In the crowded lecture hall, the supervisor lecturer's voice rang out as she made an announcement that caught everyone's attention. "The one who will assist this committee in finding a suitable funder or sponsor is Ra Moonji, from the faculty of Business and Finance," she declared. Moonji couldn't help but feel her cheeks flush with embarrassment as she lowered her head.

"Let's give her a round of applause. Moonji, come here and introduce yourself to the rest of the committee members," the female lecturer continued, prompting the hall's occupants to break into applause, eagerly awaiting Moonji's appearance on stage.

Beside her, Donghae noticed her unease and offered his support. "You want me to come with you?" he asked kindly, sensing her anxiety about stepping onto the stage. Moonji nodded gratefully, and Donghae rose from his seat with gentlemanly grace. He gently took Moonji's hand, leading her toward the stage, where he stood by her side with a warm smile that seemed to reassure her and the entire audience watching them.

"Hello, nice to meet you all. I'm a final-year student here. I'll assist Moonji in finding funders and sponsors when I have the time," Donghae confidently introduced himself as applause filled the hall. As the director's advisor for the program, he would be working closely with Moonji throughout its duration.

Moonji took a deep breath and addressed the audience, her voice steady, if not particularly loud. "Hi, everyone. My name is Moonji, and I've been appointed co-director of this program. I hope we can make a great team in the future," she stated, projecting her words clearly to the front rows of the hall.

"Okay, you may stay on the stage. I'll invite our volunteering future doctors to the stage to introduce themselves. So, let's welcome Kim Jongin, Park Chanyeol, Kang Seulgi, Bae Joohyun, Cho Kyuhyun and Choi Siwon to the stage." The lecturer announced as the people in the hall whistled and applause when they walked up the stage. As fate played its card, Kai was standing beside Moonji. The lecturer then shifted the spotlight to the volunteering future doctors, inviting them to introduce themselves. Among them was Kai, who happened to be standing beside Moonji.

"I'm Kim Jongin, but you can call me Kai. I recently transferred from Seoul National University. Let's all get along and have some fun while working on this program," Kai charmed the audience with his captivating smile and confident demeanour. His speech and handsome appearance drew admiring glances from the girls in the room.

Following Kai, it was Chanyeol's turn to introduce himself. As he stepped forward, a slight collision occurred: Chanyeol bumped into Kai's shoulder, which caused Kai to inadvertently bump into Moonji.

Moonji nearly stumbled, but Kai reacted swiftly, his strong arm encircling her waist to prevent her from falling. Their eyes met in a moment of brief connection, and Moonji silently mouthed her gratitude. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Kai whispered back, his smile warm and reassuring.

Moonji nodded, her face composed as she looked straight ahead, avoiding his gaze.

With their brief exchange complete, Kai pretended to examine his shoes while speaking softly to Moonji. "I guess you'll be seeing my face every day."

Moonji responded in kind, her words hushed. "I'll wear a face mask and sunglasses whenever we meet." It was a subtle message that she preferred not to reveal her identity to Kai and had no desire to see him.

Kai let out a sigh and nodded, keeping his head lowered. He stole a glance at her, noticing her cute, slightly reddened nose due to the chilly air conditioning in the hall. A smile tugged at his lips as Moonji caught him looking and returned the glance.

"Moonji-ah, feel free to call me anytime if you need to review the sponsorship paperwork," Donghae chimed in, breaking the quiet interaction between Moonji and Kai.

"Thank you for your offer," Moonji replied softly, her voice barely above a whisper, as she appreciated his support.

Kai couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for Moonji. He understood that social situations like this could be overwhelming, especially for someone as introverted as her. While he had wanted to initiate a conversation, he respected her need for space and silence.

Throughout the rest of the event, Kai kept a watchful eye on Moonji from a distance, occasionally exchanging polite nods as their eyes met.

✿✿✿✿✿

Moonji was invited to the program meeting as they were drafting the proposal. Her role was crucial, as she was in charge of seeking funds, and she needed to highlight key points for the proposal. The small conference room held less than five people: Kai, Donghae, a senior named Cho Kyuhyun, and herself.

Taking the only empty seat beside Chanyeol, Moonji spread out a few pieces of paper containing an outline of essential points for the proposal.

"You prepared all of this?" Chanyeol leaned closer to Moonji, peering at the papers in her hand.

"Yes, these are the important elements that should be included in the proposal. I've also included a few case studies for reference. Maybe you all could take a look," she nodded, offering the papers to Chanyeol. He passed them to Donghae, giving Moonji a thumbs-up.

"Moonji-ah, you're the best!" Chanyeol chuckled and playfully ruffled Moonji's hair.

Moonji recoiled slightly, removing Chanyeol's hand from her hair, and created some distance between them. "What are you doing?" She scolded him softly.

"Yah~! I'm offended. I've never argued with you. Your relationship with K—" Chanyeol began, but he was silenced when Moonji covered his mouth with her hand. Realizing the sensitive atmosphere in the room, he chuckled awkwardly.

"What's going on? Did you guys know each other for long?" Kyuhyun leaned back in his chair, clearly enjoying the unfolding interaction.

Moonji shook her head, indicating their acquaintance was not extensive. Chanyeol, on the other hand, couldn't help but reveal more. "Yes, we went to the same college three years ago," he said cheerfully, causing Moonji to sigh in defeat.

"Did she have a boyfriend back then?" Kyuhyun's question piqued Kai's interest, and he decided to intervene. "Kyuhyun, I don't think that's relevant to the papers," he said, pointing at the laptop screen, although his gaze remained fixed on the playful interaction between Moonji and Chanyeol.

Kai couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy as he watched Chanyeol's laughter and Moonji's animated responses. Even though he knew he had no right to be jealous, he couldn't shake the feeling that he wanted to be the one to make her laugh and engage in such friendly banter.