PS | Chapter 1.1

It was a day when cherry blossoms poured down like rain.

Perhaps the rain from the night before had left some lingering traces because, from the morning, petals were falling from the cherry trees. The sky, swept clean of clouds, revealed a blazing sun at its center. To avoid the harsh sunlight, people were walking under the shade of the trees lined on both sides of the street.

Amid the crowd enjoying the flower rain, Ji Jehyuk walked alone, right in the middle. Neither too close nor too far from the others, he stayed in the center of the path where the sunlight heated his skin.

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“Hyuk-ah.”

His name was called from behind his shoulder as he walked by himself. The clear and calm tone dug softly into his ears, carrying a weight of presence that couldn’t be ignored just by listening. Even without turning around, Jehyuk knew who it was. He slowed his pace gradually. Next to his white sneakers, which had stopped on the road, a pair of brown loafers came into view.

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As he tilted his head slightly, the person he had expected appeared. Under the radiant sunlight, that dazzlingly bright, pale face still hadn’t become a familiar sight, no matter how many times he saw it. With a sharp and defined appearance that immediately captured attention, it was none other than Yoon Sihoo, someone Jehyuk had known since high school.

“You’re here early,” Jehyuk said flatly to Sihoo, who naturally moved to stand beside him. His expression didn’t change much, but in truth, he was glad. Sihoo was the only person on campus he felt comfortable around, and seeing him brought a sense of relief.

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“Yeah, if I’m late one more time, I think my grades might actually take a hit,” Sihoo replied.

Even in response to Jehyuk’s curt greeting, Sihoo’s lips curled into a slight smile. That tiny change in expression alone was enough to transform his face into something radiant. The stares that had been following him since earlier felt like needles pricking Jehyuk’s skin.

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Feeling the faint weight of those gazes, Jehyuk rubbed his forehead. Sweeping back his neatly trimmed black hair, he glanced around. Whether male or female, everyone’s eyes were shamelessly fixed on Sihoo.

Even though Jehyuk had grown accustomed to Sihoo’s presence, he still couldn’t quite get used to this. A person who shines so brightly is bound to draw attention, and while Jehyuk understood that fact, it didn’t make it any easier to deal with.

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Jehyuk forced himself to ignore it. If he started paying attention to people’s stares, it would only leave him feeling unsettled. Pretending not to notice was always the best approach.

“They’re probably letting it slide because it’s you,” Jehyuk said, steering the conversation forward.

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Sihoo was someone who frequently went out drinking, and as a result, he was often late to morning classes, whether they were general electives or mandatory courses. The fact that professors continued to turn a blind eye was likely due to one of the many rumors that followed Sihoo around. He attracted as many whispers as he did stares.

“You saying that makes me feel kind of hurt,” Sihoo replied, his tone ambiguous as to whether he was joking or serious. Judging by the smile on his face, it was clearly a joke, but for a moment, a faint pang of guilt struck Jehyuk. It felt as though he’d said something tactless to someone who was already burdened by so many rumors. Then again, Jehyuk himself wasn’t a stranger to the nuisance of rumors.

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“My bad,” Jehyuk said, offering a sincere apology.

When Jehyuk whispered quietly, Sihoo raised his eyebrows slightly.

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“What are you apologizing for now?”

At Jehyuk’s sincere apology, Sihoo let out a low chuckle, wearing an expression that said, I can’t believe you. A large hand reached out and touched Jehyuk’s shoulder. The natural gesture startled Jehyuk for a moment, his body flinching slightly before he calmed down. If it had been anyone else, it might have been unbearable, but with Sihoo, it was fine. Maybe it was because he was the friend who had stayed by Jehyuk’s side the longest.

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“I guess I can’t even joke around with you, huh?”

Sihoo’s deep laughter, which always sounded new no matter how many times Jehyuk heard it, tickled his ears.

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“Well, I still made a mistake,” Jehyuk insisted firmly, ignoring the way Sihoo treated him like a kid. Sihoo laughed again. Jehyuk had no idea what he found so funny.

“You, at least, can say whatever you want to me. Not that you ever would,” Sihoo said, his tone teasing.

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One of the rumors that followed Yoon Sihoo was that he was the son of a chaebol family. It was a story that had stuck to him since their high school days, though no one truly knew whether it was true. Judging by his style and spending habits, it seemed plausible, but Jehyuk had never seen anything straight out of a drama—like a fancy imported car or bodyguards coming to pick him up.

Sihoo never denied or confirmed the rumor. His attitude of letting people think whatever they wanted applied to everything. He didn’t care about good or bad talk. Sihoo just did whatever he wanted.

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Maybe that was why there were always people around him, but none of them stayed for long. Though he seemed to open himself up, he never actually talked about himself. It wasn’t as if he was deliberately hiding something, yet no one truly knew anything about Yoon Sihoo.

