Seoul University Library stares back at Sungyeol in big black letters and it feels more like a death sentence than a chance for him to obtain knowledge. He has never gone to a library he liked because unlike some people, he hated how quiet the library could be. Never mind the overly-stressed students that would get pissed at you if you turned a page in a book wrong. Unlike some places where libraries could be seen as fun and a nice place to learn, libraries in Korea were a place of torture. He’d rather jump off a bridge into frigid cold water than have to get shushed by twenty people knee deep in books, studying for the SATs or the other government tests that people could take.

 

Libraries were terrible places and no one could really fault Sungyeol for being so wary, but if he wanted to pass his English Lit class, he needed to take this whole library thing serious. He didn’t need the grief he would get if he let a place full of books scare him into failing a class that should have been easy, never mind the that he’d get from his boys on the team. His tennis mates wouldn’t let him live because good grades were just as important as winning tournaments and getting gold medals. Usually, Sungyeol was great at both, but it had only taken him two classes to realize English Lit would kick his if he let it, so here he was, ready to do battle in skinny jeans, a green sweater, and a beanie that was just a tad shy of being too hipster-y.

 

Giving a long, drawn out, sigh, Sungyeol quietly made his way up the stairs and through the pristine, glass doors to what he hoped wasn’t his death.

 

XXX

 

“Oppa, have you finished your recommendations for the month?” Soojung asked, excitement lining her eyes.

 

She had only been working at the library for over a couple of months now and one of the best things that she liked about work was when she and the rest of the staff would create their recommendations for the month. Which may have seemed absolutely nerdy, but Soojung had always been into books a little more than most girls. It was kind of hard not to be into books when she got to live her life vicariously through them, but it also helped that Kim Myungsoo, or Oppa, as he bashfully allowed her to call him, worked at the same library that she did.

 

Kim Myungsoo was not only the cutest piece of that she had ever seen on campus, but he would also pick the most interesting of books each month that left her in bated breath until the next first of the month. Myungsoo not only read fantasy, science-fiction, and mystery novels, but he was also into women’s literature and non-fiction as well. The occasional manga would also appear in the stacks and if that wasn’t the dorkiest, yet the cutest thing that she had ever seen, she had probably read too many shoujo manga herself.

 

She didn’t have a crush, she swore on her life she didn’t, but it was kind of hard not to be a little in love with Myungsoo when he was not only cute and smart, but he was nice as well. Everyone knew that too, so she didn’t feel too bad about getting a little excited every once in a while because at least she wasn’t Jungkook and Taehyung who would follow onto the older male’s every word and had a thing about checking out his whenever he would wear skinny jeans.

 

Myungsoo always wore skinny jeans.

 

So Soojung didn’t really feel too bad about liking the other boy because everyone did. And even if she disliked the thought of having a crush on such an unattainable guy, there wasn’t much she could do about it. She knew her feelings and just like the rest of the world, they may have found Myungsoo to be cute, but it didn’t take a genius to realize that Myungsoo wasn’t into dating or or anything like that. He was too into his school work, his job, and all the other extracurricular activities he’d do to look at another person with the same kind of fondness that one would see in movies.

 

Which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, but Soojung knew that she nor anyone else would be able to be Myungsoo’s significant other, because they’d have to be absolutely perfect to get his attention and no one in Seoul University was close to being that perfect.

 

So keeping the cutesy “Oppa” from leaving , she asked the question again, “So did you?”

 

While Myungsoo, who had been putting some cards into the library’s card catalog system, could only give her a knowing smile, “Yeah, my picks are on my desk. I think you’ll like one or two of them, I decided to read some historical fiction and a couple of Neil Gaiman’s books this month, both of which I enjoyed immensely.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Yeah, but I’d go with the historical fiction first. It has your favorites: strong woman characters and good writing, alright?”

 

Feeling touched, even though her recommendations always had both of those things, Soojung tried her best to feel like a normal girl.

 

However, when Myungsoo gave her an even wider smile, dimples showing, Soojung found it pretty hard. Because as much as she had a little crush, it still hurt to realize that she didn’t have a chance, and that was okay. She was nineteen and she’d find her Prince Romeo someday, she just had to have a little faith and a couple of good books.

