College Daze

Fair Game

"All students, both domestic and visiting, must register for courses at the same time through the online course registration system as you can see on this screen. We call this the Yonsei Portal system. Therefore, getting a spot in some courses may be competitive. All students should note that Yonsei University does not guarantee registration for any specific courses..."

Competitive? That's right up my alley, Yejin thought with narrowed eyes, as she listened to the ongoing presentation.

She is certainly going to ensure she secures every module needed.

Dean's list, here I come.

"Hey. Don't you think that guy over there is cute?" A hushed whisper broke Yejin's furious pace in scribbling down notes about the curriculum and grading structure at her new school.

Turning with expertly-concealed annoyance-- since she was at a new school after all-- the former council president regarded her orientation group mate expressionlessly.

"Yes?"

Chewing on the end of her pen for one more time, her new acquaintance who goes by the name May, discreetly pointed said pen at a boy sitting two rows away from them in the auditorium.

"That guy. Can you see him? The tall one with the Nike bag beside his seat."

Narrowing her eyes, Yejin leaned forward to catch a better glimpse of the boy, only to have a very familiar Nike bag come into view.

Of course she knew that bag; she was the one who bought it as a Christmas gift to him.

"Uhhh I think so."

She saw him, of course, he is easily a head taller than most of the guys around him.

More importantly, her eyes had a magical way of seeking him out in the crowd, no matter the number of people around them.

It was just unfortunate that Ha Neul had to turn from his seat beside Hyun Bin to grin in a disturbingly friendly manner at the girls.

"No, no. Not that one grinning at us. The one beside him. Isn't he the most handsome guy ever? I swear, he's just as good-looking as the celebrities on TV." May continued dreamily, stealing glances repeatedly at the former basketball captain. "Whoever knew we would have someone so...divine-looking among us?"

"Yeah, he's okay. Not too bad." Yejin replied dismissively, increasingly uncomfortable with how the conversation was going.

"Wait a minute!" The other girl sat up straighter in her seat, turning to regard Yejin with widened eyes. "You were from Spackman High, weren't you? I heard from some others that he was also from the same school."

Shucks.

"Uhh yeah, I know him."

"What's his name?" May did not waste a second in getting her next question out.

"Hyun Bin."

Her new friend practically cooed. "Awww. Even his name is gorgeous. Is he attached? I heard from a friend of mine in his orientation group that he didn't answer when they questioned his relationship status."

The awkward meter continued jumping.

"Erm...I don't know? I don't think so..?" The former Spackman High council president lied, missing the way May's eyes practically lit up with joy.

Sitting on the other side of Yejin was none other than Hyojin, who promptly displayed a master level eye-roll at her best friend's antics.

"Good. Then he's mine."

Wait— no??

Somehow, those words didn't sit well with Yejin. Deep down, there was a strange feeling in her gut, like someone was churning her insides.

Trying to keep traces of unhappiness off her face, Yejin forced her mouth into what she thought was a passable smile, "He might have someone he likes though."

May appeared to ponder for a second, before breaking into a bright smile. "That doesn't matter, does it? As long as they're not officially together, Hyun Bin is fair game."

The Students' Affairs department representative was still talking about Yejin's favorite topic-- the academic grading system-- but somehow, nothing was going into the former student councilor's mind.

"Wait, wait. That wouldn't be a very good idea—"

"It's okay. I'll be happy if I can go on a date with him. Even if it is for an hour."

"Right."

Closing her eyes, Yejin released the breath she had been holding back, still amazed by how excited her orientation group mate looked at the prospect of dating Hyun Bin.

She might very much be luckier than she thought herself to be.

But no matter what, there was nothing to worry about.

Another five minutes went by with Yejin drifting in and out of focus on the discussed topic.

Bin would never respond to any of these girls...would he?

They were rock solid as a couple, weren't they?

Seated two rows away, Ha Neul playfully nudged his best friend.

"Don't look now, but," He started in a hushed whisper. "To our seven o'clock. Some cute girl sitting beside your lady boss is busy checking me out. They're both looking over at us. Be careful though, Hyojin is sitting near them."

Swallowing hard, the basketball team captain shifted uneasily, retrieving an orientation brochure from his welcome pack before placing it over the foldable writing tablet at his seat.

"What are you doing?" Ha Neul curiously asked, upon seeing how his best friend discreetly shoved pieces of paper in between the pages of the folded brochure. "What's that? Is there a problem?"

"Shh. Focus on the presentation." Feigning annoyance, Hyun Bin quietly tucked the brochure back into his folder.

Ha Neul was right; there is a problem.

He'd have to ensure that Yejin never sees the tiny pieces of paper-- seven pieces, to be exact-- with random girl names and phone numbers scribbled on.

The bigger problem?

It was only his sixth hour as a student of Yonsei University.