Taking the Long Way Around
"Hmm... that's weird."
Kang Sung-hoon muttered quietly to himself. His voice got swallowed up in the bustle of break time, but the nagging doubt lingered. Ever since the career counselor mentioned the group assignments, his daily routine had shifted just a bit.
Three days had passed without him settling on an interview subject, but he wasn't worried about that at all. Instead, something else felt off—especially the cause of it.
"Oh? Sung-hoon?"
Lee Seol-ah appeared right in front of him, her face lighting up with surprise as she approached.
"What a coincidence—we keep running into each other."
How many times was this now? He'd definitely been bumping into Seol-ah more often lately. She flashed a bright, innocent smile, like she was insisting she meant no harm. Sung-hoon stared at her for a moment.
"Something on my face?"
"Nah. But isn't this the third-floor hallway?"
"Huh? Why bring that up out of nowhere?"
Seol-ah tilted her head, her cute little mannerism screaming I have no idea what you're talking about.
"This is the sophomores' hallway."
"Just out for a stroll."
"Your route's pretty unique."
Seol-ah answered without a hint of flusteredness. A stroll—yeah, that made it less suspicious. From what Sung-hoon knew, Seol-ah was the type who loved wandering around. Even before the group assignments, he'd spotted her drifting through the halls now and then.
"You really go anywhere, huh?"
"What, are you the type who gets intimidated by upperclassmen?"
She asked it casually, like the fact that this was the sophomores' turf had completely slipped her mind. Sure enough, a few second-years glanced their way. The two freshmen stood out boldly amid the crowd of seniors. A group of guy upperclassmen muttered among themselves.
"She's cute. Freshman?"
"This year's first-years are on another level."
"Damn, if only I'd come a year later..."
"Dream on, dude. No chance with your face."
They were whispering and pointing at Seol-ah. Of course, Sung-hoon drew eyes too. At over 180cm, he was hard to miss—especially with his sharp, handsome features.
"He's tall..."
"Bet he has a girlfriend."
The murmurs came from all directions, but the noisy hallway drowned them out completely. Sung-hoon stepped closer to Seol-ah and looked at her.
"You said you were strolling, right?"
"Yeah, wanna join?"
"Sure. Where to next?"
Naturally, the two started walking together. Like it was planned, they slipped out of the second-years' third-floor hallway.
"Phew...!"
Seol-ah let out a relieved sigh once they escaped the upperclassmen's territory. Sung-hoon glanced at her and casually probed.
"First time strolling that way?"
"...Yeah. Felt like pioneering a new route, y'know?"
Seol-ah paused, then spoke up with a sheepish grin and a playful shrug. But inside:
Whoa, he just dives right in!
She was floored by Sung-hoon. How did he know this was her first time on that path?
Meanwhile, he kept talking to her.
"Feels like we've been running into each other a lot since yesterday."
"Really? I'm just going about my usual routine—must be your imagination."
Seol-ah beamed, calling it his mistake. Sung-hoon murmured, "Is it?" and flexed his fingers.
"Canteen, cafeteria, hallway, stairs..."
The places tumbled from his lips in a whisper too soft for most to catch. But Seol-ah, zeroed in on him, heard every one. Her reaction? Pure shock.
Those were exactly the spots where she'd crossed paths with him.
What?! How does he remember all that?
This was a whole new level of surprise. She'd even passed by without calling out on purpose sometimes, but he'd nailed every encounter—down to yesterday's.
He remembered every single time they'd met with eerie precision.
Wait... does he like me?
Seol-ah even let that thought flicker through her mind. Wasn't there a saying that you can't forget traces of someone you like? Was Sung-hoon that type? Unable to hold back her curiosity, she peeked at his face.
"......No clue."
"Huh?"
"Nah, nothing."
No payoff. Worse, he'd caught her muttering and she had to wave it off. But Seol-ah wasn't done. Steel yourself, she thought, then pointed at the wristband on his wrist.
"That band—where'd you get it?"