 

XXX

 

If Sungyeol could shoot himself, he would. Because after five minutes of being in the library, he already had the urge to kill someone or something. And all because his shoes had made a squeaky sound when he had walked over freshly cleaned floors, the sound just loud enough for one girl to take offense to something he couldn’t control. The girl having quickly looked up from her homework to give him a glare, and while that wasn’t the proverbial slap of a shush, it was more than enough to put a pained look on his face. Never mind the petty thoughts that had almost overtaken him in a sudden reaction to being even louder so that he could truly show the girl what real, actual noise sounded like and piss that girl off.

 

No one should be that about squeaky shoes. Especially since he wasn’t trying to be obnoxiously loud with his footwork when he had made his way from the entrance of the library to the first set of shelves that he could see. He had barely taken more than a couple of steps before he was rolling his eyes at how stressed some of the people within the library seemed to be. And while Sungyeol was no slacker by any means, he wasn’t one to put himself into a tizzy over a couple of tests or the overwhelming need to kiss a teacher’s to get good grades.

 

However, not wanting to get into a fight over something so dumb, he decided to be the bigger man and apologize instead. It wasn’t like he was going to be staying in the library long, so he might as well as keep the peace, even if he had the desire to kick something. So continuing his roam around the library, book bag precariously hanging off one of his shoulders, Sungyeol went to find the few books that he would need for his class.

 

The less time that he was here, the less time he would have to deal with the crazies. Let alone the people that actually liked the library for anything other than slaving away for midterms and school projects, Sungyeol quietly tried to find the fiction section. Only for him to notice a huge colorful sign and a shelf full of recommendations near the start of the non-fiction and literary fiction aisle. One of which he was fond of, while the other was the type of stuff he liked to use CliffsNotes for because heaven forbids he read something that was supposed to support higher level thinking than the average fiction book.

 

Despite his less than positive thoughts, he couldn’t help but be intrigued though, because maybe one of the staff was the type to read something cool. But when he found himself in front of the shelf, he couldn’t help but be sorely disappointed because he wasn’t into chick lit or the various, overdone detective series that always lasted twenty books too long. Even the horror book looked lame and that was saying something because he was surprised that something like that had even made it’s way to this section.

 

Horror was a severely under-appreciated genre and more often than not, most people only knew about the big names that were usually turned into horror flicks.

 

Feeling utterly unmotivated to read any of the selections so far, he couldn’t help but be a little surprised by the historical fiction book that was also there. Intrigued by how monochrome the cover was in comparison to everything else on the shelf, he found himself picking up the book to read the back. Only to let out a small hum at how interesting the summary seemed, even if he wasn’t much of a fiction fan, he had found himself wondering about the contents of the book anyway.

 

Opening it up to read an excerpt, Sungyeol quickly skimmed a page, only to find his fingers itching to turn to the next. The scene he had opened up to was an action scene and the way the author was describing the fight, he couldn’t quell the feeling of wanting to read more. Which was odd, because Sungyeol always had a hard time reading books that weren’t about his interests, but somehow, this author had a way with words and Sungyeol had to keep himself from taking the book home with him.

 

He wasn’t here to read anything other than the books he needed for class, so forcing himself to put the book back, he looked at the rest of the picks. The staff member that had recommended the historical fiction book had also recommended a couple of others books that almost had Sungyeol want to pick them up as well, Sungyeol couldn’t help but wonder who this staff member was. Because Sungyeol wasn’t one to get into a book and yet, all of the other’s choices were books that Sungyeol would have considered buying if he was in a bookstore. Sungyeol may have been into non-fiction a lot more than he was into most fiction books, he did have a bit of soft spot for the occasional fantasy or sci-fi book.

 

Noting the staff member’s name, Sungyeol eventually pulled himself away from the shelf to look for the first book on his last. However, before he could even get to the B’s, Sungyeol found himself stopping in his tracks. Because no more than ten steps in front of him were one of the most attractive guys that he had ever seen. So much so that Sungyeol almost found himself salivating at the attractive profile, the well-proportioned, graceful limbs, and what was probably one of the best asses that he has seen on campus. The guy’s skinny jeans left little to the imagination and Sungyeol couldn’t help but have the sudden urge to run his hands along the other’s thighs to eventually find himself cupping the other’s cute as .

 

However, what did him in was the glasses and Sungyeol could barely believe that a pair of stupid, hipster-like spectacles could make his heart race.

 

Surprised at such a find, especially in the what he had believed was hell on earth and was something that barely had any redeeming qualities, Sungyeol couldn’t let the opportunity pass. Standing a little straighter and squaring his shoulders to reach his full height of what most would call towering, he strutted over to the other male. His lips moved before he could even think, “Hey, did you fall from heaven because I have never seen an angel as beautiful as you.”

