Yelsulin International University, one of the most prestigious schools in the Starfall City—the crown jewel of wealth and privilege. Earning a scholarship here wasn't just about academic excellence. It was about surviving the cutthroat competition and hoping the children of the elite decided you were worth enough to be allowed in.

Duyen had met every requirement, every sacrifice, to finish her four years at Yelsulin. Yet, as graduation day loomed, there was still something heavy sitting in her chest.

"You're insane, you know that!?"

The shrill voice belonged to a pretty girl with pale skin and cheeks flushed red with frustration. She trailed closely behind a much larger, clunkier girl who looked more like a walking Rubik's cube in her flannel shirt than a college student. The contrast was ridiculous—but striking.

The so-called "Rubik's Cube" gazed off into the distance, past the steel fence that separated the plaza from the tennis court. Nayeon followed her gaze and immediately frowned.

"Oh no. Don't you dare look over there again."

She flared up, grabbing her friend by the shoulders.

"FIRST THING IN THE MORNING?! I told you to be rational, and here you are, still in dreamland!"

She forced Duyen to meet her eyes.

"Let me remind you—Kamakiri Mina is engaged to Valko!"

Duyen blinked. Her eyes flickered for a moment. "…You heard about that?"

"Duyen… So you knew. And you're still going to do something this stupid?"

Nayeon sighed deeply. "I'm just trying to protect your dignity, okay? Graduation is tomorrow."

But Duyen didn't respond. Her gaze drifted back to Mina—the girl at the center of it all. Dressed in a soft ivory tennis outfit, her wine-red hair gleaming under the sun, she smiled and laughed with her famous group of friends. She looked like someone pulled straight from a high-fashion magazine—gorgeous, delicate, untouchably elegant. She wasn't just the school's sweetheart; she was Yelsulin's reigning beauty queen. And academically, she ranked second in the entire university—right behind Duyen.

But the principal only ever called Mina and Valko up to the stage, parading them as Yelsulin's proud golden couple. The real valedictorian? Just a silent girl in the back row.

On the other side of the net stood Valko—tall, charming, with swept-back black hair. The heir to a Taiwanese telecom empire. The rumors said he and Mina would tie the knot right after graduation.

Ignoring the squealing fangirls by the fence, Valko jogged over with a towel in hand and offered it to Mina. The gesture looked so sweet, so intimate, it was hard to believe the rumors weren't true.

"Look at them! Rich kids being dramatic first thing in the morning. Ugh." Nayeon clapped her hands in front of Duyen's face.

"Stop staring at her like that, dummy!"

"…But she's so beautiful," Duyen murmured, grinning like a fool.

Nayeon groaned. It was hopeless.

For all her awkwardness and bad fashion sense, Duyen was the smartest student in the school. And still, in that moment, she was a complete fool.

"Seriously, Duyen. Even though I—your cute internet-famous bestie—am sitting right next to you—"

"Who? You? Since when are you famous?"

"That's not the point!"

Nayeon's cheeks flushed.

"Just promise me you won't confess, okay? You don't even know what people are saying about you. They're calling you Valko's creepy stalker now!"

"Ew," Duyen grimaced. "Seriously?"

"Who do you think started the rumor, huh? Valko himself!"

"No way… He seemed nice."

"You really can't tell what people are like, can you?"

Nayeon ruffled Duyen's curly hair in mock annoyance. But even her soft gestures went unnoticed. Duyen's mind was elsewhere—again.

They sat together under the hot summer sun, eating lunch while the tennis match wrapped up. Mina wiped the sweat from her forehead, looking as radiant as ever. Her eyes scanned the crowd—and, for a brief second, locked with Duyen's.

"Mina? What's wrong?" Valko asked. She quickly looked away.

"My mom and your mom met today. They're probably talking about our wedding already!" he said, clearly thrilled.

"I... That's great, I guess," Mina replied with a stiff smile, grabbing a bottle of water and walking off as Valko trailed behind her like a lovesick puppy.

Duyen saw it all. Even though her expression stayed neutral, her heart ached.

