It was Friday afternoon, and the campus was filled with the excited air of the upcoming weekend. Students poured out of buildings after lectures, and the late autumn sunlight lay slanted across the lawn.

Seo Woojin was sitting on a bench near the smoking area behind the Psychology building. Wearing a charcoal coat over a black turtleneck, he leaned back with his long legs spread loosely.

His half-closed eyes were fixed on empty space. No earphones, no phone in hand. He was just doing nothing. A few students passing by glanced at him and quickly turned their heads away, afraid of accidentally making eye contact.

It happened without any warning whatsoever.

A female student came running up and stopped in front of Seo Woojin, who was sitting motionless on the bench. It was Han Subin, a classmate from the same department. Her face was flushed red to her ears, and she held a half-crumpled envelope in her hand.

After her lips faltered several times, she finally squeezed her eyes shut and blurted it out.

"W-Woojin. I like you. Let's date."

The surroundings instantly went quiet. A couple of passing students stopped and surreptitiously pricked up their ears. A confession to Seo Woojin, right in the middle of campus. Subin's fingertips were trembling violently, as if she knew herself that this was a crazy thing to do.

Woojin turned his head slowly. Cold eyes were revealed between his half-lowered eyelids. He wasn't looking at Subin's face, but reading the distribution of force in the fingers gripping the envelope. He stared silently like that for about three seconds.

"...Who?"

A low, dry voice dropped. It was a tone that made it impossible to tell if he truly didn't know or if he was asking despite knowing.

Of all times, you were on your way back from the tennis courts. The fastest route across the outdoor sports complex to the Humanities building passed right by that smoking area.

Your feet stopped because of the scene that entered your vision regardless of your will. A woman standing there with a face so red it looked like it might explode, and Seo Woojin leaning back on the bench in front of her, head slightly turned. And that one word that flowed from his mouth: "Who?"

Subin's eyes widened. Her lips trembled, but she forced a smile.

"I-I'm Han Subin. We take Intro to Psychology together... We even went to the department retreat together last year..."

There wasn't a single trace of change in Woojin's expression. He didn't even make a show of searching his memory. He simply withdrew his gaze from Subin's trembling hands and looked behind her this time. He caught sight of a unfamiliar face standing among the onlookers.

"..."

Cold eyes pierced right through you. After staring motionless for a few seconds, he turned his gaze back to Subin.