Today is finally the day I return to school.
Even though it’s called a return, it’s been three years since I applied for a leave of absence at twenty, and I was coming back as a freshman, so there was no excitement in my heart.
I once heard that there are two main types of students returning to school. One type is filled with anticipation, eager to mix with the fresh-faced freshmen, while the other just wants to quietly earn their diploma.
I was overwhelmingly in the latter category.
Unlike those who were excited about charming the newbies, beside me stood my wife, radiating an aura that no freshman could approach.
“Sweetheart, are you ready?”
“Yeah, I’m all set.”
“Be good while you’re gone. Mr. Kang, don’t get distracted by the pretty young things.”
“Don’t worry, Mother-in-law. That won’t happen.”
I could only force a smile as my mother-in-law threw out those remarks, and I felt like I was coughing up blood.
It seemed like lasers were shooting from the side—was it just my imagination?
“Okay, Joo-ha. Say ‘have a good day’ to Daddy and Mommy.”
“Daddy, Mommy!”
As my mother-in-law shook Joo-ha’s hand and encouraged her, Joo-ha looked back at us with a bright smile and executed the ‘Daddy Mommy’ move.
Wow, my groggy consciousness felt a refreshing lift. Is this the power of a daughter?
“That’s right, Joo-ha. Daddy and Mommy will be back soon. Just play with Grandma for a bit.”
“If you’re bored, ask Woo-yu to play with you, okay?”
“Meow.”
Though I was talking to Joo-ha, it was actually Woo-yu, who had made her way to the front door, that answered, performing a cat wash instead. Her demeanor seemed to say she was ready to keep an eye on things, allowing me to turn my back and leave without worry.
Honestly, Woo-yu plays better with Joo-ha than either my wife or I do.
“Director, the car is ready.”
As I was about to step out the front door, the chauffeur, neatly dressed, bowed his head and spoke.
Since I had planned to drive myself, I stared blankly at my wife, who smiled coyly and leaned slightly towards me.
“I called for you because I figured you’d be tired this morning. No need to stress yourself out, right?”
“Hmm…”
She wasn’t wrong, but something felt eerily off.
At that moment, I had a sudden premonition that something unimaginable would happen once I got in the car, but out of guilt for the kind chauffeur and consideration for my wife, I had no choice but to get in.
And what do you know? The car was a limousine. Oh, snap.
*
Seo-han University.
It’s one of Korea’s top three prestigious universities, alongside Korea University and Yonsei University, particularly renowned for its business administration department. In fact, the current owner of the Changseong Group, Chairman Ryu Tae-jin, is an alumnus here.
With such brilliant minds emerging from this university, students often meet all sorts of celebrities at alumni events, so they’re not typically surprised by names they hear.
However, even they received some jaw-dropping news today.
“Hey, have you heard the news?”
“What news? What’s going on?”
Seong Jae-yoon, who leads the student council at Seo-han University, cocked his head as he looked at Jo Yu-min, his classmate and president of the student union who had rushed over.
“I heard two big shots are coming to the business department.”
“Big shots?”
Given the unusual word choice for a university context, Jae-yoon raised an eyebrow. Sure, it’s common for significant figures to come for speeches or alumni events, but to pinpoint them as students was unusual.
“Are there even any big shots among the current students? Are we expecting a K-pop star or something?”
“I can’t believe you, student council president, don’t know this?!”
“Just because I’m the president doesn’t mean I know every student! Besides, if they’re coming today, they must be freshmen!”
“Well, one is a freshman, but the other is a transfer student. You won’t believe it, but that transfer student is a super famous streamer.”
“A streamer?”
Jae-yoon thought this was an unexpected twist.
While it’s not rare for celebrities to enroll in programs like theater or music, the idea of a streamer coming to business was a whole new level of surprising.
“I occasionally watch their YouTube channel; I think they have about 800,000 subscribers now. They’re doing pretty well.”
“Wow…”
With that much traction, they could be considered a top-tier streamer. Of course, there are differences between YouTube and streaming platforms, but even taking that into account, they must be quite well-known.
