Look at those humans, who come and go like a stream of ants.

Look at that guy, who purposefully bumps his shoulder against a girl's unsuspecting back.

Look at him, he's grinning. He's bending down to pick up the book the girl has dropped. Watch, he will offer the book to the girl next, with a saccharine ‘sorry’ and a smile he hopes would come across as charming. Oh my God he really does that, I wonder why I can predict everything right? Now the girl's going to look at him with sparks of lov—

"What the Hell?"

I blink.

And gape.

The girl—okay, wow, so the girl is actually glaring at him, snatching her book back.

“Kindly stop purposely knocking over girls just to re-enact some k-drama scenes as if you’re the main lead,” the girl says, expression twisting into disgust. “Because you’re not.”

AHSDJSDHJSD—

Hello, 911? Help, I think I’ve just witnessed murder.

Bruh.

That's refreshing to see, to be honest. I feel a smidge bad for the dude, but I also don’t want to witness the start of a makjang drama replaying itself in front of me for the umpteenth time. A couch could only take a cliché plot so many times, after all, and dude is actually a terrible repeat offender. The girl must’ve known this, so she’s actually doing the world a favour.

Hmm? Why are you staring questioningly at me?

...oh.

Right, I've just forgotten to introduce myself, don't I? Well, I'm a couch. Name? Hmm. I don't think I have a name. I'm just an ordinary, boring, old couch in the library of a college I don't even bother to remember what its name is.

Aint no couch got time for that.

Speaking of time, this time around another girl walks over and prepared her to land on my comfortable old cushion. I hope she’s not the farty type. I hate the farty type.

Hngk.

Sorry, did that confuse you?

That was a noise I unconsciously make whenever someone sits on me. Even babies. The difference is, with babies, it's hngk in a suppressed-mental-squealing-you’re-so-cute kind of way, while with non-babies, it's hngk in an I'm-too-old-for-this-heavy-loads-no-offense-to-your-weight-though-I'm-just-seriously-old kind of way.

Hey, this girl's bottom smells kind of nice. Okay, that might sound creepy to you, but only because you aren't a couch like me. You would be sensitive if your smell throughout the day is dependent on others who’ve sat on you, too, so don't judge.

*sniffs* Hmm. Maybe it's the parfume.

Must've been the parfume.

Anyway, where was I? Oh, yeah, I'm a library couch. Which means that I'm always in the library. I'm old, though, so I'm basically in a secluded corner far away from new visitors' sight. Which is kinda sad, because I like seeing new faces. But it's also okay, because then those who still seek me usually carry a story with them, rather than just a casual visit.

I like—no, I love stories.

Humans don't always tell their stories out loud, but I can see it in their faces. In their expressions. In their gestures. And sometimes, in their interactions with someone they meet while they're within my sight. It also means being a witness to an overused attempt at romance, but once in a while I get a plot twist, like today, for example, and I can't really complain for that. A couch gotta accept what's there and refrain from upsetting the Gods of Couch-Haven.

"Oh, you're here."

Yeah, nah, that wasn't me. Couch can't say words out loud, not in the way you humans will understand, anyway. Else you'll be undergoing shocks; some couches are less patient and polite than me, especially when you try to fart on them quietly.

Anyway, that was said by the girl sitting on me, to another girl—ohhh, wait, that was the girl from earlier. The girl with the book.

I blink.

"Thank you for saving me a seat, Yuri," the girl gushes.

"Haha, no problem. I was free anyway, but I really need to go now."

"Yena-unnie?" the book girl teases, grinning. The sitting girl raises her eyebrows and shoves her jokingly, but not answering. Judging from the faint red colouring the tip of her ears, though, I think the book girl is spot on about this Yena girl.

"Shut it, Hitomi. Just sit and read your book."

"I totally will," the girl sticks her tongue out, plopping onto me.

I tune the rest of their conversation out, waving it away as one of those ordinary conversations I often hear. It's great to see the friendship between this Yuri and Hitomi, though. I might still have faith in the warmth of humans’ bonds, after all.

Speaking of this Hitomi girl...

I'm actually not new to her. She's always around every Thursday, bringing a book with her to read over while lounging on me. Her legs would be up, folded neatly with her knees snug against her chest. She'll begin to mumble several words as she read through the passages, swimming into a tale she hasn't ever been in before.

But it's not all.

No, it's not.

