✴︎ rendezvous by RUNEBIN-

ft. lucy. wooah.

Silence enveloped the lecture hall, with only faint sounds of pens scraping against notebooks or the light click of the odd person tapping away at their keyboard being heard. A short, stubby professor stood proudly before the projector screen, barely as tall as the lectern beside him, attempting to engage his less-than-enthusiastic students.

It's not his fault, though. Nobody willingly enjoys 8am classes, even if the topic is something as interesting as 'The Anatomy and Function of the Musculoskeletal System'. 

Banished to the last row was none other than Gunwook, whose towering height would evoke a united sense of ferocity amongst his fellow classmates if he were to ever sit in front of them. So, sitting at the back was the safest option in order to avoid their wrath.

Ever since coming to university, making friends had proved to be incredibly difficult for Gunwook. People would take one look at his innocent face and think 'Ah yes... Another brainless, dumb jock studying Sports Sciences... I bet there is nothing going on behind those doe eyes of his...'  whilst instantly refusing him any chances at friendship due to their fundamentally baseless judgements.

They would never talk to him long enough to realise that he's actually more intelligent than they give him credit for, nor would they take interest when he spoke up about his hobbies or likes, often leaving him embarrassed and ashamed to have opened his mouth in the first place. And the worst part was, there wasn't a specific reason as to why everyone treated Gunwook this way; perhaps, in their eyes, he was just an easy target that could withstand the relentless punches they threw at him.

Although the crushing loneliness he felt in those initial months stung, he didn't blame anyone. Gunwook wasn't that sort of person; he didn't bother himself with executing a carefully crafted revenge plan against those who had wronged him, and he certainly couldn't care less about trying to prove himself worthy of others' time. If people wanted to come to him, then he would let them. But ultimately, he was done trying.

Alas, life grew easier when he ran into a familiar face. Admittedly, it was a shock to see Gaeun striding down the university hallway, maths textbooks clutched tightly to her chest with her head held high, given that the last time Gunwook had spoken to her was ... Well, their date - which was over a year ago. 

And when Yujin recruited his help for a task which he wouldn't give any further details on, Gunwook was once again alarmed to come face to face with Gaeun, eventually forcing himself to bite the bullet and make conversation with her. Undoubtedly, it started off as an awkward and clumsy mess of half thought out sentences, but soon they fell back into the rhythm they once had. 

A little while afterwards, mustering courage from god knows where (or, maybe audacity is a better word), Gunwook asked her out for the second time, expecting immediate rejection. Much to his surprise, Gaeun accepted and let him into her life again. 

Dating Gaeun was everything he had dreamed of; passing notes to each other during lectures, catching her eye across the room, late nights spent in her apartment off campus. Yet, it only occurred to him later in their relationship that the two had never actually gone out in public together - mostly so that Yujin wouldn't realise, but still. And then it became clearer; the secrecy, the furtive nature of everything they did. Suddenly, all the things he had previously treasured about their love slowly turned sour, leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. 

Nevertheless, he stayed. Because first loves aren't meant to be perfect, or neat, or without flaws. They're messy and painful; and the greatest thing that will ever happen to you. Or, that's what Gunwook believes. 

He promised that he would wait for Gaeun until she was ready... But when would that be?

With an exasperated sigh, Gunwook held his head in his hands as the professor droned on, struggling to stay awake as his body yearned to go back to bed. At some point, he must've dozed off as the person sitting beside him slammed a piece of paper down on his desk, startling him awake.

"W..What was that for?" Gunwook shot his head up, trying to regain his bearings. He stared at the paper with curiosity, and then reached out to take it. "What's this?"

"I don't know - some weirdo told me to give it you once the lecture ended.." The guy mumbled, quickly packing up his things in order to keep the conversation short. Similarly, the surrounding people were also getting ready to leave, so Gunwook followed suit. "None of my business, if I'm being honest."

"Oh.. Um, thank you! What's your name, by the way? I'm Gunwook-"

"Absolutely not," He shook his head in mild disgust, swiftly retreating out of the row without looking back. "He's so strange... Ugh, and to think he had the nerve to speak to me..."

Choosing to ignore the blatantly malicious comment, Gunwook unfolded the paper to reveal a handwritten message inside.

library. room 3.

"... Okay," Gunwook nodded, both confused and intrigued by the anonymity of the note. Grabbing his bag, he shuffled out of the row and made his way to the exit, a part of him excited by what could be waiting for him in the room.

The walk to the library was brief, with Gunwook passing by some of Gaeun's friends (or, more accurately, people in her friend group) who greeted him warmly.

"Morning Gunwook!" Eunhye smiled, giving him a wave which he timidly returned. 

"It's good to see you!" Jun nudged him playfully with his shoulder, laughing with Eunhye as they disappeared down the corridor. 

