Rindi sat on the chair and looked around the room curiously. What was supposed to be a quick bathroom break turned into being trapped in a foreign space. Rindi sighed and gently rubbed her face, and then the door, which seemed empty from the outside, opened from the inside. A white-skinned person, not too tall with chubby cheeks, emerged, furrowing his brow in confusion.

"Who?" he asked briefly.

Rindi reflexively stood up and bowed, remembering the different traditions in South Korea compared to Indonesia. With still awkward Korean on her lips, Rindi answered Stefano's question.

"Are you here because of Jay Hyung? Then where is he now?" Stefano asked again.

"That's what confuses me. He said he'd be back shortly after escorting me to the bathroom. Until now, he hasn't shown up, and my group from the campus will soon return," explained Rindi, observed with a nod by Stefano.

"Can I leave this room now? As far as I know, there's no more business with that person," Rindi continued.

Stefano seemed to be watching Rindi, himself puzzled as to why Jay had left her in his office. But if her group left this girl behind, it would be pitiful.

"Go before your group leaves you. I'll inform Jay Hyung later," Stefano replied.

Rindi's face changed to a smile, and she bowed several times, expressing gratitude to Stefano. She then hurriedly ran out of Stefano's office. She was genuinely worried about being left behind by her campus group. If that happened, she would have no idea how to get back.

Sometime later, Jay entered with two cups of coffee, having just come from the nearest Starbucks. He wanted to buy a drink for the new student he had just met as a gesture of apology. He was always careless and liked to change clothes randomly.

"Where is that girl, Fano_ya?" Jay asked, pointing to the now-empty sofa.

"She's gone, and by the way, where did Hyung go? She was waiting anxiously. So, who is she?" Stefano asked in succession.

Jay furrowed his brow even more at the barrage of questions.

"Are you asking or interrogating? I don't know who she is, but she accidentally wandered into this room. So, I helped her a bit and bought her a drink. That's why I told her to sit here for a while," Jay explained to Stefano.

Stefano simply nodded after receiving the explanation from Jay. He then busied himself with his phone, dealing with his mother's constant pressure for him to get married.

*** 6 months later ***

Nana tidied up her scattered books on the table while Rindi was beside her, putting away the books used for note-taking. Nana sighed heavily and then looked at Rindi with a spoiled expression.

"Accompany me to the mall for a moment. There's something I need to buy for the final project practice later," Nana requested, slightly pouting.

Rindi smiled and nodded slowly.

"But stop by the dorm for a moment. There's something I need to pick up," Rindi added.

Nana looked delighted, and then she raised both thumbs in agreement.

Rindi and Nana wandered around the mall to buy equipment for their practice. Rindi also ended up buying some things she needed. Nana looked anxious and patted Rindi's shoulder gently.

"Hey! I'm going to the toilet first. Please wait for me at the food court," Nana said, pointing to the nearby food court. Without waiting for approval from Rindi, Nana quickly went to the restroom.

Rindi followed Nana's instructions and waited for her at the food court while sipping coffee. Rindi's gaze wandered in all directions as she observed the surroundings without realising that someone was sitting in front of her now.

"Annyeong!" the man said, and Rindi instantly recognised his face.

"Oh..." Rindi reflexively stood up and bowed slightly. She smiled and sat back down. Jay also stood up and looked awkward, as Rindi was exceptionally polite.

"Just relax with me. My name is Jay Aaron. We haven't been introduced, right?" Jay said, offering his hand to Rindi. While smiling, Rindi shook Jay's hand and mentioned her name.

"Aren't you Korean? Your language sounds funny," Jay commented, and Rindi nodded slightly.

"I'm from Indonesia. I've been a student in Korea for six months. I apologise if my language sounds a bit awkward," explained Rindi.

Jay chuckled and then moved his hand to signal that it was okay. "No need to apologise; I was just asking. Are you here alone?" Jay asked again.

Before Rindi could answer Jay's question, Stefano's voice made Rindi look up, and her gaze didn't shift from Fano.

"Who is she, Hyung?" Stefano asked, pointing to Rindi.

