#verivery comedy

Sometimes, you wish for nothing more than to just lie down, close your eyes and rest for about a few days before any duty calls you ever again. Obviously, you can’t do that when you’re in finals week, and you’re also in the last stage of the university party preparation that you - alongside the other student council members - would want to make as enjoyable as possible.

Thankfully, the head of the student council - Lee Dongheon - is as prompt as always, and as the Leadership and Management master student as he is, he manages the preparation to the best of his ability. That doesn’t mean that everything goes as smoothly as you’ve wanted to, starting from the fact that you had to go buy half of the decorations in person a day before because the party props company can’t deliver in time due to high demand, not to mention the DJ you’ve invited falling ill and having to find someone to take his place a few days ago and some other, mild mishaps along the way.

After a poll that you’ve sent out to all students, it was decided that the student council would organise a prom-themed party, so it would be a more formal event which students can dress up for, come together with their significant order or just enjoy themselves with their friends as their requested song is being played by the DJ.

Though for that to happen, you really need to be done with the decorations as fast as possible, so you should probably stop overcatastrophising everything and finally put on that garland that you’ve been holding in your hand for the past few minutes.

“Hey! Need some help with that?” As expected, Dongheon is right there in a second with a small ladder in one hand, pointing at the decoration in your hand.

“Oh, thanks. I think I’ll manage. I was just waiting for you to finish with that side, so that I could have the ladder.”

“Oh yeah, sure. Don’t want a petite girl to suffer without a ladder,” Dongheon teases like the jokester he is, but you can’t be mad at him even if you hold your hand up as if you were about to hit him in the shoulder.

“Not everyone is as much of a giant as you are,” you counter-attack, a light laugh escaping your lips as you two exchange a glance before Dongheon sets up the ladder, putting it close to the wall, so that you would have an easier time assembling the decoration.

“So, do you already have your plus one for the prom?” The head of the student council asks casually as he’s holding the ladder, so that it would stay secure while you’re standing on it.

“No. I don’t have a boyfriend,” you answer nonchalantly as you attach a set of garlands to the wall. You turn back to look at him, motioning to him to hold up another set of garlands for you, but he’s too busy whining.

“Oh, come on! You’ve really organised this whole party just for others to enjoy?”

“I’ll go with my friends, that’s fine,” you reassure him firmly because you really don’t mind not having a plus one even though Yerin would go with Minchan and Hari would probably leave your side 5 seconds into arrival because she’s on a lookout for hot single guys on campus. That’s fine though; you’ve organised this whole prom-themed party with couples and singles in mind, so you can just sip on your punch by the corner and monitor if everything’s going fine.

“Now, the garlands,” you emphasise, and Dongheon lets out a semi-exaggerated sigh before reaching into the nearby box and giving you another set of garlands while you’re moving with the ladder alongside the wall.

You - very wrongly - assume that he will just let it slide, but about a paper lantern and a star-shaped decoration later, he suddenly speaks up.

“I’ll get you a plus one. You’re in your second year, right?” He asks even though Dongheon knows such information about everyone in the student council like the back of his hand. He even knows your birthdays which is pretty nice of him because he always gets something small for everyone. On the flipside, when he’s upset or dissatisfied with something, no one dares to speak to him because he’s like a ticking time bomb. Though he’s nice most of the time, so it’s not that big of a deal (and he’s definitely not as scary as rumours make him out to be).

“Yeah.”

“Good. I have a friend in second year who probably doesn’t have a date either. He’s always too busy taking care of others instead of himself,” he chatters with a reprimanding edge to his tone as if it was something horrendous.

“Sounds a lot like you.”

“Hey! You don’t want to see the currently dying plants in my room, okay?” Dongheon replies in a semi-serious state, but you both find yourself smiling afterwards. You turn back to the wall to attach a paper heart and as you do so, you blurt out:

“You don’t have to do that though. I’m fine without a guy.”

