Chapter 1: The Jindo Dog in the Lecture Hall

A returning student would likely find the campus more alien than even a freshly admitted freshman.

“Is this the right place? …Yes, it is.”

Eunhae hesitantly checked the classroom number before stepping inside.

No one paid any attention to Eunhae as she settled into the furthest, most secluded seat at the back.

She pulled her hat lower over her eyes and hunched in her seat.

It was a general elective course, mostly attended by first-year students. Since everyone would be strangers to one another, Eunhae would simply blend in as another unfamiliar face.

Only a more perceptive individual might realize she was an upperclassman.

Eunhae sat perfectly still, checking the syllabus she had pre-downloaded onto her tablet.

“Oh, for heaven’s sake.”

Besides two exams, there was also a group presentation. A sigh escaped her lips involuntarily.

Her vision already swam at the thought of attending a crowded class; now she had to present in this enormous lecture hall.

‘Should I cancel it, even now?’

However, all the other elective courses were already full. Having applied for readmission so late, ‘Understanding East Asian Classics’ was the only course Eunhae could choose.

“Graduating is so incredibly difficult. This is why I didn’t want to come back.”

Her readmission was entirely against her will.

Her father had pulled Eunhae, who had remained confined to their home for two years, with a mix of pleas and threats.

“How can you just abandon a university you worked so hard to get into?”

“There are plenty of good jobs you can do without a college degree.”

“So what kind of job do you plan to get?”

“…”

“…If you haven’t thought of anything specific, then go back to school. At least get your diploma! You’ll learn as you live, but having something versus having nothing makes a big difference. You have to seize opportunities when they arise.”

“But Dad, I… I…”

“…Eunhae, please. You can’t stay cooped up like this forever. It’s my wish, my deepest wish, to see you with your friends.”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake.”

The conversation with her father weighed heavily on her chest, a familiar ache returning.

‘Would anything have been different if I had told him I had plenty of friends online?’

‘No. He would have just said, ‘What kind of friends are they if you don’t even know their faces?’

Eunhae sighed for the third time.

As she let out deep, earth-shattering sighs, the freshmen in front of her glanced back.

Eunhae swallowed the reflexive sigh and pulled her hat further down. She would have to take it off when the professor arrived, but for now, she wanted to obscure her vision, even if only for a moment.

‘Indeed, I despise crowded places.’

Eunhae rubbed her eyes, feigning fatigue, and covered her eyelids with both hands.

In the pitch-black darkness, nothing was visible. That made it comfortable, and that made it good.

Then, the lecture hall began to buzz with murmurs.

The whispered words were mostly inaudible to Eunhae, who was hidden in her secluded corner.

“He’s really handsome.”

Only that single sentence drifted faintly to her.

Simultaneously, someone sat down beside Eunhae.

“This seat is open, right?”

The low voice was slightly slow and resonated softly. It was a pleasant voice to hear.

Eunhae instinctively opened her eyes and looked up at him.

“Oh? Oh… yes.”

He was truly a handsome man.

Eunhae was momentarily stunned, her breath catching in her throat.

“I came just in case, and it really is Senior Park Eunhae. I’m Jung Seunghee, Physics Department, class of XX. You’re Senior Park Eunhae, class of XO, right?”

Regaining her composure, Eunhae swallowed dryly and nodded.

Jung Seunghee, Physics Department, class of XX.

Few people, except for freshmen, would be unfamiliar with him.

Jung Seunghee was incredibly handsome.

He was so handsome that emphasizing it two or three times would still not be an exaggeration.

To illustrate his handsomeness, Jung Seunghee once wore a rainbow-patterned outfit as a penalty during a freshman orientation. It was the kind of garment that even the most seasoned model would struggle to pull off.

Yet, Jung Seunghee’s face triumphed over the rainbow attire.

Even now, she couldn’t fathom how he managed to overcome that outfit. But the moment the spotlight hit Jung Seunghee, all she could see was his face.

Jung Seunghee also possessed an impressive physique. He was well over 180cm tall, had a solid build, and a balanced, model-like figure.

He was also rumored to be talented in sports. This was something Eunhae, who had been rather disengaged from school life, only vaguely knew as ‘probably true’.

Rumor had it he was wealthy too. Someone claimed to have seen him driving an incredibly expensive imported car.

Face, physique, wealth. Jung Seunghee was a man lacking nothing.

“…That senior, he’s *that* senior. The one they call the Jindo Dog of the Physics Department.”

“Oh, really?”

Amidst the buzzing whispers, the word ‘Jindo Dog’ kept surfacing.

“Ah… *that* one?”

