“He’s really got some nerve hasn’t he?”

Luna scoffed looking at the guy who was sitting all alone at the table next to them. He saw her glaring eyes, and quickly averted his eyes from her friend and turned back to his notes. “You’re too rude to the juniors Luna...” her friend eyed the guy from a corner of her eyes and closed her novel with a carefree smile. “Stop scowling at him already!”

“I’m not concerned about him being a junior Yeona! He’s not the first hoobae to hit on you and I know it.” Luna whispered in her usual cocky annoyed tone. (Getting caught for making noise inside the reading hall was not the nicest thing with that new librarian.) “It’s just... just look at him! How can he even think about having feelings for you? Out of all the girls in college he chose Lee Yeona? Just look at his t shirt! I swear he has only that faded gray rag and that blue chequered shirt he’s wearing on shift like uniforms!”

It was Yeona’s turn to glare at her friend. “Luna you know I don’t like your way of judging people.”

Luna continued ignoring her words. “I don’t know why on earth you keep on smiling at him whenever he runs into you, but mark my words, you’ll get in severe trouble one day for going too easy on these third class people.”

She slammed her hard covered book with her magenta lacquered nails, and strode out of the reading hall. Yeona watched her friend and distant cousin leaving with a sigh, and turned to the boy at the table next.

Kim Jongin was busy biting a nail, his eyes running along the archaic English lines he was reading.

Luna was right. It was a known fact that Kim Jongin couldn’t afford to buy a new outfit even once a year, and barely managed to cover his college expenses with his scholarship.

Messed up overgrown hair.

Worn off rubber flip flops.

That back pack which hung over one shoulder with clumsily mended strap.

No wrist watch, the cheapest model of mobile phone, she heard he’s dragging his feet into the reading hall at six thirty in the morning every single day and Yeona didn’t even know when he left. Probably there late into the night.

He left the place just for one meal a day.

And that meal was either gimbap or ramyeon at the college cafeteria.

Yeona didn’t know why she kept track of every single detail about him. Being the daughter of the businessman who offered the biggest scholarship to their college, and given the obviously princess-like life she had been leading up to now, she never bothered accepting any of the guys who approached her.

Not that she was arrogant or too high standard, but because she knew she’ll one day have to end up with a guy from an equally rich household her dad will be choosing.

But for some reason this junior stealing glances at her from behind book shelves and stacks of books, brought a smile to her face. She expected for him to approach her one day and talk to her.

Which Kim Jongin never did.

He just nervously bowed whenever they ran into each other, and hurriedly walked away before she met his eyes.

~ ~ ~ ~

Yeona bit her lip.

Should I just help him?

It was a Sunday. Not even ten percent of the student population bothered visiting the college library on Sundays, given that exams were nowhere near. But Yeona had left the house even before all the maids had reported to work, because her dad was having some visitors over.

Her sister is there.

That’s enough for her dad to present to his friends.

She preferred a nice novel and a coffee than that.

The only figure in the English section she could see was Kim Jongin. He was there as usual, starring at a row of books at his eye level, which was a bit too high for Yeona, and chewing his lower lip hard.

Even his side profile showed the dark circles around his eyes.

“What’s the book you’re looking for?”

She finally decided to go talk to him. And the guy had never looked that much shocked before. His eyes widened at her sight, and he took back a step as she approached him.

“Tell me the book I’ll find it for you. I know almost all the novels here.” she said with a smile.

The smile she gave him whenever he was caught staring at her.

“S-sunbae,” he stuttered. “I was... well... the book...”

She chuckled again. “At least tell me the author.”

“Tom Jones by Henry Fielding.” he finally blurted out.

“Ah...” she started walking between the shelves, making him stay rooted to his spot and stare at her. “Kim Jongin... Am I right?”

He couldn’t believe his ears. She actually knew his name.

“You study really hard don’t you? Guess you’re working for a scholarship.”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “Um... yeah, sunbae.”

“Is it the Song Jiyeon memorial scholarship?” she stooped walking and turned back to him.

He pursed his lips and nodded hesitantly. The best scholarship any student from their college could get, the Song Jiyeon memorial scholarship was granted by Yeona’s family, in memory of her late mother Song Jiyeon. And Jongin knew that perfectly well.

“Want me to help you get it?”

He gapped at her. And she smiled in return. Despite coming from a wealthy family and having no trouble in life, Yeona gave her all to studying and was one of the top students of her batch. And there were many students who got her support in studies, but this was the first time she had ever offered someone her help. All the others came asking for her help themselves.

A heartbreakingly beautiful smile adorned his face in the next second. He didn’t verbally answer, but nodded with that smile.

And her heart actually skipped a several beats.

~ ~ ~ ~

“You’re seriously insane. Lee Yeona I can’t believe you’re tutoring that guy!” Luna was flailing her arms at the gate as the two girls waited for their chauffeurs to arrive. “Even pitying people needs standards okay? We’re here wondering how on earth did that type of guy even end up in the same college as us... And you? I think your gardener’s son must look better than that! Just act your society Yeona! Quit hanging around with beggars and embarrassing your dad!”

“Luna please,” after holding in her anger for too long, Yeona finally spoke up. “If you can’t give people a slightest respect a human being should get, just stop talking about people with me.” She was sounding angry at her friend for the first time ever. “I have never seen a hard working student like him. Never in my entire life. You and I can’t even think about being that desperate for getting a chance to learn. So if you don’t agree me helping him, just stay away from the matter. I didn’t ask for your opinion about it.”

