The last week of summer always felt different. Not because the weather changed. Not because the days suddenly became shorter.
But because Seoul National University slowly came back to life.
Students rolled their suitcases across campus, parents carried cardboard boxes into dorm buildings, and every café surrounding the university was filled with familiar faces returning after months apart.
It was loud.
Busy.
Comforting.
Y/N had always loved this time of year. Not because she missed lectures. Definitely not because she missed assignments. And certainly not because she missed group projects.
She simply missed the feeling that life was starting again. The café just outside SNU’s main gate hadn’t changed at all.
The little bell above the entrance chimed softly as she stepped inside, followed by the familiar aroma of coffee beans, warm bread, and vanilla.
Home.
Well…
As close to home as a café could feel.
Her eyes wandered through the room until they landed on the corner table beside the window.
As expected.
Karina was already there.
Of course she was.
Across from her sat Wonbin, quietly reading a novel while absentmindedly stirring the melting ice in his americano.
Y/N smiled to herself.
Some things never changed.
“You’re early.” Karina looked up from her laptop as Y/N approached.
“So are you.”
“I always am.”
“I know.”
Y/N slipped her bag from her shoulder before dropping into the chair beside Wonbin.
He looked up from his book for exactly one second.
“Morning.”
Y/N raised an eyebrow.
“It’s eleven.”
Wonbin didn’t even blink.
“Still morning.”
Karina let out a quiet laugh.
“I’ve learned not to argue with him anymore.”
“You used to?”
“For about three weeks.”
“And then?”
“I realized he always thinks he’s right.”
Wonbin calmly turned another page.
“I usually am.”
“There it is,” Karina sighed.
“The confidence.”
“The truth.” he said.
Y/N laughed, shaking her head.
“I’ve missed you guys.”
Karina smiled. “We know.”
Wonbin looked over the top of his book.
“You came back two days early.”
“…I was bored.”
“You missed us.”
“I missed coffee.”
“Liar.” Y/N pointed a finger at Karina.
“I will neither confirm nor deny that statement.”
Karina closed her laptop. “I ordered your usual.”
Y/N looked at the iced latte waiting in front of her.
“You ordered before I got here?”
“You’ve had the same order since first year.”
“…Fair.” she sighed “I appreciate you.”
“You say that every time.”
“I mean it every time.”
Before Y/N could take her first sip—
Someone dramatically slid into the chair beside her.
“I heard my favorite people were talking about me.”
Without looking up, Y/N replied, “No one was talking about you.”
“I know.” Giselle smiled proudly. “I just wanted a dramatic entrance.”
Wonbin slowly lowered his book. “It wasn’t very dramatic.”
Giselle gasped. “…Excuse me?”
“It lacked commitment.” he said.
Karina hid a smile behind her coffee cup.
Y/N bit the inside of her cheek, trying not to laugh.
“You guys are unbelievable.”
“No,” Wonbin corrected calmly. “You’re dramatic.”
“I’ve been attacked twice in under thirty seconds.”
“You’ll survive.”
“I don’t know…” Giselle dramatically placed a hand over her heart.
“I’m feeling incredibly unsupported.”
Y/N leaned back in her chair. “That’s because you’re looking for support in the wrong place.”
“You’re all terrible friends.”
Karina tilted her head. “We’ve known you since high school.”
“Exactly.”
“So we know you’re dramatic.”
“…I hate that you use our history against me.”
Y/N reached for her coffee. Before she could take a sip, Giselle casually reached for it too.
Without even looking, Y/N slapped her hand away.
“Absolutely not.”
“Ow!”
Karina didn’t even look up from her laptop. “You never learn.”
“I was just testing my luck.”
“You’ve been testing it for years.”
“And one day it’ll work.”
“It won’t.”
Just then, another voice interrupted.
“…It won’t.”
Everyone turned as Winter approached the table, sketchbook tucked beneath one arm and an iced americano already in her hand.
She set her coffee down before taking the empty seat beside Karina.
“Morning.”
Giselle rubbed the back of her hand dramatically.
“I don’t understand why you keep doing that.”
“Just because I can,” Y/N replied.
Winter glanced between the two of them.
“…I would’ve done the same.”
Giselle gasped. “You’re all against me.”
“Correct,” Karina said.
For the first time that morning…
Even Wonbin smiled.
“You laughed!” Giselle immediately pointed at him.
“I saw it!”
“I know.”
“I witnessed a historical event.”
