The warm sunlight streaming through the library windows cast a comforting glow on Yeorin's focused face. He sat amidst the musty scent of old books, surrounded by towering shelves that seemed to stretch up to the sky.
The soft hum of fluorescent lights and the gentle rustle of pages turned by studious peers created a soothing background melody. Yeorin's dark hair fell across his forehead, sitting comfortably on the rim of his dark-shaded glasses as he pored over his Economics textbook, his brow furrowed in concentration.
Just as he was starting to grasp the complexities of Nash equilibrium, a gentle breeze carried the sweet fragrance of blooming flowers into the library.
Yeorin's gaze drifted toward the entrance, where Ri Ta stood, her bright smile illuminating the room. Her long, curly brown hair danced in the soft wind, and her yellow sundress fluttered around her knees. She looked like a ray of sunshine, and Yeorin's heart skipped a beat.
Ri Ta glided toward him, her sandals making barely a sound on the polished floor. "Hey, Yeorin. I brought you coffee," she said, her voice like a gentle chime. She set the cup down in front of him, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee filling the air.
Yeorin raised an eyebrow, his eyes narrowing slightly. "You didn't have to do that." His deep voice was laced with a hint of wariness.
Ri Ta smiled, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "I wanted to. So, how's life?" She settled into the chair beside him, her movements graceful.
Yeorin shrugged, his shoulders barely rising. "Busy." His tone was neutral, but his eyes betrayed a flicker of interest.
Ri Ta nodded, her gaze never leaving his face. "I can imagine. You're always so focused." Her voice was laced with a hint of teasing, and Yeorin felt a flutter in his chest
Just then Seol-A wakes by, exchanging a brief smile with Yeorin. Her long black hair was tied up in a ponytail, and her glasses perched on the end of her nose. She wore a comfortable-looking white blouse and jeans, her feet clad in four-inch black heels.
Yeorin's gaze flicked up from his book, his eyes locking onto Seol-A's brief smile as she passed by. He nodded curtly, his expression unyielding. Ri Ta followed Yeorin's gaze, a knowing glint in her eye.
Hey, Seol-A's looking well," Ri Ta said, her tone casual. "You two seem close." Her eyes sparkled with curiosity.
Yeorin nodded, unfazed. "Yeah, we meet up regularly to study. She's a great help, and she's easy to talk to. Unlike someone I know." He shot Ri Ta a sideways glance, a hint of mischief dancing in his eyes.
Ri Ta's expression didn't change, but Yeorin sensed a flicker of interest. "That's nice. I'm sure you two make a great team." Her voice was smooth, but Yeorin detected a hint of underlying tension.
"
"We're just friends, don't read too much into it," Yeorin reassured his tone light. He took a sip of the coffee Ri Ta had brought, the rich flavor filling his senses, dismissing any notion of a connection with Seol-A.
Ri Ta's smile never wavered. "I wouldn't dream of it," she said, her voice laced with sarcasm.
The air was thick with tension as Yeorin and Ri Ta locked eyes, the sound of the wind outside and the rustle of pages turned by others in the library fading into the background. It was as if time had stood still, leaving only the two of them, suspended in a sea of uncertainty.
Finally, Ri Ta broke the silence, her voice barely above a whisper. "I've tried to study you for a long time, Yeorin. But it's like trying to grasp a handful of sand – the harder I squeeze, the more you slip through my fingers."
Ri Ta's mischievous energy subdued her as she saw Seol-A walking back in their direction. Ri Ta's eyes met with Seol-A's, she brushed her hands over Yeorin's hair drawing his attention and suddenly, she leaned in, her lips brushing against Yeorin's in a fleeting, stolen kiss. The library's silence was shattered by the collective gasp of onlookers.
Yeorin's eyes widened, his heart racing as he jerked back, his mind reeling. Ri Ta's eyes sparkled with mischief as she whispered, "Maybe I'll get a reaction out of you yet."
Without a word, Yeorin gathered his belongings. Mistakenly, he poured the coffee Ri Ta brought for him all over his sweater, without care and notice, he strode out of the library, his heart pounding in his chest. The warm sunlight and gentle breeze did little to calm his racing thoughts. What was Ri Ta playing at?
As Yeorin left the library, he couldn't shake off the feeling that Ri Ta's actions would have consequences.
Struck with shock, Seol-A stood aloof, her mouth left agape. She knew the type of person Yeorin was, he hated crowded places, the first time they met she pried on that opportunity and used it as an avenue to become friends with him, the fact that he was going to be the talk on-campus only bothered Seol-A more.
