Hwang Hwang Couple

22

The first time Lee Eunsang saw her, she was bolting down the long staircase in the Student Union Building. Her long brown hair was flying around wildly around her face and he remembered the mix of determination and excitement painted on her face. He’s not sure he’s ever seen someone so… electric. 

***

The second time they ever spoke, she had fallen and sprained her ankle while she was trying to get a book from the top shelf of the library. She was still apologizing profusely to everyone who was glaring at her when he went over to check on her. “Are you okay?” he whispered as he squatted next to her. She bit her lips, “I think I sprained it,” she whispered back, pointing to her ankle. He looked closer to inspect. “Is it broken?” she asked. “I don’t know. I’m not a doctor yet,” he grinned sheepishly. His hyung, Seungyoun, had introduced them to one another a few weeks ago since she’s Seungyoun’s hoobae in the broadcasting department. He remembered the look of awe on her face when Seungyoun introduced him as a future doctor.

Eunsang spent the next thirty minutes helping her wobble to the Health Center and stayed as the nurse checked on her ankle. He couldn’t help but chuckle when she explained that she wanted to get a book from the top shelf, so instead of asking the librarian to help or look for a stool, she stepped on the ledge of the bottom shelf and slipped. He offered to walk her back to her dorm but she refused, a ridiculously wide smile plastered on her face. And he watched her limp away from him, unable to keep the smile off of his face.

***

The third time she joined him in the library to study together (the word ‘together’ here is used loosely since she spent most of her time restlessly fiddling about while he’s deep in his textbooks), she slid a Post-It note to the page that he was reading. The note read:

Spicy tteokbokki

Non spicy tteokbokki.

He looked up for a brief moment and smiled, followed by a questioning look. Her eyes just widened and gestured towards the note, asking him to answer. So he did. The next day, she called out his name from the door of the study room that he was in, earning them looks from everyone else. She had that neon-bright smile that’s downright blinding when he walked up to her. She was holding a glass food container with a Post-It note on top. “The best, non-spicy tteokbokki in the world,” she explained before he had a chance to ask. She sounded so incredibly proud that he couldn’t stop himself from chuckling. “Let me know what you think!” she said before she waved goodbye and sprinted away. He stayed glue in his spot for a few moments. It always feels like this whenever Yuna is around. She comes in like tornado - the good kind, if there’s ever such a thing. She rolls in with so much buzz and when she leaves, you’re left feeling emptier than you felt before. All he could do was stare at the pink Post-It note on the container which contained instructions to share them with his study group and that she expects a comprehensive review over KakaoTalk.

Pertama kali Lee Eunsang melihatnya, dia berlari menuruni tangga panjang di Student Union Building. Rambutnya yang panjang dan cokelat terbang liar di sekitar wajahnya dan dia ingat campuran tekad dan kegembiraan yang dilukis di wajahnya. Dia tidak yakin dia pernah melihat seseorang yang begitu ... listrik. *** Kali kedua mereka berbicara, dia jatuh dan terkilir pergelangan kakinya saat dia mencoba mengambil buku dari rak paling atas perpustakaan. Dia masih meminta maaf sebesar-besarnya kepada semua orang yang memelototinya ketika dia pergi untuk memeriksanya. "Apakah kamu baik-baik saja?" dia berbisik ketika dia berjongkok di sebelahnya. Dia menggigit bibirnya, "Kurasa aku terkilir," bisiknya kembali, menunjuk ke pergelangan kakinya. Dia melihat lebih dekat untuk memeriksanya. "Apakah rusak?" dia bertanya. "Aku tidak tahu. Saya belum menjadi dokter, "dia menyeringai malu. Hyung-nya, Seungyoun, telah memperkenalkan mereka satu sama lain beberapa minggu yang lalu sejak dia hoobae Seungyoun di departemen penyiaran. Dia ingat ekspresi kagum di wajahnya ketika Seungyoun memperkenalkannya sebagai dokter masa depan. Eunsang menghabiskan tiga puluh menit berikutnya membantunya bergoyang-goyang ke Pusat Kesehatan dan tetap tinggal ketika perawat memeriksa pergelangan kakinya. Dia tidak bisa menahan tawa ketika dia menjelaskan bahwa dia ingin mendapatkan buku dari rak paling atas, jadi alih-alih meminta pustakawan untuk membantu atau mencari bangku, dia melangkah di langkan rak bawah dan menyelinap. Dia menawarkan untuk mengantarnya kembali ke asramanya, tetapi dia menolak, senyum lebar yang lebar terpampang di wajahnya. Dan dia melihat wanita itu pincang darinya, tidak bisa menahan senyum dari wajahnya. *** Ketiga kalinya dia bergabung dengannya di perpustakaan untuk belajar bersama (kata 'bersama' di sini digunakan secara longgar karena dia menghabiskan sebagian besar waktunya dengan gelisah mengotak-atik sementara dia tenggelam dalam buku pelajarannya), dia memasukkan catatan Post-It ke halaman. bahwa dia sedang membaca. Catatan itu berbunyi: Eunsang sunbae… lingkaran satu: Tteokbokki pedas Tteokbokki non pedas.

Dia mendongak sejenak dan tersenyum, diikuti dengan tatapan bertanya. Matanya melebar dan menunjuk ke arah catatan, memintanya untuk menjawab. Jadi dia melakukannya. Hari berikutnya, dia memanggil namanya dari pintu ruang belajar tempat dia berada, membuat mereka terlihat dari orang lain. Dia memiliki senyum cerah-neon yang benar-benar menyilaukan ketika dia berjalan menghampirinya. Dia memegang wadah makanan kaca dengan catatan Post-It di atasnya. "Tteokbokki non-pedas terbaik di dunia," jelasnya sebelum dia sempat bertanya. Dia terdengar sangat bangga sehingga dia tidak bisa menahan diri untuk tidak tertawa. "Biarkan aku tahu apa yang kamu pikirkan!" katanya sebelum melambaikan tangan dan berlari pergi. Dia tetap menempel di tempatnya selama beberapa saat. Selalu terasa seperti ini setiap kali Yuna ada. Dia datang seperti tornado - jenis yang bagus, jika ada hal seperti itu. Dia berguling-guling dengan begitu banyak desas-desus dan ketika dia pergi, Anda pergi dengan perasaan lebih kosong daripada yang Anda rasakan sebelumnya. Yang bisa dia lakukan hanyalah menatap catatan merah muda Post-It pada wadah yang berisi instruksi untuk membagikannya dengan kelompok belajarnya dan bahwa dia mengharapkan tinjauan komprehensif atas KakaoTalk.