Cold | Yoo Jaeyi x Woo Seulgi (FriendlyRivalry)

NOTE: This part would be a recollection of Seulgi & Jaeyi's High School moments lol.

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A sudden thud, followed by the sharp crunch of plastic, shattered the quiet buzz of the classroom.

All eyes turned—Jaeyi's included—toward the chaos unfolding at the back. A yellow luggage lay open, its contents spilled across the cold floor. Clothes tangled with notebooks, a toothbrush rolled to a stop.

Then a hiss, a breath sucked between teeth. A girl crouched low, frantically stuffing everything back inside the suitcase with trembling fingers, as if trying to erase her own existence.

Jaeyi stood, not rushed—but drawn.

She approached slowly, each step deliberate. Not helping, not speaking. Just watching.

One item among the clutter caught her eye.

She bent down. Fingers brushed metal. A pendant.

Simple. Familiar.

Korean University.

Her gaze lingered on the charm. Her memory stirred, shadows of a moment long buried pushing toward the surface. Where had she seen this before?

Just as the recollection began to sharpen, a voice cut through the haze—low, firm, yet cautious.

"Give it back to me."

No name. No introduction. Just that.

Jaeyi didn't respond. Not immediately. She only extended her hand, slowly, intentionally. Letting her fingers graze the girl's palm as she returned the pendant.

She watched, fascinated, as the girl visibly swallowed.

Nervous. Curious. A little afraid.

 Interesting.

Jaeyi turned, surveyed the room. But her peripheral stayed locked on the girl now retreating into the far-left corner, head bowed, lips pressed tight.

There was an empty seat beside her.

The class still buzzed with whispers and glances, the way bees swarm sugar. Jaeyi pretended to deliberate, drifting lazily between desks like a cat in unfamiliar territory.

But she had known her choice the moment she saw her.

Woo Seulgi.

The name etched itself across Jaeyi's mind like a secret to be studied, peeled, and understood. Maybe even collected.

She made one slow, unnecessary lap. Then, finally, she set her backpack down beside the girl. Sat. Unbothered by the stares or the silence that fell like dust.

Then, she turned to her new seatmate—who flinched ever so slightly under the weight of her gaze.

"Hi, I'm—"

"Yoo Jaeyi. I know who you are."

That voice again. Sharp. Guarded. Like a blade drawn halfway from its sheath.

Jaeyi's smile widened, not because she was amused—but because something inside her clicked. She should've snapped back. According to her book, written and read by everyone at Chaewa High School, but she didn't. She just observed. Fascinated.

Two seats ahead, Choi Kyung let out a quiet snort, lips quirking in disbelief. "Pft. She's doing it again," she muttered, shaking her head. "New year, new game."