Moon Byulyi wiped the sweat off her forehead, ignoring the way her wet, lilac curls stuck on her wide forehead. Her cheeks were pink from exertion. She shielded her eyes and peered at the relentless sun blazing overhead.

Her white T-shirt stuck on her slender body uncomfortably and she was sweating through her tattered jeans that were stained with dirt on the shin. She did not mind a little dirt and grease but this was simply gross.

Damn, it was just so hot!

Summer was in full swing. The air clung thickly to everything it touched, wrapping around Byulyi like a suffocating blanket. Byulyi had always ran a little warmer than her peers. When she presented as an alpha, that became worse. She would often sweat through her soccer jersey whenever she had a practice back in High school.

Byulyi clicked her tongue, annoyed. She would have worn her sunglasses if she had known that she would be out in the sun for so long.

“Where is this goddamn library?” She muttered to herself, shoving the trolley full of heavy boxes across the building for the umpteenth time. The stubborn wheels creaked and squeaked under the weight of the heavy boxes as she pushed it with considerable strength.

If she weren’t lost for half an hour, she would have admired the almost picturesque compound, featuring well-trimmed shrubs and small patches of clean green that invited students to take a break and relax. Pristine benches scattered around this idyllic floor, the common level to access all buildings in this university. Tall, glass buildings framed the place, giving this famous university a sophisticated look.

What if she had accepted the scholarship then?

She was a star player on the soccer team in high school and was scouted by the coach to join SNU. She had turned it down when she realised that she wouldn’t be able to keep up.

Byulyi wiped the sweat off her forehead as she scanned her surroundings. Nah, she wasn’t the sort who would live in regrets.

“Boss is going to have my hide,” grumbled Byulyi, upset, getting desperate. She had three more deliveries to make before she could end her day job. Beads of sweat trickled down her temples, tracing the contours of her flushed cheeks as she trudged through the campus. She moped the sweat from her forehead again and tried her luck once again, following the overhead signs that were supposed to lead her to the Promised Land, the main library.

She followed the signs cautiously until there was no more signs to follow.

Her brows furrowed in disbelief.

“, where am I supposed to go now?” Byulyi swore, studying her surroundings again. “Maybe, I should find a student.” She looked around, hoping to find someone that she could ask for directions. In the middle of the afternoon, this location seemed to be quite remote. All she could find was a bespectacled girl sitting at a bench, studying by herself.

“Should I?” Byulyi hesitated, halting at the final moment.

Byulyi had absently noticed this solitary silhouette sitting at the benches as she circled around this area several times. Now that she had a better look, the student looked pretty from behind. Her long, brown wavy hair cascaded down her shoulder. Her head was bowed, too focused on thick textbook she was reading.

The atmosphere around the college student was strangely serene, with an air of quiet determination. Her concentration seemed to create a bubble around her.

The purple-haired woman inhaled sharply, mustering her courage. She blinked continuously when she detected a faint, sweet scent of strawberry. Her brows furrowed at once. An unmated omega?

Somehow, Byulyi quickened her steps, as if drawn to that diligent woman. Her heart seemed to race, no doubt due to the sweltering heat, when she was just a feet away from the student.

Her side profile was somewhat refreshing; the slight tilt of her head as she absorbed the words on the pages before her.  She pushed the frameless oval-shaped spectacles up the bridge of her petite nose carelessly, the very image of a scholar busy at work. Her plump cheeks added a girlish air to the student. However, it was her generous red lips that caught her attention.

Beautiful.

Her heart fluttered like the gentle rustle of verdant leaves.

She had never seen another omega or woman with such luscious lips, not in Korea anyway. The white dress shirt matched with dark grey plaited skirt made her look very chic. Her toned, slender legs were in full display. The student was tapping her feet absently to the beat of a song that she was listening.

Damn! Was she gawking at the student like an alpha whelp about to enter their rut?

Byulyi straightened herself and tried to get the attention of the busy student. “Hello?” She tilted her head, confused when the student did not react. When the student carelessly tucked an errant lock of hair behind her ear, Byulyi found the reason the student was ignoring her, she was wearing a pair of earphones.

The purple-haired alpha glanced around the area but found no other students to approach. She had no other choice. Byulyi sighed and waved a hand before the student’s eyes.

The sudden movement must have caught the student completely off guard; she leapt as if she was electrocuted. A sharp gasp escaped from her generous lips as she jerked back, wide-eyed and startled.

The student patted her chest soothingly, squeezing her eyes shut. She took several deep breaths to ease the lingering shock of interruption.

Byulyi nearly burst out laughing at how easily frightened this college student was. She schooled her face into a faint smile. “Miss, do you know the way to the library?”

The bespectacled girl frowned, confused. When Byulyi repeated the question again, the student simply stared at her, slightly ajar.

“Do you know the way to the library?” Byulyi spoke a little louder.

“Huh?” The student asked in a very loud voice, not realising that she was speaking far too loudly.

Byulyi sniggered when she understood that the student couldn’t hear her due to her earphones. The purple-haired woman grinned, her lips curled in a lopsided smile. She gestured to her two ears animatedly.

It took several moments of charade before the student realise what the handsome purple-haired woman was gesturing to. She touched her ears. Her earphones!

“Oh! Oh!” The college student yanked them out quickly, completely flustered. “I’m so sorry! I forgot about them.” She spluttered, dropping her head in a bow.

“No, no, don’t be,” quipped Byulyi smiling roguishly. “I should be the one to apologise for disturbing you while you’re studying.”

The girl calmed down finally, raising her head to meet her gaze curiously. “Were you looking for me?”

