Chapter Text
“So what do we know of her?” Jeongwon asked his best friend- slash-self-elected campaign manager, Junwan with Seokhyeong, his social media representative right behind them, looking at the university’s version of Facebook and if the campus is talking about them. They are, surprise surprise. Why wouldn’t they be talking about the campus golden boy? Besides, it's his third time running as student council president.
“Well, she’s sort of an enigma man. Not much about her personal life but get this. Best student in her year - since kindergarten. We’re talking about best student in the country, territory.” Junwan rattled on.
“Active in volunteering activities since high school - she builds houses for underprivileged families the fuck , class president for two years straight, ran competitive track & field, she sprinted for state then, now she runs for our team by the way and was the youngest non-doctor to participate in Doctors Without Borders last summer.” That piqued Jeongwon’s interest as he spared a glance at Junwan.
“How in the world did she manage that?” he asked.
“Either through nepotism, her dad’s an ex military doctor or some shit, he probably knows someone from the program - the only personal dirt we got on her by the way which sucks, or the fact that Professor Kwok basically dotes on her like one of his daughters. Makes you wonder what she has on him since he hates everyone.” Junwan said in disdain.
“Damn it, she has Professor Kwok on her side. That’s not good for us. How come we’ve never heard of her before this? We’re all in med school, it doesn’t make sense, no?”
“Whatever the reason is, we can use it to your advantage. If we don’t know who she is, it’s most likely the same for our campus. You’re not only the most popular guy in our faculty but the whole campus. You have everyone wrapped around your finger.”
“Still, we can’t underestimate her. Her credentials are exemplary, she’d definitely interest the uptight business school freaks and the *IR liberals since she volunteers and stuff don’t you think?” he said as they all reached backstage. The dean was wrapping up on his speech, before announcing the candidates for running for student council president.
Jeongwon’s trying to crane his neck to see if he can spot his opponent who’s on the other side of the stage - apparently a few years back, a pair of opponents were huddled together on one side but ended up beating each other up, so that was that and future announcements were arranged as they were now. Jang Gyeoul was her name. Pretty name, he thought absentmindedly. Technically he’d be seeing her in a few minutes on stage but he liked to be prepared. Putting a face to the name was also a form of preparation. To his dismay, all he could see was the back of her head.
The dean introduced Jeongwon and he walked confidently on stage as the crowd facing him roared with cheers, smiling at the right time and waving when he’s supposed to, a natural one might say. He’s been through this his whole life. Being the son of Ahn Jungho, leader of the nation’s conservative party, he was used to being in the public’s eye as his father’s trophy son and this was no different. A smaller demographic but still, any form of impact towards the people is appreciated.
And suddenly the dean’s introducing Jang Gyeoul and the cheers of the audience for her almost matched his, leaving him startled. The dean went on and on about her accolades, similar to the ones Junwan fed him minutes earlier and Jeongwon looks at the audience, his supposed audience turning their attention away from him and to her in pure admiration. They’re impressed. They found her interesting. They like her. And this, this might be a problem.
Finally, he glanced at her and all color drained from his face. She’s very pretty, more than pretty in fact if there's a word to describe it. She’s petite but the air of elegance and mystery that she holds is almost mesmerizing. That’s what drew him in the first place when they met last summer. He’s met her before. At the park. His father and his home were way too overwhelming that particular night so he had to run. And he did, to the nearest park from his place and that’s where he saw her - in a way too formal dress for a midnight walk in the park, an almost empty bottle of Chardonnay in hand. They talked all night and promised they’d never meet again when they parted at sunrise - which Jeongwon immediately broke as he went to the park days on end after their encounter hoping to catch sight of her again to no avail.
As they made eye contact on stage, he observed the realization hitting her too. The way her eyes squinted to get a better look at him - even if they’re only three feet away - before widening as she registered the familiar face. He’s relieved that she remembers him too, despite her being downright pissed when they met.
He took a swift glance at the audience and extended a hand to her, an initial peace offering of some sort, before the games begin - a line his father loved using to describe campaign season. She accepted the handshake and as their hands touched, he felt a spark, an exciting spark he thinks and he concludes it’s related to her. From the expression she’s wearing he can’t help but wonder if she felt it too? She quickly let go of her hand and shyly looked away, facing the audience again with a broad smile on her face. She’s so fucking pretty when she smiles, he couldn't help but notice. After a few moments, he realized he was staring at her openly like a lovesick puppy and he reinforced the fact that she would definitely be a problem in the weeks to come.