“I can’t. Find. It. Anywhere!” frustrated grunting and awkward bursts of annoyance that I never imagined could come from me escaped my lips as I flipped all the things out of my bag and back in like a madman.

All my life was condensed down into that petty notebook and without it, all my organisation and structure would go out the window.  Panicking and with my hair now in a complete mess, I looked pathetically around the room for any sign of the missing object but still to no avail.

“SeoUn? What are you doing in there? What’s all the noise?” Mum poked her head through the door after knocking lightly a few times but I didn’t hear the soft sound of knuckle on wood because of my escalating anxiety attack.

Turning sharply to her, I glared. “Mum. Do you know where I put my notebook? Have you seen it lying around?” The words were spoken quickly and in staccato.

She pulled back a little at the force of the glare and frowned, shaking her head casually as she wiped her hands on her apron. “No, it’s not around the house. Didn’t you take it out with you again?”

My shoulders slumped in defeat, it was the worst thing that she could’ve said to me because it meant that I really did take the damned thing out and that there was no hope of finding it again… well, the last part I was exaggerating. I looked up at the ceiling and stood rigid, face pulled down at the edges in an expression of pure loss. “Ugh,” I groaned unattractively, “life equals over”. It had all my plans and sketches for my architectural assignment and I didn’t have a copy anywhere else. It had taken ages for me to finalise the idea for my planned building and now, I’ll just have to start not only the drawings but the calculations too from scratch. It also had important dates that I couldn’t miss and because I was the type of person that needed the message written physically down on paper so that I wouldn’t forget, with nothing there to remind me, my mind was completely blank.

“Glad I could help.” Mum smiled before drawing back into the corridor, humming at my loss and returning to the kitchen where I guess she would proceed with dinner. Great mum, thanks so much.

With nothing better than to get dressed again and return to the coffee shop, I hauled my bag back on my shoulder and bounded out the door, hoping to all hope that I would find the notebook there where I had left it, on the table or chair – anywhere as long as it was there ready for me to find again.

The bell tinkled and I was through the door like a madman. Rushing over to where I had sat, I looked around the empty space, pulling out the table so that I could stick my head in and peek under the seats, receiving odd stares from the coffee-drinkers around. I was ready to mope and be all depressed like the world was crumbling around me – to which in my pedantic and compulsive eyes it was – when a fresh-faced waitress attended to me, pressing me lightly on the shoulder and shooting a soft, awkward smile.

“Are you looking for a notebook by any chance…?” She asked and the sound was like heaven’s bells ringing in my ears. In that moment she looked angelic and there was this pulse of bright light shining behind her face. Hope had returned! I thought… but all couldn’t possibly go swell for me because as I nodded furiously in response to her question, she just laughed and said, “Well, it’s not here. I saw a boy from that table before (she pointed over to the rowdy table which was now empty) walk over to pick it up. He left with it in his hand. He was flicking through the pages and stuff. Would you have your address and details in it? Because he could probably return it to you that way.”

Helpful. Really. My face dropped at the thought. This was even worse that losing it forever because it meant someone else at this second was tarnishing my work and invading my privacy. Who knows what kind of blackmail they could pull using the contents of that fated notebook? I thanked her with a glum face and she nodded before walking off, most likely thinking about my mental state and I returned home in the same hue of blue as I had left, like the world was ending. At that point, I knew I was pathetic and I was just sitting around and feeling sorry for myself instead of actually doing something about it but it made me think, which boy could possibly have taken my notebook? I remember seeing 5 there and their faces blurred in my memory, except one. The one I had that mini glaring match with before. I could probably pluck up the courage to find him around campus and ask if he took it and if not, who did but I hated encounters like that, it was bound to feel awkward.

I sighed into my pillow, pressing it tightly to my face. The assignment was due in less than two weeks. What was I going to do?

“Hey, this is yours right?”

Turns out, not much. The next day when I was walking home from lectures, the same boy whose piercing eyes I fought came up to me and held the notebook out right under my nose. Naturally I took the bait and like an experienced predator he recoiled back and smirked good-naturedly.

“Umm…” I gave him a quizzical look. ‘If you’re going to give it to me, don’t pull it back’ I thought. “Yeah, I heard some boy at the café took it when I went home, so it was you.”

