TO JUNG NICOLE, Jung Taekwoon is like a puzzle.

His strong nose and sharp chin; his dark, piercing eyes that seem to gaze into the depths of her soul; those full, plump lips, are like pieces of a beautiful enigmatic whole she couldn’t quite decipher.

“What are you thinking?” She heard herself say when they first spoke.

It wasn’t the first time she saw him. Before then she would always see him in broadcasting stations. s laughing and joking around while he sat on a corner; sometimes staring into space, sometimes in a deep sleep.

And then there came a time when they passed by each other down the corridor and she got the chance to really look at him.

Being a self proclaimed social butterfly, Nicole had prided herself on being able to read anyone like an open book. But when she peered at him, his face was like a blank canvass; Devoid of image and color, refusing to give anything away. Like all his thoughts and feelings are buried deep within the crevices of his mind, impossible to unravel.

It unnerved her.

What are you thinking?, she wanted to ask him.

AFTER THAT, THEY passed by each other again.

What are you thinking?

Still the question lingered in her mind. She shook the thought away and instead gave him a smile.

THE THIRD TIME they saw each other, he offered her a small smile. It was the first time he showed any kind of emotion. But still, it unsettled her how his smile didn't quite reach his eyes.

And before she could stop herself she blurted out, “What are you thinking?”

He stopped dead in his tracks. Taekwoon looked at her like he was just seeing her for the first time. Like he was trapped in his own little world and she abruptly dragged him out.

She felt her cheeks flush in embarrassment.

“Nevermind.” She stammered and rushed past him, her clicking heels making a resounding sound down the corridor.

She didn’t plan to look back. God knows she didn’t want to embarrass herself any more than she already has. But somehow, her body betrayed her.

He was still there. Standing on the same exact spot. His eyes were blinking, like he couldn’t believe what just happened.

And then Nicole found herself approaching him. “Look,” she began saying,

When she neared him, she realized how tall he was. He was practically towering over her. And suddenly she thought, if she move a little closer, just  enough to close the distance between them, and wrap her arms around his torso, she would fit perfectly.

Her cheeks grew even redder.

“G-give me your phone.” She said it quite forcefully. Like she was mugging him! She recoiled at the thought.

Taekwoon was taken aback of course. But without a moment’s hesitation he fished it out of his pocket and handed it to her, all of which he did while looking at her incredulously.

She noticed the bewildered expression on his face and she felt a smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

Like him, his phone looked reserved. No wallpaper, nothing to give it color.

She quickly tapped some numbers and handed it back to him. She drew in a breath before saying, “This is my number. C-call me or whatever. Do whatever you want with it I don’t care.”

She said this in a single breath and scuttled away.

What the hell was that Jung Nicole?!

SHE DIDN'T EXPECT him to text or call her. What she did was borderline psychotic after all. He probably thinks she’s a creep.

But that night while she was laying in bed getting ready to sleep, her phone bleeped. It was from an unknown number. With drowsy eyes, she read the message:

I’m thinking you are very strange.

                                                    -T

T? It puzzled her at first. What does T stand for? But then she realized it was his answer to her q