The glass library doors creaked softly as Hyebin stepped outside. The cool afternoon air brushed against her skin. She continued walking out of the library, several thick books on anatomy and molecular biology hugged tightly to her chest. Her steps suddenly slowed when she narrowed her eyes and saw Ji-a waving at her from the corner of the corridor outside the library.
“Hyebin-ah!” Ji-a called as she ran over. “Why did you borrow so many books?” she asked when she arrived, her eyes widening at the stack of four thick books in her friend’s arms. “Your arms are going to snap if you carry those all the way to the front gate.”
“I’m working on Professor Kang’s assignment today,” Hyebin replied curtly, shifting the stack in her arms so it wouldn’t slide off.
“Wait…” Ji-a took the top two books from the four Hyebin was carrying, helping lighten her load. “So, you found someone to work on Professor Kang’s project with? Who?” Ji-a stared at Hyebin, brimming with curiosity.
“Jeongmin,” Hyebin informed her flatly, suppressing her pride.
“Oh! Really?” Ji-a instinctively covered her mouth with one hand in surprise. “How did that happen?! Didn’t you throw a huge fit over him yesterday?” Ji-a asked, intensely curious. “Did you talk Professor Kang into it, or did Jeongmin force you?”
Hyebin shrugged with a resigned expression. “It was a coincidence… and a little pressure from Professor Kang. I’m going to the field now. He told me to come there after his baseball practice is over.”
“Seriously?! Finally, some progress!” Ji-a enthusiastically linked arms with Hyebin’s free arm. “All right, I’m coming with you! I want to see how awkward you two are together!”
“Ji-a, you don’t have to—”
“No objections!” Ji-a cut her off quickly, dragging Hyebin along. “I’m going to catch up with Khai, too.”
The two of them walked together down the covered corridor connecting the library to the campus sports field. Ji-a didn’t stop chattering about how popular Jeongmin was with the female students, while Hyebin responded only with occasional murmurs.
They passed through the main corridor leading directly to the field’s stands. Suddenly, Hyebin’s steps slowed, and she turned her face to the left when she saw the tall figure she least wanted to meet standing near the corridor barrier.
Hwang Hyunseok.
Her ex-boyfriend from high school. He was wearing the campus basketball team’s athletic jacket, standing there with the dominant aura that usually captivated the other female students. But to Hyebin, Hyunseok’s presence always carried the shadow of old wounds. As soon as he saw Hyebin approaching, Hyunseok cut across her path and headed toward her as she walked toward the spectator seats.
“Hi!” Hyunseok greeted her, grinning as he stared at Hyebin’s face without blinking. “You’re even prettier this semester, Hyebin-ah.”
Hyebin rolled her eyes lazily at his sweet talk. “Can you get out of my way?” she snapped, stopping and keeping as much distance between them as possible.
“Whoa, relax. I’m just saying hi,” Hyunseok chuckled, trying to take another step closer.
“Hey! Don’t flirt with her! You already hurt my friend’s feelings before, remember?” Ji-a grumbled, immediately stepping in front of Hyebin and deliberately bumping Hyunseok’s shoulder with her elbow. “Go back to your basketball court!”
Hyunseok completely ignored Ji-a. His eyes remained fixed on Hyebin. A flash of longing and deep regret filled them. In the two years since their breakup, Hyunseok had never truly been able to escape Hyebin’s shadow.
He had tried dating some of the prettiest female students on campus to forget Hyebin, but in the end, not one of them could take Hyebin’s place in his heart. Hyebin had been his first love, and even now, that love was only eating away at his chest more fiercely.
“Hyebin-ah… I’m sorry about what happened back then,” Hyunseok said in an unusually humble tone, reaching out to hold Hyebin’s arm. “Can we talk for just a minute? The three of us, with Ji-a, if that’s okay. Please, just give me five minutes.”
“Let go!” Hyebin shouted, her voice trembling with restrained anger as she tried to pull her arm from Hyunseok’s grip.
Hyunseok reluctantly released her, afraid of hurting Hyebin’s arm. He gazed deeply into her eyes. His expression was filled with urgent emotion and restrained desperation.
