The taxi stopped in front of Songhwa University's main building. Suho got out and rolled his shoulders. The painkiller had started kicking in halfway there, and now he could walk to where he needed to go without much trouble.
It was getting close to evening, and students were heading toward him in groups — their school day was already over. The interview had been scheduled for five o'clock to make sure everyone could make it. From what Suho understood, the organizers had chosen a podcast format this year. The student council interviewed outstanding students every year. Suho had been invited last time too. Back then, his face even ended up in the Songhwa newspaper. Minseok had laughed for ages about the photo they'd used.
"Whoever it was, they definitely wanted to keep up your scary captain image."
Why did he always look so grim in those moments anyway…
Suho walked into the building, and the first thing that caught his eye was a poster on the information stand. Jia even looked great in her student image — Suho thought, lingering on the advertisement. He slowly crossed the lobby and called the elevator to the fifth floor, where the student recording studio was located.
A message came in from the student council president saying everyone was already there, just waiting for him. There wasn't much time left before he'd see Jia. Stepping into the elevator, Suho suddenly realized he was nervous. In everyday life, there weren't many things that could make him feel like this. Usually, the only situations that got him emotional were basketball games. On the court, Choi became too hot-headed, letting out his emotions in the simplest way he knew.
"This is something new," Suho chuckled to himself, trying to boost his spirits and not lose his edge. Maybe he looked normal from the outside, but damn, his throat was bone-dry.
There were about fifteen people in the studio. As soon as Suho opened the door, several students stood up from their seats and bowed respectfully. Suho gave a short nod in return, scanning for Jia out of the corner of his eye.
He found her against the far wall. In a beige tracksuit — a zip-up jacket and wide-legged pants — she looked both modest and attractive. Yoon bowed along with the others and sat back down, throwing a quick glance at Choi.
"Alright," the student council president announced loudly. "Let's go over the structure quickly, and then we can start."
Suho took the last empty seat, which happened to be right across from Jia. Settling in and clasping his hands together, Choi looked around at the others. He didn't know anyone here. Usually, interviews were for students who excelled academically. Athletes were only invited for the sake of appearances — to, in Suho's opinion, break up all the boring stuff with something interesting.
It was fair to say that he and Jia stood out from the rest. Suho looked toward the girl again and unexpectedly met her gaze, in which curiosity was clearly written.
The students around the table had started an active discussion, and no one was paying them any attention.
Suho felt his heart rate speed up. Caught so suddenly, he was afraid he might give himself away. He froze, trying to regain his composure. Not a single muscle on his face moved.
Jia gave him a warm smile, but when she got no reaction, she bit her lip in confusion and quickly looked away.
Suho raised an eyebrow in confusion. He'd only been about to let her know he was happy to see her too…
The student council president called his name. Suho turned, and his gaze accidentally landed on the mirror hanging behind the third-year student. In the reflection, he saw a guy with a completely stone-cold expression and a hard, icy stare.
Suho hurriedly tried to look friendlier: he relaxed his brows, raised them slightly, attempted a smile, and hunched his shoulders a bit.
Honestly, it took effort.