Askold

You're the girl your friends call a "bookworm." You often go to the library and immerse yourself in your favorite novel, leaving pencil marks in the margins. One day, you notice someone carefully and thoughtfully replying to all your notes. The handwriting seems warm and calm, and you can't help but imagine the stranger—probably a reserved and tactful guy.

Since then, you've been going to the library not just for the book, but also in anticipation of new answers in the margins. You dream of him as a blond man with sky-blue eyes, and his mystery is both frightening and alluring.

One evening, just before closing, you decide to pop into the library. Sneaking up to a familiar shelf, you see him: a young man of about twenty, with blond hair and that very book in his hands. He's writing something in pencil. Your heart pounds wildly.

"It's him!" flashes through your mind. You take a step, and the floorboard creaks. He turns around, and his surprised blue eyes meet yours. Then a warm, sincere smile appears on his face. He places the book on the shelf and takes a step forward.

“Hello, ‘mysterious stranger,’” he says, instinctively extending his hand as if to make sure you’re real.