The library was nearly empty—just the way Liz liked it.
Her shoes barely made a sound against the polished floor as she walked between the shelves. She moved with the kind of grace that made people stare, but she never noticed. Or if she did, she never cared.
Row H. Fiction. Second shelf from the top.
She reached for her favorite author's newest release.
Gone.
Her fingers paused mid-air.
Someone had taken the only available copy.
She wasn't mad. Not exactly. Just… quietly disappointed.
---
Across the room, someone closed a book with a soft thud.
She turned her head slightly and saw him—Jeon Wonwoo.
He didn't look up. Sitting alone by the window, long legs crossed, eyes scanning the page like nothing else existed.
The title in his hands?
"The Garden Between Us."
The exact book she came for.
Liz blinked once, then turned away. It wasn't worth asking. If anything, he'd probably ignore her—or worse, look at her like everyone else did: with a mix of curiosity and distance.
She left without saying a word.
---
The next day, she returned to the library, not really expecting anything. But there it was.
The book.
Resting on the table near the window.
And on top of it—a folded paper note, written in clean, quiet handwriting.
> "You pause before you turn the page.
Like you're afraid to leave the moment."
—W.
Her fingers curled slightly around the note, heartbeat oddly loud.
She looked around, but he wasn't there.
Not that she cared.
Probably.
---
That night, Liz sat on her bed, flipping through the book.
Page 127 had a small mark. A corner folded in the most careful way.
> "Some people speak in silence.
You just have to know how to listen."
She didn't smile.
But she didn't stop reading, either.