By The Window Seat

Jung Soojung isn't a mean person, in fact she's one of the sweetest person you'll ever meet just as long as you don't get intimidated by the stoic look on her face the first time you see her.

Junmyeon was one of the few people who would agree to that statement. It had taken him three months to muster up the courage to introduce himself to her instead of just watching her from afar; he thinks it's kind of romantic--- his friends think he was just being a wuss.

He had first seen her in the university library. She was seated at the very end of the room, on a desk beside the biggest window and by the isle of classical books. She had pink earphones on and several thick books were spread open on the table for her perusal. Junmyeon purposely sat at the table nearest her and angled his seat in a way that it takes him no effort at all to cast glances at her without being too obvious.

He had learned her name through Sehun who was in the same year as her; Sehun also told him, through subtle prodding, that she was majoring in literature and that she was number one in the few classes he shared with her. He also said that she was kind of a .

For the next few weeks he goes straight to the library after his classes, even during those days in which he didn't have much studying to do. He watches her come in and she sits on the exact same seat by the glass window with a pile of her textbooks carefully arranged on the wooden table. Her pink earphones are always there and Junmyeon wonders what kind of music she liked to listen to.

On more than one occasion male students would approach her and try to strike up a conversation but they always end up getting rejected by Soojung's dismissive responses and from where Junmyeon sat he could always make out Soojung mouthing the words "I'm busy so please go away." That might have sounded too harsh and Junmyeon should be feeling pity towards those poor boys but he just couldn't help feeling satisfied at the sight of their rejection.

Soojung always had her hair up in a bun but their was a certain day in which she came in the library with her hair flowing freely behind her like rays of sunshine as she made her way to her seat. Her shiny dark hair fell just to her shoulders in soft waves with the ends slightly curled; Junmyeon couldn't keep his eyes off of her--- at least more so than he already does.

On the second month of staring blatantly at Soojung as his after-school activity, Junmyeon's friends have started to question him for his lame excuses to ditch their soccer practices.

It was Jongdae, of all people, who was able to piece together all the weirdness surrounding Junmyeon lately. "I knew it! He's freakin' smitten with someone!"

"It's Jung Soojung isn't it? That's why you were so curious about her!" Sehun had said with a dumbfounded expression. Junmyeon doesn't even try to hide the big grin forming on his face at the mention of her name.

"So when are you going to stop stalking her and start asking her out?" Chanyeol says while he strummed random notes on his worn-out guitar.

"I am not stalking her, I don't even know where she lives! And why do you always assume that I'm a wuss and that I haven't made the move yet?"

Kyungsoo faces him with his usual smirk in place. "Because we know you haven’t and you probably are. A wuss, I mean." He had said it with so much seriousness that the rest of the boys burst out laughing.

"Yah!" Junmyeon could only flail indignantly on his seat because deep down he knew Kyungsoo was right; but only when it comes to girls--- he liked to think he had as much suave in everything else he does.

The next time he sees her was at the campus coffee shop. It was an early Saturday morning and the shop was nothing but crowded. It was the last weekend before the dreaded exam week and every student on campus were doing their last minute studying. Junmyeon looked around the café stopped in his tracks at the sight of Soojung. She was seated along the wide glass window and Junmyeon couldn’t ignore that she had her hair down in loose waves like she had the other day; she would look out the window now and then as she absentmindedly tapped her pen on the table.

Junmyeon bought a cup of coffee while carefully tucking his economics book in one arm. He tried to look for an available chair but couldn’t find one, but there was an empty chair in front of Soojung and Junmyeon resolves that today will be the day that he finally talks to her. He had approached her table with sweaty palms, trying his best to smile casually and cleared his throat, bracing himself for her icy gaze.

Her pen tapping stopped and she looked up with mild interest. “Do you mind if I sit here? All the seats are filled.” His voice had an underlying waver beneath his confident mask. Soojung only shrugged and gestured towards the empty seat in front of her as a response. 

Junmyeon places his coffee beside Soojung’s green tea latte and thumbs the pages of his book. Soojung continued tapping her pen and looking out the window, watching the students pass by. After a few minutes of nothing but silence between them, the notebook in front of her was now filled with her neat handwriting. Junmyeon didn’t even know when she had started writing.

He takes out his highlighting pen and bites it between his teeth as he ran his finger on the texts, marking out the important sentences with fluorescent ink. He sneaks cautious glances at her and notices her unflinching gaze at him. He raises his head and tries not to falter under her scrutinizing gaze.

“Are you not going to introduce yourself? Since we’re going to share this table might as well exchange pleasantries.” she deadpanned.

“Oh. Uh, I’m Kim Junmyeon.” He says with a meek smile. Soojung’s expression does not change and she leans on the table with her elbows. “Jung Soojung, second year literature major.” She says with a nod of her head.

