As I've said in the previous chapter, I'll try using honorifics to respect the culture. Although it's still kind of new to me since I don't really use honorifics except for "hyung."

Maybe some of you are not used to it, too, but I hope you'd bear with me.

Again, I'll insert 'senior' from time to time. I'll also start using 'sunbae/hoobae' in dialogues and add some suffixes like -ssi and -ah/yah when they call out names.

Also, if I made some mistakes about these, please correct me. Thank you :)

-

When I thought things couldn't get any worse, the classroom door flips open revealing Senior Sungjin and Senior Wonpil.

The professor eyes them and sighs. “Nice having you in my class, Mr. Park, Mr. Kim.”

Senior Wonpil smiles widely at her, oblivious of our professor's sarcasm, while Sungjin turns his head. Our eyes meet. One. Two. Three. Three seconds and he pulls his gaze away and looks back at Wonpil.

I breathe out and Berly nudges me.

“Fate,” she chuckles.

“Of all the Park's, why does it have to be him who's in our class?”

A loud chuckle suddenly enters the room, followed by a soft ‘Oh’.

“We're late?” Another Park enters.

“Now that's fate,” Versa whispers with a giggle.

I drop my shoulders as I sigh. At least senior Jae is also around, right?

“Aw,” another guy mutters under his breath.

Jae nudges forward while Younghyun steps back. The latter rubs his forehead; Jae laughs at him. The other students chortle, too. Younghyun wasn't looking in front of him while walking earlier as he sips on his favorite Americano that he bumped into Jae who suddenly halted.

“No drinks in my class, Younghyun-ssi.” The professor reprimands and our senior frowns. “The three of you, take your seats while Mr. Kang finishes his drink outside.”

“Hi, Reina!” Jae waves and plasters a wide smile.

He walks towards our direction and takes the row before us; Sungjin and Wonpil follow as Younghyun drags himself out to finish his coffee.

I don't know if the universe is pro-Reina or anti-Reina. Or maybe it just wants to toy with me. 

Senior Jaehyung turns just to say “Let's have a memorable semester” and winks. On the other hand, there's Senior Sungjin who hits the taller with his notebook and nudges him to look ahead and pay attention to class. I catch him taking a glimpse of me before he settles down.

Rolling my eyes, as if he can see it, I let out a breath and focus to the front, too.

Since it's the first day, the professor did not really talk about lessons. She only tackled about the curriculum and what we should expect in her class. Then, we were dismissed.

Most of the professors don't even meet us on the first day because of this annual signature hunt tradition.

Now, I can hear a voice calling out “Hey” as we--me, Berly and Versa--walk out of the room. I do not look back. I have a name. So if he is calling for me, he must address me by my name.

“Reina-ssi,” he steps towards us as I can hear his footsteps getting closer.

“We’ll wait for you at the quad,” Berly whispers as she elbows my side.

Versa, on the other hand, levels her index and middle fingers with her eyes before pointing them at Sungjin, who's waiting for me to turn around, I think.

Moistening my lips, a sharp breath escapes my mouth. I then turn to face him after he calls for my name for the second time.

“Look,” I deadpan, “I don't like you. So please stop thinking that I'm into you, Sunbae.”

The corner of his lips curve. He looks away for a bit without letting that little smirk fade from his face before facing me again. He tilts his head on the side and looks at me, amusement evident on his eyes.  It's like he's mocking me.

“Dear hoobae, it's okay.” If he wasn't wearing the cape of the smug prince earlier, now he's wearing it boldly. I can almost see it on his back, flapping because of the wind that's coming from his ego. “I don't bite.” He chuckles and steps closer. “Next time, check your things properly so you won't leave anything behind. Unless you left this purposely so I could give it to you,” he shrugs.

How embarrassing. If I could only hide in my own pocket, I might have already done that a minute ago. But before I could prolong my embarrassment, I hastily grab my notebook from him. For a second, I think I see senior Jaehyung’s eyes with a hint of disapproval, few feet behind senior Sungjin, before I turn to walk away.

