“You guys have to help me.”

For what must’ve been the thousandth time, Joohyun begged for her friend’s assistance in her search for the one and only elusive Seulgi. Only an hour had passed since she’d left the library. Thinking about how Seulgi had brought a copy of A Clockwork Orange, proposed an impromptu book club, asked her out for dinner, and helped her with her homework felt more like fiction than reality.

In a flurry of motion, Joohyun had sent a few frantic texts to Sooyoung and Seungwan to meet her at her apartment, promptly raced over to Yeri’s dorm to pick her up, and sped over to her apartment. Now, the English major was metaphorically begging on her hands and knees for them to help track Seulgi down.

**

She and Seulgi had stayed in the library well past the time Joohyun originally planned to leave. The sky had long since darkened. Streaks of vibrant pinks and calming orange had given way to dusky tones of lilac and periwinkle until finally, the night settled in. Not that Joohyun minded, that is.

They’d read together in comfortable silence for an hour or two before Joohyun stowed her copy of the book away and worked on finishing her homework. Math had never been her strong suit. There was a reason why she’d chosen English as her major.

With weary eyes, Joohyun grimaced down at the pages of her math textbook and tried in vain to control the frustration bubbling up in her chest. All of the equations were starting to blur together into one giant blob of ink. God.

“Math’s not your thing?” Seulgi asked.

“Not really, no,” Joohyun admitted, face screwed up.

Why did college Algebra have to be so difficult for her? She’d done decently enough in high school when it came to mathematics, relying on after school tutoring and consistent studying. But college was a different beast altogether. All of her classes commanded her full attention. Essays, group projects, presentations, exams, midterms. Stuff piled on much more quickly than in high school.

“What class are you in?”

“Professor Lee’s College Algebra II. I’ve been meaning to stay after class and ask her for help on this week’s module, but I keep chickening out,” Joohyun confesses lamely. “I’m worried she’ll find out how I am at math and get frustrated with me or something...I don’t know.”

“I think I might be able to help you out,” Seulgi replied eagerly. “I’m actually a math tutor on the second floor.” Joohyun’s contorted expression relaxed into one of utmost respect. “Oh my god, you tutor math? You’ve got to be a genius.” Seulgi blushed, shaking her head quickly. “No, math’s just always come easy to me,” Seulgi replied humbly. “What’re you guys working on?”

She scooched her armchair over to Joohyun’s side of the table and pored over the older woman’s textbook. Joohyun watched, transfixed, bewitched, as her eyes quickly scanned over the pages with lightning quick speed. An intoxicating perfume radiated from Seulgi. Notes of citrus and sandalwood and a hint of something else Joohyun couldn’t quite place washed over her senses.

The English major stopped herself from taking a deep breath in, eager to memorize the lavish scent of Seulgi’s perfume. Joohyun hadn’t been so close to her before. Using the moment to her advantage, she allowed her eyes to wander over Seulgi’s face. Her features were as striking as ever, enhanced by their close proximity. Joohyun’s heart started hammering wildly in her chest, and her skin prickled with nervousness.

**

“Hold up, unnie,” Yeri interrupted her. The youngest of them had a puzzled expression on her face. “Are you telling us you really sniffed her?”

Three pairs of overly curious eyes trained on Joohyun, looking up at her from her apartment’s living room couch. Joohyun’s mouth opened, then shut, then opened again. “She looks like a fish,” Seungwan whispered in Sooyoung’s ear. Yeri and Sooyoung snickered quietly.

“...”

“Um...unnie?” Yeri murmured.

Joohyun sniffs.

“Anyways, as I was saying -”

**

“You guys are learning about exponential and logarithmic functions?” Seulgi muttered to herself. An elegant hand flipped through the next couple of pages in Joohyun’s textbook. “Yeah,” Joohyun replied, still eyeballing the other woman. “I think I remember how to do those,” she glanced over a Joohyun with an encouraging smile, and somehow, Joohyun’s heart sped up even faster than before. “Let me just refresh myself a little bit and then we can try to work on some of your homework problems,” Seulgi said.

“Okay,” Joohyun squeaked.

Five minutes later, Seulgi broke out some scratch paper from her notebook.

“Can I see your work so far? I’ll go over it and we can work out any issues together,” Seulgi said. Nodding along obediently, Joohyun sorted through the jumbled mess of papers spread across the table and passed the assignment and the sheets of her handiwork over. She tried to ignore the fresh wave of Seulgi’s perfume that washed over her when Seulgi gently plucked the pages from her hands.

