"I'm so sorry. Am I interrupting your consultation hour? I'll wait for you guys to finish first then." Athena mumbled as she went to an empty seat and started playing with her phone to kill time.
"No. She's not my student." Yi Eun said and Athena looked up from her phone, with a curious look.
"Yi Eun do you want to eat- Oh hey Hae Ri. What are you doing here?" The door opened showing Jeremy. Yi Eun was so popular. But were Athena and Jeremy both working here? So they were all colleagues?
"How did you know who she was?" Athena directed her curiosity to Jeremy.
I wasn't a good guesser, but I was trying my best to guess the relationship between them three. It felt like a puzzle, a mystery to be solved and yesterday's incident didn't help much.
Yi Eun sighed as he turned his chair away from his desk to face Athena and Jeremy, " Athena, this is my wife, Hae Ri and Hae Ri this is Athena, another of my old friend from Korea."
"Wait? From Korea? How many friends do you have from Korea?" I raised my eyebrows, questioning Yi Eun. Did he bring his entire squad when he decided to study here?
"Stop joking Eun. How did you get a wife during the weekends?" Athena laughed hysterically, yet still elegantly, hitting Yi Eun's arm and Jeremy's arm in the process.
"Stop hitting people while laughing, it hurts." Yi Eun shot Athena an annoyed look.
"Anyways, before they start their bicker, only the two of us are his friends from Korea. We are his only friends as well." Jeremy stated and was hit by a book," Yah! And you told Athena to not get violent."
"I have friends okay." Yi Eun pouted and his ears grew red. I smiled subconciously seeing this scene; Yi Eun is a human being afterall. I like this Yi Eun, he seems more alive as compared to the Yi Eun I see doing research everyday.
"Don't you have an explanation to give?" Athena asked and Yi Eun returned back to his cool stance. I sulked a little.
"We got married 3 weeks ago. I didn't get married over the weekend." Yi Eun explained and Athena looked confused.
"When-how?" She asked and gave me a look,"How did you guys even meet? I have been with you almost your entire life and I have never seen her before."
"Our parents arranged it." Yi Eun explained," And Athena, Jeremy and I are childhood friends and we decided to pursue our studies here, thus explaining why I have 'many' friends from Korea."
"Wait, I think I forgot to ask but did you guys sign the papers?" Jeremy suddenly asked, eyes beaming with fascination.
"Yeah." I replied and Jeremy made a woahing sound.
"Annyeonghaesayo. I'm Athena. I'm sorry for the late introduction." Athena gave me a smile and outstretched a hand to me. I took the hand she gave and returned the smile," Annyeonghaesayo, I'm Hae Ri, Go Hae Ri."
"Why are you here Hae Ri? Checking on your husband?" Jeremy gave a cheeky smile.
"I'm having orientation today." I replied and Jeremy's eyes widened.
"Wait, you are a new student here?" He questioned and I nodded.
"Studying Engineering or Commerce?" He asked.
"Engineering."
"Daebak, you are probably going to get me or Yi Eun as your lecturer then." Jeremy said and I widened my eyes.
"The two of you are going to teach my batch?" I questioned.
"Yeap. The two of them are the engineering side while I'm on the commerce side." Athena answered my question," How did you know her anyways?"
"I met her yesterday when you barged to Yi Eun's house drunk and interrupted their dinner date." Jeremy replied and Athena blushed.
"I'm sorry Hae Ri, it had been a bad day." Athena apologized and I was about to open my mouth to say something but Yi Eun beat me to it," Can you guys talk outside my office? I have to complete my draft report."
"Don't you want lunch?" Athena asked," I bought takeaway already."
"What about Hae Ri? Do you want to eat with us?" Athena asked me.
"I bought her portion as well." Yi Eun answered and turned his chair back to his computer.
"I get it, I get it, I'm sorry for bothering your alone time." Jeremy apologized and put his hands on Athena's shoulders, guiding her out.