Time to attack from another angle. Ha-yoon always clammed up about her wristbands, so Seol-ah figured Sung-hoon might spill.
Luckily, unlike Ha-yoon, he answered straightforwardly.
"This? Had it at home, so I wore it."
"No, I mean, what brand?"
"Dunno... hold on."
Sung-hoon pulled out his smartphone and tapped away. After a few seconds, he opened a shopping app and showed his purchase history.
"Bought it here."
Seol-ah studied the screen intently, committing the brand to memory in one go.
"Better now? Mystery solved?"
"Yeah. Didn't know stuff like this existed."
"Right? With all the gaming these days, wrist guards are hot sellers."
Sung-hoon rotated his wrist like it was stiff. Made sense—he'd probably bought it after gaming pain. Seol-ah pondered that, the idea that maybe it was all in her head bubbling up.
But it wasn't time to quit yet. Break would end, then lunch. Perfect chance.
"You free at lunch today?"
She'd observe them both up close. With that in mind, Seol-ah suggested lightly, but Sung-hoon shook his head.
"Sorry, got something then."
"Mind if I ask what?"
"Helping out at the library."
Jackpot keyword: library. That's what Ha-yoon had let slip the other day. Why had she mentioned it? Seol-ah probed casually.
"Mind if I tag along?"
"Not much fun there, though."
"C'mon, when have I ever chased only fun?"
"Who was it complaining the restaurant was boring?"
Seol-ah shut her mouth. Fair point—she had griped about that. Her own words tripped her up like some lovesick fool. Meanwhile, Sung-hoon tapped his phone casually.
"Sure, you can come."
Seol-ah blinked at the process. Hadn't he just been turning her down?
"Wasn't that a polite no?"
"Nah? Just said it off the cuff."
Then what was with the back-and-forth? Tossed around by his words, Seol-ah thought idly.
"So, you really wanna go?"
"Yep."
"Cool, I'll let 'em know."
And just like that, Seol-ah joined Sung-hoon's party.
Lunchtime. After a quick meal in the cafeteria, Sung-hoon and Seol-ah headed to the library. Alone, he'd have eaten on the rooftop, but with her, that was out. She was a cafeteria girl anyway, so matching her made sense.
Sung-hoon walked on, thinking that, while Seol-ah was lost in her own world. She'd originally wanted to rope Ha-yoon in too. But true to form, Ha-yoon had vanished at lunch.
Her phone was off, too.
"Why's her phone off?"
"Forgot to charge?"
"Hmm, Ha-yoon, who's glued to her phone every day..."
"Happens if you're gaming right before bed."
Solid excuse. Seol-ah bought it, and soon they reached the library door. A sign was posted there.
The library is closed to entry for the time being!
Cute, cutesy handwriting. While Seol-ah puzzled over the mismatch with the teacher's style, Sung-hoon knocked.
"Who's there?"
"Your part-time help. Code word is..."
"N-No, it's fine! I'll open right up!"
A girl's voice. Seol-ah wondered if Sung-hoon always used the code to get in. Then, with a slide, the door opened.
"Thanks for coming to help today. And your friend too..."
Yoo Na-ri, greeting Sung-hoon warmly, froze mid-sentence. Her gaze snapped to Seol-ah. An awkward silence hung until Seol-ah spoke first.
"Got curious about library work, so I tagged along!"
"...I see. Might be a bit tough for a regular girl..."
Na-ri trailed off. Seol-ah's mind flashed to familiar faces—the popular crowd types. Polite rejection tactic. She'd heard it before and thought:
Testing the waters?
She shot Na-ri a subtle side-eye. But Na-ri just looked genuinely concerned, no hostility.
My imagination?
Yeah, a pure library-loving girl like her wouldn't pull that. Seol-ah rolled up her sleeves reassuringly.
"Don't worry! I'm prepared for that much."
"...Okay then. Looking forward to it."
With that, the two entered Na-ri's library. And exactly ten minutes later, Seol-ah regretted her foolish choice.