Episode 34
19 May 2025, Monday. Noon. SNU's chemistry faculty, Lecture Hall 500-301.
When the lecture ended, the room came alive.
Chairs scraped. Bags zipped. Students stood, stretched, talked over one another—and began to leave.
Mi-yeon left too.
Actually—she almost ran out.
She didn't linger, didn't look back.
She slipped through the door as if the air inside the lecture hall had suddenly become unbreathable.
Den noticed it immediately.
A few seconds later, Soo-yeong and So-mi passed by his row, their heels clicking sharply against the wooden floor.
Soo-yeong threw him a look that was almost… delighted. Bright. Accompanied by a glossy smile.
So-mi smiled as well—but hers was different.
Measured. Polite.
The kind of smile an HR manager gave just before saying, "You're an excellent candidate, but unfortunately…"
Den turned to Min-jae.
Min-jae had already packed his books and was sitting obediently at his desk, waiting for Den to move so he could pass.
His eyes darted back and forth, restless—like someone who had broken mother's favorite vase.
Alright, Den thought.
That's enough.
He waited until the last student left the lecture hall.
The door closed.
Silence.
Den grabbed Min-jae by the collar and yanked him out from behind the desk. He shook him once, firmly, and looked him straight in the eyes.
"Kang Min-jae. Talk. Now. What's going on?"
Min-jae mumbled something—halfway between "this is awkward" and "I don't know how to say it."
Den's patience snapped.
"Don't test me," he said flatly.
He tightened his grip slightly.
"You know what's uncomfortable? Wearing underwear over leggings like Superman. That is uncomfortable. Other discomforts I can manage."
He leaned closer.
"Speak, damn it! Dongsaeng!"
At that exact moment, the lecture hall door burst open.
Han-bin stormed back in.
She was clearly tired of waiting in the hallway—and had decided to handle the delay herself.
She took in the scene in one glance: Den holding Min-jae by the front of his shirt.
Her reaction was instant.
"HEY—LET GO OF MY RICE CAKE!!!"
She launched herself at Den with the fury of a wolverine.
"YOU JERK!"
Her fists rained down on his back and shoulder.
Den let go of Min-jae immediately. The two of them stumbled, half-defending, half-panicking, trying to deflect the attack. Min-jae finally stepped in front of Den like a human shield, taking most of the blows meant for him.
"Okay! Okay! Han-bin! Please! Stop! Sweetie! Stop!" Min-jae yelped.
Han-bin froze.
Then she clung to Min-jae's chest, instantly soft, and said sweetly, "I won't let anyone hurt my precious rice cake."
Then she lifted her head and glared at Den.
Her voice turned ice-cold.
"Jerk."
Den rubbed his sore shoulder, staring at them both in disbelief.
"What now?" he snapped.
"What did I do this time?"
Han-bin stepped forward, planting her feet wide apart, shifting her weight onto one hip, arms crossed tightly over her chest.
"Oh, don't pretend," she said sharply.
"You've been charming every girl in the group—and it turns out you're dating Yu-ra?"
She scoffed.
"And here I was, stupid enough to think you were a good guy."
She thrust her phone in front of his face.
On the screen—photos.
Him and Yu-ra.
Her falling into his arms.
Their closeness.
The kiss.
Han-bin added venomously, "And you really didn't know? The whole group's been buzzing about it since morning. Everyone knows. Everyone's talking."
She pulled the phone back.
"And you are completely clueless. As usual."
Den stared at the photos.
His expression emptied as the pieces began to fall into place.
The looks. The whispers. Mi-yeon running out of the room.
Slowly, the situation became clear.
And for the first time that morning, Den realized:
He was already standing in the middle of a mess he had never meant to create.
Den exhaled slowly and looked at Min-jae and Han-bin with a seriousness that immediately cut through the chaos.
"Alright," he said.
"Let's clear one thing up right now."
They both fell silent.
"Yu-ra and I are NOT dating."
Han-bin's eyebrows shot up in outrage.
"What?! Are you for real?!"
She pointed at him accusingly.
"You kissed her as much as you wanted, disgraced her, and then just dumped her? Do you have no shame at all?!"
Den closed his eyes for half a second, drawing in a deep breath—the kind people took when they were choosing patience over violence.
"I didn't dump anyone," he said evenly.
"And I didn't disgrace anyone either."
He looked straight at her.
"Yes, I kissed her. Once. Because we're close friends. Because it mattered to both of us to be sure that the flirting, the attraction—it wasn't a lie. That our friendship wasn't built on pretending."
He paused.
"And she was the one who rejected me. Because she knows I like another girl."
"Clear enough?"
Min-jae and Han-bin exchanged a look.
Then, in perfect unison:
"…No!"
Den rubbed the back of his neck.
"Okay. Let's simplify."
He raised a finger.
"We went on a date."
Second finger.
"I kissed her."
Third finger.
"She rejected me."
Fourth.
"And later on, I realized that I'm in love with someone else."
He looked at them expectantly.
"So no. Yu-ra and I are definitely not a couple. Is that clear?"
They looked at each other again.
Then both nodded hesitantly.
"Yes. That's clear."
Den nodded once in return, as if placing a final period at the end of the conversation.