~ ~ ~ ~

Jongin had been awfully quiet the next day. It was the third week Yeona had been helping him, since both of them spent most of their time in the library outside lecture hours, he often found her coming to sit in front of him and question his progress. And there her was, asking her all the questions he had noted down while reading, bringing up the revision papers and discussing them with her, and asking eagerly for her recommendations and tips in every subject.

But not today.

She didn’t realize it first, but he didn’t raise his head from his notebook for at least one hour. And what made her notice the difference was that he didn’t even turn a page. Jongin wasn’t the type to doze over notes either.

“Jongin?” she called him. Hearing her voice, he quickly took his hands off the book, and turned a page.

But didn’t raise his head.

She got up and walked away, just to return with two cups of wending machine coffee. “Just in case you’re feeling drowsy.” She placed the steaming cup next to his book.

He raised his head and looked up at the girl.

His long lashed brown eyes were filled with tears.

“Sunbae it’s okay.” He smiled through his glistening eyes.

“It’s okay for you to not help me. I’ll be fine managing things by my own.”

Yeona didn’t know that the term ‘heartache’ in novels actually meant a pain in the chest. But today she felt it. That too, was just by seeing those teary eyes. Hurriedly placing aside her coffee as well, she dragged the nearest chair and sat facing him. “Did Luna tell you anything? Don’t mind her! That girl is too arrogant and spoilt!” she was talking really fast, unlike her usual self.

He shook his head.

Why smiling still with those teary eyes???

“I happened to over hear your friend... I’m sorry I didn’t mean to eavesdrop... but everything your friend said was true sunbae... this is just ridiculous.” He sighed. “Just look at me. A girl like you shouldn’t even spare a glance at me, so helping with studies is just a big joke.” His smile started to fade away. “I’ll manage on my own sunbae. You don’t have to embarrass yourself.”

She reached out and caught his hand. She was acting with a courage that she never even knew she had.

“Say it already.”

He blinked at her, puzzled.

“Just say that you like me!”

Her chest was heaving up and down.

He stared at her.

“You like me don’t you?” she asked him. “So why can’t you tell it? Why wouldn’t you confess it like other guys?”

His eyes turned down to her grip on his hand and turned up back to her eyes. “How long will you keep glancing from behind pillars and bookshelves? How long are you planning to stop writing and watch me writing? Just how long Kim Jongin?”

He smiled again. That heart aching smile.

“Until you’ll be leaving this university. It’ll be over then because I won’t be seeing you after that sunbae.”

~ ~ ~ ~

Kim Jongin was nowhere to be seen inside the faculty for almost a week. His phone was switched off, and Yeona had been leaving voice messages every morning.

“Jongin-ah...please come to college... just forget what Luna said... and you can even forget what I said, and just come and start studying again will you? You can’t be wasting time like this Kim Jongin...”

And he finally came. One Friday evening, after Yeona’s last lecture was over, she stepped out of the lecture hall to meet him right at the door.

“Kim Jongin how dare you disappear like that!!!”

She turned many heads around them, and Luna scoffed before walking away by her own. Yeona ignore everyone and beamed at him. “Have you been studying at home? Or were you sick or something? How are you now?”

She was basically checking him from head to toe. Jongin smiled and shook his head. “I’m alright sunbae.”

“Then what happened? And did you just come to meet me? If not why did you come to uni at this time?”

He bit his lip and waited for a moment.

“Sunbae,”

“Yes Jongin,”

“Will you go... on a... date with me?”

Her widened eyes stayed on his reddened face for a while before she replied with a warm smile. “Of course... Let’s go.”

She chose walking along the pavement under the yellow light of street lamps, knowing perfectly well that the boy couldn’t afford at least a taxi. Since the night had fallen, it was starting to get chilly. Having just a faded batman logo printed t shirt on, he didn’t have a jacket to take off and drape around the girl like guys often did. So after hesitating for more than a good ten minutes, he finally managed to put his arm around her and pull her closer, as they walked.

In the corner of his eyes, he saw her cheeks turn pink. “Sunbae... you won’t mind do you?”

She shook her head with the warmest smile she could give him. He was warm. She truly felt his warmth as he pulled her closer to be pressed against his side, despite the goose bumps caused by the chill she saw on his arms.

“Shall we have ramyeon?”

She was the one to suggest the dinner as well. Jongin had mustered up the courage to ask her out on a date, but didn’t know what to do next. And she took the lead, careful not to hurt the guy’s pride by offering to pay for their meals, but deciding to have what he could afford.

He stopped with a pout.

And nothing could be adorable than Kim Jongin pouting disappointedly.

“That’s what we have every day in campus sunbae!” he complained. “Isn’t a date supposed to be special?”

“That’s is exactly why it should be ramyeon.” Yeona reasoned. “What we had together every day is ramyeon. It means ramyeon is special to us!”

And here they were, entering a convenience store to have their ‘special date dinner’.

The young man at the store cashier raised his head with a welcoming smile, and the smile was replaced complete surprise the next second.

“Hyung,” Jongin gave him a shy smirk, reaching her hand and holding it securely in his. “The sunbae I told you about...”

The older guy stared blankly at the girl and Jongin for a moment. And the younger one turned to Yeona, and pointed at the cashier. “This is my brother, sunbae. Kim Minseok.”

“Oh, Anyeonghaseyo.” Yeona quickly bowed. Jongin’s brother returned the gesture with an equally respectful bow, and looked at Jongin with puzzled eyes. Jongin just smiled back.

“Enjoy your ramyeon. It’s on me.”

Minseok came to their table with two steaming cups of noodles, and served them, beaming ear-to-ear. The two guys didn’t resemble each other a lot, but one thing com