"There she goes. You're not seriously still planning to—hey!" Nayeon reached for her but Duyen was already moving.

"God, Duyen… You weren't like this when we were kids…"

Nayeon could only watch her best friend walk away—toward someone who would never look back.

---

That afternoon—their last at Yelsulin—Duyen waited. Her heart pounded as thunderclouds loomed. She had forgotten her umbrella, but that didn't matter. All she cared about now was whether Mina would come.

Or maybe she wouldn't. Maybe she'd read the letter out loud to her friends. Maybe she'd laugh. Maybe she'd hate her. The possibilities made Duyen's knees shake.

Run, her mind screamed. Run before you ruin everything.

But she stood her ground.

Finally, the echo of high heels broke the silence.

Mina appeared in a pale yellow dress, stunning as ever—like a weather anchor goddess. She held the letter in one hand, her expression unreadable.

"You're... Duyen?"

"I'm the one who sent the letter. I-I'm sorry if it bothered you!"

Duyen bowed low, trembling.

"Ah, it's okay," Mina said softly. "Can you look at me?"

Duyen lifted her head, slowly.

From this close, Mina was even more surreal. Her skin was flawless. Her nose perfectly straight. Her lips—

Stop staring! Say something!

"I've actually... liked you since the first year—"

"You have really beautiful eyes," Mina said suddenly.

Duyen froze. Did she just—?

But Mina didn't repeat it. She just gave a shy smile. "I read your letter…"

Duyen nodded, trying not to panic. "Yeah… I just wanted to tell you. I've liked you since our first semester. I don't expect anything, I just—"

"I remember you, Duyen. You sat a few rows behind me. You helped me with group work… You were always there."

Duyen's face flushed red.

"But… you know about Valko and me," Mina said gently.

"I know…"

Silence fell again. Mina's eyes were full of unspoken things. But her answer was clear.

It started to rain.

Duyen didn't care. She walked slowly away from the school, soaked to the bone. Even someone as big as her felt like she could be blown away by the wind.

Then someone ran up behind her.

The rain stopped falling on her—for a moment.

It was the last person she wanted to see.

Fan girls squealed on the sidelines.

"OMG, Valko is so kind! Look, he's giving her his umbrella!"

"He's so forgiving—even after she stalked him!"

Valko just smiled, smug and gleaming.

"You forgot your umbrella, didn't you?" he said sweetly, handing her his.

Then he leaned in.

"Know your place. A filthy mutt like you? You'll never be good enough for her."

Duyen stared, stunned. Valko laughed and shoved the umbrella into her hand.

It slipped from her fingers, splashing into a puddle. Valko walked off toward his convertible, proud and untouchable.

Behind her, Nayeon came running.

"Duyen! Are you okay? What happened with Mina?"

She wrapped her arms around Duyen to shield her from the rain.

"Come on, you'll get sick!"

But Duyen broke free—and ran.

"Duyen!! Please don't go!!"

---

The next day—graduation.

Nayeon waited. And waited.

She called Duyen dozens of times.

Someone tried to take the seat next to her.

"Sorry," she said. "That's my friend's seat."

"Where is she?"

"She's… just in the bathroom."

The man shrugged and left.

Nayeon sighed and placed her purse on Duyen's seat, holding onto hope.

Mina, sitting in the front row, looked around nervously.

Her friend Dao leaned over.

"Mina? Looking for someone?"

"Just... a tall girl in our class. Hoodie girl."

"Oh, that pig? The one who stalked Valko? I don't even know her name."

"She's not a pig," Mina whispered.

She looked up at the stage—but her heart wasn't in it.

---

Elsewhere, in a quiet courtroom, a judge signed the final papers on a divorce.

Duyen and her father walked out, exhausted.

"I'm sorry, Duyen," her father said. "You should've been at your graduation."

"It's okay, Dad," she smiled faintly. "I don't like crowds anyway."

He put a firm hand on her shoulder.

"It's just us now. We'll get through this, together."

"…Yeah."

Duyen smiled again—but there was no life left in her eyes.

They walked away from the courthouse, into an uncertain future.