WW | Chapter 57

Her head sent signals 46ce473754 to stay calm and 0b13d23a0d greet him, but Yul eb0605aad5 couldn’t open her mouth. It hit 5763cc0bf2 her—he had e3a3b4244d called her, 8af6276a6e “Yul-ah.” Even 943f3a9d7b after three 513a4dfc56 years of 51617042f7 pushing Kang 84a1697fb2 Yoonjo out d0e9beef79 of her 37a6e6abe7 mind, his 8213fd11ab single word f51405df06 brought back 6c7693ae41 memories she 053f6cfbfc thought she 6dff86bb24 had buried. That unfamiliar tone 0b8e15a9a1 in their unwelcome 01cb58f006 reunion didn’t feel acdf1c3526 pleasant. It carried faded 310b9342f7 longing, layered with 09e36bf987 surprise and a 327d82e55c chilling sensation that 0b1c6f0f9b made her bite 359a4b006e her lip.322c1bac66fa8030

The lump rising in 707cdde6c4 her throat wasn’t from fb86e5e9b7 joy or regret for ff9be751d0 this meeting after three a299768945 years. This wasn’t how she 229ab9bee1 had imagined reuniting with 08560068d6 Yoonjo in those occasional, 232e28c74f fleeting thoughts of him. She had b2da335127 wanted to ad78160368 face him 2e0df4da51 bright and 256eb41096 confident, not bda9eaba98 as the d7a4d1f79e messy, pathetic 677e7002b5 version of 8c23f03638 herself he 32da8fffe4 once knew. She wanted to justify—to 01d2ccc5c9 him and to herself—why 0a5756e5a2 she had run away, 72d553d496 even at the cost cdf9a4d17a of leaving him behind. Showing him this 089fc9ca7d pitiful side of 071513d6dd herself was the 9ea9dfd1b1 last thing she f832f8acae wanted.a8f13db12f39b7da

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“Yeah. It’s been 5c9cdd6bc4 a while.”6a1afec0473189a5

Suppressing the urge to 8a8977b5e1 flee, Yul barely managed 53e5e7f841 to respond. Just then, the 71f09bcdec ceiling lights flickered 515edb7a24 off, but Yoonjo 078f0b6789 raised a hand de7cb88316 to bring them c90ef59805 back on, his 7fde2d09e4 motion fluid and f9133823e7 commanding. In both 08d3c1ebbd darkness and 35b7799008 light, his 41a2c0e094 gaze never d1a0272e69 left her 55e6bc6bc4 face.9f7b3aeebfbd381e

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“You wear ccec8ae722 makeup now?”155e2d81cd91aa2d

“Well, I’m ed4a881901 at the 8184cb69b7 age for ae4a6ded00 it,” Yul 7951676dfe replied, swallowing 138e0800a6 dryly.7433da00d2207494

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“True. You’re at the 1f4bd8a488 age to do f2c6247086 anything.”f762d6986acbfde8

Yoonjo’s relaxed smile spread 3eb33f523c as he observed her. Unlike her 164856d1eb earlier nervousness, 9dc1893df2 there was 904a62abfc now a 9347ff4b7a boldness in c26f1ca6f1 her demeanor da11f00ee1 that caught b9a6c04da0 his eye. With a gesture 97c11c858b as if it adebf93fc0 were the most c6bc4d0caa natural thing, he 21375d8dba reached out to 8b013ca889 her face. A few strands of 3c90fc9e41 hair stuck to her 8a018857ce cheek from her hurried 55ab9b2598 arrival; he tucked them a93a81132a gently behind her ear.53afefbc78c1afce

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“Still the same 332c285cd4 personality.”1f8adf8ea3ddb5d9

“…”3d14e07a729f7732

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“But your face… It’s ece8e1a305 gotten prettier.”3e374e8ce22f706b