People can’t help but have expectations. Even when they claim otherwise, it seems almost instinctive to hope for something from someone. Those who had approached Sihoo often felt hurt or disappointed by his closed-off nature and eventually left. Everyone seemed to have the same kind of hope—that being close to someone so exceptional might make them special too.

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Unlike Sihoo, however, Jehyuk didn’t keep people around him. There were various reasons for that. It wasn’t something to brag about, so he never talked about it, but most of it had to do with how he grew up.

Ji Jehyuk was an orphan and lived as a boarder in someone else’s home. It wasn’t something he considered a big flaw since it wasn’t an issue as long as he didn’t bring it up. Still, because of certain incidents tied to that background, Jehyuk found it difficult to get close to people. His neat appearance attracted people who came with expectations of their own, but when they realized how emotionally distant he was, they quickly started badmouthing him.

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The reason Jehyuk had been able to stay by Sihoo’s side was because of one thing they had in common—they had never made close friends. Beneath their polished exteriors lay unpredictable tendencies that somehow bound them together, keeping them as friends to this day.

“You overthink things,” Sihoo said, poking Jehyuk’s forehead lightly. The faint touch of his fingertip felt cool, but Jehyuk turned his head slightly, uncomfortable with how close he was. Unlike Jehyuk, Sihoo was someone who didn’t hesitate to show physical affection. Even though Jehyuk knew it was just a habit, there were still moments when it felt awkward. It wasn’t that he disliked it; it just made him uneasy, so he changed the subject.

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“We’ll be late. Let’s go.”

It was rare for them to attend a class together. Even though they were at the same university, their majors were different, so the only time they could see each other was during general electives. Jehyuk wanted to get there on time to secure good seats.

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“Yeah.”

Without any hint of embarrassment, Sihoo dropped his hand naturally. The hand that had been resting on Jehyuk’s shoulder moved to his other side, pulling him into a casual one-armed hug. Sihoo’s cool body temperature helped cool down Jehyuk, who felt warm under the sun.

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Sihoo, who was taller than Jehyuk—something that rarely happened with others—seemed to enjoy resting his arm on Jehyuk’s shoulders, saying it was the perfect height. Even though it wasn’t much of a height difference, and it was actually a bit uncomfortable, Jehyuk let this one thing slide.

Liberal Arts Hall, Room 3, First Floor

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Despite the early hour, Room 3 on the first floor of the general studies building was already crowded. Morning lectures in general studies usually had a fair share of absentees due to the timing, but Professor Pyun’s class had a high attendance rate. The fact that it was a mandatory general studies course centered around watching movies likely contributed to its popularity. Additionally, the low number of freshmen who had failed to register for the class meant that most attendees were upperclassmen serious about managing their grades.

As soon as Jehyuk entered the lecture hall, people started chatting with Sihoo from all directions. Thanks to his popularity, Sihoo seemed to know people from various departments. It was almost contradictory—someone who never let anyone stay close to him yet was familiar with so many.

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Sihoo glanced at Jehyuk with a faintly awkward smile, as if to say, What can I do? Jehyuk just shrugged. He was used to this. Leaving Sihoo to deal with his admirers for a moment, Jehyuk headed to the empty seats in the back row. He placed his bag down, reserving a spot for Sihoo, and sat down.

Barely had he sat when someone tapped him on the back.

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“Hey, I heard you got rejected again?”

The playful voice made Jehyuk turn his head expressionlessly. Standing there with a mischievous grin was Kim Ijun, a fellow student from the physical education department. Ijun, who was also on the soccer team, had been a friendly and outgoing guy since freshman year, always initiating conversations with Jehyuk.

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Despite Jehyuk’s lack of warmth, Ijun never seemed to tire of him. From day one, his attitude had been unwavering. Other than Sihoo, Ijun was probably the only person Jehyuk could consider somewhat close at school.

“Don’t bother trying to scare me with that look. Everyone already knows about it,” Ijun teased, grinning.

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Jehyuk furrowed his brows and ran a hand through his hair. Hearing about such an unpleasant topic first thing in the morning was exasperating.

“Where do you even hear these things?” Jehyuk asked.

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Every time something like this happened, Ijun was always the first to find out and come pestering him about it.

“Hong Rina cried while telling the entire department,” Ijun explained, still laughing. “She talked like she was the one who got dumped, even though she broke it off with you. It was kind of ridiculous.”

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The thing with Hong Rina had happened not long ago. She had confessed to him during the winter break training camp, and just the other day, she had broken up with him. Jehyuk had even brought flowers after she said they needed to talk, but the effort went to waste when Rina tearfully asked for a breakup. The funny part? She still took the flowers with her.

“So, why did she break up with you?”

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Ijun leaned in, practically sitting on the desk now, clearly urging Jehyuk to spill the details. Jehyuk silently pulled a notebook out of his bag. As he neatly arranged his pens, he gave the same answer he always did.

“How would I know? I was the one who got dumped.”

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