After finishing the meal, the group moved to a nearby café to discuss their project more seriously.

One of the members began explaining the consolidated data they had collected so far. She had a very soft voice, her tone quiet and reserved, yet her explanation was precise and well-structured.

Jaein wasn’t listening.

He sat there, arms folded, eyes wandering. But eventually, his gaze landed on the laptop screen showing the draft presentation. It was unavoidable.

His eyes scanned the content lazily until he noticed the corner of the slide: a list of the team members’ names.

His name wasn’t there.

Jaein’s expression froze. He clenched his fist under the table. 

They left me out completely?

He wanted to slam the table then and there but barely restrained himself. His hand twitched with the effort.

The group consisted of six members. Yun Mirae was a third-semester student. Jaein and Minyu were both freshmen. Another third-semester student named Hyu Enji sat near the window, silently sipping coffee. The remaining two were freshmen like Jaein.

The girl who had just finished explaining was one of the freshmen. Her name was Lin Yuuki.

Then Jaein saw the last name on the list and his heart skipped.

Han Sung-Yoon.

It was familiar. Too familiar. The name struck something in his memory, but twenty-one years had passed since that life ended. Since he died.

He had been reborn, and a lot had happened since. New people, new surroundings, new everything. If the name belonged to someone from this life, there was no way he wouldn’t remember. That was why he was certain. It must be from his hazy memories of his past life.

But still…

Why does this name feel so familiar?

Jaein didn’t dwell on it too long. Instead, he continued cursing the fact that his name wasn’t listed on the presentation.

How dare they... Just because I skipped a few meetings. Grrrr.

Minyu suddenly slapped him on the back.

“Of course Jaein can do that, right Jaein?”

“What?”

Jaein, who looked like he hadn’t been paying attention at all, suddenly found everyone staring at him.

“Fuck.”

Yun Mirae swore softly, one hand gripping her bangs. A vein on her temple twitched visibly. She looked like she might explode.

“Hey. After not showing up for weeks, now you’re not even listening to what we’re talking about. Do you really want out of this group?!”

“Calm down, senior Mirae. Jaein is just like that. When he’s focused, he sometimes looks like he’s daydreaming, but I’m sure he paid attention. Right, Jaein?”

Minyu tried to ease the tension, but everyone could tell Jaein hadn’t been listening at all.

Jaein had decided he would live as golden trash in this second life, and up to this point, he truly had. But that didn’t mean he was entirely inconsiderate toward others. Ever since he was born again, he had discovered another gift besides wealth. His brain. For some reason, everything came easier now. He could understand concepts more quickly, sometimes without even trying. He could remember things he had only heard once, even in passing.

“You want me to be the presenter, right?”

Jaein looked around at the group while lazily swirling his iced Americano like it was a glass of wine.

“Honestly, I wouldn’t mind at all. But the part from page twenty-six to forty, the research is too shallow. I’d be embarrassing myself if I presented this.”

That section had been submitted by Hyu Enji and Han Sung-Yoon. The moment those words came out, Enji flinched slightly.

The room tensed. Mirae’s expression contorted with fury as she slammed her hand down on the table. She looked ready to lunge across the table and grab Jaein by the collar, but she was held back by one of the freshmen. The boy wore a cap and hoodie that shadowed most of his face.

“Senior Mirae.”

He lifted a hand subtly, signaling her to calm down.

Mirae cursed under her breath again, then turned sharply toward Jaein.

“You know what? This guy here works two part-time jobs and still makes it to his club four times a week. He’s been busting his ass gathering all this data with Enji. And you dare call this research shallow?!”

She was pointing at the freshman with the cap.

“Well, shallow is shallow. If they’re going to submit half-assed research, they might as well not contribute at all.”

“You—!”

“I am sorry. You are right. I wasn’t able to submit more real-life case studies for my section, so it does come off as shallow. I actually gathered several examples during my research, but because of time constraints, I didn’t dare submit them for this draft. I was planning to add them after this meeting.”

The boy in the cap lowered his head slightly while speaking calmly.

“Haha, no worries, no worries.”

Jaein waved his hand in exaggerated ease. 

“Actually, I have a few internal reports from Seosung you could use as reference. You know, it’d be more impressive if the case study comes from a major company like mine, right? Hahaha.”

Jaein laughed carelessly while swirling his iced Americano again, as though the whole situation were a joke.

His words, however, only poured oil onto the fire. Instead of defusing the tension, he came off even more like trash.

“Wow. I can’t believe a shameless human being like you is still alive in this world. How has no one killed you yet?” 

Mirae smiled, but the bulging vein on her temple betrayed her emotion.

“Well, I’ve got a really good and very expensive bodyguard. That’s why.”

Jaein answered casually, the corner of his lips curling into a mocking smile.

