“Have you fallen for me again?”

Jiwoo stilled on the landing. She looked up to see that Tae-hyung had followed her out of their department and into the stairwell. He stood on top of the stairs, his hands deep inside his pockets, staring at her.

Staring at her like she was the only girl he sees.

“You’ve got to stop asking me that,” she begged.

His brows flew up. “Why?”

Because you’re making me hope for the impossible, she wanted to say. Because you’re making me fall in love with you and I can’t.

I won’t.

“Because it was just a silly crush,” she said instead. “That’s what it only was.”

Tae-hyung’s eyes narrowed dangerously as he headed down the steps. “It wasn’t a silly crush.”

She shook her head. “It was.”

“It wasn’t, Jiwoo.”

“It was,” she shouted.

Suddenly, she was pinned against the wall, Tae-hyung’s tall, lean frame fencing her in. His eyes, glittering and hard, held hers and his jaw was set in granite. She looked to the side, her heart pounding.  

“How can you say that?” he growled.

“Let me go,” she whispered, keeping her eyes averted.

“How can you say that?” he repeated angrily. “You told me you loved me. You were blushing and wringing your hands tightly. You looked me in the eye, Jiwoo. I love you. Those were your exact words. And you’re telling me now that it was just a silly crush?”

Hearing him throw her words back to her made the tears form in Jiwoo’s eyes.

“Why?” Tae-hyung asked Jiwoo while he had her trapped against the bookshelf. “Why have you been reading the same books I’ve read?”

Jiwoo stared at him in panic. Her mind was spinning and she wasn’t sure what to say.

Should she tell him it was just a huge coincidence?

Should she tell him it was part of a behavioral research paper and he was her subject?

Or should she just admit that she fell in love with him at first sight and was secretly pining after him for almost a year?

Maybe she should just choose option number 2. He’d never believe her if she said it was a coincidence and he’d probably laugh at her if she confessed and tell her there was no way he’d be dating a creep.

And falling in love at first sight. It only happened in books and movies right? It was shallow and silly and she didn’t want him to dislike her even more.

“And don’t you dare lie to me,” she heard him say, prompting her out of her thoughts.

Right then and there, she decided to be angry and defensive.

“Y-y-you… you don’t own the library,” she stammered. “I can read whatever I want. And it’s really just a coincidence—“

“Old Tractors and the Men Who Love Them,” he cut her off, leaning in. “How to Sharpen Pencils. How To Raise Your IQ by Eating Gifted Children. I’ve been borrowing the most ridiculous titles since last month to see if my suspicions were right about you. I didn’t even read them. But when I checked the library cards last week, you’d borrowed them too.”

No wonder his book choices were becoming weird.

He was on to her.

Jiwoo swallowed.

What now was she going to do?

“Please step back,” Jiwoo whispered.

His voice dipped gentle and his hand curled around the side of her neck. “Not until you answer—”

Her eyes shot to his and whatever he read in them made him stop talking and flinch.

“Jiwoo…”

“I don’t understand why you even want me to love you again,” she continued to whisper, her already broken heart splintering. “And I don’t want to understand. I just want you to leave me alone.”

“You don’t understand?” Tae-hyung clipped.  

She shook her head.

Tae-hyung glared at her with his angry eyes. “Isn’t it because I—?“

“There you are, Tae-hyung,” Woo-jin’s voice rang out. “We’ve been looking for you.”

Tae-hyung clenched his jaw in frustration and pushed off her. Jiwoo hurriedly wiped the tears that had spilled over and straightened from the wall.  

“The chairman’s looking for you, Tae— are you alright, Jiwoo?”

“Y-yeah…” she muttered, not looking at any of them in the eye. “I… I need to go to the restroom.”

“Jiwoo,” Tae-hyung called out she didn’t stop walking down the stairs.

To her relief, he didn’t follow her again.

To her dismay, she found herself wishing he did.

A/N:

Hello, hello to my new subscribers! I do hope y'all enjoyed the story as well as this chapter.

And I do hope K.A.R.D also includes my country in their world tour.  (T⌓T) Like come on, guys. I worshiped you since day one. 

See you in two or three days! (*^▽^*)