A couple of days later Jongin learns that World Literature is not the blow-off class he’d counted on it to be. While his fellow students are few in numbers, they more than make up for it in intensity. The first class is spent on a heated discussion on female representation in ‘western’ male literature versus world literature, and most of the arguments go right over Jongin’s head. “But why does it even matter if they’re men or women, they’re all fictional characters anyway, right?” Jongin makes the mistake of asking, and subsequently turns seven out of the eight students present against him.

The only person who doesn’t seem personally insulted by the very idea Jongin would ask such a question is the student from the bookstore. (His name is Lu Han, Jongin had learned during the first five minutes of the class when everyone had introduced themselves.) There’s a smile tugging at his lips and a glint in his eyes that makes Jongin feel like he knows Jongin is a fraud.

When class is over Lu Han comes up to his seat. Jongin feels mortified. He just spent the last half of the class clumsily defending himself from a  group of people who could dance argumentative circles around him in their sleep.

“Hey,” Lu Han says, and he touches Jongin’s right shoulder briefly. “That was… rough. Are you okay?” Jongin smiles at him weakly. “I’ll live. Guess I need to read up before the next class huh?” He shoves his notebook and pen into his backpack.

Lu Han smiles. “Yeah. Is this the first time you’re taking a literature class?”

Jongin sighs and falls into a long-winded monologue of how professors hold grudges and that it’s weird there’s a limit to classes because shouldn’t everyone who wants to learn be able to join, and what is up with their classmates anyway? They walk out of the classroom, and out of the building. There’s not really anywhere Jongin needs to be right now so they wander around campus for a few minutes.

“You know I could tell you some of the do’s and don'ts for Lit class,” Lu Han offers, and Jongin has a hard time resisting the urge to hug him. He wants to avoid a repeat of today’s disaster at all costs, and here a really cute boy is offering to give him the opportunity to do just that. “On one condition,” Lu Han says, and his angelic features take on a dark and serious look.

“What is it?” Jongin asks, eager to find out how to make it through the semester alive and possibly not turn Lu Han against him along with the rest of his classmates.

“I desperately need some caffeine, but all the coffee on campus is…” Lu Han starts, and Jongin is highly amused by the sour face he makes at the mere mention of campus coffee places. He’s definitely not noticing how cutely Lu Han’s eyebrows are furrowed or how his lips are slightly pursed in annoyance. “... less than acceptable,” Lu Han finishes his sentence diplomatically, and looks at Jongin in expectation. “So you introduce me to some good coffee, and I’ll introduce you to the secrets of fooling Lit students into thinking you’re one of them.”

It seems like a good deal to Jongin, who is itching to spend more time with Lu Han without actually going ahead and asking for it himself. He brings Lu Han to a place he found in the middle of last year, when one of his dance teachers had ordered him to take a walk off campus (and away from the dance studios) at least once a day. It’s a cafe that tries very hard to look Italian, but kind of fails, with its green tea and tapioca-based desserts, and yet the little out-of-place details always strangely charmed Jongin.

Lu Han looks very pleased with his mango tapioca pudding, despite earlier claims about needing caffeine. “Sugar is an essential part of one’s diet,” he sagely informs Jongin, who is slightly confused at how he ended up with a cherry version of Lu Han’s dessert. “Besides, we can get coffee to go on the way out.”  

What actually happens in the end is that they go through half of the dessert menu, while Lu Han tells Jongin stories about how he used to go to this tiny little restaurant in Beijing, and how the old ladies in his neighborhood would pinch his cheeks and give him candy. After that he fires questions at Jongin about his favorite food, what his favorite tv shows are, and what music he listens to.

In the end they do talk a little bit about their literature class, over a cup of herb tea that they carry with them on the way back. “Caffeine and large amounts of sugar make me jittery,” Lu Han explains when Jongin asks why he doesn't want coffee anymore. Jongin apprehensively takes a sip of the anise-like concoction swirling around in his (biodegradable) cup and tries very hard not to make a face at the medicinal flavor.

“So explain to me again why you’re taking this class?” Lu Han asks him before they have to part ways to get to their respective dorms. “The whole story? You really don’t seem the Lit type. Not that I’m not glad that you’re in it anyway, but…”

“That’s kind of a long story,” Jongin hesitates. He could keep talking, keep Lu Han around a little longer. They haven’t had a single awkward silence between them since they left class four hours ago, but he thinks a tragic story about an unfortunate accident might just do the trick. He doesn’t really want to push his luck here.

“Jongin, give me your phone,” Lu Han says, the smile on his face confident, cocky almost. As if he’d known Jongin had been his phone in his pocket on and off for the past ten minutes, waiting for a good moment to ask for Lu Han’s phone number. He eyes Lu Han for a quick second before pulling out his phone and swiping the password on his screen before handing it to Lu Han.

Jongin knows a good moment when he sees it.

“You can tell me the rest of the story next time,” Lu Han says when he hands the phone back, and the smirk he gives Jongin before turning around is not what’s making Jongin’s legs feel all wobbly. It’s that weird herb tea, Jongin concludes before throwing the (magically) empty cup in a nearby trash can and trudging back to his dorm.