It’s a Friday afternoon. While most of the youth around the university were gathering together in groups, discussing their plans for later, Suzy was quietly stacking her books in her locker, checking to see if she needed to bring anything home.

While she does this, Kai stood in front of her, arms crossed and leaning against the locker beside hers. He was observing the other students chat with each other and go around with big smiles. The weekend was tomorrow, so they had some free time on their hands. Kai thinks aloud, “Why don’t you ever go out?”

Suzy glances at him momentarily but doesn’t give him an answer. Instead she goes back to fixing things in her locker.

Kai puts his arms to his side, “Are you purposely not answering, or just can’t talk to me right now?”

Suzy shrugs nonchalantly. Kai takes it as both.

The boy steps forward to stand beside the still preoccupied girl. “Look around you,” he gestures grandly extending his forearms. “At your age, you should be spending a Friday afternoon hanging out, living life-”, he was shortly cut off by Suzy slamming her locker door all too audibly, enough to make him jump a little.

He turns to see an annoyed Suzy, who had now a scowl on her face. She soon starts to head out, not even taking a glance at Kai. She obviously didn’t care much for that topic. The boy sighs as he follows Suzy’s steps. Suzy needed friends, but maybe this wasn’t the time to talk about it. Not when Suzy had an option to ignore him and the topic altogether.

Suzy had her eyes on her computer’s monitor. She was on some website, continuously scrolling down through each post with one hand, the other propping her head up.  Her eyes showed disinterest in what she was doing, despite the website having a lot of colorful pictures.

“There’s nothing good on today,” she comments as she closes the website’s tab. She sighs before typing in another URL: This time to a social networking site.

 “I should just get that Social Science project over with,” she laments as she presses enter. She typed in her account, and after three swirls of the loading circle, there appeared four icons of people who apparently sent her messages.

Kai steps in to take a closer look, not minding the furniture he was passing through. He had always stayed in Suzy room when she awake, just observing what she did. Most days were boring, where Suzy would just sit on the ledge of her bed, reading a book, or in front of her laptop, typing a report. This might have been the first time Kai sees her actually opening a social networking site. It suddenly made him curious.

“You don’t look like the type to have an SNS.” Kai was peering over her shoulder. She turns to see his face, only inches away from hers. She was used to this, or at least she should have been. Seeing Kai’s face that close always made her remember how sharp his features were, almost breathtaking.

“You’re staring.” Kai turns to face her, his expression clearly amused. Instinctively she faces forward to the screen and muffles, “I wasn’t.” Kai grins at seeing Suzy’s cold façade. Suzy had always been defensive, since the day the met. It was a good change of pace to see her embarrassed like this. It was cute.

“I signed up for this website ages ago.” Suzy says while clicking to see the messages. “I just don’t use it anymore.”

Something clicks in Kai’s thoughts. This was the SNS Chanyeol had asked Suzy’s account in a couple of days ago. No wonder she suddenly decided to open it.

True enough, Park Chanyeol’s name appears at the top of the inbox list, leaving Suzy with three messages already.

Wednesday, 1:16 pm
Here’s the article ^^
(Attached File: Bodley_The_Price_of_Progress.pdf)

Thursday, 9:19 pm
Seems you haven’t logged on to your account for a while… TT__TT
Message me as soon as you receive the messages!! d:)b
 

Today, 4:57 pm
I’m getting anxious. I’d text you now buuuuuut… You haven’t read the PDF yet!! >:(
JK! :P I know you’re going to open this sooner or later. Sorry for spamming you with messages. Don’t forget about tomorrow!!!

“Ah, right. I still had that,” Suzy recalls the engagement he had set with Chanyeol. Although, now that she remembers it, Chanyeol didn’t set any place for them to meet yet.

Kai squints his eyes at the plethora of emoticons weird ears uses to decorate his messages. There were certainly a lot of exclamations points there. Totally similar his outgoing personality.

Suzy clicks on the reply box and types in.

Today, 8:32 pm
Sorry for replying so late. I’ve opened this account just now. I’ll start reading the article soon.

She presses send and types in another reply.

Today, 8:32 pm
Thanks again for the article, and for reminding about tomorrow. About that… When do we meet and where?

Suzy scrolls back up his prior messages and presses the download button for the article. The file downloads in less than five seconds and she opens it. It was a nine page article, references included. Not bad, Suzy thinks. At least it was shorter than most of what she read for the past semester.

Just then, a beep was heard, signifying she had received a new message. It turns out Chanyeol was online and replied to her messages almost immediately.

Today, 8:34 pm
Hhhmm… Meeting time huh?? What time do you want to start working on it??

Suzy reads it and types in a response.

Today, 8:35 pm
Is it okay if we start in the morning? How about 9?

A beep.

Today, 8:35 pm
Sure! ;) Let’s meet up at 9 then!

And another beep.

