By Zephyria 
Then again, wasn’t this all happening because of Cha Jeong-won, the celebrity of the department?
“What did they say?”
Haon moved his arm as if it were heavy, yet subtly prompted the next words.
“What did they say? They said Cha Jeong-won did what Cha Jeong-won does.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? Is that a proper noun?”
Did everyone already know about Cha Jeong-won’s bad luck? If so, then he couldn’t even claim it was something he’d realized after recalling the original story.
There was no merit in it whatsoever.
“They said even when he collapsed, he looked handsome.”
“……And how did I look when I collapsed?”
It was fortunate he didn’t mention Cha Jeong-won’s misfortune, but something still felt off.
“Want me to tell you?”
As if more than willing, Kim Hyun-gyu shrugged his shoulders.
“You were clinging to the senior when you passed out, and you wouldn’t let go of his clothes at all. So your face got all squished against his chest like this……”
“Don’t say it. Let’s just pretend yesterday never happened in my life. I’m starting fresh from today.”
He didn’t want to hear any more. Seizing the moment, Kim Hyun-gyu approached with a mischievous expression.
That’s the face he makes when he’s planning to mess with someone.
“Don’t do anything.”
“Why? You asked me to worry.”
“Is that the face of someone worried?”
Haon sighed at Kim Hyun-gyu’s annoying smile.
“Today, you’re the one going to the emergency room. I’ll take care of you, so don’t worry about anything else.”
As Haon approached, pondering which of Kim Hyun-gyu’s limbs to break, he quickly stepped back.
“Wait, wait! Did you contact your family?”
Haon answered nonchalantly, as if it were an obvious question.
“No, I didn’t.”
He might have grabbed Cha Jeong-won’s clothes, but he had absolutely no intention of contacting his family.
“Shouldn’t you have contacted them anyway?”
“It’s fine. Everyone’s busy, and I don’t want to make them worry for no reason.”
Haon’s brow furrowed. Bringing up family seemed to make him quite uncomfortable.
It wasn’t because they were on bad terms. It was just that there were too many family members, making it hard to receive proper care, and even if he did, it was obvious he’d end up worrying about them more later, so he simply cut them off.
“I plan to hold back as much as possible until graduation. No news is good news.”
“Hmm. I’m sure you’ll handle it. Anyway, enough about that. There’s someone I want to introduce you to today.”
Perhaps sensing the mood, Kim Hyun-gyu changed the subject. Haon waved his hand dismissively.
“Why suddenly introduce someone……”
“Don’t be like that, come here.”
In the end, Haon was dragged off to an unexpected place instead of the lecture hall.
The two arrived at a campus café. The fragrant coffee aroma quickly softened Haon’s expression.
“While I go buy coffee, if that person comes looking for you, greet them warmly. Well, even if I don’t say anything, you’ll probably welcome them on your own.”
“Who exactly am I supposed to greet warmly…… Wait. Is it someone who can help with graduation this time?”
Without even answering, let alone listening to Haon until the end, Kim Hyun-gyu walked away. It was blatantly obvious this was an intentional setup.
No wonder he’d been urging him to go out so early. Who on earth was he planning to introduce?
“But does that person even know what I look like?”
Did he give them my photo or something? Not even telling me who it is, just telling me to greet them. Seriously, what kind of nonsense is this?
Though he couldn’t understand why Kim Hyun-gyu was acting like this, Haon decided not to dwell on it. Whoever it was, they’d probably find him on their own.
Haon shook his head, then tapped his shoulder with his fist because it felt stiff.
“When is this muscle soreness going to get better?”
He hadn’t seriously injured anything, yet he kept groaning.
Continuing to tap his shoulder, he walked weakly toward the area with tables. He plopped down on the first empty seat he saw.
Tapping his shoulder once more, he picked up his phone. He was about to check for any notifications.
His finger slipped, and the phone clattered to the floor under the table.
“Ah……”
No way.
