Tomi's POV
I didn't even know what to say when Ji-hoon stood in front of me that evening, his hands casually tucked into the pockets of his blazer like he had all the time in the world. The courtyard lights threw soft shadows on his face, but it was still so obvious who he was. Han Ji-hoon. The guy everyone on campus either drooled over or whispered about. The son of one of Korea's richest families, captain of the fencing team, always in the gossip blogs for some party or another, but still somehow untouchable. And here he was, looking straight at me. You're a Theatre Arts Major right? For a second, I thought maybe I should deny it, pretend I didn't hear him. But that would just be childish, and also, I was literally standing right there. "Uh… yeah." My voice came out smaller than I wanted it to, but I managed a polite smile. "That's me." His lips curved into the kind of smile that felt like it had already been tested and perfected in front of a mirror. Smooth. Effortless. "I should have messaged you since a long time ago." But I kind of lost your contact." He scratched the back of his head while talking and I wondered why he did that. I blinked, unsure what to say back. My brain went blank for a second, probably because this was not how evenings usually went for me. I came outside to grab some air after my shift, not to be ambushed by the most popular guy on campus. "That's… surprising," I finally said. His smile widened just enough to look real. "Not really ". Silence stretched between us for a beat, and I felt my palms get sweaty. I shifted the strap of my bag higher on my shoulder. "Did you need something?" "Just wanted to say hi." He leaned against the bench like he had nowhere else to be, like the campus courtyard belonged to him. "Maybe walk you back to your dorm?" Walk me back? My brain scrambled. This had to be some kind of joke, right? Someone like Han Ji-hoon didn't just walk people back. Especially not me. "I'm fine," I said quickly, before he could even finish the thought. The walk from the library to my dorm was just about five minutes. "I know my way." He studied me, head tilted, almost like he found me amusing. "You're not like other girls, are you?" I rolled my eyes before I could stop myself. That line again. I had already watched too many k-dramas. "Please don't tell me you're about to say I'm 'different.'" He actually laughed, the sound low and a little surprised. "You caught me." "Well, thanks," I muttered, already inching toward the dorm. "But really, I'm good. Have a good night." I half expected him to let me go, to laugh it off and move on. But he fell into step beside me, hands still in his pockets. Just like that. I didn't know what to do except keep walking. The walk was quiet with neither of us saying anything. When I got to my dorm, I told him goodnight and rushed in. By the time I got back to the room, my head was buzzing with the weirdness of the whole encounter. Yuri was sprawled on her bed with her laptop, Nia was twisting her braids while humming to some Afrobeats song under her breath, and Sasha was sitting cross-legged on the floor, painting her nails. "You're back," Nia said brightly, glancing up. "How was work?" "Fine," I said automatically, dropping onto my bed. But my voice must have been too flat because Yuri immediately pushed her glasses up and studied me. "What happened?" she asked. "Nothing." I hesitated. Then, because I knew they'd find out anyway, I added, "Ji-hoon talked to me outside, and ….he walked me back to the dorm." Nia's jaw dropped. "Wait, Han Ji-hoon? Like, fencing team Han Ji-hoon?" "Are there two Ji-hoons?" I asked, trying to sound casual. "Girl!" Nia almost dropped her comb. "Do you know how many people would kill to have him just say hi? And he walked you back?" I winced. "Not really. He just… I don't know. Showed up." Yuri's brows knit together in thought. "That's strange. He doesn't usually approach people directly. He has this… aura." I shrugged, not knowing what to say. "Maybe he was bored." While they kept buzzing about it, I glanced at Sasha. She hadn't said a word. Her head was bent low over her nails, lips pressed tight. When our eyes met briefly, she gave me a small smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. I wanted to ask if she was okay, but then Nia flopped onto my bed and started shaking me by the shoulders. "Tomi, do you realize this means you're officially on every campus gossip page by tomorrow morning?" I groaned, burying my face in my pillow. "First, it was Min-Jae, not it's Ji-hoon "?? Nia squealed. "Oh my God girl….you're one hot bitch, you definitely don't know you have a lot of charm" Yuri added. The next morning, just like Nia had said and she wasn't wrong, I couldn't walk across campus without hearing whispers. People still whispered about Min-Jae sometimes, but that conversation had already started fading, replaced now by a new one: me and Ji-hoon. I didn't like it. Especially because everywhere I turned, someone was shoving a phone in their friend's face, pointing at a blurry picture of us in the courtyard. "She's Nigerian, right?" "Why her?" "Maybe it's just a dare." It was like being under a microscope. And then, Ji-hoon showed up again. This time, at the café where I worked. At first, I thought I was hallucinating. He came in wearing a baseball cap and a casual jacket, but no disguise was enough to hide who he was. I froze mid-order, clutching a tray. He walked straight to the counter, smiled at me, and said, "An iced Americano." Like he didn't already have assistants who could buy him an entire café if he wanted. I handed him his drink, trying not to make eye contact, but he didn't leave. He sat down at the table by the window, the one where students usually camped out with textbooks. He leaned back, sipping slowly, like he had all the time in the world. The worst part? Customers kept looking at him, then at me. Like they were piecing together a story I didn't even know I was in. He wasn't just popular in school, he was even outside. I knew this was bad. I should have known, the heir to the Han Corporation, he was just about two years older than I was, a young eligible bachelor. Many would kill to have just a minute chat with him. He flirted with me the entire time in the café and I had to hide behind the counter till he left. The walk home that night was a little long . Back in the dorm that night, Nia was giddy. "He likes you. There's no way he would waste time hanging around your café if he didn't." Yuri nodded thoughtfully. "It's… unusual." Sasha, though Sasha didn't say anything. She sat at her desk, scrolling on her phone, and when I glanced her way, she quickly turned the screen away. I told myself not to overthink it. But over the next few days, Ji-hoon kept showing up. Sometimes at the café, sometimes just randomly on campus. Always smiling, always polite, always making some kind of comment that left me flustered. And the more he appeared, the more I noticed Sasha's mood shift. She laughed less around me. She pulled away in small, quiet ways. Like one night when Ji-hoon dropped by again, bringing a pack of pastries "because you looked tired at work today." Nia squealed, Yuri raised her brows, but Sasha just stood, muttered something about having a call, and slipped out. I told myself it was nothing. But the knot in my chest said otherwise. I tried to sum everything up, Sasha has a boyfriend in her hometown. There was no way she liked Ji-hoon. I figured she probably had some issues at home. Late one night, lying in bed, I scrolled my phone, trying to ignore the noise of my thoughts. There was no updates from Tae-ho. No word about Min-Jae. Just silence. Until I saw it. A blurry paparazzi shot. Han Ji-Soo, leaving the hospital at midnight. Caption: "She hasn't left Min-Jae's side." The comments were brutal. "She's always been his first love." "Guess it's official." "She really cares for him." I stared at the screen until my eyes burned. Then I shut my phone, pressed it to my chest, and willed myself not to cry. But just as sleep was pulling me under, my phone buzzed again. A new WeChat notification. It was from Ji-hoon.