The quiet of Winter's room was broken only by the soft rustle of papers as she flipped through her notes, her eyes narrowed in focus despite the hour.

Outside was silent; a stillness that fell on the neighbourhood only past the dead hours of midnight.

Her drunken father had slept for hours now, the soft breathing coming from down the corridor, and the only other sound remaining was the scratching of her pencil on the paper.

She worked hard, tracing lines on the notes, rewriting formulas, definitions, everything she could remember of the last weeks.

Her thoughts came back to Karina, back to the day she had visited KS University. Being on campus with Karina by her side had given her a glimpse of what it could be like if they were there together. She had felt a pang of hurt when Karina had gently pulled away in that vulnerable moment between them, but she understood.

They were so young and still discovering how to put each other into those worlds of theirs. And it reminded her of much that was yet to come in terms of growth.

But that day had lit a fierce, burning ambition within her to be by Karina's side, emotionally and physically in every sense that counted.

She wanted to walk along those same corridors, to study and grow alongside Karina, to be worthy of that world.

So she sat there, turning over her notes until nearly one o'clock in the morning, the silence of the night her only testament.

She had realized how late in the day it was now.

Winter stopped, pulled her arms up over her head and felt the ache in the hours spent huddled over her desk.

A big yawn opened her mouth widely; she was heavy-eyed yet restless in mind.

Smiling as she remembers of her call to Karina a few hours back warmed her thoughts when replaying Karina's voice in her mind—a familiar comfort even from the distance.

With one last soft sigh, Winter withdrew from her desk. Her body craved her bed, so she gathered up her notes and reached over to turn off the lamp on the desk as she made her way over to slip under the cooling sheets.

She pulled the blanket up to her chin. She closed her eyes, leaving Karina's words in the air, with some fondness carried through the conversation as a weariness pulled her back.

-

The sun setting, in the library, Karina made it quiet with just a few scattered students lingering across tables and between the shelves; Karina scanned through the titles she had brought, double-checking that everything she had was ready for the upcoming assessments.

The simple act of rearranging the books did cause one deep sigh as she left to leave the hallway and silence and study, and then trailed down her deserted corridor as she speedfully departed.

As she walked down the long dark corridor of the library, Karina's senses bristled. It was impossibly silent with shadows creeping down the silent hallway, making her feel small beneath the walls that leered over her and arched ceilings.

Her heart began racing and she quietly glanced around hoping she was alone. There were no voices, no rustling of backpacks or footsteps, only the hum of the lights and the steady rhythm of her own breathing.

She rounded the corner and froze. Ahead of her stood a figure she knew, and her stomach did that lurch as their eyes met. Min Sung's face creased into a smirk, the kind that spoke of mischief, but this had a sly gleam dancing in his eyes.

"Karina," he drawled, easing closer with a slow, lazy confidence.

"All alone, huh?"

Her fingers closed over the edges of her books more tightly as she swept a gaze along the corridor, thoughts of escape bubbling full in her mind. But as he draws closer, she could almost feel his intent-even see it lurking just behind his gaze.

She struggled to speak steadily.

"I have somewhere to be," she said, swallowing hard, willing to keep the evenness in her voice. She stepped back; he countered with a similar motion, and his grin grew wider, as if she should be afraid of him because his delight was increasing.

"Come on, Karina," he whispered, moving closer.

"No one is around. No one's going to stop us." His words were dripping with a sickly sweetness and her skin was crawling up her arms as he stepped closer.

Karina feeled being shoved back into the wall, her heart thudding painfully against her ribs. She took a rattling breath, jerked her chin up, voice rattling but steady.

"Let me go, Min Sung. I'll forget this ever happened if you just walk away."

But all he did was laugh, a low, sneering sound that ran down her spine.

"Who's going to believe you?" he sneered, his eyes narrowing.

"You're just a girl, Karina, and everybody knows me. I'm practically campus royalty." He leaned in closer, his breath warm against her neck as he added, "Besides, they'd all just say you were asking for it."

Her stomach churned with bile as she huddled the books closer to her chest, willed herself not to show how shaken she was. She opened her mouth to speak, to tell him to stop, but her voice caught in her throat as he leaned closer, his hands rested on either side of her, trapping her against the wall.

He leaned in; the sickening scent of his cologne filling through the thickness of the air as he spoke very quietly, "Go on. Shout all you like if you need to. Nobody's around to give a care either way."

Karina's breaths were quick, shallow. She made herself look up; her eyes met his in a challenge. She could feel every nerve, every inch of space between them closing in as he moved closer, his smirk widening with every second of her silence.

"Stop," she couldn't help but whisper, her voice nothing more than breath, begging to keep him away. He only smiled at this, reveling in the fear that had sprouted in her eyes as she looked at him and how he slowly edged nearer with an oppressive presence.

As he moved in, pressing his face against her neck, she shuddered, every muscle in her body tensed as she braced herself, praying for the courage to break free, to find some way out of his grip.