10 – 10.
Spring, a familiar season, arrived.
But high school felt unfamiliar.
I had some expectations, but they were completely surpassed.
“Wow. You look so pretty. What cosmetics are you using?”
“Tell me too!”
“What is it….”
From girls who chatted like old friends.
“Ah! So you’re friends with that person! I’ve heard their name before.”
“Oh, really? Are you from there too?”
“You didn’t know? This person is really good at games.”
Even the boys who naturally gathered together to share their interests.
It felt like I was placed in a place where I shouldn’t be if I were there.
Maybe it was because Mayeonseo, who was always by my side, wasn’t there.
Or maybe it was because of the promise I made with her not to make friends with just anyone.
I just couldn’t adapt to the new environment.
“What are you doing, Yoochan?”
“Playing with my phone.”
“Oh…okay…”
“….”
“Have fun…”
So, I couldn’t even treat the kind kids who occasionally approached me with friendliness.
After repeating that a few more times, I naturally became an outsider.
…For some reason, even then, my heart wasn’t at ease.
“Of course, there’s nothing else but the library.”
Whether it was before or now, when I had nowhere to rely on, there was rarely a place other than the library.
It was inherently quiet, so it was nice to touch my phone.
It was also nice to get closer to books that I had been distant from because I was caught up in dating.
It can truly be said that it is a friendly place for nerds.
“Should I join a club while I’m at it?”
As I started to face the library, I looked at the club recruitment poster attached to the entrance and thought about joining a club again….
“…No, forget about the club.”
Before long, I gave up on the idea.
I didn’t have the courage to tell Mayeonseo that I wanted to join a club.
“It seems to have gotten worse lately….”
Mayeonseo has been shaken enough to catch my attention recently.
It’s not always like that.
When we have good communication or when we’re together, everything is fine. But suddenly, late at night or in the early morning when it’s hard to contact her, she calls me out of the blue, as if having a fit.
And after being comforted several times, I finally fall asleep with relief.
Until January or February, she was definitely less like this, but as the new semester began, the frequency started to increase.
Thanks to that, the nights when I couldn’t sleep were increasing.
From Noble mtl dot com
“She loves me so much that it’s annoying.”
For now, my heart is more inclined to find it cute than annoying.
How much does she love me to make her heart ache like that?
Last time, she even seriously advised me to just drop out because she would take care of me for the rest of my life, which was a little unsettling.
Honestly, I think Mayeonseo is enough to dedicate my entire remaining life to.
At least until now.
“Eating…heading to the library….”
It was just like any other time when I sent a regular report message to Mayeonse and entered the library.
I picked up a magazine that caught my eye and moved my steps to my usual spot.
But.
“Oh.”
Someone else was already occupying the seat.
Their face looked familiar, so I took a closer look and realized it was a classmate.
“…So she reads books too.”
Hanyeorwon.
With a different vibe from Mayeonse, she was the most attention-grabbing student among the new students this year, with a dazzling appearance.
I overheard some gossip in the classroom that she used to be a trainee idol but quit.
“She’s definitely pretty. …Not as much as Yeonseo though.”
She had been approaching and talking to students from different grades since the beginning of the semester, making her a famous figure in our school.
Maybe she came because she didn’t have any friends like me….
I think she really likes books or maybe she came to get close to books at the start of the new semester.
“Tsk. That’s why those popular kids are like this.”
As I was silently cursing her in my mind for breaking the unspoken rule of designated seats in the library, I suddenly locked eyes with her.
“……”
“…!”
As our eyes met, I felt a sudden prickling sensation, and awkwardly looked away, hastily changing my seat.
*
The next day.
“Eating like that, how can you study?”
Not satisfied with the lunch menu, I quickly filled my stomach with the bread I had bought in advance from the convenience store and hurried to the library.
Since it was just after lunchtime had started, I thought I could easily find a seat this time.
…I was sure of it.
“What’s the deal with that?”
Once again, Hanyeo-won had taken my designated seat.
She had come to the library as soon as lunch had started.
“Wait, doesn’t she have a lot of friends…?”
I had a slight doubt about her consecutive actions.
The Hanyeo-won I knew was always surrounded by many children.
Like a magnet attracting iron filings, the area around her was always bustling with kids naturally drawn to her.
But now, she was giving up the cheerful lunchtime with her friends to show up at the library….
“Now even the library is being snatched away…!”
It was a moment when I trembled at the audacious behavior of an extreme insider who invaded even the sanctuary of bookworms.
Swoosh. Once again, she shifted her gaze and gave me a meaningful look.
“……”
A round, innocent-looking pair of eyes that seemed strangely captivating.
It was an image that made you feel like you could fall deeply into it.
“Do I know how to avoid it again?”
This time, I met her gaze confidently with my eyes wide open, then quickly turned my head and found another spot.
I thought to myself that it wouldn’t be long before she came to the library anyway.
“What’s the point of going there out of curiosity?”
And it didn’t take long for me to realize that it was my misconception.
“Well, that’s ridiculous….”
After that, Hanyeo-won continued to show up at the library.
Not just dropping by, but arriving faster than anyone else and staying in the library until just before the afternoon class.
As if….
She hoped to be alone.
“Hmm….”
By this point, my perception of her started to change slowly.
“Was she just an ordinary, kind girl?”
Come to think of it, Hanyeo-won didn’t seem like the lively type either.
“Oh, really? You got confessed to by boys every day during lunch?”
