YEAR 2015
The college didn't quiet down after the test.
If anything, it grew louder.
Leaves skittered across the walkways, dry and impatient, catching on shoes and backpacks as students poured out of lecture halls. Someone laughed too loudly near the fountain. Someone else was already complaining into their phone. Autumn had settled in comfortably, warm enough to linger, cool enough to remind everyone that time was moving forward whether they were ready or not.
Ga-young wasn't.
She sat on a bench tucked beneath an old tree in the school garden, her bag resting at her feet, shoulders folded inward as though she were trying to disappear into herself. Her head hung low, hair slipping forward, gravity finally winning the argument.
The test replayed in fragments.
Wrong answers.
Blank spaces.
The certainty that she had failed.
She didn't cry. She couldn't.
She stayed there instead, unmoving, letting the world pass her by.
A familiar shadow fell over her.
She didn't look up.
He crouched beside her anyway, tilting his head just enough to catch her face.
"Do you want to go home?" he asked softly.
She lifted her head at last and nodded, slow and small. Her eyes shimmered, already threatening, but she fought them back.
"I thought you had a meeting," she said, forcing a smile.
"Are you alright?" he asked, ignoring her question.
She pressed her lips together, lifting her chin as if stubbornness alone could keep the tears in place.
He stood and stepped in front of her, arms opening without a word.
She hesitated, only for a second, then stood and folded into him. He wrapped her up easily, one hand patting her hair in slow, steady motions.
"Why are you trying so hard to fight it?" he murmured. "You'll feel better if you let it go."
The sob escaped her before she could stop it.
Then another.
She broke completely, crying into his chest as he stayed exactly where he was, holding her together while she fell apart. That day, she cried until her eyes burned, but he never left her side, not once. And she never denied how much lighter she felt afterward.
SUNDAY — PRESENT DAY
By evening, Ga-young's apartment was finally in place, thanks entirely to Ye-seul and Ji-hye.
They sprawled across the couch, a romantic movie playing to an audience of one. Pizza boxes lounged lazily on the coffee table, soda cans scattered, some empty, some forgotten. Ye-seul had fallen asleep with her head on Ji-hye's lap. Only Ji-hye seemed genuinely invested in the movie.
Ga-young, meanwhile, was silently cataloguing how exhausted she was. Until her phone buzzed from the kitchen counter.
She muttered a long trail of curses under her breath and dragged herself over to pick it up, then the name on the screen made her pause. Then smirk.
She slipped out onto the balcony before answering.
"Ms. Choi," Min-jae said calmly, skipping pleasantries.
"Yes, boss," she replied, smirking.
"Can you clear our schedule for tomorrow? I want to visit the villa and see how far they've gotten with the preparations."
"Yes boss. I'll take care of it immediately."
A pause followed, just long enough to be noticeable.
"Mr. Min-jae," she said lightly, "is there anything else?"
"…No," he replied, hesitation barely concealed.
She exhaled. "I've had a long day. I should go."
"Of course," he said, and immediately ended the call .
She turned, nearly bumping into Ji-hye.
"Why are you smiling like that?" Ji-hye asked, arms crossed.
"Were you spying on me?" Ga-young shot back.
"I was heading to the kitchen," Ji-hye shrugged. "Then I saw Ga-young, who was very clearly irritated five minutes ago, suddenly smiling after a call."
Ga-young walked past her.
"Are you ignoring me?" Ji-hye followed.
"I'm just not in the mood for a conversation."
Ji-hye grabbed her arm. "You're acting suspicious."
Ga-young raised an eyebrow.
"Is there something going on between you and Min-jae?" Ji-hye asked, blunt as ever.
"What if there is?" Ga-young replied, folding her arms.
Ji-hye stared at her. "There's no way there isn't. You still have his mugs. The bracelets. The pictures—Ga-young, you told me you burned them."
"Well I couldn't," Ga-young said trying to sound nonchalant but failed.
Ji-hye tilted her head.
"I'm chasing him again," Ga-young admitted, biting her lip.
"What—?" Ji-hye exclaimed.
Ga-young clapped a hand over her mouth. "You'll wake Ye-seul."
"Since when?" Ji-hye whispered, eyes wide.
"Recently."
Ji-hye ran a hand through her hair. "I knew it."
"Why are you overreacting?" Ga-young muttered.
"You think this is overreacting?" Ji-hye scoffed. "Choi Ga-young, do you hear yourself? I want this to happen, I'd give my life for it, but not like this. I never thought it would be you. I thought—" She stopped. "Does he know?"
Ga-young nodded.
"He knows?" Ji-hye gasped, hands flying to her mouth.
Ga-young smiled faintly. "Mrs. Hyun-woo, I'm exhausted. You can stay up piecing things together. I'm going to bed." She walked away.
Ji-hye remained frozen, hands still over her mouth.
"No way," she whispered with a slinet squeal, hugging herself. "No way this is happening. Choi Ga-young the woman you are"