Build up starts: tHIS CHAPTER

This chapter is like, twice as long as the intro chap, thank you for everyone who read it!! I was still experimenting with the wenrene dynamic, but i still hope it will turn out good nonetheless!
2 POVs are present in this chapter: Irene is whipped af, and Wendy is getting hella frustrated

Feel free to leave comments! I'll love it!!

P.S. ZICO x WENDY COLLAB SOON SOTY YES
you can follow me on twt! @mogumoguurii

Bae Joohyun's POV

.

"This is so frustrating."

Joohyun, sitting cross-legged, wearing an oversized grey jacket with her round reading glasses, uttered that one line in the middle of a casual midnight movie marathon with her best friends in the living room of their peaceful dormitory.

"I need to know her name."

"Alright missy, who are we talking about here?" Sooyoung absentmindedly said, while crunching a big pile of chips.

"You guys know who I'm talking about." Joohyun sighs with a comical arm motion. "You know her, the one with a bob-cut hair, with fluffy cheeks, beautiful eyelashes and-"

"Her voice sounding like an angel that will leave you breathless and speechless? Yeah, of course we knew. You talked about her for, like, the 54th time this week already. Record breaking." Yerim waved her hand, still slouching at the sofa while focusing on the movie.

"That is why I must know her name soon." Joohyun clicked her tongue. "I need to know, or else I won't stop thinking about it."

"Uhhhh... I think you'll be more interested about it once you know her name, actually." Sooyoung turned curiously to her exasperated friend. "Do you have a clue perhaps? Course? Nickname? Uhm, are we even sure she's a college student in the first place..? What if she's a professional?" 

"Hmmm.." Joohyun lightly shook her head. "Regardless, I would still want to know her name. A clue... ah." A line from the woman last Valentine's day suddenly clicked. "She mentioned a name! Jong-in! The guy's name is Jong-in!"

"Jong-in..." Sooyoung tapped her fingers on her bag of chips. "Sorry, not familiar at all. What about you, Yerim?"

Upon realizing that Yerim was undisturbed with her mysterious antics on her cellphone, Sooyoung shrugged. "Ugh, girlie's in Do-Not-Disturb mode. Don't worry, Hyun. I'll try asking some of my classmates tomorrow about-"

"Found it!!"

Two girls suddenly shifted their attention to the agitated girl.

"Son Seungwan. 23 years old, oooh a Psych Major, and wow, Hyun. You totally have a very good taste-" Yerim's phone was instantly snatched. Joohyun didn't care less, she was craving for the woman's information so much she intensely read everything that the phone displayed.

"Whipped." Yerim hissed.

"How did you..?" Sooyoung fiercely whispered. "Easy. Searched a Jong-in with a mutual friend and browsed a bit of pictures here and there. I'm good, right?" Yerim smirked triumphantly.

"Thank you for reminding me why I should be scared of you sometimes."

"Excuse me, Sooyoung-ah. Connections will get you the girl, you know it and you'll need it.”

"If you're so proud of your connections then where the hell is your girl?"

"Hey, I did not ask to be attacked this way!"

"Guys."

The two bickering friends quickly turned into their friend who was still clutching Yerim's cellphone hard.

Joohyun looked at them with a 24 year-clamped up resolve. This is her damn chance. She won't let this overwhelming feeling pass by. Not on her account.

Bae Joohyun officially declared with a burning passion.  

"Free your schedules after lunch. We will hunt this girl down." 

.

The three girls sighed in chorus, standing in front of their campus library with a resolve... slightly lower than what they have compared to their yesterday's.

Sooyoung broke the trio's trance as she cleared . "So... Are we sure about this? And by the way, our destination is a Library? For real?"

Joohyun pushed her phone in front of Sooyoung's face. "As we can see here, this woman, Son Seungwan, is having her part time work in a library." The picture in Instagram shows the man who confessed to her during Valentine's day, hugging Son Seungwan in his right and another girl in ponytail to the left, both holding a stack of books with a background filled with bookshelves. 

