His hands clasped around the girl's hands, her twirling around with a surprised expression smacked onto her face.

Jonghyun didn't think of what would come after, after he had grabbed the girl's hands, he just thought he had to make a decision.

"Sorry." Jonghyun apologized, slowly taking his hand away, ignoring the questionable gazes from Onew and Key.

"No... No problem."

Taeyeon smiled shyly, holding her hands close to her chest as Jonghyun's touch faded. A billion thoughts rushed through her head, some of them shouting at her for so obviously looking happy in front of Ji Eun, some of them fanning themselves, some of the panicking in confusion of Jonghyun's action, and some of them just plain shocked.

She turned around to avoid Key's and Onew's teasing stares, her voice rising in volume due to the embarrassment.

"This way guys! Follow me!" She squeaked, left hand pointing straight, her right hand burning with the sensation of Jonghyun's fingers wrapping around it.

Ji Eun clutched her hands and rubbed them together. She couldn't help the disappointment that sunk like quicksand in her heart, but she remembered the past and hardened her heart again. The quicksand trickled to a halt and Ji Eun had her cold hands replicate her heart. She turned to Jonghyun and pushed him forward to the sunbae.

Jonghyun put force in the push, resulting in a wordless brow raise from Ji Eun.

"Sorry for before. I didn't mean it." he whispered.

Ji Eun felt her hands twitch, maybe from the cold.

"I know." Ji Eun whispered back, pushing him again, a lot more gently this time. Jonghyun let himself get pushed, the small hands on his back feeling like feathers as he scampered to Taeyeon sunbae.

"What was that?" Key grinned, nudging Onew.

Onew gave a glance at Ji Eun and then exchanged knowing ones with Key, the both of them thinking that Ji Eun didn't know that Jonghyun was crazy over Taeyeon.

"Shh shh." Onew snickered back, "We can't let Jonghyun's love life get ruined before its even started."

The two boys chuckled to themselves, their mouths itching to tell Ji Eun.

Ji Eun rolled her eyes.

If there was anyone else who knew better of Jonghyun's love life, it was her. Yet here these two children were, making something that could have been just ignored, into a big deal.

Ji Eun laughed to herself, her smile soft despite what she was thinking.

Idiots.

"Hey Ji Eun, maybe we should fall behind for the two of them. You know?" Onew wiggled his eyebrows, which earned a smothered snicker from Key.

"You're making it obvious!" Key hissed quietly.

Ji Eun decided to play along.

"I do not have any idea what you're getting at, but I'm famished." Ji Eun stepped in front of them, keeping a distance from the to-be couple in front of them nevertheless.

"Hey-Wait!" Onew complied to the grumble in his stomach, trotting after Ji Eun like a puppy, leaving Key behind.

Key stopped mid-snicker, it crunching down to a pout. Grumbling at how Onew was a traitor, Key followed close behind the crew.

 

"And then I said-" Onew took another big bite, hastily wiping away the crumbs on his jacket. Key shoved a napkin in front of Onew's face, the babbling boy taking it without second thought and tucking it under his chin. Key made a face and edged closer to Ji Eun, who made room.

"I said, no way, that guy is so lucky." Onew nudged Key, "'Cause you know, he'll get to miss the mid-terms."

"It's weird transferring into the university in the middle of the semester. I didn't think that the university would let people enroll during semesters." Key took a hungry bite from his hot panini that was carefully sliced.

"I heard that the dude didn't transfer. Pretty sure I heard a rumor that he was sick or something so he couldn't attend." Jonghyun said, offering another napkin for Key. Key took it gladly, reloading his napkin gun which was aimed at Onew.

"So what's the deal with this guy? It's not uncommon to have someone new in the university. It is Seoul University." Taeyeon took a napkin daintily from Jongyun, smiling in thanks. "We have a foreigner department too." she pointed out.

"I mean," Onew munched, "I thought it was because a dude was coming in the middle of the semester. Seems like no one's gotten a peep of this guy. Total new guy."

"I think I heard something about this guy being extremely good looking." Key pitched in, his memory sparking at the mention of looks.

Taeyeon paused mid-bite, remembering the questionable words from Taemin two days ago.

"But I heard that the new dude was actually a girl and that the rumors were all wrong." Jonghyun tilted his head.

Taeyeon scratched the idea of Taemin being the new kid.

