Chapter 3. Where am I?
A sleepy morning.
I woke up to a loud alarm.
Maybe it was because of the alcohol I had drunk yesterday, but my stomach was boiling and I couldn't even remember how I got home...
wait a minute…
"Where am I...?"
When I opened my eyes, I found myself in a house with white wallpaper and modern interior.
The atmosphere is completely different from my house.
The moment I realized this wasn't my home, my heart skipped a beat.
All sorts of strange thoughts ran through my head, and about 770 impossible novels passed through my brain.
I had to get away no matter what, so I picked up the bag that was lying next to me and threw open the door.
When I went outside, I saw Park Jimin drinking water in the kitchen.
As I was about to run away, he caught sight of me, stopped drinking his water, and said with a grin:
"Did you sleep well?"
"Did you sleep well?"
That one word carried so much meaning that I prayed it wasn't meant in a bad way.
Looking at him suspiciously, Jimin senior quickly added with a laugh, "I slept on the couch, so don't get me wrong."
"Thank you..." Jieun
I thanked him and bowed my head.
I had no idea what I had done yesterday, and I just wanted to get away as quickly as possible.
At that moment――
"Jieun, you should eat before you go," Jimin said.
Jimin senior had Kongnamulguk (bean sprout soup) and rice laid out on the table.
I was feeling hungry at the time, so I said "Itadakimasu" (thank you for the meal) and sat down obediently.
I took a sip of the bean sprout soup Jimin sunbaenim had made and he stared at me nervously.
Noticing his gaze, I smiled and said, "It's delicious," and his expression finally softened.
It was so delicious that I became engrossed in the bean sprout soup, but Jimin sunbaenim continued to stare at me.
Moreover, there was no food in front of him.
I stopped eating and asked awkwardly.
"Aren't you going to eat, sir?" Ji-eun
He replied with a chuckle, asking what was so fun about it.
"I just ate so it's fine" Jimin
I felt awkward being stared at for so long, so I quickly finished my meal, bowed to him, and fled the house.
Chapter 4: The Seat Next to Me
I hurried home.
My mind was filled with thoughts like "Don't be late"
If I were to still be wearing the clothes I wore to yesterday's freshman welcome party, it would look strange no matter how you looked at it.
So I set a goal for myself: "I'll just get changed," and acted quickly.
When I got home, my dog Moni greeted me.
I simply said hello to Mon-i and washed my hair with incredible speed.
Rinse with cold water and dry until no water is dripping.
The makeup was carefully done.
She was wearing a striking blouse and black slacks, and socks.
Finally, I quickly put on my shoes at the entrance.
I left the house in just 10 minutes.
At this speed, even the parents wouldn't have noticed.
I headed to college as if nothing had happened.
I arrived at the lecture hall with two minutes left.
Whew... But Hyejin was nowhere to be seen.
Apparently this was a different class.
I'm an ISFP and I'm quite shy.
While everyone else was sitting in pairs, I sat alone in the very back seat, where no one else was sitting.
It seemed like small groups had already formed in the class.
One minute before the lecture begins
The man I bumped into yesterday came into the classroom.
The moment he entered the classroom, there was a buzz.
And then I heard this voice from next door.
"Hey, I heard Taehyung-senpai was taking this class so I signed up lol"
"Me too lol"
"Most of the girls here are here just to see Taehyung-senpai, aren't they?"
"I arranged my timetable to suit my seniors, and all my classes on Tuesday were filled up lol."
As I was watching and listening to such conversations,
The person called "Taehyung senior" walked towards me.
I looked around and saw that the only available seat was next to me.
While repeating "It's over..." in my mind over and over,
He approached step by step.
And then──
He casually placed his bag on the floor and took out his writing implements and notebook.
The professor entered the classroom, the classroom buzzing with excitement at his appearance.
After taking attendance and exchanging greetings, the class began.
I quickly opened my notebook and began taking notes.
He didn't take notes and just listened to the lecture.
I was worried about what happened yesterday,
I took out a small dog-shaped sticky note.
I wrote this there:
"I'm sorry for bumping into you yesterday."
Then I stuck it on top of his notebook.
He read the sticky note:
He stared at me intently.
For a very, very long time.