"But there are plenty of libraries in this campus and there's even some multiple sections inside-"

"We will look into all of them." Joohyun proudly proclaimed. "I have a list here of all the libraries we can look into and notable sections." She said while waving a folded paper.

"...What...?"

"Don't worry. We have a lot of time." She smiled with at her devastated friend and proceeds to stride inside their first destination.

Yerim stepped forward and nudged her stoned friend. "Let her be. Whipped culture." she said while pointing at the door.

Sooyoung was already feeling the upcoming frustration.

"This will be a long day."

.

"Joohyun-aaah, this isn't working!" Sooyoung whimpered. They are in their 6th library section and been roaming around for at least 4 hours already.  "Why can't we just message this Jong-in and-"

"Sooyoung-ah, we can't ask the enemy." Yeri followed them with her eyes on her phone. "And you forgot the most important part." Yerim whispered while pointing the back of the leader of their pack. "This woman is persistent."

Sooyoung sighed and scratched her neck out of exasperation.

As they are waiting in front of the elevator to go to the next floor, a bell rang with induced panic between the two friends.

"Oh sh-" Sooyoung looked at her watch. "Hyun-ah! Gotta go, I totally forgot about that freaking math exam." She said hurriedly while pulling Yerim by her arm. "This kid as well. We'll join you after, alright?"

Joohyun nodded. She was exempted at the mentioned exam as a privilege for submitting a recognized campus-wide thesis proposal for Political Science course. Being meticulous has its own advantages, after all.

"All right. I'll let you know if something happens. See you later."

 At the end of their quick exchange, the two friends sprinted towards the nearby stairs. 

...

One.

Two.

Three.

Joohyun silently exhaled. An unsolicited tension was slowly building up within her as she was left alone in her conquest.

Bae Joohyun was always systematic. She survived the laws and demands of people by pushing forward with her mind first than her heart for two decades. 

She is, and always thought that she will never wear her heart out on her sleeve.

And now here she was, hands sweating while waiting for the elevator to stop to meet the woman who can't get out of her mind for days. Life is always unpredictable, isn't it?

Joohyun bit her lip out of nervousness. For sure, the week-younger version of her will laugh at her current state.

The sound of stopping elevator caused Joohyun to glance forward stand up gracefully. She was sure and ready. Let her embarrassment be damned.... what?

What?

gaped with her eyes when she saw who was standing alone in the elevator. 

A woman wearing a blue sweater and jeans which perfectly defines her shape, hands tapping her sling bag in beat with the music she is currently listening from her earphones, her beautiful hair and eyelashes moving along with her head with a soft bang motion.

Joohyun could look at her for days. Of course she can recognize her instantly.

Especially since this is the woman that has been on her mind for countless days.

Joohyun forgot how to breathe when the woman's brown eyes were now directed at her. 

What should she do? Should she call Sooyoung and Yerim? Should she run? Or should she just hug the person in front of her tightly like her lifeline and never let go-

The woman raised her eyebrows when Joohyun was like a lifeless robot standing. Totally clueless, she moved at the right side to give space for Joohyun in the elevator. When she noticed that she's not moving at all, she carefully removed one piece of her earphones off her and waved her hand slightly in front of Joohyun's face.

"Uhm.. Hello? You can go in."

“Huh…?” Her eyes blinked rapidly that almost matched the speed of a Mach-20. "A-ah, Elevator. Yes. Elevator. I'm coming in." And now her brain can't keep up with her heart.

Joohyun stood in the far left, opposite of where Seungwan was casually leaning into. Son Seungwan was now beside her. Son Seungwan was breathing beside her. Son Seungwan is finally here.

Now what...?

Joohyun grimaced. She was so irresponsible, why did she not anticipate this encounter and prepare a battle plan!? She needs to recover the damage as soon as possible. She is Bae Joohyun, a campus wide-known high performing scholar. She can't let herself be embarrassed in front of a beautiful woman anymore.

But to be given this opportunity, it means it is fate for both of them to meet, right? At least Lady Luck is on her favor even for just a very tiny bit. And now it's up to her to step up and talk to the woman of her dreams, Son Seungwan.

