Eunseok felt a mix of embarrassment and surprise when Jiwoo turned down his proposition, especially in such a confident manner. He was sure she’d say yes, considering her strong interest in him. The prolonged eye contact felt like an eternity before she gently pushed him away, leaving him bewildered.

“What–” Eunseok was flabbergasted by the sudden shift in her demeanor.

“You’re handsome, but you don’t know how to make a girl feel special,” Jiwoo commented, her cheeks still flushed and her lips slightly pouting.

“So, is your answer…?” Eunseok asked, anxiously awaiting her response.

“My answer is NO. I don’t want to date you, not like this,” she said, shaking her head. She continued to puff out her cheeks, clearly flustered.

She paused for a moment, trying to collect her thoughts. “I’ll take back my confession if I said anything about my feelings for you in the heat of the moment,” she bit her lip, still unable to tear her gaze away from his face.

“I… I’ll pretend this didn’t happen. Thank you,” she said and abruptly ran away, almost forgetting the box she was supposed to deliver. She rushed back to the student council room.

Sungchan found the whole situation highly amusing when Eunseok shared his rejection by Shim Jiwoo. He couldn’t believe that the King of Segye High had been rejected by a freshman.

“What number is she supposed to be?” Sungchan asked, intrigued. “If she were your girlfriend, what number would she be?”

“17,” Eunseok mumbled, sulking in a corner of his bedroom. He hadn’t accomplished anything since the rejection, feeling like a complete failure. He couldn’t help but imagine how embarrassing it would have been if this had happened in public.

“Why did you even think of asking her? You barely know her,” Sungchan said, munching on chocolate bars from Eunseok’s minibar. “Well, you barely knew any of your ex-girlfriends,” he laughed.

“Shut up. My head hurts,” Eunseok groaned. “Can you call Auntie? I need a massage.”

“Don’t be so dramatic,” Sungchan retorted, eyeing his friend who seemed to be exaggerating his suffering. “Or maybe Jiwoo is your karma.”

“Whatever,” Eunseok groaned. “Whatever. Whatever. Whatever.”

Sungchan couldn’t help but laugh. “Are you sure no one saw you asking her and getting rejected?”

Eunseok’s eyes widened in realization, and he sat up abruptly. “No, I was sure,” he claimed, but the