Chapter 12: A strenuous and bothersome punishment [2]

Song Yujin shuffled into the bookshelves, his shoulders drooping from the exaggerated resignation as he cast a dramatic glance at the stack of books waving at him.

The library, with its rows of high shelves and the mixing scent of paper, ink, and earthy smell coming from the indoor plants decorated in the corner, top shelves, and some tables, felt cozy and vast.

The only noise that could be heard inside was the occasional flipping of old pages, coming from the person seated in the corner by the window, reading the book to help with his boredom watching the penalized student gawking at the rows of books he had to arrange.

Lee Hyun's sharp gaze followed Song Yujin's movement with curiosity mixed with a pinch of masked amusement. He came to monitor the guy, thinking it would be a tedious task, but surprisingly, Song Yujin was behaving compliantly.

Or what he expected before the guy began talking using his mouth again.

"Are you sure this is necessary? I mean, why arrange the books, if tomorrow the students will use them again and just throw them away someplace? Ugh…people who don't know how to return objects to their places are annoying…"

Song Yujin called out to Lee Hyun as he took out one book from the shelf, his voice dripping with mock enthusiasm and obvious irritation. 

He gave Lee Hyun a challenging look and continued, "This kind of task is menial and very mundane. Does the student council can't even think of a proper punishment? Like sweeping the floor, or wiping the windows, or pulling weeds outside—

"The school has janitors," Lee Hyun interrupted him.

Song Yujin clicked his tongue and read the title of the book he took. "Still, there should be more…strenuous task than this, right? This task is too easy."

Lee Hyun raised an eyebrow but said nothing. His silence spoke volumes and was more effective than any reprimand, reminding Song Yujin that he was in the library to arrange the books, not to chat.

Song Yujin sighed. He glanced at the time on his wristwatch, wearing it properly this time, and frowned. By now, Hajun and Yuze might be having fun already. Song Yujin inwardly grumbled.

Begrudgingly, he picked up the next book from the stack – a hefty volume on astrophysics – and flipped it over, squinting at the author's name. "Ah, Dr. Stephen Hawking. How quaint."

Reading a few paragraphs on the first few pages, his head felt heavier and bigger. He gingerly placed it back on the shelf, carefully aligning it between books on related topics, and continued to the next.

Bending lower to grab a handful of index cards from the drawer he took from the card catalog's cabinet, he read the names of the cards, then looked it over to the shelf to check if it was put back in the right place.

For the next hour, Song Yujin threw himself into the task with an exaggerated and forced sense of effort.

He huffed and puffed as if he were hauling boulders instead of books, his eyes hurting from the varied fonts and letter sizes of the titles carved on the spines of the books.

Each time he picked up a new volume, he made a show of dramatically pondering the placement, occasionally letting out an exasperated sigh, and sometimes exclaiming phrases like, "Who the hell even read this thick weapon you called book?! If you smash it to a person, you'll be charged with murder, I bet."

As he rearranged a particularly stubborn section on quantum mechanics, he glanced back at Lee Hyun engrossed in reading his book.

Song Yujin felt aggrieved. He looked serene and boredom wasn't even welcome in his face, unlike him who only managed to arrange the first bookshelf and his hand, his eyes, and mouth were already tired.

Is he even monitoring me? If I sneak out, will he notice? He looks like a prince too focused on his paperwork! Song Yujin thought. He wriggled his body like a dancing balloon and even pulled faces like a clown entertaining an unamused child, trying to discern if the vice president would notice.

He danced funnily without a song and mimicked a mime performance, but Lee Hyun seemed unaware of his eccentricity.

A wide grin formed on Song Yujin's face. He walked to the other end, tiptoeing while suppressing his laughter. When he reached the other end of the bookshelf, he skipped three shelves and turned, aiming at the entrance not far away from him.

However, as he walked past the end of the shelf with a wide, successful smile, his shoulders jumped from the voice that hit his ear so suddenly.

"Remember that another 'menial and mundane' task will be added under your name tomorrow."

"Wah!" Song Yujin lost balance out of surprise from the figure leaning on the edge of the shelf, inches away from him. He almost fell sideways, if not only for Lee Hyun's strong arms grabbing his back, saving him from the fall.

Unconsciously, his hands shot up and grabbed Lee Hyun's arms tightly.

Lee Hyun's eyebrows twitched ever so slightly, his sharp gaze that only knew how to spew cold and aloofness faintly shook from Song Yujin's touch. Despite the fabric between them, the warmth of his palms seeped on his skin, evoking something dormant inside as though a drop of water riled his stagnant memory and his head throbbed out of a sudden.

Song Yujin noticed Lee Hyun winced. He quickly steadied himself and asked, "Hey, are you alright?"

Lee Hyun's expression remained impassive, but his lips were downturned, and his eyebrows were furrowed deeply. Lee Hyun massaged his temple and blinked, wondering, what was that?

The attempt to flee was already forgotten by Song Yujin when Lee Hyun's face turned pale despite remaining indifferent toward his concern. He sighed and dragged Lee Hyun, "Come over and sit. You look pale. Are you anemic, or what? I was the one who almost fell but you're the one who looks scared, geez."

He pushed Lee Hyun down on the seat and walked to the water dispenser in the library. Taking a plastic cup, he filled it with cold water and delivered it to the vice president.

Lee Hyun accepted the cup and drank from it.

Song Yujin watched the silent man, guilt arising inside him. He scratched his head and sat opposite the guy, declaring, "Okay, I won't escape. I'll finish doing that task, but today, let's end here. You don't look fine—

Lee Hyun, "I am well."

"Geez, vice president, try looking at your face in the mirror! You look like someone who saw a ghost! Did I scare you? It's the other way around! You're the one that scared me, seriously!" Song Yujin demanded.

He fanned himself after spouting those words, then he answered Lee Hyun's suspecting eyes with honest ones, "I promise I'll come with you obediently tomorrow. It's getting dark anyway, and you have to lock the library too, so let's end it here."

Song Yujin firmly declared and stood afterward, leaving no room for Lee Hyun to complain. He started checking the windows and locking the opened ones, then he waited for Lee Hyun to turn off the lights and lock the library.

The time was already past five, and the setting sun had already disappeared from the sky. The lamp posts placed on the side of the cobbled pathways were lit already, even when the sky was still bright with hues of pink and purple.

Song Yujin looked up as he walked to the exit, holding the straps of his bags with both of his hands. Recalling that he didn't get to thank the vice president, he whirled around, only to find out that he was walking alone, and that Lee Hyun's shadow was nowhere to be found.