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Chapter 44
“Ah, hello, senior.”
“Hey, hi. Long time no see.”
As the man walked into the classroom, every student’s attention immediately turned toward him.
And no wonder — his looks alone could capture attention anywhere. He looked well over 180 cm tall, with a small face that made his proportions rival those of a model.
He wasn’t quite on Jun-gi’s level, but his handsome face still gave off a warm, pleasant impression. His thick eyebrows, deep eyes, and slightly upturned lips made even other men think, ‘He’s a good-looking guy.’
Maybe he worked out, because even through his light knit sweater, his firm chest muscles stood out.
But it wasn’t just his looks that drew people’s attention. This man had been winning every major contest since his freshman year — so much so that, even before graduating, he’d already received offers from the three biggest advertising agencies in Korea. He’d accepted an offer from the largest of them and was set to join the company right after graduation.
Stories about him had become something of a legend among the students in the department. Even Noeul had heard of him through rumors.
The man strode confidently toward the back of the classroom, eyes following him as he moved.
Those who knew him hurried to greet him.
“Hyun-ho hyung, are you back in school?”
“Yeah. How have you been?”
“Good! Did you work out while you were on leave? You look amazing!”
“Didn’t have much else to do,” Hyun-ho said, scratching his neck shyly, a little embarrassed by all the attention.
Several girls also gathered around him.
“Oppa, shouldn’t we celebrate your return with drinks or something?”
“What celebration? Everyone comes back to school. Go take your seats.”
He looked flustered by the crowd and gently urged them to return to their places.
They giggled, saying things like “Let’s meet up later,” before finally heading back.
Still, people kept sneaking glances at him, whispering, “That’s him, right? The guy?”
Some people in the world are just like that — they have everything.
Even though Hyun-ho sat alone, he didn’t look lonely or awkward. It made sense, really. People usually hang out with others on their level, but there probably weren’t many who could match his. The pyramid gets narrower at the top.
Hyun-soo whistled under his breath.
“Damn, Hyun-ho hyung’s vibe is unreal. Hey, we even share the same ‘Hyun’ in our names. Jealous?”
Noeul rolled his eyes and played along.
“What’s there to be jealous of? That senior and I are from the same hometown. We grew up under the same spiritual energy of the land.”
“Then why’s your ‘output’ so different? Are you sure you got the same energy?”
“I’m the prototype and he’s the final product, dumbass.”
“Ha! Shouldn’t the final product come after the prototype? How’d it come out first?”
“You’re pretty logical when it comes to insulting me, huh?”
They bickered and joked until the professor entered.
At times like this, it was easier to act like a clown — to exaggerate admiration, joke around, and vent your envy openly. To say, “Wow, he’s amazing,” and laugh about it, like gossiping aunties on a porch.
Pretending not to be jealous, claiming “his life is his life and mine is mine,” would only make you sound ridiculous — like the fox from the fable who called the unreachable grapes sour. You can’t live his life anyway, so you try to convince yourself that your shabby one is precious too. And maybe that’s the only way to keep going.
So Noeul decided to gush a bit — “Wow, he’s insane! So cool!” — and then tried to erase him from his mind. Like when you see a celebrity and forget about them the moment you turn away.
But it wasn’t that simple.
Because Hyun-ho was too close.
Celebrities are distant. Their looks and success feel like things that were never meant to be yours anyway. You don’t envy a lottery winner too hard, because you always knew the odds were impossible.
But Hyun-ho was right there — a student in the same department. His success felt like something that could’ve almost been Noeul’s. Like luck that had just barely missed him and landed on someone else instead. That’s when jealousy starts to sting. Why him, and not me?
There’s no reason for it — it just happens.
And it didn’t help that Hyun-ho wasn’t arrogant. Some people act like they’re the main character of the world, but not him. He simply sat quietly, listening to the lecture.
If he’d been cocky, maybe it would’ve been easier. Noeul could’ve dismissed him as “a jerk who’s handsome but trash inside.” But since even his personality seemed good, there was nothing to criticize — only Noeul himself looked small and petty.
He glanced sideways at Hansol.
She was jotting notes in her notebook, probably half-listening to the professor’s explanation of the syllabus.
When Hyun-ho had walked in, Hansol had looked up once — then went right back to her notes.
Was she really not interested? Impossible. No woman wouldn’t notice someone like that. But if anyone here could look at him without getting flustered, it was Hansol.
She might not have Hyun-ho’s level of career achievement, but beauty is its own form of power — and Hansol’s looks were enough to rival his combination of talent and appearance.
If you added her intelligence and personality on top of that, she’d probably surpass him — though that’s not something people can see at a glance.
