Returning to Seoul meant returning to reality—and for Ji-won, reality was his final year of university.
As a senior balancing advanced corporate law and international economics, his schedule was a demanding mix of quantitative data analysis, hybrid modules, and mandatory, high-level physical seminars on campus. His brothers had initially tried to arrange for full remote learning or private home tutors to keep him sheltered inside the Seongbuk-dong estate, but Ji-won had firmly put his foot down. He wanted a normal student life. He wanted to walk into a real lecture hall, sit among his peers, and earn his degree on his own merit.
Min-jun had eventually conceded—on the strict condition that a private driver drop Ji-won off directly at the faculty parking lot for his physical classes and pick him up the second the final bell rang.
Which brought Ji-won to late Thursday afternoon.
The heavy wooden doors of the graduate building swung open, releasing a stream of exhausted students into the cool, oak-lined corridor. Ji-won walked near the back of the crowd, adjusting his cream-colored knit sweater as he slung his leather satchel over his shoulder.
His phone buzzed in his palm with a rapid succession of notifications.
**[Maui Survivors Club (and the Turtle)]**
**Leo:** *JI-WON! Save me! Maya is currently lecturing me on supply chain elasticity while I’m trying to eat a burrito!*
**Maya:** *BECAUSE YOU BOUGHT THE BURRITO FROM A TRUCK WITH A CLEAR DISTRIBUTION BOTTLENECK, LEO.*
**Do-hyun:** *[Custom Sea Turtle Sticker: ACADEMIC VICTORY!]*
Ji-won let out a quiet, breathless laugh, his thumb tapping out a quick reply as he pushed through the glass exit doors. The four-hour physical seminar on corporate restructuring had been brutal, filled with dense case studies and aggressive Q&A sessions. Yet, for the first time since starting university, Ji-won had genuinely enjoyed it. He had raised his hand twice, answered a complex question about joint-venture liabilities, and hadn't felt the overwhelming urge to shrink into the background.
He walked down the quiet, tree-lined path toward the faculty parking lot, where his family's sleek black executive sedan was parked in its usual reserved spot. The heavy tint on the glass rendered the interior pitch-black under the dimming twilight sky.
Assuming Min-jun’s private driver was waiting at the wheel, Ji-won pulled open the heavy rear door, stepped inside, and pulled it shut behind him.
The heavy, electronic click of the door locks automatically engaging echoing through the sealed cabin was his first warning.
The second warning was the rich, intoxicating scent of expensive sandalwood, crisp leather, and rain—a signature scent that made Ji-won’s heart instantly drop into his stomach.
"Did you have fun in your class, Ji-won-ah?"
The voice came low and smooth from the shadows of the plush leather backseat, carrying a dark, velvety warmth that sent a shiver straight down Ji-won’s spine.
Ji-won spun around, his breath catching sharply in his throat.
Sitting in the deep leather seat beside him, perfectly relaxed with one leg crossed over the other, was Lu Sheng. He wasn't wearing his usual structured corporate suit jacket, just a dark charcoal turtleneck that emphasized his broad shoulders and sharp, lethal jawline. The driver’s seat up front was completely empty; the heavy glass divider was raised, sealing them into a private, suffocatingly quiet world.
"Lu Sheng," Ji-won breathed out, his knuckles turning white as he clutched his satchel against his chest. "How... how did you get into my family's car?"
Lu Sheng didn't answer immediately. He leaned back against the headrest, his dark, hypnotic eyes trailing slowly up from Ji-won’s cream sweater to his flush, startled face. There was no physical aggression in his posture, but the sheer, magnetic weight of his presence filled every inch of the cabin air between them.
"Your eldest brother's driver was easily diverted by a minor administrative conflict at the campus gate," Lu Sheng said softly, his voice a low, dangerous purr in the dim cabin light. "I had seven minutes before your security detail realized the switch. I wanted five."
Ji-won’s pulse hammered against his ribs—not with the paralyzing terror of his first life, but with a sharp, dizzying intensity that made his skin burn. "You're insane. If Min-jun Hyung finds you here—"
"Min-jun isn't in this car," Lu Sheng murmured, closing the small distance between them on the leather seat. He didn't grab Ji-won; he simply leaned in until Ji-won could feel the radiating warmth of his body, trapping him with his shadow rather than his hands. "You are."
Lu Sheng reached out, his long, warm fingers gently brushing a stray lock of hair behind Ji-won’s ear. His knuckles lightly grazed the sensitive skin of Ji-won’s neck, sending a sharp spark straight down Ji-won’s spine. Ji-won held his breath, his eyes wide as he stared into the dark, obsessive depths of Lu Sheng’s gaze.
"You smiled when you walked out of that building," Lu Sheng whispered, his eyes dipping briefly to Ji-won’s lips before rising back to his eyes. "You looked bright. Confident. Like a man who belongs to himself."
"I *do* belong to myself," Ji-won managed to say, his voice surprisingly steady despite the rapid thud of his heart.
A slow, devastatingly handsome smirk curved Lu Sheng’s lips. It was dark, possessive, and dangerously mesmerizing.
"I know," Lu Sheng murmured, his thumb lightly brushing against Ji-won’s jawline with agonizing gentleness before pulling his hand back. "That is precisely why I can't look away from you."
The electronic click of the car locks disengaged.
Lu Sheng reached over, pushing the rear door open a crack to let the cool autumn air rush into the warm cabin, breaking the heavy spell between them.
"Your driver will be back in thirty seconds," Lu Sheng said softly, his tone shifting back to that calm, untouchable composure as he opened his own side of the door. He stepped out onto the asphalt, standing tall against the twilight sky. He looked down at Ji-won, his eyes dark with a quiet, unyielding promise. "Go home, Ji-won-ah. Eat a good dinner. We'll talk again soon."
Before Ji-won could even formulate a reply, Lu Sheng shut the door, stepping smoothly into the shadows of the campus courtyard just as the Kang family’s driver came running around the corner, breathlessly apologizing for the delay.
Ji-won collapsed back against the leather seat, clutching his satchel to his chest as his face burned crimson. His phone vibrated in his hand with another silly text from Leo, but as the sedan pulled away, Ji-won’s eyes remained fixed on the window, his heart racing wild and free in the autumn night.