Chapter 1. Freshman Welcome Party
Clacking moderately high heels, I stood in front of the restaurant. After taking a deep breath, I opened the door and stepped inside.
The bustling restaurant and a banner reading [♡♡ University, Congratulations on Your Admission!] welcomed me.
Just then, someone who seemed like the department representative approached me.
"What's your name?"
"Ji-eun Lee," I answered.
"Ah, Ji-eun! Please sit wherever you'd like."
At his words, I nodded and chose a seat as inconspicuous as possible.
As soon as I sat down, a glass of alcohol was placed in front of me.
Surprised, I stared blankly, and a cute girl beamed at me brightly.
"Hi! I'm Hae-jin Kim."
She was very cheerful and laughed easily.
Because of her bright energy, I felt naturally drawn to her, and my name came out without me even realizing it.
"I'm Ji-eun Lee."
"So you're Ji-eun! Your profile picture is a white poodle, right?"
"Yeah."
"Let's talk casually. We're the same age!"
"Okay."
Ding-dong
"Jimin hyung! You're here!"
While chatting away, a man named Jimin entered, and the entire restaurant turned their attention to him.
Everyone rushed to greet him.
Hae-jin leaned in and whispered.
"Hey, hey. Our school has a legendary handsome group of four guys, and one of them is that senior, Park Jimin. I heard he's a year older than us."
"Really?" I responded.
"He's seriously good-looking, right?" she said.
"Not really," I replied.
"Are you blind?"
"Nope, my eyesight's perfectly fine."
As we talked, Hae-jin's eyes and mouth suddenly widened like she'd seen a ghost.
"Hey, what's wrong?"
"He's coming toward us!!"
"Who?"
"Behind you."
Following her words, I turned my head to see Park Jimin striding toward us.
Seeing his face, I unknowingly frowned.
Perhaps seeing my reaction, he momentarily dropped his smile but quickly fixed his expression and continued walking with a faint grin.
I thought, what was that?, as he approached.
Taking off his jacket and sitting next to Hae-jin, I noticed small tattoos on his arm—noticeable but not overwhelming.
He greeted us politely.
Hae-jin fumbled to reply, looking dazed, while I just barely nodded and continued sipping my drink.
Our table, previously quiet, instantly became the center of attention.
Girls from other tables glanced enviously at us.
While Hae-jin eagerly talked to Park Jimin, I glanced at them once and then focused on my phone.
When I looked up, our eyes met—
Park Jimin was resting his chin on his hand, staring at me.
His gaze was chilling, like a predator eyeing its prey.
I froze mid-sip, and alcohol trickled down from my lips.
"Jeez, are you drinking or spilling it?" Hae-jin teased.
Startled back to reality, I wiped my mouth quickly, thinking, Damn, I had lipstick on.
"I’m going to the restroom," I said.
"Okay!" Hae-jin replied.
As I hurried out, I bumped into someone, clutching my forehead in pain.
"Ah, shit... I'm sorry," I muttered.
When I looked up—
"It’s fine."
That voice.
It was scarier than I thought.
I quickly remembered my smeared lipstick and rushed to the bathroom.
"Huh..."
Chapter 2. Ice Cream
After cleaning up and fixing my makeup in the bathroom, I hesitated at the restaurant entrance.
Going back now felt awkward—
Hae-jin was surely still chatting away with Park Jimin.
I squatted near the door, fiddling with my hair to kill time.
Then, Park Jimin opened the door, holding it open with his hand.
"I'm going to the convenience store. Anyone want ice cream?" he called.
"Yes~!!" voices answered from inside.
As he released the door, the noisy chatter dulled slightly.
He noticed me squatting there and, although briefly startled, quickly composed himself.
"Why are you out here?" he asked.
Even though I knew he was speaking to me, my body stiffened involuntarily.
"…Just because," I answered.
"Are you bored? Come get ice cream with me," he offered.
Honestly, I was glad for the excuse not to go back inside.
I nodded and trailed behind him.
The convenience store was farther than I thought, and thick silence hung between us.
Finally, he spoke up.
"What's your name?"
"Ye-eun Lee."
"Ji-eun... I'm Jimin Park. Are you a freshman?"
"Yes."
"Can I speak casually?"
"Sure."
He kept asking questions, and I kept giving short answers.
Maybe he was trying to keep the conversation going somehow.
We arrived at the store.
"What kind of ice cream do you want?"
"Anything’s fine."
"Wait here. I'll grab something."
"Okay."
While he went inside, I sat on a bench outside, spacing out.
Thinking back, I realized something:
I had judged him too quickly based only on his cold expression earlier.
In reality, he seemed... surprisingly kind.
As I muttered to myself,
I suddenly felt a cold object pressed against my cheek.
He handed me an ice cream bar with a smiling face.
"I bought this just in case."
It was a Ppoppo Bar.
I quickly unwrapped it, bit into the bottom, and muttered:
"Thanks."
He kept smiling from ear to ear while we walked back.
I, on the other hand, focused only on my ice cream.
When we returned to the restaurant, everyone's eyes immediately turned toward us.
I quickly dodged their gazes and hurried back to my seat.
"Ooh~ what’s going on?" Hae-jin teased.
"Nothing," I replied.
"You went to the bathroom and came back 30 minutes later with Park Jimin. How suspicious!" she said, laughing.
Apparently, during my absence, another senior named Taehyung had arrived, and the table had expanded.
Hae-jin chattered excitedly about it.
While she gushed about Taehyung, Jimin returned to our table, handing out ice cream to everyone.
"You’re not eating, Hae-jin?"
"If you give me one, I'd love to!"
Rolling my eyes at her switch in loyalty,
I sipped more alcohol, bored.
Gradually, I felt myself getting tipsy—my face heated up, and I pulled off my cardigan.
"Ji-eun, your face is so red. Are you okay?" Hae-jin asked.
"I’m fine~," I slurred.
Soon enough, my head plopped down onto the table.