Maybe that’s why she didn’t stare — she knew she was on his level. Ordinary people gawk at celebrities; celebrities don’t gawk at each other. She probably thought acting impressed would only diminish her charm.
“The assignments are two group projects and three reports.”
Groans erupted throughout the room.
The professor didn’t care.
“Complaining won’t help. The group project comes first, so find a partner instead of wasting time being sad. It’s only two people per team, so that’s easier, right?”
No one agreed.
“If you can’t find a partner, tell the TA. We’ll match you up with others in the same boat.”
After explaining grading policies, the class ended.
Many students stayed behind to form groups. No one wanted to risk being paired randomly — who knew what kind of troublemaker they might end up with?
“Ugh, I’m sleepy. Want to grab coffee?”
Hansol yawned and stretched.
“Sure,” said Noeul.
Hansol didn’t mention the group project, but since they were close and took the same class, Noeul assumed they’d just pair up naturally. Still, he wondered if he should confirm it — ‘We’ll do the team project together, right?’
Or would that sound too presumptive? What if Hansol already had someone else in mind, and only agreed out of pity?
The thought made him hesitate. He followed her out silently.
“Excuse me.”
A voice stopped them. Hyun-ho had approached Hansol.
Hansol turned to look at him.
“I’m Kim Hyun-ho, senior in Advertising and PR. If you don’t have a partner yet… want to team up with me?”
Every head in the classroom turned toward them.
Hyun-ho’s neck turned slightly red — he looked uncomfortable with the attention, but he’d still asked. Which meant he really liked Hansol.
He had to know students usually paired with their classmates, so asking even with Noeul standing right next to her made it worse — like he didn’t even see Noeul. Or worse, saw him and pitied her for almost being stuck with someone like that.
Noeul instinctively stepped back. It didn’t feel like his place to stand there — like an extra lingering too close to the leads during a confession scene. Even the other students probably didn’t want him in the same frame.
Hansol said, “Oh, um, I already have a partner… Wait, where’d you go? I’m doing it with him.”
Noeul’s entire body burned with embarrassment, as if someone had lit a fire inside him.
He could feel the cold stares around them.
Who’s that?
Why would she pick him over Kim Hyun-ho?
She must be really nice — can’t ditch her ugly friend.
Ugh, doesn’t he know when to back off? He’s got no self-awareness.
“I-It’s fine,” Noeul stammered. “You two go ahead. I’ll just… do it with Hyun-soo.”
“Hyun-soo’s already with Byung-jun,” Hansol replied.
“…Anyway, there are plenty of others. You two go ahead.”
“Why? You weren’t planning to do it with me? I thought we were.”
Sweat trickled down Noeul’s back.
Was Hansol doing this on purpose — turning him down gently so he wouldn’t get hurt? Trying to seem loyal so people wouldn’t think she was ditching him?
If so, he wanted to tell her not to. He didn’t want to be the clueless friend who ruins the scene — or worse, become the object of everyone’s pity.
Hansol finally said to Hyun-ho, “Sorry, I’m taking 22 credits this semester, so I don’t have much time for a 2-credit class like this. It’s easier to work with my friend.”
“Ah, got it. No worries. I was just checking. If you already decided, that’s fine.”
He smiled politely and backed off.
“Thanks for understanding,” Hansol said, bowing slightly. “Let’s go, Noeul.”
She headed toward the back door.
Noeul kept his eyes on the floor, too embarrassed to look at anyone, and followed her out.
As they walked down the stairs, Hansol said, “Let’s go to the café next to the library.”
“…Okay.”
She didn’t bring up what had just happened. She was probably trying to move past it naturally, pretending it was nothing.
Should Noeul say something? You didn’t have to do that. You just made it worse for me…
But if she’d accepted Hyun-ho’s offer, would that have been better? Would it have hurt less?
No — that would’ve been worse. He would’ve just sat there comparing himself to Hyun-ho, unable to say anything, pretending it was “only natural,” while feeling crushed inside.
At least now, even though people probably looked down on him, he still felt a secret thrill. Even if Hyun-ho was perfect, Hansol had chosen him. She wanted to work with him.
“How about bubble tea?” Hansol said seriously, as if that were the most pressing issue.
“Go for it,” Noeul replied.
“But it’ll make me fat.”
“Then don’t.”
“Ugh, you’re supposed to give me the best solution, not both options.”
“Then just drink it.”
“Right? If it tastes good, it’s zero calories.”
“No, if it tastes good, it’s a thousand calories. What are you talking about?”
Hansol laughed and smacked him with her notebook.
Noeul dodged and ran into the café first.