After that brief but tumultuous exchange, the group returned to discussing their project. Jaein, who had already stopped paying attention, was soon distracted by a persistent buzzing sound nearby.

Bzzt. Bzzt. Bzzt.
Click.
Bzzt. Bzzt. Bzzt.
Click.

“Hey, just take the call already. It keeps buzzing and distracting me.”

“Ah, I’m sorry. It’s nothing important…”

“Don’t act like you were even paying attention. What distraction?”

Mirae, still fuming from earlier, couldn’t believe Jaein had the audacity to reprimand someone else so shamelessly.

Jaein ignored her and pointed at the freshman in the cap.

“What’s so difficult about picking up the phone? If someone keeps calling, it’s probably urgent.”

“Uh… then… Excuse me for a moment.”

Han Sung-yoon stood up abruptly and stepped outside with his phone. He returned a few minutes later, his face pale.

“Guys, I’m sorry. There’s been a bit of an emergency at home. Is it okay if—”

“Just go. If it’s enough to make you look that pale, it must be serious.”

Mirae cut him off before he could even finish. She didn’t need further explanation; his expression said enough.

“T-Thank you!”

Han Sung-yoon grabbed his bag and hurried out of the room.

“You ungrateful bastard!”

“Who do you think raised you and let you enjoy all that money?!”

“Raised me? Enjoying money? You acted as my guardian just to take control of my parents’ company shares! You want me to become chairman only to serve your own interests!”

“You—! This uncle of yours has done everything so you could take that position, and now you're saying I did it for me?!”

Beep.

“Hey!”

Jaein immediately recognized the person who dared barge into his apartment without warning. There was only one person who treated his personal space so casually.

“Kyo Minyu.”

He turned around to see his best friend standing in the doorway, arms crossed and face filled with disgust.

“You’ve got the looks, the money, and the brains, and yet here you are rotting away watching trashy dramas all day. I seriously can’t believe this.”

“Why not? Is it a crime to enjoy a little bit of drama? I’d rather watch one than live through it. Now leave me alone.”

“God. Seo Jaein. You told your group you’d send an internal Seosung report for their case study. Do you even have permission to share that?”

Kyo Minyu looked utterly exasperated. He had known Jaein for as long as he could remember. Their fathers were close friends, and Minyu’s father had even been present at the hospital when Jaein’s mother gave birth. The two boys were born just a month apart, with Minyu being the elder.

He was tired of watching Jaein live like a spoiled heir, so he’d purposely forced him to be the project presenter. Yet somehow, Jaein had taken it a step further by offering up a company report.

“Chill. It’s not classified or anything.”

“It’s still an internal report! Do you even know what internal means?!”

“Hey, I’m not an idiot. You’re worrying too much. Worst case, if something goes wrong, the lawyers will handle it. Seosung has the best legal team. We’ve never lost a case.”

Jaein smirked nonchalantly as he unlocked his phone. He had just remembered to send the report. At that moment, a new message notification appeared.

[Han Sung-yoon]: Good afternoon.

Oh, what a coincidence, Jaein thought.

[Han Sung-yoon]: I wonder if you have time right now? I’d like to ask when would be convenient for us to talk.

While Minyu continued to nag in the background, Jaein quickly typed a reply.

[Seo Jaein]: If it’s about the internal report, I’ll send it tomorrow. I need to redact a few parts first.

[Han Sung-yoon]: Actually, I’d like to meet. I have a few other case examples I researched but didn’t include in the original draft.

Jaein suddenly remembered the look on Han Sung-yoon’s face when he left the meeting earlier.

[Seo Jaein]: Are you okay now?

He hit send without thinking, then immediately regretted it. Why the hell did I ask something so personal? We barely even know each other.

[Han Sung-yoon]: ?

Shit.

Jaein cringed at himself. He wished he could unsend the message, but it was too late.

“Hey, Seo Jaein! Just remember to get permission first, okay? I’ll be busy this week and won’t be around to clean up your mess.”

Jaein didn’t respond. He wasn’t even listening anymore. He was still too focused on figuring out what to say next to Han Sung-yoon.

[Seo Jaein]: Never mind. When do you want to meet?

[Han Sung-yoon]: Can we meet now? I only have time until 9 p.m. I can come to you if it’s inconvenient.

What the heck. Jaein wasn’t ready to donate his precious time to a teammate he barely knew.

[Han Sung-yoon]: Please. I might not have any other time to do this besides now. I’m sorry for being so straightforward.

[Seo Jaein]: Whatever. Where are you? I’ll come to you instead.

Jaein assumed the emergency at Han Sung-yoon’s home might still be unresolved, which explained the urgency. It seemed more practical to meet near Sung-yoon’s place.