"Ugh there he is again... Seriously, he should just go home if he's only going to be sleeping," you mumble to yourself as you walk through a hidden corner of the school library, towards a table---your table.

Ever since the semester began you had already claimed one of the tables in the area for yourself, and no one else has had the gall to share the ownership with you, except Mr. Sleepy Head over here. No permissions asked, he just appeared there one day and the rest, as they say, is history.

Every time you were there to study, he also happened to be there to sleep. You refused to transfer to another area because you have this tendency of reading your notes out loud, and being in an exposed area of the library only means you'll be scolded constantly. No thanks! Lucky for you he seems to be a heavy sleeper. And at least he isn't a complete stranger. You're sure he's in the same marketing elective as you. Why did I take that class again?

As long as we pretend not to notice each other's existence then it's all good.

Your stomach grumbles.

"Why am I always so hungry?"

You scan the library. The coast was clear.

"Just this once..." Out comes a bag of chips.

You go about your studies, silently munching away on your chips, when suddenly the guy across you sits up and pulls the bag of chips towards him.

"Excuse me, that's mine!" you say in a hushed voice.

He doesn't pay you any mind and starts eating instead.

"Mr. Kang!" a woman's voice from behind you says out loud. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Ma'am I'm really sorry, I was just so hungry." He starts rolling the bag of chips and stows it away in his bag.

"You should be thankful that it's you instead of someone else. I would have banned them from the library immediately," the librarian says, tapping on a sign on the wall saying No Food and Drinks.

You remain seated in shock, not even daring to look, as the librarian walks past your table, your heart pounding in your chest, afraid of being found guilty. The next thing you know, the guy across you gets up and walks off without even saying a word. The audacity! You quickly grab your things and go after him.

Slow down! you want to shout at him as you try to catch up to him.

When you're finally outside you call his name, or at least the one the lady used.

"Mr. Kang!"

He turns to you with a questioning look, casually running his fingers through his hair. 

Did he just his teeth?!

"What?"

, what was I going to say? "W-Who allowed you?" you manage to choke out.

He raises an eyebrow.

"My food." You point at his bag.

"I saved your in there. Your bag of chips isn't even enough as a payment," he simply says.

"I didn't ask for your help," you reply stubbornly.

"Well then." He starts for the library entrance.

"No, no, no!"

You try to stop him from going back in. It felt like pushing against a moving stone wall. Instead of you pushing him, it was the other way around, as your feet slowly slips across the floor. When you feel yourself stop moving, you look up at him only to see the annoyance on his face.

"Your hands please," he says dryly, looking at your hands which were on his chest.

You quickly remove your hands, dusting them on your dress as if you had touched something dirty.

"It's not like there was anything to feel," you mumble.

"You've been studying in the library but you still don't know the sound of the librarian's footsteps," he says before walking away.

What is he talking about? 

He leaves you puzzled, standing alone in the middle of the hall.

++++++

"Kang Younghyun, A+"

He got an A+?! 

Your eyes follow him as he walks back to his seat. To say you were shocked is an understatement. You stare at your paper marked D. I worked hard for this! I deserved a C at the very least. Meanwhile this Younghyun guy gets a bloody A+ even if all he does is sleep in the library. Unbelievable.

"Mr. Kang, you needed extra credits right?"

You were seated right infront of Younghyun so you couldn't help but overhear their conversation.

"Help this young lady here." Your professor claps you on the shoulder, making you feel like shrinking into the ground. "If her grades improve I'll see what I can do."

Me?! Hey! I'm not underperforming that much... am I?

"I suggest you and Mr. Kang help each other out. It's still the start of the semester, you have a long way to go. I want to see all my students pass this course."

You find yourself staring at your paper again. I guess I can deal with him. I mean yes it's probably going to be awkward for a while because of what happened... but no, wait, was that even really a big of a deal? We're adults, we should be able to forgive and forget. Yes! And I really need to pass this course.

"Hey-"

Mister A+ was already walking out the door.

It feels like de ja vu as you quickly stuff your things into your bag and run after him.

