The alley rang with the sharp sound of Bomi’s sneaker slicing through the air.

Dohyun barely raised his arm in time, his hand catching her ankle inches from his head. His fingers curled tight around her leg as the force vibrated up his arm.

“Woah—” he muttered under his breath, eyes widening.

Bomi’s brow furrowed. She pulled, but his grip didn’t budge. No one—not even her dad back in his prime—had ever stopped her kick. Not once she’d achieved her Grand Master ranking.

“You blocked me?”

Dohyun flexed his hand, testing his wrist with a shake. His palm still tingled. “I should be asking you what’s in your legs. Steel?”

Bomi raised her chin, the corner of her mouth twitching. “...”

“Seriously, who trained you?” He tilted his head, sizing her up with a half-smile.

Her eyes twinkled with mischief. “I’ll tell you… if you call me master.”

Dohyun snorted, releasing her leg with a smirk. “That title’s a little rich for someone who fights old ladies over beef.”

Bomi’s eyes widened in horror. “Beef!”

She spun around, her gaze falling on the precious packages of meat now sprawled on the dirty pavement. One sat half-open, a thin film of dust coating the edge.

Her shoulders sagged.

“No,” she whispered, scrambling to gather the groceries.

Dohyun blinked, watching as she clutched the meat to her chest like a fallen comrade.

“Hey,” he said nervously, seeing how serious she looked now, “I can buy you more.”

She froze, her hand tightening around the ruined package. Her head lifted slowly, eyes sharp as knives.

“This,” she hissed, “is your fault.”

“My fault?”

“It’s always your fault!” She jabbed a finger at him, her other hand clutching the sullied beef like it was the last treasure on earth. “First, my chicken. Now this?”

Dohyun opened his mouth, then closed it. He took a cautious step back, hands raised. “I mean, if we’re perfectly honest, you’re the one who stepped on the chicken and threw the meat—”

“Thief,” she muttered under her breath, the thought of his lips stealing her lips flashed red in her face.

His gaze softened with amusement. “Look, it’s just beef. Let me make it up to you—”

She hugged the meat tighter. “Forget it.”

“Seriously, it’s no big deal. I’ll buy—”

“I can’t accept food from scum. I’d probably get sick.”

Dohyun winced at her response and before he could protest again, she whirled around, her ponytail snapping like a whip as she marched toward the street.

“Hey!” Dohyun called after her, his voice laced with frustration. “Stop being so stubborn!”

Her hand shot up, a single middle finger raised in response.

He shook his head as a chuckle escaped his mouth. “Unbelievable.”

When he moved to follow her, his foot landed on something small and flat. He felt the edge before he saw it.

A wallet.

He bent down, flipping it open with a flick of his thumb.

Inside, a glossy student ID peeked out from a plastic sleeve.

K University. Gomi Kim. College of Social Sciences. Department of Media and Communications.

He grinned to himself, holding up the card for a better look. Who knew I would get this lucky?

“Gomi Kim, huh?” His eyes sparkled with mischief. “Looks like I just made my first friend at school.”