"They are finally gone." Yi Eun shook his head as took an empty chair, signalling for me to sit down. He passed me a packet of the food with the spoon. I took a whiff and smiled. It was drugs to my dying stomach.
I took a bite into it. Yu-mmy. I looked over to Yi Eun who began to immerse himself in the work. Dang I really like this shirt on him. It makes him look more attractive.
"Done staring?" Yi Eun broke my trance of thought, making my mouth drop open as my heart started beginning to beat faster. It seemed as though I was caught going something wrong. I stuttered, trying to find words to explain myself," Wh-what was I staring at? I mean I don't even understand half of what you are writing."
"I was talking about me. You were staring at me. " He paused from his computer and turned to face me, with an arrogant smirk. It only made him looked a hundred times hotter. What am I thinking today? Stupid raging hormones. I felt my breath hitched in my throat as he leaned in closer to me, "Weren't you?"
"Pfft, what's there to stare at you? The food is even more attractive than you." I mumbled as I took a bite of my food and began chewing it, slowly.
"And I wasn't even writing anything, I was just reading an article." He continued, exposing me further. I gulped down the bite that I took.
"Plus, I was reading about the conservation of energy. You probably learnt it in your high school, unless you failed your high school. Wait, you didn't right?" He gave me a curious glance as I bit my lip and gave him an annoyed glare,"Yah!"
It was 7pm and the library was closing soon. Yes I am still on campus. Yi Eun was still doing research, typing up a paper I guess.
The reasons as to why I didn't go home is simple:
1) Yi Eun was my only ride back.
2) Yi Eun is basically the only person I knew here. Wait let me rephrase that, the only person that I found comfortable hanging around.
3)There was nothing to do at home with Yi Eun not around.
So yeah, in conclusion, I am such a loner.
But hanging around in the library wasn't that bad either. I loved reading. In fact, I love books. I like how they feel, how they smell. So here was I, snogging my nose at one random book I found at the shelf. It had been pretty entertaining, bringing me out from reality for a few hours.
"I had finally found you. Are you ready to go home?" I glanced up at that familiar voice and beamed. Yi Eun was here. I nodded my head gingerly as I got up from the floor and placed the book back onto the shelf. I patted the dust off my pants and grabbed my bag.
"Why were you sitting on the ground when there are so many empty seats?" Yi Eun asked as we made our way out from the fiction section," It was crowded before. Damn, why are there so little seats in the library?"
"Beats me." He shrug his shoulder as he got into the elevator. I followed suit and hopped happily into it,"How did you-"
The elevator suddenly stopped and the lights went out.
"What just happened?" I asked, my voice up a pitch. I couldn't see anything. I could feel my breath starting to get shorter and my palms getting sweaty. It had only been seconds and I was reacting like this already. I stretched out, reaching for the nearest wall for support and crawled down. I closed my eyes and began to take deep breaths, trying to stop the impending panic attack.
If it was one thing that I couldn't stand, it was the dark. Like total darkness in an enclosed area. That was the epidome
of my fear.And that was where I was right now. I don't really recall the reason why I was afraid of the dark, especially in small, enclosed areas but I had heard from my parents that I had once got lost in the forest at night. I had fell into a small pit during that time. Maybe that had been the cause of this phobia.
Over the years, I had managed to counter most of my phobia, but right now, this situation, really isn't something that I can just get over. I bit my lip, trying my best to imagine that I was outside right now, right under the sun, where everything was fine.
No, I am at the beach right now.
"I think it was the power outage. It happens all the time. I hope it will come back fast. Hae Ri, are you alright?" Yi Eun's voice brought me back to reality, making the fright come back.
"Hae Ri?" I felt Yi Eun's palms on my shoulder, the warmth calming my racing heart a little bit. I could feel the cold sweat that starting to drip from my forehead. I was even shaking a little bit already.
"Hae Ri?" Yi Eun's voice sounded worried.
