Jonghyun closed the door behind him, hearing a lock click in place.

He stared at his surroundings, eyes wide with curiosity.

Here was where the magic resided and was made.

Three almost empty bookshelves were pushed to the left corner of the room and when Jonghyun examined the books which were only on the middle shelves, he found out that from the summaries, which Ji Eun had only stacked in books with comedy, books with romance, and textbooks.

Jonghyun almost let himself chuckle at the romantic novels, when a couple caught his eye.

Moby , To Kill a Mockingbird and even Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was stuck in between these romance novels.

"Those are my entertainment reads."

Jonghyun was slightly startled at the voice that seeped from behind him.

"You read classics? No one reads classics nowadays." Jonghyun paused, "No one reads nowadays unless its manga."

Ji Eun stared at her books.

"I do."

She turned and walked towards the window side and drew the curtains back, letting in the yellow orange sunlight flow into the room, making everything gleam golden. The hardwood floors seemed to glint with a luxurious ancient feel, and her half-filled bookcases seemed somewhat relaxing in the scenery. Ji Eun sat down on a large table, which was also old wood.

"What's with all these expensive looking furniture?" Jonghyun was amazed, he was pretty sure it was only Ji Eun managing this club, and it wasn't even an official club. Could she really afford all these antique looking items?

"This room is an extra storage room; I just volunteered to look after it."

Jonghyun faltered at the... majorly plain reason.

"Oh. So..." Jonghyun cringed at the awkward tension he had.

She wasn't feeling any bit uncomfortable so it frustrated him to see that he, the confident popular guy, was just swimming in the palm of Lee Ji Eun. "Come sit down." Ji Eun pulled out a chair for Jonghyun and sat in the opposite direction, her back facing the sunlight.

Jonghyun glanced at the table again. The windows poured sunlight onto the table fully, so much that the table seemed to be the color orange rather than deep hazel. A couple of textbooks lay open on the table, but Ji Eun closed them and pushed them away. As Jonghyun plopped down into his seat, he watched as Ji Eun neatly arranged the textbooks in their place.

"You study here too?"

"Yes."

Well that was the end of that conversation.

Jonghyun grumbled, resting his chin on his hand.

Ji Eun stole a glance at him and went right to stacking her notebooks.

"I'll give you session, but I need you to be comfortable with me."

"Uh... Ok."

"You hesitated." Ji Eun pushed the thick books with care into the second bookshelf and finally sat down, pushing her stack of notes to the side.

Jonghyun stared at the sunlight that dispersed around Ji Eun's figure, and he realized for the first time that she was actually very small and petite in figure. Actually, she was a bit different than he thought she would be. "I thought you were hard to approach, a little scary, and arrogant." Jonghyun blurted, realizing a second too late.

Ji Eun gave no reaction, but stood up slowly, going towards the opposite side of the room and retrieving two cups, two teabags and a teapot. She walked back, still giving no response to Jonghyun's judgement until she sat back down on her seat.

"I hear that a lot." Ji Eun poured hot water into the two cups and dipped the teabags into each cup.

"Oh, t-thanks." Jonghyun fumbled for the teacup his love consultant offered him, and awkwardly fiddled with the handle.

"It's true, so I won't deny any of your judgements." Ji Eun stirred her teacup and the air around her immediately began to give off a calming aroma.

It was then when Jonghyun realized that the room smelled something like flowers, sunlight, and books.

"That's carnation flower tea." Ji Eun commented when Jonghyun stared at his cup, "It'll soothe your nerves."

Jonghyun stirred, and when the aroma sinked in, he took a sip.

It tasted better than he thought.

"It's alright if you think of me as strange." Ji Eun pushed the notebooks on her left away, and eyed a single white note on her opposite side.

"Just trust me for now and I will guarentee you success."

Jonghyun tried not to stare at Ji Eun as he drank his tea, but she just looked so calming. The room itself, with its antiques, effect of sunlight and peaceful aroma made the whole entire room give off a cozy feeling.

Without saying so, Jonghyun had already began to trust Ji Eun. It was just that she was unpredictable and that he was still awkward around her.

 “Who is the person of your interest?”

Jonghyun nearly spat his tea all over his newly hired love consultant.

