Ex 3

The wave of sound shattered against Eunyoo’s forehead. His eyes gleamed like a wild beast that had found its prey, locking her in place so she couldn’t move. His handsome face, seen up close, traveled along her optic nerves and embedded itself in her brain.

Facing the opposite sex without any kind of filter like this—it was the first time since graduating high school. A sense of danger, like standing before a predator, surged in alongside a raw sense of humiliation, as though she’d been stripped bare.

What the hell is this…

The cold wind brushing her cheek stirred her alcohol-fogged mind awake, and with it came a surge of anger. In that moment, her true feelings burst out.

“Wow… You’re seriously rude.”

“…What?”

“Honestly, I expected something, but you’ve exceeded all my expectations.”

It wasn’t the kind of thing you’d normally say to a guy bigger and richer than you. If there were some invisible hierarchy, Jaeha would surely be on top. But for some reason, she didn’t want to let it slide with a laugh. It wasn’t in her nature to grovel in front of someone who’d been rude.

Eunyoo snatched the hat from him roughly. Then, staring him straight in the eye, she shoved it back on her head. He seemed stunned, as if he didn’t know how to react to the situation.

“This isn’t a cultural difference—it’s a lack of respect. We’re not close enough for jokes like that to be okay. I’m seriously offended right now. I get that you’re drunk, but I don’t see why I should have to put up with your drunken antics.”

“……”

Her voice was flat, but her message was crystal clear. Eunyoo pulled a 10,000-won bill from her nearly empty wallet and shoved it into his hand. It was the price of her pride. Even if she had to skip breakfast tomorrow, she needed to reclaim her right to be angry tonight.

“As for the shoes, I’m sorry. But no matter how expensive they are, this should cover the cost of washing a pair of sneakers.”

Jaeha opened his mouth, but Eunyoo cut him off before he could say a word.

“We’re done here. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t talk to me again. Just because we’re in the same club doesn’t mean we need to be friends. People like you make me really uncomfortable. So, I’m leaving now that we’ve finished what we had to do.”

Without hesitation, Eunyoo turned and walked away. The cold wind stung her skin, but inside she felt refreshed. If she had held it in, the stress would’ve kept her up all night—but she felt like she’d handled it pretty well. Why let someone she’d just met today ruin the end of her day? Even if he talked behind her back to the other club members, she didn’t care. Anyone who would side with a guy like that was just as worthless.

She heard a faint chuckle behind her, but she ignored it and walked faster. Whether it was laughter out of disbelief or mockery, it didn’t matter. Eunyoo didn’t have the time or energy to spare for someone like Seo Jaeha. All she wanted now was to go home, wash up, and sleep.

* * *

Since childhood, she hadn’t had even a speck of talent for anything physical. That was why she ended up taking this general elective class. A single click, a tiny muscle movement—her reactions were always a bit slower than others’.

Maybe it was the hangover. She’d slept in, unusual for her. Thirty minutes before class, Eunyoo barely managed to brush her teeth, threw on a cap, and left the dorm. In her rush, she even woke up her roommate—whom she hadn’t gotten close to yet—but there was no time to apologize. After sprinting like mad, she made it to the lecture room five minutes before class started.

A few students were scattered around the lecture hall. With all their eyes glued to their desks, it was clear they were still in disbelief that they’d have to take a 9 a.m. class for the entire semester. Eunyoo plopped down in an empty seat, slowly exhaling her ragged breath and cooling the sweat on her back. Haa—someone else’s sigh echoed through the room, but it felt like her own. This course was notorious for its overly sensitive professor and dreaded group projects. Most of the people here were likely ones who couldn’t get into other classes. Some were probably already considering dropping out or taking a leave of absence.

At exactly 9:00 a.m., the professor entered without a second’s delay and began taking attendance. Even during the add/drop period, attendance was being counted—he’d warned them not to even think about being late. The room was soon filled with names and short responses of “Here.”

“Seo Jaeha.”

Eunyoo’s heart sank at the familiar name. No way. She held her breath and glanced around, but the tall, pale man was nowhere to be seen. “Seo Jaeha” was called again, but there was no response. She couldn’t tell if it was a stranger with the same name or the man she met yesterday—but for now, it was a relief. Maybe he dropped the class? Missing the very first session made it likely.

But her relief was short-lived. The front door burst open and in walked a refrigerator-sized man, raising his hand high in the air. Eunyoo’s face instantly stiffened. It was definitely the guy she’d met yesterday.

