London Heathrow Airport.

As Jiho entered the gate, the flight attendant who greeted him at the entrance let out a small gasp of admiration.

His captivating handsome face and overwhelming height.

The brown cashmere coat that reached his knees over the black turtleneck sweater softly hugging his sharp jawline was so stylish that it reminded one of a runway every time he walked.

Above all, his elegant demeanor with a touch of nobility perfectly matched the first class cabin without a hint of incongruity.

“Welcome. Nice to meet you.”

“Yes.”

A sincere smile spread across the face of the flight attendant in charge.

On the way back to Seoul after visiting his parents in London during the winter break.

Leaning deep into his seat, Jiho stretched out his long legs, thinking about the long and boring flight that was about to begin.

At the end of his languid gaze, he saw a woman who had just entered the cabin.

Perhaps because it was the first time in a long while that he encountered someone around his age in first class, his eyes, tinged with a hint of curiosity, looked at the woman.

Sharp features. Short hair revealing a white and long neckline like snow.

The woman exuded an aloof and intellectual aura, but her eyes seemed somehow empty.

Thump, thump.

The woman who walked inside nonchalantly passed by Jiho and plopped down in the seat next to him across the aisle.

Even his handsome face seemed to evoke no reaction from her.

She just blankly stared out the window for a while.

“…Mom.”

A moment later, a low, cracked voice flowed out of the woman’s mouth as she held the phone to her ear.

“Yeah. …Don’t worry. …I’ll call you when I arrive. …You take care too.”

Her voice was clearly heard in the cabin that was still quiet before takeoff.

A slightly trembling voice. Words uttered intermittently. It seemed like she was holding back tears.

After the short call ended, the sound of sobbing was heard a little later.

“Hic hic. Hic. Hic.”

As her emotions intensified, the sound grew louder as time passed.

Jiho slightly frowned at the crying sound of the unfamiliar woman.

When all the lights in the cabin were turned off.

Jiho got up from his seat after tossing and turning while lying down.

On his way to the self-service bar, he glanced at the woman curled up and lying in the next seat.

He thought she was sleeping because it was quiet, but looking down from above, her shoulders were trembling finely.

Jiho tilted his head to the side.

A sobbing sound was faintly heard between the blanket covering her face.

Is she crying again after crying so much earlier?

Jiho, who stopped and stared blankly, slowly turned around.

**

The plane, which had been gradually lowering its altitude, touched down on the runway with a roar and intense vibration.

As soon as the arrival announcement ended, the woman jumped up from her seat.

At that moment, the woman’s bag swayed greatly and fell, spilling items on the floor.

Tak.

The woman, seeming dizzy, began to pick up the fallen items, staggering slightly.

Jiho picked up the wallet and passport that had fallen by his feet and held them out to the woman.

“Here…”

“Ah. Yes.”

For a brief moment, the woman looked up and their eyes met.

Red, swollen eyes.

Her white face was blotchy with traces of tears.

It was clearly visible from the close distance.

She must have cried all night.

The woman quickly lowered her head and hurried out of the cabin.

A little later, Jiho leisurely got up, gathering his luggage.

Just then, he felt a thin foreign sensation under the shoe he took a step with.

When he lifted his foot, a card with a familiar design was lying on the floor.

A student ID card with a clear photo next to the engraved letters [Korea University, Pre-med, Jung Yi Soo].

“…We were from the same school.”

Jiho muttered softly.

She left not long ago, so I should be able to meet her.

Jiho, who picked up the student ID, moved quickly from then on.

Thanks to rushing, he arrived at the baggage claim before the luggage came out, but the woman was nowhere to be seen.

Did she go to London and back with only the bag she dropped earlier?

Jiho tilted his head, still holding the student ID he couldn’t return.

If it were the usual Jiho, he would have left it at the airport lost and found without hesitation, but her red, swollen eyes made him hesitate.

It would be a bit of a hassle, but the new semester was starting soon anyway, and it wouldn’t be too difficult to return it since he knew her name and major…

Jiho slipped the student ID into his wallet.

**

First day of the new semester.

The March campus was filled with anticipation and tension for a new beginning, and despite the early morning, the students’ faces were full of liveliness like the spring atmosphere.

Jiho, on his way to the business school, glanced up at the buildings of grand scale.

The letters [Korea University Hospital] engraved largely on the upper part of the building sparkled in the sunlight.

The medical school was on the right side of the campus, along with a dozen hospital buildings.

Perhaps because people in white gowns were busily moving around the buildings, the atmosphere was quite different and unfamiliar from the rest of the school.

Jiho walked slowly, taking in the path he had always passed by indifferently.

He thought it would be nice to run into Jung Yi Soo by chance, recalling her student ID photo and the face stained with tears at the same time.

If he was lucky enough to meet her, he wouldn’t have to go through the trouble of deliberately looking for her.

Jiho gazed at the faces of passing women with a long look.

What kind of face would she have normally?

Would he be able to recognize her at a glance?

As he was walking and thinking about this and that, Jiho’s phone vibrated in his pocket.

He stopped and took out his phone.

Jiho’s eyes suddenly sparkled as he confirmed Hajun’s name that appeared on the screen.

“Hajun!”

Jiho answered the phone happily as if he had been waiting.

[Oh. Jiho. I…]

Hajun replied in a startled voice.

