The smell of old books at the library was something I lived for. The quiet murmurs of students along with the sharp turning of pages brought me to life, and the day a fresh set of books arrived was like my birthday. Our city's most famous library was quite modern, with computer rooms, air conditioning, the latest books, and even a snack vending machine. Most importantly, the free wifi made it a hot spot for students to hang out.
It wouldn't surprise people to find me at the library during my free time. I visited every single day. The librarian and I were basically bff's, and I volunteered often too.
This particular day, the librarian had called me and told me they'd stocked up on new books. I had instantly changed out of my sweats into whatever clothes I could grab and rushed out the door, eager to see what new gems have been brought in.
I greeted the librarian as usual, and she gestured to the shelf which held the new books. Skipping along to the shelf, I hummed to myself as I scanned the new set of books. I found quite a few ones that I wanted to read, and made a mental note to pick them up later.
As I reached the end of the shelf, a familiar turquoise cover caught my eye. Quickly reading the title on the spine, I recognized it to be one of my favorite romance novels, 'A page apart'.
Long back, I used to avoid romance novels, but this particular book had caught my eye. I had taken it home, read it overnight, and fell in love. It was a charming story about a boy who sticks post-it notes with love poems in random books in the library, and the main character stumbles upon one. She looks for all the books which had his special notes and reads them one by one. With each note, she falls even more in love with him and becomes determined to find out the true identity of the romantic poet. Turns out, he was closer than she thought.
Reminiscing the emotions I felt while reading this book, I reach out to it with a smile on my face. But at the exact same time, another hand reached out, our fingers brushing as we grabbed the spine of the book.
"Oh sorry!" The other hand retracted. I turn to see a boy about my age, bowing his head slightly in apology.
He was taller than me, with slightly curled brown hair neatly combed. His eyes were soft and warm, making him look like a puppy. Dressed in a cream sweater and light jeans, he looked like an angel, a boy filled with innocence and purity.
"You can have it, you reached out first." He said politely.
I blushed slightly as I remember how our fingers brushed against each other, just like a cliche romance novel.
"No, it's fine." I smiled. "I've already read it, just wanted to take a look."
I reach for the book and gently pulled it out of the shelf and held it out to him.
"This is one of my favorite books, the first one that got me interested in this genre," I commented. "I hope you enjoy it and like it just as much as I did."
The boy listened to me with his mouth slightly agape in concentration, but smiled and took the book from me.
"Thank you, I'm sure I'll have a good time reading it." He bowed indicating, he was leaving.
I bowed as well and watched as he went to sit with one of his friends. The blonde boy noticed the book in his friend's hands, and grinned, teasing him. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but I could guess he was being teased because of the romance novel.
Tearing my eyes off him, I turned back to the bookshelf and picked out a couple of books. After checking the descriptions in all of them, I go get them checked out, and leave the library, tugging at my skirt as the late winter breeze made me shiver. It should be warm enough to abandon the winter clothes by now, but the cold winds persisted, making spring drift farther and farther away.
That night I finished more than half of my first book, a fantasy romance that got me hooked on every page. Sadly, my older brother slammed my door open at 1 am, confiscating my book and threatening to poison my breakfast if I didn't go to sleep.
My brother really liked using darker words to keep me in check.
For the next week, I had enough free time to visit the library every day, accompanied by my brother, who said he wanted to brush up on his studies too. What I noticed was, the brown-haired boy and his blonde friend were there every day too. They seemed to be having study sessions together, as they poured over textbooks for hours on end.
I always saw them heading to their table when they first entered their library, before being absorbed in my own world and forgetting about them. I noticed them whenever I left too.
I didn't think much about them, thinking he probably forgot about me.
I was wrong... he's had his eyes on me as well.
Seungmin's P.O.V
Seungmin pulled up a chair next to Hyunjin, who was mindlessly flipping through their chemistry textbook, looking at all the pictures. The library was mostly empty, but a brown-haired leather jacket-wearing boy was passed out on the table in front of them, head down and snoring.
"Why don't you actually read the textbook?" Seungmin suggested sarcastically, lowering his voice not to wake up the boy.
Hyunjin rolled his eyes. "Why don't you actually teach me instead of staring at the girl over there?"
Seungmin's eyebrows shot up in surprise. He was indeed staring at the girl from last week, who was hovering by a bookshelf near them. A faint blush covering his cheeks, he composed himself.