She inhaled intensely.

"Son-" Ring.

The elevator door opened in the worst possible time. Damn it. Maybe Lady Luck wants to mess up with her after all.

Joohyun scowled as Seungwan dropped off at the 6th floor immediately. Of course Joohyun won't let her pass by easily. She went out on the same floor after a few seconds of interval, leading her to the Humanities section. A small smile reached her lips. Somehow, this section feels... very Son Seungwan.

She observed the scene that greeted her inside the section. Locating the librarian's counter was her highest priority, which was at the right side of the room. When she saw her target now sitting in front of the desk, she quickly settled down and once again planned her next attack.

She reached out for her phone and opened her most important group chat.

IRENE: I finally found her.

JOY: AAKJDKLJSLKDLSJSLJDKLJSAD OHFMHMFGOD

YERI: GIRL GO GET HER TIGER

IRENE: I'd like to correct that, Yerim. I am supposed to be a bunny.

YERI: UUGGHHH DOESNTT MATTER JUST GO TALK TO HER

JOY: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA JOOHYUN FINALLY GETTING THE GIRL

YERI: HYUN'S NOT THE SINGLE GRANDMA ANYMORE

Joohyun closed her phone as fast as her headache throbbed after reading that…chaos. She will never admit it, but the randomness of her best friends calmed the nerves out of her and gave her the last push she needed to approach the beautiful woman in her eyes.

The determined Joohyun grabbed the nearest book she can get without even looking at the title and fiercely strutted all the way to the counter and placed the book gently for registration.

"I'd like to borrow a book." Joohyun announced with a weight of a one-week frustration. She's finally doing this.

Suddenly she felt numerous eyes looking at her direction. Small hushes can be heard recognizing her face and her patience was once again tested. She was used to this, she just needs to mask it for a few more minutes.

Seungwan's eyes shifted from the Library Desk Computer to the book Joohyun placed. "Ah, please wait for a moment." She grabbed the book and typed with precision. She was not even bothered with the attention Joohyun brought.

Joohyun can't help but to be attracted further with the woman in front of her.

"Thank you for waiting!" Seungwan stood up after logging the book in their catalog. "Kindly return this book after a week as indicated in the card at the back." She handed the book in front of Joohyun.

How did she do it? How can she make me calm and feel like this?

A sudden burst of emotion pushed Joohyun to step forward and reach out for Seungwan's wrist instead of the book.

"Wh-"

"Son Seungwan,"

Bae Joohyun was in an uncontrollable state of adrenaline rush. She was feeling everything all at once because of her.

At that moment, she was sure she was ready to risk it all for this woman.

“I’d like to ask you out on a date.”

Son Seungwan's POV

.

Trouble. This means trouble. This means absolute trouble.

It is a grave trouble to be personally involved with the Bae 'Irene' Joohyun.

Son Seungwan frustratingly massaged her head while prancing back and forth in front of a room having an ongoing class. She looked at her watch. 11:59 a.m. 1 more minute. Please. 59 seconds. 58...

"Come on... Seul, hurry up..." Seungwan's whispers were filled with panicked grunts. Time felt longer when you're aggressively anticipating something, it was almost unfair.

The campus bell rang loudly and her body jolted up with anxiety. She needed her sensibility in a human form named Kang Seulgi right now. The idea that she can only talk to her best friend of 6 years at this time of crisis sends her heart into a spiral of wild emotions.

The door slid open and a crowd flooded out with excited faces. Seungwan observed each person slipping out with an immense amount of concentration, and when she found a woman with a pony-tailed hair, she immediately marched. Target locked.

"Kang Seulgi!!!" The frustrated woman shook her captured friend violently. "I need your help. Right now. I am in a life-or-death situation."

"Wannie?!" Seulgi blinked numerous times before she cautiously touched Seungwan's face in random places. "...I-I don't see any problems with you physically...?" Seulgi suddenly gasped. "Oh my god... Did you eat my Pringles!?"

"No!!!" Seungwan said followed by an exasperated sigh. "It's... a lot more personal than that."

