vertigo | witkyung (k.dw x s.km)

01

Kwak Dawit, 19 years old and heir to the KWK Incorporation, making him quite the target. Many assassins have been trailing him since the day he was born, but each fail to even touch a hair on his head.

He was surrounded by bodyguards wherever he went. Especially when he goes to school.

College was the least of his concerns. Though he enjoyed going out and making friends, it's not like he needed to prepare for an occupation when he was born into one.

Still, he doesn't have the heart to drop out. Not when his friends were waiting for him.

"Dawit hyung!" Donghyun calls out and rushes over to wrap an arm around the other's neck.

Donghyun was one of Dawit's longtime friends that stayed by him since kinder. His parents were used to his presence at this point and therefore didn't seem him as a threat.

"You were absent for two weeks! What happened?" He asks, expecting the same answer as always.

"The usual work stuff." The heir shrugged as they entered the building, his bodyguard trailing behind him quietly.

"Dawit, if you need to drop out of college-"

"We've had this conversation countless of times. I'm telling you, I'm okay." Dawit reassures.

"I know, but you can't keep balancing your work life with college shit. I'm afraid you'll overwork yourself again." Donghyun can count on ten sets of hands how many times Dawit overworked himself.

He'd stay up all night signing paperwork and all morning listening to lectures and doing exams all while trying to not fall asleep right then and there. He was bound to collapse someday.

And he did. While in the hallway, he had fallen onto Donghyun numerous times and had to be brought into the infirmary to rest for the rest of the day.

But he still insists that he's fine.

"Don't even worry about it. I told you, I'll be okay." At least that's what he told himself, but he knew that wasn't the truth.

"If you say so..." Donghyun doesn't bother to fight it. The other would just reassure him again before collapsing the next day, as always.

Before Dawit could get a word out, his phone starts vibrating in his pocket.

"Shit! We're late!"

The two frantically run to their class, Dawit's bodyguard calmly walking behind them. His bodyguard wasn't allowed in the lecture hall, but with a bit of money and bribing, they could work with it. Although, he would have to stay at the very back corner of the hall.

As soon as they got in, they apologized to their professor for being late.

"It's okay, the lecture hasn't started yet. Get to your seats before it does." She pats their back and they do as she says. They're lucky that she was so understanding.

She waits a few more minutes as the classroom began to fill with more and more students.

She greets a particular student and gestures for him to sit wherever he'd like.

"Is that a new student?" Dawit squints his eyes, seeing the unfamiliar face. It's not like he recognized everyone in his class, but he was familiar with them enough to notice who's in his class and who isn't.

"This late into the second to last semester? Jeez, talk about tardy." Donghyun dramatically gasps when the older smacks his shoulder.

"You don't need to be mean about it." He scolds.

The very student they were talking about began to go up the stairs and sat there seats away from them. He looked around him before paying attention to the lecture.

"Hey, psst, hey pink hair!" Donghyun whisper yells to grab his attention which he succeeds.

"Me?" The boy mouthed as he pointed to himself. "Yes you. C'mere." Donghyun does a hand movement to tell him to come over.

The boy looked around before slowly and quietly changing seats to sit next to Donghyun.

"I'm Keum Donghyun, this is Kwak Dawit. What's your name?" He introduces and pointed over to the boy who was fast asleep on the table.

"My name's Kim Hyunwoo. I changed classes a week ago." He introduces himself and shakes Donghyun's hand.

"Why'd you change?" Donghyun asks.

"My friend actually goes here so..." Hyunwoo scratched the back of his head awkwardly with a smile.

"You're friend? Who?"

"Cho Minwoo. He's my childhood friend."

Donghyun let's out a sound of acknowledgement, trying to remember where the name came from and why it sounded so familiar.

"Wait, isn't Cho Minwoo an actor?" Their college was prestigious, so they had many models and actors and actresses.

"He is, yeah." Hyunwoo nods before silence washed over them.

...

"Ah! And you're Kim Hyunwoo as in the fashion model!" Donghyun remembers seeing Dawit read through a magazine of such.

"Yeah, that's me." The pink haired boy laughed awkwardly as he glanced away from Donghyun, clearly uncomfortable.

"I knew it! Minwoo and I are friends, actually. We met in high school. Unfortunately, this guy over here couldn't meet up as much because he's so busy." He gestures to the sleeping boy.

"Oh..."

"Sorry if I made you uncomfortable." The other apologized. "I just wanted to know about you, that's all."

"Thanks. I didn't have much sincere friends growing up, so don't blame me if I'm a little distant." Hyunwoo apologizes.

"I totally understand, Hyunwoo. This guy here can say the same thing." Donghyun smacks Dawit's back, enough to wake him up.

"Huh? Wha? Oh." The older looked to his left and saw his friend silent laughing his ass off next to the new student.

"I'm Kim Hyunwoo." The student introduced and held a hand out for Dawit to shake.

"Kwak Dawit, but I'm guessing Donghyun already told you that." He eyes the mentioned boy whose shoulders were shaking as he quietly laughed into his arms.

"A-Anyways," Donghyun gets up after a while, "We're going to an internet cafe after class. Do you wanna come with us? You can bring Minwoo if you'd like."

"Internet cafe? Sure, but I don't really play many games. I never had the time to." Hyunwoo says.

"It's fine, we'll just teach you the basics and you'll be a professional in no time." Dawit reassures.

"You think so?"

"Hell yeah."