Chapter Text
The library was enormous, with a vintage design that gave quite a mysterious vibe, as if it was a frequent place to be visited by some kind of mythical creatures. The mahogany tables, the tall shelves, the certain quietness the air brought—if a ghost ended up lurking around Kyujin wouldn’t be too surprised.
But still, it gave peace for Kyujin whenever she wanted to study. She liked the way sunlight fell through the glass, the occasional rustling of papers and pens from students around, the hushed conversation between the shelves. Her favourite spot was the table near the glass windowpane, where she could see the park outside if her eyes were tired from staring into the laptop screen.
Also,
Kyujin noticed something.
Or rather someone.
A brunette, probably around her age, who always frequents a seat right at the table beside hers. There was nothing special about that girl. She’s probably just an ordinary college girl trying to study. Her clothes weren’t flashy either, sometimes an oversized hoodie, flannels and on rare days probably a blouse and a pretty skirt. But still, Kyujin couldn’t help but notice her presence.
Kyujin would come here on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, around 5pm where she had finished class just to finish her assignment or to study what she had learned at the class prior, always the same spot. And she would notice the brunette already at her usual seat, sometimes holding a fountain pen and a book, sometimes glaring at the laptop screen whilst taking an occasional sip of her drink, sometimes burying her face into the thick books like the word was ending.
Sure, she noticed other people too.
The glasses guy with the hoodie always got stressed over his blueprints, the red-haired woman always reading at the lounge chair or the tall blond guy who always came here just because of his girlfriend. But still, her gaze ended up drifting longer to the brunette, without her knowing why.
At first it was nothing. Well, nothing literally happened. No eye contact, no polite greets, not even once an acknowledgement of each other's presence.
And yet, Kyujin noticed more things than she’d like to admit.
Okay, she wasn’t a stalker. She just…noticed.
(Maybe this was why people say ignorance is bliss.)
When the sun started to set, the library was bathed in a golden glow. Kyujin’s gaze accidentally drifted to the side that one time and there, her eyes landed on the brunette. The brunette had her hair tied up in a high ponytail, perfectly showcasing her side profile, cute nose and thin lips. She was clad in a white shirt and oversized black hoodie, paired with loose short pants and yet, Kyujin couldn’t take her eyes off her.
The sunset gently bathed her side profile, making her appear breathtaking. Even her usual dark eyes glimmered brown from the light. And when she parted her lips slightly whenever she got too focused with her book, Kyujin realised that she had been staring.
Averting her gaze downwards to the screen of her laptop instead, Kyujin forced herself to focus, all while trying to ignore the heat all over her face. She pressed the back of her hand against her cheek, sighing in defeat upon realising she was blushing profusely just because of that.
That was one time.
She just thought it wouldn’t happen again.
Oh God forbid a girl to hope.
The next time it happened was when she accidentally dropped her pen to her side. When she retrieved it, her eyes accidentally landed on the brunette. The books were scattered around and the laptop had a study playlist on display. But the brunette had her chin propped up in the palm of her hand, eyes closed.
Kyujin blinked.
How tired was she to the point she accidentally slept while studying? In that uncomfortable position much less?
But then the brunette slightly frowned. Kyujin realised that the sunlight had directly hit the brunette. She sat up straight, slowly angled her body in a way that she could block the sunlight from reaching the brunette.
Kyujin couldn’t help the slight smile on her lips when she managed to cover Jiwoo from the sun.
She ended up leaning close to the table, one hand propping the side of her head as she did her work. She hadn’t registered anything just yet, only when she felt her waist slightly ache from her posture that she finally realised the weight of her intention.
Kyujin, the one who was always mindful of her posture, ended up hurting her waist for just a stranger.
That surely sounded odd especially for those who knew Kyujin.
It may seem like a simple gesture, but it reflected more than she’d like to admit. Kyujin had always taken care of herself. She would try to stick to her routine whenever she could; when she woke up, what kind of food she ate, and the exercise routine that she usually did.