“I regret it already.” The table dissolved into laughter. For a moment, it felt like summer had never happened. Like they’d never spent months apart. Like this little corner of the café had simply been waiting for them to come back.
Then Y/N looked around the table.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Five.
…
Two empty chairs remained.
Y/N frowned. “Ning?”
Karina unlocked her phone and glanced at the latest messages. “She texted twenty minutes ago.”
Y/N already knew exactly what it would say.
“Let me guess…” Karina turned the screen around.
5 mins!! 🏃♀️💨 That’s what NingNing texted twenty minutes ago.
Y/N snorted. “Classic.”
“I still don’t understand how five minutes means half an hour to her,” Giselle sighed.
Wonbin quietly closed his book. “She’s buying food.”
“I’m betting pastries,” Giselle said immediately.
Winter took another sip of her americano.
“Three bags.”
Everyone looked at her. “…Three?”
Winter simply shrugged. “I have a feeling.”
Karina smiled. “I believe her.”
“You always believe her,” Y/N replied.
“Because she’s usually right.”
“That’s true,” Giselle admitted.
Y/N looked toward the final empty chair.
“And where’s Sungchan?”
Karina checked another notification.
“He texted too.”
“What did he say?”
‘‘That he‘s on his way.‘‘
Silence.
Then Y/N sighed dramatically. “So… He hasn’t left yet.”
Karina couldn’t even argue. “…Probably.”
“I’ll give him another thirty minutes,” Giselle said.
“Twenty-five,” Karina guessed.
Wonbin looked out the café window. “Forty.”
Y/N laughed. “Forty?”
“He likes breaking his own records.”
“I swear,” Y/N muttered, “if he somehow arrives after NingNing…”
She leaned back in her chair. “I’m revoking his best friend privileges.”
“You’ve said that every semester,” Karina reminded her.
“And every semester I forgive him.”
“Exactly.”
“Unfortunately.”
The conversation drifted to classes instead.
Karina had already color-coded her timetable.
Winter somehow knew the names of three professors she’d never even met.
Giselle complained about having an 8 a.m. lecture.
“I don’t understand why universities believe people can learn before noon.”
“You won’t be awake before noon anyway,” Y/N replied.
“That’s beside the point.”
“It is literally the point.”
“I’m choosing to ignore your negativity.”
“You call facts negativity a lot.”
“It’s called self-care.”
“It’s called denial.”
Before Giselle could come up with another dramatic response—
The café door burst open.
“I MADE IT!”
Half the café turned to stare.
The other half didn’t even bother anymore.
NingNing stood in the doorway, slightly out of breath, balancing three paper bags on one arm and two iced drinks in the other.
Y/N slowly looked at the clock. “…Twenty-six minutes.”
“I know.” NingNing said.
“You texted us twenty-one minutes ago.”
“I know.”
“You said you were five minutes away.”
“I was.”
“For twenty-one minutes?”
“There was a bakery.”
Silence.
Karina pinched the bridge of her nose. “…Of course there was.”
NingNing beamed as she reached the table.
“I brought pastries!”
Giselle immediately leaned forward. “For us?”
“No.‘‘
Everybody went silent again.
“They’re all mine.” she said.
Y/N blinked. “You bought three bags…”
“Yes.”
“…For yourself.”
“Yes.”
Wonbin looked at the mountain of pastries before taking a slow sip of his americano.
“I respect the commitment.”
NingNing smiled proudly. “Thank you.”
Winter quietly pointed at the bags. “I told you.”
Everyone turned to her. “You actually guessed three bags.”
“I know.”
Giselle folded her arms dramatically. “I got excited for nothing.”
“I never said they were for you.”
“You implied it.”
“I really didn’t.”
Laughter filled the table once again.
Y/N watched NingNing happily unwrap a croissant before smiling to herself.
“Congratulations.”
NingNing looked up.
“For what?”
“You’re officially not the latest.”
“…Wait.”
Her eyes wandered around the table.
One chair was still empty.
“…Sungchan?”
Karina simply nodded. “Sungchan.”
NingNing laughed. “Oh, thank God.”
“You’re celebrating?”
“I finally lost the title.”
“You were proud of it?”
“No…Maybe a little.”
Another round of laughter echoed through the café.
Outside, students continued walking past the windows.
Inside…
Everything felt exactly the way it always had.
Comfortable.
Familiar.
Like home.
They just needed one more person to complete the picture.
—
“If he reaches an hour, I’m leaving.”
As if the universe had heard her…
The bell above the café door rang once more.
A familiar voice echoed through the room.
