The Rustle of Fate
The weekend hush had settled over the City Library's second reading room. Only the steady scratch of mechanical pencils on paper and the occasional cautious flip of a page filled the space.
Nam Siu scowled at the tangled equations in his workbook, furrowing his brow. He'd diligently attended cram school back in middle school, but now that the effects seemed to have worn off, these application problems made his pencil lead snag and stutter.
With a small sigh, Siu rolled his stiff neck and naturally let his gaze drift to the seat beside him.
"..."
Right next to him. Baek Isul, who usually wore her neat bob tied back loosely for comfort at school, was utterly absorbed in her workbook without a flicker of movement. Her bare face, framed by thin silver-rimmed glasses, showed fierce concentration in profile.
She looks pretty even with glasses... Siu's math-jumbled mind eased as he admired her face. Her long lashes, the white fingers gripping the pencil, and the way she unconsciously bit her lower lip whenever a problem stumped her. Was he here to study or to ogle his girlfriend?
Propping his chin, he grinned broadly and sent her an unabashed stare—
Thwack—
"Ow!"
Isul flicked her eraser at Siu's forehead without lifting her eyes from her workbook.
"Stop slacking and solve it."
In the quiet reading room, she mouthed the scolding at him, lips moving silently.
"N-No... I was solving it..."
Siu mouthed back his indignant excuse and hastily dropped his gaze to his workbook, but his flushed ears betrayed him.
Glancing sideways at him, Isul let out a soft sigh, set down her pencil, and tapped his wrist.
"What?"
Siu blinked at her wide-eyed. She nodded toward the door outside the reading room—a considerate suggestion for a break, since his focus was already shattered.
They carefully pushed in their chairs and slipped out side by side. Heading to the first-floor lounge with the vending machine, Siu finally exhaled the breath he'd been holding and groaned.
"Haa... Why is this so hard? It wasn't this tough last semester."
"Because you spent the whole day staring at my face. Try solving a workbook like that."
"Gah... You knew?"
Isul poked his side with an exasperated look and stepped up to the vending machine.
"Still... I didn't expect you'd study this hard."
"We're at the library. What'd you think we'd do?"
As Isul reached for her wallet amid Siu's grumbling—
"Huh? Baek Isul?"
From the sofa by the vending machine, someone sipping canned coffee shot to their feet and called her name.
Crisp ironed white shirt, neatly combed hair, thin silver glasses adding an intellectual air. A textbook model student approached her.
"Who... Yoo Eunho...?"
Isul's eyes widened slightly as she peered at his face. Siu's brow furrowed involuntarily at the unfamiliar name from her lips.
Had Isul ever shown such a mix of delight and surprise at seeing someone? Not once in Siu's memory.
Eunho approached with a clear, harmless smile.
"Isul, long time no see. What a coincidence—running into you here of all places. Studying?"
"Uh... yeah, something like that. You still come here a lot?"
The usual cool edge was missing from Isul's voice. Siu caught the subtle shift right away.
Nodding, Eunho's gaze naturally slid to Siu, who stood awkwardly beside her.
"And this is... a friend?"
Before Siu could speak, Isul answered.
"Nam Siu. My boyfriend."
"Ah... boyfriend, huh..."
In that instant, Eunho's smile deepened ever so slightly. His expression stayed kindly, but the quick up-and-down glance at Siu was blatantly appraising—less congratulatory warmth, more a skeptical This guy?
"Nice to meet you. Yoo Eunho."
Eunho extended a pale hand leisurely toward Siu.
"Isul's not easygoing... must be tough."
Siu's brow twitched faintly. One word had been grating on his nerves since earlier.
Isul...?
The casual intimacy, like he knew her far deeper and longer than Siu ever could. Even the nickname Siu used sparingly flowed so naturally from him.
"...Hi. Nam Siu."
Suppressing the rising irritation and inferiority complex, Siu gripped the offered hand.
A strange certainty hit him. This guy was the one closest to the past Seo Juwon had hinted at.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
After a brief handshake with Siu, Eunho turned back to Isul without a second glance.
"Seriously glad to see you. I switched phones and lost all my contacts. Oh, right—remember that tteokbokki place by our school? We went all the time in middle school."
"Oh, that one? Still there?"
"Yeah, passed by last week—same as ever. The auntie was asking about you. You devoured so much there."
"Pfft, says the one who stole it all off my plate."
A small, faint chuckle escaped Isul's lips. Siu had never seen her react so naturally and relaxed with anyone else—he could only stare blankly.
"Oops, monopolizing with old stories? Sorry. Middle school was just... fun times."
Eunho glanced at Siu with a bright smile. Siu forced his lips up and nodded, but the alienation creeping from his toes was undeniable.
As their shared-history chat flowed—
Bzzz—bzzz—
A vibration buzzed from Eunho's pocket. Checking the screen, he clicked his tongue with regret.
