"Jihyo. Jihyo-yah. Song Jihyo!" Hye Won tapped her on the shoulder and shouted.
Jihyo jolted and looked at her. She noticed the shoulder bag that was slung diagonally across her body. "Are you going somewhere?" Jihyo asked.
"Were you not listening? We said we're going to the library."
"We?"
"Yea, the three of us." Hye Won replied, referring to herself and the two guys. "You really wasn't listening. So are you coming along?"
She glanced at Rye Il and then at Gary before quickly looking away. "You guys can go ahead. I'm going back home to complete my project work." She removed her books from underneath the desk and stuffed them into her bag and stand up.
"Hm, alright." Hye Won said.
They walked to the corridor together and parted ways from there. Gary couldn't stop staring at Jihyo as she walks away from them to the overhead bridge to get to the opposite side.
Rye Il went near him and gave him a slight nudge. "What are you looking at? Let's go."
Gary shook his head at his question and replied, "nothing."
"Are you guys coming?" Hye Won shouted at them from a distance. She was already at the entrance of the library waiting for them.
Rye Il raised his hand up in the air to signal that they were coming. They could see that she was visibly annoyed when they finally reached there even though she only waited for a brief five minutes, or even lesser than that. They took the lift up to the sixth floor where all the study rooms were at.
They signed their names and wrote down the time under the 'time in' column in the study room booking booklet and went inside the room. The walls were designed to be soundproof to block out any disturbances. Gary and Rye Il sat down around the table while Hye Won drew down the window blinds against the sun.
"There are so many assignments and then there's a project to submit." Rye Il lamented at the amount of work they have to do.
"Quit complaining. We are already a month through the second semester. Just another month to go before we get send off for our internship." Hye Won replied.
Rye Il let out a deep sigh and took out his sketch pad. "Anyway, what's wrong with Jihyo? For the past few days, she hasn't been hanging out with us after school.
"She just wants to concentrate on her work." She replied while typing away on her laptop.
Rye Il tilted his head and rested it in hand, his elbow propped up on the table. "We can do our work in a group. Why does it feel like she's trying to avoid us?" Rye Il questioned, before letting out another sigh.
"Probably avoiding you." She joked. Rye Il rolled his eyes and turned to Gary for support but he ignored him, not even bothering to raise his head to look at him.
"Don't you agree with me?" Rye Il nudged him with his elbow and asked.
Gary paused in his writing and put his pen down. He abruptly stood up, as though he suddenly thought of something, and picked up his bag on the floor and then threw his assignments and pen into his bag.
"Where are you going?" Rye Il asked.
"Somewhere without any distractions." He answered. "Hye Won, I'll get going first."
Hye Won lifted her head, waved at him and said, "bye oppa."
Gary pull the door open and left in a hurry. The door slowly closes and Rye Il turned back to his sketch pad. He picked up his black marker pen and then put it down a few seconds later.
"Am I really that distracting?" He couldn't help but to ask.
"Most of the time, yes." She answered honestly, and without any hesitation.
He stared at her with a deadpan expression, not expecting her to be so straightforward.
***
After spending twenty minutes in the shower, Jihyo came out dressed and went to her room to get the hair dryer. She thought she heard the sound of the door bell ringing as she blow-dry her hair. She switched off the hair dryer and listen to see if the bell rang again.
And it did.
She put the hair dryer on the floor and went to get the door. She opened the door and saw Gary standing there.
"Oppa?" She stood still, feeling stunned for a moment.
"I called you but you didn't answer," replied Gary.
"I was in the shower," she said and invited him in. "Why are you here? Didn't you went to the library with them?" She added.
She reached the kitchen and turned around, and was about to ask if he would like something to drink when she noticed that he was standing at the same spot, near the doorway, staring at her.
"You don't have to keep standing there. You can take a seat if you want to.." She looked at him and said.
He continued to stare at her without saying a word. She was starting to feel slightly uncomfortable with the silence and his unwavering gaze.
"Are you trying to avoid me?" He finally spoke but his question took her by surprise and for a moment, she couldn't think of what to say. Her teeth scraped against her bottom lips as she lowered her gaze to the floor, and then nodded her head.
"For what reason?" He prodded.
"It doesn't matter." She replied and turned to face the kitchen counter and reached out for the mug hanging on the cup holder rack.
"It does," he said quietly, and she stood frozen with the empty cup in her hand. "If it means losing a friend because of that then, it does matter to me." He continued, referring to the almost-kiss incident which he assumed to be the reason.
Friends. She swallowed hard at that word. She wasn't sure when it began but she found herself thinking about him more and more. She get butterflies in her stomach every time she sees him. She was attracted to him and gradually, she finally realised that she was falling for him but now, that one word seems to have crushed any hope that she have had.
She pressed her lips together and stared at the mug, taking a moment to compose herself. She put it down and slowly turned around and raised her head to look at him.
"I felt awkward being near you after that." She said.
"We didn't do anything."
"I know.. It's just.." Her voice trailed off. She looked away briefly and then back to him, before managing a small smile. "Did you came all the way just to ask that?"
"Sort of. I needed to make sure that there wasn't any ill feelings between us." He rubbed the back of his neck and said.
"Are you happy with the answer you've gotten?" She asked, trying her best to stay cheerful.
"I guess so," he replied and let out a soft chuckle. "I shan't disturb you. I'll leave now."
She walked him to the door. "Oppa," she called him softly.
Gary looked at her and waited for her to continue.
"Am I really just a friend?" She asked.
It sounded like an innocent question but to her, it means a lot. Nothing came out from his mouth except for a crooked smile.
"I'm leaving." He said, and walked away.
Left feeling confused and with an unanswered question, she shut the door and went to her room.
Gary pressed the lift down button and then glanced at Jihyo's apartment, a knotted feeling in his heart. He doesn't know how he feels about her either.
Jihyo picked up her phone and saw the two missed calls from Gary.
"The meaning behind the smile, what is it?" She questioned herself.