"What are you talking about?" He said.
Hyunjin grinned in amusement, punching the other boy's shoulder.
"Just go talk to her man! It's pretty obvious that you're interested in her."
"Is it?" Seungmin asked shyly, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Just go ask her out, it's not that hard." Hyunjin encouraged him, but Seungmin firmly shook his head.
"No no, I don't want to come off as that type." He said. "I'd like to get her to know her first before considering a date."
Hyunjin rolled his eyes again, resting his head on his hand. "Then just go talk to her! You need to start somewhere."
"I don't know..." Seungmin blushed. "She seemed very nice when I talked to her, and judging by the books she reads... I don't know but I just really like her. But she probably doesn't even remember me so just walking up to talk to her now would make me seem like a stalker or something..."
Hyunjin just sighed, patting Seungmin's back. "You see what she's doing right now? Miss 156 cm is trying her best to reach that book on the top shelf. How about Mr 177 go help her out a bit?"
Seungmin turns to see her standing on her tiptoes, trying to grab a book off the top shelf. Her fingers barely touched the book, but determined, she stretched her whole body.
How cute.
Seungmin turns to Hyunjin who gave him his iconic 'pretty smile' with a thumbs up. Giving him a glare, Seungmin got up, took a deep breath, and began walking towards her.
Y/n pov
I can do it! Just a few more centimeters and it's mine!
I had been struggling to reach this book for quite a while now. It had caught my eye while I was casually browsing, and I recognized it to be one of the books from my top five to-read list. I just had to have it.
As my fingers barely touched the spine, a hand reached out, pulling out the book with ease. I look up and find the boy from last week looking at the book, then up at me.
Handing the book to me with an angelic smile, he said. "We meet again."
"Oh it's you! Did you read the book?" I smiled back at him, and he looks lost for a second, before blushing.
"Yeah just finished it last night." He leaned casually on the shelf. "I enjoyed it, it was a beautiful story. The plot twist at the end though..."
"I know right! Who knew it would be her best friend! I was so shocked I almost threw the book across the room."
He laughs. "I'd be lying if I say I didn't try the same thing. Then I remembered it was a library book and restrained myself. After all the times she friend-zoned him..."
"I know right." I giggled. "It sounds funny now but I was an emotional wreck when I finished the book."
"I still am an emotional wreck." He laughed. "Hey, wanna talk about it over something to drink? My friend totally gave up on studying and I was going to go home anyway."
"Sure!" I exclaimed, happy to have made a friend with similar tastes. "I'm Y/n."
"Seungmin." He smiled back, and something about that name made my heart skip a beat.
"Coffee milk?" I suggest as we walk towards the vending machine.
"That sounds perfect."
Seungmin p.o.v
Every day for a whole month, we hung out like that. Ditching Hyunjin, I'd find her among the shelves, then invite her for flavored milk, striking a conversation. Initially, we found it awkward to talk about anything more than books, but as we got to know each other better, we got into more personal topics. She'd tell me funny stories of her brother and his friends, and I'd tell her stories of me and my friends. We became close quickly, comfortable enough with each other to meet up outside the library and text each other late at night.
Close enough for her to cry on my shoulder on one particularly bad day.
We definitely got closer after that, revealing parts of ourselves to each other we haven't shown anyone else. But the more I got to know about her, the more I fell in love.
It wasn't just a crush anymore, I could feel it.
The little things about her attracted me first, her contagious smile, cute pout, tiny height, and melodic voice. But as I got to know her, I admired her determination, positivity, and beautiful way with words. I could hear her talk for hours, her deep thoughts expressed with her soft voice.
I felt a connection with her, a string pulled tight every time we touched. There were many times where I just wanted to lean down and capture those soft lips in mine and wrap my arms around her tiny figure. I wondered if she felt anything like that, but she probably only viewed me as a friend.
"Tell her how you feel man, you can't keep torturing yourself like this." Hyunjin had told me one day while they were at the library. I had turned to glance at her, stacking books as a volunteer, and she noticed. Giving me a smile and a short wave, she went back to her work.
"I'll think about it..." I had answered, knowing he was right. I spaced out, unconsciously staring at the leather jacket boy who seemed to pass out at that exact same spot every single day.
He was here every single day, passed out in the same spot. We had never seen more than half his face, and the only thing I knew about him was that he talked in his sleep, mostly uttering curse words that made my ears bleed.