Wait... Why am I following him again? I look like a pathetic woman running after some guy. If he doesn't want to help me then it's fine, I can do it on my own. 

You sigh. You aren't that type of person to be shallow and judge someone without knowing them. 

Maybe he's just in a hurry...  I'll try to talk to him tomorrow.

You turn around and walk in the opposite direction, finding yourself wishing that one day he'd be the one to come running after you. You wish.

As you walk away, Younghyun looks back, watching your lonely figure walk along the hallway.

++++++

"Jae I hate this!"

"I'm telling you! Girls love cold, mysterious guys. Younghyun, you're too kind, women don't find that attractive. Trust me!"

"How's that working for you hyung? Because I don't see women hankering over you."

"You're ungrateful, you know that?"

Younghyun cuts the call immediately.

He has been so restless thinking about how he had been treating you lately. The cold treatment and walking out without a word wasn't his style, at all. But Jae had insisted that this new image was good for him.

"If this doesn't work I'm going to take all his powers and flush it down the toilet."

++++++

"Aha! There it is! And... it's conveniently placed at the very top so I won't be able to reach it. Great." You take a look around hoping to find someone who could possibly help you, but there was no one.

"What the- You scared me!" Your heart leapt. You had turned around to find Younghyun standing right infront of you. And not just close to you, very close to you.

You push him away with your finger, making sure there wouldn't be a repeat of the last time.

"Next time can you make your presence be known? Are you even human? You're always sleeping and you move so silently..." your voice trails off as he starts coming even closer to you.

"What do you think you're doing?!" you say in the loudest possible voice that won't get you kicked out of the library. You shut your eyes as he raises his hand towards your face.

"Don't you dare touch me!"

"OUCH!" Younghyun crumples to the ground.

You had kneed him where it mattered.

"That's what you get for-" You stop mid-sentence as you catch a glimpse of a book lying beside him, the book you needed.

"Oh my god!" You want to help him but you had no idea know how to. "I'm so sorry!" You extend your hand hesitantly. "A-Are you okay?"

He nods despite the pained expression on his face.

"You've got to lift yourself, okay? I can't do it on my own. On the count of three. One, two- AAH!"

You fall on top of Younghyun. You end up with your faces so close together, you could feel him breathing on your skin. Your heart feels like it's going to come out of your chest. It was getting warm, too warm, as you turn red, realizing you had probably been staring at him for too long. You scramble to get back on your feet.

"Are you deaf?! I clearly said three!"

You punch him on the shoulder. 

He grimaces as he gets up on his feet.

"I'm going to sue you."

"Sue me? For what?!" You cross your arms. "I should be the one suing you!"

"For endangering my future bloodline."

You try to kick him but he steps back fast enough.

There's something in the way he's looking at you. He slowly starts to laugh, not the type of laughter to make fun of you, but laughter which makes you feel like he was sincerely having fun.

A smile forms on your face and the next thing you know you're laughing along.

++++++

"So there is something else you do aside from sleep."

You watch as Younghyun takes a huge bite out of his burger.

"A guy has to survive."

He reaches for your fries, but you quickly pull it away.

"This is mine," you say sternly, shielding the fries from him.

He pouts, looking like the saddest fox in the world.

You try so hard to resist.

"Fine!"

You push the food infront of him and he instantly livens up. You can't get yourself to look at him without blushing. Stop acting cute!

"I can't believe that still works." He laughs, taking a piece before handing the rest to you. "This is my payment for the bag of chips."

"I see you've had a change of heart..." You eye him suspiciously.

You take back your fries but keep it in the middle of the table so he could keep eating.

"Sorry for being... weird the past days, I-I was just having a tough time," Younghyun says out of the blue. What he really wants to say is that he's sorry for ever listening to his friend's advice.

"It's okay, we all have those days," you reply. You should see me when I'm on my period.

"I should thank you for saving me from the librarian." You had been meaning to thank him but just never found the right opportunity.

"Mhm, what else?"

"And-" You stop when you realize you were falling into a trap.

