D For Dirty

Episode 1 Part 2

“Ahn Se-jeong.”

As Se-jeong quickly passed him and climbed the stairs, she heard his uneasy voice from behind.

“Where are you going before I finish speaking?”

She found his bossy attitude amusing and couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Turning her head sharply, she looked directly at him. The stairs were narrow, but it annoyed her slightly that she wasn’t much taller than him even after climbing two steps.

Her well-groomed hair, tied high above the crown of her head and pulled tight to reveal her forehead, swayed gently in the spring breeze.

“I have nothing to say to someone who doesn’t know the basics. Stop wasting my time and go your own way.”

Se-jeong didn’t know why Do Ji-hoon kept picking on her, but one thing was certain: she didn’t have time for meaningless arguments on the street.

“Basics?”

Ji-hoon smirked, raising one corner of his mouth. His sharp eyes narrowed as if he was contemplating hitting her. But Se-jeong wasn’t afraid. They were on a college campus, and people passing by had already started glancing at their clash.

She hadn’t heard of him hitting anyone before, but even if she were the first, she wouldn’t mind. If it happened, she’d cause a scene and demand a hefty settlement. She looked at him pitifully and spoke calmly, like a teacher addressing a student.

“I’ll teach you since you seem clueless.”

“What?”

“The most basic apology is just two words: ‘I’m sorry.’ Didn’t you learn that in kindergarten?”

Ji-hoon raised his eyebrows at her mocking laughter, clearly irritated.

“If you treat me like this, you’ll regret it later.”

“Regret?”

This time, it was Se-jeong who mocked him. Ji-hoon tilted his head, smirking.

“Yeah. When you’re crying and begging for forgiveness with tears and a runny nose, it’ll be too late.”

Se-jeong burst into laughter at his childish threat.

“You’re delusional.”

Her phone rang, interrupting the moment. It was her private tutoring student, flustered after their earlier call had been disconnected.

“That will never happen, so don’t worry about it,” she said, brushing past Ji-hoon as she answered the call.

“Yeah, sorry. I just stepped on some dog poop.”

Without sparing him another glance, she ran up the stairs. Ji-hoon turned his head, watching her retreating figure. Her long hair swayed side to side, almost taunting him.

—

“Do Ji-hoon just turned into a piece of shit.”

“Hey, you little punk!” Ji-hoon shouted, throwing a sharp curse at Kim Tae-hwan, who was hiding behind a nearby bench, giggling.

Tae-hwan shrugged, feigning innocence.

“I told you to just buy her food and talk normally, not to act like that.”

Ji-hoon growled, clearly annoyed.

“And you thought that would work?”

“Of course! Picking up her book, handing it to her while cherry blossoms fall—romantic, right? You ruined it.”

Ji-hoon ignored him, stomping down the stairs with a heated expression. Tae-hwan followed, shaking his head.

“You’re impossible to be loved.”

—

Later, as Ji-hoon drove furiously through the city in his sports car, Tae-hwan sighed. “Why do you even like her?”

“When did I say I liked her?” Ji-hoon snapped, speeding up.

“Then what is it?”

“I want to win her over, chew her out, and—” Ji-hoon trailed off, frustrated.

Tae-hwan shook his head. “You’re hopeless. She’s way out of your league.”

—

Meanwhile, with Se-jeong

Se-jeong sat on a bench, arms crossed, listening to Tae-hwan’s explanation about Ji-hoon.

“Do Ji-hoon likes you,” Tae-hwan began.

She frowned. “Why are you telling me this?”

“Because he’s a mess when it comes to people, but he really tried to talk to you yesterday.”

“Why should I care?”

Tae-hwan sighed. “Look, Ji-hoon’s upbringing was… complicated. He grew up in a cutthroat environment where everything was a transaction. That’s why he acts like this.”

Se-jeong listened quietly but remained skeptical.

“So, what? That doesn’t excuse his behavior.”

Tae-hwan shrugged. “I just thought you should know. He’s clumsy, but he’s not a bad guy.”

Se-jeong checked her watch and stood up.

“I’m not interested. Thanks for wasting my time.”

As she walked away, she couldn’t help but replay Tae-hwan’s words in her mind. Ji-hoon’s behavior might have an explanation, but it didn’t justify his actions. To her, he was still just an arrogant jerk.

—