Chapter 2
The first group meeting took place at a long table in the furthest corner of the coffee shop. The bitter aroma of dark coffee beans did little to relieve the subtle tension humming among the four of them.
Seonghyeon spread the preliminary sketches across the table, pushing his glasses up his nose as he reviewed the checklist with precise efficiency. "We have four weeks for the integrated space design project. James and I have already finalized the initial structural framework-"
"Hold on," Juhoon cut in, without a trace of hesitation. He slid his laptop toward the center of the table, displaying a vastly different 3D render. "That structural framework is far too safe and outdated. If we go with my proposal, this angled span structure will make the entire building the undeniable centerpiece of the competition."
Keonho cleared his throat nervously, nudging Juhoon's shoulder. "Hey... take it easy, man."
"It's not a bad idea," Seonghyeon frowned, his expression darkening at the sophomore's interruption. "But that slope exceeds safety load-bearing standards. We're not making exhibition models here; we're designing a real-world project."
"How do you know it won't hold if you haven't even tried?" Juhoon smirked, his provocative gaze brushing past Seonghyeon before settling squarely on the upperclassman sitting directly across from him-James. "Or are you seniors just so used to playing it safe that you're afraid of taking risks?"
An oppressive silence fell over the table. Keonho swallowed hard, hastily waving his hands with an awkward laugh. "What he means is... we could be a little flexible, right, Senior?" But Seonghyeon merely offered Keonho a cold glare that instantly silenced him.
Throughout the argument, James maintained absolute silence. His slender hands idly twirled a fountain pen as his calm eyes carefully traced every line of Juhoon's design.
That quiet indifference made Juhoon's blood begin to boil. Leaning forward with his hands planted on the table, he lowered his voice, his tone dripping with provocation: "Senior James, don't you have anything to say? Or do you find my design beyond your control?"
Only then did James slowly raise his head. He appeared neither angry nor flustered. His sharp, composed gaze locked onto Juhoon's eyes, which burned with a desperate need to prove himself.
James set his pen down on the wooden table with a sharp, clean clack.
"It's a beautiful drawing, Juhoon," James said calmly, his voice steady and measured. "But you drew this with your ego, not as an architect. This curve of yours looks striking, but it will collapse the entire foundation underneath."
He pushed the laptop back toward Juhoon and leaned back in his chair, his eyes cold and unyielding:
"In my projects, baseless extravagance is nothing more than a dangerous flaw. Recalculate the load-bearing figures. If you bring this same ego to our next meeting, I will drop your name from the group."
The meeting ended on a grim note. Seonghyeon packed up his papers and left promptly with James, throwing a warning glance at the two younger students before walking out. Keonho let out a long sigh, slumping back against his chair.
"I warned you, Juhoon. James isn't like those professors who pamper your genius. He's ruthlessly practical."
Juhoon didn't answer. His fingers gripped the edge of his laptop so tightly that his knuckles turned white. He couldn't accept that a design he had poured his entire night into was dismissed so casually as a "dangerous flaw."
"Head back first," Juhoon muttered, his voice raspy.
"Huh? What about you?" Keonho frowned.
"I have something to take care of."
Without giving Keonho a chance to ask further, Juhoon slammed his laptop shut, stood up abruptly, and marched out of the café.
Late autumn dusk settled in, and night fog began to blanket the streets surrounding the campus. Juhoon's heavy footsteps echoed down the empty hallways of the Architecture building. He knew James hadn't left yet-the senior had a habit of staying late in the shared workshop.
Bang!
The heavy wooden door of the workshop burst open without warning.
James stood by a large workbench, holding a metallic caliper in his hand. He didn't flinch at the loud intrusion, merely turning around with deliberate composure. The harsh white fluorescent light from the hallway spilled inside, illuminating Juhoon's sharp features and impatient gaze.
"Don't you know how to knock, Juhoon?" James asked smoothly, setting the caliper aside.
Juhoon walked straight toward the workbench, closing the distance between them with long, aggressive strides. Standing directly opposite James, Juhoon's taller frame cast a long shadow over the smaller senior.
"You did that on purpose, didn't you?" Juhoon lowered his voice, the restraint he had maintained all afternoon finally fracturing. "You intentionally threw out my design just because you don't like my attitude?"
James looked up. Though standing a head shorter, his posture remained perfectly straight, and the deep composure in his eyes shifted the balance of power entirely back to him.
"I don't make decisions based on personal feelings," James replied unhurriedly, crossing his arms over his chest. "I discarded it because it's structurally unsound. Do you want the truth, or do you just want me to stroke your pride?"
"Structurally unsound?" Juhoon let out a bitter laugh, leaning both hands on the edge of the workbench to bring his face closer to James's. "I calculated that tilt a dozen times. It can easily hold if we reinforce it with a steel load-bearing frame. You didn't even look at my structural calculations!"
"I don't need your calculations to tell me whether a design works," James didn't back down an inch, despite the mere inches separating their faces. His gaze swept over the sophomore's eyes, which burned with suppressed resentment. "You create solely so others will marvel at you. You crave to hear the name 'Kim Juhoon' called out at every award ceremony. But architecture isn't a stage for your solo performance."
Every word James uttered fell like a cold blade, cutting straight through the fragile pride Juhoon had built so fiercely.
Juhoon felt a lump in his throat, his chest heaving with fury. He clenched his hands into fists, torn between wanting to shatter that infuriating calm on James's face and screaming out to force the man to acknowledge him.
"Revise the proposal according to the parameters I sent," James turned his back, picking the caliper up once more, his final words delivered in a tone ice-cold and final: "Or walk away from the team. I won't say it a second time."
The workshop fell into a suffocating silence. Juhoon stood frozen in place, his eyes locked onto James's small yet immovable back. For the first time in his life, the name Juhoon brought him no sense of victory-only the bitter taste of being completely dismissed.
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