off limits ✧ zb1 applyfic

✧ thirty nine

In between two lectures, Jiyeon had opted to stretch her legs, walking through the large hallways of her university so her body wouldn’t go numb. Focusing had been quite hard today: all she could think about was Leap in Destiny, and the prologue she'd barely started writing. Sure, her literature classes could definitely come in handy when it came to writing novels, but she longed to sit at her desk and type on her keyboard. As soon as she would arrive home, she would get to work.

A familiar face caught her eye in the crowd of equally bored students. Jiwoong was standing against a wall, his eyes on his phone, apparently tuning out the world around him. He always looked handsome, but his beauty was somehow multiplied when he was in his own bubble, unaware of anyone's eyes on him. He did always say that people were at their best when they were focusing on something they liked — or at least, he used that as an excuse for the candid photos he sometimes took of her, back then. She wondered what he was looking at, to seem so immersed. And a part of her, a small voice in her head, wished he would look at her that way, too.

As if he'd heard her thoughts, Jiwoong suddenly raised his head from his phone, and their eyes met. For a second, the people around Jiyeon vanished, and all she could see was him, as the corners of his lips turned up softly. He pushed himself of the wall and, like a puppy running to its owner, waddled his way to her, passing through clumps of static students.

"Hi, Jiyeon," he greeted her, as he shoved his phone back in his pocket.

Her eyes followed the phone, still wondering if he'd been texting someone.  "Oh, um, hey," she stammered, before finally remembering to look up at him. "How are you doing?"

"Pretty good!" His voice sounded more cheerful than she was used to. "I was looking at videos of cute cats, so my day has instantly gotten better," he said with a light chuckle, and Jiyeon froze up.

Ah. And here she was already thinking he might have been talking to a girl he liked. In the end, it was just cats. She let out a sigh of relief.

Not that she was jealous! They were only friends, he could fall in love and get married for all she cared. It would just be a bit unfair for him to find someone, when she was still carrying the scars their relationship had left her. Even after all these months, she still struggled to get herself back onto the "market". Hyunjin had tried to introduce her to guys, but every single time, she would be too scared to open up to them. Jiwoong could stay single until she found someone she liked, he at least owed her that.

"Oh, Jiwoong," she spoke up, her index up in the air. "I wanted to thank you for your help last time, with Leap in Destiny. I was able to get some work done thanks to you."

Jiwoong nodded, a smile on his face. "I'm glad. So, how's it going? Are you almost done?"

"Gosh, nowhere near that. I've finished the outline, and now I'm just starting to actually write the first draft."

When she'd first gotten interested in writing, watching her mother busy at her desk, she never could have guessed the amount of work that went into it. It wasn't just about the act of writing itself. She'd had to mull over characters for several weeks, do a bunch of research on various topics, and write a long, ultra detailed outline that would serve as the story's foundation. And after the writing would be done, well, it wouldn’t be done at all. Then would come the editing, and that part, Jiyeon had never experienced herself.

But this time, she was on a deadline. So she had no time to hesitate and dip her toes. She had to dive in entirely.

"Actually, I saw a romance writing contest on the internet," she explained, pushing hair away from her face, "and the winner gets a chance to sign a deal with a real publisher. So that's my motivation, now. I hope I'll finish it in time so I can send it to them."