He laughed, “I’m YoungBae, but people call me Taeyang, my stage name and what not, because I’m bright like the sun,” he joked but noticing that no humour was being returned he quickly went back to the topic, “and you’re SeoUn right?” He looked at the inner cover of the notebook where it had your name and then back to you. “Nice to meet you.” He smiled.

I just looked on at him, no intention of continuing the friendliness and so there was an awkward silence as he moved the conversation along.  He coughed, “It was uhhh… just sitting there and I thought it needed company. I looked through it if you don’t mind and your drawings are actually pretty good.” He shifted his stance, aiming for casual and not too eager and down-playing the compliment but his intent pooled over and I could sense that he saw me as prey.

I wasn’t up for playing games and I exhaled deeply, disinterested and just wanting to get back to business. “Thanks. Now can you just give it back?”

“Hey hold up.” He grinned cheekily, eyes crinkling to form a perfect eyesmile which unfortunately I was a er for but I didn’t let it get to me, forcing my attention to the side. “How about we make a little compromise first; who knows where this little wonder might have ended up if I didn’t take the initiative to look after it.”

I scoffed, “Puh-lease. Just give me my notebook and scurry back to your thug life, ‘kay? I have buildings to design and assignments to ace.”

“Oooh, so I see we have a feisty one here?” He winked and I made an effort to fake-gag so he hurriedly retaliated. “Look, all I’m suggesting is that we go back to the coffee place and talk this out. So how ‘bout it?”

There was a pause as I thought it through but thankfully, my female brain clicked and the alarm bells went off. “Are you asking me out?”

His short pause and slight blush was skilfully hidden as he quickly masked the soft-spot with confidence, crossing his arms over his chest, the book wedged in front of his broad chest.

“So what if I am asking you out?” He challenged.

I narrowed my eyes and furrowed my brows. “Well, you might wanna run back home to put on your crotch guard, before I knee you in the balls.”

He started laughing uncontrollably and as I looked on in all seriousness, our faces a clear juxtaposition causing bystanders to watch on in confusion. I pouted, what was so funny about a threat? Clearly he was underestimating me; even though he had shoulders and arm muscles enough for three people, I was still a pretty decent sized girl that could inflict damage on even someone like him. When he finally stopped laughing he looked me in the eyes.

“Alright then, I go home and grab that groin protection, but I’ll see you at 4, Thursday after classes at the coffee shop-”

He could see that I was opening my mouth, ready to blurt out another insult when he stopped me by putting a finger in front of my lips. He wasn’t touching them but the mere gesture made me silent as if I couldn’t help but be swayed. “-Come,” he paused before grinning again, “or else you won’t get your notebook back and we wouldn’t want that, would we?”

Before I could do anything more, he was off. “Hey!” I yelled after him but he was already down the block, almost running as he turned the corner and disappeared. I slumped in defeat; there was no way of going around this: if I wanted my notebook back I’d have to go on Thursday – today was Tuesday, I’d have two days. I thought about not going but that wouldn’t do because honestly, I simply couldn’t redo the drawings I had, plus the calculations already done in the book. This will teach me next time to make copies or even just use the computer instead. If only the damned technology would cooperate with me and not screw up every time I tried to use the keyboard. I sighed again for the umpteenth time that afternoon. It’d be a long two days to prepare for but I guess it’s nothing I couldn’t handle.

Taeyang skidded to a stop, a good few hundred metres from attack point vantage, heart thudding a million beats a second. He was never usually this bold, in fact, he had to play up the ‘suave’ and charisma to even have the chance of catching her attention and that in itself has difficult enough. He had seen her walking around campus before, head held up and high and surrounded with an air of confidence – something he had to pucker up so hard to have. He was a naturally shy person and it was just by pure luck that he was good with the ladies. Most of it was put on anyway. He admired her from afar and wondered if there’d ever be an opportunity when she’d need a man by her side, as he needed a girl next to him. Not only was he a shy person, he was also one that longed for company; wishing for someone to be there for him as he was unconditionally for them, someone to protect and fawn over. Never mind that though, he finally got to ask the girl out on a date. His insides were squeamish yet he was excited all the same. He couldn’t wait. It would be a long two days to prepare for but it was nothing he couldn’t handle.\

~

A/N: Hey~ I know you waited really long for this and I'm so sorry! But the next chapter is the last so stay tuned!