And yet she yielded easily just by the mere presence of the brunette. As easy as that.
She was brought back to reality when the brunette’s chin slipped off her palm. Out of reflex, Kyujin almost slid off her seat to stop the brunette from colliding with the table, ignoring the fact that they were at least three feet away. But she didn’t. She was glad she didn’t.
Because the brunette suddenly woke up at the sudden jolt of movement.
Kyujin diverted her attention to her books instead, feeling stupid for being easily affected by a stranger. A pretty stranger. But still a stranger nonetheless.
Then Kyujin started to wonder about a lot of things.
She wondered when the brunette would go home because Kyujin was always the one to leave first. She wanted to know the brunette’s name, why she was always alone, what was her life outside of this…place. The brunette seemed like a laidback person, unfazed by anything in her way. She wondered whether they would even cross paths outside. Or maybe they were never meant to meet at all.
Maybe Kyujin was never meant to encounter the brunette after all. Just simply admiring from afar, hovering around her orbit and never crossing paths.
That’s quite tragic if she would think about it.
Also, Kyujin also noticed a lot more things about the brunette.
From how the brunette would have an iced americano, how her clothes would be more street style and gender-neutral look on most days, how she would mumble by herself whenever she’s frustrated. But that was not all. Kyujin also noticed the brunette’s serene expression once she locked in, her small hum when she sipped her coffee and the little dance she did whenever she finished a task. Those little things about her shouldn’t be noticed by another stranger, and yet Kyujin still did.
It went to the point Kyujin felt like she was crossing the line she shouldn’t be crossing for some kind of a mere stranger.
A stranger shouldn’t notice too much. Shouldn’t pay attention too much. Shouldn’t care too much.
And that was so unlike Kyujin. The Kyujin that people knew never cared about these kinds of things. She noticed the small things, sure, but only for people close to her. Never for a stranger.
There was always a line between politeness and caring.
And it was a line that should be well distinguished.
Kyujin had no problem doing that before.
She just wondered why she couldn’t this time.
***
“You’re distracted.” Lily had commented that one time when she tagged along with Kyujin to study at the library, a pen was pressed against her chin.
Kyujin didn’t say anything, simply removing her gaze from the brunette and back to her laptop. Lily glanced to the side, noticing the brunette who was lightly bopping her head to the music from her headphones whilst scribbling something in her book.
Then Lily looked at Kyujin.
“Do you know her?”
Kyujin shook her head. Lily bit her lip, clearly pondering. Kyujin pressed her lips into a thin line, knowing that Lily was curious as to why she was stealing glances at the brunette.
“Do you want me to ask for her name?”
Kyujin shook her head first without registering those words, fingers already clicking the keyboard but then stopped, belatedly realised what Lily had truly meant.
“Wait unnie—”
Too late.
Lily was already at the other table, standing close to the brunette who somehow had her headphones dangling on her neck as she tilted her head up to meet Lily’s gaze.
Oh, shoot. Lily unnie was serious.
She covered her face with both of her hands, not once removing them away even when she felt Lily returning to her seat.
“Her name’s Jiwoo!” Lily chirped happily. “She’s from a neighbouring university.”
Kyujin subtly groaned against her hands. Embarrassment painted her whole face crimson. Her focus was long thrown out of the window the moment Lily decided to do that.
“What else did you say unnie?” She couldn’t help the accusation tone in her voice, feeling slightly sceptical considering Lily was quite an extrovert that she wouldn’t have any problem embarrassing herself or people around her in front of strangers.
Lily wouldn’t say anything weird about Kyujin to Jiwoo right?
“I just asked her name.”
Kyujin narrowed her eyes at the indifference in Lily’s tone.
“Is that all?”
“Yeah.”
Hm, that might be true then. Lily was never the type who could lie. It was painfully obvious if she ever tried to lie.
