“I haven’t seen you around lately.”

Chaeyeon shrugged, her hair down today and spilling over her shoulders, “That’s because I haven’t been around.”

She didn’t offer more of an explanation than that, and he didn’t push for one. “I’m jealous. Three days ago I had to drag Kyungsoo out of a fight.”

At that, she put down her book, looking a bit incredulous. “I think I heard you say Kyungsoo, and I think I don’t believe you.”

He grinned, sitting down at the library table and leaned back, ruffling his hair, “No, someone actually tried to fight Kyungsoo, and the poor guy was so confused and kept asking, ‘But why?’ Apparently, the angry guy who wanted to fight Kyungsoo had just broken up with his girlfriend, and he overheard her say that she thought he was cute and-”

Jongin paused at her bright eyes and quiet laughter, realizing that he was practically babbling to her. In the short time that he had known her, she had a funny way of making the world seem a little bit clearer.

Almost like a compass in an explorer’s hand.

Every few days, he joined her in the library. At first, she had been surprised, because clearly no one talked to her by choice. He couldn’t really see why. But he couldn’t be too surprised; after all, they were in high school and some people were bound to be superficial.

The whispers in the halls sometimes included his name, saying that