Emotionless |seongjoong|

*2*

Hongjoong:

I got woken up by my phone. Someone was desperately calling me for a couple of minutes now. It was Wooyoung. Of course, that loud guy had to wake me up. His voice was piercing my brain. Woo told me to get ready in an hour, and be at the school's library. It was something about meeting with that guy to discuss our group project. Once he finished, Woo hung up the phone.

Thanks to my friend, I couldn't sleep in. Instead, I had to get ready and go out. And the only thing I wanted to do was sleep some more. I didn't have the power to do anything. Yet I had to. No one would take a shower for me, get ready, go out and interact with people instead of me. I had to do it. Starting my day that early wasn't among my plans. I planned to sleep, go to lectures in the afternoon, and get straight home. But now I had no choice. And it couldn't be helped.

...

I reached the library about fifteen minutes earlier than needed. I looked around to choose a table when I saw him. That pretty guy I got grouped with. He was sitting by the window, concentrating on something on his laptop. I headed his way and sat in front of him. Seonghwa raised his gaze, looking at me. But I ignored him. Instead, I took out my notebook and wrote some on an empty page. Once I was ready to write, I put on my best fake smile and looked at him.

"I'm Kim Hongjoong, nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too," he replied in a slightly shaky voice. "My name is Park Seonghwa."

That guy was kinda weird in person. But everyone was in a way. Anyways. Wooyoung had finally showed up. He sat next to Seonghwa, giving me the know-it-all look. I knew what he wanted to say, almost as reading his thoughts. 'I told you, Seonghwa is a good guy'. But for me, it was too early to change my mind. Just because that guy showed up earlier than anyone didn't mean he was a good work partner.

"Um, sorry to ask, but what is the project about? Woo didn't give me much details," Seonghwa said shyly. His whole face was flustered.

"Yeah, sorry, Hwa," Woo giggled.

"Our project is about the strong ladies of the literature world," I explained, placing my notebook in front of them. "I wrote some guidelines that we can use."

"Woah, you took it way too seriously," Woo laughed.

"This will be useful," Seonghwa hummed. "Can I write down some additions?"

"Sure, go ahead."

Seonghwa took my notebook. He found a pink pen somewhere and started writing. He was fully concentrated on his work. Seonghwa added quite a lot, connecting everything with small arrows. Once he finished, he placed it in front of us. Woo wasn't really interested in any of that, but I was. I read it as fast as I could, and I had to admit, those ideas weren't bad. We could use them all, to be honest.

"Those are only quick ideas, yet, I think we can use one or two of them," Seonghwa said, blushing. "I can make a shared doc on which we can share work and ideas."

"That will make everything easier, right, hyung?!" Woo said, looking me straight in the eyes.

"Sure," I responded.

Afterwards, we discussed some more about the project. And the time has passed by quickly. Soon enough, we had to leave for our lectures. I couldn't catch a break. But I was used to it. It was part of my routine. Going out, masked in front of everyone, then returning home tired. Well, today, I didn't share any of my lectures with my friends. So I could be a little loose in my act.

Seonghwa:

I couldn't believe it! They had put me in a group with Kim Hongjoong. Was I dreaming? That project was one of the best things in my life. It could turn the tables and help me get closer to Hongjoong, my crush. Thanks to it I could talk with him. Before, I was so afraid to speak to him. Even today, I was so nervous. But I mentally scolded myself for doing it back then. Otherwise, I could regret it. In the end, it wasn't as scary as I had thought. He even gave me his Instagram and his phone number.

"Wooyoung-ah," I chirped to my friend. "What is Hongjoong like out of school?" I asked him.

"Hongjoong? Hmm... he's boring. Joong doesn't go out much. His hobbies are photography and lyrics writing," Woo said.

"What are his lyrics about?"

"Something about love and hate. I haven't seen much," he said, rolling his eyes. "I just don't see what you like in him. Look, Sannie is a different thing."

Ah, Woo was such a sucker for looks and body. I had to admit, San was popular among uni. Many people from different departments came to see him practice. However, Hongjoong was hot too. Joong was handsome, with a charming smile and a flawless fashion sense. And he was so kind and warm. I could never forget his warmth from the day we met. He was so cool back then.

...

I was sitting under the pouring rain, crying. That day, I got cheated on by my ex. The person who I trusted the most, my whole world. Yet, they cheated on me. That day felt like the end of the world, hopeless and cold. I considered staying in the rain until I froze to death. And here he came. Someone placed an umbrella above me. When I looked up, I saw him, Kim Hongjoong. His face back then was unreadable, but his kindness was obvious. He gave me his umbrella and sat next to me. Hongjoong tried to start a small chat with me, probably to distract me. He was trying to help me out, but it wasn't working. So he sang me a song. It was so beautiful and meaningful. Those lyrics helped me to pull myself together.

Once the song ended, he stood up and told me to keep his umbrella. Then he left. After that, I could never forget the face of that kind stranger. And his song too. I had tried to find it online, but it was nowhere to be found.

...

"Earth to Seonghwa!" Wooyoung yelled in my ear. "Are you here, Park Seonghwa?"

"Sorry, Wooyoung-ah. I zoned out for a bit," I laughed nervously. "I just thought about Hongjoong."

"Hongjoong again? That midget sure gets the best of you," Woo rolled his eyes. "Btw, you've never told me how the two of you met," he smiled, getting the gossip girl pose.

"I'll tell you, once I properly confess to Joong,"

Wooyoung rolled his eyes once again before sighing really loudly. Dramatic, as always.