Today, 8:36 pm
For the meeting place… Is it okay if we stuck to the university?? :O

Kai’s shoulders drop in relief. At least they weren’t going to some café. It somehow gave him the reassurance that the whole thing wasn’t a date elaborately set up and disguised by weird ears as a project activity.

Suzy sends in her reply, short and sweet, and somehow gave Kai a feeling of satisfaction.

Today, 8:37 pm
Sure

Then she types in a follow up question.

Today, 8:38 pm
What part of the university?

Three beeps follow in succession with only milliseconds in interval.

Today, 8:40 pm
How about the cafeteria near your college?

Today, 8:40 pm
I think it’s open during weekends too. :)

Today, 8:41 pm
You’re in the College of Fine Arts right?

Suzy froze as she analyzed those words, while Kai looked puzzled. Both of them had the same thing in mind. How did Chanyeol know about that?

Kai thinks that maybe it’s because he actually liked Suzy. Wasn’t it normal for people to either ask around or find out more about the people they liked? What was so different with Chanyeol now? Why was he still so surprised?

Maybe it’s because if Park Chanyeol still thought Suzy went to the College offFine Arts, then he must have liked her for a long time then…

 She types in a response, definitely holding her thoughts back.

Today, 8:45 pm
No

She shakes her head and decides to ask him anyway.

Today, 8:46 pm
But how did you know used to go there?

Unlike his usual fast responses, it took him a while to respond this time.

Today, 8:49 pm
You didn’t?? :O

Today, 8:50 pm
AH!! I MUST HAVE GOT THE WRONG PERSON!!! SORRYYYY! :O

Kai furrowed his eyebrows at his responses. It was hard to tell if Park Chanyeol was just acting dumb or… he shakes his head, not wanting to think about it further.

Suzy types in a straight forward response.

Today, 8:52 pm
It’s okay. I was just wondering.

Park Chanyeol’s replies flood in within a second.

Today, 8:52 pm
I seriously thought you went there!!!

Today, 8:53 pm
SORRYYY! SO SO SORRRYYYYY!

Today, 8:53 pm
Where do you go now? :D

Kai sighed. Of course Park Chanyeol would ask that…

Suzy sends in her message.

Today, 8:55 pm
At the College of Arts and Letters

Chanyeol responds, in his usual bright manner of typing messages.

Today, 8:56 pm
That’s in front of the College of Music! :DDDD

Suzy tilts her head. How was she going to respond to that? She initially types in a “yeah” but she deletes it when she sees Chanyeol’s next message.

Today, 8:57 pm
What are you taking now??

Suzy quickly sends her one word response.

Today, 8:57 pm
Philosophy

Chanyeol sighs as he reads Suzy’s response. He was currently in his room, with his desktop on, looking at his monitor. He glances at the bunk bed beside him, the lower one with a black guitar on it. His shoulders slump down in relief. “That was a close one,” he voices out in a low tone.

He glances at another study table beside him. It looked neat, but a bit dusty. Stack of books were there, as well as other school materials. Everything was set there as if someone was still using it, but Chanyeol was currently the only one living in that room.

“She takes Philosophy now,” he voices out loud, with no one in particular to hear. “Should I ask why she quit Art?”

He puts both his elbows on his desk and puts his hangs his head down in between his hands. “Why did you have to like someone this complicated?” he says in exasperation, ruffling up his black cropped hair.

He shuts his eyes for a while and thinks of a proper response. Something that wouldn’t make him sound like a complete stalker / creep.

Finally, he decides to ask.

Today, 9:01 pm
Are you enjoying it?

He didn’t flourish it with anymore over the top emoticons or extra letters. It just felt like he shouldn’t so Suzy would take him seriously.

A reply comes in, slower than usual.

Today, 9:04 pm
It’s ok

“You don’t sound like it is though,” he shakes his head as he read the message.

Today, 9:04 pm
Just ok?? :O

Maybe Chanyeol should have expected Suzy to send short responses. She was never much to talk anyway, but her response definitely called for the conversation to end.

Today, 9:05 pm
Yeah

He scratches his head, wanting to ask more, but at the same time, just want to give her space. Maybe this wasn’t his problem anymore. It’s not like this should concern him... Just as he was about to make up his mind and type an “ok”, his glance lingers to a corner of the desk beside him. It was a wilted plant planted in a vase. A flower. Its tall stalk had already turned ash brown, while the petals that were once a pastel pink were now just as brown and shriveled as the stalk. Lifeless.

He sighs as he felt something sting in his chest. “Alright then,” he turns to his keyboard and types in a lengthier response than just two letters.

 Screw looking like a creep.

Today, 9:10 pm
I was right in remembering you went to the College of Fine Arts!

He sighs. Maybe this was a lame way of saving his face, and steering the conversation… He adds in more thinking he should explain himself and not sound like a complete creep.

Today, 9:11 pm
You were sort of famous for your art. I had friends in your department too. They told me last year that you were the only student to have their works exhibited as a freshman.