Joohyun had always viewed the library as a sort of safe space, away from ruckus and interruption. A sanctuary of learning. Peace and tranquility thrived here, amongst the soft chatter of students, the shuffling of book pages, the soft tapping of laptop keyboards.

People knowingly entered through its fortified walls for the main purpose of studying, printing off documents, working on group projects, or even to just grab a Starbucks coffee in between classes. Everything about SM’s newly renovated library screamed productivity.

On each of the library’s five floors, there was a computer lab equipped with five printers, row upon unending row of books and magazines and journal articles on any subject you could dream of, as well as comfortable chairs and tables for students to lounge at. Hardly anyone ever bothered her in the library.

Not that Wednesday when the English major sat on the burgundy colored lounge chairs in the commons area, scanning over pdf files of her textbooks with her earbuds drowning out the sound of the herds of other students marching passed, at least.

Not when Joohyun had plopped herself down at the long, hardwood table in the middle of the bustling Starbucks, directly to the right of the winding line that often strung out of its open doors for hours at a time. She took a long sip from her drink, this time a chai latte, and set about reading an article for her next class.

Joohyun had spent a blissful two years frequenting the library practically without interruption. She was ready to buckle down and study for her Chemistry exam, when it finally happened. At first, it had been easy to ignore the looming presence of the person who’d plopped themselves down into the chair beside hers.

Joohyun found the action odd to some extent, to say the least. There was an unspoken rule about the library that was rarely broken: you never sat down next to someone else if there was another open seat available. People made sure they had at least a seat in between the next person, an unbroken tradition of sorts.

Pulling out her laptop, Joohyun decided to ignore the instance as some sort of fluke – perhaps a freshman who hadn’t learned the norms of the campus yet. She was about to flip open her notebook to a blank sheet when the person shifted in their seat, turning towards her.

“Joohyun?” The voice is low and hesitant, and strangely familiar to the English major. Kim Junmyeon was his name, Joohyun recognized him as soon as she set her sights on him. They’d shared a political science course last semester, and he’d been an avid participant in the class compared to their peers.

Junmyeon was never afraid of speaking his mind or his opinions, even if they made Joohyun internally cringe. The young man, despite looking pretty, didn’t exactly have the best views on political and social issues.

But nobody’s born perfectly without prejudice, that’s the whole premise of learning itself, so Joohyun refrained from lashing out at his ignorant remarks (for the most part, in her head she’d done so at least ten times) and allowed their professor to work their magic.

“Hey, Junmyeon, what’s up?” Joohyun says in a strained, high pitched voice reserved for the times she’s caught unprepared for socializing. Her hand remains poised over a blank sheet of her notebook, her laptop’s cursor is blinking up at her from where she left off on her notes. “How’s your semester going?”

As if on springs, the young man bounced up from his reclined position, nearly startling Joohyun herself. “Fantastic!” He exclaims, rupturing the perfect silence held within the second floor’s commons area. Joohyun casts a nervous eye around, but thankfully any other students have tuned their conversation out through the use of earbuds and laptops and iPhones.

“I changed my major a few days ago to the Business college, though, no more Poli Sci,” Junmyeon lets out a nervous chuckle, running a hand through his tousled dark brown hair. The English major merely nods politely at the young man’s scattered ramble, allowing her arm to come to rest over her open notebook.

“What about you, Joohyun? How are you?” The English major shrugged at the question, looking up for a brief moment to collect her thoughts. “Nothing’s really changed with me, honestly,” she said with a small smile, “Just trying to get through this semester.”

Somehow, she knew what Junmyeon was up to. There was something about the way his eyes flitted left and right nervously, the way he his lips as if he were parched, the wringing of his hands in his lap. It made Joohyun frown ever so slightly, but she quickly corrected her expression into perfect indifference, waiting for him to make his move.

There’s the soft chattering of a tour going by, and Joohyun’s drawn to the sight of the fresh, hesitant faces. They’ve got no idea what they’re getting themselves into, Joohyun thought to herself, shaking her head ever so slightly before turning back to Junmyeon. He was staring at her with the type of intensity that would’ve caused her to blush in her high school days.

But she wouldn’t swoon over his swirling chocolate colored eyes, and after another brief moment of silence between them, she finally opened . “It was good to see you,” Joohyun said, turning away from the young man. Her fingers dancing over the keyboard of her laptop to punch in her password, and she was about to write the first line of her notes when a hand encircled her right wrist.

Freezing in place, Joohyun merely stared at the fingers curled around her arm with a jittery feeling of shock running through her. While it was true that Joohyun indulged herself in the art of skinship with her friends, no one touched her if they weren’t close.

Realizing that he’d overstepped his boundaries a little bit, Junmyeon immediately released her and bowed his head in apology.

“I-I’m sorry, Joohyun,” he murmured, his voice pleading. “I was just…are you free this weekend?” And there it was: everything the English major had been waiting for. Junmyeon’s true intentions. Hope shone in his eyes, and he was clearly making an effort to appear confident, though his actions beforehand had somewhat deflated his ego.

Joohyun loathed this part of any conversation – the rejection. This was where she had to tell him no, where the possibility of anger and retaliation from her refusal became a reality. She’d heard stories, numerous throughout her college years, of atrocities committed by men who felt as though they’d been slighted by women.

She was fairly confident that Junmyeon would be respectful of her wishes, but a young woman in this day and age constantly had to be cautious. Joohyun found herself hesitating, worrying her lip in between her teeth. Unconsciously, the young woman crossed her arms against her chest in an effort to make her feel more secure with the words she was preparing to say.

Just as she’d opened to speak, Junmyeon raised an open hand. Blushing profusely, the young man spoke softly. “Hold on…there’s no need to confirm what I already know.” He stood slowly, with a smile, “I’m sorry for bothering you, Joohyun. It won’t happen again.” With that, the business major took his leave, his head still held high.

Silently, Joohyun watched him go, internally applauding him for not looking over his shoulder and back at her. Junmyeon was the first to ever notice the shift in her body language, the obvious discomfort she felt, her tentative urge to say no without a