Chapter Text
The first time Daehwi met him was in the school library.
It was so quiet, he could count the library’s visitors by hands. He sighed and proceeding to search the books he needed. Poems and literatures, translated novels and dictionaries of languages he didn’t really understand. Being sick for seven days and got a D for one of his exams made him stayed longer in school to do extra homeworks and lessons.
“Daehwi, you’re very smart, i don’t know why you get your A’s dropped to D like this, is this because that you got a fever for a week? Hmm...how about this...a set of homeworks finished everyday and placed on my desk for five days straight or summer classes for one or two weeks, your choice” , his teacher said.
Daehwi wanted to play at the beach, enjoying the warm sand and cool water on his feet, smashing watermelons with his friends, playing beach volleyball until dawn, eating lychee flavoured ice cream in the local beach store and many more. He didn’t want to attend summer class and miss any of those. So, he nodded passionately and promised his teacher that he would do any homeworks his teacher gave him for five days. It was only for five days, it wouldn’t be so bad, right?
Daehwi put all the books on his hands and he was trying to balance them until he got to his favourite table. He wanted to do his homeworks quickly and he wanted to do it in cool places, the library turned off their air conditioners in the evening because there were rarely students appeared. Marking seat near the windows, his eyes captured a student sat on the place he targeted.
That student sat on the chair beside the large window where summer breeze could pass through and dancing with the thin curtains. His appearance was rather bulky and there were evidences that he worked out. A lot. Because his muscles slightly bulking on the arms and the chest parts. He wore his headphones and his eyes were closed, fingers drumming rhythmically on the table as his right hand playing with a pen. A lot of papers and books splayed in front of him.
Daehwi blinked and huffed in annoyed manner.
Ah...my best spot...hmm...a senior? Is he doing his homeworks too?
Daehwi, a little rabbit that didn’t want to disturb the resting tiger, silently walked. He was placing his heavy books on the table with an ‘oof!’ when his eyes met with his senior’s piercing gazes. Eyes as sharps as damascus. And furrowed eyebrows that reminded him with angry bears. The younger wasn’t really sure but he saw an embroidered ‘KANG DONGHO’ on the guy’s uniform shirt. Daehwi gulped hard.
‘You just wake up a sleeping tiger!’
Daehwi’s brain was screaming and told him to get out of there fast. So he hold up all of the books and walked away as quickly as he could.
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.
.
Daehwi didn’t want to remember his last encounter with that senior. He looked like he could smashed Daehwi’s entire being just by looking at him for ten seconds. So, Daehwi went to the library early to avoid the tiger. He thanked God that his favourite spot was empty and he quickly sat and carefully placing his books. He counted the books and suddenly remembered that there was a book he forgot to search yesterday. Daehwi got up and walked to the reception desk to ask which shelf contained the book he needed.
“It should be on shelf 14D in row 7, please let me know if it’s not there.”
“Alright, thank you.”
The girl nodded and Daehwi made a little jog to the said shelf. He turned to 14th section and freezed when he saw a bulky guy with his back facing Daehwi, reading a book with one hand while his other hand holding several books.
‘It’s the tiger!!!’
Daehwi really wanted to run but he couldn’t because he was in quest to search of a book. With sweaty foreheads and big gulped, he walked really quietly to the D shelf, attempting to search for it as quick as Usain Bolt.
‘W-what was his name again...Daniel? N-no...Dongho? Oh my God, Daehwi, focus! Row 7...row 7...row 7...huh...wait...it’s not here, where is it?’
Daehwi’s silent question answered when he looked the book on the tiger’s idle hand. Daehwi just wanted to cry and told his teacher that he would review any books except the one in that tiger’s hand.
He didn’t know if it was his nearly-crying state’s fault or that bulky student had a wonderful instinct because his senior turned around and found frozen Daehwi behind him.
Daehwi looked like he would get an asthma soon because he was just muttering in fear.
“T-th...b-book..a..i-”.
His senior raised an eyebrow and walked towards the frightened rabbit. Daehwi felt like his feet glued to the floor. He couldn’t run and it was the worst. Then the best option was to close his eyes and pray.
‘Oh, God, h-he’s gonna hit me! Of course it would be scary to find a guy standing frozen behind his back, God, i haven’t tell my parents goodby-’
“Hey, you okay?”
‘H-huh?’
He still didn’t dare to open his eyes until a soft material touched his sweat-drenched and cold forehead.
“You’re sweating a lot, are you sick?”
A navy blue handkerchief swiped onto his forehead, from right to the left in really soft motion.
Slowly, he opened his eyes.
His eyes were welcomed by a handsome face. Scary but kind gazes and furrowed eyebrows in worry. A bit chapped but plump lips that letting out unheard questions and a faint smell of morning rain scented cologne that swirling around his nose. His strong and veiny hands didn’t stop wiping his forehead. Very, very softly.
“Hey, can you hear me?”
It snapped Daehwi from his la-la-land. He blinked repeatedly and gasped.
“I-i-m‘kay..b-b-book...i-i…”
He stuttered and he swore that his shirt was wet from sweat. Even worse, his sweats sliding freely to his cheeks.
“Hey, hey, slow down, breath.”
Unexpectedly, he swiped his handkerchief down to his cheek, so gentle and soft it made blood rushing to Daehwi’s face. His knees gave up and the younger’s butt almost hit the floor if his senior didn’t threw the books away and quick enough to catch him.
“Oi, oi, hey!”
Daehwi didn’t even know if it was the fear or embarrassment that made him knees went weak. Hell, he couldn’t even speak when he felt a pair of strong and hard hands hold on his body protectively.
“Damn, you scared me…i know that study is important, but your health is more important, y’know.”
Dongho sighed and shaking his head. Suddenly, he positioned Daehwi to his back and in a swift, he carried the younger on his back so easily, like Daehwi’s body made from feather.
Daehwi gasped and now the blood was rushing to his ears. Didn’t believe of what was going on.
“Let’s go to the infirmary first.”
His senior turned a bit to see Daehwi’s flustered face.
“Don’worry, i will accompany you to the library after you’re okay.”
The elder smiled softly and started to walk.
It was a surprise attack. A move that Daehwi couldn’t predict and God, have this guy looking on mirror when he was smiling? Because Daehwi was so sure that smile could cure the world from evil and apocalypse.
Daehwi didn’t think that he would felt something like this, felt like there was an invisible arrow pierced through his heart. Which he only saw those in romance genre of films or books.
With hammering heartbeats, he gave a late nod as a reply and grabbed his senior’s shirt tightly.
Dongho chuckled (how could a sound of chuckle can be that heavenly?) and it made his entire body shaking a bit.
“That's a late reply. Hold on, kay?”
Daehwi gulped again and buried his face on Dongho’s broad shoulders.
‘God, i love this tiger.”