Seol-A quickly took to her heels chasing after Yeorin. She thought of places he'd go to and she knew just the exact one.
The abandoned office building, a familiar refuge, beckoned to Yeorin as he sought escape from the chaos. The door lock beeped and Yeorin swung her door open, careless if Ri Ta or any other person was following him, climbing up the stairs as fast as he could, his heart rate started increasing. Finally, Yeorin reached the rooftop. Yeorin took a seat, his mind consumed by Ri Ta's brazen actions. How could he get her off his back?
Later that day, Yeorin found himself lost in thought. He heard the creaking of the iron door leading to the rooftop of the abandoned office building. Seol-A appeared her calm presence a balm to Yeorin's frazzled nerves. "Hey, gwaenchana (are you okay)?" she asked, noticing his tense expression.
Yeorin hesitated, unsure how much to reveal. "Just Ri Ta being Ri Ta," he said finally, his tone dismissive.
Seol-A's eyes sparkled with understanding. "She can be overwhelming. But you'd be fine, right?" She chuckled.
Yeorin's gaze met Seol-A's, her genuine concern a soothing balm to his tumultuous emotions. For the first time, he felt a glimmer of appreciation for her unwavering support.
There was a palpable silence as the pair sat down staring deep into the nothingness of everything. "Perks of being loved by Han Ri Ta," Seol-A broke the silence, pointing at the coffee stain on Yeorin's sweatshirt
Yeorin stared down at his sweatshirt, his eyes filled with contempt. He sighed, "Does she always behave like this? You both know each other right?"
"Yeah, we do..." Seol-A said, her mind racing back on memories of her and Ri Ta, "We used to be quite close in middle school but suddenly she fell out of friendship with Bora, and suddenly almost everu other person followed."
Yeorin looked at Seol-A, "So you miss her?"
Seol-A smiled slightly, "It's crazy, I do, sometimes actually. Ri Ta might be prime time loco but she's not a total bad person, you know? She just doesn't know how to express herself entirely, it's kinda common with children of the socialites. Our parents trample on what we want and mold us into what they think we should be, it's more of like we live for them not ourselves."
Yeorin looked at Seol-A deep into her eyes, taking a glance at her scared soul, he could just relate to how she felt. Left to him he wanted to study Art and Economics as a double major and be done with school but his dad forced him to waste two years on Art alone and come back to South Korea to study Economics. Even the choice of school wasn't his.
"Sorry to hear that," Yeorin said trying to sound convincing and caring.
Seol-A smiled, "You're funny, it's not your fault we're just a victim of circumstance. Also if you ask me, I'd still choose this life of glam a thousand times over," Seol-A laughed heartily.
As they delved into their study session, Yeorin's thoughts kept drifting back to Ri Ta's stolen kiss. His heart still raced at the memory, his mind struggling to reconcile his mixed feelings to her. He couldn't point out what he exactly felt, but he knew it wasn't attraction. He didn't hate her, he didn't resent her, but he didn't like her either.
Yeorin took off his coffee-stained sweatshirt, leaving his toned muscles to flex out from his tight black vest. Seol-A continually stole glances at him, but something else piqued her curiosity - his glasses. She looked at Yeorin trying to figure out why he always had glasses on.
Even though she felt like she wasn't always responsive, she still decided to ask away. "Yeorin why the glasses, you always wear them."
Seol-A's voice cut through his reverie, "Nothing," Yeorin replied curtly. Inquisitively, Seol-A stretched out her hands and reached for the glasses, pulling them off Yeorin's face. The first gaze of Yeorin's hazel brown eyes shot Cupid's arrow right into Seol-A's chest. She suddenly felt her heart thumping, her blood level rising.
"Satisfied now?" Yeorin asked, trying to sound friendly. Seol-A smiled and placed the glasses back quickly, arranging her books ready to leave.
"Ann-a-annyeong (goodbye)" Seol-A said, walking as quickly as her heels could let her.
Yeorin was left all alone on the rooftop, he sat down enjoying the view of the night sky, and his mind wandered to how he could just rid of Ri Ta and her mischief, he already told her he didn't have similar feelings for her but that only made her more persistent.
He felt like his life was turning upside down, his business life was mounting on him as his company's shoe launch drew closer by the day. Ri Ta's obsession was doing no good either.
As Yeorin stared at the night sky, he saw a shooting star, this light gleaming brightly as far away as it was and he wished the last thing on his mind at the moment - "I wish someone or something would counter Ri Ta's obsession."
As if the shooting star heard his voice, it went faster and disappeared into the sky after Yeorin was done talking, as if he didn't want anyone to make more wishes.