Nonetheless, Jae-yoon didn’t particularly feel stirred by this news. Sure, it was interesting, but he didn’t usually follow streamers, so he had little interest.
What bugged him, however, was this:
‘Could it be that person they mentioned?’
Recently, during a meal with a few student council members, some professors, and the university president, the latter had mentioned, “A distinguished person will be joining the first year soon, so please take good care of them.”
Hearing the president mention such a thing was a rarity, and if that person were truly of high importance, why didn’t they provide a name?
As Jae-yoon reflected on this, he began to suspect that it could very well be the streamer they just mentioned.
‘Is a streamer really that important?’
The question settled heavily on Jae-yoon’s mind.
No matter how famous a streamer or YouTuber might be, upon entering the university, they would just be another student. Even K-pop stars who sometimes transfer late into college still don’t get special treatment.
So why the fuss over a streamer being regarded like some royal guest? As he grappled with this thought, just then—
Squeak.
A limousine rolled up where two people were enjoying their morning coffee against a tree.
It was unmistakably a limousine. Sure, he hadn’t seen one before, but it definitely didn’t seem like a vehicle suited for keen college students.
As they stared at the oddity of this arrival, Jae-yoon and Yu-min watched in shock as the car came to a halt.
“Here we are. You two.”
The chauffeur stepped out, looking sharp in his suit, and politely opened the door, revealing a couple of unfamiliar faces stepping out.
“Hey, hey…! It’s them! It’s really them!”
“What?”
While Jae-yoon stood frozen in astonishment, Yu-min grew animated and pointed toward the duo, even lowering his voice and using honorifics.
“Just like I said, a transfer student and a returning student. That’s them!”
“Oh, so that’s the streamer?”
“Right, but what’s more important is the person next to them.”
“Who’s that? Why all the hype?”
She was just a woman he’d never seen before, so it baffled Jae-yoon how Yu-min could be so worked up.
“That’s the daughter of Chairman Ryu Tae-jin of the Changseong Group! The owner of Changseong Corporation!”
“…Changseong Corporation?”
There isn’t a person who hasn’t heard of it; it’s one of the top subsidiaries under Changseong Group.
So that young lady beside that streamer is the owner?
‘Wait, what?’
As he tried to recall, Jae-yoon remembered having seen something about the young CEO of Changseong Corporation somewhere before; she was indeed the youngest daughter of the owner of the Changseong Group. She was often depicted as a mythical figure who rapidly accumulated accolades.
So that’s her?
“Um, excuse me. Is this Seong Jae-yoon, the student council president?”
“Uh? Y-yes…”
As confusion swirled in his mind, a woman standing at a distance approached politely, initiating a conversation.
At this moment, how she recognized him hardly mattered to Jae-yoon. Knowing her status rendered such thoughts trivial.
“I’m Ryu Seo-ha, transferring along with my husband. I’ve heard much about you from the president during our meal with the chairman. I hope you’ll take good care of us moving forward.”
“……”
It was said so casually, yet the fact that the chairwoman and president had arranged a meal just to meet her was evident from her demeanor, indicative of her prestige.
“O-Oh, no. It’s us who should be honored… If there’s anything we can assist with, please let the student council know, and we’ll do our utmost to help.”
“Thank you for your consideration. Well then, I’ll take my leave.”
She gave a small bow, signaling the end of the conversation, and then seamlessly turned to the man accompanying her and hugged him tightly.
The somewhat formal, expressionless demeanor she had a moment ago vanished, replaced by a beaming smile that brightened the space around her.
“Honey, shall we go explore the campus a bit? We have some time before class starts.”
“Sure, I’ll show you around today.”
“Just don’t forget how the campus is laid out, okay?”
“We’ll just wander like we’re sightseeing, right?”
With that, she and her husband strolled past them and stepped foot onto the campus.
As Jae-yoon and Yu-min watched the scene unfold, genuine feelings surfaced from deep within.
“I’m so jealous.”
“I feel the same.”
At that moment, the cigarette he had stopped smoking since returning from the military suddenly struck him as incredibly desirable.
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