Stepped out of the cab, Woo Jieun made her way onto the sidewalk. She tightened her coat around her waist as the cold air hit her body. It was cold Friday night and she would’ve been ended in her apartment, treat herself for a mug of hot chocolate instead of being in front of well-known club in the area. She wasn’t really into the night-life but that day was an exception.

A party for the freshmen in the marketing major.

Jieun knew that she could’ve just made a reason for not coming there, but Jennie—her new friend she got a few days before—would surely make her come anyway. So, she just tried to make it less work for Jennie.

Just when she was about to enter the building, her phone vibrated. Looking at the screen, Jieun sighed. Another text from her brother which is the last thing she needed at the time. She decided to ignore it again as she slipped it into her coat and walked into the building.

A loud music welcomed Jieun and she saw Jennie was talking with some guys that she was sure are taking the same major as her but she couldn’t remember their names. “You’re so late,” Jennie tapped the empty chair next to her.

Jieun took the seat. “Better than not coming at all,” she shrugged.

“You must be Woo Jieun, right?” A guy across the table distracted Jieun’s attention. “I am Hanbin.”

“I am Bobby,” the other guy smiled.

“Donghyuk,” the guy next to Jennie waved his hand.

Jieun returned their smiles before introduced herself. She found it getting more comfortable around them as they started to talk and make a joke of their first impression. She was not aware that a pair of eyes had been watching her since she stepped into the club.

Song Mino took a sip of his liquor, feeling the sensation he had known forever. He had been watching the girl and not even a bit tuning his eyes away from her. Never in a million years he would’ve considered himself as a lucky man, at least until he saw her in one of the classes he had to retake. That was an accident that she took a seat in front of him and he saw a familiar face on her notebook. She had made an open season for herself.

A quirk appeared on his face. She has nothing to meet his style as a girl he could play with, but it didn’t matter for him.

“Come on. You can’t just sit here,” Jennie pursued Jieun to go with them to dance but Jieun didn’t budge.

Jieun shook her head, “Actually, I can. And believe me, you don’t want to see me tripped on my own feet.”

Bobby and Hanbin had been already making their way into the crowd but Donghyuk seemed a bit concerned by the two girls in front of him. “Are you sure you’re not coming with us?” he asked Jieun.

Jieun nodded, “It’s better for me to be here.”

“Alright,” Jennie rolled her eyes. “Just come down when you finally realize you miss the best part.”

“Believe me, I won’t,” Jieun snorted.

Then she saw the two made their way to join Bobby and Hanbin in the middle of the crowd. Enjoying her time, she took another sip of her beer and frowned. She had never liked to drink.

“Try this one, it taste better,” a guy sat in front of her and put a tiny glass of liquor in front of her. Jieun wasn’t really good at drinking and she didn’t know a lot about liquor but she knew she would’ve never been able to drink what was served in front of her.

The guy chuckled. “Just kidding,” he bottomed up the liquor he offered before. “People may think I am a bad person if I give you that.”

Jieun was sure she had seen him before, but she had no clue. “So, you’re not a bad guy?” She raised her brow.

“Will my answer make you believe?” He smirked.

Jieun didn’t know what to say because it was her first time meeting someone like him. “Do I know you?” She decided to feed her curiosity.

The end of Mino’s lips were lifted as he stared at the girl before him. “Professor Park’s class,” he replied. The words left Jieun still clueless and she stared at Mino, feeling sorry. “Thanks. Make me realize that there’s still someone who is oblivious with my existence,” he chuckled.

Jieun gave him a guilty smile. “I am bad at memorizing people,” she made an excuse which was not all a lie.

“Song Mino,” he smiled.

The name should’ve been enough for Jieun to realize what kind of man in front of her. But that smile was hard to resist. That damn smile. It was as if it has its own spell to enchant her. She had already regretted her choice not to follow Jennie and the rest.

No wonder he had a reputation.

She heard the talk about him and there was nothing good about it. However, no one really care about the bad because he has such an undeniable aura. But, Jieun could still manage her brain and told herself that she shouldn’t get involved with him. She knew exactly how to avoid the disaster. “Jieun,” she replied.

“Well, Just Jieun. Why are you here on your own?” Mino slowly knocked the table with his long fingers. It showed that he was enjoying his time, unlike the girl in front of him.

Jieun stood up from her chair. “Well, I am going to join my friends down there just now,” she thought that maybe Mino would get her intention to run away from him. But, Mino followed her to leave the table.

“I am going to make sure you won’t be crushed,” he winked.

Jieun furrowed her brows and it caused a small smile upon Mino’s face. “Everyone can tell you’re a first timer here,” he rolled his eyes.

“It’s okay, I don’t need—“

But, Mino had already grabbed her hand as he gently pulled her into the crowded space. When Mino was making his way through the crowd, Jieun cursed herself for letting him do that. People were dancing casually and sometimes bumped into her. Mino was aware and he placed his arm around her shoulder to keep her safe.

“Where’s your friends?” Mino yelled to win over the loud music.

Jieun was doing her best to find Jennie and the guys until she could finally spotted them. “There,” Jieun pointed with her head. “I think I don’t need your help anymore,” she gave him a smile.

Mino returned her smile as he pulled his arm. “Okay.”

“Thank you,” Jieun smiled for the last time before she made her way to her friends.

***

Mino was watching Jieun from his spot in the bar. He knew that his move on Jieun had made the girl a bit frightened and run away from him. But, it wasn’t a big thing for him because he had made up his mind and he had to win her heart for sure.

“The girl didn’t bite the hook?” The bartender pushed a glass of vodka to Mino. He saw Mino had been left alone by the girl moments before.

A chuckled left Mino’s lips. “Not yet, Jinwoo.”

Jinwoo didn’t move from his spot and just stared at Mino for a while. He had known Mino for a long time to know Mino’s type, and the girl has nothing to meet the type. Knowing his friend, he could tell that Mino would have never been interested by that kind of girl.

“Why?” Mino was aware that Jinwoo stared at him.

“You’re not into innocent girls before,” Jinwoo leaned his hands on the bar. “Why?”

Mino shrugged. “There’s nothing special. I just get bored, I guess,” he said nonchalantly.

But Jinwoo was fast to catch that there was something else. “She looks too nice for you,” Jinwoo a bit concerned because he didn’t want Mino to be such a jerk. Though Mino had already been a jerk but he never had played with the innocent girl before.

“I can make her bad for a while,” Mino took a sip of his drink.

Jinwoo sighed as he knew that no one could stop Mino if he had made up his mind. Then, he saw the girl they were talking about was walking out of the crowd. She looked so uncomfortable with her surrounding and it made Jinwoo felt pity for her. Just when Jinwoo realized that Jieun was walkin