Seulgi questioningly tilted her head. This signaled the woman to pull Seulgi away from the increasing crowd. After cautiously looking around, she held her friend by her shoulders and murmured.

"Seul, I... I was asked out."

A highly pitched wheeze invaded Seungwan's ears right after. "Oh my god!! Wannie!!" Seulgi lightly hopped. "Finally!! You're finally having a date-"

"Wait!!" Seungwan tried to control her friend's outburst by holding her arms tightly. "It's a lot.. lot more complicated than that."

"Why?! If the person liked you and asked you out directly and you’re interested, how can it complicated?" 

"Well..." Seungwan bit her lip. There are too many reasons why the situation was complicated in the first place that she doesn't even know where to start explaining. Loss of words, she plans to tell Seulgi in a simplest way possible she could think of.

Seungwan reached for her bag pocket. There lies a paper which will lead her to a bomb: her painful demise. She pulled the small folded paper and handed it to Seulgi with trembling hands.

Seulgi slowly grabbed the paper and unfolded the paper which at the same time made Seungwan wince.

One, two seconds had passed. Seulgi at first presented a blank expression, and then her eyes started to widen and widen until her eyes trembled and started to hurt out of disbelief.

"Oh my god, Wannie..." Seulgi covered her widely gaped mouth with her shaking hands.

At that moment, Son Seungwan was sure she was entirely doomed.

"Wannie, the Bae Joohyun asked you out?!"

.

A day ago.

“I’d like to ask you out on a date.”

What? What..? What…!? She heard it wrong, right…?

“W-w-w-what are you taking a-about…?” Seungwan was sure she looked like a flabbergasted goldfish that stuttered like a giant idiot.

“I’m interested in you.” The goddess--- er.. Bae Joohyun leaned forward with eyes full of tension she thought would be enough to steal her soul away. Seungwan instantly pulled away from the scorching proximity within their faces.

“I-I think you got the wrong person..?” Did the library suddenly become warm? “You… you can return the book within the week-“

“I’m serious.” Joohyun gripped her wrist tighter. “I am interested with you so much it’s driving me crazy.” The observing woman squinted her eyes. “What did you do to me, Son Seungwan?”

“What…?” Seungwan was slowly losing her sanity. Is this what goddesses do to mortals? “I’m sorry, I am totally confused now-What.. What the hell are you even talking about-“

“Are you free tomorrow, 3:00 p.m. in the Campus Café?” Joohyun pulled a piece of a sticky note from the corner of the library counter and tensely wrote nonstop. “If you're available, let's meet up. I want to get to know you better.”

That’s it. She’s a goddess but she had no right to dictate Seungwan’s decisions in life.

“…And what makes you think I’ll just agree to go?!” Seungwan furiously glared at the woman in front of her. How could she?! Beauty alone won’t make her submit that easily.

Joohyun stopped writing and looked at Seungwan mysteriously. “Of course it’s still up to you if you’ll go or not. I won’t force you to go out with me.” She precisely folded the note and handed it calmly to Seungwan. Her glare infiltrating Seungwan’s confused consciousness. “But at least I want you to know that I am sincere, and probably it will affect your decision.”

Seungwan was sure now that she’s having a massive headache.

“Well then.“ Joohyun let go of her wrist and tapped her index finger rapidly at the desk. Seungwan was sure she saw panic in the woman’s eyes within those small bits of seconds. “I hope I’ll see you tomorrow. I’ll.. wait for you.” The goddess softly looked at her for a short while. She then bowed clumsily afterwards and quickly bolted outside the section.

Seungwan felt like she lost an ample amount of time span in that long exchange. So that’s what it feels when an angel visited you on your deathbed-

The frustrated librarian instantly released all the packed up tension she never thought she carried so heavily. As soon as she calmed down, she quickly looked around and noticed the increasing hushes of the curious ones. Then suddenly it sunk in the weight of her involvement with the Bae Joohyun.