“Promise me you won’t, um, judge me or anything, okay?” She said timidly, feeling her body heat up with embarrassment. She rubbed her sweating palms on the sleeves of her jacket, trying to calm her nerves. “I know I’m bad at math so...,” she trailed off, unsure of how to describe how vulnerable she feels about Seulgi seeing her shoddy work. A gentle hand rested over her shoulder, nearly startling her out of her wits.

“Joohyun, I swear this little book nook is a no-judgment-zone,” Seulgi replied sincerely. The look in her eye was deadly serious, somber even. Joohyun struggled to even breathe at the intensity of Seulgi’s gaze. “Right,” Joohyun choked out, trying her best not to freak out over Seulgi’s touch. Her cheeks flared up like a lovesick teenager, and she dipped her head to try and hide it from Seulgi.

That definitely backfired. Seulgi, thinking Joohyun was purely embarrassed, leaned even closer. The proximity forced Joohyun to look her in the eye, a hair’s breadth away. “From what I’ve seen so far, you’re not as bad as you think,” Seulgi said, squeezing Joohyun’s shoulder. Instinctively, Joohyun held her breath.

“Trust me, I could tell you horror stories from other kids I’ve tutored,” Seulgi chuckled, completely unaware of Joohyun’s predicament. The hand disappeared. Joohyun heaved a sigh of relief. “Now, what do you say we get to work!”

An hour later, Joohyun shut her math textbook triumphantly. Seulgi moved her chair back to its original position across the table, satisfied her work as a tutor was finished. “Feeling better about logarithmic functions?” She asked, stretching her long limbs. They’d been sitting for a while, Joohyun finally realized. She checked her phone for the time. It was already 8:32 pm.

“Yes!” She exclaimed, her face bright, “Thank you for your help. I’m sure I’m going to make a decent grade on our next exam thanks to you. I’ll make it up to you somehow.” Seulgi shrugged her shoulders, “No need for that. I needed to brush up on my tutoring skills, anyways.” She watched as Joohyun cleared off the coffee table, diligently packing up her things.

“You heading out?”

“Yeah, I didn’t realize we’d been here for so long,” Joohyun laughed, glancing up from zipping her backpack shut. Seulgi looked down at her watch, “Oh my god, me either. , I promised my roommate we’d watch a movie after she got off work.” The pair finished packing and slung their backpacks over their shoulders.

“So where did you park?” Seulgi asked as they made their way down to the first floor. She held the door open for Joohyun and their footsteps echoed in the stairwell. The rest of the library was deserted save for the occasional late night studier. It was weird, seeing the typically bustling campus so empty. It made Joohyun feel like she was in some alternative dimension.

“Maybe I can walk you to your car if we’re headed in the same direction? You know, safety in numbers and all that.” Joohyun felt her heart thrumming in her chest at Seulgi’s sweet gesture. As much as she’d love that, Joohyun knew if she didn’t spill the day’s events to her friends, she’d spontaneously combust.

They stepped out in the frigid cold air and stopped a few feet away from the library’s entrance. “That’s so nice of you to offer,” Joohyun murmured, thankful Seulgi wouldn’t be able to see her blushing as much under the cover of the dark. “I would totally take you up on that but I actually need to pick one of my friends up from her dorm. We’re having a girl’s night at my apartment.” Seulgi nodded in understanding. “Oh, I got you. I hope you guys have fun!” For a moment, she hesitated, as if she were about to say something more.

Joohyun decided it must’ve been a trick of the light. Seulgi tilted her head said, “Good night, Joohyun!” and started to walk away. “Good night, Seulgi!” Joohyun called, heading for Yeri’s dorm. She cast one last, lingering look over her shoulder to watch the shadow of Seulgi’s silhouette disappear. Despite the freezing wind pressing against her, Joohyun’s heart remained warmed over by the other girl.

**

“We’re finally getting to the part where you kidnapped me!” Yeri screeches with glee, smacking at Seungwan’s shoulder. The four of them had temporarily relocated to Joohyun’s kitchen for a late night snack of instant noodles. The Canadian was carefully adding the noodles into the boiling water, Sooyoung hovering just above her shoulder.

“Hey! This is hot, you know!” Seungwan protested, waving her wooden spoon at Yeri. Joohyun was poking through the fridge, looking for the container of kimchi she’d