"Rumors are rumors." Ji Eun finished, sipping her hot green tea quietly after.

"Yeah, I guess we won't know who he, or she, is until they arrive." Onew attempted a cool chuckle, to copy Ji Eun's demeanor, but failed as a crumb caught in his throat, resulting in a coughing fit.

"Water! WATER!" Onew coughed, instinctively tapping Key for help.

Everyone momentarily rushed for napkins and water.

"Oh god I almost died." Onew gasped and put down the remaining of his unfinished steak burger, "Maybe I should go home just in case I really do."

As Onew got up, three pairs of hands shot out to forcefully sit him back down, Key's hands on his jacket, Ji Eun's on his hands, Jonghyun's on his scarf.

Onew turned around slowly, sheepishly smiling at the three students, Taeyeon glancing at them in confusion.

"If you so much as think that your stupid little excuse is going to let you go home..." Key left it unfinished, hissing out the end menacingly.

"Wha-What do you mean excuse, I am hurt!" Onew dramatically placed his hand on his chest and gaped as if offended.

"Don't think you're here to get a meal." Ji Eun raised her brow her voice soft but like a knife, "Remember? This is a study get-together."

Onew gulped and looked over at Jonghyun in a cry of help.

"Think about what your mom would say."

With that, Onew sat that quietly, grumbling quietly, shoving the rest of the burger in his mouth.

"What does Onew's mother have to do with you?" Taeyeon questioned, both amused and curious.

"'Cause she's scary." Jonghyun shivered, somewhat convincing Taeyeon that she didn't need to push any further.

"I swear, one day I'm going buy an apartment for myself." Onew clenched his fists together.

"With what money?" Ji Eun asked.

"I'm making some with part-time jobs. My dad sent me to this school, but I kind of want to be an actor." Onew grinned, all of a sudden ashamed at the unknown future.

"Musical actor." Both Key and Jonghyun specified.

"And you guys? What do you want to be after college?" Taeyeon leaned in, interested.

"Something that makes a lot of money and opportunity to travel." Key answered simply, resulting in several snorts and chuckles.

"Didn't you want to be some sort of dancer?" Onew piped and Key whirled around, smacking his hand over his friend.

"A dancer?" Taeyeon mused, smiling.

"It's, it's just a hobby." Key grumbled, taking his hand away. "He wanted to be a singer." Key gestured to Jonghyun who was in mid-sip of his drink.

"Really?" Taeyeon turned to Jonghyun wide-eyed, "That's crazy, me too!"

"Why didn't you?" Jonghyun smiled, happiness bubbling within him at the sound of his sunbae having shared dreams with him.

"My dad said no." Taeyeon frowned, "It was sort of short lived. I rarely sing now."

"That's too bad, your voice sounds pretty just when you're talking." Jonghyun shook his head.

Taeyeon and Jonghyun both missed the exchange of eyebrow wiggles between Key and Onew, who were (not very good at) hiding teasing snickers behind their crinkled napkins.

"You know we actually all met 'cause of all our music interests." Key nodded as Jonghyun mentioned the way they met, Onew smiling at the fading memory.

"I guess that's why we all match so well." Taeyeon giggled.

An awkward sip filled the air and all eyes turned to Ji Eun.

"What... What do you want to be?" Onew asked, unable to imagine Ji Eun's future occupation.

The only thing that popped into their minds was Ji Eun as a professor, the type of professor everyone found awkward. Ji Eun as a professor, they thought, could be a very close description of students' hell. They didn't doubt that she would give homework that would take at least 4 hours to complete, due the next day. Never ending class early, never missing a class, always punctual. The four university students were already tired at the thought of Ji Eun becoming a professor.

"A singer songwriter."

The air stood still.

"A singer. Song. Writer." Ji Eun repeated with her voice raised a volume, her hands clutching the warmth of her drink.

"Not... Not just a writer?" Key asked.

Now that the choice was given, they could imagine Ji Eun as a writer. It would fit her quiet demeanor, her desire of being alone, her desire of being in calm atmospheres and her whole love for books. They could imagine her as a romance novel author, or heck, even a drama movie script writer. But they couldn't imagine her as a songwriter, much less a singer.

"So basically a singer that makes her own songs." Onew said aloud, voicing the hard to fantasize thought to everyone at the table.

"Oh... Wow! I'm sure you'll be great at it!" Taeyeon clapped her hands together, her reaction awkward and stale. 

