Gomi groaned, burying her face in her pillow as the headache hammered away at her skull. Somewhere near her head, her phone vibrated insistently. She squinted at the screen with one eye.

8:32 a.m.

“Oh no, no, no, no—” She bolted upright, instantly regretting the move as her brain screamed in protest. Memories of last night hit her like a freight train.

The karaoke. The chicken. The kiss.

Her face burned, and she clutched her pillow like it could somehow protect her from her own mortifying thoughts. “This might truly be Bomi’s villain origin story,” she muttered into the fabric, her voice muffled.

The kiss replayed in her head, a cursed highlight reel she’d happily delete from existence.

Focus, Gomi. She forced herself out of bed, popped a painkiller, and got ready for the day.

Before leaving, she paused in front of the small portrait on her dresser—a photo of her mom, smiling warmly, surrounded by fresh flowers. “Wish me luck, Mom,” she said softly. “I’ll make you proud, promise.”

The K University campus was a hive of activity. Students zoomed past with purpose, laughing, shouting, and generally looking like they had it all figured out. Gomi, meanwhile, was staring at her phone’s map like it was written in hieroglyphs.

“Is she lost?” someone whispered behind her.

“She must be a first-year,” another voice said, snickering.

“She’s cute, though,” the first voice added. “Let’s go talk to her.”

“Gomi!”

Her head shot up, recognizing the familiar voice. She spotted Dukhwan waving at her like they were old friends, though she’d only met him once before.

“Oh, Dukhwan, right?” she said as he reached her.

“Lost?” he teased, falling into step beside her.

A rose flush crept up her cheeks. “Can you help me find Lecture Hall 201B?”

“Good news—I’m headed there too.” He grinned like it was fate.

“Communications 2A?”

He nodded, leading her down the hall.

“So, you’re a Communications major?” he asked. “Do you have a specific career in mind?”

“For now. But I’m not really sure of what I want to do yet.” Gomi shrugged. “Maybe something that lets me travel? My mom taught me a little Japanese, so I might use that.”

“Wow, impressive.” His easygoing grin softened as he noticed the way her smile lingered when she mentioned her mom. “I’m a Business major, but if I had my way, I’d probably switch to Communications.”

“Can’t you just switch?”

“It’s…” He sighed, his mood stiffening. “…complicated. Family expectations and all that.”

The look on his face made her think it wasn’t worth prying, so she let it drop. Thankfully, the timing worked out as they reached the lecture hall.

The room was packed, but they managed to find seats in the back just as the professor started her monologue about the syllabus: group projects, exams, grading rubrics.

Gomi began to worry once “group projects” were mentioned. How am I going to manage meeting for group projects with my part-time job, hospital visits, and my nighttime proclivities?

Class had barely ended when two girls descended on Gomi like hawks.

“Hi! I’m Nayoung, and this is Jun,” the first one said, all glossy lips and perfectly lined eyes. “We couldn’t help but notice how pretty you are. What high school did you go to?”

Gomi blinked, caught off guard. “Uh, a small one. In Boseong.”

“Boseong?” Jun’s eyes widened as she flicked her sleek bob over her shoulder. “That’s so far! You must’ve been super popular with the boys, though.”

“Not really,” Gomi said, scratching the back of her neck. “It was a quiet school.”

Jun linked arms with her, smiling like they were long-lost besties. “Well, you have to come out with us tonight! There’s a class hangout at Golden Piggy. It’s the perfect way to meet everyone!”

Before Gomi could respond, a guy—Michael—jumped onto a desk at the front of the room. “Alright, listen up! Golden Piggy. 8:00 p.m. Everyone’s invited!”

Jun tightened her grip on Gomi’s arm. “You’ll come, right? We can even get ready together!”

Gomi flinched, gently pulling her arm free. “Oh, I’m… busy tonight.” She plastered on a quick smile before bolting for the door like her life depended on it.

Nayoung frowned, crossing her arms.

Jun pursed her lips. “What’s up with her?”

Outside, Gomi rushed through the halls, letting out a massive sigh of relief. “First day and they’re already planning bar crawls,” she muttered. “Why did it have to be the class with group projects?”