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It's 1:37 when Jisoo stumbles into the library, stack of overdue books amounting to the length of his torso. The librarian doesn't spare a glance toward him and away from the worn pages of her book. Only when Jisoo heaves the pile onto the counter does she bat an eyelash in his direction, shaking her head disapprovingly before returning to whatever story was nestled within the pages between her fingers.

Jisoo's fingers anxiously drum against the tabletop of the counter, writhing and twitching as he stops to pick at his cuticles. He's nervous, jittery. His palms are clammy and itching for him to just leave the books and run, to deal with the fees later. Then, a honey voice meets his ears—drawn out and smooth.

"Would you like to return these, or renew them?" The owner of the voice speaks delicately, as if trying to stop the flow of nerves and sweat radiating from Jisoo on the other side of the counter. "Hello?" There's a soft lilt in his voice as he leans over the counter slightly, bowing his head in a manner that allows his eyes to meet with Jisoo's.

When Jisoo is brought back to reality it's because of a soft chuckle that comes from the male opposite of him. His nametag, god forbid, is missing and Jisoo almost feels disappointed until he speaks again.

"I'm Jeonghan. You're Jisoo, right?" He offers a soft smile, gentleness swimming in his chocolate irises. Jisoo manages to muster a nod, swallowing thickly in attempts to rid the sudden dryness in his mouth. "Well then, now that we aren't strangers anymore, there's no need to be nervous."

Jisoo wishes it were that easy, but instead he grins awkwardly and forces a laugh, his teeth threatening to shatter due to how hard he's grinding them together.

Jeonghan laughs softly once more, relaxing his shoulders as he pulls the pile of books closer to his side of the counter. "So, returning or renewing?"

"Uh..." Like always, Jisoo's words are stuck in his throat. He drums his fingers against the counter once more, looking anywhere that isn't in Jeonghan's general area. Unable to force the words from his throat, he pulls his wallet out of his pocket and slaps it onto the counter —maybe a little too hard, seeing as Jeonghan flinches slightly before laughing it off.

"Don't talk much, huh?" He smiles once more, rather, it seems the smile never left his face, as he grabs the top book to scan in. "That's alright, I like to talk. I'm sure I can do enough for both of us."

An awkward silence forces its way between them, though Jisoo doesn't try to fight it and Jeonghan is too busy scanning the books to care. Halfway through the pile, Jeonghan falters and turns over the book in his hand.

"Oh."

Oh? Jisoo fidgets slightly, trying to peek at what book Jeonghan was holding without being too obvious. Jeonghan quirks an eyebrow at his attempts, or, whatever it was he thought he was doing. Jisoo quickly flusters, deciding that he didn't care if the cute librarian was judging him based on his literature choice. Well, he did care, a lot, and maybe cute wasn't the best way to describe him. He's definitely more pretty than cute. Jisoo thinks.

Jisoo is cut off from staggering into a panic attack when Jeonghan speaks, effectively breaking the silence. "The Great Gatsby?" He has to try not to smile at Jeonghan's accent as he speaks. "English?"

He seems amused, or perhaps that's what it looks like when someone is intrigued. Jisoo isn't sure, but he nods nonetheless. For the first time, their eyes lock as Jeonghan redirects his gaze to Jisoo. Fuck. Jisoo swallows. Is he... Sparkling?

"You can speak English?" His voice practically drips with admiration, causing Jisoo's face to shade with a pink unrelated to his general nervousness. "That's cool." He trails off with a smile as he returns to scanning books.

Once again, there is a silence between the two. Jisoo's generally tense state isn't made to be more relaxed when he feels eyes on him either. Oh, it's just her. The librarian is staring straight through Jisoo, as if she can see the darkest depths of his soul. She smirks slightly before returning to her book.

"Jeonghan, that boy's always coming in with overdue books." She begins, seeming rather apathetic about the ordeal. "You're the only one he's interacted with."

Jeonghan lets out a soft chuckle of amusement as he continues to scan the now significantly smaller stack of books, "Is that so?"

Jisoo flusters, clearing his throat of the lump that begins to act as a blockade to any potential words. "Thats- That's not true..." Barely even a whisper.

"Relax," Jeonghan mutters, leaning forward slightly as he scans the last book. "She likes to tease." Jisoo can tell, he can definitely tell. Jeonghan pushes his hair back, allowing it to fall messily across his forehead as he leans his elbows on the counter. "So Jisoo," His voice is almost sultry, though Jisoo might just be imagining it. "Cash or credit? The overdue fees add up to 69,528 won."

Jisoo cracks the knuckle of his middle finger before reaching for his wallet, flipping through the folds to grab the amount due. Jeonghan takes it gingerly, tongue flicking across his lips to settle the cracks forming in them. Jisoo finds himself suddenly aware of every small detail making up Jeoghan's presence in the moment. He was probably around the same height as Jisoo, maybe taller? More pretty than handsome. Thick, straight brows. Delicate features, a soft nose slope. Definitely wearing contacts.

"Well, Jisoo." An angelic voice. "Come again soon, yeah? Maybe try and be more on time with your due dates." Jisoo nods, awkwardly bowing his head. "I look forward to seeing you again." 

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⏰ Last updated: May 10, 2020 ⏰

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