Bae Joohyun is considered as the University’s greatest gemstone; the goddess; the angel. If majority of their population were asked who is the most beautiful within their university is, it is impossible that her name will not be mentioned. She was a widely-known scholar in their batch, add the dancing skills, her gracefulness, her mystifying features, she is, no doubt, the epitome of what every man loved.

She can also never forget that her close friend, Kim Jong-in, which works at the same library of the different floor, asked her to serenade the goddess for his confession, unfortunately unsuccessful, just a week ago.

Her headache throbbed harder. This is such a taxing mess. In between the disbelief of Bae Joohyun’s interest in her and Bae Joohyun’s reputation wrapping around her peaceful campus life popping like a fragile bubble, she doesn’t know what's happening anymore.

She could only grunt and cover her face miserably after the start of her living nightmare. She opened the piece of paper she almost crumpled.

Bae Joohyun

00-XXXXX-1234

“You’re… joking… right?”

.

Son Seungwan could only wince at the memory of her yesterday’s disaster. A huge sigh can’t even relieve her of her stress.

“I-I don’t know anymore, Seul.”

“…Are you planning to go?”

“Wait, did you seriously consider that I’ll go?”

“I can’t see why not if she’s sincere.”

“Seul, she’s Bae Joohyun, for goodness' sake.”

“Yeah, she’s Bae Joohyun, so what?”

Seungwan abruptly looked at her friend with puzzled eyes. Seulgi scowled like she said a very common thing. “What if she’s Bae Joohyun? She asked you properly. I can’t see the problem here.”

“No, Seul. There’s a big problem here!” Seungwan stretched her arms. “Joohyun is the goddess of this university and I’m just-“

“If you’ll reason out the popularity complex card here, I swear I’ll kick your gut out.” Seulgi pointed at her best friend’s chest. “Bae Joohyun is a human, Wannie. If you’ll continue to look at the outer perspective and affect your decision in the end, you’ll miss out a lot of things. Judgement is not in the dictionary of the Wannie I know.” Seulgi smiled as she concluded.

Seungwan audibly exhaled. She internally thanked the gods for giving her a Kang Seulgi in her life.

Whew. “Okay, other factors aside, you really think it’s okay for me to do this? I really think this is just a misplaced interest.”

“You’re more beautiful and stronger than you think, Wannie.” Seulgi pinched her cheeks lovingly. “Joohyun sees that, and I’ll be here to remind you constantly just in case you forget it later. Go and be proud.”

“I’m really lucky to have you, you know?”

“Likewise, my dear.” A wink from her best friend was all Seungwan needed to have the courage to walk forward.

.

“Oh sh-“

Seungwan instantly froze when she saw the almost-illuminating beauty of a goddess-like woman sitting inside the café, fully focused in her laptop from a multiple distance away.

Why the hell is she so beautiful?!

Her breathing hitched. She internally cursed her heart along with her last minute doubt and anxiety. She pranced non-stop in circles. Can she really do this…?

She looked at her watch, reading 3:24 p.m. She’s already late. She made Bae Joohyun wait. Seungwan grimaced with her small mistake that is slowly layering the exponentially increasing doubt. As time passes by, her thoughts developed into her being undeserving of this self-established unbelievable attention.

She pondered about her growing fear. She talked to Bae Joohyun casually before, but now all she can feel is her heart rapidly beating, ready to burst anytime out of nervousness. It’s unbelievable how fast feelings can change within a definite period of time.

Seungwan looked at the café’s entrance. Once she enters she can never go back. She had to be brave enough to walk through and maybe.. just maybe, let Joohyun into her life. It will sure hurt as hell if this is will not work out.

Seungwan inhaled and pushed the door that felt like a one-way path. It did not take a long time for the woman she can’t stop thinking about to notice her presence.

And she saw the most beautiful smile ever existed within her 23 years of lifespan.

Seungwan walked with her heart at guard. She attempted to avoid the pair of twinkling eyes looking at her direction faithfully until she sat on the opposite chair from her.

“…You came.” Joohyun said with a tinge of sweetness.

Oh good Lord.

This woman is starting to make her feel crazy.