Scenario: See request here!

No, don’t walk back. Don’t-

Wide eyed, Jinwoo stares from a distance as you bump into the book cart, sending the neatly stacked books tumbling down into a cluttered mess. He hears you gasp, covering your mouth with the book that had grabbed most of your attention away. You’d been too absorbed, walking silently with a book practically glued to your face. Jinwoo had come to favor this part of the library, and he’d assume you did too, having seen you here many times too many. Though he’d been considering to switch his study spot since, clearly, he’s got other things in mind.

He looks around and everyone else seemed to be unaware of the sudden mishap you’ve encountered. His conscience bugged him to walk over and give you a hand, but his legs seemed to think otherwise. Amongst all the situations he’d thought of when he finally gathers the courage to talk to you, this one was definitely not in the list. He recalls the countless conversations, which honestly felt like scolding sessions, from the boys who puts his age in no regards. “What? Three months and not even her name?” “Ah, hyung! You put that face to shame.”

Should I? I Should, shouldn’t I? 

Screw it- He stood up, hitting his knees to the edge of the table in the process. Regretting his decision almost instantly, he was already half way to reaching you, so it really was- now or never.

“Here…” He says quietly; it was difficult to actually hear himself through how loud his thoughts seemed to be. Jinwoo sees how your fingers wrapped gently around the edges of the books he’d passed on, and he couldn’t let the fact that he was this close to you sink in just yet. The past few months he was only able to steal glances your way, and it had such an effect on him, he couldn’t fathom what it’d do to him to see you properly this time.

“Thank you.”

Jinwoo looks up to you then, and he was right, you were just as stunning as you would had been even from a distance. And so is your voice. Just as he remembered it to be.

“No problem, be careful next time.” He smiles, and he catches your unblinking gaze, figuring that you were still flustered with the whole bumping into things situation to be looking at him that way.

~

Of course you’d seen him before.

The first encounter with him was during your first week back where things at school still needed some getting used to. Your schedule, for example. So new classes were assigned to different venues, and just to make it all better, you just had to sleep in one day. The place was packed by the time you reached the lecture hall, and to your horror it was pointless to go looking for back row seats, landing you a seat in front. You tried to be discreet, the fact that you were still huffing for air, face flushed from running around, clueless, looking for this class.

It was probably ten minutes into the lecture and it was typical for you to be unfamiliar with the material considering it’s only the first week back. You had to do a double take, since you’ve gone over the materials online, but your brain just couldn’t pick up the things the lecture was spewing out. Convinced that you’ve totally lost it and pretty much done with yourself, you poked the person sitting next to you with the tip of your pen.

“Hey, um… what class is this by the way?” Barely whispering, eyes still focused to the front. And when he answered you, you didn’t know if you were flustered by how alien the name of the class sounded, never having heard of it before. Or the fact that this boy next to you was drop dead gorgeous.

He looked at you, doe-eyed, and with a subtle, amused smile that crawled across his face, you were instantly in a daze. He repeated himself, smacking you out of your thoughts.

“Oh.” You let out a breath, the one you’d held in the moment your eyes met his.

“Did you forget the material?” More like my vocabulary.

“Yes. I mean no- I need to-” You rushed out of your seat, finally realizing that you were in the middle of the wrong class.

~

Jinwoo.

Kim Jinwoo.

His name ran through your mind,

-and apparently on the edges of your notebook as well.

You scribbled over it in a haste, repelled how the thought of him have turned you into the likes of a smitten teenage girl. But how could anyone not? If prom was still a thing, Jinwoo would easily be crowned prom king without even trying.

It took him sometime to utter out his name, when bumping into him felt like more than just a mere coincidence. A week after your embarrassing run in at the library, you’d met him by the cafeteria, next in line as you waited for your lunch. A part of you wanted to go up to him and ask if he’d like to have his lunch with you but seeing how much of a giggling bunch your girlfriends can be, you opted not to. And it wasn’t like he didn’t have his own troupe with him, who couldn’t quite put a sock in it every time you walked by. A few days after, he found you standing just outside the main entrance, bracing yourself for the sudden downpour. And as you made a run for it, you were surprised that not a single drop of rain made it to you. You turned to the side to see Jinwoo with his arm out, holding up an umbrella which the two of you then shared.

“Is this seat taken?” His voice caught you by surprise, your stomach flutters seeing him smile the way he always does.

“Well it is yours, or did you forget?” Jinwoo sees how your cheeks were stained, rosy, something he’d notice whenever he’s around.

“Hey, I’m not that clueless.” He lets out a warm laugh, how could he forget asking you to save him a seat, something he’d contemplate for nights on end. Saying how, it’s exam week, you know how full the library can be, was a lousy excuse to cover up for this, what he hopes to be- study date.

He was the definition of your-college-boyfriend from a magazine spread. A backpack slung on one arm, over the college varsity jacket, dark hair falling just above his eyebrows. You see that white t-shirt peeking out, tucked loosely into his dark blue jeans. And an adorable smile to top it all of.

He pulls his chair, and it was hard not to miss that whiff of his cologne as he shuffles to take his seat next to you. And when he bumps his knees to yours, you swore you felt your skin buzz at the sudden touch. You sigh silently, telling yourself to get a grip, because frankly you won’t get any studying done at this rate.

~

“Hey?” You feel a poke to your side, and you snap out of your concentration to see Jinwoo, supressing a smile. “Do you always read like that?

“Hm?” He sees your eyebrows furrowed, not catching on to what he had meant.

“I think I’ve called your name for about five times.” He chuckles softly, scanning your face with gentle eyes. You didn’t think you could take your focus else where the minute he sat down next to you, so it’s a wonder how you were able to actually drown yourself in reading material.

“I think it’s a habit,” You let out a faint smile, “I’m sorry. You were saying?”

“I was wondering if you wanted to get something to eat? Since this isn’t working out.” He leans back on his chair, a smile on his face.

“Isn’t working out…?”

“Try studying with you next to me.” He laughs quitely, and you see how his face have flushed. “At least, you can tell me more habits of yours over dinner.”

“So this was-”

“A date? Sure.” He grins at you, and your heart was skipping beats. Jinwoo couldn’t help but feel the same, not sure if he actually asked you out this time. Relieved that you didn’t realize how he spent the whole time mustering himself to ask you that question rather than opening a text book.

He sees how you hadn’t move, still staring at him with those eyes that he’d come to adore. Gathering his things and yours, he takes your bag with him as he stood up.

“Come.” He chimes, offering you his hand. Everything came into place, and felt right, because after so long, he’s finally holding your hand.