"I'm not going to give you any more of the satisfaction Mr. Kang." You stick out your tongue.

He looks offended. "After kneeing me... down there, I don't even get a sorry, nor a thank you for the book?"

"If you had just said you were going to help me then I wouldn't have done that to you."

"Okay, fine. I'm sorry for-"

"Mhm?" You look at him with eyes full of anticipation. You were going to get that apology and enjoy every single moment of it.

He stops.

As expected, you tell yourself, disappointed.

"Sorry for making you feel uncomfortable..." he finishes.

You saw the sincerity in his eyes and it somehow made your heart ache.

"It's okay... Thank you for helping me," you reply quietly.

Before an awkward silence could settle in you notice Younghyun staring intently at something.

"Um... Are you going to eat it?" He eyes your burger that has yet to be unwrapped.

When did he finish his?! "How many years have you been unfed?" You carefully unwrap your burger. "Say ah!" 

Younghyun opens his mouth eagerly. You place the burger not too far but not too close that he starts to frown, doubting your sincerity about giving him a bite. Of course you give in.

"You're happiest when you're eating huh?" 

He mumbles words you can't understand.

What a child, you smiled to yourself.

++++++

As you walk to the bus stop, Younghyun suddenly blocks your path. "We're going to get you that A!"

You frown, knowing it's impossible.

"We're going to get you that B then?" He tries to gauge your reaction. He holds your hand and you suddenly feel more positive, encouraged.

"We'll get me that A!" you reply enthusiastically.

"That's the spirit!" He pulls you by the hand.

"Hey! Where are we going? This is my stop."

"I need to pick something up as a present. Come on!" He's practically dragging you by now. "You'll love this place!"

------

"Wow!" Your eyes look like they're about to shoot stars.

Younghyun had brought you to a music instruments store.

"Told you you'd love it," he says, watching you play with the keys on a piano.

"How did you know I loved instruments?"

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but you play the piano, yes?"

"How did you know?" you ask him, shocked. Then you realize you were right beside a piano. Duh... You wait for him to mention that but he doesn't.

"You tap your fingers on the table a lot. And there's definitely a melody there."

Wow, he noticed that? Impressive.

"So, what instrument does your friend play?"

"The bass."

"y..."

You can feel him judging you.

"What? It is! The rich deep sound, the way their fingers move... Your friend must be y," you swoon.

"Hi! Can I help you?" A woman approaches you and you realize Younghyun isn't beside you anymore. Nice talking to you then.

"No I'm good, thanks. My friend's picking up a bass guitar for his friend," you say pointing to Younghyun.

"Ah! Younghyun? The guitar's for him. It's his birthday in 2 months."

You smile politely as she walks away.

. . . This is awkward. What do I say? 

You could hear someone stifling a laugh. It's Younghyun, who's now coughing and clearing his throat. 

You turn to him with a deathly stare. "You sound like you're choking to death. Just cough it out will you!"

------

"You enjoyed that didn't you?!" You punch him on the arm as you walk out the store.

"Well it's not everyday that I hear I'm y, so, thank you!" He laughs.

"Shut up. That was just in general. Not like every single-"

"You should watch one of our gigs sometime," he cuts you off.

"You're in a band?"

"I see that tutoring you is paying off," he says ruffling your hair.

You promptly swat his hand away.

"That must explain why you sleep soundly in the library..." you say mostly to yourself.

"Well partly."

For a moment you thought you heard sadness in his voice. But then he holds your hand and you immediately forget what sadness feels like.

++++++

There's a huge pile of books infront of you. Younghyun was determined to make sure you got an A+ for the final paper, that he had enthusiastically grabbed so much material from the shelves and placed it infront of you.

"How am I going to read all of this in one go?" you say in exasperation as you stared at a book.

Okay so you exaggerated about him grabbing every single material. He just gave you that one book, but to your defense it was thick, very. You just needed to read on the the chapters he indicated and you would be free.

Endure!

Surprisingly it takes you less than an hour to finish reading. He did say read, not, understand every single word.

