chapter five

aeri stared at the book on her desk like it was something dangerous. it sat there, half-buried under her makeup bag and tangled earbuds, the edges still warm from her fingers. she hadn't planned on reading it. really, she hadn't.

but something about the way he said it—

"i'll ask what you thought tomorrow."

it echoed in her head like a dare. not the party kind. something quieter. something that mattered more.

so she opened it.

just one chapter.

the first few pages dragged. some literary description, a slow introduction to characters. she considered putting it down. but then—something shifted.

a line of dialogue. a girl who reminded her of herself, just barely. a boy who said too little and meant too much.

before she realized it, an hour had passed.

then two.

by midnight, her lamp cast a golden glow over her bed, the pages marked with post-it notes she didn't even remember placing. she was halfway through and annoyed about it.

"not boring," she muttered. "whatever."

the next morning, she carried the book in her bag like a secret. she didn't tell yejin, didn't mention it to sungmin or donghyun. not yet. they'd tease her, make it a thing.

this wasn't a thing.

not really.

at lunch, she didn't sit with her group. she walked straight to the library.

he was already there.

same seat. same posture. same unreadable expression when he looked up and saw her.

aeri sat down without waiting for an invitation. she set the book gently between them.

"finished it last night," she said.

wonwoo's eyes flicked to the cover. "already?"

"i skimmed some of the boring parts."

"no, you didn't."

she raised an eyebrow. "how do you know?"

he leaned back slightly, lips just barely lifting. "because if you did, you wouldn't have made it past chapter four."

she opened her mouth, closed it, then narrowed her eyes. "fine. i didn't skim."

"favorite part?"

"the rooftop scene," she said, too fast.

wonwoo's smile almost deepened. almost.

"what did the girl write on the wall?"

aeri blinked.

he was testing her.

she sat up straighter, arms folding. "she wrote, 'you don't have to be loud to be noticed.'"

his expression didn't change, but she saw it—the slight widening of his eyes.

a pause.

then a nod.

"you really read it."

"told you," she said, smug. "not boring."

he tilted his head slightly, studying her like he wasn't sure what to make of her anymore.

"why are you doing this?" he asked softly.

she blinked. "doing what?"

"this." he gestured vaguely toward her. "talking to me. pretending to care about books."

for a second, something caught in her throat.

she could lie. say she was curious. say she was bored.

but something in his eyes stopped her.

so instead, she shrugged. "maybe i wanted to try something different."

he didn't respond right away.

just looked at her. long enough that she almost squirmed.

then he reached into his bag and pulled out another book. this one thinner. older. worn edges and soft pages.

he slid it toward her.

"this one's better," he said. "but harder to get into."

aeri looked down at the cover. it didn't even have a picture—just a title in faded print.

"i'll finish it by monday," she said.

"don't rush it."

"i'm not a quitter."

"i can tell."

this time, when he stood up, he didn't walk away.

he paused at the edge of the table.

then, barely above a whisper—

"thanks for reading it."

and then he was gone.

aeri stared after him, the new book in front of her, her heart doing something unfamiliar in her chest.

stop it, aeri, she told herself. this is just a bet you need to win.