Luckily, he only stared a coughing fit.

“Sorry, take your time.” Ji Eun patiently waited, keeping her eyes closed as she sipped her own tea.

Jonghyun cleared his throat once, then twice before getting a napkin and furiously scrubbing at some invisible stain on his mouth. Ji Eun waited just as furiously, and opened up the single notebook on her right, pulling it in front of her. She clicked open a pen and began to write down some kind of entry.

“What…” Jonghyun gulped, finally regaining control of his own body,” What is that?”

Ji Eun glanced up then resumed her work.

“It’s an entry log for every consultation I have.”

“It’s almost halfway full though.” Jonghyun pointed out, crumpling away the used napkin and throwing it into the wooden bin.

“Every direct and indirect consultation I have had.” Ji Eun rephrased, clicking her pen again and setting it down.

She looked up and Jonghyun slumped in his chair, prepared for the embarrassing question.

“So? Who is it?” Ji Eun asked, her hands neatly placed in front of her on the table.

“….K-Kim...” Jonghyun sputtered his voice a mumble.

“Kim Kibum?”

Jonghyun almost fell out of his chair, scrambling for a grip on the table.

“NO! What?! Where would you get that idea?! I have NEVER-“

“I was joking.”

Jonghyun stared confused and wide eyed at Ji Eun who sipped her tea again.

It was quiet if you didn’t include the small sips of tea, the chirping of birds, the faint shouts of outdoor club activity and Jonghyun's blood pressure pumping louder.

“O-oh.” Jonghyun sighed relief, and sat back into his chair, stable again.

“I was just trying to make you comfortable.” Ji Eun said which only made Jonghyun uncomfortable.

“Yeah, okay. Thanks.” Jonghyun murmured. He tried to relax himself, so he lifted his cup of tea and drank his own share.

“Is it Kim Taeyeon?”

This time, Jonghyun really did spit his tea all over, and Ji Eun had to quietly dab a napkin over her hair, leaving Jonghyun embarrassed and apologetic.

“You just don’t rest do you?!” Jonghyun yelped, face red with humiliation.

“Am I wrong?” Ji Eun commented.

That got Jonghyun quiet rather quickly.

“Erm… Uh…” Jonghyun hesitated in answering and instead offered another cup of tea to Ji Eun who accepted it gladly. When Ji Eun didn’t push any further, Jonghyun finally sighed and nodded. 

“Yeah.” Jonghyun pursed his lips, “I like Taeyeon sunbae.”

Ji Eun visibly cringed with a poker expression, nevertheless wrote it down onto her notebook.

Jonghyun let the rude action slide.

Heck, it was even too mushy for him to say.

He had to restrain from shivering from his sweet words, and instead gripped the handles of the tea pot and placed it firmly on the table.

“So, how did you fall for her?” Ji Eun finished her sentence with a click.

Was it hot in here or was it just Jonghyun?

“She saw me cry.” Jonghyun watched Ji Eun’s expression turn from poker to slight confusion and interest.

“I don’t really get how one could fall in love with a person if they saw one cry.” Ji Eun stated, her pen lingering over the sheet.

Jonghyun placed his hand on the back of his hand, already recalling the memory.

“Onew and Taeyeon sunbae are in the same tennis club. The club was going to some movie theater after tournament party, so I tagged along.” Jonghyun cleared his throat, looking straight past the window, “At that time, I just thought she was a pretty sunbae, nothing more and nothing less.”

Ji Eun nodded, writing his words down.

“But the movie was sad, so I uh, cried.” Jonghyun peered.

---

Onew and all the other tennis club members were teasing him after the movie, and Jonghyun had stubbornly resisted in admitting that he had cried when the dog, who wasn’t even one of the main characters of the plot, had died.

“It’s just a movie! There’s no need to cry.” One girl giggled, smothering it a second too late.

“Are you crying?!” Onew howled, laughing with max volume.

Jonghyun glared at Onew, not thankful for the announcement that got everyone’s attention if it already didn’t.

“You call yourself a man?” One of his sunbae’s cackled, slapping Jonghyun on the back.

“It’s just a dog.” A girl tried to comfort him horribly, disappointing Jonghyun greatly.