“Yeah, *that*… you know, *that*…”

Jung Seunghee’s fame at Hankook University wasn’t solely due to his good looks, his impressive physique, or his wealth.

The Jindo Dog.

A fierce dog that, once it bites, never lets go.

Of course, no one dared to call him the Jindo Dog to his face. If someone possessed that much nerve, the nickname ‘Jindo Dog’ might have been bestowed upon them instead of Jung Seunghee.

However, ‘Hankook University’s Jindo Dog’ invariably referred to Jung Seunghee of the Physics Department.

‘Jindo Dog? That’s a scary nickname.’

Though Eunhae couldn’t hear them, the students cautiously whispered among themselves.

“They say he doesn’t care about class year or anything; if he doesn’t like something, he just confronts it head-on.”

“Apparently, he talked back to a professor, and the professor ended up getting fired from the school instead.”

“Is that even possible?”

“They say he’s rich and his background is no joke.”

“It’s a complete disaster.”

“Be careful. They say more than one person has been burned by following him around just because he’s handsome.”

That very Jindo Dog was now smiling at Eunhae. The tear-like mole at the slightly drooping corner of his eye was alluringly enigmatic.

“You don’t remember me? I’m Seunghee, your junior from the same department. I only attended for the first semester of freshman year before taking a leave of absence, so you probably don’t remember me well.”

“Uh, yes. I remember your face, though…”

Of course she remembered. How could she not?

Anyone who had seen Jung Seunghee’s face even once would find it difficult to forget him. Naturally, Eunhae remembered him the moment she saw him.

His name also immediately came to mind.

Perhaps it was also because his name was gender-neutral, making it easier to recall.

Before she knew it, Jung Seunghee had settled into the seat right beside Eunhae and was even pulling out a notebook.

“You’re… taking the class here?”

“Yes.”

Jung Seunghee turned to Eunhae and smiled, as if asking what the problem was.

It was an innocent and pure smile. Eunhae felt as though her darkness-tinged self was being exorcised.

No, perhaps an evil presence truly was being dispelled.

Eunhae shivered and quickly lowered her head. Seeing Jung Seunghee’s face this close was not good for her heart.

It was truly not good.

“Senior Eunhae, may I call you Senior Eunhae? Calling you Senior Park Eunhae feels too formal.”

“Uh, yes, that’s fine.”

She didn’t care what he called her. Senior Park, or even ‘hyung’ Park.

Even if he called her ‘hey, you,’ she’d be annoyed, but the timid Eunhae would find it difficult to protest a single word.

‘I just wish he would disappear from beside me.’

Jung Seunghee’s presence was overwhelming. Eunhae felt completely crushed by his sheer presence.

Of course, Jung Seunghee wasn’t actually doing that; it was just how she felt.

But in any situation, how one feels is paramount.

“There are… plenty of other seats.”

Jung Seunghee continued to gaze at Eunhae with an expression that seemed to say, ‘So what?’

The distance between them was too close.

Eunhae had barely encountered any strangers over the past two years. Coming to school was already difficult enough, but now she had to have a Jindo Dog right beside her.

They say the world only gives you trials you can handle, but wasn’t this like throwing someone who couldn’t swim directly into the water?

Eunhae suppressed her ragged breathing and managed to say,

“I, I… I prefer to use a wide desk.”

It was the best answer she could muster.

“Oh, I see. But I think this class will be crowded. It’s more comfortable to sit next to someone you know rather than a stranger, isn’t it?”

But her attack was completely ineffective!

Eunhae couldn’t bring herself to say that a stranger would be more comfortable than him.

It wasn’t easy to say such a thing to the Jindo Dog, who was trailed by ominous rumors.

“If someone else comes later, then you can move…”

“The professor has arrived.”

Just as Jung Seunghee said, the professor entered.

Eunhae sighed and took off her hat. She ran her fingers through her arbitrarily flattened hair, tidying it.

Her round forehead was now fully exposed. Feeling a sudden chill, she rubbed her forehead with the back of her hand.

She had no idea how the hour and a half class passed.

Eunhae closed her scribbled notebook with a weary feeling.

It was difficult to concentrate on the lecture with Jung Seunghee sitting beside her, constantly on her mind.

Jung Seunghee was simply too conspicuous. He was taller than others, had a broad build, and was exceptionally handsome, making it hard for him not to attract attention.

Consequently, Eunhae, sitting next to him, felt as if she was covered in fragments of that attention.

Even without that, she was already the type whose concentration, once broken, was difficult to regain. Yet, whenever her gaze drifted towards Jung Seunghee, her eyes would invariably become fixated on him.

Then, it became even harder to refocus…