“Yes, Seo Jaeha, I’m here, Professor!”

His loud panting echoed through the lecture hall. Above his heaving, broad chest was his faintly flushed face. The jerk was grinning, despite being late.

“I just re-enrolled this semester, and I got a little lost trying to find the classroom. They built a new building while I was away.”

He casually explained his situation, which no one had asked about, as he adjusted the bag swinging from his forearm. The professor looked him over, sweaty from his run, and gave a curt reply:

“Since you’re a returning student, I’ll let it slide just this once.”

Maybe it was really because he was a returning student—but for all the professor’s earlier warnings, his reaction now seemed surprisingly lenient.

“Thank you, Professor. I’ll do my best from now on.”

Now safely marked present, Jaeha bowed deeply in thanks, then turned to find a seat. At that moment, their eyes met. Eunyoo quickly lowered her head, but without hesitation, Jaeha sat right next to her.

“Hey. You’re in this class too, huh?”

He leaned toward Eunyoo and whispered. His breath brushing her ear sent chills down her spine. Eunyoo glared at him with wide, sharp eyes. His attitude, as if they were already close, was infuriating. Unless he’d completely blacked out from drinking yesterday, there was no way someone could be this shameless.

Without replying, Eunyoo pushed her chair as far away from him as she could. He lowered his body over the desk and stared at her as if trying to get a look at her face beneath her cap. When she still didn’t respond, a new question came flying.

“Do I smell or something?”

He flapped his oversized T-shirt, and a faint scent of cologne wafted to her nose. Yesterday, it had been a deep, heavy scent; today, it was light and fresh. Who puts on cologne like this just to come to school? Was he here to study or flirt? No wonder women flocked to him—he definitely looked like the type to have a different girlfriend for morning, noon, and night.

“Han Eunyoo.”

“…Huh? Yes!”

While she was mentally criticizing the guy, her name was called, and she almost missed it. She belatedly raised her hand with a flustered flutter, and a snickering sound came from beside her. He was laughing. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment, and Eunyoo turned her body as far away from him as possible, trying to ignore his reaction.

Once roll call ended, the professor began explaining the course content. The main theme was why philosophy was necessary for life. As the lecture dragged on, Eunyoo found herself stifling yawns.

She liked math because it had clear answers. No matter how difficult the problem, the assurance that a solution existed made it worth tackling. In the same vein, she disliked philosophy. If a hundred people could come up with a hundred answers and all of them were considered correct, then how could it be called truth? There was nothing more hollow than spending time on a question with no answer. What did contemplating the meaning of life change about one’s actual life, anyway? Abstract debates were a luxury for people with time to spare.

“So, what I’m saying is—don’t just bury your heads in textbooks for your majors. Make time to study the humanities. One thing many Korean students forget after grinding their way through intense college entrance exams is that while knowledge is important, so is wisdom. When life gets tangled up and you feel like there’s no answer, it’s wisdom that might hold the key. Or the strength to get back up after falling. That comes from our ancestors’ teachings, from records of intense inner conflict—philosophy, in other words.”

What did the lives of philosophers from centuries ago have in common with modern people’s lives? These days, money solved most problems, and to get money, you needed superior knowledge. That was the reality. The professor’s impractical speech went in one ear and out the other. She couldn’t understand it, so she couldn’t find it interesting. Just as her eyelids began to droop from her early morning start, the professor said something that snapped her back to attention.

“As many of you probably know, the exam in this class is easy, so your grades mostly depend on the group project. I expect everyone to take it seriously.”

Group project. That was the number one reason this class was a nightmare. Eunyoo opened her notebook and started paying close attention. From this point on, it concerned her grades, so it was worth listening to.

“This semester’s theme is ‘Religion and Science.’ It may sound a bit broad, but I left it that way on purpose so you could interpret it freely from various angles. You’ll form teams of two and prepare a 20-minute presentation.”

Topic — Religion and Science (open to interpretation), Teams of two, 20-minute presentation… She scribbled down the info without much enthusiasm.

“Then, since assigning teams is a hassle… let’s go with whoever you’re sitting next to.”

What? Sitting next to? Eunyoo frantically looked around. The moment she turned her head, her eyes met Jaeha’s. He looked at her with a sly twist to his fox-like eyes, as if mocking her. She felt like she had to flee, right now, but the professor calmly handed down the death sentence.

“Since you’ve ended up sitting next to each other, let’s just consider that fate and work with your seat partner.”

A creeping sense of dread told her that this semester was going to be hell.