By Zephyria 
Do Yun-hyeok just watched me blankly the entire time. Contrary to my worst-case scenario assumptions that he might not be able to stay quiet and would run out or get kicked out, he endured quite well.
Scratch, scratch. The sound of pencil lead on paper was pleasing.
‘Calculus… so difficult.’
I repeatedly set up and erased various formulas, engrossed in finding the solution. I studied because I wanted to get good at difficult things, so I couldn’t give up just because it was hard.
However, there was an unexpected problem: Do Yun-hyeok, with his chin propped on his hand, was staring intently only at me.
It was such an overt gaze that I couldn’t ignore it, even if I tried. It was ridiculous to think that he would eventually get bored, look away, and find something else to do. He never took his eyes off me. I was flustered.
Does a mad dog have patience too? Isn’t a mad dog supposed to have poor patience?
I was timing myself to solve problems, but whenever I looked up to glance at him beside me due to the persistent gaze, our eyes met. Several times.
Finally, my hand, which had been solving problems, stopped as if surrendering. The lingering gaze from beside me was so burdensome it felt like I was going to get indigestion.
I scribbled a memo on the corner of the problem book page with the page number. Do Yun-hyeok perked up his ears at my sudden scribbling while solving a problem and paid attention.
「Stop looking and do your own thing」
He confirmed it was a message left for him and let out a deflated sound, chuckling lightly.
As I was about to resume solving problems after he confirmed, Do Yun-hyeok, who had rummaged through my pencil case and found a perfectly good mechanical pencil, scribbled a new memo below. Contrary to my prejudice that a punk would have bad handwriting, it was neat and elegant.
「What can I do when my eyes keep getting drawn to you」
「?」
「You should have been a little less pretty」
Crazy bastard.
「;;」
「What? Don’t you need me?」
As I hesitated slightly, Do Yun-hyeok quickly wrote another line, looking disappointed.
「If you don’t need me, I’m leaving?」
「That’s X」
Seeing my hastily scrawled reply, I felt Do Yun-hyeok stifle a laugh again.
「If Pretty Boy tells me not to go, I shouldn’t go」
It was absurd. But I was used to Do Yun-hyeok’s bullshit by now. As always, I ignored it and tried to focus on solving problems again. Do Yun-hyeok suddenly stood up from his seat. Startled, I dropped my mechanical pencil and grabbed his wrist.
Do Yun-hyeok looked down at his wrist that I was holding, then at my face, and after repeating these actions, he smiled broadly, revealing his teeth, as if satisfied. Then, he nonchalantly gestured towards the bookshelves.
So he was going to pick out a book…
I felt embarrassed that my hand, which had grabbed him, had jumped to conclusions, thinking he was leaving the library. However, since he was a mad dog, I couldn’t let my guard down. He might even do something bizarre like tearing up a library book because he didn’t like it. Besides, Ban Seo-yi had insisted he had to stay with me all day.
‘Come with me.’
I whispered with my lips and also stood up.
Do Yun-hyeok, who seemed surprised that I would follow him this far, nodded his head with a pleased smile. It was only because I was thoroughly trying to keep Ban Seo-yi’s promise, but somehow I felt like I had lost to him. But that thought was fleeting. I hurried after Do Yun-hyeok, who was striding ahead.
Whether he was doing it on purpose or not, Do Yun-hyeok weaved strangely between the bookshelves. I hurried behind him, trying not to lose sight of his hand. It felt like I was the one being held, not him.
Reaching the bookshelves quite far from where people were studying, he slowly stopped at a shelf where books in the 500s were arranged. I looked around the bookshelves.
The 500s were the code for technology and science. I didn’t think Do Yun-hyeok would read technology and science books. With suspicion, I quietly whispered to him,
“What book are you going to read?”
“Shouldn’t I see what books are here first?”
It was a valid point, but why did it sound so untrustworthy coming from Do Yun-hyeok? As I gave him a suspicious look, Do Yun-hyeok shamelessly just shrugged his shoulders.
As I was about to slowly let go of his wrist so he could look at the books, Do Yun-hyeok grabbed my hand and made me hold his wrist again.
“Don’t let go.”
“I was letting go so you could read.”
“I can read with one hand.”
At this point, isn’t he a puppy rather than a mad dog?
Since I couldn’t make a loud scene in the library, I had no choice but to obediently follow Do Yun-hyeok’s words. I didn’t know what kind of unreasonable stubbornness he would exhibit next. Do Yun-hyeok took out a random book with one hand, looked at the title, and put it back, repeating this process.
He did this for a long time. When I started to doubt if he was actually choosing a book, Do Yun-hyeok suddenly turned around. I was pulled along involuntarily and asked,
“Aren’t you choosing?”
