it starts with a steno notebook.

on a bright and blazing hot early afternoon, seungwan gets yanked relentlessly by a dehydrated seulgi once their professor in ethics dismisses the class. seungwan didn't even get to tidy her belongings, with seulgi's grabby hands pushing everything inside her tote bag and be the first ones to step outside the room.

in retrospect, this isn't anything unusual for seungwan. luck mustn't be on their side when they see their schedule and have this class full of long discussions and handful of readings on an ungodly afternoon hours. right after lunch break, where everyone seems to be sleepy and out of focus after ingesting their food.

three weeks in the semester, seungwan learns to bring her own tumbler of coffee (already) just to stay awake during the discussions and have something to answer when she gets called.

"you should've just gone for my tumbler." seungwan says, fixing the strap of her tote bag in her shoulder while she tries to follow the perched bear straight to the elevator.

"who the hell drinks coffee at 2 pm? i want water. ice cold water!" seulgi groans, and seungwan feels apologetic with the way the button gets harassed violently by seulgi’s impatient fingers.

there are still four floors left before the elevator arrives and seungwan throws a quick glance at her wristwatch, mumbling. "we could swing at gong cha instead? we have half an hour before our next cla-"

suddenly there's something soft and warm clutching on her wrist, and when she turns her head around, it all feels cold and slightly sweaty at the same time.

"hello, can i ask a favor?"

there's bae joohyun behind her, standing in the bright afternoon spotlight and making her more of a vision of all things gold and lovely.

"yes? can i help you, sunbaenim?" seungwan offers a smile, turning her body fully towards the senior.

they both share a class in ethics, but they never really get to interact with each other inside the lecture room. joohyun sits in the back along with her course mates, while seungwan sits mostly in front with seulgi due to her bad eyesight.

seungwan merely figures out that joohyun is their senior when she unconsciously mentioned her name while they were having a dinner one night, and sooyoung, the ever social of most of them, quickly recognized joohyun as if there's no more than tens of thousands of students inside the campus.

sooyoung emphasized beauty, and seungwan couldn't deny more than just that.

joohyun clears first, left hand on her hips and seungwan couldn't help but to wonder what kind of favor the woman would be asking to make her pent up like this-

"you see- i like back pockets."

seungwan nods slowly.

ah, right. the peculiar reason why a certain bae joohyun's name had manage to slip in their dinner that night. when they first had their meeting in the class, after laying the subject introduction and classroom policies, their professor asked them for a brief self-introduction.

they only have to do two things: state their name and either show a talent or share something personal.

seulgi gave into some thirty-second dancing; seungwan went personal, telling how she'd spend most of her life in canada before she'd manage to convince her parents to finish her degree here.

then, there was the last student who stood up in front, in an oddly calm manner, stated.  "hello, i'm bae joohyun and i like back pockets."

seungwan remembers being one of those students asking why, but joohyun was already walking back to her seat.

it was so short, but still personal that makes it so intriguing.

"and i have a notebook," joohyun continues. seungwan glances at it, clearly seeing how joohyun is clutching it. a little too tight, seungwan thinks.

"yes. i remember that's what you said during the first meeting, sunbae." seungwan replies politely, a little puzzled where this conversation is going.

joohyun suddenly looks startled, and seungwan almost feels regretful as if she just blurted out something unusual when it's joohyun who has been acting anything but usual.

does she not like recalling about that day?

"it's just that.. i have volleyball as my next class." joohyun mumbles, but there is an undeniable look of relief of her face, edge with uncertainty. "and the venue is on quad two. there's no lockers or room-"

"you want me to keep your notebook for a while?" seungwan asks.

"yes!" joohyun says, perking up slightly, like the bunny she is.

it's because of her ear, seungwan defends. it's sticking out adorably that seungwan kinda wants to run her finger through and maybe tuck her hair. wait, no! her brain screams.

"i mean- only if you could." joohyun looks at her, rubbing a hand over the back of her neck. suddenly all pink-cheeked and impossibly nervous. "though i do understand if you couldn't because med students often carry large medical books with them and i always feel bad for you-"

seungwan tilts her head, brows lifting ever so slightly in surprise, "me?"

"-and the rest of med students in the campus because it looks like you guys will be the patients first before you could ever treat one." joohyun lets out a breath.

seungwan, unsure whether its polite to laugh at her senior's sudden onslaught changes of expression, looks over seulgi for a while, who's now inside the elevator and is waiting for her.

correction- the whole elevator. possibly a dozen of students waiting for her and probably watching the both of them.

seungwan clears , completely ashamed but is still twitching as she reaches for joohyun's notebook in haste. "i have a plenty of room in my bag, sunbaenim."

"see you later!" seungwan says once more, just as she gets inside the cramped elevator.

the senior only seems to blush more, but she doesn't stutter when she says, low and grateful. "see you later."

[—]

seungwan has been staring. in curiosity and bewilderment, there's a light purple steno notebook with its lower left edge slightly creased placed in front of her.

she'd never put it inside her tote bag yet, afraid that it might get crooked and so, she'd carried it in her arms until they get to the milk tea shop.

"what was that?" seulgi asks once she returns with their order and takes a seat in front of her.

"what is?" seungwan says, muttering a quick thanks just before her lips takes in the familiar taste of her favorite drink.

"at the elevator? where the other students have been glaring at me for flailing my arms countless times so the door wouldn't close but you've been too invested on bae joohyun to notice?" seulgi teases, hands propped on the table while her chin rests on it, staring intently at seungwan like she's one of the few cadavers they've been studying on for anatomy.

is she really too invested to notice? seungwan frowns unconsciously, believes she is just being polite and besides, seulgi could've call her attention, right?

"she wants me to keep this for the meantime." seungwan points at the notebook, shrugging as she continues. "said she'll have volleyball for her next class, and i guess she just doesn't have a bag?"

seulgi scoffs, taking a sip of her own drink before she replies, "seniors and their almost nothing but to free time schedule. i bet she's only taking minor subjects for this semester that she could afford bringing only that. does she even have a pen?"

a laugh falls from seungwan's lips as she gets up, gathering back the notebook in her arm and says, "come on, twenty minutes before our last class starts."

[—]

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