chapter twenty six

the following wednesday, aeri arrived to book club early.

she lingered by the library shelves, pretending to skim the new arrivals while secretly watching the door.

when he walked in, quiet and steady, her heart did that thing again—that soft flutter she couldn't quite control.

wonwoo gave her a small nod, and she smiled back.

they sat beside each other again. not too close, but not like strangers either.

as the club members started settling in and chatting about the assigned chapters, she noticed something different.

his notebook wasn't open to reading notes or annotations.

he was sketching.

she tilted her head, curious.

"what's that?" she asked, voice gentle.

wonwoo froze for a fraction of a second, his hand pausing mid-line.

he looked down, then tilted the page slightly away from her. "nothing."

aeri blinked. "hey."

he sighed, clearly flustered, and after a moment of internal debate, he flipped the notebook back toward her—just enough for her to peek.

her breath caught.

it was her.

a quiet sketch of her face, eyes slightly downcast, lips caught in half a smile. her hair fell naturally, the lines soft but detailed. it wasn't finished, but it was unmistakably her.

"is that... me?" she asked, eyes wide.

wonwoo's ears turned red instantly. "i—yeah."

"when did you draw this?" she asked, still stunned.

he hesitated, then said, barely above a whisper, "a while ago."

aeri looked at him, heart suddenly racing for a different reason. "have you... drawn me before?"

his fingers toyed with the corner of the page. "a few times."

she smiled softly. "you've been secretly sketching me?"

he looked like he wanted the floor to open up and swallow him whole.

"...i stopped," he said quickly.

"why?" she asked, her voice quieter now.

wonwoo's eyes stayed on the paper. his fingers tightened slightly.

"because it made things harder," he murmured. "feeling something i wasn't supposed to. drawing you made it worse."

aeri's breath hitched.

then, slowly, he added, "but i couldn't help it. i think you're... beautiful."

silence fell between them—warm and fragile and real.

aeri didn't know what to say at first. her heart was thudding so loudly she was sure he could hear it.

"wonwoo..." she whispered.

he finally looked up at her, and for a second, all the awkwardness faded. it was just him, and her, and the unspoken feelings stretching gently between them.

she smiled, just slightly. "can i keep that one?"

his eyes widened. "what?"

"the sketch," she said softly. "if you ever finish it... i'd like to have it."

he looked away quickly, cheeks still burning, but she saw the smallest curve tug at his lips.

"...okay."