“Sorry I’m late.” Sungchan said.
Every single person looked up.
Sungchan stood in the doorway, slightly out of breath, one hand still holding his phone.
No one answered.
Instead…
Giselle checked the time. Then looked at everyone else.
“Thirty-four minutes.”
Sungchan smiled sheepishly. “…Could’ve been worse.”
“It usually is,” Y/N replied.
He laughed as he pulled out the last empty chair.
“Fair enough.”
Sungchan laughed softly before glancing at his phone again. He laughed softly to himself before locking it without replying. None of them noticed the unread message still sitting at the top of Sungchan’s phone. The afternoon passed faster than any of them expected.
Half-empty coffee cups were replaced with glasses of lemonade. The pastries NingNing had refused to share somehow ended up disappearing anyway.
No one admitted to taking them.
“…It was Giselle,” Winter said.
“It was not!”
“It was.”
“It literally wasn’t.”
Wonbin looked up from his phone. “You have powdered sugar on your sleeve.”
Giselle froze. “…That’s circumstantial evidence.”
“It really isn’t,” Karina laughed.
Hours later, the café had started to empty.
The sun hung lower in the sky, casting warm golden light through the large windows.
Y/N leaned back in her chair, stretching her arms above her head. “I almost forgot classes start next week.”
“Don’t remind me,” NingNing groaned.
“I’ve successfully ignored every email the university has sent.”
“…That’s concerning,” Karina replied.
“It’s called protecting my peace.”
“It’s called being irresponsible.”
“Tomato, tomahto.”
Sungchan chuckled before glancing at his phone again. A small shift in his expression. A soft laugh slipped out before he locked it without replying.
Y/N noticed. “You’ve been on your phone a lot today.”
“Hm?”
“You smiled.”
“So?”
“You only smile like that when you’re hiding something.”
People often assume he’s quiet because he doesn’t always speak first, but once he’s comfortable, he’s surprisingly playful and loves teasing the people around him.
Has a habit of smiling his way out of awkward situations. It always works tho.
He meet Sungchan way before College, he was one of the first people Anton contacted after getting accepted into SNU.
He’s the reason Anton already feels at home before classes even begin.
Anton also knew Wonbin before uni.
Wonbin isn’t overly expressive, but Anton trusts him a lot.
The two understand each other without talking much.
Is roommates with Seunghan and Sohee, they went to the same Highschool, before Anton went to study a year abroad.
Knew Shotaro and Eunseok briefly before College.
Anton‘s private account
Only the boys know about this one.
Seunghan
First year at SNU
Film & Media Major
Is in SNU‘s Basketball Club
Is a little chaotic but still reliable.
Anton‘s best friend, went to Highschool together. Meet in College again after Anton‘s year abroad.
Ships Anton and Y/N immediately.
Sohee
First year at SNU
Vocal Performance Major
Loud energetic, chaos supporter. Kinda messy.
Always in for some drama. Literally can’t mind his own business.
Roomies with Anton and Seunghan.
Shotaro
Third year at SNU
Dance & Performance Major.
Dance Team Captain
The responsible older friend. Always supportive.
Lowkey sees Anton‘s feeling’s early. But choose to stay quiet.
Knew all the guys before college.
Eunseok
Third Year at SNU
Architecture Major.
Playing in SNU‘s Basketball Club, alongside Seunghan.
Always responsible for some chaos. Him and Sohee complete themselves.
Encourages bad decisions.
Knew Anton briefly before college, became closer though Seunghan and Sungchan.
Y/N thought her third year at Seoul National University would be just like the last two—late-night study sessions, coffee runs with her friends, and surviving another semester with the people she considered family.
Then Sungchan shows up to the welcome party with a freshman.
Anton.
Young, annoyingly confident, effortlessly charming… and somehow always exactly where Y/N is.
From the very beginning, they can’t seem to agree on anything. Every accidental meeting turns into playful bickering, every conversation into a competition, and every interaction leaves Y/N more convinced that he’s the last person she’d ever get along with.
Unfortunately for her, Anton seems to enjoy getting on her nerves.
What starts as harmless teasing slowly turns into something much more complicated when one impulsive lie forces them into a fake relationship neither of them wanted.
Now they have to convince everyone they’re dating—while navigating jealous friends, unexpected feelings, misunderstandings, and the blurry line between pretending and falling for real.
Because sometimes the person you swear you can’t stand…
…is the one you end up loving the most.
featuring: female reader, all RII7E, aespa and maybe more!