The library was empty at this hour, save for the quiet rustle of pages and the occasional scratch of a pen against paper. You should’ve felt at ease, alone with your thoughts.

But you weren’t alone.

Not really.

You could feel him before you saw him—like a presence lurking just beyond the edges of your vision. It was always like this with Heeseung.

A shadow you could never quite shake.

Your fingers tightened around your pen as footsteps sounded behind you, slow, deliberate. Then—

A hand on your chair.

You froze.

"Heard you’ve been avoiding me." His voice was low, unbothered, like he was commenting on the weather.

You didn’t turn around. "I’ve been busy."

A quiet chuckle. Then, the scrape of a chair is being pulled out beside you.

"That’s cute."

Finally, you turned—only to find him already watching you, elbow propped against the table, chin resting on his hand. His gaze dragged over your face, slowly and searching.

"You gonna keep pretending I don’t exist?" Heeseung leaned in, the faint scent of cologne and something darker washing over you.

Your pulse pounded. "What do you want?"

His smirk deepened, but there was something unreadable in his eyes. "Now that’s a dangerous question."

Your breath hitched as his fingers reached forward, barely grazing yours where they rested on the table. Not quite a touch. Just a reminder.