Kang Hyewon is your average student living under the radar. She’s not that famous nor is she an outcast, she lives right around the middle – right amount of friends, but could still navigate through college without anyone greeting her from time to time. She’s not good at many things, but one thing is for sure, she is good at being discreet.

Blending in is in her nature, which is why she managed to be under the radar for so long. She never joins any club or organizations that requires socializing, college is too much to handle for her to add another stress in her life. So yeah, she blends in almost everywhere.

Kang Hyewon hates crowded places, the noise, the bodies, combination of different cheap and expensive perfumes. She hates it, which is why she found herself one day in the library. But mind you, she hates libraries. It’s not the library per se, but more of the reality that she needs to study.

She finds it intimidating at first, with the main hall having too high of a ceiling, two pillars like those in the Greek movies you always see. Then right pass those pillars, bookshelves – too tall and wide that it could have contained thousand books, this library is like Hogwarts. So yeah, Kang Hyewon is intimidated by a library.

She never gets it, how the university managed to store and maintain all these books when the library has too many floors to be called just a library – 5 or 6 floors? She’s not sure, and she doesn’t plan to know it, with too many wings that she doesn’t even know for what.

So yeah, Kang Hyewon promised herself that she would not step in the library, but the situation calls for it. Promises are meant to broken anyway. She looks around the place, noticing it is not too crowded. Perfect for her liking. She starts to look for the perfect spot where she could just rest without being bothered by anyone. Until she saw her.

She could say that she’s the most beautiful girl she has ever laid her eyes on, and she wonders if God is really that unfair. The way this girl is structured, her delicate features from her soft eyes, to her pointed nose, down to her plump lips. Maybe God is really unfair because of the fact that the sunlight coming from the window is hitting her yet she manages to look so ethereal.

Hyewon started to question what she did to her past life that she became like this. But she would also love to thank God for giving her the opportunity to encounter this goddess. And so, her plan to find the perfect spot to blend in was completely forgotten. She needs to find the perfect spot to have the glimpse of this girl without being too obvious.

The girl – she decided to call her Ms. Girl, is at a table on the left side of the library, adjacent to the 7^th big shelf. ‘English Literature’ it said. Hyewon quietly walked over to a table, perhaps 2 to 3 tables away from Ms. Girl, and took a seat slightly behind a pillar. It’s kind of weird, to have a pillar in the middle of the library and having a table near it. But Hyewon is not complaining since it goes with her favor.

Taking a seat, she pulled out various types of pencils and her sketchpad. Kang Hyewon is an art student, who is quiet and loves to be under the radar. How cliché is her life, and now she sees this girl, this goddess. Observing the girl, she deduced that Ms. Girl is living way above the radar, which means that she is famous.

How did Hyewon know? Easy, she’s been observing her for the past 20 minutes and in that duration there’s about 4 to 5 people who greeted her, and left with a flustered. In Hyewon’s defense, it just so happens the girl is in her view. Or is her view. But no one needs to know that.

Perhaps, that’s how Hyewon spent her entire free time. Observing the girl from time to time, to put her rough sketches on her sketchpad. Though sometimes, she would sketch the library’s interior, because damn hell the interior of this place should be appreciated.

She just stopped her own business when she saw Ms. Girl standing up with her things, and eventually leaving the library. Hyewon did not notice, but when she looked at the time, she was surprise to see that her free time is already up. Quickly, she put all her art supplies inside her bag and left the table. proceeding to go out the library.

///

The next day, Hyewon went to the library again. But unfortunately, the girl was not there. Shrugging her shoulders, she walks out of the place causing the librarian to look at her weirdly. Who inhales the scent of the library anyway?

///

“Where are you going?”

Hyewon looks at the girl beside her – tall, grinning mischievously. Ahn Yujin.

“Too crowded.” She simply said, putting the strap of her bag on her shoulder.

“Alright,” Yujin nodded, getting a spoonful of whatever pudding she has. “See you in class.” She said disgustingly.

Hyewon looks at the tall girl and furrowed her eyebrows. Nodding her head, she would just forget the image of Yujin talking with a mouthful of pudding.

It was lunch time and Hyewon hopes to see girl at the library. Odd times, but desperate measure and wishful thinking. She hasn’t seen the girl anywhere in the university, or Hyewon was not just looking enough. She never knows. Hence, which is why she’s going to the library hoping that Ms. Girl is there.

Entering the library, Hyewon bowed slightly to the librarian who returned it. She quietly walks and looked around, seriously it is all an act. She doesn’t want to be obvious that she’s always waiting for the girl. And oh, thank heavens, she’s there.

She’s with someone else. Seems like her friend. Hyewon quietly walks over to her own spot, it doesn’t have her name. But she just wants to tell it is hers, because it has a very nice view. Pulling out the necessary things – pencil and sketchpad, she started to warm her hands up. Drawing random things on the library, a book left on the table, the rows of bookshelves, the chair not properly placed on her left side.

Until she started drawing Ms. Girl again. It’s like an instinct? Ritual? Normal? Definitely not. it’s just that her eyes went to the girl and her hands started moving on its own. Hyewon does not want to be unfair, so from time to time, she draws the other girl talking to Ms. Girl. Maybe she’ll call her Fel. She oddly looks like her neighbor Felix.

She concludes that the two girls are famous. Just like before, some people stop at their table then leave with a flustered face. Sometimes Hyewon would get annoyed as those people block her view. Thank heavens that they don’t stay there long.