“I don’t like any of the books.”
“What kind of book do you want to read?”
“I’ll know when I see it.”
I felt a vein pop in my forehead.
Ban Seo-yi’s earnest plea to stay together all day suddenly made sense. It was clearly because it was a high-difficulty task that required enduring high blood pressure.
But I couldn’t relax and hold the back of my neck. I followed Do Yun-hyeok closely, afraid of losing him for even a moment. Thinking that Do Yun-hyeok could do something strange anytime, anywhere, I couldn’t take my eyes off him, like watching a cat left in a fish market.
As we went around the wide bookshelves like a toy train, Do Yun-hyeok’s smile never left his face. It was frustrating that I had to fall for his obvious trick.
Only when I started to worry about the belongings I had left behind did Do Yun-hyeok finally stop at the popular book section.
“Da Vinci’s Nose Bridge 1”
“Shouting Love in Compliance with New Censorship”
“Pepper Popo Memories”
The displayed books were so worn out from how diligently people had read them that their covers were tattered. From there, Do Yun-hyeok picked up a random book placed at the very end and smiled, suggesting we return to our seats. I looked at him with a sense of unease.
‘He definitely picked it up without even looking at the title just now…’
Why did he go through all that running around if he was going to do this!
But I didn’t have the energy to complain further. We returned to our seats. After tidying up the atmosphere again, I resumed the problems I had been solving earlier.
As I drew graphs to find the answers to the problems, Do Yun-hyeok, sitting beside me, seemed to be trying his best to concentrate on the book. The sound of pages rustling was clear.
Is he reading well? After finishing one problem, just before moving on to the next, I glanced at Do Yun-hyeok. And I couldn’t suppress my astonishment when I saw that the book he was holding was upside down.
‘…He wasn’t reading it?’
If he was going to pretend, he should at least put in some effort; why was he holding it upside down! Was he just flipping through the pages pretending to read?
But expecting common sense from that guy was even more insane. I tried to ignore it and solve the problem again. However, the upside-down book kept bothering me, and I couldn’t stand it any longer. Like a designer who sees a poster shifted by 1 pixel, I felt an urge to fix it immediately.
Why is he being so attention-seeking!
‘…Do Yun-hyeok!’
Finally, unable to bear the restlessness, I called out to Do Yun-hyeok first. I tapped him and called him with my lips only, but Do Yun-hyeok turned to me immediately, like a dog running to its owner before hearing their footsteps. Startled by his lightning-fast reaction, my hand retracted.
Calmly, I pointed at the book in the guy’s hand and whispered softly.
‘Book. You’re holding it upside down. What are you doing.’
“Trying to break it?”
‘Quietly! Speak quietly!’
I shook my head at the guy who was drawing attention by speaking normally in the middle of the library. Then, using gestures and body language, I explained only with my lips.
‘Why. Are you holding the book upside down.’
“You think I’m cute?”
No!
Do Yun-hyeok kept misunderstanding and asking again, going down the wrong path.
After trying to convey my meaning with my lips a couple more times, I lightly gave up, thinking, ‘What’s the point?’ and quickly whispered into his ear.
“I asked why you’re holding the book upside down.”
“Ah~.”
And as I pulled away, I had to contort my face in frustration at Do Yun-hyeok’s expression.
This guy…
‘He was pretending not to understand on purpose!’
To be fooled by such a shallow trick!
“You… on purpose….”
“Did it show?”
As I crumpled my face in betrayal, Do Yun-hyeok squinted his eyes and smiled slyly like a fox. I was speechless. It seemed like he had been holding the book upside down on purpose from the start. I wanted to smack that smiling face of his just once. I couldn’t even throw a punch with my clenched fist, only trembling slightly. The expression “my fist was crying” became literally understandable.
“That’s it. I’m studying. Don’t bother me.”
Annoyed, I gripped my mechanical pencil and whispered, then, remembering Ban Seo-yi’s request, I hastily added.
“Don’t go anywhere.”
“Greedy, aren’t we.”
I pretended not to hear Do Yun-hyeok’s scoff and focused back on the problem. Fortunately, he didn’t bother me after that.
Instead, when Do Yun-hyeok quieted down, trouble arose elsewhere. The sound of whispering from across the way made my hand stop mid-problem.
I furrowed my brow and looked up. As our eyes met, a group of students scattered like mice caught stealing grain from a pantry.
‘…What was that?’
Bewildered, I shifted my gaze to the people gathered around them. Unlike the others, they didn’t run away, and I soon understood why. Their gazes were directed not at me, but at Do Yun-hyeok, the red-haired guy sitting next to me.