Why didn't we just move to another table? I don't know, he just felt like a part of our group now, even though we've never talked to him. It felt nice to see something so unchanging as winter gave way to spring. The mysterious boy was like a lucky charm for our study sessions, and now, it felt weird to recite the periodic table without him cursing like a sailor in the background.
Back to the point, I really did think of confessing to her multiple times. Even if she saw me as a friend, it may make her think deeper into our relationship, and view me in a different light. I was sure if she rejected me, she'd do it in a way that wouldn't hurt my feelings, or want to stop being friends. I had nothing to lose, so why not?
Maybe it's because I was waiting for something.
And the day came when I could finally gather the courage, and do it.
Y/n pov
It was just another day at the park, me waiting for Seungmin to show up. If it wasn't at the library, the large cherry blossom tree in the neighborhood park was usually where we met up. I was sitting under that tree, flipping through the pages of the book I finished reading last night, rereading the highlights, and smiling to myself.
"Did you wait long?" I heard Seungmin's voice pant and lookup.
He was wearing what he wore when we first met, the cream sweater and jeans. But today, he added a white beret with blue trim to compliment his freshly dyed platinum hair. With cherry blossoms drifting in the wind, he looked like someone straight from a drama.
Seungmin and I had gotten impossibly close this past month, to the point that there was nothing we didn't know about each other. Except... the fact that I had completely fallen for him.
He was like my dream boy, a character straight from a book. Kind, caring, soft, warm, and everything nice. He was someone who I just wanted to hold on to forever, bask in his warmth as he whispered stories into my ear.
"Not at all." I smiled at him as he sits down cross-legged next to me. That's when I noticed something in his hands. A baby blue book with a navy ribbon.
He looked down at it shyly. "It's the sequel to 'A Page Apart'. It came out yesterday, and I wanted to get it for you, to commemorate our first meeting."
My eyes widened and I let out a squeal, covering my mouth. This was unbelievable! All the copies had sold out the moment they released, and Seungmin was able to get a hardcover edition the very next day of the release?
"Oh my god, Seungmin thank you so much." I hugged the book after he hands it to me. "You don't know how much it means to me!"
Seungmin smiled softly. "You don't know how much this means to me either."
"What?" I asked, not listening to him much as I was absorbed in reading the description on the back of the book.
"Nothing." He smiled a wider brighter smile that I had grown to love. "Call me when you reach the last chapter. I have my own copy, and I want to end it together."
"Hm, that sounds nice." I hummed, resting my head on his shoulder as we lean against the trunk.
We end up talking about our day just like usual, but the book never leaves my hands.
After we separated at sunset, I ran home to curl into my bed and start the book. My brother thankfully didn't bust me that night, which made me finish the majority of the book. Unlike most sequels, this one was actually better than the first book, which made me happy. But as sleep taunted me at 2 am, I gave in and dozed off, careful not to crease the pages even half asleep.
I had school the next day, giving me literally no time to even read a paragraph. But after sneakily reading in class, I reached the last chapter.
Thankfully, the story had ended and it was more of an epilogue, so I didn't have to leave it in a cliffhanger. I called Seungmin as I exit the school, telling him that I had reached the last chapter.
"Meet me at the library lounge. Start without me, I'll be there soon."
Obeying his words, I headed to the library in my uniform. The lounge was a room for readers at the library, but today, it was empty. After settling in one of the lounge couches, I curled up and began reading.
Only a few pages long, I finished the whole chapter before Seungmin arrived. As I flipped over the last page, a weird detail stood out to me. A weirdly big baby blue sticky note was stuck to the last page of the book, with tiny writing. Peeling it off, I begin reading it.
Hey Y/n... Its me Seungmin.
I wish I was good at poetry, believe me, I tried, but it didn't work out. So I'm just going to tell you what I want to say in simple words.
I have feelings for you, feelings I've never felt for anyone before. Over such a short time, you became an important part of my life. I couldn't help but fall for every single thing about you, and now I feel like I'd regret it if I don't tell you this.
So for the time being, can I ask you something?
...Will you go out with me?
Covering my mouth in shock, I let out an inhuman sound, a mix between a squeal and a sob.
I couldn't believe this was happening... It was like it was straight off of a romance novel. And he did the same thing the main character did in the book, A Page Apart.
"Hey."
