Even though he had no classes on Monday mornings, Seonwoo headed to campus early because of a ski club meeting.
He hated anything remotely troublesome, and he had tried to find another excuse to skip it this time too. Unfortunately, starting this semester, Choi Iwon had become Schuphur's president, so getting out of it was no longer an option.
As soon as he reached the clubroom, several members greeted him enthusiastically.
"Good morning, senior!"
"Jinsol, Eunjae. Feels like it's been a while, doesn't it?"
"A while? We literally met at the general gathering two weeks ago. You're the one who's been missing."
"You skipped Sports Day, the after-party, and the general meeting! How could you?"
"Seriously, we missed you. We only lost the relay because you weren't there."
Surrounded by complaints from every direction, Seonwoo chuckled.
"Oh, so you guys came in last? That's how it happened? Whoever that senior was must've really screwed up."
The clubroom was already filled with familiar faces.
Despite disappearing for months at a time, Seonwoo's appearance was met with genuine enthusiasm.
"Seonwoo! Long time no see."
"Here, senior. Minjeong was handing these out. There's one left."
"Thanks."
Taking the can his junior handed him, Seonwoo settled into an empty seat.
The discussion was already in full swing—freshman orientation and the winter ski camp—and before long everyone's attention shifted toward him.
"Senior, are you coming to camp this year?"
"Hmm... probably?"
"Really? You're actually coming?"
"See? I told you he'd come."
"You're only coming because of Iwon, aren't you?"
At the question from one of his classmates, Seonwoo merely smiled without confirming or denying it.
Skiing was indeed his only real hobby.
But it was equally true that the only reason he'd joined Schuphur—and kept attending the winter camp—was because of Choi Iwon.
"This time you're teaching me, okay? I still remember the promise you made my freshman year!"
"Wait, why? Is Seonwoo really that good? He didn't come last year, so I've never seen him ski."
"You didn't know? He used to compete when he was a kid. I think he even works as an instructor now."
"Genius."
"Child prodigy."
"He started competing when he was..."
"He won all kinds of medals..."
The familiar rumors began circulating again.
Whether they were exaggerated or not, Seonwoo never bothered correcting them.
No one listened when he tried.
Besides...
"Was Seonwoo in the Sports Department?"
"No. Business. Same major as Iwon."
"That was all when he was younger."
"He quit."
"What happened?"
One of the juniors asked the question he'd answered countless times before.
"Knee injury."
"They said that even after rehabilitation, competing professionally wouldn't be possible."
"Oh..."
"I'm so sorry. I had no idea..."
"It's okay."
It would all settle itself naturally.
Satisfied with how quickly the mood had quieted down, Seonwoo smiled and took another sip of his drink.
Schuphur, the university's ski club, was probably the most talked-about club on campus.
Rumors claimed its alumni were so successful that donations had piled up into hundreds of millions of won.
That every Schuphur president graduated driving a foreign luxury car.
That everyone except the professors ended up dating someone within the club.
That you entered alone but somehow left as a group of three.
The stories never stopped.
They were exaggerated...
But they weren't entirely false.
The alumni association really did provide generous financial support.
And after every annual ski camp, the number of couples in the club noticeably increased.
The winter ski camp—the source of nearly every rumor—was also Schuphur's biggest event.
Which was exactly why Seonwoo had been dragged here months before winter even started to help prepare for it.
Iwon had asked him to attend the very first planning meeting.
So he'd shown up.
That didn't mean he had anything useful to contribute.
Discussions about sponsorship budgets and venue reservations meant nothing to him.
Another group was loudly talking about this year's incoming freshmen.
He wasn't interested in that either.
Resting his chin on one hand while fighting the urge to leave, Seonwoo simply watched Iwon lead the meeting.
He's really working hard.
Unlike Seonwoo, Choi Iwon wasn't particularly passionate about skiing.
Which made the enthusiasm he always showed toward Schuphur strangely fascinating.
Of course...
Seonwoo knew exactly why.
It was for his grandfather.
Chairman Choi Jeongcheol had been one of Schuphur's founding members and still loved skiing despite his age.
The enormous sponsorship flowing into the club existed largely because of him.
He had also been the first to recognize Seonwoo's talent, personally supporting his competitive career.
Naturally, he'd be proud of a grandson who shared his love of skiing and now led Schuphur—the club that had become almost synonymous with his life's work.
That was exactly what Iwon wanted.
Unable to refuse Iwon's endless persuasion, Seonwoo himself had joined Schuphur as a freshman, lending the club the prestige of a former competitive skier.
Without anyone saying it aloud, he already knew just how determined Iwon was to make this year's camp perfect.
Of course...
That ambition was part of what Seonwoo loved about him.
Still...
For some reason, this winter felt like it was going to be far more exhausting than any before.
"...Right. Freshman orientation is Wednesday, so Jinhyeong just needs to transfer the venue fee by tomorrow. What about camp?"
"We're still negotiating with the resort. But the Academic Affairs Office is asking whether we can run it together with the elective course again this year. Apparently over three hundred students expressed interest."
"If that's the survey number, more than a hundred will actually show up."
"Ugh... I hate this. They're going to make us work as staff again. The students taking it for elective credit never listen because they're just there to have fun."
"But the funding's incredible."
"Dinner gets upgraded from instant cup noodles to kimchi stew."
"Jihyeon, can you really resist that?"
"Kimchi stew is cheating."
"I'll happily work as staff."
"I wanted to move everything to Mighty Town this year..."
