He reprimands Park-sunsaengnim for the overtime (although he is reassured that it was a one-time thing).

          And every Friday, the lights are off, leaving him to walk alone in thoughts and ponderings along lonely halls.

          Sometimes, he wonders if that encounter with Joohyun was a figment of his imagination. He thinks that it must be as he sees the careful smiles she would give to him and to others, and the polite and clipped replies.

          But then his chest warms again at the memory, and he knows it must be real.

          6:09. It is raining cats and dogs. Friday evening.

          He tries not to stare at Joohyun. It is strange. Not so strange as the fact that it was only him and her in the storage room closet, putting away dusty shoeboxes (he blushes and tries not to think too much of it, but fails). The others have left, but Joohyun stayed. He likes to think that it comes from the goodness of her heart, and not from the obligation of being the second-in-command of the Council.

          “What?” she asks, and Bogum is taken aback. Her words are barely heard over the pounding rain.

          “You’ve been staring at me.” She looks up at him, and lets out a slight uneasy grin. “I could practically feel it.”

          I wasn’t. Really? Bogum wants to say, and deny. But he sees the wide-eyes, and he knows he could never (really) lie to her. Not when he has been doing it for the past few years. Not when he has been doing it for the intent of living in this very moment.

          The wish for her to speak to him, as she does now.

          He wonders if this is a vivid daydream. And he blinks once. Then twice.

          “It’s just.” He pauses, and tries to find the right words to ask, without sounding like a creep. “No rushing off at exactly six?”

He chuckles nervously at the look of confusion, then gradual surprise on her face. She blinks in surprise, then nods slowly, before turning back to the task at hand.

          “Would you rather I leave you behind here?”

          A second passes, then two, and he realizes that Joohyun just talked to him. She talked and teased him! Bogum’s heart pounds at the realization, and he knows he must have a dumbfounded look on his face right now. He tries to recall a moment where she did it to him in the past and he cannot.

          Amidst the rain, he hears pounding footsteps.

          Joohyun walks out of the closet, and he follows her. Partly because he is still under her spell, partly because he is curious to see as to who it is.

          A head peeks in from the doorway of the Student Council room (sadly, this is what this dingy classroom has come to now), moving to and fro, looking for something.

          Bogum remembers her when Joohyun runs to her. The girl grins and steps in the room.

          “Unnie!” she smiles at Joohyun, then notices Bogum at the back. “Sunbaenim.”

Seulgi (that was what Joohyun called her, last time) bows politely before turning to Joohyun, who is now in front of her.

 Bogum sees her more clearly this time and silently assesses her. She is pretty, with a seemingly pleasant demeanor, and chubby cheeks. He watches her eyes crinkle and can’t help but think how utterly adorable she looks.

          Though not as adorable or pretty as Joohyun.

          Strangely, Bogum hears their conversation well and clear this time, and he pretends to fix some papers scattered on a nearby table.

          “What took you so long?”

          “Hey!” Seulgi bounces up indignantly, but a playful tone is masked behind it. “It’s not my fault I had some extra work to catch up to!”

          “Yeah, yeah.”

          He is surprised to hear that Joohyun has been waiting for Seulgi.

          “Did you wait long?” He hears the guilty and slightly worried lilt in Seulgi’s voice, and he looks up to see Joohyun shake her head slightly.

          “I was preoccupied with helping Bogum-ssi sort out the stock room.”

          “Ah.”

          A brief pause, and Seulgi says, “I’ve never been in the Council Room before.”

          “That’s because you’re not a member of the Council,” Joohyun teases. “Are you even supposed to be here?”

          “Hey!”

          They lapse into a brief silence, enough for Bo Gum to look up. Seulgi is scanning the room, brows raised and mouth forming into an oh. Joohyun stares at her with an amused expression.

          “Then,” Seulgi breaks the silence, “are you done?”

          “Not yet,” he hears a sigh and Joohyun rubs her neck soothingly. “Bogum-ssi” she calls out to him, “how many more boxes do we need to go through?”

          Four or five more.

          He sees their expressions.

          Four or five more boxes to sort out.

          And he hesitates.

          “Just one!” he cheerfully calls out when he sees her tired eyes, dusty hands, and sweaty face. He sees how she slumps tiredly, and he knows that she wants so badly to go home.

          “Really?” Joohyun’s eyes light up, and he knows that she must have missed the boxes at the back of the shelf. He nods to affirm his lie, and smiles to cement it.

          “Don’t worry, Joohyun-ssi, you can go home now. I’ll take care of it.”

          They say their good byes and Joohyun gets her umbrella and bag.

          “Really, Seulgi, you should be more prepared.”

          “How was I supposed to know it would rain?”

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