He did not begrudge losing himself in books. They were formulaic. Predictable. Unlike people.

Holding a map of the building he did not need, he went down a side aisle which was marked “East Literature Archive” and entered a quieter, darker section of the library. There were no other students back here, only the scent of yellowed pages and dust motes suspended mid-air in the golden light.

Excellent.

He scanned the titles with his hands, not reading, when a soft voice pierced the silence.

“You found the best hiding place on campus.”

Ji-Hoon jumped back, spinning

Min-Soo was several feet away, leaning comfortably against the end of one shelf, holding a book and flashing a familiar grin on his face. There was no formal blazer to be seen this time—he was dressed only in a white button-down rolled at the sleeves with his student ID lanyard clipped into his pocket.

Ji-Hoon stared, unsure how to respond.

”I didn’t mean to scare you,” said Min-Soo, taking one step forward. “I come here sometimes when I too wish to disappear.”

“I’m not hiding,” Ji-Hoon said quickly.

He raised an eyebrow, grinning. “Alright. Then I guess we're both just. exploring."

Ji-Hoon looked away. “This section’s quieter.”

“It is,” Min-Soo agreed, sliding a book back onto a shelf without looking. “Most people don’t know it exists. But the best poetry books are back here.”

Ji-Hoon hesitated. “You read poetry?”

"When nobody's around," Min-Soo replied with another smile. "Don't tell anybody. It could ruin my cool rep." That brought a tiny gasp of humor out of Ji-Hoon, although he did his best to conceal it.

He stepped forward by a pace or two, not far enough to be intimidating but far enough to register. “You're a freshman, right?”

He nodded. “Engineering.”

“Tough major,” Min-Soo said, lightly. “You’ll need escape plans. This library corner should be your first.”

He remained cautious. His eyes glanced to the aisle.

"Hey," he added more softly, "I didn’t mean to intrude. I’ll leave if you’d like."

A silence. Ji-Hoon thought about it.

".You can stay," he whispered.

Min-Soo smiled—not wide or smug, but softly. Gratefully.

He descended the wall to sitting on the floor with back pressed to shelves, legs crossed, open book on his lap. Ji-Hoon looked hesitant, then duplicated him from the other side of the wall, a few feet away.

They did not speak for a bit. The pages shifted back. Light streamed through.

Ji-Hoon felt the silence between them grow less sharp. Less dangerous.

Finally, Min-Soo got up from his slouching pose and stretched. “I

Ji-Hoon blinked. “I didn’t tell you my name.”

Min-Soo grinned. “Orientation roster. I remember faces.”

And with that, he was gone.

Ji-Hoon stayed in the silence, gazing at the empty space where Min-Soo had exited.

He did not know whether to be annoyed or flattered or terrified.

Maybe all three.