This ordinary routine won't be complete without a girl sitting around a table across me, several meters away. She's got a laptop with her that she always sets up on the table—who I call Tablo and totally hates me for it—and I don't think she’s ever doing anything with the laptop except to hide her while she takes a peek at Hitomi every once in a while.

Totally a creep, if you ask me.

But, a creep or not, I'm a curious couch and asking is what I do best, so...

What's that girl's story?

***

Remember when I said an ordinary routine won't be complete without a girl sitting on a chair across me to creep on the Hitomi girl?

Well, Tablo told me her name today.

After I heard a girl mentioning it first.

So basically, Tablo's information is useless. As usual. No surprises, he hates me. Haven't I told you that?

Anyway, her name is Chaewon, apparently, and she's friends with a loud girl who likes to dish out people's bad habits. Why my impression of this friend is like that, you ask? Well, for instance—

"Oh my God, Chaewon, just talk to her and leave the life of a stalker!"

The Chaewon girl yelps and immediately shuts her laptop close, her other hand flying to clamp over the loud girl's mouth.

"Sssh!"

"Hfuu hfathe!" the girl grins triumphantly behind her hand.

"One of these days, Yena-unnie, I swear I will kill you and—"

"Are you sure you want to commit murder while Hitomi is watching—"

"LALALA NO ONE HEARS YOU AND YOU ABSOLUTELY WON'T WANT TO REPEAT IT AGAIN," Chaewon yells, smothering the friend with her bag so hard that I'm sure I heard a choked sound from the Yena girl even from afar.

And you know the thing that always happens when you're making a ruckus not far from the one you're stalking?

Yep, the librarian kicks you out.

This's still a library, people.

***

It shouldn't take a long time before Hitomi discovers Chaewon, methinks.

Actually, I was betting against Tablo that the shenanigans the day before—where a loud-mouthed girl basically publicized Chaewon’s crime and got them both kicked out from the library—was enough for Hitomi to take notice. I lost, Tablo won, why, you ask? Because Hitomi, bless her innocent self, was sleeping peacefully on top of me through the whole ordeal.

Say sike.

You might wonder what shortcomings a couch could possibly get from losing in a bet against a table. Well, I'm now under a condition to not call Tablo Tablo for two weeks. He wants to be called Desku.

I think he's gone mental.

"Calm down, Hitomi."

The two bickering best friends—Hitomi and Yuri—are approaching me, each holding a book about fishing. I furrow my metaphorical brows, recalling the date, fairly sure that it’s not Thursday. Isn’t today Friday?

Why are they here on Friday...

"You really have to help me," Hitomi mumbles, "I know nothing about fishing and I will totally embarrass myself—"

"Do I look like I know how to fish?" Yuri snorts, putting the book in her hold in her lap as they settle on me.

"You look like a fish," Hitomi suggests.

"Says the Flounder from Ariel the Little Mermaid," Yuri easily retorts.

"I'm sorry?" a voice interrupts, "I heard you talking about fishing."

The two best friends stop and look up, and I pride myself in not needing to look to know that it's Yena. She’s been a constant presence in Chaewon’s side, these past few days, her loud voice toned down just enough to avoid the librarian’s ire. Chaewon herself is currently in her usual place, but with a big dictionary book this time, in place of her laptop.

"Um," Yuri blinks, tone coloured with surprise. "Yena-unnie? What are you doing here?"

Oh. Right, Hitomi has mentioned Yena, before, to tease Yuri about whatever.

"Hi, Yuri-ah!" Yena beams, and it's officially safe to assume that they know each other. Hitomi squints as though the beaming face in front of her is too bright, and Yena excitedly continues, "Well, I overheard you two talking about fishing and I have a friend who reaaaaally likes to fish so—"

"Actually," Yuri interjects, voice suddenly gentler and softer than I’ve ever heard her, "the only fishing we're going to do is a console game about fishing, unnie. And this Flounder," she gestures to Hitomi who makes a face at her, "is going against her arch-nemesis so she really wants to win."

Yena blinks, digesting the unexpected turn of events.

"A... console game?"

"Yes."

Yena blankly stares at the books they're bringing with them.

"Hitomi is a very paranoid person," Yuri explains. "Especially if she's about to face her arch-nemesis."

"That’s fine," Yena determinedly replies. "My friend is good at fishing games too."

"Oh?" Hitomi perks up. "Can you introduce me to this friend?"

Yena grins. "I thought you'd never ask! She's in—"

She turns towards where Chaewon sits, with the two best friends following her action in sync.

