[CONTENTID1]Choice: Peek at the library.[/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2]“Thank you for the offer, Minhyuk, but if it’s not too much trouble, I would like to see the library. I love books and would love to see what you guys have.”

“Of course,” he gave her a smile. 

With Haera’s condition in mind, Minhyuk offered an arm for her to hold to which she gladly took. Then he carefully led her step by step towards the hallway where the library would be. They slowly walked towards the end of the hallway and engaged in some light conversation to pass the time. Once they arrived in front of a wooden double door, the both of them stopped.

“I can take it from here,” Haera flashed him another smile to not worry him further.

“Are you sure?” Minhyuk raised an eyebrow, more in surprise at her determination than of concern. His arm was still held out to the woman beside him in support. “I can lead you to a seat inside to make it easier and even grab you a book to read to pass the time.”

“Yeah,” she placed a hand on the door to steady herself and once she did, let go of Minhyuk’s arm. “I’ll probably be looking around and don’t want to disturb you from whatever you were doing.”

“Oh?” His deep blue eyes scanned her dark brown ones for clarity. After a few seconds passed, seeing her little smile that was coupled with a hopeful yet confused look made him smirk. “Oh,” he said in a knowing voice, his eyebrows wiggling playfully. “So that’s how it is then.”

“What are you talking about?”

Minhyuk snickered in amusement as if he just won a bet. “So the expressionless yet strict man is your type.”

Baffled at the prospect that he even had the audacity to say she liked someone she just met five minutes ago, Haera furrowed her eyebrows in disbelief. “I never said that? Stop putting words in my mouth,” she rolled her eyes.

“Honey, sometimes things are obvious enough to not need words.” With another chuckle escaping his lips, Minhyuk turned around and started walking back to where they just came from. “Good luck and it was nice to meet you.”

“I can’t believe that guy,” Haera scoffed as she placed one hand on the golden handle, the other hand resting on the door a few inches above to steady herself. “Is it really hard to believe that I like books?” As the door opened a smidge, a sigh escaped her lips. With one last look at the now empty hallway, she slowly entered the library.

The library was a sight to behold. It had two stories that were connected by two winding staircases at the other side of the room. A massive curtainless window separated the two staircases in front of a large adorable stone bear statue. There was a silver chandelier that hung at the top of the roof which had an intricate painting of seven bears with a background of what seemed like a map of some sort. Each bear had similar designs but were in different colors and patterns. However, all seven of them wore a vampire cape complete with canines sticking out of the drawn mouths. 

“Wow,” Haera looked up in awe. “They are really selling this vampire thing. Those bears are adorable though,” she giggled.

A long wooden table with seven cream colored chairs decorated the center of the room. Two desk lamps carefully sat at the middle along with one single book a bit askew near the ledge. The wooden shelves on all corners were completely filled with books. Some looked ancient or were barely read as white and gray dust formed on the outer edges as some form of embellishment.

“Oh my goodness. This place really is like Beauty and the Beast.” 

A barely audible shuffle by the connecting doorway at the right side of the room got her attention. She took a couple more steps and stretched her body to the side to peer inside. From what she could see, there was another shelf filled with books in the other room.

“Just how big is this place?” She whispered under her breath. 

Gathering the courage to actually take a step into the next room, she prepared to meet the stone cold Shownu again. At least, that’s who she suspected was behind the sound that she heard earlier. 

A wave of uncertainty clouded her mind. “It is Shownu, right?” While she continued to doubt herself, another sound came from the open archway.

“I would sit down if I were you,” a familiar low voice rang in the closed walls. “That is, if you don’t want to continue being bandaged for long.”

Now that there was no longer a doubt who was behind those walls, Haera confidently walked inside, one hand propped by the wall that separated the two rooms. 

This particular room was just as spacious as the one before. Countless books still lined the varnished shelves that were backed into the walls. However, this room had two other lines of glossy silver shelves that stood at the center of the room. There were comfortable looking couches with a nightstand placed strategically around the area. In one of them sat the unreadable vampire Shownu, his left ankle propped on top of his right knee. A book gently rested on one hand as the other flipped through the pages.

“What brings you to the library?” He inquired without a glance at the new visitor. He didn’t seem to mind the added presence, but Haera could have sworn she saw a slight flicker in his gray colored eyes that meant he was on guard and couldn’t afford to rest unlike before the intrusion.

“I’ve always loved books,” Haera honestly answered. “The library is a safe place for me and it always feels like a friend who can give comfort whenever you need one. When I heard from Minhyuk that you guys had a library, I wanted to check it out and see what kinds of books you have here.” When the Shownu didn’t respond, she meekly continued, “I hope you don’t mind.”

The sound of the book lightly getting shut made her dart a glance at the occupied couch. Shownu stood up and walked over to her with the book that he read moments ago securely placed in one hand. He offered the free hand in front of her to which she gave a confused stare at it before looking up at him for a sign. 

The cold aura he once emitted when they first met moments ago was replaced with an awkward one as if the man wanted to seem more friendly. This confused Haera even more considering that the man gave the impression that he didn’t want to associate with her or even get near her for any reason. She shifted a foot back, a bit hesitant to take his hand, when she remembered the unwelcoming vibe from before.

However, with a slight tug of his lips that formed what seemed like a little smile, she slowly gave him a grin as she placed a hand in his. The ambiance felt more friendly which made her want to give the man a second chance. His hand, which was considerably bigger and stronger, guided her to the couch where he just sat. Without a word, he walked over to the back of the room and disappeared from sight. Haera tried to look between the shelves but couldn't make out what he was doing until she heard the slight sound of wheels grinding against the floor.

His disappearance didn’t even last a full minute and Shownu reappeared with a small cart with a few books neatly arranged in all three layers. 

“Here are some of the human books that we have,” he explained as he parked the cart in front of her. 

She skeptically looked at him, her brows furrowed in confusion. “Human books?” She then looked at the spines of the books on the middle shelf and read the titles and authors. On the cart were the complete Harry Potter series, various books by Tolkien which included The Hobbit and The Lord of The Rings, and even the complete Twilight series. Some were of children’s books and fairy tales like Cinderella and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

Haera looked up and met the eyes of a pleased Shownu. “Are you serious?”

“Is there a problem with the selection?” He innocently raised an eyebrow. “Would you prefer the more adult kinds like Fifty Shades of—” 

“Hold on!” She interrupted with a light tinge on her cheeks before he could finish the title. “Wait. Why do you even have that