I could hear the operation of the elevator and the movement of it," The power is back up."
I opened my eyes, relieved to see that the lights were back on. I let out a breath and all of the anxiousness was gone. I sat down onto the ground and laid my head against the wall of the elevator, feeling fatigue from this mini panic attack.
I opened my eyes again to see Yi Eun looking at me, worried. The door of the elevator opened, with the staff at the door. I tried to get up, but my legs were jelly from the position I had been. Yi Eun lent me a hand which I took thankfully.
"I'm fine." I muttered to Yi Eun and got out of the elevator eagerly.
"Are you guys alright?" The staff hounded over us, trying to see if we were alright. Yi Eun dealt with them, reassuring them for the millionth time that we were fine before they allowed us to go out from the library.
"Now explain what happened in there." Yi Eun stopped walking and gave me a stern glance once we got out from the elevator.
"I'm might be a little afraid of the dark?" I managed to give him a weak smile that he didn't buy unfortunately.
"That didn't look like just a little." He scoffed and started to walk away.
"Wait up!" I mumbled as I tried to catch up with him. I gulped down my saliva as I realized how dark the campus was right now. There wasn't much streetlights. The path back to his car was darker.
"Yi Eun!" I called out and he stopped his steps," I thought you were just a little afraid of the dark?"
I finally caught up to him and I scratched my head hesitantly," Okay, I'm perified of the dark then."
"What happened back there?" He asked again and I sighed.
"It was a panic attack. Don't worry, they don't happen that much anymore." I explained.
"They happened a lot before?" He asked and I nodded my head.
"I was lost in the forest once. I think it happened when I was 7. I don't really recall the details but I guess it impacted me a lot." I elaborated and he nodded his head.
"I thought you were dying back there." He mumbled before starting to walk again.
"Yi Eun." I called out to him again and he glanced back to me with a curious look,"What?"
"Is it alright if I he-held your hand back to the car? It looks pretty dark out here and I am still a little panicky." My cheeks burned up as I looked at the floor embarrased. I really wished that the ground would swallow me up there and then. Why on earth would I ask that?
I kicked the rock on the pavement as silence eloped us. He wasn't replying. I closed my eyes in embarassment as I bit my lip," It's alright, forget what I said-"
Before I finished my sentence, Yi Eun's hand wrapped over mine, giving my hand a small tug before pulling me forward. My eyes widdened as I looked at his back that was in front of me. I quickened my pace to match his and we walked hand in hand.
"Thanks," I muttered softly as we continued walking in silence.His hands were soft, warm and big. It really comforted me a lot.
"Why did you agree to this arrangement?" I asked suddenly, and Yi Eun gave me a curious glance," Holding your hand?"
I blushed at him stating what I had just requested and I shook my head," This marriage."
He gave me a knowing look and his lips formed a 'ah'. He looked up, thinking for awhile before answering me.
"There wasn't anything to not agree to. It was beneficial to my parents, and I didn't have anything to lose." He replied and I nodded my head.
"What about girls you like? Didn't you have one?" I continued asking.
"Nope," He replied, pausing for a while before continuing," I haven't liked anyone before. I never had that feeling, only seen it in movies and read about it in books."
I nodded my head in comprehension, I understood what he meant. It was the same for me.
"What about you? Why did you agree to this? I mean shouldn't it be absurd for you? Getting married at the age of 18?" He asked, giving me a curious glance. I shook my head.
"I don't see anything that I will lose in this agreement as well. Actually in my knowledge, I actually benefit a lot from this. I get a family without trying and I don't have to go through all the trouble of trial and error before finding the right one." I cringed thinking about how my friends had cried over their broken hearts. At least I didn't have to worry about that.
"We are here." Yi Eun announced before letting go of my hand and grabbing his car keys. I wouldn't deny that I felt a little disappointed by this. I was getting used to his warmth.
But my disappointed was soon forgotten when I got into the car feeling a sense of security as Yi Eun started driving away.