Another day of business classes goes by, and Jaehyun can't wait to go home. His class ends at 5 and he wants to take a nap before he does his schoolwork later in the night. He lives off-campus and he passes by his usual route, but before he exits campus he comes across the school library. He remembers the girl from yesterday; he still hasn't thanked her for accompanying him that evening.

He remembers how she looked as her eyes lit up at the thought of someone else enjoying poetry as much as she does. Her eyes flit left and right as she talked with her hands - gestures that made Jaehyun smile just a tiny but (She doesn't know that it was a full-on grin.) Jaehyun wonders if she's into books, too. He can't help but be curious if she's into music as well. What does she think of classical music? Pop music? Does she read Hemingway? Rowling? What's her Hogwarts House? District number? Does she like animals? Does she like coffee? Or maybe tea? Does she... Before Jaehyun realizes it, he's right in front of the library entrance.

 'Maybe... maybe I'll read my Accounting homework here,' Jaehyun thought, all thoughts about sleep gone.

 'Might as well get started early.' He scans the room, eyes falling when he sees the table he was in yesterday empty.

He walks over and sets his stuff on the table and sits down. He opens his file case for his readings, but his mind can't help but wander. Is this her usual seat? Does she come here to do homework, too, or does she only come to read as a hobby? Is she in university, even? Jaehyun waits for her. A friend to accompany him. He has reason to, he tells himself: he just wants to say thanks for yesterday. He hopes he isn't bordering on creepy when he waits for her to come. He doesn't even know that much about her. ('Yet,' Jaehyun's mind completes.)

Jaehyun's friends always talked about how many connections they have, which rich lawyer or CEO their dads became friends with, which establishments they bought franchises of, which fancy cars they just bought... And Jaehyun was good friends with them, sure. But there's something just different about this girl, talking to her about the little things that just makes him happy, that makes him want to see her again.

While doing his reading Jaehyun can't help but look at the library entrance for every five minutes. Without realizing, he's hoping to see a girl with a walking stick entering the room where he was now, where they were yesterday. One hour passes, an hour turned into two, and then into three. Jaehyun was done with his reading and his other classes works, he thought to himself maybe she's not here every day, after all, he only knows so much about her.

Just as he was about to leave he saw her, holding the same book she was reading yesterday. Not sure what to say Jaehyun chooses to stay quiet.

'Should I even say anything? She doesn't even know I'm here, I might scare her' he thought.

Jaehyun decided to not say anything as of now, maybe later when she's settling down somewhere to read, or he assumes that she's here to read. The girl is walking into the book return box when she stumbled upon something. Being far from where she was Jaehyun can't be quick enough to help her as she falls.

"are you okay?!" Jaehyun ran to where she is, panic and confusion can be heard from his words

"oh hey it's you" replied the girl as she looks around trying to figure out from where did the voice came from

"hey yeah, it's me, are you okay?" Jaehyun said

"I'm fine, it's not the first time it happened to me, don't worry!" she smiled facing ahead right where Jaehyun is right now

"Do you mind if I help you up?" Jaehyun asked reluctantly, not wanting to offend her

"of course I don't mind" she laughed then continued "It'll be a lot faster for me to get up with your help"

Carefully Jaehyun took her hand and also put his other hand on her back to help her get up, then he took her walking stick and gave it to her

"Jaehyun right? Thank you so much" she smiled

His eyes lit up upon the realization that she remembered his name.

"Oh you remembered my name! And you're welcome, I'd feel horrible to not help honestly" he said then quickly continued "I mean not just to you, to anyone who..... fall" Jaehyun quickly realized how stupid and awkward his explanation was.

"I'm glad I got your name right or it'd be really awkward otherwise. Thank you again Jaehyun who will help anyone who falls, you helped me a lot today" she said jokingly making Jaehyun flustered.

"are you here to read today?" the girl asks while she continued walking towards the book return box

"I was working on some stuff for my class today, but I'm all done for the day" Jaehyun walked with her, part of him said that it's for a precaution so he can catch her if she falls again, but really he just wants to walk with her.

"Are you going to school here? What classes are you having?"

"uh. Mostly just business classes, the boring stuff" Jaehyun awkwardly chuckles, "what about you?"

