✧ library

@✏ ⋮ chey hyeon。 “Oh no, don’t worry, it didn't disturb me at all and for the others left here, they’re way into their work to even notice. Either way, it was a good pick me up as an alarm.” She said as they shook hands, giving it the classic business two-pump treatment before letting go of his. “Well, it’s nice to meet you, Hyeon from Law. I understand, is it due soon though?” Hana asked while running her fingers on the books near her, hoping the small talk wasn’t bothering him since she was known to be talkative to some capacity.

She chuckled at the idea of becoming an angel of death of some kind but knew she’d be too soft to take any soul away even if they begged her. A smile tugged on her lips when he asked about liking Beyonce and nodded in response, “I do actually, she has a way of making you feel yourself by just simply listening to her songs.” She quipped before chuckling once again only to be interrupted by her tummy grumbling for a bit of sustenance. “Oh.. well I beg your pardon, I did not mean for that to happen. Please say you didn’t hear that and if you did, please deny it still.” Well, that wasn't very pleasant she thought while flashing a sheepish smile.

“I guess there’s no better way than to ask if you fancy having a short break?” Hoping to recover from the last moment, thinking they were now somewhat even. Damn even her tummy was doing the talking for her. “Spontaneous but if you don’t want to, it’s cool.” She then turned away to yawn for a moment, it was a clear sign she was in dire need of rest now but a warm cup of tea and perhaps a small pastry wouldn’t hurt. Thankfully she only had afternoon classes tomorrow but who knows what the day has in store for her. For now, though, she was just more than happy to to speak to someone after the long hours finally.

@✏ ⋮ takahashi hana。 As a law student, Hyeon somehow manages to master the art of observing people’s expressions. He can sense if someone is annoyed with him or uncomfortable with his actions. The person standing next to him now, Hyeon casts a quick glance before confirming his thoughts. She does not appear to be a bad person, at least not with that innocent face. The way she replies to his previous embarrassing moments is elegant and humble, like a yoga trainer who is always smiling. "Oh no, I am just worried that my fantastic alarm might disturb you," he looks around to see if there is anyone else in the area, "or anyone else at this odd hour," he sincerely explains.

"I am Hyeon," he reaches his hand out to meet hers, flashing the brightest smile he can offer at almost 1 am. "Law major, nothing fancy, just a distressed dude trying to finish his assignment," he says, almost laughing but trying to remain cool (What’s for, you just embarrassed yourself greatly just now, scolds his inner self again).

Then he listens to her next words, chuckles, and shakes his head, "At this hour, your existence might seem a bit suspicious," he replies seriously but then puts on a funny expression. "Worry not, I have seen worse. I mean, if an angel suddenly pops out next to me and wishes to kill me, I would just voluntarily submit my life at the hand of the angel," teases Hyeon, reciprocating the light jokes between the two.

He laughs again as he listens to her words. Yes, the dream is too good to be true. "The greatest alarm ever, but it might disturb others so I try to be as cautious as I can. Do you like Beyoncé too?" he casually asks, it might be great if she is a fan too. Not that it matters, but having a friend with similar thoughts is hard to find. It is funny, Hyeon thinks to himself. At this odd hour, he is making a friend who appreciates the same music and art as him, what a life, what a life!

@✏ ⋮ chey hyeon。 A bit startled, Hana jumps back once the person had jolted from his sleeping state. She tilted her head as if studying him and his movements, chuckling softly while waving her hands in front of her. “It’s alright, nothing to be sorry for.” He seemed to be really apologetic, it was cute, she thought but in any case he was off the hook. She composed herself and gently shook her head before speaking up once more. “You’re alright don’t worry. I’m actually just taking a break from my session, I’m from the other end of the floor so you didn’t disturb me at all. I hope I didn’t disturb your sleep though.. you seem to have a lot on your plate this late at night.” She smiled sheepishly while looking over his workload then focused her eyes back at him.

“I’m Hana,” she said with her hand offered to him and smile to match. “Communications, junior. In any other circumstance, this should be normal but seeing how late it is, “I’m not some Jeffrey Dahmer type or copycat for that matter.” Call it word vomit or her extrovert card coming through at any given time, it seemed like a good opportunity to make a friend, even at this time of night. Perhaps the Jeffrey part was a little off beat but better to admit it upfront— or at least to let his guard down and put him at ease seeing that she may have almost given him a heart attack.

“You seemed to be having a good dream though and may I say, great choice for an alarm.” She added before biting her lip to give him a chance to speak or else she would have kept going. He seemed nice, she thought. Not one of those snooty, stubborn types that think they’re too good for this world. Judging from the amount of apologies he gave just now, she got a good vibe from him and hoped he didn’t think that she was weird or anything. Unfortunately, her sociable self did come with a price but that never brought her down.

