"The world belongs to those who read"

There is a girl who took that proverb too deep and become obsessed with books.

Growing up as a bookshop owner's daughter lowkey turned her to get along with the books too well, to the extent she considered them as her 'friend'. Book never hurt her, book never betray her. So she thought, because socializing with people was not her thing to begin with.

And that… was how Lee Chae yeon live her life up until now.

She’s loner, an aloof girl with wide range of knowledge but zero social skill. She’s always curious about anything and always found the answers of all questions in every books she read, all of them-

…but one.

There’s one question that she can’t find the answer in any books she has read.

Today, like any other days, she comes to the library to her usual spot in the corner near the huge glass window. She continue reading the book she’s currently into and thoroughly screening page by page. Normal students usually prefer to have fun and hang out with their friends after school dismissed, but she isn't, she prefers to associate herself with books rather than to befriend any human being. This is her only way to have fun. Yeah, as plain as it sounds.

The library is really quiet as she is the only visitor at the moment. No wonder Chaeyeon dozed off to a deep slumber in the middle of reading the book titled ‘The Power of Now’ by Eckhart Tolle. Or maybe it’s because the classes she attended today has drained her energy.

“Is this it?”

“Yes. This is the book I was looking for, thank you, Mrs. Kwok.”

Chaeyeon stirred in her sleep as she heard those feminine voices. She rubbed her eyes to clear the visions. Mrs. Kwok, a middle aged woman is showing a book to the girl across her in the front desk of the library. Chaeyeon get struck as she recognized that girl with dark long locks who is back-facing her. She can’t be able to see the girl’s face, but she knows who that girl is.

The very same girl who intrigued her logic this past year.

“I coincidentally found this book when I cleaned the old books’ section. Glad to finally get this for you.”

“Thank you so much, Mrs. Kwok. And sorry to trouble you like this.”

Chaeyeon remained silent as the girl’s deep voice echoed through her ears. She loves her voice.

“Nah, it’s okay. I love to drown myself in books after all. Literally saying.” The old woman laughed at her own lame joke, along with the girl.

“Then I’ll excuse myself now, Mrs. Kwok.”

Chaeyeon’s heart fell as the girl dismissed herself, not before Mrs. Kwok suddenly called her out.

“Oh, Chaeyeon-ah! I’m about to wake you up but you’ve awaken now. It’s getting late.”

The girl earlier stopped at her track to look at Chaeyeon’s direction, causing their eyes to meet, and her chest to squeeze. Embarrassing.

“Chaeyeon?” The girl seems surprised. “I didn’t notice that you’re there all along oh my god.”

“She’s been here since the class was dismissed, and doze off while reading her book.” Mrs. Kwok answered while chuckling on Chaeyeon’s behalf. The latter only showing a faint sheepish smile to the girl. “Now if you don’t mind, I need to close this place, kid.”

Chaeyeon nodded quickly while putting all the belongings in her backpack. She takes a brief glance to the girl who is checking her wrist watch, seems like she runs out of her time. Chaeyeon was right as the girl bid goodbye to her and rushed out.

Chaeyeon looking at the girl until she can no longer be seen. Again, all she can do is remained mute, yeah, mute. Not even manage to say a mere “Hi.”.

‘I’m an idiot.’ She cursed herself.

______________________________________________________________________________

A year ago, in the first month of her freshmen year, she walked through the school hallway to the library while reading a book, silly her, she was too focused on the book and bumped into a girl right before the library's entrance, her book fell on the floor. Chaeyeon apologized for her silliness while trying to pick the book, but she wasn't quick enough as another pair of hands already pick it for her.

She looked up to meet pair of eyes of the person before her, only to get struck.

‘Beautiful.’ Chaeyeon thought honestly as she unconsciously examining the girl’s figure.

Her super fair skin is contrasted her pink thin lips and medium length dark locks. Her sharp nose complemented her big round eyes full of sparks. Those eyes. It’s really beautiful. Chaeyeon can see many things within those perfect alluring orbs, it’s hypnotizing her somewhat.

‘She looks familiar.’

"Are you alright?"

Chaeyeon breaks her thoughts as she takes the book that was handed by the girl.

"I am. Are you okay? Sorry." Chaeyeon sincerely felt guilty towards the girl.

"It's alright, just be careful next time, okay?" The girl replied with a bright smile while mindlessly fixing Chaeyeon's messy hairs before getting up on her feet, causing the latter to freeze. Chaeyeon baffled, while trying to process what just happened. And then she heard her name being called...

"Chaeyeon..." The girl offers her hand to help Chaeyeon up. "Your name is Chaeyeon, right?"

Still baffled, Chaeyeon nodded to the question as she hold the girl’s hand to stand on her feet.

‘How can she know my name?’