And in silence they stare, at the empty chair and empty Desku and a single abandoned big dictionary on top of him, Chaewon nowhere to be found.

"Blast," Yena scowls, "where has she gone to now?"

***

It's not until three days later that any of the girls waltz around me again. Interestingly enough... maybe because it's Monday... it's Yuri and Yena, with Hitomi nowhere to be seen, and Chaewon not in her usual spot behind Desku. (I still can't stop myself from mentally berating the name. Tablo is way cooler. WHAT IS DESKU EVEN, WHY DOES HE HAVE A BAD TASTE IN NAMES?

I want to cancel him from my friend-list.)

"You didn't tell me that the arch-nemesis is her brother," Yena accuses as they're nearing.

"You wouldn't believe me, unnie," Yuri shrugs. "Even I couldn't believe it at first."

"Now her bro hates Chaewon's guts," Yena frowns, plopping on top of me. Oh, her bottom smells nice too. Actually, her smell goes quite well with Yuri’s, but no one asks for my opinion, so.

Back to them.

"Any males losing to her in a fishing game by a landslide would hate her guts," Yuri dryly remarks. "It's okay, Hitomi was having a field day because of that."

I nod sagely to their story. Apparently Hitomi and Chaewon had finally met. And apparently, Chaewon freaking rocks at the fishing game, even though I'm sure Yena was gambling with fate when she declared that she's good at it. Sometimes fate blesses you just like that.

"About them," Yena mutters, "yah, Yuri-ah, don't you feel something whenever you see them together?"

Yuri stares.

"Like, a fluttering feeling from the bottom of your stomach?" Yena coaxes.

"Yena-unnie," Yuri interjects slowly, "they were always sitting at least one meter away from each other."

"I know. Didn't you feel it? A tingling feeling in your heart because it's so nice, and suddenly flowers bloom in every corner of your sight like you're watching a shoujo anime—"

"Yena-unnie," Yuri hisses. "As far as we know, they have only met once."

Yena stares at the younger girl. "I ship."

Yuri groans, propping an elbow on my arm and palming her face. "You've got to be kidding me."

"What's wrong about shipping them?" Yena demands. "Don't tell me you view—"

"No, it's not like what you think," Yuri quickly clarifies, straightening up again. "But listen, you shipping them can make everything awkward—"

"They're already awkward," Yena points out.

"—even more awkward, unnie, and you could very well destroy what could've been—"

"Or I could be the catalyst that helps them grow their love so the drama won't turn into a one hundred episodes long with a cruel cliffhanger as its ending!"

Yuri twitches, recognizing a lost cause when she sees one. "I see that nothing I'd say would change your mind."

Yena nods happily. "Glad we're on the same page."

The younger girl sighs, massaging the bridge of her nose. "You know what, I have the rest of today free so just for fun..." she looks like she's going to regret this, but. "Tell me why you ship them, unnie."

And Yuri hasn't even finished breathing the last word when Yena immediately launches off into a long speech about the not-really-a-couple couple that gets her heart full with fluttery butterflies.

Thus begins the tale, dear readers.

The day I witness Choi Yena turning Yuri into a fellow Hitomi *heart emoji* Chaewon shipper.

***

The day after, Hitomi visits me with only a book in her hand.

It's one of the little things I like from Hitomi. She still sticks to physical books, when some people prefer to carry gadgets and read out their materials from digital books. Not that it's wrong to have digital books, mind. It’s just that I'm a library couch, so I’ll always side with the library folks, and physical books are my people. Simple as that.

"Hi, Couch-nim," Hitomi greets me before settling, fingers not curled around the book she’s bringing gently caressing my arm. At times like this, I wish I could talk in human language just so I could return her greeting. As a reply, I try my best to fluff my cushions instead.

"I only bring one book with me," Hitomi pouts, still talking to me even when she can't hear my answer. "Because the rest of the new books are already borrowed. I'm not in the mood to reread, either, so... but I guess it also means that more people are reading books nowadays, which is a good thing, isn’t it?"

I listen diligently to her soft rants, while Desku makes urgent hissing sounds.

I look over, and for a split second Hitomi’s voice fades from my attention.

Chaewon's there.

I blink, not really expecting to see her there, because she hasn't been for a while already. This is not ordinary.

I mentally shake my head.

