Tuesday morning, Song Soyi squealed on her bed before getting up. The clock on her side table read 7.41. Still quite early considering she didn't have class for the day. She did, however, plan to hang out with the girls later on. Her bestfriends Younha and Mihee had been spamming their chat early. After texting to invite them to her dorm later that evening, she headed to shower.
Soyi was barely halfway with her breakfast when her phone rang with a new number on display.
"Hello"
"Hello. Is this Song Soyi sunbaenim?" A smooth male voice came through.
"Yes, I am. Who's this?" Soyi liked the way the person rolled the last syllable of her name.
"My name is Jongho. Choi Jongho. I am a freshman and it's said that you're my academic mentor." The other person responded with a slight hesitation.
"Oh, right. Yes, sure. Are you settling in? I think we should arrange to meet soon. But no rush. My classes don't really start till next week"
"Umm. I was wondering if we could meet over lunch today. There's some things on the paperwork that I don't understand."
"I can do that. However, I cannot stay longer than an hour since I have appointment later"
"I think that would work. I am sure this won't take that long"
"Is 12.30 okay with you?" She asked as she scribbled on a sticky note.
"Sounds good" he responded with what sounded like a breath of relief.
"Awesome. Meet me at the sushi place on campus centre. Do you know where is it?" She made sure to pick an easy spot. But, she also remembered the new guy might not have explored much.
"I think I do. But, if I get lost, I will let you know" he said with an awkward laugh.
Chuckling, Soyi reminded herself to leave early as she said her goodbyes and hung up.
After finishing her breakfast, she checked on the campus mentor app on her phone to see if there's anything urgent for freshmen. Nothing was really a pressing matter aside from the form submission to the faculty. She then decided to call home after forgetting to do it the day when she had arrived on campus.
โ โ โ
As Jongho walked towards the colourful building that was the campus centre, he headed straight to the food hall where several food stalls were located. The sushi place that was his destination had black, white and red accent along its creamy brown interior. Standing by the entrance, he glanced around despite not really knowing what he expected to find.
It was that moment his eyes caught the equally breathtaking sight of her. The girl sitting at one of the table by the window was none other than the beauty he had seen at the garden the day before. A quick look around confirmed him that she was the only one sitting alone. Mixed feelings exploded in him and suddenly so many what ifs were popping in his mind.
Feigning confidence to hide his shaky legs, he approached her despite the raging urge to flee. She shifted her gaze to him as he got closer and their eyes met. He could swear his heart skipped a beat upon seeing those eyes glazed in an alluring mirage of calmness. She is beautiful, dear goodness he thought.
Words were failing him as he stood in front of her, throat suddenly dry and of all words he could have told her, he was disappointed of what did come out of his mouth.
โUm, helloโ Jongho said slightly nodding.
โHi, are you Choi Jongho?โ she asked, rising from her seat.
โYes. Song Soyi sunbae, right?โ replied Jongho, trying hard to sound calm.
โMhmm. Grab a seat. Did you have trouble finding this place?โ Soyi returned to her seat and looked at him as she spoke.
Jongho felt like his heart was stuck in his throat and the air around him was significantly more humid. He swallowed the sudden lump on his throat before answering.
โNot at all. I saw this yesterday during campus tour. I hope sunbae hadnโt waited for longโ he curved his lips to a smile.
โNo, not really. I just got here. Also, please, you can call me Soyi. Itโs okay hereโ a bright smile greeted Jongho as he looked at her with an obvious puzzled look.
โI- itโs not something I am used to. Iโm sorry if โโ
โOh my bad, I am so sorry I did not mean to make you uncomfortableโ Soyi cut him after noticing the uneasiness.
โNo no no. This is just new to me. Umm, is it okay if I call you Soyi noona, then?โ
With the same bright smile he was graced earlier, Soyi nodded in agreement.
After the initial awkwardness disappeared, they went on talking about the paperwork that Jongho was having problem with. They took a break to order lunch and eat once the form was mostly filled. Soyi asked him about settling in and his first impression of the campus. Jongho told her about the tour, his dorm โ which was only a couple buildings from Soyiโs โ and how his schedule would not start till Thursday.
Before leaving, Soyi informed him of several things they needed to go through regarding his library membership and Jongho would occasionally nod to her explanation. Once she made sure Jongho took note of the documents to prepare, Soyi said her goodbyes and were on her way out. Jongho, still looking at her back, felt a huge rush of relief as he wiped the sweat on his forehead.