Ex 1

It was the first day of the new semester, and there was a club drinking party scheduled for the evening. The night of March still held the lingering chill of the long winter. With a single sigh from Eunyoo, a visible puff of breath rose and disappeared into the black night sky.

— Did you eat?

Her mother’s gentle voice on the other end of the phone felt completely detached from the loud laughter echoing behind her. Eunyoo replied in a tone suspended somewhere between those two worlds.

“I’m about to. There’s a club drinking party tonight. The snacks are basically a meal. What about you, Mom? Did you eat?”

— Yeah, I always manage just fine, so don’t worry.

As always, after the casual check-in came the inevitable sigh. Her university was quite far from home, so Eunyoo stayed in a dorm during the semester—something her mother found deeply lonely. Having lost her husband to a chronic illness, her daughter was all she had. While her mother had hoped Eunyoo would get a job right after graduation to start earning money, Eunyoo wanted to keep studying the subject she loved: math. Going to college had been purely her own ambition.

— Eunyoo.

“…Yeah?”

— Are you happy?

The soft voice tightened around her heart. Her frostbitten red hands clutched the phone tightly and trembled slightly. Staring at the ground, Eunyoo forced a cheerful tone.

“Yeah, I’m happy. Mom.”

She deliberately ignored her mother’s loneliness—because if she acknowledged it, she wouldn’t be able to move forward.

— …That’s good to hear.

“I’m going to be top of my class again this semester. I can do it.”

— Of course you can. My smart girl. You’ll become a professor and win the Fields Medal, too.

“Pfft, do you even know what the Fields Medal is?”

— Of course I do. I may be ignorant, but I know exactly what my daughter wants to become and how she wants to live—because I’m her mother.

“……”

— You said your school gathers all the top math and science students in the country, right? All the ladies at the market say I raised you well. That I brought a dragon out of a ditch…

Her voice carried a more cheerful note now, but a bitter taste lingered in Eunyoo’s mouth. Her mother didn’t need a daughter to brag about. What she really needed was someone to warm the cold seat next to her, share a meal, and fall asleep after chatting about her day. And Eunyoo, unable to give her any of that, was nothing but an unfilial daughter.

Suddenly, Eunyoo looked up to see Hyunseok, the club president, waving and walking toward her.

“Oh, Mom, I’ve got to go. My friends are calling me.”

— Oh? Okay, then. Don’t drink too much. You have class tomorrow.

“Yeah, I will. Don’t worry.”

— And be careful around boys…

“Good night, Mom!”

Before her mom could finish, Eunyoo said her goodbye and hung up first. Only then did the sigh stuck in her throat escape. Just then, Hyunseok came up and gently pulled down her hat.

“What’s with the sigh?”

“Ah!”

Eunyoo playfully pushed against his chest as she lifted the cap she was so used to wearing low over her face. In response, he clutched his chest dramatically and pretended to be in pain. Even teasing was part of their usual greeting. Hyunseok was a senior in the Mathematical Sciences Department. The reason why students from a math department, who typically had little interest in books, joined the reading club “Hwadam” was because of Hyunseok’s suggestion that they could just drink together. Eunyoo was one of the people drawn in by that idea.

“Why are you out here by yourself? Where are the others?”

“I was on the phone for a bit. The others are already here. Why is the club president the last one to arrive?”

“Ah, I had to rescue someone with no sense of direction. Said he couldn’t remember the area after coming back from a break.”

He jerked his chin to gesture beside him and shrugged his shoulders. Only then did she notice someone standing next to him. From the navy parka with “School of Computing” written on it, he seemed to be from the Computer Science department. The cold wind that passed by him carried a mixed scent of cologne and cigarettes.

“This is your first time meeting Jaeha, right? You joined after he went on a leave. But you’ve heard of him, haven’t you? You’re lucky—getting a personal introduction to Mr. Popular.”

If he was famous enough that she should have heard of him and lucky enough to be introduced personally—was he a celebrity or something? Out of reflex, she looked up to see his face, but his cap shaded everything except his neck. She could’ve craned her neck further, but she didn’t feel like putting in that much effort. Cologne, cigarettes, popular guy, computer science, returning student… Just from those details, he didn’t seem like someone she’d ever get close to.