"...But with that many people, we'll probably have to stick with Inun."
"If we're separating accommodations by secondary gender and sex again, we'll need at least one-and-a-half times the normal capacity."
"And they'll make us organize all the room assignments."
"We'll think about the elective program later."
"For now, let's put it on hold."
As the meeting dragged on, people with classes gradually filtered out.
Seonwoo, who had a noon lecture, got up a little early himself.
He could feel Iwon's disapproving gaze.
After all, Iwon knew his timetable by heart.
Seonwoo merely shrugged and walked out.
He tossed his backpack into the lecture hall before heading straight for the smoking area.
He had just lit a cigarette when two female students walked in behind him, chatting excitedly.
"Did you see that guy just now?"
"Of course. I almost crossed my eyes trying not to stare."
"I swear I almost started drooling. He's ridiculously handsome."
"I think he's even better-looking than Gye Suhyeon from Acting."
"Do you think he's a freshman in Acting?"
"What's he doing over here? It looked like he was waiting for someone."
Even Seonwoo knew who Gye Suhyeon was.
A former child actor who had already appeared in a ten-million-viewer blockbuster as a supporting actor before even entering university.
Widely considered Korea University's biggest celebrity.
Someone even better-looking than him?
That naturally piqued Seonwoo's curiosity.
Before he could think any further, however, his phone vibrated.
"Hello, hyung."
"So you're really not coming this season? Seriously? Do you know how many people have been asking about you?"
"I already told you last time. I've got club camp this season."
"...Right."
"That club."
"I honestly thought you were joking."
Dongjin sighed.
As someone who taught the children of wealthy families for an enormous hourly fee, Seonwoo volunteering at a practically unpaid university ski camp made absolutely no sense.
Seonwoo agreed completely.
If not for Iwon, he never would've wasted his time like this.
Unfortunately...
He was the idiot who had chosen it himself.
"...You seriously can't spare any time?"
"It's not like camp lasts the entire season."
"That's true."
"Where are you going?"
"Don't tell me somewhere in Gyeonggi Province."
"Looks like it'll probably be Inun."
"Inun? That's practically next to Mighty Town."
"Just work weekends."
"I'll come pick you up."
Even if they weren't that far apart, it was still over thirty minutes each way.
And heavy snow often turned the roads into a nightmare.
After thinking for a while, Seonwoo sighed.
"I can't promise."
"I really can't skip out this time."
"Maybe February."
"February?"
"Hey!"
"The snow will be gone by then!"
"Global warming, you idiot!"
Even Seonwoo had to laugh.
"...Yeah, that was pretty bad."
Dongjin laughed with him.
"Anyway."
"Think about it."
"And preferably come to the right conclusion."
"I'm calling you nonstop until the season starts."
"Got it?"
"Yeah, yeah."
"I'll think about it."
After hanging up, Seonwoo crushed the rest of his cigarette beneath his shoe.
Might as well grab a drink before class.
Still debating between Pocari Sweat and a Coke, he wandered toward the vending machines.
Then he noticed a tall man standing near the building entrance.
The instant he saw him, Seonwoo realized he'd found the owner of the ridiculously handsome description those girls had been talking about.
Tall.
A perfectly straight nose.
A sharply defined jawline.
Deep-set eyes.
Objectively handsome enough that even another man couldn't argue.
Yet somehow...
His snow-white skin and soft, pale hair gave him an almost delicate beauty.
The combination created an oddly captivating atmosphere.
Definitely the kind of face you never forgot.
Though...
Isn't he more beautiful than handsome?
The thought had barely crossed his mind before a wave of Alpha pheromones hit him.
Seonwoo's face immediately twisted into a frown.
How rude.
Swallowing the curse that nearly escaped, he hurried toward the entrance.
Someone suddenly grabbed his wrist.
Forced to stop, Seonwoo looked once at the large hand around his wrist.
Then twice at its owner.
His gaze unconsciously traveled upward.
It reminded him how much he hated having to look up at someone.
He saw no reason to be polite to an Alpha who couldn't even keep his own pheromones under control.
"What?"
"...Are you..."
"...feeling okay?"
The completely unexpected question made Seonwoo blink.
He pointed at himself.
"You're talking to me?"
"Do we know each other?"
The man's neat brows furrowed.
A dissatisfied expression.
Oddly familiar.
Seonwoo's brain immediately started working.
He grabbed the man's arm and quickly pulled him inside the building.
Thankfully, the other man came without resisting.
After leading him into an empty classroom away from prying eyes, Seonwoo let out a quiet sigh and ran a hand through his hair.
"So..."
"We've met before."
"I'm sorry."
"I honestly can't remember very well."
"...Was it at Liberty?"
The man nodded.
Maintaining a calm expression with some effort, Seonwoo desperately searched his memory.
It wasn't unheard of for someone he'd met at Liberty to find him at school afterward.
But this situation felt especially awkward because...
The other person was unmistakably an Alpha.
When the silence dragged on, the man suddenly added,
"...You even took my number."
"My number?"
Those words instantly triggered something.
Seonwoo hurriedly opened his call history and scrolled downward.
The unknown number from early Saturday morning.
The unforgettable handsome face now standing in front of him.
Only then did the hazy memories begin returning.
"Do you have a lighter?"
"Did you come here for a drink?"
"That's good, then. Want to come inside with me? I'll buy you a drink."
...You've got to be kidding me.
Nam Seonwoo, you've seriously lost it.