so sweet ☆Daerin ☆

3☆meeting once more☆

After class, Haerin packs up her stuff and heads to the library to do some homework. Yet as she continues reading the textbook, she feels tired and apathetic. She slaps her face and drinks some water to stay alert.

After a few minutes, Haerin hears laughter, which makes her sigh and put her head down in annoyance. "Oh great, more distraction," she mutters to herself. She continues trying to focus on her homework but has a hard time concentrating with all the noise around her.

Haerin turns around to find the source of the laughter, and is surprised to see the same girl she met earlier. She momentarily stumbles over Dani... or was it Danielle? No, it's Danielle. Haerin corrects herself in her head. She turns to the girl with a slight smile of recognition and waves at her.

Haerin quickly turns around, feeling embarrassed after her brief moment of recognition. She buries her face in her textbook once more, but is quickly brought out of her focus by a tap on her shoulders. She looks up to find Danielle smiling down at her, and can't help but feel her heart flutter just a bit at the sight.

As Haerin stares up at Danielle, she wonders if the flutter in her heart is because of the girl's sweet smile or something more. She tells herself that it could be either one, and nods. Haerin's heart continues to race as she stares at Danielle, finding the girl's smile truly infectious.

Danielle tilts her head to get a better look at Haerin's face, and smiles at her again. "You look adorable in glasses," she says. Haerin's face flushes slightly at the compliment, while also feeling a little annoyed at being called adorable. The feeling in her stomach continues to increase, causing her face to grow redder. She tells herself that it must be illness due to not eating breakfast that morning, and there's nothing more to it.

Although it's known that Haerin isn't good with compliments, she feels a bit embarrassed but tries to brush it off. She stares at Danielle for a while, making the girl start to feel sad and worried.
So Danielle stands up properly and asks, "Oh, I'm sorry, was that too far? We did just meet today, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."
Haerin looks down and smiles awkwardly, responding with "It's fine, I was just surprised is all." She tries to make the situation less awkward for both of them.

Danielle quickly realizes that Haerin is trying to study, and so she quickly responds, "Oh, right, you're studying aren't you? I'm sorry we thought no one would be here at this hour." Haerin simply nods, acknowledging her apology.
Danielle nods and apologizes once more, saying, "will leave right away, alright." Haerin once again nods in response, but notices how pleasant and considerate Danielle is. She almost wishes she could spend more time with her.

Danielle looks at Haerin's head and the lovely hair on it, and suddenly blurts out, "Can...can I pat your head? Your hair is really soft, sorry if that's weird."
Haerin is taken aback but eventually nods in agreement. At least it's better than being called adorable, she thinks to herself...
As she allows Danielle to pat her head, Haerin sighs, feeling satisfied with Danielle's touch. She almost feels bad for herself.

Danielle smiles at Haerin, thanking her for allowing the head pat. She then rejoins her friend group and leaves the library with them. Haerin watches her exit with a slight sense of disappointment, wishing she could see the cute girl again soon. She continues studying and working hard at school, yet remains eager to once more see Danielle. Perhaps next time, she may even try to talk to her, and not simply wait for Danielle to approach her.

Haerin stops studying and thinks to herself, "What the hell?" She's suddenly overwhelmed by the thought of actually trying to talk to Danielle herself. "Am I seriously sick today?" she asks herself, feeling her face flush a bit at the absurdity of the thought. She sighs and debates whether going home would be a good idea, just to get away from Danielle's presence...but she can't help but still feel intrigued. Perhaps talking to Danielle isn't such a bad idea after all...

Haerin thinks to herself again, trying to talk herself out of the idea. "No, no, it's bad," she tells herself, "I mean no one talks to me at school except Hanni and my cousin Hyein. Forget It. Tomorrow we won't run into each other anyway." She starts to pack up her stuff and prepare to leave, it's the best to just go home now.
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☆

After exiting the school, Haerin quickly realizes that the rain has picked up significantly. She stands in the rain, lost in thought as she watches the raindrops splatter against the concrete sidewalk and the water puddle around her. Her hair soon becomes soaked from the rain, yet she doesn't seem to notice it. She continues to stand there, staring off into the distance, and loses track of time in her deep introspection.

With a deep sigh and a look toward the distant sky, Haerin starts to make her way home. With heavy rain droplets splashing against her face, her hair has become soaked wet by the time she begins to walk. Yet she doesn't seem to mind, perhaps finding a sort of solace in the rain that she is unable to find anywhere else. She continues to walk home in the rain, ignoring the growing sensation of cold spreading across her body.