Cindy returned to her dorm with a small, lingering disappointment settling in her chest. She had hoped—expected, even—to see him today. But he never came.
As she reached her door, the room beside hers opened. Lily stepped out in her pajamas, holding an empty water bottle.
"Just finished?" Lily asked.
Cindy nodded. "Yeah." Then she glanced toward the next door. "Where's Yuna? Still studying?"
Lily shrugged. "Why don't you ask her?"
Cindy raised her hand and knocked.
A moment later Yuna appeared, framed by the soft glow of her room light. Long black hair fell like silk past her shoulders; round gold-rimmed glasses caught the hallway lamp. A pale yellow sweater hung loose on her small frame, making her look like quiet sunshine made human.
She looked simple, bright, effortlessly charming—the kind of girl whose presence brought calm without a single word.
"You're still studying?" Cindy asked.
Yuna smiled lightly. "Not really. Finished a few minutes ago."
Cindy let out a soft sigh before speaking to both of them. "How about a girls' night in my room tonight?"
Lily and Yuna exchanged a glance, then nodded with matching smiles.
The three of them had been together since their undergrad days—neighbors, classmates, friends. Even now in their graduate life, they stayed side by side, their bond only growing stronger with time.
***
Classes ended earlier than usual that day. Ryan resumed teasing Valen the moment we stepped out of the building, as if he'd been waiting for the chance. The campus, which only appeared calm from inside the classrooms, immediately burst back to life as students flooded the walkways.
Calling Northvale "quiet" was a mistake—it was never quiet. Not truly.
"The midterms are coming up. Should we head to the library and get the books?" Valen asked as we walked.
"Yeah, we should. Want to go now?" I replied.
Ryan groaned dramatically. "Studying again…?"
Despite his complaints, Ryan had always been one of the top scorers among us back in the day—right beside Valen and me. But he hated studying with a passion. If he could spend every waking moment hanging out or gaming, he absolutely would.
Still, he followed us.
We made our way toward the library, only to realize many other students had the exact same plan. The doors were barely open, yet the place was already filled—tables claimed, lines forming at the shelves, the quiet shuffle of students mixing with hurried whispers.
The library was teeming with people.
As we stepped into the Library of Dawn, the sheer scale of it made us pause—rows of towering shelves stretching across the hall like quiet giants, sunlight filtering through tall arched windows, dust motes drifting in the warm glow; the air smelled faintly of old paper and polished wood, and every sound—footsteps, whispers, the soft thud of books closing—seemed to soften inside the vast space.
Ryan let out a low whistle. "Bro… this place is huge."
Valen adjusted his glasses, taking in the layout with steady eyes. "It's organized by departments—look, humanities is to the left."
"Let's get what we need before everything gets taken."
As Ryan and Valen wandered off to gather the reference books we needed, I let myself drift deeper into the aisles. Libraries always had a way of steadying my thoughts. People could betray you, misunderstand you, leave you behind—but books never did. They waited. They taught. They listened. They filled the quiet parts of you without asking anything in return.
The shelves here were arranged with almost surgical precision, rows of literature categorized by genre, century, and region. I trailed my fingers lightly across a spine before pulling out a collection of translated prose. The pages felt worn yet familiar, the kind of book that had been loved by many before me.
I flipped through a few lines, then moved to return it to its place—
and froze.
Across the shelf, on the opposite side of the row, stood a girl.
Short black hair. Small frame. The way she shifted her weight slightly to one side before walking—
It hit me like a fist to the chest.
Her.
Or rather… someone who felt like her.
My fingers tightened around the book. The world around me dulled, sounds fading into a low hum as I watched her. She was turning away, a borrowed book in hand, probably heading toward the counter. Before I could steady myself enough to move or speak, she was already leaving the aisle.
I blinked hard, breath catching.
Then she was gone.
I snapped out of my trance and stepped out of the row quickly, almost bumping into another student. My eyes searched the open space—left, right, toward the reception, the reading tables, the exits.
Nothing.
Where did she go?
I hurried a little farther, scanning every corner that she could've slipped into. But with so many students moving around, she had vanished as though she'd never been there at all.
Still, my heart wouldn't calm down.
Because for a moment—
I had seen a ghost from my past walking between the shelves.
***
It was nearly 11 p.m. now. I still hadn't eaten. I lay on my bed staring at the ceiling, but all I could think about was that girl in the library.
Who was she?
Was it really her?
I had searched the aisles again and again, retracing my steps until the librarians started glancing at me curiously. Each row I checked came up empty. The girl had disappeared so quickly it felt unreal—like a flicker of memory mistaken for reality.
When I finally gave up and approached the front desk, I asked the receptionist who the last student to borrow a book was. She read out a name— a boy's.
My stomach had dropped a little at that.
I tried asking if I could check the registration log myself, but the receptionist shook her head gently.
"Sorry, that's against policy."
So I left.
Maybe I really was imagining things. Maybe it wasn't her at all. Maybe I wanted it to be her so badly that my mind filled in the blanks for me.
But… what if it was her?
I closed my eyes, letting out a long breath I didn't realize I was holding. Even after all these years, she still occupied a corner of my heart that no one else had touched. I didn't know what I would do if we actually faced each other again.
Would she still remember me?
Had she moved on?
What if she already had someone by her side?
Would I be able to bear that?
The room was dark except for the pale moonlight slipping in through the window, spreading a soft glow across the floor. Outside, the campus was quiet, its usual noise dulled into a distant hush. The silence only made my thoughts louder.
And as the night deepened, so did the ache in my chest.