"Oh, I don't go here, my father is an adjunct teacher here, that's why I'm here almost every day. Nobody's home, so after homeschool classes my father always pick me up to be here as he's afraid something might happen if I'm home alone" she said, "as you probably know already me being alone is probably not the best idea" she laughed although Jaehyun can see a hint of sadness on her face

"I'm happy you're here though, I'm usually alone, so it's nice to talk to you again, are you going to be here often?" she continued

"yeah probably, I have a lot of work to do for classes" he half lied to her, it is true that he had a lot of work but the real reason was so that he has a chance to get to know her more

"I'm glad then, I'll be here every other time, and if you're here before or after me please say hi to me so I know that it's you!" she smiled at him

Jaehyun nodded before quickly saying "oh yes of course"

"it's nice talking with you again Jaehyun! I need to go home earlier today, just came today to return this book" she smiled "my father said that we're going to have dinner somewhere today but I hope to talk to you again tomorrow"

"yes, definitely, it was nice talking to you again too" Jaehyun don't fail to answer this time

As the girl leaves, Jaehyun thinks to himself that it's so fortunate that he stayed longer in the library today. He got a chance to not only talk to her more but to actually look forward to talk to her again some other time. He doesn't know why the thought of it just makes him happy

Jaehyun watches her back as she walks out the automatic sliding doors. He only lets his gaze slip away when she disappears around the corner, and only then does he realize that she dropped something when she fell a while ago.

He picks the handkerchief off the floor, and dashes outside to give it to her. Unfortunately, all he sees is a car driving away from the library, probably her dad having come to pick her up. Jaehyun sighs dejectedly, returning inside to pack his things, ready to leave. He'll return it to her some other time. He folds the handkerchief, a baby pink one with white plaid patterns, as he places it on the front pocket of his backpack.

When Jaehyun gets home, he has nothing much to do, since he's done all of his schoolwork during his time in the library. He's glad that he has plenty of time for himself, as he plops down their living room's sofa to go watch some Netflix. It's two episodes into his favorite show when his dad walks into their home. Which was weird, since his dad usually came home very late in the early morning - sometimes, even not at all. It was only 11PM, yet there his dad was, standing in the living room. With a disappointed, angry look on his face. "

So, this is what you do with your time? Watch TV?" his voice dripping with contempt. "Instead of using it to - I don't know - study for all the subjects you've been failing?"

"I'm finished with my schoolwork, dad," Jaehyun replies, a grit on his teeth at the last word. "Give me a break."

"Oh?" his dad's voice rises at the end, "You need a break? With all those C's and D's you've been getting? Perhaps you've been having too many breaks, Jung Jaehyun!"

"Leave me alone!" Jaehyun's almost yells over his father's voice. He wanted no more of the disappointed, almost mocking, sound in his father's voice. The living room went dead, as a heavy silence fell upon them.

"...I don't know what you want, Jaehyun -"

"You know exactly what I want! We've had this argument hundreds of times before!" Jaehyun interrupts.

"You need this! You need this education so you could handle the family business when I retire -"

"That's what YOU want!" Jaehyun interrupts yet again, voice filled with some anger, more desperation, hopelessness.

He decides he can't have this again, not tonight, and he storms out the living room, and upstairs into his bedroom. He doesn't cry anymore - he's way past that. Instead, he goes straight to his laptop and goes online, to give him something else to do and some better things to think about. He's tired of having the same conversation with his dad over and over again.

He scrolls through his social media and sees his friends' updates about their family trips overseas over the summer. He mindlessly goes through a thousand bikini pictures of his friends' girlfriends, his friends' photos taken during a workout in the gym, when he comes across a picture uploaded by his university's School of the Arts department. 'SONGWRITING COMPETITION,' the advertisement says. 'Write an original composition and perform.' He clicks, 'See More,' and finds out that several producers and songwriters would be in the audience; there's a chance that his song might be picked and produced by professionals. They might release it as an actual song.

Jaehyun grabs a pen and paper, his guitar that has been gathering dust in the corner of his room, and sits on the corner of his bed. 'It's been ages,' he says. He's stopped writing songs - singing, even - when he got out of high school, but he does so tonight, with thoughts of pale skin, unfocused gazes, and the unfiltered joy coming through those eyes, in his mind.