“Mr. Jeon,” Professor Han said steadily, clearing his throat. He pushed the frame of his glasses towards the bridge of his nose, magnifying his beady eyes. “I’m sorry, but there’s really nothing I can do.”

The student in question let out a sigh, running his fingers through his hair. He could already feel the stress-induced grey hair beginning to grow amidst his dirty blonde locks. “Nothing? Despite my consistently high-ranking grades and track record?” 

“Wonwoo,” Professor Han warned, his voice dropping to a dangerous low. “Your scholarship’s being rescinded because of external purposes. Your attempts to refute the school’s decision are futile. The best option to pay your tuition is, well, getting a job.” 

Wonwoo scoffed at his professor’s condescending tone. Pledis University was a bull university catered toward the top 0.1% who gave “small donations” of millions of dollars; of course they rescinded free-ride Jeon Wonwoo’s scholarship and gave it to some rich kid. “Fine, watch me get a job and become rich,” he declared, standing up. “And then on this school for their ty policies and nepotism!” A framed photo of a boy, assuming to be the professor’s son, shook as Wonwoo slammed his palm on the desk.

“Aggression isn’t going to solve the problem at hand, Jeon. Besides, you’ll only get your job once you graduate with your degree from Pledis. Now get out of my office and get your a job.” Professor Han retaliated cooly, sliding his glasses off. His eyes had a pitiful glint in them, the kind of look that Wonwoo hated. He spun on his heel and slammed the door of his professor’s office, biting his lip to hold the tears that threatened to spill out. 

His second semester as a sophomore in college was already off to a ty start, having just moved back to campus from the summer break. Now that his scholarship was rescinded, he needed a job: quick. 

His mind was occupied while he absent-mindedly walked to the dining hall. He needed energy after suppressing the anger that threatened to lash out at his professor: he couldn’t afford to be kicked out of university. 

He stopped in front of the dining hall’s door and stared at the reflection on the door: dark circles enclosed his sunken eyes and his chapped lips were starting to fester. God, he looked disgusting. 

He needed to drown himself in some booze. Surely his roommate, Junhui, had some beers stashed underneath their beds -- the kid surprisingly made it to class on time and composed despite clubbing almost every other night. Wonwoo had written a roommate contract for the Chinese to abide by before freshman year, but he had chosen to vomit all over it in a hungover frenzy. 

“Clubbing is an--” Jun stumbled in one night, interrupted by a drunken hiccup. Wonwoo shot him an annoyed look from his bed as he turned to his side, thumbing through the pages of a poorly-written book. He had a 10-page essay due in 2 days and didn’t have time for whichever antics his roommate was up to. 

“ART!” Jun had knelt by his bed and whispered into Wonwoo’s ear, his breath reeking of cheap liquor. He earned a weak punch from Wonwoo, who cringed at the feeling of Jun’s disgustingly warm breath on his earlobe. It made him feel things that he hoped he never would feel again about the fellow 19-year-old. 

Speaking of clubbing, it didn’t seem so bad of a job. Wonwoo cocked his head to the side, trying to get a view of his nonexistent . Stripping wasn’t as bad a job as it was made out to be and the pay was handsome anyway--desperate times call for desperate measures. He could ask the seniors in his literature class for work-out tips to 

Too engrossed in gawking at the reflection of his thighs, he didn’t realize someone crept on him until he felt someone sling an arm around his neck and pull him into a chokehold. 

“, Jun!” He screamed through his gritted teeth, smacking the boy’s arm. “You’re hurting me, ass!” 

“Well deserved! What is this: selfcest? Can’t believe you’re checking out your own in front of the ing dining hall. Do you realize how many freshmen have probably walked by and seen their upperclassman flexing his thighs in front of the door? Motherers are probably traumatized!” He released the male and was given a soft punch to the torso for his remark. Junhui snickered at the reaction. 

Wonwoo looked down at his shoes in shame, grumbling something about how his roommate was too loud. “Anyway, let’s head inside. I heard they finally made fresh rice and gave the stale rice to the freshmen. I’d kill for some good food right now.”

As they made their way to the dining hall, Jun’s eyes brightened as he spo