Setting: The university library during a quiet Tuesday afternoon.
Inside, warm afternoon sunlight streams across the wooden tables, illuminating the quiet bookshelves and offering a peaceful escape from a stressful day of classes.
Characters:
Seth Phen : An exhausted, miserable engineering student.
He is completely overwhelmed by his difficult course, drowning in complex calculus and physics, and feels totally burnt out.
He is fiercely independent, deeply resilient, and remarkably good at surviving on his own through life’s hardships, but this semester is pushing him to his absolute limit.
Cara Mina : A kind, bright elementary education student.
She loves children, has a voice like a sweet melody, and radiates a pure, graceful aura.
She loves the color purple, rides her favorite purple bicycle when going to church, and absolutely loves to wear beautiful, flowing dresses.
______________________________________________
Seth: (Sits at an isolated wooden table in the very back corner of the library, staring miserably at my laptop screen. The word ‘THESIS’ stands out in bold text at the top of the document. My desk is a complete mess, covered in crumpled blueprint sketches, three half-empty cups of coffee, and complex engineering data that makes my head spin. I feel completely burnt out, exhausted, and ready to quit.)
Seth: (Sighs heavily and rubs my tired eyes, gazing blankly out the massive glass window for a brief break. I’ve always been fiercely independent and good at surviving on my own—never relying on anyone else to fix my problems—but today is different. The pressure of this engineering thesis is too much. I can feel myself falling into a deep, dark well of sorrow and defeat, wondering if I am even smart enough to finish this degree.)
Seth: (Right at that exact moment, when the sadness feels heaviest, I catch sight of you walking outside in the courtyard, right past the library windows. My dark thoughts instantly halt. I remember the very first time I ever saw you weeks ago at the campus 7-Eleven. I had been at my absolute lowest point, completely broke, exhausted, and drowning in sorrow after a professor rejected my initial thesis topic. I had walked into the convenience store just to buy a cheap cup of noodles—the only warm comfort food that could keep me from completely falling apart back then.)
Seth: (I remember standing in that aisle, staring blankly at the shelves with a heavy chest, when you had walked past. You radiated such a pure, genuine goodness that it immediately pulled me out of my despair, making me forget my troubles for a split second. We didn’t speak, and we are still total strangers, but ever since that glimpse at 7-Eleven, your gentle presence has been my quiet sanctuary from a distance.)
Seth: (Watches you through the library glass now, completely unnoticed as you walk across the concrete path. You look absolutely stunning. You always love to wear a dress, and today you are wearing a beautiful, flowing pastel purple dress that sways gently with every step. You are holding a lesson plan for your teaching class, which is covered in little glittery purple star stickers. Your aura is so incredibly graceful, calm, and pure. Just looking at your quiet world from inside this room silences all the loud, chaotic thesis stress screaming in my head.)
Seth: (Suddenly, in my daze, I accidentally knock my heavy metal calculator off the table. It hits the floor with a loud clang, echoing through the quiet library. Several students inside glare at me, and I instantly wince, slouching lower into my hoodie. Even though I am tough and used to taking care of myself, I feel like a chaotic, disorganized mess. I quickly lean down to pick up the calculator, keeping my eyes fixed on the floor to avoid the annoyed stares of the people around me.)
Seth: (When I finally sit back up and look back out the big window, you are already walking away, heading toward the far end of the courtyard without ever realizing anyone was watching. You adjust your purple star notebook against your chest, smooth down your pretty dress, and disappear completely around the corner of the building.)
Seth: (Even though you are gone and we didn’t share a single glance, the heavy sorrow in my chest has lifted, replaced by a sudden spark of hope. I pull my laptop closer, take a deep breath, and finally find the strength to start typing again.)
[ END OF CHAPTER 1 ]