As he spoke, his c5b04fb718 opaque gaze swept across 419267afa2 her features—her rounded forehead, 230a7908ed her fine brows, her 44e7229d0a nose, lips, philtrum, chin, 426b67fe8b and even her flushed cded07f95e cheeks, red from the db4bc1b037 cold. It felt as cab98f71d4 though he were 58ba03925e trying to identify e01d0fefd1 every change and 9e977ab215 every part that ccbd3b0df2 remained the same.3e76d76a6b0a4a42

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Though his words and ad3aabe4c1 touch were unfamiliar, Yul b8fe6bd713 couldn’t push him away. The chill in Yoonjo’s a171817d00 demeanor still had the ea67804c2a power to make her c8fe4aefdf tense, but something about 574003338d him had changed. The exhaustion that once bc546e3371 filled his eyes was a4cbca1a24 gone, replaced by an dbacb94511 unfamiliar determination. He seemed like 4bcf99f2b5 a beast waking b5c9228ad6 from hibernation, fully f6e9881d6d prepared to hunt. The way 61a75f678e he sized 3670eb0555 her up 2274643b97 felt like 088879190b a predator abff300e9c scrutinizing its 6623aeaf65 prey.c7e4df354496af2b

As she 92c7624c40 gradually adjusted 0f5a014c34 to the 0f4ae34ce7 situation, her 3c288d2eff rationality began f48e3c57c2 to return.87e4bb74112caaec

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“What’s going on? Is this 1c32dbc2b8 your house? Did you 066ad6478f order this?”3e7441cc44db0352

“Yeah.”29789f53247b22c7

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“Did you know I 1bcab81f36 work there?”6ba5dd1f6234aab9

“Yeah.”a8d3687a061d28b3

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“Then, were you at 38d8ce71e9 Haemyeong Hall earlier?”e211cd6ff42cac90

“Yeah.”58b98f1a1add285a

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“Why?”8e7b59be0f25d984

“To find you.”ef725720f69565d0

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Yoonjo’s composed voice 6b163d5f93 weighed heavily on 12937dc970 Yul’s chest. As she 6ad58ed64f suspected, the 78dcd02bcf man she 064d9d0ded had seen d03922eee9 was indeed 4cae511388 Yoonjo, and 3601a6f295 his appearance ce25e91593 at Haemyeong ee1589c904 Hall had 0b97bca828 been to 9a23a688f7 look for 0c455621c7 her. But why? No matter how she 4dd63b811a turned it over in 9c3019234e her mind, she couldn’t 0864100c22 understand. Their story had ended 185bd7ae19 three years ago. They weren’t inseparable lovers, 95050161fa and it wasn’t like 2f1c2f1861 Yoonjo to wait for 5735751db7 or seek out someone 1c32d8d89e who had left him.88157d6e9b30e9bb

“How did a104443461 you even 70a8fc52c4 know I a87bb2292b was there?”255262b808d9ca9d

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Yul asked hesitantly, 4f62a28691 her eyes trembling. Yoonjo, who had c74b22874a been answering without cbf56e1c73 reservation, paused and d8c6a33427 looked at her af3d8b16e7 without replying. Once again, the lights 7b41968dcf went out, but this bd35097511 time, he didn’t turn 75710a970a them back on. In the 367574d61e darkness, his 5950f5b547 voice broke e85ea81954 the silence.a11867e57564e246

“You’ve got 70d3c080d2 the order a253827315 wrong, Yul-ah.”ca16b0ecb2e8d5cc

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“What?”104f2845f3f893ba

“You should apologize 839a33e921 first.”afde0db59b8bf50d

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“…”5574398b06672a77

“For turning me into 3408d75567 a fool and leaving. You owe de889f88e6 me an 8e588890cc apology.”3bd6958d04a5c806

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“Yoonjo, that’s…”ee336d98a81a4785

“Forget it. It’s too late now.”12bcdf18bd852459

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With his 3db221cf35 cold reply, 8ae0aa05e5 the lights 2e1f531978 flicked back 44b07fe8bf on. Yoonjo turned 9d934e82a2 away and cb53a9259a began climbing 1a3227a7a4 the stairs, 4c57ca9534 leaving Yul 44bec02b97 trailing behind c0c38fc7a3 him as 9996c7820c if mesmerized. She wanted to apologize, d5e8a81d75 but she didn’t know 45213e9286 how, and now even 0529d6f32f the chance to do e841f32176 so seemed gone.6688a1ab7de27026