Appearing right behind Chaewon is Yena, who wears the stupidest grin ever in my history of knowing the girl. They’re walking towards Desku, chatting lightly, or—well, as light as Chaewon’s exasperated expression and Yena’s annoying grin could indicate.

Hitomi's still telling me things, drifting off from books to rambling about the fishing game she’s had and how her brother actually flops at it, while several meters away from us, Yena and Chaewon seem to exchange some arguments.

Desku sends a signal to me that they're arguing about whether or not Chaewon should go and say 'hi' to Hitomi.

I signal back to him to just trip Chaewon and be done with it.

Turns out, like a useless desk he is, Desku can't move his legs (me neither, but hey, I'm not the one with the mission to trip anyone).

But you know who can do it? Yena. She can, and so she does. She appears to be surrendering to Chaewon's opinion, letting her to walk towards Desku (I TOLD YOU TABLO IS WAY COOLER), before innocently placing her foot in a strategic place.

Chaewon trips.

The loud sound that accompanies Chaewon's dramatic fall has Hitomi pausing her story-telling. She looks over, eyes widening as she sees Chaewon slumped on the ground, and cue Yena's loud acting—

"Oh my God, Chaewon! Are you okay? I'm so sorry!"

Bless Yena and her annoying arse. She doesn't look sorry at all, that little .

Hitomi shifts, straightening up and squinting at them, obviously concerned. Desku is relaying the conversations happening near him to me. I guess he's not really useless when he wants to.

"Shut up and just help me," Chaewon grits out.

"Oh no, what to do? She is looking at you now—"

"She's not, now shut up and be thankful I'm not bringing my laptop—"

And shut up Yena does not. She looks at Hitomi instead, waving and not minding Chaewon's obvious mental breakdown, and Hitomi waves back, eyes crinkling to form a concerned smile. "SHE'S OKAY!" Yena half yells, right when Chaewon finally wobbles back onto her feet, and she ends up slamming her forehead onto Desku upon hearing the yell because oh God she befriends a jerk—

Hitomi giggles at the display, nodding instead of replying with a half-yell herself because she's sane enough to know not to get on the librarian's bad side, unlike some people.

I snort, amused.

Desku says the collision between Chaewon and his top should be enough to cause a concussion.

While Yena, girl just doesn't care. She drags Chaewon to Hitomi because, I don't know, maybe she finally figures out that there's a technique to communicate without half-yelling—which is to talk within a decent distance.

"Release me," Chaewon urgently hisses, trying her best to not trip again amidst the dragging, and release her Yena does, but only after they have arrived in front of Hitomi and Chaewon has no chance to escape the fateful meeting like she usually does.

"Hi!" Yena repeats excitedly, beaming.

"Hello," Hitomi smiles. Her gaze zeroes on Chaewon who's hiding a grimace, and her eyebrows furrow with concern. "Are you okay, Chaewon-sshi?"

"Um," Chaewon runs her fingers through her hair, trying to regain some dignity, "yeah, I'm okay, sorry about this idiot."

Said idiot is taking a step back and I think she's hyperventilating because her OTP finally interacted, this time without a fishing game as the topic.

"Are you often around?" Hitomi asks, and I snort. Oh Hitomi, you have no idea.

"Yeah, I'm usually by my laptop over there—" Chaewon points to Desku, effectively shoving Yena aside with the swing of her arm before she could excitedly add 'STALKING YOU' to the explanation, "—doing things. Hehe."

That 'hehe', right there, dear readers, is the epitome of an awkward laugh.

"I see," Hitomi smiles, breezing past the vague explanation with ease and gracefully ignoring the awkwardness. "I'm usually here, so... you're welcome to sit next to me anytime, if you want."

Yena drops to the ground faster than Chaewon can respond.

Chaewon looks torn between wanting to thank Hitomi or letting the ground to swallow her alive because God, Yena is an embarrassing friend to have.

"What's she doing?" Hitomi asks, peering at Yena who slowly begins to roll away from them. Probably to give them some privacy. Or because it's too much for her to take and she wants to spazz in a more appropriate place away from her ship's ears.

"Don't mind her," Chaewon croaks. "She's just... trying to sympathize with the library's floor. Yeah. She does that sometimes."

Hitomi nods slowly. "I... see..."

"And Hitomi-sshi?"

Hitomi looks up. I look up too, ignoring Desku's grunt of pain when Yena inevitably bumps against one of his wooden legs.

"I'd like that," Chaewon smiles. "Thank you."