Whispers chased Seo Yuna down the main hallway of Ainsworth Academy like a cold draft. She walked with her chin raised and expression blank, but her knuckles were white against the spines of her textbooks. Printed posters plastered the walls—badly photoshopped, grainy, and crude. Each one read:"Red Card Royalty?"
Beside her, Kim Ara yanked one down with a sharp rip."Seriously?" she muttered. "They've resorted to memes now?"
Yuna sighed. "Someone's working overtime on me."
Baek Sumin, walking just behind, gave a dry laugh. "Or a group of someones. Jealousy's a full-time job here."
From the crowd, Ha Yuri appeared with a mask of concern. "Yuna, I'm so sorry people are doing this to you," she said smoothly. "You know you can always come to me, right?"
Yuna didn't stop. "Right. Like the time you spilled soup on me?"
Yuri flinched, her smile faltering. Without another word, she turned on her heel and disappeared. Ara smirked behind Yuna, satisfied.
The chemistry lab was full of low voices, the scent of disinfectant, and bubbling equipment. Yuna stood next to Lee Dohyun, her lab partner for the day.
Silence stretched between them like a held breath.
"You're not like the others," he said at last.
She didn't look up. "Let me guess. You've done your background check too?"
He nodded. "And I'm still confused why someone like you would walk into a place like this unarmed."
Yuna smiled faintly. "Who says I'm unarmed?"
Their eyes met over the lab bench. It lingered—intense, unspoken.
Outside, the courtyard buzzed with lunchtime chatter. Jang Minjun sat alone on the steps, his untouched lunch growing cold beside him. His eyes moved slowly across the courtyard, watching—always watching.
Park Hyunwoo dropped down beside him, dragging Choi Taeyang behind him.
"So…" Taeyang asked, "are we hazing her or crushing on her?"
Hyunwoo sipped his bubble tea. "Plot twist—he's doing both."
Minjun didn't look at either of them. "She's got guts. I don't hate it."
Taeyang raised a brow. "Then maybe don't ruin her life next time."
Minjun said nothing.
The library was nearly empty by early evening. Dust drifted in golden shafts of fading light. Yuna's fingers brushed the spines of worn books, each title familiar.
As she reached for one, a hand landed beside hers.
Minjun.
"Still pretending this place doesn't affect you?" he asked quietly.
She didn't pull away. "Still pretending you're not the reason it does?"
He hesitated. Then pulled a folded piece of paper from his pocket and held it out.
"There's a party. Friday. House in Kensington. You'll come."
Yuna arched a brow. "Was that an invitation or a command?"
He smiled. "Does it matter?"
Back in their dorm room, Yuna, Ara, Sumin, and Jung Nari were nestled in pajamas among strewn snacks and pillows.
"Minjun literally never talks to anyone outside the A-list. Ever," Nari said, painting her toenails. "You're like… a glitch in his system."
Sumin grinned. "Which means this Friday? You better dress like a virus."
Ara sat up. "We're going shopping tomorrow. I got you."
Yuna bit back a laugh. It felt good—for once—not to feel alone.
The next day, Ara practically dragged Yuna into a boutique tucked in a quiet street near campus. Fabrics shimmered under the lights, dresses hanging like secrets waiting to be worn.
"Too frilly.""Too corporate.""Too... churchy."
Ara rejected one after another until she held up a navy gown that was elegant, structured, and effortless.
"This," she said with finality.
Yuna stepped into the fitting room, emerging minutes later. When she looked into the mirror, something shifted in her.
She didn't just look like she belonged at the party. She looked like she might own it.
Meanwhile, across campus, Hyunwoo had roped Taeyang into the men's grooming section of a high-end department store.
"We're not doing this," Taeyang groaned as Hyunwoo shoved cologne bottles at him.
"You're helping Minjun. You are doing this."
Taeyang spritzed one bottle. "This smells like heartbreak."
"Perfect," Hyunwoo said. "He'll need it."
Elsewhere, Kevin paused by the stairwell, catching the tail end of a hushed conversation. Ha Yuri leaned in close to a younger student.
"She's going down Friday night," Yuri whispered, and then quickly turned away.
Kevin hesitated, but said nothing.
Dohyun sat in his room, staring at the party invitation on his desk. He picked it up, flipped it over, put it down. He repeated this three more times, like the weight of it changed each time he touched it.
Still, he didn't throw it away.
Minjun stood in silence, watching the sunset through his dorm window. One hand rested against the glass. The city below was bathed in fire and gold, but his mind was somewhere else—someone else.
The Kensington mansion glowed like a dream—or a trap. Music pounded. Designer shoes clicked against marble. Laughter echoed through its opulence.
Then Yuna walked in.
Navy dress. Bare shoulders. Unapologetic eyes.
Every head turned. Minjun froze mid-conversation.
Taeyang leaned toward Hyunwoo. "Yep. Crushed."
Yuna passed Minjun without flinching. "Still watching?" she asked.
His voice caught in his throat before he found it again. "Always."
Later that night, the rooftop balcony was cool and quiet, the music from below a distant thrum.
Yuna leaned against the railing, next to Dohyun.
"Be careful with him," he said suddenly.
She glanced over. "Minjun?"
"No." He looked at her. "Yourself."
She didn't reply. But below, in the shadows, Minjun stood. Watching.