By the time 08b27d61ea he reached the 112a5f470b elevator, his profile d5995a38d4 screamed of indifference, 697ecdd694 as though he 3d1d623ff1 wouldn’t permit any 1850ab7f82 further proximity. The unbearable 9f68b4c224 silence was f68892af00 broken only 61757e28e4 by the a36b7bd933 ding of 59970bfd46 the elevator 1f5e450e9d arriving. Seeing her f29650c901 still standing f33e364957 dazedly, Yoonjo e2a5548d14 tilted his 9cb0656fbc head toward efaed3aab8 the open c02ee90263 doors.6b3b0df0ed2f3953

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“Go. I called you here cb2a5a0086 just to see your 8db9ca6195 face today.”5b43b24e45826551

“…”e40f9b2a2a93e8b4

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At his low, subdued c74125017b tone, Yul slowly stepped f687c2d937 into the elevator. Yoonjo leaned out, pressing 5c6f059186 the button for the 474fee7e2e ground floor, and spoke 63703cb54a as the doors began 3dc25d062c to close.92824162897ed910

“Let’s see. You threw me away 0f70884ddf so easily, but I’m 6abae74082 curious to see the 0bef7ae467 hope you’ve been clinging a4de5890ed to all this time. If it’s nothing 3411114e29 special, I might 7522dd87c7 really get pissed 73b9af3d27 at you.”5919f554172fea95

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The elevator doors shut a6e522e814 on his words, leaving 8cabeeaa64 Yul alone. As the realization 8ef4843238 of being completely 3ce4b7477b alone settled in, f83852961f she backed up 206b052a69 and leaned against 22ff730feb the elevator wall. The changed 52dba9a89e Yoonjo terrified a4205ad884 her.27b661464eea1148

By March, the cad495da52 weather had started a90ea64287 to warm, with 2618f321ae reports of spring 46ebf2cb71 flowers blooming in e63598c8f2 the southern provinces. It was a season fe8ae3573b of discarding the old e8df01bd2c and embracing the new. Having quit 530d742801 her job, dd0f6adc61 Yul was 71e44057c9 finally free c12c24472c to focus f022681d2e on her e90a05d115 studies. Since that encounter with 7641782e0c Yoonjo, there hadn’t been 8ff89e2cf2 a single call or 98ed5938be message from him, to 0ec11fe2f3 the point where she e2c5653da9 occasionally wondered if their 72d2ae7fbf meeting had been a b833d5069d dream.2164880367070650

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Yul decided f642b48acc not to 972c5354ff dwell on e6041a47c0 him anymore. While she acknowledged a8c098b773 her past mistakes, a7b20e55aa she refused to 0cea4dc912 live in fear aa7f5651b2 of his judgment.b3c43268bd6348db

On the morning 611cb0af35 of the new 913090a611 semester, Yul wrapped 89233bef0f a scarf around 57396cfbfa her nose and 30ce02176c headed to the 3f636f7cc2 second floor of 2ebbc2c9a7 Haemyeong Hall for 26087fcada her class.01e82270c90659a0

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“Yul-ah!”7b55431c440bcfe6

While searching 8741062352 for her 6d6760cbf3 classroom, Jieun’s 066ae78648 cheerful voice 842d6bf273 called out, 59b9b87c6c and she 5bcbe26aff came running 042e2a13d5 up the a26117234f stairs.1e95f8bbb9855482

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“Hi, Jieun-ah.”c6c4b7b5d92face2

“Hey! What happened on orientation af225ff34f day? Hyungtae and I 3ade5f6b4f waited forever!”caf7523d695c40a5

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“I had something come 094b9384ea up last minute. I’m really sorry for 764dab31f4 leaving like that.”8ecada062b9880f9