“Weeell, but I’ve really wanted to set him up for some time, and he’s a great guy, I promise,” he mentions, and it’s like he’s justifying himself already, and he’s so dramatic about it - all puppy eyes and pouts and a disheartened tone - as if his life depended on it. Knowing him, he probably does have sleepless nights over not being able to set up one of his friends with anyone.

“Fiiiine,” you say and let out a long sigh, getting off the leader in the meantime. As you reach the ground, you turn to face the now-grinning Dongheon. “But only if he wants to do it himself.”

“He’s dying to come, I can confirm.”

And so that’s a deal. Two days before the actual prom, Dongheon gives you the guy’s number, so that you could message each other and find each other on the day of the party, but little do you know, that night turns out way more different than you would have imagined.

When the results of the poll came back, and it turned out that most students voted for a prom-themed uni party at the end of the spring semester, you didn’t think much of it. Yet, as you’re looking down at your plain dress and your flat-heeled shoes because there’s no way you would spend hours in high heels, you feel a bit out of place. This party doesn’t seem like somewhere you belong, and you start to get extra anxious as you’re waiting for your plus one by the noticeboard in the hallway (a convenient place to meet up because probably nobody waits here other than you).

Dongheon has told you that his friend - Bae Hoyoung - is a really nice guy, he’s kind and considerate and very loving towards his younger friends, so he thinks you couldn’t have ended up with a better plus one. You don’t know how much of it is exaggeration when he claims that Hoyoung is a real gentleman and a handsome one on top of that because Dongheon likes to exaggerate, but you let him be.

No matter how cool his friend is based on the texts you exchange before the party, you start to question why you’ve decided to give in even though your friends were so happy to hear that you were about to meet a boy. Though the chances were very low that you would end up keeping in touch with your plus one after the event because you’ve never been lucky with boys, so why would he be an exception?

No wonder you find yourself nibbling on your lower lip as you’re waiting for Hoyoung, both anxious and restless, but when he walks up to you in a gorgeous suit and casual Converse sneakers (they at least match the black and white colour of his pants and shirt), you become a bit speechless. Surely, you have seen his profile picture on Kakaotalk, but that doesn’t do justice to how tall he is in real life, and you certainly didn’t notice the cute moles dotting his face on that picture as opposed to now. Even his smile is light like a feather, and the way the wrinkles around his eyes deepen when he’s smiling makes your heart take a silly little turn.

“Hey!” He greets you in a friendly manner, coming to a halt beside you. He’s towering above you a bit, but it’s not in an intimidating way, so you don’t feel uncomfortable.

“Hi!” You greet him back, feeling a bit silly over checking him out from head to toe a moment ago. What can you do though? His profile picture isn’t a full-body one. In fact, half of the picture isn’t even him but a white furball, probably his dog, so you could only see his face in the photo.

“Sorry about the shoes. I forgot that I don’t have dress shoes with me in the dorms,” he apologises immediately as he’s looking down at his pair of Converse.

“Oh, it’s totally fine. Don’t worry about it! It’s not like I dressed up as if I came to a real prom.”

“You look pretty,” he blurts out casually, but your lips part in bewilderment because you didn’t see such a comment coming so soon, and you need to remind yourself to function properly. You end up mumbling something akin to a thanks, and prompt you two to step inside the gym hall where the party takes place.

It turns out that the gym hall is packed with people, so much that you feel like you step on someone’s shoes every second as you’re trying to get closer to the centre of it with Hoyoung by your side. Which is great because it means you didn’t work for nothing, but it also means that you have a hard time finding any spot where you can dance without worrying about bumping into someone’s back or chest, and even when you do, it’s almost impossible to keep up a conversation because the music is so loud.

You dance for a bit though without saying a word, but it gets a bit awkward just smiling at each other and trying to move left and right without smacking someone, and you can feel that Hoyoung is thinking the same. You didn’t really come here just to dance, you aren’t even that good at it, but it’s impossible to do anything else because of the loud music.