 

What the … Why the hell would I open with that? That’s nowhere near my best line!

 

XXX

 

Jongin tried not to stare, he really did, but when you had some of the hottest students on campus working for the school’s library, it was hard not to. Especially when he had the biggest crush on one of them and had a little bit of a gay crush for one of the other ones, but he was sure everyone was a little bit in love, or at least, in like with the latter. Kim Myungsoo had a thing about making people love him without really doing anything and Jongin was pretty sure the dimples and glasses did it for a lot of people. It did it for him, and if he hadn’t had that small biual crisis back in high school, he would have been a lot more confused right now.

 

Kim Myungsoo was cute though, and Jongin wasn’t afraid to admit that, so shrugging off the attraction like he did every time that he saw the older male, Jongin turned his attention back to the young woman working the counter. Dark, red hair, that was like a beacon among the books and students, Jongin found his eyes wandering to the girl’s eyes and smile instead. The girl didn’t smile much, but when she did, her eyes would light up, and he couldn’t help but be amazed by it.

 

Neither could he be less amazed by how aware she was of herself either. Jung Soojung carried herself in a way that most girls didn’t carry themselves, and Jongin was more than attracted to it. However, he was painfully shy when it came to the people that he liked, and every day he’d visit the library and have nothing to show for it.

 

He couldn’t bring himself to talk to her just yet, so he found himself reading the books she recommends every month and the occasional book he’d see her reading, Myungsoo’s picks, as a way to get to know her. To get to know Myungsoo, and it didn’t escape his notice the other girl liked the other male, even if Myungsoo wouldn’t give her the time of day.

 

Myungsoo didn’t give anyone the time of day and that wasn’t to say he was an that didn’t like to date but was too oblivious to notice his effect on people. So when people liked him, the other didn’t know it and you couldn’t be mad at something like that. It wasn’t like Myungsoo was trying to get people to like him; people just liked him because he existed.

 

So if he read a few things that the other male liked, he was more than okay with it. Because in the end, it just gave him some more insight into what Soojung liked.

 

Hiding his smile behind a book when he noticed the girl that he liked running over to pick up Myungsoo’s stack of recommendations for the month, the girl all excited, Jongin tried to not let her excitement get to him. It’d be his luck if the girl that he liked-liked someone else, because that’s how it always was.

 

Jongin liked a girl, and then, she ended up with someone else.

 

Jongin liked a boy, and then, said boy was having with his manager in some storage room.

 

Girls.

 

Boys.

 

Jongin always had a thing for someone from the other side of the grass and Jongin couldn’t help but hope that Soojung would be different. She was so pretty and intelligent and just so different from the other girls that Jongin had liked within the past that it was hard not to watch her every once in a while.

 

One day he’d get the courage to say something, but today was probably not the day.

 

Turning a couple of pages of his book, trying to look as if he was reading it, Jongin noticed something odd happening in the corner of his eyes. Looking over to about two bookcases down, his eyebrows shot to the edges of his hairline, because what he saw was something that he’d never thought he would see. Because Lee Sungyeol, Seoul University’s best tennis player, was giving his biggest I would really love to take you on a date and possibly do a lot more with you smile to the cutest guy in school. While Myungsoo, who didn’t have a mean bone in his body was looking at Sungyeol in… In what Jongin could only assume was Myungsoo’s way to show… Jongin didn’t know what emotion it was, but it was definitely a first for the other male.

 

However, when the other quietly shook his head at whatever Sungyeol had to ask, Jongin knew Myungsoo wasn’t falling for the other man’s charm. Sungyeol may have had the confidence of approximately ten men, but when it came to Myungsoo, that type of thing didn’t matter in the least.

 

Myungsoo wasn’t the type to date and a smile or two from one of Seoul University’s most eligible bachelor's wasn’t going to change that.

 

 

XXX

 

Vzzzt. Vzzzt. Vzzzt.

 

Pulling the phone from his back pocket, Myungsoo couldn’t help but smile at the name that had lit up the screen. Text flashing across the phone, a phone that he had gotten as a present from what Myungsoo secretly liked to call his boyfriend, Myungsoo found himself typing in his passcode to reply. Excited.

 

(15:08) You free at eight tonight?

(15:09) I have a surprise for you. ;)

(15:10) Of course. And really? What is it?

(15:12) You’ll see. If I tell you, it’s not a surprise anymore.

