smirked. "As always."

They made their way down the wide steps outside the comp-sci building, their pace in sync without trying. The sunlight poured through the trees, warming the pavement and glinting off scattered bike racks. Campus was alive—people laughing, shouting across lawns, music floating in the air.

"Hey—uh, sorry, excuse me?"

They both turned.

A guy in a hoodie stood awkwardly behind them, clutching a phone like it was a shield. He looked straight at Mirae, eyes flicking nervously to Ray.

"I was just wondering if you—uh, wanted to grab coffee sometime?" he asked, voice shaky but hopeful.

Ray stepped in before Mirae could even open her mouth, casually sliding an arm around her shoulder. His tone was light, but his gaze was sharp.

"She's got a full plate this week," he said, calm but firm. "Not really the best time."

The guy hesitated, visibly thrown off. "Oh. Uh—yeah, no worries. Totally. Sorry."

He backed away with an awkward laugh, disappearing into the crowd almost immediately.

Ray dropped his arm like it was nothing. "You're welcome."

Mirae gave him a long look. "Smooth."

"I've had practice," he said, brushing invisible dust off his sleeve. "Besides, that one was way too shaky. You'd have eaten him alive."

She snorted. "Not wrong."

They passed the student center, a line of colorful flyers fluttering on the wall. Mirae

paused at one, her eyes narrowing.

"Mandatory Club Sign-Ups for First Years — Deadline: Friday."

"You've got to be kidding me," she muttered.

Ray peered over her shoulder. "Rules are rules, freshie."

"I swear if you say that again, I'm switching majors."

"Please. You'd die without me in Data Structures."

They stood side by side, scanning the list together. A few students walking past glanced at them—how close they stood, how easily they laughed. But neither Mirae nor Ray noticed.

They were too wrapped up in their world—unshakeable, untouchable.

Event Planning Club – Room 203, 3:15 PM

Mirae and Ray slipped into the room just

As the meeting began, they naturally drifted toward the back like gravity tethered them together. They didn't say much—but they didn't need to.

Ray leaned in slightly. "You sure you wanna do this?"

"No," Mirae murmured. "But we signed up, didn't we?"

He smirked. "I signed us up."

"And I still haven't forgiven you."

Despite the low exchange, they moved like a unit. Silent understanding, casual glances, a rhythm only they knew. People noticed.

Whispers had already started before the meeting began. Are they dating? They're always together. They don't talk to anyone else. Have you seen them alone?

But Mirae and Ray didn't hear it. Or if they did, they didn't care.

They sat. Close. Comfortable.

The clipboard girl up front clapped her hands to get attention. "Welcome, first-years! This club plans the biggest events of the year—Freshers' Night, the mid-Sem gala, and the Spring Showcase. Lucky you."

Ray leaned toward Mirae again. "Still time to escape."

Mirae smiled, barely. "And give them something to gossip about?"

"They already are."

Before Mirae could answer, the room shifted.

Two upperclassmen entered through the side—one calm and crisp, wearing black and silence like armor; the other, more relaxed, with sleeves rolled and a presence that made people lean in unconsciously.

Noah and Ren.

Even before their names were whispered across the room, it was obvious. They were those seniors. The ones students admired, envied, and didn't dare approach without a script.

Mirae's eyes flicked up once. Ray noticed, but didn't comment. The clipboard girl practically bounced as she addressed them.

"Noah and Ren—thank you for joining! Our senior leads this semester, everyone."

No one clapped, too busy watching.

Ren gave a casual nod, hands in his pockets. Noah didn't even pretend to smile. They didn't glance at the new students. Didn't need to.

Ray's voice was low. "Popular crowd."

Mirae shrugged. "They don't look that interesting."

Ray looked at her. "You're more interesting."

She met his eyes with a small smirk. "Obviously."

The rest of the meeting blurred by in logistics and assignments.

Mirae and Ray were assigned to the Theme & Visuals team—quietly noted to be under Noah. But they weren't introduced yet. That would come later.

After the meeting, students approached. Some tried talking to Ray, others to Mirae—asking casual things like major, dorm, "are you two...?"

Ray was polite, distant. Mirae didn't even pretend.

They left the room side by side, talking only to each other.

Behind them, the seniors watched—if only briefly.

Campus Grounds – Golden Hour

The campus glowed under the amber tint of the setting sun. Students trickled out of buildings in groups, laughter floating between the trees. The energy buzzed—

new classes, new clubs, fresh impressions.

Mirae and Ray strolled in tandem down the main pathway, their steps naturally aligned. Ray had one hand tucked in his jacket pocket, the other lazily swinging a cup of iced tea. Mirae kept close, arms crossed, sharp eyes glancing around like she was constantly observing the world but only halfway in it.

"You're quieter than usual," Ray said.

Mirae shrugged. "Not in the mood to be around too many people."

"Then good thing it's just me."

She looked up at him. "It's always just you."

Ray grinned. "You say that like it's a problem."

From beneath the tall archway leading toward the student center, two figures watched—Noah, stiff and unreadable, and Ren, more relaxed, hands in his pockets.

Their presence didn't demand attention; it absorbed it. No need for words. Everyone around instinctively knew who they were.

Ren's gaze followed the two first-years. He wasn't staring—at least not in a way most would notice. Just... watching.

"They're everywhere," Noah said, flipping through a thin folder. "People are already talking."

Ren didn't answer. His eyes remained on Ray—how he walked slightly closer to Mirae, how he leaned in when he talked, how he smiled only with his eyes.

"Wonder if she knows the effect she has," Noah muttered.

Ren tilted his head slightly. "Maybe."

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