---

“It’s just a dog?”

Ji Eun interrupted Jonghyun’s monologue of his past, her eyes now wider than before, her pen paused in mid-air.

“One girl said it. I don’t remember her face.” Jonghyun paused.

“Why? Do you need her for some love consulting thing?” He questioned, watching Ji Eun’s straight lips curve into a frown.

“Yes. Do not fall for that girl, whoever it is.” Ji Eun stated firmly, “Anyone who does not like animals, is a horrible candidate for love.”

Jonghyun peered at Ji Eun.

“Are you sure that’s not just your opinion?” Jonghyun grinned slightly, amused.

Ji Eun paused, her eyes wandering the room.

“……Actually, yes. That is my opinion.” Ji Eun shrugged softly, “Excuse me, and please continue.”

Jonghyun let himself smile.

---

In the midst of the chaos, Jonghyun really wanted to just run away and punch Onew for announcing his tears in front of all the pretty tennis club members and his seniors. But he was stuck so instead he laughed, and waved it away like nothing.

“I was yawning, you guys. It was sad, but it wasn’t that sad.” Jonghyun excused, and his acting was so believable, there were only a couple of doubts.

“Eh? Really? It sure looked like you were crying.” Onew pouted, thinking he had made a commotion for nothing.

“Want me to make it look like you’re crying?” Jonghyun smiled, but he held up a fist, half joking half serious.

The joke caught on, and soon the punch line of the joke turned from Jonghyun to Onew.

Literally.

“OW! Stop punching me!” Onew yelped when he started receiving some soft and some hard punches from left and right.

Jonghyun stepped behind, satisfied for his cloaked revenge, hurriedly confirming his state in a reflection of a glass window. He had only sniffled a bit, so luckily there were no signs of man tears.

“I cried too.”

Jonghyun froze, and whipped around to face the manager of the tennis club.

She smiled her angelic smile, and leaned in to Jonghyun’s ear.

Jonghyun’s surroundings froze, and even the falling leaves that colored the world with warmth seemed to float in front of him slowly.

“Personally,” Taeyeon whispered, “I think you’re still cool when you cry.”

Just as sudden as the world stopped, it whizzed back into time and Taeyeon was skipping towards the group, pulling people away from poor Onew.

Jonghyun’s ears tingled.

Her words echoed in his mind.

Her smile was engraved in his memory from here until death.

He had dated many girls before, but this feeling was a first.

Jonghyun listened carefully, staring at the angelic lady, defensively hovering near Onew.

Jonghyun heard something.

Badump... Badump... Badump...

What was that?

His hand searched for the sound and it stopped right above the left side of his chest. It felt a rhythm that was faster than the usual beat coming from his heart. The adrenaline rushed past and he realized his ears were burning and he had a big smile that was plastered on his lips for the whole world to see.

This was it.

Kim Taeyeon was his first love.

---

“Please at least try to conceal your actions at my monologue.” Jonghyun frowned.

Ji Eun was in mid-squirm, her hands wrapped around herself, rubbing furiously like her arms were on fire. “I uh. I’m sorry. It’s pretty different having to hear the word rather than writing or seeing it.” Ji Eun went right back to sip her tea, clearing .

Jonghyun felt himself get red, letting what he said sink into his brain.

I just explained the most magical moment to a girl I barely even know in the most embarrassing and cheesy way possible…!

Jonghyun grumbled.

“Sorry, that was pretty weird. It was pretty awkward. I was awkward. I shouldn’t have narrated my past like it was in some kind of soap opera script. I’m weird, sor…” Jonghyun babbled, but his lips snapped shut when he noticed Ji Eun’s face.

It seemed red.

Maybe it was the sunlight.

But it seemed red.

“Uh… You okay?” Jonghyun asked.

Ji Eun eased back into attention.

“Yes. Your falling-in-love story is very… Beautiful.” She smiled.

She smiled.

Jonghyun blinked and it was gone.

But it definitely was a smile.

Like her words, her smile was very slightly curved, almost unnoticeable. If Jonghyun had not caught that split second of foreign muscle movement on Ji Eun’s face, he would have never seen it, ever.

 

 

 

Jonghyun thought it was pretty.