CDCN Chapter 1

“Hey, huff, the professor hasn’t arrived yet, right?”

“Didn’t you check the group notice? The TA¹ said he’d be late.”

Only then did Yang-hwi pull out his phone to check. It seemed the alarm that had been going off earlier was because of this.

[Professor Kim Nam-hye’s flight has been delayed, so the lecture will start about 10 minutes late. Students, please take note.]

After confirming the notice, Yang-hwi frowned.

“Damn, I ran here for nothing.”

Panting, he collapsed onto the desk, and Min Ki-hyeok handed him a bottle of water. He took the politely opened bottle and chugged it down. The cool sensation sliding down his throat finally eased the heat, making him feel alive again.

Yang-hwi roughly wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, then rested his chin on the desk, sprawling out. He inwardly clicked his tongue at how quickly his stamina gave out after sprinting for just a few minutes.

‘I really need to start exercising or something.’

But Yang-hwi didn’t recall that he’d said the same thing to himself a few months ago.

“Did you just come back from playing with Min-young or something?”

Min Ki-hyeok, resting his chin on one hand, picked off a white strand of fur from Yang-hwi’s hoodie and held it up.

Yang-hwi glanced at it with just his eyes and scrunched up his face. In this moment, he remembered the culprit that had made him run like crazy.

Despite having a name that sounded human, Min-young was the cat Yang-hwi was raising. No, the word “raised” was inappropriate. It was a bully who sat on top of his head and looked down on Yang-hwi as the lowest in the hierarchy.

It was a daily war. Whenever he tried to do anything, it interfered at every turn. Everything that was his was its—pretty much anything that entered the house belonged to its.

Leaving the house was an even bigger ordeal. Even if he tried to sneak out quietly, it’d somehow notice and cling to his clothes with its claws out.

Today, too, he’d barely managed to peel Min-young off, toss it inside, and nearly ended up late for his first class.

And this class, of all things, where attendance was so crucial.

“Playing? More like a war every day. I brushed off the fur, but there’s still some left?”

“Yeah, it’s a mess back here.”

As he said that, Min Ki-hyeok casually extended his hand. Yang-hwi lowered his hand to his bag, pulled out a lint roller, and handed it over. Fully sprawled on the desk, he felt the *drrrrk drrrrk* of the lint roller moving across his back like a massage.

“Five pictures.”

“…I’ll take them today and send them to you.”

At his reply, the lint roller’s movements sped up. He didn’t need to look to know Min Ki-hyeok’s face was probably beaming with a wide smile.

‘What a weird guy,’ Yang-hwi thought. ‘He’s been strange since the first time he met.’

He recalled meeting Min Ki-hyeok a year ago at the freshman orientation.

//—-

“Are you a cat?”

That was the first thing Min Ki-hyeok said to him as soon as he sat down.

“No, I’m human?”

Caught off guard by the random question, Yang-hwi replied in a sharp tone, as if he were dealing with a lunatic. Min Ki-hyeok scratched his cheek and gave an awkward smile.

“Oh, you’re not? Right? I mean, a cat wouldn’t sit next to me.”

‘Ah, is this guy also of that kind?’

Raising an eyebrow, Yang-hwi watched as Min Ki-hyeok hesitated slightly before continuing.

“You smell nice, so… do you maybe have a cat?”

Taken aback, Yang-hwi nodded, and in an instant, Min Ki-hyeok’s face lit up with delight.

“Then can you show me some pictures? I bet they’re super cute.”

“…Why should I?”

‘What’s this about them being cute? Is that some kind of species-specific intuition or something?’

Yang-hwi replied half-heartedly, brushing off Min Ki-hyeok. Then he glanced at the “bomb shot” on the table and grimaced.

This outdated college culture from the ’80s, using alcohol to discipline freshmen, really needs to die out.

Yang-hwi was especially weak to mixed drinks. If he drank that, he’d pass out for sure. As he stared at the beer glass, plotting how to discreetly ditch it without getting caught, Min Ki-hyeok spoke up beside him.

“I’ll drink for you.”

“What?”

It seemed like an extension of the cat picture conversation.

“You look like you don’t want to drink it. Am I wrong? I’m good at drinking. I’ll take responsibility and finish it all for you today.”

“…Fine.”

Yang-hwi hesitated for a moment before answering. If he could protect his liver for just a few cat pictures, it was a no-brainer deal.

“Alright. But you—”

“Min Ki-hyeok. That’s my name.”

“Right, Min Ki-hyeok. You’ve got to drink it without making it obvious.”

After sealing the cool deal, Yang-hwi found a decent picture of Min-young and handed over his phone. Min Ki-hyeok looked at it, muttering, “It’s a little different from what I expected,” with a hint of disappointment. But soon enough, a slight smile crept onto his face as he flipped through the photos.

‘What a weird guy, as expected.’

—-//

“All done.”

