The world was a cold, cold place. There was no one to lean on, no one to depend on. Everyone was cold and distant, like a stranger in the middle of a snowstorm. It was like a strong perfume. The scent would be overwhelming during the first sniff and hopefully, the strong smell would subside soon. Dabin hated that but she had long accepted that. She just had to keep quiet and pretend that no one could notice her presence. She let her trolley bag roll as she carefully trudged into the huge dormitory with her heavy backpack on her bag. It was not her first time being there—she already brought some of her stuff over the other day but she was still nervous. It was her dream university after all. She went through the eye of a needle just to enter that university.

Korea Ace University is a university reserved for the brightest and richest people in Asia—the only ones in between were the scholars, like Dabin. Unlike what one would see in those sappy dramas, students who were receiving scholarship were actually treated like they just saved the world because they were usually the most brilliant ones. Dabin had no idea how she became one of them, she did not pass the exam but instead entered through some special recommendations and some essays that she wrote.

“You’ve arrived?” Dabin was a bit startled when she saw her older sister waiting for her inside their shared room. Unlike Dabin who was wearing an oversized yellow Winnie the Pooh shirt paired with worn out jeans and platform sneakers that she was trying to remove, the older was wearing a plain white shirt and a pair of comfortable black training pants along with a white fluffy slippers. “Why didn’t you text me? I could’ve helped you carry your bags,” the older scolded the younger although she did not stand up from where she was seated—on the chair in front of a study table.

Dabin shook her head, chuckling as she closed the door behind her after she successfully discarded her shooes. “It’s not heavy,” she replied with her usual smile.

“Daye, your sister have arrived?” As if on cue, a female appeared from the bathroom. She was wearing a pink pig pajama dress and her face had a moisturizing face mask. Nevertheless, she sounded so elated when she turned to Dabin. “Hi, Daye’s little sister! I’m Choi Yuna, Daye’s best friend and roommate. From now on, you’ll be my roommate as well. Sojung, our other roommate is not here yet but she’s looking forward on meeting you.”

Dabin smiled, a bit overwhelmed by the welcoming atmosphere that Yuna created. She was a bit taken aback. “Ah, me too,” she said, sounding hesitant but her smile never left her face.

“She does not speak that much,” Dabin’s sister, Daye, explained when Yuna looked a bit taken aback by Dabin’s lack of response and enthusiasm.

Yuna shrugged, smiling at Dabin before turning to Daye. “She looks like a really nice person though. Anyway, I have to take off my mask. Talk to you guys later.” With that, she set off, returning to the bathroom where she was once at.

Without another word, Dabin shuffled to the lower bunk bed at the left side of the room. It was reserved for her. She knew that her elder sister claimed the upper bunk while the other two girls occupied the bunk bed at the right. She was really lucky that the former roommate had already transferred to another university because of failing grades—not that she wished that stranger harm, she was just feeling lucky.

“The one who used to occupy that bed was Hara. She left the university last semester. Yuna’s bed was used to be Seungyeon’s but they switched because Yuna desperately wanted to be with me and Sojung,” Daye told Dabin even if they both knew the older had talked about it plenty of times before.

Still, Dabin chuckled as if it was her first time hearing it. “Ah…” She smiled as she gently took off her stuff. She had nothing else to say.

A few seconds later, the front door opened revealing a tall girl with a skinny body. But her face was really pretty. She had this tall nose, sparkling eyes, and cherry red lips. She was wearing a plain back shirt and a pair of skinny jeans but she looked like she just came back from a photo shoot. Not to mention her tall height despite wearing flats.

“Oh, Dabin,” the newcomer sweetly called as if they were not strangers to one another.

“Don’t scare her off,” Yuna chimed in, coming out of the bathroom but this time, without her face mask.

The newcomer—whom Dabin assumed to be Sojung—frowned at Yuna. “You’re the scary one, not me.” She rolled her eyes. “Anyway, it’s nice to meet you, Dabin!”

“You guys are bunch of weirdos,” Daye sneered but she chuckled anyway at her friends’ antics.

Dabin let out a small laugh too. “It’s nice to meet you guys too,” she replied as she continued to arrange her stuff.

“By the way,” Sojung started, walking over to the other lower bunk bed and sitting down. “Aren’t you guys excited? Jaemin along with Jeno and Renjun are finally in college! It’s nice to breathe the same air as them again,” she spoke as if she just announced the most exciting news.

