reign ✓

prologue

Alright, I give up. The universe clearly wants me to make an attempt at talking to this person. I might as well give it a try, even if I'll probably screw it up again and accidentally offend him and his entire family.

'' You have a surprisingly tacky taste for someone that has the best grades in the whole university and never does anything except study. '' 

He knows who I am.

My eyes slowly grew wide with surprise, I reluctantly raised my gaze and looked at the person that was standing right in front of me and curiously eyeing my colorful and absolutely adorable keychains. The corner of his lips was curved into a small amused smile and his eyes were shining in the strong sunlight that was pouring through the windows and illuminating the hallways. 

His name was Kim Seokwoo, but most people called him Rowoon. He was one of the five main members of the university's elite club, but he rarely showed any interest or partook in their day to day reckless endeavors. Most of the time, he was just quiet, distant, watching them from the sideline. Present but also not really.

I pressed my lips together and sighed. '' Was that supposed to be an insult? ''

His smile widened, as if he wasn't expecting that I would actually respond to him, but it still made him extremely happy to hear the sound of my voice. He reached in his pocket, pulled out his personal set of keys and dangled them in the air in front of me. Once again, I was caught off guard when I saw that it was full of adorable keychains. And not just that - one of them was the same as one of mine, a straight-faced orange bear. '' I have tacky taste too. '' 

Great, now someone might think that we're intentionally matching.

I tried to snatch my keys from his hand, but he quickly raised them high above his head. My eyes slightly widened with surprise, then I clenched my teeth in annoyance and seriously muttered: '' Are you insane? Give me my keys back and stop mocking my shortness. ''

'' I'm not. '' 

'' What are you doing then? ''

'' Flaunting my heightness, '' he proudly replied, still smiling from ear to ear. 

'' Height, '' I seriously corrected him, started jumping in the air and trying to get the keys from his hands.

'' You like correcting people when they're wrong, don't you? '' he asked and chuckled in amusement. Instead of replying to his question, I stopped reaching for my keys, folded my arms on my chest and stared at him with a serious expression on my face. It wasn't like I had anything against him personally, I didn't even know him, but I didn't trust his smiling face. You'd have to be an idiot to trust kindness from anyone here at our university. The students here always had some strange hidden agenda. 

Once Rowoon realised that I wasn't planning to reply to his teasing question, he raised his chin and gestured at the fight that was happening behind me. '' Are you not interested in the fight? ''

I glanced over my shoulder and scowled in disgust. Jungkook's fists were covered in blood and Vernon was still smiling through his pain and mumbling every insult that came across his head. After a fight like this one, you'd expect them to never speak again, but this was normal for the elite club, especially the two of them. Vernon and Jungkook fought all the time and for the most stupid reasons, but by the end of the same day, they always already went back to being friends. '' Where do they even find the time to fight? It's almost like I'm the only one who has an exam in two hours... ''

'' Do you think that you're above everyone else here? '' Rowoon suddenly asked. Out of nowhere, his smile was gone and his expression became stone cold. 

'' I just do what's required to look after myself. ''

'' Aren't you interested in Vernon? Or Jungkook? ''

I glanced over my shoulder again and my eyes trailed over the numerous girls that were standing on the side of the hallway and cheering them on. They were all rich, dressed in the latest fashion and absolutely gorgeous. Perhaps the main thing that they lacked, since a lot of them also had a fun personality, was the ability to wear perfume properly. Whenever I walked past them, I almost suffocated in a cloud of different scents. '' Interested in Jungkook or Vernon? Me? Not a chance. There would be too many love rivals. Getting one of them would require way too much work. ''

I was caught off guard for the third time in the span of just a few minutes when I heard the sound of his laughter. I couldn't hide my surprise when I slowly turned my head towards him and he suddenly pulled on my right cheek and said: '' Why do you frown so much? Is the sun blinding you? '' 

Without warning, he took the expensive sunglasses that were resting on top of his messy dark hair and placed them on my nose. After that, he smiled from ear to ear, clearly satisfied with himself - despite the obvious confusion on my face.

'' Now, I might actually get to see a smile. ''

'' Don't get your hopes up, '' I bluntly replied, took off his sunglasses and held them in his direction again. My cheek was still red where he touched it and I couldn't believe that he actually dared to do that. '' And stop being nice to me. Someone might see you and get the wrong idea. '' 

The members of the elite club aren't nice to people. If one of them smiles to you, it's over. You became a pawn in one of their games and nothing can save you anymore. 

Rowoon tilted his head and challengingly raised his eyebrows. '' Let them. ''

I wasn't good at interacting with people, but talking to Rowoon was weirdly easy. That was until one of the guys that were filming Jungkook and Vernon's fight, suddenly turned his phone and pointed it at us instead. Rowoon quickly snatched the device in his hands and turned it around a few times, looking at it like he wasn't sure what it even was. Then, his smile disappeared, all emotions got drained from his eyes and he smashed the phone against the ground. 

Screw this. I need to go reread my notes for the exam that we have this afternoon. 

I snatched my keys from Rowoon's hand, stuck them in my pocket and rushed down the hallway. To my surprise, he actually hurried after me. I quickly turned on my heels and headed in the opposite direction, hoping that it would be enough to get rid of him, but it wasn't. He stayed by my side and persistently kept up with my fast pace of walking even when we went past the two boys that were fighting earlier. He noticed the sharp look that earned from Jungkook, but he didn't seem to care. 

I glanced at Rowoon and angrily complained: '' Why are you still following me? ''

Despite my rude tone, he held his hand towards me and showed me another one of his signature smiles. '' I'm Rowoon. '' 

Why is he smiling so much? Our university might be similar to a circus, but it's still university. There's not much to smile about here. 

'' I know. '' 

'' But I don't know you. It's not fair. ''

'' If I tell you my name, will you stop following me? ''

His eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. '' Deal! ''

I should've never given him my name. I should've never spoken to him. I should've never shaken his hand. Those were all mistakes that would change the course of my fate forever. 

Our meeting was a complete coincidence, an accident that wasn't supposed to happen. But it did and just like that, I got pulled out of the shadows and right into the light of the sun.