1. The First Stone

It takes Minkyung all of two hours to realize that the two main threats to Zhou Jieqiong are one, boys, and two, Miss Zhou herself.

The chauffeur drops them off at the entrance to the university and from the very moment they step out of the car she can feel the gazes on the both of them, feels the eyes flick from her over to her charge then stick and stay. She cannot hear the hushed whisper but she reads the lips that part and senses the change in the air.

Then Miss Zhou reaches back and tugs at her hand.

“We’re going to be late, Roa-unnie. Hurry up.”

“That is hardly professional-”

“-Late. I don’t want to be late. Or do you want me to just call you unnie instead?”

Minkyung her dry lips, feels the eyes turn to her.

“Roa-unnie is fine.”

They find their seats in the middle just before the class starts and she watches Zhou Jieqiong dig through her tote bag and pull out a bunny pencil case with pink fluffy ears that she swears she saw on sale last week at the stationery shop at the train station. Minkyung makes a mental note to ask if the chauffeur got that for her or if she is now going to have to end up trailing behind Zhou Jieqiong in a whole bunch of potentially unsafe places. She highly suspects it is the latter.

One of Jieqiong’s friends (she supposes they are a friend from the way they immediately sit next to her) leans over, beams at her, “The name’s Eunwoo. Nice to meet you.”

Minkyung nods, “I’m Roa and I am Miss-”

A hand flies to her wrist, “-friend,” Zhou Jieqiong laughs nervously, “Roa-unnie is my friend.”

Minkyung adds another thing to the list of things to discuss.

Eunwoo looks like she wants to ask more questions but the professor starts talking.

Minkyung surveys the room and finds nothing of interest beyond the occasional wandering gaze, thinks back to the car ride where Zhou Jieqiong had promptly called shotgun and proceeded to sit there, barely a care in the world.

Shotgun is not safe. Stopping halfway to dash out to the convenience store, leaving one’s chauffeur and bodyguard in the car without any prior warning is also definitely not safe.

She supposes she has her work cut out for her.

“I'd love to chat but I kind of have to run, my part time job starts in half an hour and it's going to take me fifteen minutes to get there and I really can't be late today. I'll be back in three hours, just chill here with Eunwoo?”

Minkyung blinks.

Part time job what-

Eunwoo looks up from her homework, a look of utter devastation on her face, “I don't understand this at all. Can you help me?”

She pouts at Minkyung and latches onto her arm.

Jieqiong’s laugh follows her out the room.

Minkyung stands immediately, grabs her bag and rushes for the door.

“I'll explain later,” she says to Eunwoo's mournful abandoned-puppy look.

“You can't just run off like this,” Minkyung hisses as she grabs Jieqiong by the elbow, “this is risky.”

Jieqiong frowns but does not stop walking, “Risky? I've been working at the library for a year now - the closest I've come to danger is that one time I almost brought a shelf down on the head librarian and she damn near threatened to kill me.”

“You know that's not what I mean.”

Jieqiong purses her lips, “Maybe I do, but I don't see why anything would happen. We don't do anything. There's nothing anyone gains from coming after me.”

Minkyung averts her eyes, wants to say besides the fact that you're worth tons of money, but decides better of it.

“It's my job to keep your safe,” she says instead, “and I know you want me to interfere as little as possible but I need to know more of what I'm dealing with, so you can't just go running off like this.”

Jieqiong huffs, “Like I said, it's just the library on the other side of campus, it's really not a big deal. It's quite literally the most boring place ever.”

“And I don't have to get in your way,” Minkyung shrugs, “I just need to know where you are.”

Jieqiong sighs, “Alright.”

She is right.

This is quite literally the most boring place ever.

Or well, it would be if Minkyung were able to tune out the senses that there are at least three boys in the library who came in in the last five minutes who clearly have zero interest in studying.

Boys.

She watches Jieqiong beam up at each student who checks a book out, watches her chew on the back of her pen cap in frustration presumably with the old computer system, sees her run her fingers through her hair, twiddle a pen in her hand, struggle to open markers.

Another student librarian, tall and lanky with short cropped hair helps her with it, obscuring Jieqiong from view.

She catches herself from going ‘tch’ aloud then catches the eye of another female student whose eyes flick between her and Jieqiong.

Minkyung supposes she has probably also been pretty obviously staring, though in her defense, this is her job.

She should probably be less obvious about it in future.

“See,” Jieqiong whispers as she packs her things and Minkyung sidles up to the counter, “told you nothing would happen.”

“Nothing ever happens in the library,” the other librarian shrugs, holds out a hand, “I'm Kyungwon.”

“Roa,” Minkyung says, “Nice to meet you.”

Jieqiong looks down at her desk, then leaps up with a start, “Gotta go put this in the archives real quick. I'll be right back, unnie.”

Minkyung opens , wants to say, “Wait up” or “No” or “What?!” but notices Kyungwon looking at her with a serious glance.

Jieqiong disappears in the back. Minkyung seriously debates vaulting the counter and running after her.

“She'll be right back,”