So Hee did not know that it was the last photograph Ji Woo had of Joo Won that they took together. She felt hurt.
In an instant, the carefully constructed walls within Ji Woo's mind shattered. The memories he had fought so hard to suppress didn't just return - they crashed over him, a tidal wave of longing and loss, pulling him under and drowning the beautiful moment he had just been living in. The world around him - So Hee, the steps, the city lights - blurred and faded into nothing. There was only the past, violent and vivid, and the face of the brother he could never forget. Ji Woo's eyes went blank. The tender man in the embrace of a beautiful woman a minute ago vanished, replaced by a stranger.
So Hee's flashback continues
He fled without a backward glance, leaving So Hee with the echo of a confession hanging in the air with expectations of reciprocation. She could only assume a family emergency, her worry for him momentarily outweighing her own stung pride. Later she thought of reaching out to him but given his private secretive nature, she did not bother about it.
But stranger than Ji Woo running away was when seemed to have forgotten the whole incident. When she saw him, his demeanor was a polished fortress. He offered a playful "Good morning, So Hee-ssi," and launched into a normal conversation about class work, his performance so flawless it was chilling. The man who had been on the verge of kissing her was utterly absent, leaving So Hee to wonder if she had dreamed the entire encounter.
One couldn't help but notice Ji Woo when he walked onto campus. It wasn't just that he was tall - though he definitely was at least 6 feet, with that slender frame that made him stand out in any crowd. It was the way he carried himself, like he was the main character in his own story and the rest were just lucky to be in the scene.
They all talked about him. It was that rare combination of being beautiful, charming, being effortlessly funny while also being the guy who could handle any crisis with a calm smile. A presentation would be falling apart, and he'd step in with a joke that broke the tension and a solution that actually worked. But what So Hee noticed, what she couldn't stop looking at, were the quieter things. His hair was the color of dark coffee, but in the sun, you'd catch warm, hidden streaks of brown. And his eyes... they held this deep, brooding thoughtfulness, like he was carrying a world of secrets. Yet whenever his gaze landed on her, it was inexplicably gentle. He had these wide shoulders that made him look like he could carry any burden, and a smile so bright and genuine it could completely hypnotize her or anyone else for that matter. He had a way of talking that made people believe in anything, a charm that felt both powerful and sincere. He didn't just enter a room; he changed its very atmosphere.
Although So Hee was a year older than him, Ji Woo's towering height led everyone to assume he was the older one. When she was seen knocking on his forehead over some mistake he had made in their shared project, turning heads would mistake the young girl for being very rude. But upon seeing a man like Ji Woo simply smile silly and rub the spot where she'd hit him, they would quickly assume the two were a couple. This left So Hee on the receiving end of dirty glances from other girls, who looked on in envy that she had been able to bag the most handsome man on campus.
For some reason, Ji Woo felt very warm as a person. Whenever their project won first place - which used to be often - he would hug all his teammates out of joy, including her. But So Hee felt his hugs for her were different; they were gentle, warm and slow, she was certain they meant something more than just a normal teammate's celebration. There was a thrill, an unspoken suspense of an unconfessed love, though she knew it was only in her mind. She would hit her head for being so lovestruck over a junior, convincing herself it was the pressure of academics that made her crazy.
Her pride as a woman would never let her confess her love for a man, yet she did it for Ji Woo. So Hee blamed herself for not being able to focus on her goal- her studies. Besides, she was sure he would never accept her, she was probably out of his league, and he was also probably aware of that. So, she forced her mind back into her studies. This was probably the 1000th time she had thought about him.
This man was so damn mysterious. He didn't let anyone in. He was mentally aloof, yet socially so close that you wouldn't feel this aloofness until one actually observed him. He was so mentally closed off that no one even knew about his mom's death; their project team only found out because he took a leave of absence from college. Until then, everyone was unaware of his mom's breast cancer. Throughout it all, he acted lively, as if there were no worries in this world. So Hee concluded that she would never ever confess her love again to anyone anymore, it puts her at a disadvantage as a woman. Besides with everything that had happened - especially with Ji Woo's mother gone and his father being always absent which So Hee got to know when she accidentally overheard their phone conversation - it was possible that Ji Woo might have felt a little lost, lonely, hence he tried to look for solace, a little flicker of warmth and So Hee just happened to be there that day.
Finally, So Hee shut off her mind motivating herself asserting that love was not her goal.
But that kiss on the staircase... how does he just forget that? The memory of it burns where his lips almost met hers - a moment frozen in time, shattered by the buzz of a phone. How can he now be so infuriatingly calm, carrying zero weight for what he was seconds from claiming? And why.....why force her and demand the truth she fought so hard to hide? Maybe it's better this way. Maybe his drunken mind has erased it all. If only hers would too.
A sharp ring shattered the quiet. So Hee jolted upright, her heart leaping into her throat. When she fumbled for her phone, the name on the screen stole her breath away: Ji Woo.
So Hee's breath hitched. What could he possibly want?
"Come out of your dormitory," Ji Woo's voice insisted through the phone. "I have something to tell you."
"Something to tell me? What?" she replied, her tone laced with a caution she didn't feel. "Can't you tell me over the phone?"
Her mind raced, conjuring two terrifying futures. Did he remember the staircase? Was this the moment he'd finally confess, too? Or, more likely, was he here to gently ask her to forget it ever happened - to reject her? The latter thought was a cold splash of reality. It would be humiliating. He held a terrible secret of hers, and if he told anyone...
"No, So Hee Noona," he said, his voice firm yet soft. "It's really important. I need to tell you in person. Please come down. I'm right in front of your dorm."
A jolt of panic - or was it excitement? - shot through her. Confession or rejection- whatever it is, she will accept it. "Okay," she breathed, "I'm coming."
She practically flew from her room, a whirlwind of nervous energy. Halfway down the hall, she skidded to a halt, her heart hammering against her ribs. My makeup! She fumbled in her bag, trying to smooth her hair and pat down the panic on her face.
Then, a new, defiant thought emerged looking at her own reflection on the mirror, steadying her hands. So what if I confessed? This isn't the past. Women confess too. If he rejects me... it's his loss.
With a renewed sense of courage, she walked out to meet her fate.