The library remained quiet.
Kentarou's words still lingered in the air.
"...The story I'm writing is my own love story."
Hee-Young stared at him.
Her eyes widened.
"For real?!"
She almost forgot where she was.
Realizing she had spoken a little too loudly, she quickly lowered her voice and glanced around.
A few readers looked in her direction before returning to their books.
Hee-Young let out an embarrassed smile.
"Sorry..."
Then she looked back at Kentarou.
"I seriously didn't expect that."
"So every chapter..."
"...every emotion..."
"They all actually happened?"
Kentarou smiled faintly.
"Not everything."
"I changed a few things."
"But..."
He paused.
"The feelings are real."
For a brief moment—
Neither of them spoke.
Hee-Young looked at the laptop screen again.
Somehow, the novel felt completely different now.
It wasn't just a romance anymore.
It was someone's life.
Someone's memories.
Someone's first love.
---
Then something suddenly crossed her mind.
Her face immediately lit up.
"Oh!"
She couldn't help but grin.
"What would So-Yul think if I told her all this?"
Kentarou tilted his head.
"So-Yul?"
"Who's that?"
Hee-Young blinked.
"You don't know?"
Kentarou shook his head.
"No."
She smiled.
"She's my best friend."
"And..."
"...your biggest fan."
Kentarou looked surprised.
"My biggest fan?"
"Mhm."
"Every time you upload a new chapter, she's the first one to read it."
"If you're even a few hours late..."
"...she starts complaining."
Hee-Young laughed softly.
"Actually..."
"The reason I recognized your pen name was because of her."
"She talks about your novel so often that even I ended up remembering it."
Kentarou couldn't help but smile.
The thought that someone he had never met was waiting so eagerly for his stories...
It felt strange.
But at the same time—
It made him genuinely happy.
---
Outside the library window—
The sky had already turned orange.
The sun was beginning to set.
Hee-Young glanced at the time on her phone.
"Oh."
"I should get going."
She packed her books into her bag before standing up.
Then she looked at Kentarou once again.
"So..."
A curious smile appeared on her face.
"Are you coming here tomorrow too?"
Kentarou looked at the blank document on his laptop.
Then at the rows of books surrounding him.
Finally—
He looked back at Hee-Young.
A small smile appeared on his face.
"...Yeah."
"I think I will."
Hee-Young smiled warmly.
"Great."
"Then..."
"See you tomorrow, Mr. Novelist."
She gave a small wave before walking toward the library exit.
Kentarou quietly watched her leave.
Then his gaze returned to the blinking cursor on his laptop.
This time...
It didn't feel as lonely as before.
The cursor blinked once.
Then—
His fingers slowly began typing.
The next chapter...
Had finally begun.
__
The scene slowly faded.
The library disappeared.
The rows of books.
The evening sunlight.
The sound of keyboards.
Everything dissolved into white.
---
April, 2023.
Three years earlier.
The gentle warmth of spring embraced the streets of Seoul.
Cherry blossoms danced through the air whenever the breeze passed by.
It was one of those peaceful afternoons that quietly became unforgettable memories.
A small group walked along a residential road.
Mrs. Izumi walked beside Mrs. Kubo, the two mothers chatting cheerfully as if they had known each other for years.
Behind them walked Violet's elder sister, occasionally joining the conversation.
A few steps behind everyone—
Kenta happily skipped from one side of the road to the other, humming a tune only he seemed to know.
"We're almost there!"
Mrs. Kubo smiled.
"Our friend has been waiting since morning."
Kenta immediately raised both hands.
"Will there be snacks?"
The adults laughed.
Mrs. Izumi smiled.
"You're only thinking about food."
"Hehe..."
Kenta scratched the back of his head.
"Maybe."
---
Walking quietly behind the group—
Were two children.
Kentarou.
And Violet.
Neither of them spoke.
Not because they disliked each other's company.
Quite the opposite.
They simply didn't know what to talk about.
Kentarou kept both hands inside his pockets.
Every now and then—
He glanced at Violet.
She looked around curiously.
Everything fascinated her.
The houses.
The small gardens.
The blooming flowers.
Even the tiny birds sitting on electric wires.
To her—
Everything still felt new.
After all—
She had only recently arrived in Korea from Japan.
---
The group continued walking.
None of the adults noticed what happened next.
Violet quietly looked ahead.
Her mother was busy talking.
Her sister wasn't paying attention.