While Dabin froze at the mention of a familiar name, Yuna’s face showed true excitement and delight. And of course, Daye looked utterly confused—probably wondering why she should be excited about meeting a stranger around the university.

“I was going to say ‘even if you did not come from Ace High School, I’m pretty sure you would know who they are’ but knowing Daye, I would rather just explain,” Sojung stated when she noticed Daye’s expression, chuckling at her friend.

“She’s only interested in codes and Anime. She could not care less about a human boy.” Yuna rolled her eyes. “But it is still very weird for me to gush about younger guys even if it’s just one year different.” Then, she turned to Dabin. “Then again, Dabin is the same age at them so I guess it’s fine.”

“Before you diss me, why don’t you explain who those people are first?” Daye chimed in.

Sojung laughed, clapping her hands before talking again. “Okay, okay. Jaemin is my favorite boy because I like his smile. He’s the only heir to the Heirloom Perfume and Soap Collection. You know, that famous line of luxury perfumes and soaps? They created the most expensive perfume and soap that until now, only two people had purchased even if it was launched a year ago because it is expensive. He’s extremely smart, crowned as Asia’s Math Olympiad champion for three consecutive years during high school and one of the best ones in Chemistry. He may seem like a nerd but he used to represent his middle school in track and field. But he’s not the one who is amazing, Jeno is the heir of Samsung. He is a genius when it comes to Science and electronics. He had won multiple competitions that has something to do with both and won in Robotics Competition in Japan last year, the first one in Korea to do so. Renjun is the heir to Asia’s Hospital that is now expanding all over the world. He excels in Biology and is the youngest researcher of medicines in the whole World. Even WHO is trying to hire him, I heard.”

“You know quite a lot,” Daye commented. “Wish you know just as much on our exam.”

Daye’s comment made both Yuna and Sojung laugh because as usual, Daye was so blunt. However, Dabin remained quiet. She was not surprised with the facts but she was not willing to talk about those people either. Many things happened before and she was not ready to talk about those.

“You should probably stop talking about boys, Sojung,” Yuju said. “Your Hyundai heir of a boyfriend would not be pleased to know that you gush about young boys.” She laughed at her own choice of words.

Sojung laughed along. “My boyfriend knows that I giggle about those cute boys and he does not really mind. Those guys are unattainable although they probably did have several girlfriends because they look like the type to date anyone. They’re such sweet-talkers.”

Yuna grunted. “So, you mean, despite all those busy schedules, they got to date while I only had three almost-boyfriends but never officially got one. Even Daye had one with that attitude of hers!”

Dabin chuckled along with the laughing Sojung as they all turned to the nonchalant Daye. Of course Dabin knew her sister had a boyfriend. Her older sister told her everything—even until how she cried during the break up and how painful it was.

“He called her a geek who only loves computers so she broke up with him,” Yuna hollered. “I cannot even imagine how sudden that was! And she was the one who cried!” She continued to laugh.

“Well, he’s a jerk. I knew I had to end it with him,” Daye explained.

“Dabin,” Sojung called Dabin, probably noticing that the youngest is not talking that much. “Do you have a boyfriend? You must have one!”

“That…” Dabin trailed off, a bit hesitant to tell them especially her older sister. But the three girls’ attention was already on her. She just had to respond. “We broke up already.”

“Eh?! You had a boyfriend?!” It was Daye who exclaimed, surprised that her sister had a boyfriend—and that they broke up. “Why didn’t I know about it? When did you break up? How long did your relationship last?  Oh my goodness, you have to tell me. Did you cry? What was your reaction?”

“It’s a break up, of course it’s painful,” Yuna commented.

Daye turned to Yuna with a raised eyebrow. “It’s Dabin we’re talking about, she rarely showed any other emotion except for a smiley face since we were young.” After speaking, she turned to her younger sister again, prompting the latter to speak.

“Well,” Dabin started, scratching her nape. “I didn’t tell you. We dated for seven or eight months. We broke up about a year ago. I accepted the break up so I’m fine.”

Before the others could further urge Dabin to talk about it more, they heard the loud sound of the speakers. It announced that they all had to be at the lobby to listen to the rules and regulations of the dormitory. The topic was dropped and forgotten but Dabin was still clinging onto it.