"You are in the same class as me.” The girl said as if she heard Chaeyeon’s thought. “See you in class then, Chaeyeon." She added softly while waving her hand and then walks away.

It’s been a month since she enrolled to this school. How come she didn’t realize that she has a classmate whom that beautiful? Oh right, she barely even take her eyes off of her books to even be able to notice her surroundings.

Chaeyeon was about to walk away when she noticed something glistening on the ground, she picked it up. A silver bracelet with pink carnation shaped pendant. She looked closer, there’s something engraved in one of the petals.

It’s Japanese letter.

　良
 

“  guess this is Taka…uhm, maybe Kou?? And…” Chaeyeon mumbles to herself as reads it carefully, tried to figure the letter out one by one. “Hmm…  is Ryoku? Waki…?” She started to walk in to the library while figuring the words.

“And then,   means ‘bloom’ so.. Saki? What is it again、良  uhm… Yoi? So…. SakiYoi? Ugh, but it doesn’t make any sense.”

“It’s Sakura.”

“Huh?” Chaeyeon turned her body as the girl earlier is standing behind her, still smiling as warm as a cup of hot ginger tea in the mid-winter night.

“I was looking for that. I think it fell off when I bumped to you just now.”

Chaeyeon who was utterly surprised by the sudden presence of the girl, handed the bracelet back to the owner. Nothing come out from , she’s muted.

“I guess you’re not even recognize your own classmates, huh?” The girl chuckled while wearing the bracelet back. “And you should read this as…”

“Miyawaki Sakura.”

Chaeyeon was taken aback as the girl fixed her hair again.

“Make sure you remember your classmates’ names next time, Lee Chaeyeon.” She winked, before leaving the still struck Chaeyeon.

______________________________________________________________________________

Miyawaki Sakura.

That’s right.

The question she can’t find in any books she read, lie within her presence.

“Haven’t you tried to approach her yet, Chaeyeon-ah?”

Chaeyeon looked up to the old woman who smiled motherly, well, Mrs. Kwok has become her -mother-like-figure- close friend of hers for she came to this library in almost all her free times. Chaeyeon trusts her enough to tell the old woman about almost everything in her life.

“At least try for once, Chaeyeon-ah.”

“Maybe next time.” She has say that for thousand times already. “I should go now, I need to visit my cousin in the hospital.”

“Alright then, be careful on your way… Oh hey, you almost left this!” Mrs. Kwok knocked Chaeyeon’s head with the book she slept on earlier.

‘The Power of Now’

Is a spiritual self-improvement book.

That’s right. As weird as it sounded, among all genre that exist, an anti-social nerd like her loves to read personal growth, self-improvement kind of book the most. Pretty contradicting with her true self though.

“Ah, thanks Mrs. Kwok! I haven’t done reading this.” She grinned before proceeding to walk out of the library with the book in her hand.

“Chaeyeon-ah,”

Chaeyeon stopped midway and looking back to the old woman, waiting for her to speak.

“It’s better to be disappointed after you tried what you want to do, rather than to regret it because it was too late when you finally decided to try to do it.”

Right at the moment, she felt something spiked her left chest.

***

Chaeyeon started to be over conscious of Sakura’s presence ever since she bumped into the girl the other day. Since the moment she ‘discovered’ those beautiful alluring orbs, she couldn’t get rid of the other girl’s image off of her mind.

She, who usually drown herself in books, would take glance to the girl whose seat is in the second row from the front. She finds book less amusing than Sakura’s presence, and that’s weird, that’s new.

As a curious girl that she is, Chaeyeon looking for Sakura’s information through internet. That’s not her intention actually, but she can’t help but to look for it for there’s no one she can ask, she has no friends, literally. Mrs. Kwok, the librarian who she considers as friend, only know that Sakura is a humble popular bright kid who sometimes come to the library for some books.

Popular. Yeah, as cliché as it sounds, Miyawaki Sakura is a popular character here. With that pretty figure and an ultra-good traits she has, there’s no way that girl won’t be loved by the whole school. Chaeyeon also found out that the girl is a game Youtuber with almost one million subscribers.

Again, she finds it amusing as she subconsciously subscribe to her channel, purely because she loves to see Sakura’s hilarious reaction when she’s playing games. That’s weird. Really really weird. Chaeyeon spends her time to lurk on Sakura’s sns almost as much as she reads books in a day. Though she had lots of chances to interact with the other girl directly, she can’t get herself to do that. She’s a coward to begin with, too used to be a loner is only her excuse.

But, through the internet, she knows that Miyawaki Sakura is an only daughter of a wealthy family, has a great academic and social skills, and her humble self makes her well loved by people around her. Sakura’s life is what common people will perceive as a perfect life everyone dreamed of, including Chaeyeon herself, she thinks Sakura is way too perfect to be true. She got brain, wealth, beauty, and heart.

Yes, perfect. Way too perfect for some