Staring at the phone lying face-down on the floor, he could only move his lips.
If the screen was cracked, he’d be in big trouble.
“Ah, seriously. Nothing goes right.”
It was the most chilling and terrifying moment among all the things he’d experienced lately.
But he couldn’t just leave it there, so Haon slowly bent down.
And as he reached for his phone, something in the corner of the floor caught his eye.
“What’s that?”
The floor was dark, and only a tiny tip was visible, making it hard to tell what it was. Haon hesitated for a moment before reaching out.
Perhaps because it was tucked deep under the chair, his fingertips barely grazed it. He could have just ignored it, but perhaps because of everything that had been happening lately, he felt stubborn.
Haon stubbornly crouched under the table.
After pushing his bag aside, he nudged the table slightly.
Pulling the edge precariously, he saw it was a flat leather wallet.
“Seriously, who left their wallet here?”
Did someone as unlucky as me come and go here?
At that moment, a shadow fell over the table.
Maybe because he was crouching on the floor, the footsteps sounded unusually close. Haon desperately hoped the presence would pass him by.
‘Seeing the bag on the chair, they’ll probably go to another table.’
But unfortunately, the presence approached right in front of Haon. The footsteps stopped so close that Haon froze in place.
He slowly raised his gaze from the floor.
The hem of pants and sneakers came into view first.
And seeping through the gap…… pheromones?
Haon slowly looked up.
The first thing that entered his vision was a pair of long, well-defined legs. They were standing right in front of the table he was crouched under.
If he took just one step closer, it would literally put Haon’s exit right between his thighs.
‘Why now, of all times, here?’
There was no time to blame today’s luck.
“Yoon Haon.”
Cha Jeong-won’s voice descended.
He called out, knowing exactly that Haon was under the table. The very dry voice felt like a tap against his ear.
Haon froze, still clutching the wallet. His mind raced for excuses first.
All sorts of thoughts crossed his mind, but the longer he stayed under the table, the weirder it would get. In the end, Haon swallowed hard and moved forward.
His knees hit the floor first. The awkward posture forced him to brace his hands on the floor. He barely managed to take one step out from under the table.
The problem was the timing.
As Haon pulled himself out, his head brushed against the inside of Cha Jeong-won’s thigh. Even though it was just a split second, the pheromones surged again, making the back of Haon’s neck flush.
He reflexively averted his gaze, but it was too late. Cha Jeong-won’s gaze from above seemed to have permanently etched that scene.
“Wallet.”
Cha Jeong-won said shortly. His gaze fell to Haon’s hand.
Haon quickly held out the wallet.
“Ah, this. I found it lying here. My phone fell, and I happened to see it, so I picked it up together…… Really.”
Cha Jeong-won’s eyebrows rose ever so slightly. Suspicion quickly took shape.
“Did I ever ask you for that?”
“Ask for what?”
“Approach.”
Feeling wronged, Haon’s mouth opened first.
“Who approaches someone like this? I have two legs. I’m not some four-legged beast.”
“Well, from my perspective right now, you look like a beast.”
Haon pointed at his own face.
“You think I did it on purpose?”
Overwhelmed by frustration, Haon abruptly stood up.
“Ouch!”
The top of his head slammed right into the underside of the table. The sound was louder than expected, making people at nearby tables turn their heads again.
Clutching his head with both hands, Haon crouched down, gritting his teeth.
“Augh……”
He couldn’t hold back a groan. Cha Jeong-won sighed a beat later.
“Stay still.”
He bent down, grabbed Haon’s wrist with his uninjured hand, and pulled him up. The firm grip instantly straightened Haon’s posture. At close range, the pheromones collided with him once more.
Haon’s eyes widened, and only his lips moved. He had to say something.
But what came out was utterly pathetic.
“I really didn’t mean anything like that.”
“I know.”
Hearing that, Haon felt even more wronged for some reason. He nodded but grumbled inwardly.
What do you even know?