“I’m never drinking again,” Woo-jin muttered.

Same, Jiwoo thought as she rubbed her temples. They were waiting for the elevator in the lobby, both looking sicker than a dog.

“Who the hell thought it was a good idea to hold a party on a work night?” Woo-jin continued to mutter. "I really want to kill the bastard.”

Same, she thought again.

“Good morning!"

Jiwoo flinched at the loud voice and Tae-hyung let out a bark of laughter as he walked up to them.

“Damn it, Tae-hyung,” Woo-jin scowled at him. “Why the hell are you so chirpy?”

Tae-hyung ignored Woo-jin and looked at Jiwoo. Jiwoo immediately wished she’d taken the stairs instead.

“You drank a lot,” he commented.

“Yeah,” she mumbled awkwardly. She still couldn’t believe she let herself drink like a fish and pass out like that. It was going down as a black stain in her history and she blamed Tae-hyung for losing her discipline.

“Did you enjoy the party?” Tae-hyung asked.

Where was that elevator?

“Yes, I did,” she replied, stubbornly refusing to meet his gaze. “Thank you.”

“Did you love the food?”

“Yes.”

“The songs?”

“Yes.”

“Me?”

“Ye- what?” Her head whipped toward him.

Tae-hyung leaned in and whispered. “Are you in love with me yet?”

“Is that him?” Young-ji, her best friend, asked her. “The one reading at the back?”

“Yes,” Jiwoo whispered. They were both staring at Tae-hyung between the gaps of the bookshelf. “That’s the boy I fell in love with.”

Young-ji twisted her neck to glower at her. “The school year’s almost over but you still haven’t confessed to him?”

“I… I’m afraid.”

“So you stalk him instead?”

“…Yeah?”

“You do know you’re creepy right?”

“Shut up,” Jiwoo muttered in a disheartened tone. “I’ll confess. I’ll definitely confess.”

“You should do it soon,” Young-ji advised. “He’s a third year, isn’t he? He’ll graduate soon and leave for university.”

I know, she thought morosely.

She knew but she just wasn’t ready yet.

“Elevator’s here,” Woo-jin declared before stepping in. “Hurry up or we’ll be late.”

Lucky, Jiwoo thought with a quick expel of breath as she followed behind him.  

Tae-hyung entered last and stood beside her.

“Are you alright?” he asked her. “Are you not feeling well?”

“I-It’s not that bad,” she muttered to her feet.

“Tell me if it’s becoming worse. Or better yet, go to the clinic alright?”

Jiwoo looked at him in suspicion. Was this another of his ploys to get her to fall for him?

“Okay,” she slowly replied.

He smiled and it wasn’t his usual cocky smiles that irritated her. It was a gentle smile, a kind smile, a breath-taking smile that made her heart hammer.

The elevator doors opened to their floor and Tae-hyung stepped out. Looking over his shoulder, he asked, “Are you coming or not?”

She hadn’t even realized she had frozen. Unfreezing herself, she muttered a quick farewell to Woo-jin, who was silently muttering about how he wanted to crawl back to his bed, and followed Tae-hyung into their department.

This was just another of his ploys, she thought frantically.

But why?

Why was she feeling so pleased right now?