Chapter 1 - Are You Dumb?
The morning air at SNU University was cold and rushed, just like the students running through the crowded campus gates. Among them was Gyoon-woo, clutching her backpack tightly while checking the time again and again on her phone.
“Great… I’m late again,” she muttered under her breath.
Her hair was messy from running, and her coffee had already spilled on her sleeve. As a law student, punctuality mattered a lot, especially to Professor Han, the strictest teacher in the department.
Gyoon-woo pushed open the classroom door, slightly out of breath.
“You’re ten minutes late,” Professor Han said sharply without even looking at her. “Do you think this is a playground?”
The whole class turned toward her. A few students giggled quietly.
“I-I’m sorry, sir,” she said awkwardly, bowing her head.
Professor Han sighed in disappointment. “One more time and don’t bother entering my class.”
Embarrassed, Gyoon-woo quietly walked to her seat. The lecture continued, but she could barely focus. Her cheeks still burned from the humiliation.
After class ended, she packed her books aggressively.
“Still alive?” a cheerful voice asked beside her.
Gyoon-woo looked up and instantly relaxed. “Ji-eun.”
Ji-eun was her best friend since first year — calm, funny, and the complete opposite of Gyoon-woo’s chaotic personality.
“You look like you’re about to sue someone,” Ji-eun teased.
“I might sue Professor Han for emotional damage.”
Ji-eun burst into laughter. “Come on. Let’s go somewhere before you explode.”
The two girls left the university and walked toward a nearby park. It was one of their favorite places whenever college became too stressful. The trees swayed gently in the afternoon breeze, and children were running around near the fountain.
For the first time that day, Gyoon-woo felt peaceful.
Ji-eun bought two ice creams from a small cart nearby and handed one to her.
“You know,” Ji-eun said, “if you woke up earlier—”
“Don’t start.”
They both laughed.
While walking through the park pathway, Gyoon-woo continued complaining dramatically about her professor. She was so busy talking and waving her hands around that she didn’t notice someone walking toward her from the opposite side.
THUD.
She crashed directly into a tall man dressed in black.
Everything happened too quickly.
A pair of glasses fell to the ground and shattered beneath their feet.
The man froze.
Gyoon-woo stared at the broken glasses in horror. “Oh no—”
“What did you just do?” the man snapped.
His voice was cold enough to make Ji-eun step back immediately.
“I-I’m sorry! It was an accident!” Gyoon-woo quickly bent down, trying to pick up the broken pieces.
“Don’t touch them,” he said angrily.
Gyoon-woo looked up at him properly for the first time. He looked around their age, maybe a little older. His dark hair fell slightly over his eyes, and without the glasses, he seemed irritated and uncomfortable.
“You should watch where you’re going,” he said.
Gyoon-woo frowned immediately. “Excuse me? You bumped into me too!”
The man scoffed. “Are you dumb?”
Ji-eun’s eyes widened. “Hey!”
Gyoon-woo slowly stood up, offended. “What did you just call me?”
“You heard me.”
Something inside her snapped.
“Well maybe if you weren’t walking around like some angry robot, this wouldn’t have happened!”
The man crossed his arms. “And maybe if you paid attention instead of talking nonstop—”
“You know what? Forget it! I said sorry already!”
People nearby had started staring at them. A little kid even stopped eating popcorn just to watch the argument.
Ji-eun tried to calm things down. “Gyoon-woo, let’s just go.”
But Gyoon-woo was too annoyed now.
“No, because this guy thinks he owns the park!”
“And you act like a child,” the man replied instantly.
Gyoon-woo pointed at him dramatically. “See? This is exactly why nobody likes you!”
The man looked genuinely offended for half a second before replying, “Funny coming from someone who destroys people’s property.”
Ji-eun covered her face in embarrassment.
The argument continued for several minutes until both of them were completely exhausted.
Finally, the man let out a deep sigh. “Whatever.”
He pulled out his phone and rubbed his eyes tiredly.
Gyoon-woo noticed something strange then. Without his glasses, he kept squinting at everything around him.
“You… can’t see properly, can you?” she asked.
He immediately looked away. “That’s none of your business.”
For the first time, Gyoon-woo felt slightly guilty.
Maybe those glasses were important.
She awkwardly scratched the back of her neck. “Look… I really didn’t mean to break them.”
The man stayed silent.
Ji-eun suddenly whispered, “We should probably leave before you start World War Three again.”
Gyoon-woo sighed dramatically before turning back toward him.
“Fine. I’m sorry, angry-glasses guy.”
A tiny smile almost appeared on his face, but it disappeared instantly.
“Don’t call me that.”
“Then tell me your name.”
He hesitated for a moment.
“…Min-Jae.”
Gyoon-woo smirked slightly. “Well, Min-Jae, try not to walk into dangerous people like me again.”
Before he could reply, she grabbed Ji-eun’s arm and walked away.
But neither of them noticed that Min-Jae stood there watching them leave longer than necessary.
And somehow, that strange, ridiculous fight in the park was only the beginning.