“Hello,”

She offered a polite greeting and was about to turn away, but Hyunseok went on to introduce her to him.

“This is Han Eunyoo, a third-year in our department. Top of the class.”

At that, the man finally opened his mouth.

“Really?”

His low voice carried a hint of curiosity. Then, all of a sudden, the man leaned down and looked Eunyoo in the eyes from beneath her cap. His pale face suddenly entering her space made her shoulders stiffen. It was a distance that shouldn’t exist between people meeting for the first time. She held her breath and glared at the intruder who filled her vision. Just as the corners of his long, narrow eyes curled in an unreadable way, Hyunseok shoved his shoulder roughly and added,

“Hey, not that. Do it properly.”

Hyunseok smoothed his own face, shook his head, and tapped Jaeha’s head. The guy, who had been holding eye contact until the very end, straightened up and stepped out of her field of vision.

“Ah, so you’re a math prodigy. I see.”

A teasing tone lingered above her head. The sharp lines of his face danced before her eyes. It wasn’t hard to guess that his popularity came from his looks, but the casual attitude he gave off gnawed at her nerves.

His laid-back slouch, the way he threw out words like he didn’t care—all of it reminded her of the type of guy who smoked in back alleys and laughed without a care. That specific brand of thoughtlessness that gave no regard to others’ feelings. There was nothing good to be gained from getting involved with someone like that.

“You startled me. You came way too close. And I’m a bit old to be called a prodigy now.”

Eunyoo chided his rudeness in a bright tone. Whether he noticed or not, his chest—which still filled her line of sight—remained confidently in place.

“Hm, you didn’t make eye contact when you greeted me. Thought you were ignoring me.”

The guy pointed out her rudeness instead. Maybe because she hadn’t bothered to look at his face, he interpreted it as a slight. She could see how he might think that, and the hostility she felt toward him eased slightly. Eunyoo lifted her head enough to look up at him, to the point her neck ached.

“Sorry. You’re tall, and with the hat, I couldn’t really see.”

“I was just joking.”

When Eunyoo offered a formal smile, the guy’s sharp features softened slightly. His sleek appearance was rare in engineering departments, giving him an unfamiliar vibe—almost like a foreigner. Hyunseok patted Eunyoo’s shoulder reassuringly.

“He’s always like that. Lived in the States for a long time, so his style’s a bit different. He also messes up Korean vocabulary sometimes. Hope you understand.”

“The States?”

“Yeah, he went to a science high school in the U.S.”

“Oh, a U.S. science high school.”

Eunyoo nodded without much reaction. Since most students at H University had graduated early from science high schools, it wasn’t anything surprising. In fact, it was much rarer to find someone like Eunyoo, who had gotten into H University through the regular admission track.
Still, she had a vague sense that he must come from a well-off family. She didn’t know much about brand names, but everything he wore looked like luxury goods—including the lingering scent of strong musk that hung around him.

She stepped into the bar with a guy she thought she’d never cross paths with again.
Turns out what they said about him being popular was true—when Jaeha walked in, the atmosphere instantly became livelier. People who seemed to know him, and even those who were probably meeting him for the first time, looked genuinely happy to see him.
Eunyoo returned to her seat, where her friends from the same department were gathered.
Suddenly, she found herself the center of unexpected attention.

“What the heck. Why’d you walk in with Seo Jaeha?”

Even though she hadn’t introduced him, her friends already knew his name. They were usually uninterested in people, so the fact that they paid attention meant he must really be famous.
Eunyoo shook her head while picking up a newly added piece of fruit from the platter.

“I went out to take a call from my mom and ran into him out front. Hyunseok sunbae told me to say hi, so I did. That’s it. But how do you guys know his name?”

“How could we not? He’s the only tall and good-looking guy on campus like that. He took time off for military service, but I guess he’s back now.”

“For real? He’s that famous?”

“Everyone but you probably knows him. He’s like the pride and dream of the Computer Science department. From what I’ve heard, he went to a U.S. science high school… Plus, he doesn’t have that typical engineering student vibe, so he stands out. He likes sports, gets along well with people, and he’s friendly with girls, too…”

“Ooh, like a playboy? Like in those American dramas?”