“Please, Hyebin. I’ve tried to forget you for the past two years, but I can’t,” Hyunseok confessed in a soft voice that sounded completely sincere. “I’ve dated other people, but none of them were like you. I still like you… I love you so much. You know that, right? Can we start over?”
“Unbelievable…” Ji-a muttered in disbelief. “Do you think love is something you can just reset like that?!”
As the situation near the field grew more tense, Ji-a glanced toward the baseball field. Jeongmin was wiping sweat from his face at the edge of the field. Ji-a quickly half-ran toward him, handed him the two thick books she was carrying, and whispered frantically.
“Jeongmin, help Hyebin! Her toxic ex is holding her up over there!” Ji-a whispered, pointing toward the corridor. “Pretend you’re picking her up for your project!”
Jeongmin accepted the stack of books, glanced in that direction, and saw a tall guy from the basketball team holding Hyebin’s arm. The light in Jeongmin’s eyes instantly turned serious. Without wasting any time, he strode toward the small commotion.
“Sorry, but it looks like Hyebin’s waiting for me,” Jeongmin said, deliberately interrupting their conversation as he stepped beside Hyebin, startling both Hyunseok and Hyebin into turning toward him.
Hyunseok looked Jeongmin up and down with open hostility. “Who are you? Stay out of other people’s business.”
Jeongmin didn’t respond to Hyunseok’s threat. He shifted his warm gaze to Hyebin and offered her a faint smile. “How about we go now, Hyebin-ah?”
Hyebin nodded, deeply relieved by Jeongmin’s arrival and his rescue from the trap of her past. “Yeah. Let’s go.”
Without asking permission, Jeongmin reached out and gently laced his fingers with Hyebin’s. The warmth of his hand startled Hyebin, but she didn’t pull away.
“Wait, Hyebin! Who is this guy?!” Hyunseok shouted, his face flushing as he moved to chase after them.
But Ji-a deliberately crossed over and blocked Hyunseok’s path, spreading both arms wide. “Uh-uh! No bothering people who are trying to work on their college assignment! Go practice basketball!”
With their hands still clasped, Jeongmin led Hyebin away from the sports field, leaving Hyunseok standing frozen behind them, his fists clenched tightly as jealousy and burning regret seared through his chest.
Jeongmin slowly released her hand once they were far from the field and had reached the quiet garden behind the faculty building, well out of Hyunseok’s sight. The atmosphere between them suddenly became painfully awkward.
Hyebin walked with her head lowered, clutching the two remaining books tightly against her chest, while Jeongmin walked beside her carrying the two books Ji-a had given him. They walked side by side for several yards without saying a word. Jeongmin stared straight ahead, trying to make sense of Hyebin’s gloomy expression.
“So… who was that guy?” Jeongmin asked slowly, breaking the silence. He glanced at the girl beside him, who stood there in silence. “I mean… I know Hyunseok is the fairly famous captain of the campus basketball club. But what I’m curious about is… what exactly was your relationship with him in the past?” Hyebin didn’t answer, her lips pressed tightly together. Sensing the atmosphere growing heavier, Jeongmin cleared his throat softly. “Ah, sorry. If you don’t want to answer, that’s fine. I didn’t mean to pry into your personal affairs.”
Hyebin’s footsteps suddenly stopped in the middle of the garden path. The abrupt movement made Jeongmin stop, too. He turned and stared at her with a confused furrow between his brows. He wondered if his stupid question had crossed a line and made Hyebin furious.
Hyebin lowered her head deeply, gripping the edge of the book cover against her chest. “My ex. He’s my ex-boyfriend. Are you happy now?” Hyebin raised her head and looked into Jeongmin’s eyes, which seemed to glimmer with unshed tears. “I don’t think I can work on the project today,” Hyebin continued, her voice trembling as she tried to force it into a flat tone. “I have something else to take care of… I’m sorry for wasting your time.”
After saying that, without waiting for Jeongmin’s response, Hyebin quickly took the two books from his hands, turned around, and walked away. Jeongmin stood frozen in place. His eyes remained fixed on Hyebin’s back as she grew farther away. He felt a small pang of regret for asking such a sensitive question, but at the same time, Jeongmin now understood more clearly the reason behind the cold defenses Hyebin always built around herself.