“Don’t you want to-” You start saying, leaning closer to him, so that he could hear what you say, and he’s doing the same, so your faces are only inches apart. You blink rapidly, gulping down the nervous knot in your throat, trying not to pay too much attention to his beautiful, warm orbs that remind you of fall: of colourful leaves creating a carpet under your feet, of a cup of warm tea on a chilly night, of the smell of summer parting and a new season coming up and the bittersweet feeling of the cycle of nature moving forwards.

Your breath hitches in your throat for a moment because he does have beautiful eyes, and it’s hard to look away because they are like a magnet, but you’re saved by the boy’s question, his hot breath fanning over your neck as he’s leaning towards your ear.

“Should we go outside?” He asks with a raised voice, trying to speak over the volume of the currently blasted song.

You nod immediately, then turn around to leave the dance floor. As you’re doing so, you check back from time to time to see if Hoyoung’s still following you and you haven’t lost him in the meantime, and the third time you do so, you end up colliding with someone. You and the stranger both apologise, so you can move on, but you feel Hoyoung’s fingers over your wrist, giving it a slight pressure, his eyes asking if you’re okay when you look at him.

You try to reassure him with a bob of your head and a friendly smile, and thankfully, there are no further mishaps as you’re making your way outside of the hall. You just get to the corridor when you catch sight of Dongheon checking something on his phone while walking towards the doors of the gym hall. He only looks up when Hoyoung says hi, but when he does, boy, he’s grinning.

“Hey, you two! Is everything alright?”

“Apart from the music causing us ear damage?” Hoyoung replies immediately, his tone semi-playful. Dongheon’s smile falters a bit but only a tiny bit.

“Oh no! I’ve told the dude to keep the volume at a decent level,” he shakes his head in disapproval, and you can already foresee the master student’s first to-do when he gets inside the gym hall. “Anyways, where are you going?” He quirks an eyebrow, curious, and it’s you this time who answers him.

“Just somewhere where we can talk, I guess?” You say, a bit uncertain, sending a side-glance in Hoyoung’s direction who reassuringly smiles back at you. You immediately find yourself mirroring his action, and it may be because of this or the fact that you two are leaving the main party to have a conversation, but the head of the student council is more than delighted either way.

“Ooooh, you’re talking now!” He wiggles his eyebrows at you as if it could mean anything. “That’s great! Well, have fun!” He wishes with a wide grin, and as he’s walking past you two, he pats Hoyoung’s shoulder. You furrow your eyebrows, look at the boy beside you, and giggle when you see his reaction.

“He’s just weird,” he mentions as if that could explain anything, but even his lips curl upwards. Considering how Dongheon has said that he has wanted to set up his friend with someone for a long time now, you can guess why he might be like an excited parent who sends his kids off to school, realising how much they’ve grown up, but you try to tell yourself that it’s nothing like that. You would just merely prefer talking somewhere quiet instead of being smacked every second by someone around you and completely not hearing the other because the DJ is too loud.

“Soooo… should we walk in the park beside campus or…” Your voice trails off by the end, and you expectantly look at the pitch-black haired boy beside you, hoping that he might help you out.

“Yeah, that’s a good idea.” He nods, smiling, and it’s really adorable how his eyes become little crescents when he does so, his dimples deepening. You’ve always had a thing for dimples, and you can’t help but smile widely at him when his dimples literally pop out. You need to remind yourself not to stare too much at him, so you focus on your steps instead, looking ahead of you as you’re making your way to the nearby park.

The park which you’ve agreed on is only a few-minute walk from the main building of your campus, and given the later hour and the fact that the students who want to be at school right now are in the gym hall, not a lot of people roam around in the park. While it’s not prohibited for non-students to enter it, the majority of people are still students. No wonder why because it’s such a picturesque sight with the little lake in the middle of it with some ducks, the colourfully painted benches and the vividly green grass where groups can have lovely picnics in the shade of the magnificent oak trees.