“Thanks.”

As Yang-hwi put the lint roller back in his bag, he stole a glance at Min Ki-hyeok’s profile.

Aside from his obsession with cats, Min Ki-hyeok was objectively good-looking. His sharp, almost cold features became even more striking when his mouth was closed, but his natural handsomeness shone through regardless.

When he looked up, the wolf-like gray eyes, characteristic of his kind, stood out sharply. That color still felt unfamiliar to Yang-hwi, but it didn’t seem out of place on Min Ki-hyeok. It was almost like an idol wearing colored contacts.

‘Yeah, he’s one of the Gong candidates, so wouldn’t his looks naturally be outstanding?’

Yang-hwi raised one eyebrow in mild displeasure.

‘If I’d realized I’d been thrown into a novel, I should’ve been more cautious of my surroundings.’

By the time he figured out that Min Ki-hyeok was a Gong candidate—possibly even the protagonist—it was already too late to cut ties. Over the past few months, his body had grown accustomed to the comfort Min Ki-hyeok provided.

‘Now that the time for any major plot points has likely passed, maybe I don’t need to worry about it anymore?’

‘Besides, I am not entirely certain that this is the novel world I know.’

Meeting Min Ki-hyeok’s oblivious gaze, Yang-hwi flashed a grin.

“Wanna grab lunch after this? There’s a new Tonkatsu² place by the main gate. My treat.”

“…You’re suddenly offering to pay?”

Min Ki-hyeok narrowed his eyes suspiciously. Yang-hwi felt a pang of indignation as his pure kindness was questioned, but it made sense— he’d never offered to pay before, so it was natural for Min Ki-hyeok to be wary.

Since Min Ki-hyeok always paid first, Yang-hwi never had the chance to step up. Still, he couldn’t keep mooching forever.

“Getting by with just a few pictures of Min-young every time feels cheap.”

“Then let’s eat something other than Tonkatsu.”

“Sure, pick whatever you want. But… is something up today? It feels a bit chaotic.”

Propping his chin on his hand, Yang-hwi looked down at the lecture hall and noticed the atmosphere was livelier than usual.

“Why? Is something going on?”

Min Ki-hyeok turned the question back on him. ‘Right, I should’ve asked someone else.’ Min Ki-hyeok, who was just as oblivious to their surroundings as Yang-hwi, wouldn’t know anything.

Yang-hwi shifted his gaze to scan the room. Unlike the excited buzz of freshmen at the start of the first semester, this felt different. People were sneaking glances somewhere, whispering excitedly. Some weren’t even subtle, their heads turned outright in that direction.

Yang-hwi’s eyes followed theirs. Over there, a group of people was gathered around a desk, chatting. Some were half-sitting on the edge, others standing nearby, and one person was seated.

At the center of it all was a man.

Dark navy-tinted hair, broad shoulders, and a sturdy back. Just from his upright posture, Yang-hwi could roughly guess what he looked like from the front. Probably a handsome, likable type. After all, everyone—guys and girls alike—was already showing interest in him.

But more than that, something about the back of that head caught Yang-hwi’s attention. It felt oddly familiar. Narrowing his eyes as if to gauge it, he suddenly felt a tug from behind, choking him slightly. Turning his head, he saw Min Ki-hyeok gripping his hoodie’s hood, staring at him like he was insane.

“If you’re planning to off yourself, you picked the wrong spot. Jumping from here would just leave a bump on your head.”

“What nonsense are you spouting? Why’d you pull my hood?!”

“Look down and then talk.”

Yang-hwi, who’d been glaring with triangular eyes, followed Min Ki-hyeok’s words and glanced downward. His hands and knees were on the desk like a four-legged animal. One foot was perched right on the edge, as if poised to leap forward for momentum.

Even if he’d jumped, he’d probably just roll down the sloped lecture hall floor—hardly a dramatic leap anywhere.

“Ugh, crap. Am I crazy?”

Startled, Yang-hwi jerked backward, and only then did Min Ki-hyeok let go of his hoodie. The sudden movement caused him to crash onto the chair, his butt hitting hard, but there was no time to register the pain. It felt like he’d been entranced by something. Not a pleasant feeling, but something unsettling, something that stripped him of control over his own will.

As he realized the source of that familiar sensation, Yang-hwi’s eyes widened.

“…Why is he here?”

Springing to his feet, the momentum sent his chair toppling backward.

The clattering noise drew the attention of everyone in the lecture hall toward Yang-hwi. And the protagonist, who had been the center of all eyes just moments ago, turned his head as well.

The moment Yang-hwi felt their gazes lock—those deep midnight-blue eyes—he ducked under the desk.

“I’m screwed.”

As Yang-hwi looked at Cha Jin-geon, the male lead of the novel “Drawn to Your Scent” that he—no, the him before he transmigrated—was in charge of, he bit back a small curse.