HAUGHTY-To Love ✔

CHAPTER 03

JAE-MIN POV

Frustration and anger surged through me as I vented my frustrations about the university and its overwhelming workload. The professors seemed to be piling on assignments, and on top of that, I had to prepare for upcoming internal assessment tests. As if that wasn't enough, I had recently sustained an injury that left me limping and in pain.

"All this bullshit hitting me at once," I muttered to myself, limping along the hallway towards my locker. I couldn't help but feel irritated that Tae-Sun, my friend who usually waited for me there, wasn't present.

"Where is that boy gone?" Just then, my shoulder collided with an obnoxious person, causing me to stumble and twist my other ankle. "Shit," I groaned, feeling overwhelmed by it all. Whose face did I piss off this morning?

I clenched my eyes shut, trying to suppress the pain, and managed to regain my footing to open my locker. It was a mess, filled with books from the previous semester that I hadn't gotten around to organizing yet. "It's all so messy in here. Now, where is my 'LINUX' loaf?" I muttered, referring to a thick book that resembled a loaf of bread. Unfortunately, I had to study the entire thing. As I rummaged through the clutter, my eyes caught sight of a red envelope.

Curiosity piqued, and I wondered which idiot was attempting to play a prank by sending me love cards. I opened the envelope, only to find that the letters inside were printed in an elegant, italic font.

I couldn't help but question the authenticity of the letter, I know those pranking scums don't do much considering the beautifully cursive print and the gold string outlining the card.

"Are they trying to pull a larger prank on me, making me believe this is a genuine love letter?" I pondered. Despite my suspicions, the words within described me in a loving manner, and it ended with the signature, "Your secret admirer," accompanied by a rose and heart symbol.

"Whoever did this better brace themselves because if I find out, I'm sure to give them a beating," I muttered under my breath, my frustration growing. With no sign of Tae-Sun around, I limped my way towards the university cafeteria.

After a fifteen-minute journey, limping through various blocks, I finally reached the cafeteria. As I entered, I scanned the area, searching for my friends. However, my gaze came to a halt when I spotted the person I wanted to unleash my anger upon. He was sitting in a corner, seemingly engrossed in something.

Without thinking about how loud my voice would be, potentially audible to everyone in the cafeteria and even outside, I decided to confront him.

"TAE-SUN, YOU [BEEEEEP] LEFT ME THERE ALONE WHILE YOU SIT HERE AND [BEEP BEEP BEEEEPPP] WITH THIS [BEEEEPPP] THING!"

I exclaimed, my voice filled with frustration and anger.

The whole cafeteria looked at me with surprise as I shouted those words I had never voiced before. Why? Because I was the one feeling the pain of walking for a straight 15 minutes. Wouldn't anyone else feel the discomfort in their bones while walking? At least someone could have offered to help. But this guy, Kim Tae-Sun, didn't bother to wait for me or assist me in getting here. So, I had to limp all the way, enduring the pain on my own.

"Tae-Sun..." I said, frustration evident in my voice, as I stood in front of him, he wasn't responding but was occupied with something. "You were supposed to wait for me near my locker, but instead, what are you doing here sitting around like an idiot with that thing in your hand?"

My eyes were drawn to the cigar box he was holding. As far as I knew, Tae-Sun doesn't smoke. "Who are you getting those for?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, JungYun asked me to buy them," he replied casually, glancing at the cigars. "By the way, why are you here?"

JungYun? That guy never stopped his habit of smoking those cancer sticks. And what did Tae-Sun mean by asking about my presence? "Seriously, you blockhead. Where else am I supposed to have my lunch?"

Realizing it was lunchtime, Tae-Sun made an 'O' shape with his mouth. "Alright, enough of our talks. We should go meet our friends," I declared, grabbing his arm and dragging him to the other corner of the cafeteria to join the rest of our group.

"Hey, JungYun, I bought the thing you needed," Tae-Sun said, tossing the box to JungYun. With a swift catch, JungYun removed a stick and placed it between his lips, lighting the other end with a lighter. As it burned, releasing toxic smoke into his lungs, he inhaled and blew out a puff of smoke.

"Are you planning on coming here throughout your suspension?" Nathan asked JungYun. He took his time, puffing on the cigarette before responding, "I want to entertain myself, so I'm coming. Do you guys have a problem with that?" His cold and cocky demeanor never ceased to amaze us.

"Don't give us your attitude, JungYun. As far as we know, there's nothing here to entertain you... unless you're hiding something?" Jin words made us all wonder. JungYun had never shown interest in anything unless it involved his programming skills. So what did he mean by "entertained"?

"You sure know my mind," JungYun replied, tilting his head and giving his signature smirk. There was definitely something up with him; otherwise, he wouldn't be behaving like this.

"What are you up to?" I couldn't bear the curiosity any longer and blurted out the question. JungYun glanced at me and answered with a subtle movement of his eyes, directing our attention towards the food court area.

All six of us followed his gaze and to our surprise, we saw a girl standing there, smiling at a group of other girls. From her figure and face, it was clear she wasn't from our native town. But what did JungYun have to do with this girl?

"JungYun, what exactly are you planning to do?" Hoseok asked, voicing the thoughts that were running through all of our minds. JungYun had never shown any interest in girls before. If he showed this kind of focus and determination in anything else, it usually meant he wanted it for himself. But girls are not objects, and the way he looked at her with those wanting eyes and that cocky smirk, it was clear he was up to some mischief.

"JungYun, don't tell us that the girl is part of your new game," I said, my voice filled with disbelief. We all stared at him, trying to process the fact that he was starting something new, involving girls.

"She's the first girl who has caught my attention, and I have no intention of taking my eyes off her," JungYun stated confidently. And Yep, he was definitely up to something, and it seemed like it involved this girl.