Of course, it was painful. The break up was. It was not like Dabin entered her first relationship being ready for the separation. And although she did anticipate it to happen sooner or later, it was still painful. She could not manage to repel the pain. Then again, the people around her did not have to know that. They did not need to know that she cried herself to sleep and that she lost her appetite, skipping meals by pretending that she was busy. Letting out a heavy sigh, she continued to walk along the busy hallway—her ponytailed black hair swayed as she did—to go to her first class for the day and as a college student.

“Dabin!” The female turned around when a familiar voice called her name. From afar, she saw her close friend, Sera, running towards her with another girl tailing closely behind.

“Sera,” Dabin smiled in relief, seeing someone familiar. And she was engulfed in a bear hug.

“We’re finally studying at the same school for the first time since Kindergarten,” Sera said in glee, pulling away from Dabin. “I’ve waited for this moment for forever! By the way, this is Akiyama Hina,” she introduced Dabin to the other girl with a smile. “And Hina, this is Dabin. She’s my best friend. Her mom is my mom’s best friend too!”

“It’s nice to meet you, Dabin. Sera kept on talking about you so I figured that you’re a nice person,” Hina told Dabin with a friendly smile playing on her lips. “I hope we get along well too.”

Dabin nodded her head, smiling softly. “Same here.”

Sera let out a giggle. “She doesn’t talk much, Hina. I told you that already. You cannot force her to just speak.” She shook her head in disapproval at Hina before turning to Dabin again. “Where’s your first class?”

Dabin took out her phone and showed her schedule to Sera. “I think it’s somewhere near here.”

“Let’s go together,” Sera suggested, leading the way while still casting a glance towards Dabin. “Our class is near that classroom. It’s a pity that we don’t take the same class and we’re not taking the same course but this is good enough, right?”

Dabin nodded her head, smiling. She was really glad to see a friend amidst all the unfamiliar faces. Plus, she needed distraction from thinking about her ex-boyfriend no one even knew existed. Happily, she listened to the conversation of Sera and Hina—she was not talking, she was just listening but she was included nevertheless. She was happy with that.

It must have been because she was in an overly stereotypical land of rich students that caused her to bump—hard—into someone in the middle of the hallway while she was not paying attention. Luckily, she did not fall down because that person supported her body and steadied her.

“Sor—” She cut herself off when she pulled away from the supposedly stranger who was terrifyingly familiar. It was a male, a bit thin but a lot taller than she was. He looked gentle, his eyes were sparkling. However, the look of gentleness gradually changed and was replaced with a cold expression—something unfamiliar on him along with his pink hair. It pained Dabin seeing the familiar face with an unfamiliar expression. “Sorry,” she apologized anyway, refusing to meet the cold pair of eyes.

“Watch where you’re going,” the man coldly hissed, walking pass Dabin and purposely bumping into her right shoulder in the process. Two more males followed him not before bowing to Dabin in apology, looking utterly confused.

Dabin’s eyes remained glued on the floor, afraid that she would cry although she did force herself to remain smiling as if nothing was wrong. She wondered if she was doing a great job though.

“That’s Jaemin. What’s wrong with him?” Sera was frowning as she watched the man—Jaemin—disappear to the crowd. “He didn’t have to be that rude. I mean, he was not that rude before. When I confessed a few months ago, he was no way near rude even when rejecting me. Dabin, don’t mind him, it must be his man period.”

Hina let out a laugh. “Man period? What on Earth is that even?”

“Jaem—I mean, you confessed to him?” Dabin asked Sera, her eyes finally leaving the ground. She tried to hide her surprise because she did not want her feelings to come out.

Sera nodded her head. “Yes. I told you, right? I confessed to the guy I liked but he rejected me just because. I wonder if he has or at least had a girlfriend. They must be having a lover’s spat because he’s very rude right now.” She rolled her eyes. “Enough about Jaemin, let’s just head to the classroom first. We do not want to be late just because of him, right?”

Dabin responded by nodding her head. She casted one more look at the hallway where Jaemin disappeared into and the bittersweet aftertaste of what happened enveloped . She did not know that it would feel like that to be honest. She thought she would not be that affected. She was wrong because she felt it—the heavy feeling she thought she was long over with.

That was how it felt, huh?

That was how meeting your ex-boyfriend felt, huh?

It . It really did, especially if you, yourself, knew you were not over him just yet.