Chapter #3

The afternoon sun painted Hanseong University in shades of gold.

Classes had ended.

The campus was quieter now, leaving only the rustle of trees and the distant sound of students laughing on their way home.

Song Hye Rin stepped out of the Arts Building, slipping her sunglasses on as her assistant hurried behind her.

"Your driver is waiting at the west entrance."

"I'll walk."

"But your schedule..."

"I said I'll walk."

The assistant sighed, already used to losing small arguments.

"Yes, Miss Song."

On the other side of campus...

Jun had just finished basketball practice.

Sweat still clung to the collar of his black training shirt as he walked toward the parking lot.

His phone buzzed.

Jina

Thank you for checking on me. I'm okay.

Jun smiled.

He knew his sister well enough to recognize she wasn't telling him everything.

Then he remembered the conversation he'd overheard earlier.

"Song Hye Rin stood up for a freshman."

There was only one way to know for sure.

The west courtyard was nearly empty.

Hye Rin walked alone, scrolling through tomorrow's modeling schedule.

Without warning...

A gust of wind swept through the pathway.

Papers flew from a student's hands.

One sheet drifted directly into Hye Rin's face.

"...Seriously?"

She caught it before it touched the ground.

At the same moment...

Someone else reached for it.

Their hands met.

Warm fingertips brushed for only a second.

Both looked up.

For the first time...

Song Hye Rin and Kang Jun stood face to face.

She recognized him almost immediately.

"The Kang heir..."

He smiled.

"So you do know who I am."

She raised an eyebrow.

"Our families have attended the same charity galas for years."

"Fair enough."

He took the paper from her hand.

"Thank you."

A brief silence settled between them.

It wasn't awkward.

It was... unexpected.

Jun finally spoke.

"I wanted to thank you."

Hye Rin looked at him curiously.

"For what?"

"For helping the freshman yesterday."

Her expression barely changed.

"So you heard."

"My sister was that freshman."

For the first time...

A flicker of surprise crossed Hye Rin's face.

"...Your sister?"

"Jina."

She replayed yesterday in her mind.

The quiet girl with the glasses.

The nervous voice.

She looked nothing like Kang Jun.

"I didn't know."

"We wanted it that way."

Hye Rin gave a small nod.

"She's sweet."

Jun chuckled.

"She'd probably faint if she heard you say that."

The corner of Hye Rin's lips lifted into the smallest smile.

Not the practiced smile she gave photographers.

A real one.

Tiny.

Almost impossible to notice.

Almost.

Jun noticed.

"I'm serious," he said.

"Thank you."

"You didn't have to get involved."

She slipped her phone back into her handbag.

"I don't like people who mistake cruelty for confidence."

"Besides..."

She looked toward the freshman building.

"...your sister reminded me of someone."

"Who?"

"My younger self."

Jun blinked.

For just a second...

The glamorous model standing in front of him seemed unexpectedly human.

Before he could ask another question...

A black Maserati pulled up beside the curb.

The passenger window lowered.

Cha Min Woo.

"There you are."

His eyes landed on Jun.

Then on the way Hye Rin and Jun were standing comfortably, talking.

His jaw tightened.

"And who's this?"

Jun answered first.

"Kang Jun."

Recognition flashed across Min Woo's face.

"The Kang heir."

He stepped out of the car, extending a hand with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Nice to meet you."

Jun shook it.

"Likewise."

The handshake lasted a fraction longer than necessary.

Neither man looked away.

Hye Rin noticed the tension immediately.

"Jun was thanking me."

"For helping his sister yesterday."

Min Woo looked at her.

"You never mentioned that."

"You never asked about my day."

The words slipped out before she could stop them.

Silence.

A sharp, uncomfortable silence.

Min Woo recovered first.

"We're late."

He opened the passenger door for her.

Hye Rin glanced at Jun one last time.

"I'm glad your sister's alright."

"Thanks to you."

She nodded politely before getting into the car.

As the Maserati drove away...

Min Woo looked in the rearview mirror.

Jun was still standing exactly where they'd left him.

Watching the car disappear.

Something about that bothered him more than it should have.

He couldn't explain why.

Neither could Jun.

But for the first time since returning from abroad...

The image lingering in his mind wasn't the campus...

It was the genuine smile Song Hye Rin had given him for a fleeting second.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***