* * *
Unlike his usual wardrobe of neutral colors, Pyo Yoontae was wearing a deep green sweatshirt and jeans for once.
The casual outfit blended in perfectly with the lush campus greenery.
His sudden appearance made Jeongseo’s face light up.
But Jeongseo wasn’t the only one staring.
His friends beside him also held their breath as they took in the sight.
Tall, strikingly handsome, with slightly tanned skin—despite his warm smile, there was something undeniably intimidating about him.
Some even mistook him for an actor for a split second.
As people around them tried to figure out his relationship with Jeongseo, Park Doyoung stared at Yoontae’s face, feeling an odd sense of familiarity.
Just as he was about to recall where he had seen him before, Jeongseo ran over with a bright exclamation.
“Yoontae! What are you doing here?”
At the mention of that name, Park Doyoung’s eyes widened in shock.
He clamped a hand over his mouth and muttered,
“…Pyo Yoontae?”
The second son of the Heukpyo Group. While he was less well-known than his older sister, Pyo Seola, Park Doyoung still recognized him.
After all, he had been following Yoontae’s Instagram for a while now.
Though, to be fair, the account was practically a ghost town with barely any posts.
As shock settled in, Park Doyoung glanced between Pyo Yoontae and Jeongseo, whom he had always thought was just some athletic weasel with good reflexes.
The two seemed incredibly close, chatting comfortably as they walked away together.
“Guys, I’m heading out! See you next week!”
Jeongseo waved, and beside him, Yoontae gave a slight nod before walking toward the campus back gate.
As the two disappeared, one of the remaining students, still dazed, blurted out,
“Holy shit. He’s insanely good-looking.”
“Dude, is he an actor? A model?”
While some remained oblivious, others slowly pieced things together.
Park Doyoung, already knowing the truth, shouted,
“That’s Pyo Yoontae!”
The moment his name was spoken, almost everyone’s jaws dropped.
“T-The Heukpyo Group? The company that makes… my fridge?”
Although Heukpyo Group had many subsidiaries, that wasn’t the important part right now.
What mattered was that the man who had just walked past them was a third-generation chaebol.
“Damn… Does that mean Jeongseo’s rich too? Did I unknowingly become friends with a chaebol?”
“No, his mom’s just a professor. But they seemed close… Are they dating…?”
“Come on, be realistic.”
Crossing his arms, Park Doyoung scoffed and waved his hand dismissively.
“The Heukpyo family is full of black panthers, and Jeongseo’s a weasel. Do you really think a chaebol family would let something like that slide? Those people are obsessed with their image.”
Though not everyone fully agreed, most accepted it at face value, as no one really knew the truth of Jeongseo and Pyo Yoontae’s relationship.
Still, as the group dispersed, Park Doyoung kept his eyes fixed on the spot where the two had disappeared.
❀•°❀°•❀°
When the exam ended, it was already noon, right in time for lunch.
The weather was too nice to head straight home, so the two of them decided to step into a handmade burger joint with its doors open.
It was slightly off-campus, tucked away in a corner, so there weren’t too many people inside.
Besides, this place had recently become Jeongseo’s favorite spot.
The patties were thick, juicy, and just one bite was enough to make him feel happy.
As always, Jeongseo ordered the large-sized double cheeseburger set, while Pyo Yoontae went for the restaurant’s signature burger with just an added drink.
“Using my brain so much must be speeding up my digestion.”
Jeongseo licked his lips as he picked up his quickly served burger.
He had definitely eaten breakfast, but maybe because he’d been so focused on studying, he was already starving.
He took a big bite, his cheeks puffing up as he chewed.
Watching him, Pyo Yoontae let out a small chuckle.
“You worked hard, Jeongseo. Do you think you did well on the exam?”
Jeongseo nodded while sipping his drink through a straw.
“That’s good. You put in the effort, so your results will show it. By the way, were those people you were with earlier your friends?”
“Yeah, yeah! Just some classmates I take lectures with. They’re all nice!”
“So… what about that weasel guy… Nam Seungho? Was he there too?”
Jeongseo had no idea why Pyo Yoontae suddenly brought up Nam Seungho.
Was it because he was curious about another “weasel”?
Could that be why he showed up today?
“No, Seungho usually goes around alone or sometimes with Junhee. Our classes don’t really overlap, so I barely see him on campus. Why do you ask?”
Pyo Yoontae hesitated for a moment before shaking his head as if it was nothing.