“She says she’s the only one from our school. Isn’t that right, Hanyeo-won?”
“Yeah.”
“What?! Hanyeo-won, even you?!”
“Oh my! We’ve caught a liar!”
While the others around me chattered away, I remained silent, only reacting.
There was still some caution in the air.
It seemed most likely that the sudden popularity was unintentional.
“To think that people gather around just because someone is good-looking.”
Suddenly, I felt that life was unfair.
“Yeah, yeah. I know. I told you, everyone in our class is ugly, right? Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Did you eat? Did you eat alone again? There must have been someone who asked you to eat together… Ah… They told you to leave again?”
Caught in the middle of my lunch, I was caught up in a call from Mayeon, wandering aimlessly instead of going to the library.
Normally, I would have let it slide, but today happened to be the day when the new work of my favorite author arrived at the library.
“What if someone takes it before me?”
As a relatively popular author, I was secretly worried that someone might borrow it before I could.
“Yeah, let’s meet after school. …It’s a hassle. I’m doing this because I like you. Yeah, I love you too.”
Finally hanging up the phone, I hurriedly headed towards the library, anxiously asking the familiar librarian about the whereabouts of the new work.
“Ah… If only you had come a little earlier. Someone just borrowed it.”
Of course, someone had borrowed it already.
“All four volumes?”
“Yeah. They borrowed all of them at once.”
Whoever that morally bankrupt person was, they had borrowed all four volumes of the novel at once.
And to make matters worse, it was almost the weekend, so I would have to wait at least four days.
Furthermore, the maximum borrowing period was two weeks, so I had no idea how long it would take.
“Seriously, luck is never on my side.”
Leaving my disappointment behind, I turned my footsteps towards the designated seat in the corner of the library.
To be honest, it was almost like my own seat now, but checking for its availability every time I came had become a kind of habit.
“Well, I guess so.”
Of course, Hanryeo-won was sitting in her usual spot today as well.
“Tsk.”
For no reason, I obediently tried to find another seat, just to satisfy my taste buds….
“……?”
Suddenly, my attention was drawn to the small stack of books on her desk.
A familiar dark purple hardcover book.
There was no mistake.
It was the latest work by the author ‘Ujangsan’ that had just been released.
“So, that guy borrowed it?”
Not only did I not like him, but he also took the book I had put a hold on!
“Did he really do that on purpose?”
While silently cursing him in my mind, I felt a slight sense of satisfaction that he recognized my favorite author.
“Well, at least… he has good taste.”
That’s when it happened.
“…?”
Hanryeo-won glanced up and sent me a meaningful look.
It seems like I’ve been staring for too long.
“Tsk.”
I glanced at the pile of books on the desk and quietly moved away.
Then, unable to shake off my disappointment, I found myself searching for information about the book.
[This new work by Woo Jang-san is amazing, so make sure to read it.]
[Woo Jang-san, you crazy bastard, please keep serializing until you die.]
[I think it could seriously aim for the Nobel Prize in Literature.]
[If you want to keep Woo Jang-san locked up and force him to write, I’m all for it. LOL]
[Hmm, is it really that good? -＞ Yeah, it is…]
In the reading community where they love criticizing everything, it was exceptional to see unanimous praise.
The only complaint was that there were only four reviews.
[Book Review – Woo Jang-san’s masterpiece that you’ll want to read even after 100 years.]
Even the critic famous for rural murders gave it a perfect 5-star rating and praised it.
“But, is it really that entertaining?”
My regret slowly turned into restlessness.
“Sigh. Should I just buy it…?”
I even thought about owning the book itself, but the price of the books held me back.
Around 20,000 won for one book. If I bought all four, it would be 80,000 won.
As someone who receives an allowance, it was a price that I couldn’t easily reach out for.
“…Let’s just wait a bit longer.”
I closed the internet and decided to patiently wait for the next order, swallowing my regret.
Let’s endure and wait for just one week.
…But that determination didn’t even last a day.
“Hello.”
“……”
As I greeted her with a lowered voice, Hanyeo-won met my gaze for a moment.
Bright brown hair fluttering at the end of her face.
Elegant and refined features with big, round eyes.
She had a body with subtle curves that were enough to stimulate any man, although not as perfect as Mayeonseo.
It was an appearance that everyone would have accepted even if she became a celebrity.
It was rather surprising why she had quit being a trainee.
“I’m sorry for interrupting. How much have you read?”
“What…?”
“That book, I mean.”
I pointed to the latest work by Woo Jang-san that she was reading.
Then, as if understanding it belatedly, Hanyeo-won replied.
“I’ve only read one book so far…”
“So, you’ve read one book?”
“That’s… right?”
“This is my chance!”
Unconsciously, I became slightly excited and pleaded with her, raising my face abruptly.
“Well, um. Sorry, but if it’s okay, can I read that volume? I’ll return it for you!”
“Huh?”
Hanryowon, taken aback, hid her face behind the book and leaned back slightly.
I gritted my teeth and earnestly said, ignoring the discomfort.
“I’ve been waiting for so long to read that book… Is there any way it could work out?”
At that moment, Hanryowon, with a bewildered expression, blinked her large eyes and slowly nodded.
“Um… Okay, then.”
It was a positive response.
“Great!”
With a sense of relief, I clenched my fist tightly in happiness.
“Um… but, the book is at home…”
“So what?”
However, what happened afterwards was the result of being able to read the book.