"Ah... gotta go. Wanted to talk more."
Pocketing his phone, he naturally held out his hand to Isul.
"Isul, gimme your phone."
"Huh?"
"I'll put in my number. Can't lose touch again."
Isul hesitated a beat, then pulled out her phone and handed it over. Right in front of Siu, Eunho's long fingers tapped swiftly on the screen.
"Called myself from it. Let's grab food sometime."
"Yeah, take care."
Eunho gave Siu a light nod and left the lounge. Isul stared at her phone screen, her usual blank expression softened by a faint excitement and warmth from reuniting with an old friend.
Siu ventured cautiously into that unfamiliar warmth.
"...Hey, Isul. Who was that...? Seemed close."
At his voice, she pocketed the phone, turning to him. She smiled, but the warmth was gone.
"Huh? Oh, just a middle school friend. C'mon, back to studying."
"But still..."
"Not important."
She cut him off firmly—no more questions—and turned toward the reading room. Left behind, Siu stared at her back, forcing his reluctant feet to follow.
Not important, she says. Don't overthink it.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
But regrettably, after that weekend library encounter, tiny cracks began forming in Siu's daily life.
During break time, Isul's usual constant messages fell silent for once. Finally, Siu, who'd been waiting, headed back from the canteen alone with Juwon for the first time in ages.
Fingering the cold condensation on his strawberry milk, Siu approached the window of Class 2.
She'll like this, right?
His excited face froze as he scanned for her seat beyond the glass.
Isul was propped on her chin, a faint smile playing on her lips as she tapped her screen.
Siu pulled out his phone and checked their chat. The message he'd sent at the start of break still sat unread, the yellow 1 mocking him.
...Ignoring mine. Chatting happily with who?
In a flash, Yoo Eunho's smug face from the weekend resurfaced. His mind chilled, an inexplicable inferiority surging.
"..."
Biting his lip, Siu spun on his heel toward Class 1.
"What? Wasn't that for Baek Isul?"
Juwon, following, eyed Siu's detour puzzledly.
"...Dunno. I'll drink it."
Siu, mood soured, brushed past Juwon's gaze and strode into Class 1.
"What's up with that guy suddenly."
Clueless Juwon scratched his head, staring baffled at Siu's prickly retreating back.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
But what truly wore Siu down was something else. Days of this nagging unease had his mind spiraling into pathetic fantasies whenever Isul glanced at her phone.
On their usual walk home together. They entered the alley side by side as always, but Isul stared at her phone, and Siu's heart wasn't the same.
"..."
"..."
No words passed between them. Normally, this silence would feel comfortably serene, but now it weighed heavily on the alley.
Unable to bear the stifling air, Siu swallowed dryly and spoke first, voice trembling faintly at the end.
"Ahem... that Eunho guy. Texting him?"
"...Huh? Oh, yeah."
Isul replied indifferently, not stopping or looking up.
That lukewarm affirmation dropped a heavy stone on Siu's chest.
He forced a casual smile.
"...You two must've been close? Texting a lot."
The question carried a hint of emotion—the bravest, pettiest words Siu had ever uttered.
Isul's fingers froze on the screen. She stopped, slowly turning to stare at him. Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly.
"You're acting weird."
"Huh? N-No, just curious..."
Caught off-guard, Siu averted his eyes. Isul pocketed her phone decisively.
"Nothing between us. Not the type where you'd get jealous."
"..."
"Just... middle school was rough, and he helped me out once, so we got close then. That's it."
Her best effort at clearing the air, a concession from someone who never bothered explaining misunderstandings. But it offered Siu no comfort now.
Then why not tell me about your past?
The words swirled in his throat, unspoken. He'd never seen her laugh freely except with her friends. Maybe that Yoo Eunho understood her better.
"...Haha, jealous? Nah. Just glad you have fun with friends."
Siu swallowed the bitterness and forced his lips up. Clenching and unclenching his fist, he eked out,
"C'mon. Parents'll worry if we're late."
He turned to flee—but
Grab—
Isul sighed softly behind him, stepped close, and gently laced her fingers into his empty hand.
Startled, Siu halted. She spoke in a softer tone than usual.
"...Sorry for being distant lately. Got excited reuniting."
Her clumsy, sincere apology. The warmth from her hand made Siu nod slowly.
"Y-Yeah... it's fine. Normal."
Her head tilted at his self-convincing murmur. To lighten the mood, she asked,
"Library this weekend too?"
"Ah... maybe not."
Siu carefully disentwined their fingers, smiling awkwardly.
"Family trip to relatives this weekend... gotta study alone."
A lie. But gazing up at his hollow-eyed face, Isul didn't press.
"...Oh. Guess no choice."
With her flat reply, the lingering warmth at their fingertips faded emptily.