Chapter 2

*After School in 2‑E*

*Chapter 2 – The Boy at the Court*

Wednesday, 3:38 PM. You’re early to library duty on purpose.

The umbrella is in your bag. The star hairpin is clipped behind your ear where your hair covers it. Just in case.

At 3:40 exactly, the door opens. But it’s not Jaehee.

“Hey, you’re 2‑E, right?”

A boy leans in the doorway. Tall. Basketball jersey, number 7, jacket tied around his waist. Hair still damp, like he just came from practice. You’ve seen him around – Lee Hyunwoo, 3rd year, transfer student from Seoul. The one all the first‑years giggle about.

“Yeah,” you say, confused. “Library duty?”

“Nah.” He grins, and it’s the unfair kind of grin that makes people trip on stairs. “Jaehee said she’s stuck in a student council meeting. Sent me to tell you so you don’t wait.”

Your stomach drops. “Oh.”

“But,” Hyunwoo walks in and drops his bag on a chair like he owns the place, “she also said you can’t reshelve by yourself because you’ll ‘organize by color instead of author again.’ Her words.”

You flush. That happened _once_. In first year.

“I don’t–”

“I’m Hyunwoo. I sit behind Jaehee in calc.” He pulls a chair out and spins it backwards, straddling it. “She made me swear to help. Apparently you’re ‘2‑E’s most important asset.’”

You’re not sure if you want to hide or scream. “She did not say that.”

“She did. Then she threatened me with laps if I let you carry the heavy art books alone.” He looks around. “So. Where do we start, 2‑E?”

You should say no. You should say you can handle it.

But Hyunwoo’s already grabbing the return cart, and the rain is starting against the windows again, and Jaehee isn’t here.

“…F‑fiction first,” you mumble.

For the next 20 minutes, Hyunwoo talks. About Seoul, about how the basketball team here runs suicides differently, about how the bread at the school store is ‘criminally dry.’ He’s easy. Loud. The opposite of Jaehee’s quiet.

He holds up _The Little Prince_. “This one’s good. You read it?”

Your hand freezes on the shelf. “Yeah.”

“Fox part’s the best.” He smirks. “‘You become responsible for what you’ve tamed.’ Super cheesy. I like it.”

You stare. That’s… that’s what you said to Jaehee yesterday.

Before you can ask, the library door bangs open.

Jaehee stands there, student council blazer damp on the shoulders, hair sticking to her forehead. She’s breathing like she ran.

Her eyes go from you, to Hyunwoo holding your favorite book, to the two‑person space between you at the shelf.

“Meeting ended early,” she says. Voice flat.

Hyunwoo doesn’t notice. “Yo, captain! I was just telling 2‑E here about the–”

“You can go,” Jaehee cuts in. “I’ll take it from here.”

There’s a beat of silence. Hyunwoo looks between you two, eyebrows up, then grins slow like he just figured out a puzzle.

“Right.” He tosses _The Little Prince_ to Jaehee. She catches it one‑handed. “I’ll see you at practice, captain. 2‑E, try not to reorganize by vibes while I’m gone.”

He’s out the door with a wave, leaving the smell of laundry detergent and rain.

It’s just you and Jaehee again. The library is too quiet.

“He talks a lot,” Jaehee says finally, setting the book down. Hard.

“He was helping,” you say.

“I asked him to tell you I was late. Not to–” She stops, jaw tight. “Did he say anything weird?”

You think about ‘responsible for what you’ve tamed.’ About the way Hyunwoo looked at you like he _knew_.

“No,” you lie. “Just about the book.”

Jaehee exhales and runs a hand through her damp hair. The star hairpin isn’t in it today. It’s in yours.

“You’re wearing it,” she says, eyes dropping to your hair.

Your hand flies up. “I – I found it –”

“Keep it.” She walks to the counter and pulls the black umbrella from your bag before you can stop her. “It’s still raining. And the forecast says tomorrow too.”

She opens it, even though you’re inside. Holds it out, right between you two.

“Is it big enough for two?” she asks, echoing her text.

You look at the umbrella. Then at her. Her blazer is soaked. She ran here. In the rain. For library duty. For you.

You step under it. There’s barely room, and your shoulder presses into her arm.

“Yeah,” you whisper. “For science.”

Jaehee doesn’t smile. But her ear goes red. Again.

Outside the window, Hyunwoo jogs past the courtyard with his basketball under his arm. He looks up, sees you two under one umbrella _inside_ the library, and just shakes his head, laughing.

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