Junmyeon takes a careful sip of his steaming coffee with slightly shaky hands. “I know you’ve been observing me in the library for the past few weeks.” Her tone was that of mild amusement and Junmyeon almost spills the scorching liquid into his slacks.

“I’m sorry?” he tried to seem confused. Soojung rolls her eyes at him and he tries to defend himself but she speaks up before he could.

“It’s not the question of why you do it, but rather a question of ‘Why have you only approached me now?’”

Junmyeon was feeling genuinely confused now. Soojung finally cracks a smile, albeit sardonically. “If you did approach me in the library and introduced your self I wouldn’t have rejected you.”

“Why?” he manages to say.

“Because you don’t seem like those other boys who only want one thing from girls.” She casually shrugs. “Although stalking doesn’t sound that good either, but you get my point.”

“Thank you? But for all intents and purposes I’m not stalking you!” Junmyeon says defiantly.

“I was joking. But if you keep looking at me with all that guilt in your eyes I’d start believing you were really stalking me and I’d file a restraining order against you.” For the first time since he had seen her in the university library, he saw her smile--- and not in the sarcastic way that she seemed to have perfected.

He had asked her why she always sat by the window and she told him that watching the different activities happening outside helps her think; helps her write better. It keeps her away from writer’s block. The awkward atmosphere around them seemed to have dissipated the longer they talked.

Days passed by quickly and rather quietly. Junmyeon has spent most of his days for the past few weeks in the library, and after his chance encounter with Soojung in the coffee shop she had started to let him sit with her in the library by the tall window wall. The cold Jung Soojung he had once thought her to be was completely gone by then. She still had her customary scowl in tact but Junmyeon is slowly starting to see a different version of Soojung--- the less snarky, less I-don’t-give-a-rat’s--of-what-you-think version of herself. Junmyeon was also starting to fall deeper for her.

“You do realize that some people call you a…” Junmyeon couldn’t bring himself to say the b word.

“A ? Yeah, I do.” Soojung scoffs, reaching over his plate and stuffing French fries on .

“And you don’t mind? At all?” Junmyeon swats her hand away as she attempts to reach for his juice box to take a sip.

Soojung has grown all too comfortable around Junmyeon over the past few days. He wasn’t one to complain.

“I don’t care what they think of me. As long as it helps them sleep better at night, let them be.” Soojung is a lot of things but if there is one thing Junmyeon has learned about her, she is nothing but misunderstood.

She suddenly turns to him with a glint in her eyes. “And do you know what people think of you?” Junmyeon pops a handful of ketchup-dipped fries in his mouth. “What?” he says with his mouth full.

“A wuss.” Laughter bubbles out of her red lips. “No I’m not!” Junmyeon could only shake his head incessantly.

Soojung was spending too much of her time with his idiotic friends lately, specifically Sehun who was classmates with her. He felt his phone vibrate in his jean pocket and he looked down to read the incoming message. Speak of the devil’s little spawn. Junmyeon rolled his eyes at the contact name; that rascal must have gotten hold of his phone and changed it.

From: Sehun the Mighty Maknae

Save us the secondhand embarrassment and ask her out already!

He whipped his head around to look for his younger know-it-all friend but none of his friends seemed to be present. What? Is Sehun a psychic now too?

Soojung gets his attention back and flashed him a dead-serious expression on her beautiful face. “Yes you are, because if you really aren’t you should have asked me out on a proper date a long time ago.” She says matter-of-factly. Junmyeon’s jaw drops.

“Well?” Soojung had always been ballsy. “Are you going to?”

“Do you want me to?” Junmyeon manages to say.

Soojung sighs impatiently. “Of course I wear the pants in this relationship. Fine, I’ll do it myself.” She stands up from her seat and stashes her things in her bag. Junmyeon watched her with actual stupefaction.

“Kim Junmyeon, will you go out with me?” She asks him with as much emotions her permanently stoic face could muster. She still looked pretty in Junmyeon’s eyes and he just nodded dumbly at her.

“Great. Meet me at that Japanese restaurant near my dorm building at six-thirty later tonight, alright?”

“Okay?” Junmyeon was still as a statue.

“And bring money, okay? I ain’t paying for our first date.” Soojung says with a wink before trotting out the cafeteria with all eyes on her retreating form.

Junmyeon sat there with his half-eaten lunch and a look of pure amazement on his face. His phone vibrated once again.

From: Sehun the Mighty Maknae

You can thank me later--- preferably through a nice six-course meal, yes?

He received another text message.

From: Jongdae OPPA

Me too! It was my idea to tell Soojung to ask you out herself. You’ll buy me steak too right?

Junmyeon isn’t quite sure if he should be thanking his nosy friends or bash each one of them in the head with an aluminum club.

-End-

Author's Notes:

Comment? Vote? Subscribe? Haha anyway, thanks for reading!