"Good. Then that's what I'd prefer you to tell everyone."
He slung his backpack over his shoulder and started walking toward the door.
Han-bin called after him, half-offended, half-indignant.
"Hey! Where do you think you're going?! What about us? Don't we get more details?!"
Without turning around, Den answered—irritated, already mentally elsewhere.
"Where else? I'm on my way to explain the exact same thing to the girl I actually like."
He stopped for a split second, realization hitting him like a brick.
She probably thinks I'm dating Yu-ra too…
He muttered under his breath, "Damn it."
And then he was gone.
The door closed behind him.
Han-bin and Min-jae stared at each other in silence.
Min-jae hesitated, then asked carefully, "…Was he talking about Mi-yeon?"
Han-bin snorted and pressed herself against his chest.
"Who knows?" she said dismissively.
"Maybe Mi-yeon. Maybe someone else entirely."
She sighed dramatically.
"Typical foreigner. Too complicated."
She hooked her arm through his.
"Anyway. I'm done thinking about it. Let's go to a café. I'm emotionally exhausted, which means I'm hungry."
She poked his chest.
"You're required to feed me and calm me down. Immediately."
Min-jae nodded a little too fast.
"Y-Yeah. Of course. Right away."
And together, they left—hand in hand—while the real storm moved elsewhere.
19 May 2025, Monday. Early Afternoon. SNU's chemistry faculty, Building 502, 2nd floor, lab section.
The hallway outside the lab rooms was unusually quiet—break had only just started. Most students were still in the cafeteria or drifting toward lectures. Labs were usually scheduled for the afternoon, so assistants had enough time to set everything up.
Yu-ra walked with her usual confidence, phone in hand, hair flawless. She carried herself like she had no weak points.
Which was, of course, a lie.
But it was a lie polished until it shone.
And right then—two girls caught up to her.
Kim Soo-yeong reached her first: long strides, chin lifted, eyes sharp like a predator that had decided this was her territory.
Baek So-mi followed half a step behind. Not loud. Not flashy. But tense—like a spring ready to snap if the mood turned.
They moved in and blocked Yu-ra's path.
Yu-ra didn't flinch.
She raised her eyes slowly from her screen, let her gaze pass over both of them like a scanner, then slid her phone into her bag.
The silence thickened.
Soo-yeong spoke first, her voice iced over.
"So you're the pretty senior who's been playing with Den."
A smile—sweet on the outside, venom underneath.
"You're famous now. Don't waste him."
Yu-ra tilted her head slightly, almost amused.
"I don't remember when we became close enough to speak so informally," she said calmly. "And my personal life isn't your business."
So-mi stepped in—measured, controlled.
"Don't pretend you don't like it Yu-ra-ssi," she said. "Attention. The photos. People talking about you and the Russian stud."
Yu-ra listened without interrupting. Her face remained relaxed—almost bored.
But her eyes were steel.
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Are you two drunk on dramas?" Yu-ra said lightly. "Relax. We're just friends."
She smiled—sharp.
"You can stop cursing me and go back to your… adorable little fantasies. He's still as free as the wind."
The words landed like a slap.
Soo-yeong's composure cracked for a moment—her eyes widened, her breath caught.
Yu-ra took one small step forward.
Not aggressive.
Just certain.
A reminder: she was older, higher on the ladder, and she knew exactly how these games were played.
"How interesting," Yu-ra said, her voice softening into something more dangerous. "You're both so upset because people think Den chose me."
She tilted her head, studying them like rare insects pinned in glass.
"Or are you mad… because he didn't choose you?"
Soo-yeong flushed—fast and bright, like she had been struck.
"Don't play with us, Yu-ra-ssi," she snapped. "We're not some provincial pushovers. We can bite too."
Yu-ra's eyebrow lifted.
A tiny smile touched one corner of her mouth.
"Try me," she said, her voice dropping colder.
"I've been here long enough to learn how to eat girls like you for breakfast."
She stepped closer—just enough.
"Keep threatening me, and it won't just be you who knows my name…"
Her tone turned so glacial it made the air feel thinner.
"…I'll remember yours, too."
So-mi sensed Soo-yeong slipping. She stepped in quickly—polite on the surface, but with no warmth in it.
"Let's not fight," So-mi said. "We're simply saying this: if you want Den, now is the best time to make it official. To secure your place and push away competitors."
A pause.
"It would be very… convenient for us if he dated you, Sunbae."
Yu-ra looked at them for a long moment, fighting the impulse to humiliate them on the spot.
Then she spoke, flat and clear.
"I'm not going to build my personal life on games like that."
She shifted her bag on her shoulder.
"Den is a grown man. He'll decide who he wants to be with. And I'm not participating in your little need to prove yourselves at someone else's expense."
And then she walked straight between them like they were furniture.
Soo-yeong and So-mi were left standing in the empty hallway.
Soo-yeong's voice shook with fury.
"This is war."
So-mi rolled her eyes—almost tired.
"Don't be stupid. You'll only break your teeth."
She looked down the corridor where Yu-ra had disappeared, her expression sharpening into something colder than anger.
"We don't actually need Den to date Yu-ra."
Her mouth tightened.
"We just need him not to date Mi-yeon."
"Don't waste your energy."