You proudly set the book aside, ready to tell him you were finished, when you see him sleeping from across you. Actually, he had been sleeping less at the library ever since you told him that it worried you, how it must feel uncomfortable sleeping on hard wood. You couldn't help but feel bad that he might be lacking more sleep, even if he insisted he has been sleeping well at home. 

He looks so peaceful. You just don't have the heart to wake him up.

"I've always wondered why you were always sleeping here... You must have had a tough time out there that you're able to sleep well at this hour, on a table," you tell him softly as if you were having a conversation with him.

"You have really pretty eyelashes," you say as you lay your head down facing him.

"I wonder if your nose is real..." You trace the ridge of his nose, careful not to wake him up. "I mean are you even real?"

You close your eyes listening to his steady breathing.

"I'm scared that this is all a dream," you say quietly as a tear escapes your eye.

You had never been in love before. You had always been warned of the consequences that you were scared let yourself fall for anyone. But Younghyun isn't just anyone to you.

"What am I to you?" you ask him knowing he won't be answering you.

"Sleep well," you whisper.

++++++

"I think she's falling for me..."

"That's great! That's a good thing, isn't it? Why do you sound like it's the end of the world?" Sungjin laughs from the other end of the line.

"See! I told you that bad boy image was good for you! If we made a bet I would have won!"

Younghyun had to move his phone away from his ear, Jae was being too loud as usual.

"Shut up hyung! Oh no, not you Sungjin hyung, that was meant for Jae. If we made a bet then I would have won!"

"Told you you'd do well on your own. Honestly, I wouldn't accept love advice from Jae. He's obviously unexperienced in that field."

"What bet?"

Younghyun nearly jumps out of his skin, you were standing right behind him. 

"You scared me! It's nothing, my friends were just-"

"Hey! Is that the girl? Did you like the library scenario! I-"

Younghyun quickly ends the call. 

"Sorry, that friend can get really noisy."

"Library?"

It finally sinks in. You falling for him. The library. A bet. 

"Please tell me you weren't making a bet on me." Your voice trembles as you try to keep your composure.

"No! Of course not! Let me explain."

"Okay, I'll hear you out, but j-just not right now... I-I can't think straight..."

The next thing you know you're running.

"Wait!" Younghyun starts running after you.

You don't stop, nor do you slow down. You felt the need to escape, even for a while. It somehow feels good to act on your feelings and not have to think things through for once. Is it wrong to feel that way? Probably yes. You hated immature people, and acting just like one made you feel even worse. But who cares? You wanted to wake up if this was a dream. You just kept running and running until---

BEEEEEP!

So this is how it ends for me? you tell yourself shutting your eyes tight.

"Do you have a death wish?!" a man shouts, honking his horn.

You can hear your heart pounding loudly in your ears. You open your eyes to confirm that you were still alive and you start to cry. You realize that you're in Younghyun's embrace. It's his heart that's beating rapidly, not yours. 

"I want you to know how I really feel." Younghyun embraces you tighter.

You feel the excitement of getting to see him again the next day; the way your heart flutters when he was being a tease; the fascination of watching him eat, of how he patiently explains things to you, of how he always knows how to make you feel better; the way you feel safe when he holds your hand. You slowly feel loneliness fading away, happiness emerging and blooming into love. You can feel something else, it's faint but it's there.

"Are you afraid?" you ask him.

"I don't want to lose you," Younghyun says. "I'm afraid that one day my past will haunt me... I don't want you to be a part of that, but at the same time I don't want you to leave my side. I-"

"I think you're underestimating me..." You finally break away from his embrace. "Have you forgotten what I can do?" You smile at him, recalling the incident at the library.

He smiles sadly back at you.

You touch his face and he reaches for your hand, nestling his cheek in your palm, allowing you to comfort him this time around.

"And you're underestimating yourself. My instincts tell me you're the type of person who will do everything in his power to protect those he loves. Just tell me if I you want me to stay, and I will be with you."

"Stay. Stay by my side. I will protect you." Younghyun doesn't hesitate this time, hugging you tight.

In that moment it was just you and him. It was better than your dreams. It was real.