Unable to bear his gaze, I quickly turned my face away.
He then wrote something on a sticky note and handed it to me.
There, in beautiful writing,
"it's okay"
It said:
That comment made me burst out laughing.
He tilted his head slightly and returned his focus to the lesson.
I also quickly continued taking notes.
After class ends, I head to the second lecture.
As I was packing my bag, Taehyung senior looked at me as if he wanted to say something.
I noticed and asked.
"Is there anything you want to say?" — Ji-eun
"Um... your name is Lee Ji-eun, right?" — Taehyung
"Yes. How do you know?" — Ji-eun
"When I took attendance earlier.
My name is Kim Taehyung." — Taehyung
He told me his name,
I smiled and said,
"That's a lovely name."
With that, I left the lecture hall and headed to my second class.
Chapter 5. Drivers of the Future
Today, after the fourth period of classes ended, I was searching on my smartphone for what to eat.
At that moment, I heard a familiar voice from behind me.
"Are you having lunch?" — Jimin
I reflexively turned around.
Maybe because I suddenly turned around, I was really close to Jimin senior.
"It's embarrassing to turn around so suddenly." — Jimin
He said, sounding a little embarrassed, and I gave an awkward laugh, "Ha, ha, ha."
Jimin senior asked again, "Are you going to eat lunch?" and I nodded.
I nodded and he smiled happily.
"We really do understand each other. I'm finishing up my fourth period today too."
I realized it immediately.
In other words, it was a roundabout invitation to "have dinner together."
As a courtesy, I asked, "Would you like to eat with me?"
He replied immediately, as if he had been waiting for this.
"Oh, I messed up."
He said, "I know a good restaurant, come with me."
I went along, though I was skeptical.
We ended up at a tonkatsu restaurant.
We sat at a window seat and both ordered the regular set meal.
I asked him while we waited for the food to arrive.
"Um... did I do something rude yesterday?" — Ji-eun
"Rude? Hmm... More than being rude, I think your driving was really good." — Jimin
"driving"
With that one word, yesterday's memories came back to my mind like a slideshow.
"Uncle! You're so handsome!!"
Me hugging a life-size panel of a Go○yu actor.
Jimin-senpai desperately tries to pull it away.
Just when he thought he had finally managed to pull away, she started throwing a tantrum and demanding he carry her on his back.
Jimin senior had no choice but to carry me on his back.
At that moment, I grabbed him by the hair and manipulated him like the rat in Ratatouille.
I forced her to move left and right, yelling "Brake!" and pulling her hair.
Remembering this, I looked at Jimin senior apologetically.
He smiled as if to say, "Remember?"
"I'm glad you have a lot of hair, hehe." — Ji-eun
I apologized, looking worriedly at his hair.
Jimin senior waved his hand and said, "It's okay," but I felt so sorry that I repeatedly said, "I'll give you something in return."
"So...can I have one wish?" — Jimin
"Is that really enough?" — Ji-eun
"Are you planning to give me a hair growth product?" — Jimin
"I'll prepare it if you ask me..." — Ji-eun
"Thanks lol" — Jimin
As we were having this conversation, the tonkatsu was brought out.
Jimin senior cut his own portion and then cut a portion for me.
"Thank you..." — Ji-eun
"Future drivers need to eat a lot." — Jimin
He said teasingly.
I remembered the embarrassing incident from yesterday and couldn't say anything back.
As I continued eating, my hair started to get in the way, so I quickly tied it up with the hair tie on my wrist.
At that moment, I noticed him staring at me.
That look I saw at the welcome party.
But this time, his eyes were more dreamy.
It's like being drunk.
I finished tying my hair and looked at him.
He seemed to notice my expression as well, and quickly changed it back.
However, the atmosphere had become strangely awkward.
Hoping to change the subject, I brought up the tattoo on his arm.
He then happily began talking about his tattoos.
He said, showing his arm.
"Isn't it cute? See, when we hold hands like this it means LOVE" — Jimin
"Cute..." — Ji-eun
I muttered softly.
She had a row of small tattoos and looked very cute.
Seeing him like that made me want to get a tattoo too.
If I were to get a tattoo, where would it look good?
And he answered without hesitation.
"It's my collarbone." — Jimin