I look up and find Seungmin standing by the door of the lounge, rubbing the back of his neck.
I didn't waste a second. I ran over to him and crashed into his arms, leaving him shocked. I wrapped my arms around him tightly, burying my face in his sweater.
I felt his arms around my waist, a hesitant movement. He rested his chin on the top of my head.
"We're you really that surprised?" He asked softly. "It's fine if you don't feel the same way, I still want to be friends."
"But I do feel the same way," I mumbled, my voice muffled. The moment I said those words, I felt his heartbeat exhilarating. His grip on my waist tightened.
"What?" He breathed out.
I pull back a bit, to look up at him. "I have feelings for you too, and I'd love to go out with you."
He looked down at me as if he didn't believe his ears. I smile softly back at him, and he seems to be put into a trance, deep in his thoughts. He wasn't the only one though. As I fell into those clear soft eyes, I didn't realize how much closer they were becoming.
So when his lips brushed against mine, I jumped a bit, like an electric shock through my whole body. He backed up a bit by that action, but I wrapped my arms around his neck and gently encouraged him. Our lips met, and he kissed me softly. He was sweet and gentle, making it magical. The joy in my heart, which was wound up like a tight spring, was finally let loose, filling my body with warmth. I smiled into the kiss, and we pulled away, arms still around each other.
Those serious eyes filled with so much joy and excitement, that his face literally lit up. I broke into a smile too, seeing how happy he was. His eyes widened like a puppy, his mouth wide open.
"FiNaLly." A voice groaned from behind us. "I can't believe I put up with you two for a whole damn month for this."
The two us whipped our heads back, and saw Hyunjin casually coming out behind the curtains.
"You were here the whole time!" Seungmin exclaimed.
"Yeah yeah get over it." Hyunjin rolled his eyes. "Congratulations, by the way, catching someone who's boyfriend material." He winked at me.
I blushed deep red, and Seungmin throws his beret at the boy. It hit Hyunjin's face, and being the drama llama he is, pretended to faint, falling on one of the couches.
"Ow, my hea~ The fuck is this!?"
He jumped off of the couch, pulling off the thick black blanket on it. Underneath was...
"Oppa!?" I yelled, jumping away from Seungmin.
"Oppa????" Seungmin and Hyunjin exclaimed.
"Ah stop shouting." Minho groaned, rubbing his eyes.
"You know leather jacket boy?" Hyunjin gasped dramatically.
"And you call him 'Oppa'?" Seungmin turned to me in shock.
"What else would she call her brother?" My older brother stretched.
"Brother!?" Hyunjin and Seungmin exclaimed again. "Leather jacket was your brother????"
"You know him?" I asked the boys.
"Yeah! He's been passed out at the library since last winter! We thought he was homeless!" Hyunjin exclaimed, completely shook.
"Homeless? seriously?" My brother deadpanned, giving the blonde boy a glare. "Anyway, if your done with your new boyfriend here, come with me to the grocery store? I want meat for dinner."
Speechless, I just nodded out of habit. I was confused why he didn't freak about me being in a relationship with someone who thought he was homeless.
But my brother walked up and casually draped his arm around my shoulder, leading me towards the door.
"And by the way boys." He turned to the speechless boys in the room. "I overheard everything you've said for the past month, so you better watch your back."
With a wink, my brother led me out of the room.
"You're not mad?" I asked him, still pretty scared.
"Nah, as I said." He started. "I overheard everything they said, Kim Seungmin is annoying, but he's not a bad person."
I just nodded, still speechless.
"Oh, and don't think I'll forget about your little make-out session you child." He laughed evilly. "You're praying to Father Chris tonight."
....
Before I go into how much trouble I had with this one, Le Father Chris
Okay so rereading this one was hell.
Maybe because I wasn't in the mood for this kind of plot, or I was just tired of editing, but I had a hard time concentrating on this one. Even now, I want to abandon this and watch Hello Counsellor. Infact, I just abandoned this to watch the first episode of 'All Night Skz', that came out a couple minutes ago.
Anyway, I hope you don't find this as hard to read as I did. I hope I'm just tired today, or used to this story. I'm sorry if I disappointed any Seungmin biased stay, I will make it up if you feel so. I actually liked this best out of my small collection of stories, and I hope you will take the time to read through it and give me feedback :)
Don't forget to vote, leave your thoughts in the comment section~
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