@✏ ⋮ takahashi hana。 It is supposed to be just a short nap, or what they call a power nap. But perhaps his tiredness is too powerful to the point where he literally abandons the idea of waking up and continues sleeping like a log.

In his dream, he is currently dancing with Beyoncé, shaking his booty to the left and right while wearing bright pink heels, and moving all over the stage during the final encore.

It is so epic – the crowds are cheering so loud and Hyeon, as one of her backup dancers, is energetically showing off his killer moves, performing a split on stage at the peak of the 'Who run the World? Girls!' chorus. He is too into the performance when Beyoncé suddenly taps on his shoulder while saying, "Excuse me?" "I excuse you, Queen," he softly yet confidently mumbles as the sound of his alarming phone alerts the whole area yet the owner just leisurely sleeps through it.

Then Hyeon hears the voice again, "You seem to have slept through your alarm, sir?" says the voice which Hyeon is now sure does not belong to Beyoncé. So he slowly opens his eyes and stares at the owner of the voice while listening to the sound of his alarm ringing like a madman in the library.

"" is the first thing he says before he rushes to grab his phone and proceed to dismiss the alarm. "," he shamelessly says it again, temporarily forgetting the standing figure next to him. Perhaps Hyeon is still in his dreamland but when he finally realizes that he is not alone there, he slowly turns to look at the person before letting out a masculine yet fragile scream. "," thrice – and this time, he is really shocked and greatly embarrassed. " – I am really sorry." The heck, man – no one is saying sorry while cursing, scolded his inner self.

"I-I, I have disturbed you greatly, right? With the alarm and everything – ," a deep sense of embarrassment crept into every inch of his face now. "I am sorry. Did I disturb your study session? Again, I am really sorry that I forgot to turn off my alarm. Are you okay? I did not mean to curse at you, I was just shocked that you are here, standing right next to me." Now that he is more sober, he starts to explain his circumstances even though it is unnecessary. "I am really sorry," he bows his head.

@✏ ⋮ chey hyeon。 ‘Thank God for the library being open at ungodly hours,’ Hana thought as she stared out the window for a moment to take a short mental break from the hours of research she had just gone through. Whoever said getting a communications degree would be a breeze really needs their brain checked but then she couldn’t complain either since she was having fun nonetheless. It was either this or having to conform to the family business which she was not made for. This gave her the freedom and creativity she was always in tune with.

She heaved a soft sigh as she took off her headphones and stood up from her seat, deciding to take a short lap around the floor she was on assuming there wasn’t much left since people had come and gone as the day passed on. Taking a glance at her watch, she gasped faintly not realizing how long she’d been at her spot, surprised at how much progress she had made in those hours. At least by the time she heads back to her place, sleeping wouldn’t be a struggle, something she desperately needed at that very moment but to her dismay, there was still so much to do.

Walking through the rows of shelves filled with books that were probably much older than her, there was something about the complete silence of the library that gave some sort of comfort. It was eerie at times and who knows what could pop out at her like the typical horror film, this however was different or up until she heard a familiar tune playing from a short distance which piqued her interest.

‘..Who run the world? Girls (girls)
Who run the world? Girls (girls)
Who run this mutha? Girls
Who run this mutha? Girls..’

Trying her best to bite down the grin that was tugging at her lips, she approached the sleeping figure who seemed to be too deep in their REM cycle to even hear their alarm. She contemplated for a moment if she should wake them but seeing the amount of paperwork they had on their desk, it was a need. With a short huff of confidence, she gently placed her hand on the person’s shoulder and gently shook them, turning off the alarm at the same time too. “Excuse me,” she began softly, “you seem to have slept through your alarm, sir?”

@✏ ⋮ takahashi hana。 Hyeon loves Beyonce, a secret love he wishes no one else would know about.

Do not misunderstand, as a law student, Hyeon supports the women's empowerment program because he believes women are essential in the cycle of nature. These days, he has been attending a constitutional class where one of his latest assignments is to write about the lack of women's protection in the constitutional law of South Korea.

The research is going smoothly, even though he has been spending the whole day in the library, reading hundreds of articles and books. The sky, which used to be bright with colors, now turns gloomier, signaling that the sun is bidding farewell to the day to welcome its best friend, the moon.

His eyelids too, are getting heavier, and the speed of his fingers typing gradually slowing down. He glances at his watch, realizing it is almost 12:30 am and he is still at the same location, in the same seat for hours. He sighs, takes a deep breath, and decides that he will finish the paper once he wakes up from his short nap. Confidently, he sets his alarm for thirty minutes, that one alarm with 'Run the World' by Beyonce as the ringtone. Tiredness then clouds his mind, prompting him to close his eyes for a quick break. And that is how he enters his dreamland, leaving reality and his assignment behind.