Kyujin stole a glance to the side, noting that Jiwoo didn’t bother to wear the headphones again, only focusing on her book whilst twirling mindlessly the pen in her hand. Kyujin’s gaze naturally landed on Jiwoo’s fingers. Kyujin never knew her fingers were long and thin. And with those visible veins…
Jiwoo had pretty hands.
Jiwoo.
Kyujin could finally put a name to her face.
Somehow she felt closer just by the mere name.
***
A week passed. Then a month. Before she knew it, Winter was approaching. Kyujin’s clothes went from a simple tank top with loose outerwear and jeans to knitted sweater and warmer coats. Her routine changed a bit; a cup of peach tea between her morning classes, and an extra hour at the library because the assignment due was getting closer.
People changed too.
The usual guy at the corner no longer frequented the spot, the woman five tables away no longer came and the sweet blonde guy who was the usual librarian had changed to a tall, bored guy instead. The weather was getting colder and Kyujin was wrapped in a beanie and a scarf enough to engulf half of her face.
And yet.
Jiwoo was there. Except this time she seemed overly stressed as days passed by. Her stance no longer relaxed, shoulders hunched and eyebrows furrowed. Even the hot americano on the table was left abandoned until it went cold by the passing time. Jiwoo would also sometimes grumble under her breath, looking more distressed if anything.
To say Kyujin wasn’t curious would be an understatement. She’d never seen Jiwoo this rigid, concern could be one’s initial response upon seeing.
But Kyujin knew her place.
Well, let’s not waste any time concerning another stranger shall we?
But still, Kyujin couldn’t help but be worried when Jiwoo didn’t even come to the library the next day. She waited for one hour. Then it turned into two hours.
Four hours and still, the table beside her was empty.
Kyujin went home looking like a dejected puppy that day.
As it turned out, Jiwoo didn’t come to the library for two weeks. And Kyujin had been lowkey devastated since.
Was Jiwoo getting tired studying here? Did she perhaps find another place she could study? Or was she possibly uncomfortable with Kyujin?
The last thought made her shiver.
Was she way too blatant?
Oh no.
Jiwoo must have thought she was a stalker.
She really couldn’t live her life if Jiwoo ever felt like that.
Kyujin banged her head against the vending machine, not because the machine was broken, but rather because of the possibility of Jiwoo running away because of her.
How pathetic did that sound?
Veeeery—
“Are you okay?”
An unfamiliar husky voice behind her made her flinch in surprise. She dropped her purse, smacking right onto the floor with an ugly splat. She turned around swiftly, her beanie almost flew off her head.
Her brain went into a mush almost instantly. The words died in her throat.
Because right in front of her was none other than Jiwoo clad in a sweater and coat that made her twice adorable. And what’s baffled Kyujin was the fact that Jiwoo was actually shorter than her, so the latter had to tilt her head in order to have a proper eye contact with Kyujin.
Oh gosh, that was adorable.
Kyujin pressed her lips into a thin line, feeling a rush of cuteness aggression.
Jiwoo raised her eyebrows. Her eyes appeared rounder in confusion.
That’s when Kyujin realised she hadn't answered Jiwoo yet.
“Ah!” She stood there for a solid three seconds before taking a large stride to the side. “Sorry, you must have wanted to use the machine right?”
A hesitation flashed across Jiwoo’s face. It was as if there was something else she wanted to say but she’s wary whether she should verbalize it out or not.
“Your head…is your head okay?”
“Huh?” Kyujin touched her head, then realised that she bumped it against the machine earlier. “Oh, yeah. It’s just a—yup, nothing to be worried about.”
If anything, Jiwoo didn’t look convinced.
“But it’s getting red.”
Ah shoot.
This is her first impression of you, Kyujin. How stupid can you be?
“It doesn’t hurt at all.” Kyujin ran her hand through her hair, attempting to smile in hope it came out natural and at least attractive. Though she doubted Jiwoo was ever capable of thinking that in a situation like this. “Don’t worry.”