(15:13) Okay, okay, I won’t ask anymore. Do you want me to bring anything?

 

Feeling his face almost crack in two at the smile that was suddenly lining his lips, he couldn’t help but frown a moment later. The phone in his hand suddenly feeling ten pounds heavier than usual as he went to quietly read his boyfriend’s texts, his chest was almost smarting at the words. The sudden happiness that had overtaken him seconds before had quickly turned into disappointment when he read his boyfriend’s next set of texts.

 

(15:15) No, just yourself…

(15:15) And that purple silk underwear I got you for your birthday, alright?

(15:15) You always look y in it. :)

 

Flush spreading from his neck to his cheeks at what his boyfriend wanted him to do, Myungsoo tried not to let the text bother him.

 

He and his boyfriend were adults and having a healthy life was normal, even if Myungsoo didn’t really care for it that much. With his boyfriend being quite a bit older and more experienced than him, Myungsoo had gotten used to the various things that his boyfriend liked to do. The need to be acknowledged and loved were two feelings that would overwrite everything else that he’d feel, including the lack of comfort that he had towards anything more than kissing and the occasional heavy-petting. However, with how much he loved the other man, he couldn’t help but want to impress him and more often than not, things eventually started to feel good. So if his boyfriend wanted him to wear some purple underwear, then so be it.

 

Myungsoo really shouldn’t be upset, this was just his boyfriend’s way of showing that he cared.

 

Taking a deep breath to calm himself down, he continued to type:

 

(15:17) Sure. I’ll wear them just for you.

(15:17) But first I have to finish my shift, so I’ll talk to you later.

(15:18) Love you. :)

 

Trying not to let the “See you later” instead of a “Love you” or even a “You too” bother him, Myungsoo put his phone back into his pocket so that he could swiftly get back to work. The quiet atmosphere of the library was quite calming and Myungsoo had always found the handling of books to be relaxing. More often than not, they even consoled him when people let him down. And right now, he was definitely trying not to be let down for something so small.

 

The whole thing was laughable because Myungsoo knew the other man wasn’t ready to say such a thing just yet. His boyfriend had always been the type to prefer the physical over the emotional, so asking him to text “I Love you” in reply to him was pretty stupid of him. It really showed how immature his thinking was, and for Myungsoo who was dating an older man, the thought had made him feel terribly young…

 

Inexperienced.

 

Stupid.

 

There really was no need for him to grip the books in his hands as tight as he was holding them because this wasn’t a big deal. He was literally overreacting over nothing, and he really needed to get a grip.

 

However, before he could even let himself think about what had just happened, he had found himself spooked when he had suddenly noticed someone lean their body against the shelf right next to him. Body jumping while his heart raced from the surprise, he almost fell off the latter as he heard a voice ask, “Hey, did you fall from heaven because I have never seen an angel as beautiful as you.”

 

Catching himself in the last moment, hand reaching out to grip the shelf, he didn’t expect the other to jump to his side. The other’s hands were up with the intention to help catch him if he had fallen, Myungsoo allowed his heart rate to slow down as he realized that he was safe and was not in danger of braining himself on the floor. He found himself blurting out a “What did you say?” as he turned his attention to the person that had scared him. Only for him to subconsciously take in a relatively cute, yet sheepish smile and arms that screamed years of hard work and sports, Myungsoo couldn’t help but stare at the other in disbelief.

 

Because comparing himself to the lean, yet the strong form of the young man in front of him, Myungsoo wasn’t beautiful. And while many would have thought Myungsoo to be crazy for thinking that way, it was only a few years ago when he had been short, chubby, and had worn the ugliest set of braces that had been wrapped around his teeth like a bad Christmas present. So really, he couldn’t help but be a little insecure, and with the way the man in front of him was carrying himself, exuding an aura of assurance and self-confidence, it was obvious that the guy had always been relatively good looking compared to Myungsoo’s teenage ugly, duckling years.

 

It didn’t take the other long to follow up on his question with a somewhat cocky sounding, “I think you know what I said.”

 

Myungsoo could only glare at the other male in response, a little affronted at how quick the other had gone from kind of cute and helpful to a complete douchebag within seconds, he managed, “Well, this is a non-harassment zone, so if you’re looking for my digits or to ask me out, I’m not interested.”

 

Only for the “I’m also taken” to stay resolutely on the tip of his tongue because no one needed to know who Myungsoo was dating... Especially not this guy.