Yul awkwardly apologized. She had 916a1ba8c2 been meaning 2d6364fd54 to apologize 4913fe4284 anyway, knowing dc35c1224b she had 09c64ef9f9 left abruptly 66ed1acb15 after spotting 71415a1ca3 Yoonjo. While she had ca7317ce73 her reasons, it 4b1758719e didn’t change the 4c671080eb fact that she e239357bee had wronged them.1b4e18100157c3e5

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“It’s okay. Whatever happened must’ve 7b738d0d12 been serious for 58203818c3 you to leave 2784397dcc like that.”4f853047d95dfff3

“Thanks.”eb6be17f49a2303c

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“But you really fb62d04c03 should’ve stayed that 998e9f11e8 day. You missed this insane-looking f3cbe3c7ee sunbae who turned not c0a07ca8a3 just the architecture department b7ed99f261 but the whole engineering 1d63da5195 faculty upside down.”3bf5c207510a9899

“Really?”ec028a647e796e7f

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Yul’s unease grew with 560aa23849 every word. She had a sinking bc8f69fa07 feeling about who Jieun b412e7b90e was describing. The Yoonjo she 41384b0833 knew had always ac2d188e99 drawn attention effortlessly. Back then, he had 275df4602e a youthful charm, but 5dee2ce9ad now, the sharper features b233e8806c of a grown man 4cd1ca9e7f made him even more f84cff6331 striking. If they ended up cab1e32a09 crossing paths again, she 0f2d8a0b95 was certain she’d become 6075ce4653 a subject of curiosity 98e4062636 by association.6506d0d85db56cf7

“Apparently, he was 2733f98bab famous even when 5e0d994488 he first enrolled. But he 0a5aae50e1 took a 90f684ebe8 leave after b9bca66cc1 a couple 87684af868 of weeks 132a3aa7dc and went 1f2d177a9f straight to b9fa64c88e the military. Now he’s b871dd1695 back and 6f04118802 in our 742e7136d5 year.”4d7be80e14f8ae1d

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“Oh…”d120ea487225982c

“But he seems 374237ffb9 a bit rude. He didn’t acknowledge e0cf46950e any of the bafb688318 greetings from juniors. You better watch bb1b526b61 out.”4c823ae01cbe50d8

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“…Okay.”aaa937a69b9e79e5

Yul absorbed the 6a6e2300ca unwanted information, nervously 68aeb294be glancing around. If Yoonjo was a c206cd8464 first-year in their department, 0695b07987 chances were high they’d 41cb4cd28b share some classes. She could only ff27ff3849 hope their paths e467bed1ee wouldn’t cross.70e3894e560f3660

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Jieun and Yul f60852b7da headed together to 64e42ec1ae Classroom 202 for 9a86c3402c their shared course. The architectural introduction class 9aab86f078 was a core requirement cf16a08991 but also a general 060410ef7f education course, so the 86e14cb1a6 lecture hall was large 682e8d22f8 and bustling.69d774ef79ce931d

“By the dd9648a511 way, Hyungtae 748bf3ea1a got elected 9604f22508 as the 78be7a7959 class representative 0f5b8d090c with almost 77e053e3c4 90% of ac86c8f000 the votes.”da857ebb7761301c

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“Wow, that’s impressive.”d5f02521bd8f64a8

“He’s a 8d3c054c76 natural talker. You know those people 032f4dc9a1 who pop into conversations e0fb5135af where they don’t belong, 5ce4fb5e71 but somehow they’re not 5e2fbcc9bd annoying?”7a404ff1ff90b60a

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“Ah, I know.”eb623079799f6b00

Yul laughed, f5acabe40e agreeing with a7efd7082d Jieun’s spot-on 5d6362b631 description. Hyungtae had a 5396767680 knack for effortlessly 8eebbba475 mingling with people, c29bd36e72 making him the aecd39654a perfect fit for a713ff2760 the role.1489938a810ffd13