The universe might really be toying with me, huh? First, they mistook Sungjin as the Park I've been crushing on. What luck do I have? What a great timing the universe has made.

Senior Younghyun was just trying to kid around when he blurted in front of two freshmen that they need to find someone who has a crush in one of them before he'd sign their forms. The other one hurriedly pointed at me and said I like Park, glanced at her paper and continued with ‘Sungjin’. She must have heard Versa and her big mouth saying I have a crush on Park. And she must've wanted to blow my little secret to get back at me for saying I didn't know anyone from the Lemondays when I actually even like one of them. Only that, it wasn't really what my secret is.

Still, good job on getting back at me.

-

“Reina-ya!”

It's like I'm being tickled after hearing my name being intoned with that voice. With his voice.

“Sunbae,” I manage to say.

My friends already went to their respective clubs while I'm on my way to get a drink.

“Just call me Jae.” He flashes a sweet smile that tickles my chest once again. “Or Sweg Chicken if you like.” He shrugs. He's alone.

“Sweg Chicken?” I raise a brow.

He nods.

Let me correct that.

He nods cutely. He folded his lips in a thin line and raised his brows when he moved his head.

Writing on my mental note that I must search for other alternatives on how to keep calm in front of your crush and how to prevent yourself from smiling like an idiot when he does adorable expressions, which is always, and other stuff because biting your inner cheek is painful.

“You don't know it?”

“Well…” I shrug hesitantly. “I've heard people saying you look like a chicken or Chicken Little--”

“Yeah,” he cuts me off. “That. But I'm a person with swag, you know? So Sweg Chicken.”

I chuckle. God, the way he says sweg makes my knees weak. I think I need to carry an oxygen tank around because I'm feeling out of breath ever since he called my name and walked towards me just a moment ago.

But seriously, can I just record his voice saying ‘sweg’? Because, man, it's so y. Suave. But he might think I'm some idiot if I ask him to say it again just to record it, right? And I'm not a creep to record it secretly. I'd definitely not do that.

I think.

“Sweg Chicken,” I repeat after him and chuckle again.

“Cute,” he says in almost whisper.

I flip my head to look up at him and he's just staring at me. Did I hear it right? Was I just hearing things? Maybe he didn't say anything at all.

“Let's just go with Jae.” he smiles and ruffles my hair. “You know I grew up in Los Angeles, right? So it doesn't really matter to me. I think I'd be more comfortable with that since I want to get closer to you without feeling that hierarchy or something.”

Maybe I should add a mirror on the list that I need to carry around. I don't know if my face is already red but I'm definitely feeling my cheeks heat up.

He wants to get closer. He wants us to get closer. Wait a minute. Can I have an oxygen tank now?

But come to think of it, he doesn't usually call out my name or say hi to me from the distance before. He'd smile at me if our eyes would meet accidentally or would say hello if we walked passed each other.

What's with this sudden change of wind? He even said hi to me in class earlier but not to the student who's a member of the club he's in.

Is the universe finally a pro-Reina?

“Can you do that?”

I blink and inhale deeply before I take a gulp.

“J--”

“Jae,” a voice from behind him cuts me off.

We both look at the person. I glare at him and Jae's smile fades. Or it's just probably my imagination.

“Sungjin.”

“You don't have club practice?”

Jae glimpses at his wristwatch and glances at me afterward before looking back at Sungjin.

“I'm on my way to the gym.”

“You're going the other way.” He tilts his head, indicating the direction of the gym where the badminton club does their practice.

“Ah, yeah…” He moistens his lip. “I know. I just…”

“You should go now, Jae.” I smile and he looks at me with his mirthful eyes.

His lips slowly stretch into a smile. Do people who grew up in non-Asia countries and are living in Asia would be this happy to hear their names being called instead of honorifics?

“See you in class, Reina.” He softly puts his hand on the top of my head before walking away.

“So you call him by name now, huh?” Senior Sungjin puts a hand in his pocket before plastering his smirk that I can't conclude if it's a smug one, displeased, or insulting.

How many times have I seen him smirk today? I should count tomorrow.

“I know your real secret, Reina-ssi.”