Eventually, he entered the library and headed straight for private study room no.3. Inside, majority of the lights were turned off, the eerie atmosphere combined with the quiet unsettling him greatly.

"Hello?" Gunwook called out anxiously, regretting his choice of coming here without any knowledge of who or what this is about. Naivety can be a dangerous thing. "Is anyone in here? Shit.. this is how people get kidnapped in movies isn't it? Oh my god... What if I'm about to die-"

"Boo."

Gaeun appeared behind him, completely deadpan as she flipped the switch on the wall letting light flood the room, her abrupt entrance sending Gunwook leaping 10ft into the air.

"You.. What... What was that for??" Gunwook shrieked, stressed beyond belief. "I thought that was the end for me! I could've died!"

"Well, you didn't so..." Gaeun examined her nails, sidestepping past Gunwook's large frame as she walked into the room. "Your survival skills must be non existent. Attending a meeting without knowing who summoned you..."

"You literally wrote the note!" Gunwook whispered shouted, mindful of the other people working in the library just outside the door. "... Anyways, what is it that you wanted to talk about?"

"It's Yujin... I'm being forced to look after him on the Jeju trip ," Gaeun slumped into one of the empty chairs, leaning back with an unimpressed expression. "I mean, I don't mind that he's tagging along... It's just that I thought we could have these two months to ourselves without him breathing down our necks 24/7."

"So, why don't we just tell him?" Guwook joined her by the table, sliding into the seat next to hers. He took Gaeun's hands in his own, squeezing them affectionately. "I'm sure he won't freak out as much as you think he will."

"Have you met Han Yujin? He's not exactly the king of composure," Gaeun raised a brow in his direction, envisioning the chaos that would ensue if she breathed a word of their relationship. "I suppose we could try. But if there's bloodshed, I'm telling the police that it was all your fault."

"That's only if you make it out alive."

The two shared a laugh, Gaeun clutching his hands tighter as a comfortable silence settled amongst the pair. After a moment, she poked his leg under the table with her foot, an unusually mischievous glint in her eyes.

"What?" Gunwook giggled, tilting his head as he watched Gaeun like a lovesick puppy. In return, she cupped his face in her hands and planted a soft kiss on the tip of his nose, smiling as she pulled away.

"What do you say we spend the rest of the day doing something fun? No classes or lectures. Just you and me," Gaeun grinned, patiently awaiting his response.

"... Where is Min Gaeun, and what have you done with her?" Gunwook joked, sinking into her touch. "But if that's what you want, then let's do it."

"Really? You would skip?"

"Being with you is better than sitting in a boring lecture hall. Of course I would skip."

"Wrong answer," Gaeun tutted, dropping her hands as she stood up from her seat. "That was a test - and you failed. You should know by now that my version of fun is classes and lectures. Oh, and revising too."

"... I can never win with you, can I?" Gunwook chuckled, his gaze filled with nothing but fondness. 

Wordlessly, Gaeun shrugged - but if you looked closely, you would see a hint of a smile on her lips.

"I'll call you later, okay?" She ruffled his hair before heading for the door. "Bye Wook!"

"Bye Gaeun! I... love you.." The words died in his throat as she was already gone, the warmth from inside the room leaving as she did.

However, Gaeun knew what he had wanted to say; even if she didn't hear it. It's why she left so quickly, refusing to allow any space for those three words to exist between them. Words that she knew she couldn't say back, not yet at least.

'He makes me feel like I'm on top of the world,'

Gaeun shook her head, exiting the library.

'... And that's a very long way to fall.'

inside mat's mind

✶ ꒰ ⋆✴︎˚｡⋆ ⋮ in eight days... i did the unthinkable. all character intros have been written and completed. who would've thought? because i certainly didn't 😭 but finally, we have our entre obs cast, and WOW they are a troubled bunch /lh. seriously, i love every single character submitted and i can only hope to do my best to portray them as accurately as possible 🫡

rune, i offer my humblest apologies for making you wait this long for gaeun's intro. she's a little bit livelier in this segment because she's around gunwook and he's sort of like.. her person so 😇 but i am very excited to explore more of her apathetic side in future chapters - her personality is so interesting, i just adore her really. also, thank you for being the most supportive friend too! love you /pos 🫶

✶ ꒰ ⋆✴︎˚｡⋆ ⋮ ok now, for my little treat. below, you will encounter a gif that has the trip's itinerary and all of the room arrangements ☺️ i thought about putting the couples in rooms together... and then realised how BORING it would be to have the forced proximity trope for everyone 👎 instead, a few couples have been put together (some with a buffer hehe) whilst others have been completely separated. and just because they are in these rooms now, doesn't mean it's where they'll end up after the lights go out... if you catch my drift 😇 also bonus point for anybody who can name who scribbled what on each itinerary plan!

on one last note, thank you all for coming along on this ride with me - here's to having a summer to remember!