Ji Eun didn't blame her; she was used to this reaction. She actually thanked no one for laughing at her.

It sounded a bit silly to her as well, due to her lack of enunciation and volume in her usual voice, but nothing made her happier than telling a story through a beautiful melody.

She just happened to not show anyone that side of her.

Well, except one person.

"Did you make any songs? Could I hear one of them?" Onew leaned over to Ji Eun, curious and excited to see what kinds of notes were produced out of a small body such as hers.

Ji Eun smiled and nodded.

Jonghyun held back from asking further when he saw what no one else noticed.

Her smile was empty, there was no sense of warmth, meaning that she was probably only smiling because she felt like it was polite and she didn't want to hurt Onew's feelings. Her nod was weak and hesitant as if she had remembered that she shouldn’t do something, or shouldn't have done something? 

The way her fingers loosened from the cup at Onew's request to hear her songs, especially caught Jonghyun's eyes.

It was as if she habitually allowed herself to convert to her true self (whoever that may be) but something snatched her spirit away and threw her into the past. In that moment when she loosened her grip, a flash of unbearable weight clicked in her eyes and was forced to quickly rush to the present.

Jonghyun found himself to realize the amazing way how tiny actions could say so much, describe so much, and lead him to feel.

He hoped he wasn't overanalyzing.

He wanted to ask Ji Eun, clearly, to both fulfill his curiosity and help her. It was a strange urge and he usually hated butting into other people's business, but ever since he realized he knew nothing about her, he yearned to find out who she was.

Who she really was.

Not Miss LC, not School Genius, but as Lee Ji Eun.

 

"FINISHED!"

Key covered his mouth at his uncontained volume and Onew smacked him, mirroring what Key would have done.

"Did you just hit me?" Key hissed, raising his sharp pen as a threat.

"This is a library Key. You should be respectful and smart about the way you act around these types of public places." Onew lifted his chin and pursed his lips, exaggerating himself and his voice to sound like Key.

"First of all, I do not sound like that. Second of all," Key reached over to grab Onew's ear, holding it with considerable force.

"I think I deserve to at least shout for joy after I've been trying to teach you these three formulas for the past TWO HOURS." Key smiled, his lips twitching with anger.

"Or should I let you shout?" Key tugged Onew's ear slowly, "For bloody murder."

"JI EUNNNN." Onew frantically whispered, his hands swiping air for Ji Eun. "HELPP!!"

"Take it outside." Ji Eun threw Onew's and Key's coat over each other to which both responded with a quiet 'thank you' and a slowly leisure walk to the exit.

It didn't take long for Key's shout of anger to slither into the library muffled, accompanying Onew's loud cackles.

"He must've escaped." Taeyeon giggled, slowly getting used to and understanding the behavioral patterns of the real life Tom and Jerry.

"Still, Onew's amazing. How'd he learn these so quickly?" Jonghyun walked over, scanning the scribbles on the two notebooks. "Didn't we learn this for some time?"

"If he just tried harder, Onew'd be a genius." Ji Eun shook her head in pity.

Taeyeon noticed the two and felt another bite of guilt at her heart. The whole day she'd been by Jonghyun's side, and Ji Eun had been by the two bickering friends.

Which was intentional and all going accordingly to Miss LC's plans, but of course there was no way Taeyeon could know that.

She felt terrible and though she felt a whine of protest from her inner selfish self, she nudged Jonghyun, trying to send a non-verbal signal.

"You should take this opportunity while your friends are gone to talk with her privately!" Taeyeon smiled encouragingly, her selfish mini walking away grumbling in discontent.

Jonghyun stopped a disappointed frown from lying on his face and he smiled back with a soft nod.

"Okay. Thanks sunbae." he turned towards Ji Eun, mentally crying from the cruel treatment Taeyeon didn't even know she was giving to him.

He shook away the disappointment and clenched his fists together, mustering determination.

Fine then... Let's take this time to ask her about before.

He faltered in step at the sight of her small back. It looked so independent and strong, even though alone. She wasn't even in her love consultant mode, or her student genius mode, so what mode was she in right now?

Jonghyun bit his bottom lip and took a deep breathe, smiling to himself.

What am I getting worked up for? It's just a question.

Just a small question.

I'll start it off with just one question.

No biggie, no biggie.

 

 

 

 

He knew his heart told him otherwise.