Hyewon is so absorbed in her sketch – specifically of Ms. Girl when she was surprised to hear the bell. She jumped slightly on her seat, and immediately looked at the time. Oh, lunch is over. Meaning she would have her class with Yujin. She quickly fixed her things, and stood up. She quickly took a discreet glance at Ms. Girl’s table, surprising her to see her friend – Fel, meeting her eyes.

Hyewon always have a blank face and at first, she hates it because it would scare people away. But now she’s thankful for it, because she acted nonchalantly – like her eyes just went pass at their table. But on the inside, Hyewon was dying. Was she too obvious? But she saw that Fel just looked at the book in front of her. Maybe Hyewon was not that obvious.

///

“Where were you?”

“Why?”

“I looked for you!” Yujin whined, pouting at the older girl. “But I couldn’t find you.”

“Maybe you were not looking enough.” Hyewon shrugged, teasing the younger girl.

Yujin was about to protest when their instructor entered, bringing silence to the room. Hyewon smiled and looked in front. But her mind strayed to the girl at the library. Without her noticing, she has light sketches of the girl’s eyes on her notebook.

///

That’s how Hyewon spent her 2 weeks. And on her third week, she practically knows when Ms. Girl would be at the library. On Mondays she would be there around 3 until 4. Unfortunately, she would not be there on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. On Thursdays, Ms. Girl would be there around lunch time but Hyewon would need to leave first. Better than nothing, the art student thought. On Fridays, she would be twice a day lunch time, but she would leave first than Hyewon. Then around 3 until 5.

Hyewon is not a stalker. She’s just observant, about important things. And somehow, being the library at the same time of Ms. Girl is important.

Yujin has been pestering her every time she goes from lunch. She’s been giving vague answers, she knows. But it’s not her fault that the younger girl is not good at looking for her. The fact that Yujin never thought of the library astounds her. But she can’t blame her friend, she knows how much Hyewon hates the place because of the reminder that she needs to study.

“Seriously unnie, where do you always go?”

“Just keep on looking bud.” Hyewon smiles and walked away. Leaving Yujin there squinting her eyes.

It was Friday which means that Ms. Girl would be there in the library.

///

Hyewon’s not a library person until Ms. Girl. She has already put on her schedule her library visits every Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays. She’s being a regular to the point that the librarian – Ms. Bae Joohyun, became familiar with her.

Which is why Ms. Bae or Irene-unnie she prefers so, was surprised to see her visiting the place on a Tuesday. On Hyewon’s defense, her instructor was absent – her only class on that day. Not wanting to waste her time, she decided to just stop by the library despite not seeing Ms. Girl.

“Hyewon-ah, it’s Tuesday!” Irene stated looking at the student surprisingly.

Hyewon smiled sheepishly and shrugged her shoulders. “Ms. Kang was absent, and I don’t want to waste my time doing nothing.”

“So, what would you do here?”

“Nothing.” Hyewon laughed.

Hyewon looked around when she sees the stacks of books beside Irene. Curiously she walked over it.

“Do these books need to be sorted?” She asked.

“Yeah, the students just left it on the table,” Irene said glancing at the books being said. “I was planning on doing later.”

“I’ll do it.” Hyewon volunteered.

“No, you don’t have to!” The librarian protested, saying various reasons as to why Hyewon should not bother.

“It’s not a bother.” Hyewon shrugged, fixing the strap of her bag. “I don’t have anything to do anyway.”

That’s how Hyewon sees herself walking around the library with a cart full of books needed to be sorted and put in their proper place. It was an easy task, especially Irene managed to explain it to her properly and easily. Surprisingly, it was a calming task. Walking around in between shelves, looking for the right section, inserting a book in between others. It was weirdly calming, and without noticing Hyewon was on her last book.

Checking the time, Hyewon sees that it was already past lunch. She then quietly walks to Irene, glancing on the empty table of where Ms. Girl is usually seen. She can’t help but be disappointed. But she continued on her way.

“Unnie I’ve finished it already.” She said to the busy librarian.

“Oh, thank you so much Hyewon-ah.”

“Where should I put the cart?”

“You can put it over there, just behind those boxes.” Irene pointed to her right.

Walking over it, Hyewon noticed that the boxes contained some new books. Interesting. But not interesting enough for her. She heard Irene behind her talking to someone, about returning some book of some sort.

Walking back, Hyewon looked for her bag that she put near Irene’s desk. Successfully grabbing it, she stood up and looked up to the librarian who was busy typing. Again.

“Unnie, I’ll go now.” She quietly said, not bothering to look at the student returning the book.

“Oh, yes thank you for your help.” Irene smiled and looked at the student returning a book. “Thank you Minju-ah, here’s your card.”

Hyewon turned to the certain Minju, and oh God. It’s Ms. Girl. Why didn’t she notice her? Oh right, she didn’t even bother. Kang Hyewon was surprised, but she knows her face is only blank. Looking at the girl in front of her. Staring. No that sounds rude, observing is the right term.

Irene and Minju look at her, who is just standing. Without a second thought, Hyewon bowed her head to the both girls and walked out of the library as if she’s not dying inside. Minju. Minju. Minju

Maybe going to the library unexpectedly is one of the best things she ever decided. Minju. Minju. Minju.

///

“She’s just a quiet girl.” Irene smiled at Minju who is looking curiously at the girl who just walked out.

“Yeah, I’ve noticed.” Minju nodded her head and smiled. Thanking the older girl, she walks out of the library. Only to see the quiet girl’s figure slowly vanishing, holding tightly on her bag straps. Oddly quiet.

Minju shrugged her shoulders and walked to the other side, she still has classes to attend to.