“Hmm, not sure about that… But maybe he’s a bit more open-minded from living in the States? Or maybe that’s just a stereotype.”

He seems like the type who’d sleep around, Eunyoo muttered as she bit into her snack.
With good looks and money, women would naturally flock to him—and he didn’t seem like the type to push them away, either. Her conclusion was based on how casually he had leaned in close to a stranger earlier.

Her friends kept their eyes glued to the table that had grown rowdy with Jaeha’s arrival.

“He must be pretty close with Hyunseok sunbae too.”

“Is there anyone not close with Hyunseok sunbae? He’s like, the ultimate extrovert. The one shining light of our major, where social skills are practically nonexistent.”

“Well, now Han Eunyoo and Seo Jaeha are on a first-name basis. Congrats on becoming friends with a celebrity.”

Eunyoo chuckled as she looked at the guy surrounded by people.
Seeing both guys and girls lining up just to get a word in with him, she could now understand why Hyunseok had jokingly said she was lucky.

“I dunno. I feel like he’s probably already forgotten my name.”

Just like Eunyoo, her friends started drinking as they continued watching the lively scene across the room.

“Damn, he’s hot. Like, actual celeb-level good looks.”

“And that’s not all. I heard he parties all the time but still gets great grades. Plus, he’s supposedly the youngest son of some big company. Not just a gold spoon—diamond spoon.”

“He’s like the male lead in the dramas my mom watches. All that’s left is for him to get slapped with a check by his future mother-in-law in a marriage-of-convenience plot. So, who wants to volunteer?”

“The waitlist already wraps around the globe.”

Whether she wanted to or not, her friends’ chatter loaded her up with info about him.
Eunyoo wasn’t interested in the female lead role of his story, but she had to admit—she was very intrigued by his role.

If he were the youngest son of a chaebol family, he could study whatever he wanted without financial pressure. With support from his parents, he could probably even get a degree abroad if he felt like it.
What was it like to live with that kind of privilege?

Suddenly, her own life, where studying only brought more guilt toward her mom, felt painfully small in comparison.
Everyone started at different points, but here at this university, Eunyoo felt like she was standing at the very back of the line, and Jaeha was way out in front.
Maybe it was because of the earlier phone call with her mom—she felt more unsettled than usual.
How much wisdom does one need to stop feeling this kind of despair when faced with someone else’s advantage?
She felt sad that her financial poverty was starting to seep into her inner world as well.

“Phew… Guys, maybe I should start reading those self-help books. You know, the ones that tell you ‘you’re already amazing just as you are’ and help boost your self-esteem. Seeing that guy’s made me kinda depressed, out of nowhere. Guess I haven’t grown up all the way.”

Inferiority had a way of festering when kept hidden.
So Eunyoo dragged that murky feeling out of her chest and laid it bare—using it as bar banter instead.
It wasn’t a feeling worth holding on to for long anyway.
Even though her comment came out of nowhere, her friends immediately understood what she meant.

“Why, you jealous? Dude, I’m jealous of you too. You’re our department’s genius who caught Professor Kim’s eye.”

“Yo, if you say stuff like that, what about me? I gotta retake that class. Don’t rub it in, man.”

“Honestly, that guy’s life is so far removed from reality, I can’t even be jealous. One in a hundred thousand chance, right? He’s basically a lottery winner.”

Her friends comforted her in their own ways and refilled her drink.
By voicing it, she realized it wasn’t really inferiority—just good old-fashioned envy.

“Why not? It’s okay to be jealous of a lottery winner.”

Her heart felt a little lighter. Eunyoo downed her drink in one go and spoke again.

“I wanna be born as Seo Jaeha in my next life.”

It was the perfect moment for someone to agree or jokingly disagree, but strangely, everything fell silent.
Wondering if she’d said something weird, she cautiously lifted her head—only to find all her friends frozen, staring in one direction.

She followed their gaze.

And there he was—Seo Jaeha, the guy they’d been gossiping about—standing right in front of their table, looking straight at Eunyoo.