# Chapter 70
The library was located parallel to the building with the dormitories. Though quite far from the main building, it could be accessed without going outside thanks to the connecting skybridge.
Walking across the open skybridge, you can see the back of the main building and gardens. My eyes were naturally drawn to the pretty scenery, and as I stared, I thought of the dumplings I’d eaten before and smacked my lips.
Entering the building, there was a wide-open corridor where the view of the forest through the windows created a sense of expansiveness.
I recalled a post I’d seen while browsing the homepage. Apparently, dormitory students could relieve stress by walking through the forest path on the hill behind the school after classes and strengthen their friendships by socializing with friends.
That was certainly true, but right now, even looking at that beautiful scenery only made me feel suffocated.
I turned and headed toward the stairs. Going up would lead to the study rooms. Unlike the library which anyone could enter, I knew those rooms were only for high-ranking students.
Moon Seoheon, being on the soccer team, would have no reason to use the study room, but judging by how it was described as somewhere he “couldn’t enter,” it seemed like it was available to those with at least five stars in Middle Class, like Yoon Taean.
I went down to the lobby to find the library entrance. I found it quickly because a sign was neatly attached to one wall, prominently visible.
[Imperial Forest]
Below the large letters, in smaller text, were the words “Imperial High School Library.”
Looks like I found the right place. But…
“…Who the hell came up with such a lame name.”
Not “Forest of Wisdom” but “Imperial Forest.” It was probably named after the school, but if that name was chosen through a contest, I seriously questioned the students’ thinking.
I approached the entrance with a disgusted expression and opened the glass door. As soon as I entered, I tightly closed my mouth and carefully stepped forward, confronted by the majestic interior and the almost frighteningly quiet atmosphere.
The librarian sitting at the reception desk glanced at me and gave me an eye greeting. I slightly bowed my head and scanned the surroundings to see where I should sit.
As I headed toward a corner where I could sit comfortably rather than conspicuously in the middle, I stopped walking. Along one wall with windows, there were single desks arranged, perhaps intended as spaces for individual reading. The desks were like those in study rooms, open only at the back, suitable for private studying.
That area was fully occupied with students. Some seats had their windows slightly open, with cool breezes gently blowing in. Though it was raining, it seemed they were ventilating to alleviate the stuffiness.
Despite it being early summer, the temperature had dropped due to the rain, and the library was stuffy because they had turned on the heaters.
I turned and sat in an unassuming spot. It was a place where I wouldn’t stand out and could focus alone.
Since there wasn’t time to read and I had no intention to study, I quietly looked around, only moving my head.
A female student struggling to pull a book from a shelf much taller than herself, a male student quietly reading a book at his seat, students who looked like a couple exchanging notes by writing on paper rather than talking to avoid making noise.
After blankly staring at various scenes, I pressed my forehead.
I had come to pass time in a place conducive to organizing my thoughts, but somehow my mind had become even more complicated. I swallowed a sigh and quietly closed my eyes.
I’m not sure how long I stayed like that, but I slowly opened my eyes when I heard rustling sounds beside me.
Wondering who had sat next to me, I glanced to the left without much thought, then my eyes widened. Why is he here?
“Maeng Moa, why are you here?”
I glanced around casually, then leaned toward Maeng Moa and spoke very quietly. In response to my whispered small voice, Maeng Moa smiled brightly and whispered back:
“Why are you here, sunbae?”
Damn it, I asked first. I composed my expression and spoke casually.
“I have something to do later, so I’m just killing time.”
“Ah… I’m also killing time here.”
At those words, I glared at Maeng Moa with suspicious eyes. Seeing my expression, he chuckled and raised his eyebrows.
“What’s with that look? As if I just told a lie or something.”
“Well, it’s strange to see you in a library.”
“Why? I like reading books, you know.”
This time I sighed softly and answered by giving him an incredulous look.
“Wow… that’s a completely disbelieving expression.”
“That’s because you suddenly came and sat next to me.”
“If someone heard that, they’d think I deliberately followed you and sat down next to you.”
I hadn’t meant to argue, but Maeng Moa pouted his lips as if he was displeased. I made a small groaning sound and shook my head. It meant let’s stop this argument, I concede.
I straightened my leaning posture and tried to focus on something else. Maeng Moa, seated next to me, actually brought a book and began to read it. I felt a bit awkward, thinking I might have been too sensitive to someone who really came to read a book.
Maeng Moa, who had been focusing on his book, soon turned his head and asked, perhaps finding it strange that I was just sitting there doing nothing.
“Don’t tell me you’re really just going to kill time here? Without doing anything?”
“So what?”
“Sunbae has a surprisingly carefree side.”
What are you talking about? I’m so confused right now. But hiding those inner thoughts, I asked calmly:
“You don’t seem to take any extra classes, so do you always stay like this? Until, you know… someone comes to pick you up?”
If he doesn’t have any after-school classes to attend, couldn’t he just leave right away? When I ran into him on the field the other day, I was puzzled because it seemed like he was deliberately staying at school to kill time.