"Do you forget? She's the girl who entered your studio, and her name is Rindi," Jay introduced Rindi to Stefano.

Rindi bowed her head to greet Stefano, while Fano himself only responded with a slight smile.

"Let's go home; the others are waiting for us," Stefano said.

Jin snorted, staring irritated at Stefano just when he was about to chat with Rindi. Jay was slightly intrigued by Rindi's politeness and gentleness.

"Sit here first." Jay immediately pulled Stefano's hand to sit next to him. Stefano grunted in annoyance because Jay always managed to make him do things he didn't like.

"This is Stefano Chan, my partner in everything," Jay explained, introducing Stefano, who could only smile thinly in agreement.

Rindi looked at Stefano, whose facial expression differed completely from Jay's. Fano looked so cute even though his eyes were icy. His thin smile looked charming.

"Rin? Hello..." Jay's hand moved before Rindi, who kept staring at Fano. Not because she was fascinated, but why didn't Stefano's face change at all from 6 months ago? He looked even younger now. Rindi blinked and then smiled awkwardly at Jay.

"Sorry," Rindi said briefly, then lowered her gaze. Jay chuckled softly, and Stefano looked puzzled at Rindi.

They finally chatted while waiting for Nana, who knows where she went. The four of them left the mall together, Stefano walking in front, feeling annoyed with Jay now. Not because of anything, but Jay rarely talked for so long with a woman. Especially someone they just met. It was strange.

"I'm going first; it seems Fano is starting to get tired. Soon, he will nag at high speed if he starts to get annoyed," Jay explained, receiving a nod from Rindi.

Jay ran to catch up with Stefano's steps while Rindi stared at Jay's back. Nana nudged Rindi and looked at her mockingly.

"They're already far away; don't keep staring. You might bore holes in their backs," teased Nana.

Rindi laughed softly and then lightly hit Nana's arm; she felt embarrassed for being caught staring at Stefano.

*** Winter vacation finally came ***

Rindi was confused about what to do during

The vacation. She needed to become more familiar with the Seoul area and didn't know many people either. For the past two days, Rindi had been confined to her dorm room, spending her time on futile tasks. The ringing of her phone finally made Rindi move from her reclining position. Rindi grabbed her phone with Jay's name displayed on it. Somehow, after meeting a few times, they started communicating more often.

"Yeah," Rindi answered Jay's call.

"Are you busy? Can you come here? I just moved, so there's a small celebration. Also, bring Nana along," Jay said.

As usual, Jay was always straight to the point when talking; he never engaged in small talk. That may be why Jay became successful at a young age.

"What's the address? I am still determining the directions here. I'm still confused," Rindi honestly admitted.

Rindi chose to admit it at the beginning rather than later, causing trouble if she got lost. Laughter could be heard from Jay, and Rindi's face turned red with embarrassment even though Jay wasn't in front of her right now.

"Sherlock, where are you now? Hey!" Jay said after finishing his laughter.

Rindi agreed, and their phone connection was cut off. Rindi sent her location to Jay. After that, Rindi went to take a shower. Finally, she left the dorm and didn't spend time in this cramped room.

Rindi straightened her blouse. Not understanding fashion and having a petite stature, she chose jeans and a peach-coloured blouse. Rindi, who was already beautiful, looked even more stunning.

Ding...

Rindi's phone vibrated, and she quickly opened it. She was waiting for Nana now, and she believed the incoming message was from her. Rindi sighed, and her shoulders suddenly drooped. Nana couldn't join because her parents had just arrived from the village. Rindi walked slowly out of the dorm gate; she had to learn to be independent today. Rindi had walked away from the dorm gate when a black Hyundai Palisade behind her honked. Rindi turned around and furrowed her brow in confusion.

"Whose car is that?" Rindi wondered aloud.

Someone then came out of the car wearing all black and a black hat. Rindi herself was amazed to see the charismatic man in front of her, even though his jeans were torn in many places.

"Stefano?" Rindi whispered, surprised to see the quiet guy in front of her dorm now.

***