“I love coming here, especially during exam season. It seems like such a different world from campus even though it’s so close. It’s good to clear your mind sometimes like this,” Hoyoung muses out loud, and you don’t even think twice before you say:

“Exactly! I totally feel the same way,” you mention enthusiastically, and you immediately feel so silly for sounding so pumped up even though the boy beside you is nothing but kind. He might look intimidating to others with his elegantly parted, pitch-black hair, the sharpness of his jawline and his mature features, but when he smiles, his whole face lights up, and his voice is full of life when he speaks.

“So Dongheon has said that you two work together in the student council.”

“Oh yeah. We know each other from there,” you bob your head, remembering back to the first time you met him, and how he has helped you with a lot of academic-stuff, especially when you just joined the council in your first year. “I’ve thought that he’s a really strict and stern guy, but it couldn’t have been further from the truth,” you admit with a little giggle that the boy simply mirrors.

“I can see why. Even when he has his neutral face, he looks a bit intimidating, but really, he’s just a big baby. Sometimes I feel like I’m the older one out of the two of us,” Hoyoung laughs a joyous laughter, and you join him, letting the early summer night carry the sound of your laughter around the park.

You let silence cover you for some time, but it’s not embarrassing or awkward. It’s more than comforting, actually. Yet, now that you’ve brought up Dongheon who has actually set you two up, you can’t help but ask:

“Why is he so obsessed with setting you up?”

“That’s a good question.” Hoyoung chuckles. “He’s just like ‘oh, Hoyoung, dude, you deserve a girl, I’ll get you one’ because he thinks I spend too much time helping others when in fact I think I just do things because they are the bare minimum?” He mimics Dongheon’s tone and it’s so hilarious, you laugh out loud. Then, he goes on to explain that it might be because he’s learned how to help others because he has 5 siblings, so he knows the importance of assisting others without being directly asked to. It makes sense, but at the same time, you’re truly in awe, and you’re sure that he’s a great brother himself.

However, as you talk about your families and non-existent love life that Dongheon likes to point out, you have a question on your mind, and you decide to blurt it out in the end:

“Do you feel like you need someone in your life?”

“Well, that’s a complex question,” the boy starts with a tilt of his head, contemplating.

“Says the Sociology major, I see,” you mention, and gosh, when have you turned playful? Hoyoung doesn’t mind though, in fact, he gives you a dimpled smile before his features smoothen out and his tone becomes more serious.

“I don’t really feel like there’s this void that needs to be filled with someone’s presence, you know?” He looks at you for confirmation, and you nod. “I believe that a romantic relationship should be about having someone to rely on, having someone you can take care of and feeling safe and comfortable beside them instead of feeling like they are your whole world, so when they may leave, your whole world shatters. It may sound egoistic but I feel this way, and for that reason, I don’t feel like I’m missing someone from my life, but it’s not that I would object if I fell in love.”

His words are mature and articulate, and you don’t know why, but you get surprised by how aware he is of his own feelings. You know how in today’s society, you’re almost being looked down on if you don’t have a significant other because it might indicate that you aren’t good enough, and a lot of people actively look for love because of that. There’s nothing wrong with looking for love, but just like the boy has said, you aren’t of the same opinion as others.

“No, no, that’s something I can relate to. I mean…” You decide to put in your two cents whilst you’re at it, but you need a few more seconds to put together your reasoning. “I’ve had crushes in the past, but my crushes never liked me back, and if I had let the rejections get to me, I would have felt really unlovable and probably would still do so. So I also think that preserving your autonomy while still being open to let someone in is what’s probably the healthiest option for me.”

You believe in love, you really do, but your experience has proven to you that you’re good the way you are, and you shouldn’t let others’ lack of romantic feelings towards you change anything about your self-worth. Especially because you can’t force feelings onto someone, you know that all too well.

“It’s not your fault that they didn’t like you back. The right one will do so,” Hoyoung adds gently, and you feel your heart thaw at his words. When you look him in the eyes, you can see the small version of the moon reflecting in his deep, dark orbs, and you think it’s beautiful; how he shines like sunshine with the moon in his eyes.