Silence took over.
Kyujin realised that Jiwoo wasn’t much of a talker. If anything she seemed timid despite the overall casual outfit that made her look cool (and cute). Kyujin tilted her head, suddenly feeling a rush of courage.
“Do you want to study together?” Those words left her lips before she had the time to regret it.
Jiwoo blinked, totally caught off guard by the sudden invitation. Kyujin forced her mouth to shut, knowing whatever else that could possibly leave her lips would surely sounded insane.
Five seconds.
Jiwoo left Kyujin hanging for five freaking seconds before she nodded her head lightly, as if she’s unsure herself whether she should accept or not.
Upon the response, Kyujin couldn’t help the grin forming on her lips.
“My name’s Kyujin.”
“Jiwoo.”
Wait.
Jiwoo agreed.
She agreed!
This wasn’t in the plan at all!
Why did she even agree?!
Kyujin had no time to process when Jiwoo suddenly crouched down, retrieving Kyujin’s purse.
Ah right, my purse.
“Your purse…” Jiwoo’s voice was husky, slightly raspy in the most natural way and yet had a tinge of cuteness in the way she articulated her words. Kyujin found that she loved this type of voice.
Well, at this point Jiwoo could be anything and Kyujin could still like her.
They somehow ended up at the usual table Jiwoo frequented, sitting across from each other. It was a bad decision on Kyujin’s side, considering she didn’t even think properly over the fact that she might get caught stealing glances at Jiwoo.
Kyujin had to pretend she was studying when she actually had reviewed her notes hours ago. She was left typing nonsense on her laptop and drew cute animals at the margins of her notebook, all the while trying not to be too obvious she was bored.
She was thankful that the awkwardness only lasted for around two minutes before Jiwoo completely locked in with whatever work she had. Kyujin couldn’t help but glance, noting the rigidness of the latter’s shoulders slowly coming back, the slight frown of her eyebrows and the little exhale she let out once in a while.
Kyujin placed a chin on the palm of her hand, not once bothering the fact that she was staring quite blatantly.
Who wouldn’t?
Not when she noticed how Jiwoo had been yawning for at least three times for the past minutes, the dark circles that seemed to be getting darker than the last time she’d seen her and the way she twirled her pen just so she could focus.
Jiwoo didn’t get enough sleep. That much, she knew. But aside from that simple observation, there must be much more lying beneath. Either Jiwoo was pushing herself too much, or she’d somehow broken down somewhere in between her efforts, or she’d just feared of being left behind.
From the way Jiwoo was holding her pen itself, it felt like there was so much to lose if she ever slackened.
And so, she carefully slipped out of her seat, noting how Jiwoo barely realised her absence before making her way to the cafe at the floor below. A lemon jasmine green tea was in her hold as she went back to her seat. It was a deliberate choice despite her knowing Jiwoo’s go-to drink.
Too much coffee can ruin her. She’d known Haewon long enough to know about that. So she’d chosen the safe one instead.
It was wordless as she pushed the drink to Jiwoo’s side, noting the way Jiwoo’s confused gaze landed on the drink before meeting her eyes.
“You don’t drink tea?” Were what Kyujin asked instead.
“It’s not about that…” There was something akin to shyness, probably politeness as Jiwoo carefully articulated her words. “It’s just…”
Kyujin couldn’t help the smile that curled on her lips and the pure adoration in her gaze. Maybe it was a bold decision for buying Jiwoo something considering this was their first encounter, much less spending time together. But who wouldn’t, really? Seeing Jiwoo like that only made her want to do at least something to ease off her nerves.
“Thank you...” Jiwoo decided to say instead. She took the drink with both hands and took a slow sip.
Kyujin’s smile grew wider, triumph flooded into her chest in little butterflies.
She felt like she did the right thing, especially when she noticed the slight tension on Jiwoo slowly ebbed away.
Well, she’ll take whatever she can.