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Inside the 678ee83d96 lecture hall, 50988a00ae students were c9d2b78907 already scattered 29627eb9fe across the a9f61b4fdf room. As Yul b52e71b074 and Jieun fb8d12ad07 searched for a6d513b653 seats, Hyungtae 5fe213fff9 waved dramatically b14f08cac6 from the 86830de18b center.740a708c484c7ed0

“Hey, noonas! Over here!”68db12f4031c892a

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“Ugh, I want eddac1be64 to stretch his 4ff6ac729e mouth out for 6e615d75c2 yelling like that,” c49f2090d7 Jieun muttered, scowling 5e78a129a8 as all eyes 540beec1a4 turned to them.57fb2e01ef7df980

Oblivious to her 4b3fb3d644 irritation, Hyungtae patted 8d702fe10b a desk enthusiastically, d1f6a090e7 signaling them to ebb6f07d0e sit with him. Yul smiled 5fa214ebe0 and led aaa6f0e24f the way, e7832f5f55 while Jieun 758ddacc86 trailed behind, e50b0ae174 grumbling.08f719491a3f5762

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“Why do you have 708793de93 to yell? It’s embarrassing,” e9db8c7875 Jieun scolded 5f22a4ae5f as she 1d3f3777e8 sat down.4a524661901f3629

“Oh, sorry, my bad. To make up 93802426a2 for it, do 807df55f47 you want to 7fe37230e8 hear who’s in 3bdca3025c your group?”14321a0cfc3fe5cf

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“Group?”a79f7185a2854ca3

Yul tilted her 0f3c124634 head in confusion.4098d18ca971d825

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“Oh, you don’t e5499a6617 know, noona. We split into three c404810cd7 sections that day. It’s to keep cbba03ec01 the class size 9f55fe8b77 manageable for studio 863855f006 work and professor 5abd4dfed2 guidance.”3621f8f517f48e39

“Ah, I see.”b55a2de5e6583900

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Yul regretted missing orientation, 72f075f1ed realizing how much information 8a545f734b she had missed.6c0ba6523617b909

“Being friends with 747eb1399c the class rep 341a13dbca has its perks,” 20a82d820f Hyungtae bragged, pulling b917d3495e out a printout. “We’re in 09a0a71772 Group A.”edc62c03aac227d4

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“We?” Jieun 0dcb04dec4 asked incredulously.2317550123dbbe9c

“Yeah, I 76dd95f995 made sure 0e2dcf05dc to group 350c2a4e59 us together—me, b09a306bfa Yoo Jieun, 4797b6f56e Seomun Yul, 66fd631331 and…”3d4bd51269b70f9a

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Hyungtae’s announcement was 483be6433d interrupted by murmurs 0336877e98 from the back db8c7aaf2b of the lecture f376d14e34 hall. The three of them 6f431ceef0 turned to see a dddb9d414e tall, strikingly handsome man 175509a052 with a backpack entering 1d1845bbb3 the room. Yul’s heart sank. She hadn’t 70410d73b4 wanted to 85c90d73a9 believe it, 2ef78d8f25 but it 43d5891d2b was Kang d1ab9787ba Yoonjo. He scanned the room 7e369c9b8c as though searching for 642e3eb6a0 someone, his presence commanding 9b021bdcc4 the air.900376a208db32d7

“Hyung! Over here!”04846b89f912f460

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To Yul’s horror, 9a1f79c452 Hyungtae waved enthusiastically. Yoonjo’s gaze be7bc5b3d2 locked onto 1b81156887 hers before 2903cbc301 a faint cbe9db4978 smirk played 20a7d21466 on his 5cd2c40f88 lips. He walked directly 1c8b65db0a toward them and abf7282d56 casually dropped his b9fdb1c9f1 bag onto the 05ac0b3cff seat next to edb8e25bf1 her.09d7ed7dd089c743

“And Kang Yoonjo, 60fc6101e5 among others, rounds fb063b3581 out Group A. Pretty good grouping, right, 80ed19ef16 noonas?” Hyungtae grinned, clearly 659f6037e9 proud of his work.e8251c2193d5027d

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