If that was because he wanted to watch Moon Seoheon, then why is he still here today and not leaving? Given that Moon Seoheon was exercising on the field, not in the gym, this guy would surely have noticed.
Wondering if he might not know about the change in plans, I added:
“If you’re looking for Moon Seoheon, he’s probably running on the field right now.”
“…”
Maeng Moa opened his eyes wide as if he didn’t understand what I was saying. If anything, I was the surprised one, so my voice was dejected as I said:
“Aren’t you going to watch him?”
“No. I’m planning to go find him around the time he finishes.”
There was a nuance of caution, as if he was worried about disturbing practice. I was exasperated by his seemingly considerate attitude, especially when yesterday he had gone looking for him saying what if he got soaked in the rain.
Then a small sigh escaped as if all the energy had drained from my body. So he doesn’t go every day, and yesterday he probably went with an umbrella because he was concerned about the sudden downpour. Well, he’s not a stalker; how could he go looking for him every time? As I sorted my thoughts, I just nodded vaguely.
“So do you wait until sunset every day? Your manager doesn’t come at the end of school hours?”
“Jihoon hyung isn’t a manager; he’s an aspiring actor. He was active in a theater troupe but became interested in film, so he’s learning with me, and he picks me up while working part-time to earn money.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes. Since he wasn’t getting paid by the company but was learning, he said he’d at least do that, so I told him to go ahead.”
Unlike me, whose eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected answer, Maeng Moa who spoke matter-of-factly seemed serene. Well, if he’s not charging for lessons, he might come to pick him up out of gratitude. He seemed quite close to that Song Jihoon person… So then, when introducing him that day, he was too embarrassed to say he was an actor and just vaguely called him a manager?
And Maeng Moa’s family seems to be connected to the entertainment industry. Judging by how casually he mentioned sending a guest singer in front of Jung Jaein, they seem to have significant influence as well.
At any rate, it was clear that Maeng Moa’s family was impressive.
It felt strange yet fascinating to learn something new like this, as if he was someone from a completely different world than mine. Actually, the thought that we had lived in different worlds before meeting made me laugh, but it was a sensation difficult to describe, stemming from either emptiness or oddity.
Perhaps I looked strange, as he frowned and looked at me oddly.
“What’s with that expression?”
“…What’s wrong with my expression?”
“It’s like you’ve reached enlightenment or something. Sometimes sunbae has this expression like you’ve shed all your worries and are about to leave for somewhere.”
“Am I some kind of monk?”
I let out a scoffing laugh, feeling incredulous. Honestly, I did sometimes feel like I would reach a state of transcendence beyond my limits because of these guys. I clicked my tongue softly and chided him to just read his book, when someone nearby cleared their throat as if trying to get our attention.
When I turned my head, the librarian was standing beside us, looking at both of us with a cold gaze.
“Ah… I’m sorry.”
Only then did I realize that we had been talking louder than we thought, and I bowed my head apologetically.
“Please be careful. Moa, I’d also appreciate if you would be a little more careful.”
“Yes. I’m sorry.”
Maeng Moa, with his eyes creased into a gentle smile, apologized. The librarian’s stiff expression naturally softened. She left after giving a stern reminder to stay quiet.
I mulled over the librarian’s words, which didn’t seem to scold Maeng Moa much, and recalling his flirtatious attitude, I closed my mouth with a disgusted expression.
Fortunately, Maeng Moa just glanced at me and laughed soundlessly without speaking to me.
Break time came. Though we had to be quiet, the atmosphere in the library became more lively than before, as if it was okay to get up from our seats at any time. No one was talking loudly, but here and there people were tapping their stiff bodies and groaning. Just then, my phone rang.
Thinking it might be Ye Abin, I took it out, but it was an unknown number. It didn’t seem like spam, but I was a bit surprised to receive a call from an unknown number when I had changed my number just a few days ago.
As the vibration continued, I went outside the library and pressed the call button.
“Hello?”
―Ah, Taeho?
This voice, could it be…
“Junhee sunbae?”
―Yes. Are you still at school?
“Yes. How did you know?”
―I heard from Jinyoung.
Ah, I guess Lee Jinyoung, who remembered that I said I had an appointment, relayed the message. But how did he get my phone number? When I asked out of curiosity, a refreshing answer came back.
―Taean gave it to me.
“Ah… I see.”
Holding back a laugh that was about to burst out, I asked what was going on, and after hesitating, Kwak Junhee drawled:
―Can you come down for a moment?
“Now?”
―Yes. You don’t have to come all the way to the student council room; we can meet wherever you want.
Does he have something to talk about with me? Suddenly, memories of that day at Ace came to mind, and I wondered if he wanted to properly discuss something we had glossed over.
That voice saying he felt hurt echoed in my head, and I swallowed dryly. Just as I was about to answer that I understood, I paused at the voice coming from the other end.
―We haven’t had a chance to be alone lately.