“It got deep pretty quickly, didn’t it?” The boy chuckles, breaking the precious moment, but you don’t even mind because you’re sure your feelings are written all over your face, so you’re glad when you can talk about topics other than love.

As you continue your stroll, accompanied by the slight buzz of the party and the sounds of the city that never sleeps, you end up talking about why you have joined the student council and stories regarding Dongheon and his student council duties, Hoyoung calling his friend out, saying that Dongheon usually calls him to vent to him when something goes wrong. Then, you also talk about your majors, why you’ve chosen them, whether you like them or not and what your favourite classes are this semester, and it’s lovely listening to someone who’s so curious and intellectual and able to share his opinion without putting down the other’s.

When you reach the lake, you stop for a while and sit down on a bench, and your heart yet again skips a beat when Hoyoung covers your legs with his suit jacket. Gosh, Dongheon was actually right about him being a real gentleman and taking extra care of others! Still, the gesture makes you blush really hard, so you’re glad that the nearby lamp posts radiate only dim lights because you wouldn’t want the boy to see your burgundy face.

Yet, getting away from the party means getting away from the food and drinks, so since you’ve already walked further from the gym hall, you don’t go back for that, you opt for a café on campus instead. While waiting for your sandwiches and drinks and while eating, you continue talking about common topics, but with him, even those seem special because he’s actually interested in your answer, and ready to share his opinion. It’s not a forced small talk you’re so terrible at, it’s actually an active conversation, and you have a hard time believing that you can feel this way around someone even if you’ve met him for the first time.

No wonder you feel the need to express your gratitude towards the boy when you finish your dinner and head to the dorms together.

“Well, I’ve really enjoyed today. I think our kind of prom was better than the actual one.”

“I promise I won’t tell Dongheon that you’ve said this,” Hoyoung jokes, making you laugh, and it’s such a lovely way to end this lovely night. You don’t have high hopes or anything of the sort for whatever that is between you and the boy, but your smile is genuine when later on, you wave him goodbye as you’re heading towards your room, and you know well that you wouldn’t have traded your kind of prom for anything else.

Dongheon might not have heard what you’ve said about the prom, but he has sure heard that you had a good time with his friend (from both Hoyoung and you), so he casually sends some so-called boyfriend material photos of his friend over to you one day without any explanation, and when you ask him why, he merely sends a shrugging emoji. You guess that he hasn’t been subtle to his friend either because Hoyoung ends up messaging you a few hours later, telling you not to take Dongheon seriously no matter what he says about him or what he sends.

“He just sent me some ‘boyfriend material’ photos of you. Wanna see them?”

“I’m going to strangle him one day, but sure.”

So you send him those pictures, mainly of him sipping on something at a café while looking out of the window dreamily, walking down the street in a puffy coat and a scarf, wearing an oversized hoodie with the hood over his head and holding a painting in his hands as if he was trying to show it off. Along the way, he ends up telling you stories that are related to the pictures, you even get to know that he painted that landscape in his hands, it was actually a painting workshop with an instructor during last semester, and when Dongheon asked what he did over the weekend, and he told the older boy about it, he was very keen on seeing the final product, so he sent the pic over to him.

“I didn’t think that he would keep them. :(”

“Now you know. Better be careful from now on.”

You type and send him an emoji where one of the Kakaotalk characters pat the other on the back, and you get a hugging emoji in return, and you’re so shocked that for a moment, you completely freeze.

“Oh, my bad, that was by accident. I’ve wanted to send this one.”

He replies a few seconds later with an emoji that’s bowing and thank you is written over its head. You tell him that he shouldn’t worry, but you need some serious amount of time to calm down your nerves.