He pulled out his straw and took a sip straight from his cup.
“I was just curious since he’s also a weasel like you. No particular reason.”
“…I see.”
Jeongseo chewed on a french fry with a slightly dissatisfied expression.
Before Pyo Yoontae could even ask what was wrong, Jeongseo blurted out,
“I’m the only weasel that turns white!”
The sudden outburst caught Pyo Yoontae off guard.
He stared at Jeongseo, momentarily confused, before finally realizing what he meant.
He burst out laughing.
“Of course, Jeongseo. You’re the coolest one.”
Was this some kind of weasel rivalry?
Pyo Yoontae reached over and gently stroked Jeongseo’s chin.
Still, Jeongseo remained sulky.
❀•°❀°•❀°
Jeongseo had no idea what kind of consequences followed after Pyo Yoontae showed up at his university and openly acted so familiar with him.
He only found out after the weekend passed.
Monday, 9:45 AM.
When Jeongseo walked into the lecture hall, it was much more crowded than usual.
Most of the students were at least somewhat acquainted with him, so he barely had time to wave before they swarmed around him.
“Jeongseo! You’re really close with Pyo Yoontae, huh? Is that true?”
“How did you get to know him? Were you already friends before? Wait, are you secretly some kind of rich kid too?”
The flood of questions made Jeongseo’s pupils shake.
He never realized Pyo Yoontae was this famous.
Feeling a bit overwhelmed, he absentmindedly rubbed the back of his neck.
A strange, pleasant shiver ran down his spine.
Suppressing the urge to grin, he answered,
“We went to the same high school! We were even in the same class every year.”
“For real? Where did you go to high school again?”
“Dan-Gang High School!”
No one seemed to recognize the name.
It wasn’t a well-known school, so everyone just repeated it blankly.
Then, Park Doyoung suddenly went, “Oh. That place,” loud enough for everyone to hear.
All attention instantly shifted to him.
“You know it?”
“Yeah. There was an article back then about Pyo Yoontae transferring to some countryside school. If I remember right, that was in Dan-Gang County, in OO Province.”
So there was even an article about his transfer? Impressed, Jeongseo nodded.
“That’s right. Yoontae transferred in the middle of the year!”
“Ah… oh, yeah! I think I vaguely remember hearing about that. What was the reason again?”
“First lo—”
Before Jeongseo could finish, Park Doyoung cut him off and answered instead.
“His mom’s illness got worse, so he moved there with her for her treatment.”
“Wow… and he still turned out that impressive? Life’s really unfair. I saw him yesterday, and his physique is just on another level.”
Jeongseo felt annoyed that Park Doyoung interrupted him, but since it resulted in people praising Pyo Yoontae, he decided to let it slide.
Feeling a bit proud, he straightened his shoulders and declared,
“Right? Yoontae has a great personality, and he’s really good-looking too.”
“This is a scam… I suddenly feel robbed.”
“Why would you feel robbed? You have nothing to begin with.”
“Do you want to die?”
The group continued their playful banter, but one guy, still amazed by Jeongseo’s unexpected connection, hesitated before cautiously asking, his cheeks slightly flushed.
“So… does Pyo Yoontae have a girlfriend or anything…?”
Just as Jeongseo’s face brightened and he was about to nod—
“Hey, how would he know something like that? You think we’re on the same level as him? Rich people are super private. Why would he go around telling everyone about his relationships?”
At Park Doyoung’s words, Jeongseo suddenly realized that he had never actually told anyone he was dating Pyo Yoontae.
His mom had probably figured it out naturally, so he never felt the need to say anything.
Even Hayan didn’t know.
And since Pyo Yoontae wasn’t the type to openly flaunt things, Jeongseo hesitated for the first time.
Was it okay for him to tell people they were dating?
As Jeongseo was lost in thought, Park Doyoung suddenly shoved the guy in front of him aside and stepped closer, holding out his phone.
Since they already had each other’s numbers, Jeongseo just stared at him, confused.
Park Doyoung flashed him a grin.
“Can you give me Pyo Yoontae’s number?”
A chilling silence filled the lecture hall.
Even Jeongseo, who had been keeping a straight face, subtly tensed.
Sensing the shift in atmosphere, Shin Junhee smoothly pushed Park Doyoung’s phone away.
“Didn’t you just say rich people are super private? And now you’re asking for his number?”
“What? I know Pyo Yoontae. We went to the same elementary and middle school, you know?”
* * *
