Chapter 4: The Shadow of His Smile šš¢
āEven after reaching home, Jisong couldn't stop the deep, velvety voice from echoing in his earsā "Take care of yourself, Park Jisong." He sat by his window, staring at the flickering city lights. His mind was a chaotic mess of questions. š
"How did he know my name? Have we met before?" He tried to dig through his childhood memories, but nothing clicked. All he could remember was the intense, protective gaze of Song Yeonjun. š„
āAcross the City: JS Group Headquarters šļøš¼
āOn the top floor of the city's tallest skyscraper, Song Yeonjun sat in his dimly lit office. The entire world looked small from up here.
āHis assistant, Secretary Kim, entered silently and placed a file on the mahogany desk. š
Secretary Kim: "Sir... you stopped for that boy today. Is he... the one?"
āYeonjun leaned back in his leather chair, exhaling a heavy sigh. From his inner coat pocket, he pulled out an old, faded photograph. šø In it, two young boys were playing in a garden. One of them had the exact same innocent, wide-eyed look Yeonjun had seen at the college gate today.
āYeonjun (in a low, haunting voice): "Time has changed everything, Kim... but his habit of getting lost in his own world hasn't changed at all." š·
āSecretary Kim: "But Sir, if the Chairman finds out, there will be trouble. You know how he feels about this connection."
āYeonjun's eyes turned cold as ice. He slammed the file shut and stood up, looking out at the skyline. š§
Yeonjun: "The Chairman will only know what I allow him to know. Jisong must not find out I am watching him... at least not yet."
āThe Next Morning: College Campus š«āļø
āJisong arrived at campus feeling exhausted; he hadn't slept a wink. As he headed toward the library, he noticed a massive crowd gathered around the main bulletin board. š„šāāļø
āWhispers were flying everywhere. Curiosity piqued, Jisong pushed through the crowd to see what the commotion was about. His heart nearly stopped. š«
āThe notice read:
ā[OFFICIAL] JS Group Scholarship Announcement: Freshman Park Jisong has been selected for the Prestigious Excellence Grant. šāØ
āJisong stood frozen. He had never even applied for a scholarship!
āSuddenly, he felt a cold shiver down his spineāthe sensation of being watched. He spun around, but there was only a sea of students. However, in the distance, near the campus exit, he saw it...
āThe sleek, black luxury car was slowly driving away. ššØ