“You called at the right time. I have something to ask you. You said you know a lot of people in medical school, right?”

Hajun, who enjoyed gatherings and was active, was a friend with a wide network.

“Do you happen to know Jung Yi Soo from the pre-med department?”

[Huh? Jung Yi Soo? I know her. She’s in the same ski club as me. Why are you suddenly asking about her?]

As expected, Hajun didn’t disappoint.

Jiho smiled with a satisfied grin.

“That’s great.”

[What is all of a sudden?]

“Where are you now?”

[Hey, my appendix suddenly burst yesterday, so I’m in the hospital right now. I think I’ll be discharged this weekend.]

“…What?”

This was the reason Hajun called in the morning.

Jiho was momentarily at a loss for words at the unexpected story.

“Did the surgery go well?”

[Of course. It’s a common surgery.]

“Still… You must have had a hard time.”

[Yeah. But why are you asking about Yi Soo?]

“I was going to ask you for a favor, but I’ll take care of it myself. Get well and rest a lot. See you after you’re discharged.”

Jiho, who ended the call, ran a hand through his hair.

Ski club, huh.

He thought the student center, which was closer to the business school than the medical school that was separately located, would be better.

“Jiho, what are you doing standing here? We have first period today.”

It was Junwoo, who was taking the same class, who called out to Jiho when he saw him on the way.

“Oh. Let’s go.”

“It’s almost 9 o’clock now.”

“Already?”

I was too relaxed.

Jiho checked the time displayed on his phone screen.

8:47 AM.

It was a time when he could avoid being late if he hurried.

“Let’s go quickly! We’ll be late on the first day at this rate.”

At Junwoo’s urging, Jiho moved.

Thinking that he would have to go through the trouble of deliberately looking for her.

**

Friday afternoon.

Jiho entered Jinri Hall to attend the first class of the required liberal arts course [Understanding Movies].

The large lecture hall that could accommodate 200 people was packed with students, as it was known to be an easy class to get good grades.

The lecture hall, which had been quiet, suddenly became abuzz with Jiho’s appearance.

“Oh my! Oh my! Looks like Seo Jiho is also taking this class!”

“So that’s what they mean when they say someone has a halo. Every time I see him, I feel it, his aura is no joke.”

The eyes of the female students gathered in groups of three or five widened as if on cue and focused on him all at once.

“Wow… Look at him, he’s wrapped in luxury brands from head to toe right now. How much is all of that?”

Amazement followed his stylish and luxurious style, from clothes and bags to shoes, which were priced way beyond a typical student’s allowance.

“Don’t you think even a 10,000 won t-shirt would look like a luxury item if Seo Jiho wore it? He doesn’t really need to spend money on stuff like that…”

“What are you worried about? He must have money overflowing. For him, those things are probably similar to us buying a 10,000 won item.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“You didn’t know? Seo Jiho’s grandfather is the founder of SN Financial.”

“Really?”

The woman’s eyes grew as if they would pop out at the story she was hearing for the first time.

SN Financial was one of the dream workplaces that college students wanted to work at, ranking an overwhelming first place in the financial sector job preference survey every year.

“I also heard that rumor and searched it up. The stocks he received as gifts since childhood are immense. Even his name was mentioned in articles.”

The friend next to her chimed in, pretending to know.

“Anyway, I really like this class already, even before it started. Haha.”

Excited eyes swept over Jiho from here and there, accompanied by rumors about him and their own impressions.

Jiho calmly accepted the attention pouring on him and sat down.

The murmuring quietly disappeared only after the professor appeared.

“Today, we will end with a theoretical lecture on movie terminology and watching a movie to submit a review.”

The class began after a brief introduction.

The students’ hands were busy taking notes as the lecture relied solely on note-taking without a textbook.

An hour later, an old movie started on the screen in the darkened lecture hall.

It was a movie that made the viewer’s heart heavy with the poignant love of a father who risked his life for his young son.

As the movie was coming to an end, Jiho’s gaze, which had turned his head unintentionally, stopped at one place.

The face of a woman gently enveloped by the dim light reflected from the screen.

Across the semi-circular lecture hall, Jung Yi Soo was sitting like a still frame, watching the screen.

Jiho, who recognized the woman at a glance, smiled incredulously.

The same class, huh.

It was a coincidence he hadn’t even thought of.

Just as he thought it was a pity that he couldn’t approach her right away, a tear rolled down the woman’s cheek.

Jiho tilted his head and looked at the woman instead of the screen.

The image of the woman in his memory gradually faded, and the face he vividly saw in front of him was clearly imprinted.

The somber and lonely cello melody that pierced through the speakers was like background music for the woman.

The woman lowered her head and covered her face with both hands.

Her finely trembling shoulders overlapped faintly with the image from that day.

Why is she crying again today…?

Among the pitiful nodding heads fighting drowsiness in the calm second half of the movie, the only person crying was Jung Yi Soo.

Jiho, who hated crying women, thought for the first time that a woman’s tears could stimulate a man’s protective instinct.

His gaze, which had escaped from the movie, lingered on Jung Yi Soo’s face until the ending credits rolled up.

The student ID he had yet to return was still in his wallet.

After the class ended, Jiho hurriedly packed up and came out, but the woman who had been sitting near the exit had already disappeared.

He smirked, looking at the people flowing out of the lecture hall like an ebb tide.

He missed her again.