Kenta was still chasing a butterfly.
Perfect.
She slowed her pace slightly.
Then—
Step.
Step.
Step.
She moved closer to Kentarou.
So close that their shoulders were almost touching.
Kentarou noticed.
"...Hm?"
He looked sideways.
Violet looked straight ahead.
Pretending nothing had happened.
Then—
Very quietly—
"Izumi."
Kentarou blinked.
"...What?"
No reply.
She simply continued walking.
A few seconds later—
"Izumi."
This time—
She whispered even more quietly.
Kentarou leaned slightly toward her.
"What is it?"
She quickly glanced toward the adults.
Still talking.
Good.
Then she looked back at Kentarou.
"...Can I ask you something?"
Kentarou nodded.
"Sure."
"But..."
Violet raised one finger.
"You have to answer honestly."
Kentarou looked confused.
"...Okay?"
She smiled.
A playful smile.
One that made her look surprisingly mischievous.
Then she asked—
"...Do you have a girlfriend?"
...
Silence.
Kentarou completely froze.
His footsteps stopped for half a second.
"...Huh?"
Violet tilted her head.
"You heard me."
"Do you have a girlfriend?"
Kentarou stared at her.
His brain suddenly stopped working.
A... girlfriend?
Where did that question even come from?
He looked around instinctively.
Thankfully—
No one had heard.
The adults continued talking.
Kenta was still far ahead.
Only the two of them knew about the conversation.
Kentarou scratched his cheek awkwardly.
"N-No."
"I don't."
Violet looked at him carefully.
"Really?"
"Really."
"You aren't lying?"
"...Why would I lie?"
She giggled.
"I don't know."
"You looked nervous."
"I-I'm not nervous."
"You are."
"I'm not."
"You are."
"I'm not."
A smile slowly appeared on Violet's face.
She had somehow managed to make the usually calm Kentarou flustered.
And she found it surprisingly funny.
---
After laughing softly—
She asked another question.
"So..."
"Has anyone confessed to you before?"
Kentarou immediately shook his head.
"No."
"What about you?"
The question escaped before he could stop himself.
Violet blinked.
"...Me?"
Kentarou instantly regretted asking.
"I mean..."
"You don't have to answer if you don't want to."
She looked ahead.
Thinking.
Then gently shook her head.
"No."
"Nobody."
Kentarou secretly felt relieved.
Though he didn't understand why.
---
The two continued walking.
Neither spoke for a while.
Only the sound of their footsteps echoed along the quiet street.
Then Violet suddenly smiled.
"You know..."
"My classmates talk about things like boyfriends and girlfriends all the time."
"They keep asking me if I like someone."
Kentarou listened quietly.
"So I started wondering..."
She looked at him.
"...if boys also think about those things."
Kentarou laughed awkwardly.
"Not really."
"At least..."
"I don't."
"Hmm..."
Violet nodded thoughtfully.
Then she smiled again.
"I guess we're the same."
The simple sentence somehow made Kentarou's heart feel lighter.
He didn't know why.
Maybe because—
For the first time—
He felt that Violet saw him as someone she could comfortably talk to.
Not just another classmate.
Not just another friend.
Someone she trusted enough to ask silly questions.
---
"Hey!"
Kenta suddenly shouted from ahead.
"Hurry up!"
"We're getting left behind!"
Both of them looked forward.
The adults had already reached the gate of a beautiful house.
Mrs. Kubo turned around.
"There you two are."
"We thought you got lost."
Violet smiled innocently.
"We were just talking."
Mrs. Izumi laughed.
"Talking about what?"
Kentarou and Violet looked at each other.
Then—
Almost at the same time—
"Nothing."
The two answered together.
The adults laughed again.
"What a mysterious pair."
Kenta looked between them suspiciously.
"You two are hiding something."
"We're not."
"We're not."
Again—
Their answers came together.
Kenta frowned.
"...Now I'm definitely suspicious."
Violet couldn't hold it anymore.
She burst into laughter.
Kentarou smiled as well.
A quiet.
Natural.
Genuine smile.
Neither of them realized it then.
But years later—
Kentarou would remember this very walk.
Not because of the destination.
Not because of the friend's house.
But because it was the first time Violet had asked him a question that made his heart skip a beat.
A question so simple.
Yet unforgettable.
"...Do you have a girlfriend?"
And even after all those years—
He could still remember the exact way she had whispered it.