Byulyi rubbed her nape sheepishly. “I hate to admit it but I’m lost. I am supposed to deliver those books to the main library an hour ago. Do you know where it is?”

The sweet-looking student glanced at her trolley full of boxes. Her hazel eyes shone with comprehension. “I see. You’re looking for the main library? Just walk along this path and you’ll see it.” She pointed to one of the corridors confidently.

The purple-haired alpha glanced at the quiet corridor and frowned. “Are you sure, Miss? I’m sure I’ve tried walking down that corridor several times.” She scratched the side of her nose, contemplative. Her eyes fell on the spine of the thick book that she was reading. Ah, that book was borrowed from the library so she ought to know the way.

The student nodded gingerly. “You can’t miss it. The library is just down this corridor.”

Byulyi cheered up immediately, glad that she had finally found the light at the end of the tunnel. She clapped her hands together. “Great! Thank you very much, Miss! Good luck with your revision.” She bowed swiftly, excusing herself. She returned to her trolley and pushed it towards the corridor, walking briskly.

The purple-haired alpha trusted the student and followed her instructions. With every minute passed, doubt started to creep into Byulyi. How long more did she need to walk? She had tried every door that she had passed by for the last ten minutes and they were just classrooms.

With each step, Byulyi’s frustration mounted like a tempest brewing within her.

It had been twenty minutes! Was she lost?

The sweltering, merciless heat simply intensified her irritation.

The purple-haired woman, brushing her wet hair away from her face, grounding her jaws. This did not resemble a path to the main library of such a prestigious university. “Did that girl just trick me?” She huffed, annoyed.

“!” Byulyi swore and traced her steps back to the student who gave her the wrong directions. Her pulse quickened, matching the rhythm of her pounding footsteps as she marched forward, determined to find culprit of her predicament.

The flame in the pit of her stomach was growing with every passing moment. The way her clothes were fully drenched as if she had just run through a storm just fanned the flames.

The target of her anger was still sitting in the same spot, studying.

The purple-haired delivery driver marched up to her, barely concealing her rage.

The beautiful student lifted her head suddenly, her nostrils flaring.

Their eyes met and clung.

“Yah! Did you just pranked me by giving me wrong directions?” Byulyi slammed her hands on the table.

The pretty student rose to her feet, her brows furrowed. “Excuse me?” She removed the earphones from her ears quickly.

“Did you treat me like a fool by giving me the wrong directions?” Byulyi growled, glaring at the shorter woman.

“Why would I do that? I don’t even know you!” The pretty college student fired back, her hands balled into fists.

“Fine,” relented Byulyi, sensing her indignation. “Miss, you shouldn’t have pretended that you knew the directions! I’ve been trying to find the library for nearly two hours!”

The college student tipped her frameless spectacles up the bride of her nose, staring at her. “Miss—”

“—Moon—” added Byulyi, hands in akimbo.

“—Miss Moon,” corrected the college student patiently. “You were trying to go to the main library, right?” She had to make sure that the delivery driver had the correct location since this prestigious university had plenty of libraries.

Byulyi studied her expression closely for several heartbeats before she relaxed, her hands dropping to her side. The student had looked so affronted that the delivery driver started to consider that she might have accused her wrongly. She nodded hesitantly, walking to the trolley to take out an invoice from the top box. She handed it to the bespectacled student.  “It’s written here. I’m supposed to bring these books to the main library.”

The brown-haired woman nodded distractedly after reading the invoice. “OK, Miss Moon.  You just need to walk down this corridor—”

“—Miss, I followed your instructions and couldn’t find the library,” interrupted Byulyi impatiently. She took a deep calming breath, trying to be patient. Suddenly, her sapphire eyes gleamed. “Miss, I’ll apologise if you could prove that you were correct.”

“What?” The student asked, flabbergasted. Her brows furrowed. “How am I supposed to prove that I’m correct?”

Byulyi pretended to think of a solution, touching her pointed chin absently. “Ah, I have an idea. Why don’t you take me there, Miss?” suggested Byulyi smoothly.

A flicker of hesitance appeared in the student’s eyes.

“Miss, you were very sure that you gave me the right directions,” added Byulyi. “Then, you shouldn’t worry about guiding me to the library.” She folded her arms across her chest, studying the student openly.

The student flipped her long, brown hair and jutted her chin almost defiantly. “Fine, I’ll take you there. I’m only doing this to prove my innocence.” She stowed her thick textbook into her backpack and carried it. “Miss Moon, show me where you went just now.”

The purple-haired alpha was very relieved that she had convinced this student to take her there. She suppressed this flicker of amusement that it was so easy to trick the student into following her instructions. “Please make this the last time I try to find the library today,” added Byulyi, nonchalantly.

The brown-haired woman harrumphed but walked by her side. Byulyi pushed the trolley down the corridor again, its squeaky wheels filling the silence. Occasionally, she fanned herself with her shirt, trying to cool down.

Suddenly, the student placed her hands on the handle of the trolley and pushed it along with her. “It is rather heavy,” observed the brown-haired woman, intrigued. “How did you push this for hours?”

Byulyi chuckled, amused. “I’m stronger than you think, Miss.” Her gaze softened visibly. “Thanks, by the way.”

The student’s cheeks pinked but she continued to help her to push the trolley of boxes to the library. After ten minutes, they approached a nondescript, locked glass door.

“Here is the main library,” gestured the student to the door. “You need to call the staff through that intercom.”

Byulyi’s eyes widened like saucers. “Goddamn it, I’ve walked past this glass door many times! How the hell is this an entrance to the main library?”

Dolphin-like laughter filled the area, surprising the upset purple-haired