2:13 PM | UNIVERSITY LIBRARY CAFE
The spacious café was cornered with wooden racks, filled with books, reaching high to the ceiling. The scent of old paper and freshly brewed coffee lured the customers and trapped them in the space with their infamous egg tarts.
Lunch break already ended. Students slowly emptied the café except for one small group of people occupying one of the large tables.
"Unnie, why are they late." The petite girl asked Y/N as she kept glancing at her phone to check the time.
"Men. Always late." She groaned.
"They requested this meeting but now they are late..."
The sound of the tapping converse shoes got louder and louder. The clock hands were not getting any slower. But the presence of their companion was still nowhere to be found.
"Maybe, they ju—" She was interrupted by the café doorbell, ringing as a couple of people flocked in.
The once silent café turned slightly noisy. The tallest one was looking around before he spotted the girl in search.
Hoseok led the entered pack to her. Y/N stood up and greeted them. As he offered his hand for a shake, the young maiden bowed instead. President Jung was quick to fluster as his embarrassed greeting was met with small chuckles from others.
Everyone then took a seat. As Hoseok grabbed a chair that face Y/N directly, Jeongguk retracted the chair from him and asserted unnecessary dominance over him. In a prompt defeat, Hoseok sat beside him as Jeongguk gleefully sat down on the stolen seat, sending a heartful smile to blank face Y/N.
The President of the Fine Art Club then started the meeting.
"So. Actually. President Song. I apologize for coming a bit late. Actually...Well. Today I was walki—"
"Dude. Just make it short." Jeongguk reminded him before the President strayed the conversation with his complex redundant story.
"Ah yes...So. We met with—"
Jeongguk facepalmed and interjected him to get into the business, why the meeting between the two club boards was conducted.
"We are here to make a deal." Jeongguk smoothly said.
The opposition members instantly reacted to Jeongguk's declaration with the highest interest and small chatters.
"I'm sorry...Deal?" Y/N's face scrunched.
"Yes. You heard it right. A deal...between..." Jeongguk didn't finish his sentence as he stared into Y/N's eyes.
While others were keen to hear his explanation, he was gradually getting lost in those dark hazel eyes hiding behind the square glass frame. He fell into that brown pool until his brain forgot to elaborate on the serious matter.
Eunbi chuckled at the side, snapping Jeongguk from getting more hypnotized.
"Jeongguk-sunbae, if you want to make a deal or challenge Y/N-sunbae, you don't need to bring the whole of us along. You can still talk in private you know." She gave a mischievous smile.
"Well, actually. This deal is not between me and Y/N. It is about both clubs." Jeongguk said.
Everyone silent. As the president of the writer's club, both of Y/N's ears were wide open. Attentive than before.
"The Fine Arts Club wants to make a deal with The Writer Club," Hoseok clarified what Jeongguk had said before.
"Proceed." Y/N gave a green light.
Jeongguk took a deep breath and spoke. "Our club kind of needs extra budget this year. We heard that the extra budget mostly will be given to the writer club for their... "outstanding" achievement last year."
"Yes, you heard it right." Everyone from the writer's club nodded and agreed like a band of a bubblehead.
Y/N fixed her posture and leaned closer to listen to Jeongguk's proposition. But it was a wrong move. The light of his galaxy was approaching at a close distance, the heat was intensifying and his central heartbeat was bursting into a supernova.
"So... we want... erm..." His nose scrunched, eyes roamed everywhere that was impossible to pinpoint at one location.
Jeon Jeongguk had never -ever- flustered. But, in front of Y/N, it was inevitable. Especially when he had her sole focus of attention.
Her sharpened eyes when focusing on him, her puckered lush lips that were trying to encourage him to finish his sentence, or her thick brows moving like they had a mind of their own. Everything about her features enamored him.
"Crap. Jeon Jeongguk. Why can't you just say it? It is not that hard." He mentally slapped himself.
"You want the fund that will be given to us. Is my deduction right, Jeongguk-ssi?" She said calmly.
"Yes! Yes." Jeongguk aggressively nodded before stopping to elucidate more.
"Wait. That is half the thing we want to say. We don't want to just take it. No. That makes us unprofessional. Disgraceful." That set assurance to the writer club member, for now.
"Rightfully, the fund is all yours. That is why we are offering a deal."
"A mad deal," Hoseok whispered.
"Why is it 'half'? What more do you want, from us? How can your ambition to attain our fund be achievable? In a 'graceful' way." Y/N questioned, Jeongguk cut some slack and jumped into the main agenda.
"Let's make a deal. A bet. Whoever has the most number of new members for the club this upcoming Student Club Recruitment Week, will take all of the extra funds."
Silence.
"Ok. I will discuss this with my board member." Jeongguk's eyes became wide like a saucer, while Hoseok was scrambling on his seat in disbelief.
"Really? Seriously?! I thought you are going to pass on this deal. Because to me, this sounds childish." Hoseok cried in joy, very elated indeed.
"Then, as the Fine Arts Club President, are you okay to have the Vice President make such a deal with us?"
Y/N turned to Hoseok for confirmation, making sure it wasn't something just for Jeongguk's interest and personal satisfaction, but also from the whole club agreement.
"Ah...a...y-yes. Yes! I support his decision. Let's make a deal then."
"The final decision is up to us, President Jung." Y/N reminded him as they had not yet agreed to make that deal.
"If that so, then call me when you have decided," Jeongguk said.
"I think Y/N should call me instead since I'm the President." Hoseok's condescending voice irritated Jeongguk, but since he was the President, it made more sense.
"But Y/N is my –"
"My secretary will inform yours as we make our decision." Y/N interrupted, dispersing the small tension between the two art club members. Realizing how stupid they looked fighting for Y/N's attention, they shook their head in embarrassment.
With that, the meeting was over.
The other party walked out of the café as Jeongguk stole a glance at Y/N. They both locked eyes. With a given chance, he gave her his devilish smirk with a lip bite and a wink. But sadly, she was fast to divert away. Missing the action.
Instead, a waitress coming behind Y/N caught his act. Mistakenly thinking the suggestive gesture was for her, she acted coy, moistened her lips with seduction.
Jeongguk froze and stared back at her in awkward disgust before sprinting away.
The Writer's Club later stayed over for short minutes. But, the decision was not that difficult after the majority voted yes. For those who voted no, they argued.
"Sunbae-nim. Why did you accept the offer? We could have all of the money to our club." Tae Oh, the club treasurer inquired as he was opposed to the idea of putting their fund at stake.
"True. I just receive the email from the Finance department. They gave us more than we need and what we proposed. Besides, we still have the leftover budget and profits we made from the last events." Y/N explained.
"Let's not be greedy. Others like Fine Arts Club needed more incentive than we are for their resources. We are overfunding this time around and the University shouldn't play favourites, not that I didn't know." She reasoned with him as he nodded.
"Besides, it is not fun just by giving them like that. If they want it, they should earn it. We could have a little fun." She giggled.
"Unnie, you sounded like Jeongguk-sunbaenim." Eunbi joked.
Y/N took a sip from the cold milked green tea and murmured, "Why am I the President again?" She asked herself.
She just stared at the green vortex as the cup swirled and pulled her into a memory of an introverted girl and an extroverted boy.
But, that memory was too long to reminisce, so let's just focus on the present days. She put the drink back on the table and smiled warmly.
"Ah...that's why."
To be continued...