It’s fun though, things fall back into normal afterwards, and actually, it’s not even that weird talking to the boy yet again. It almost seems natural, and since you two are both busy university students finishing finals, it’s not like you’re bombarding each other with messages. Yet, you can’t deny that you get an instant serotonin boost whenever you see that he has messaged you, and soon enough, your friends start teasing you about it. Yerin is being her kindest self as always, telling you just how much you would deserve a guy who likes you back while Hari starts moping that Dongheon should set her up with someone if he has so many single friends because he needs a boyfriend ASAP.

You tell them that it’s not like that, you’re just getting to know each other, but it seems awfully like a crush yet again, especially when summer break comes, and you two keep messaging each other. When the fall semester comes, you can’t wait to see him face-to-face, so when you manage to bump into him in the hallway or he lands Dongheon something in the student council office and you’re there, you feel like a silly high school student yet again, fanning over her first crush.

Then, he asks if you could take part in a project he’s doing for one of his classes and he needs to have interviews with students on how their childhood experiences shaped the way they feel towards socialising as they grow older, and in return, he treats you to a thank you lunch a few days later. After that, you lose track of the times you meet up, let it be for a quick lunch break between classes, studying together in the library or just randomly bumping into him in the hallway.

While getting to know each other through messages, random meet-ups and sometimes Dongheon’s intervening, you feel yourself falling for him more and more. You can’t help it, but this time, instead of falling head first, it seems like you’re falling gradually, and you don’t know which one is scarier. So you just let it be, enjoying your time beside the boy until you’re sure of his feelings towards you, and as time goes by, you’re less and less scared of falling.

With you two staying in contact over the weeks and all throughout the fall semester, it’s no surprise that Hoyoung knows when you take your exams, but you wish he didn’t remember so well when you feel under the weather after taking one of your exams, sitting on the top of the service stairs that not so many people frequent. That’s exactly what you need right now, and even when he messages you, asking about the exam and you tell him that you might have failed it, you don’t expect him to actually show up when he asks where you are.

There he is though, standing in front of you, eyes shining with worry as he’s looking back at you. You look down at your shoes instead, not ready to mope or vent to him. You see from the corner of your eyes when he moves towards you and sits down beside you, letting out a long sigh.

“What do you do when you want to cheer yourself up?”

“I watch funny videos sometimes,” you mumble under your breath, but you don’t feel like doing so now. You feel the need to cry, but no tears come out. Maybe it’s because you’re also partly angry, not just disappointed.

“Well…” He grits through his teeth as he’s thinking. “I’ll show you something better,” he announces, determined, as he reaches into the pocket of his hoodie, taking his phone out. You turn your head to look at him, slightly curious despite your state, and when he glances sideways and catches your eyes on him, his lips curl up a bit.

He turns back to his phone though and taps a few times on the screen before sitting closer to you and placing his phone in between you two, so that you could see what it is about. You immediately feel your features softening up when you catch sight of the fluffball on the screen.

“My sister said that she was trying to teach Deulle a trick, but it didn’t quite work out,” Hoyoung explains, smiling, as the video shows his sister’s dog going in circles around a small object that it’s supposed to jump over. The female voice in the video practically begs the dog to just jump, but instead, Deulle stops, staring at its owner, blinking frequently as if it doesn’t understand what’s going on. It’s going on for a few more times with the dog almost jumping over the object once, but in the end, it just decides to lie down on the grass, completely exhausted.

By the end of the video, there’s an evident smile in the corner of your lips, and seeing that, Hoyoung’s shoulders drop in ease.

“You’re too nice,” you blurt out, touched by the way he came over to cheer you up despite him having an exam a bit later. “You’re too good for me,” you admit, letting the words slip without thinking twice. It’s true though; ever since you’ve met him, you feel like you don’t deserve him, and in moments like this, you feel it even more intensively.

“Don’t say that,” the boy objects immediately, turning towards you with his whole body. Since he has scooted closer to you, so that you could look at his phone from up close, you two are pretty close to each other, but instead of intimidating, his closeness makes you feel comforted. To know that he’s just an arm length away. “You’ve also been there for me every time I was down in the past few months. It’s what people do when they care about each other,” he explains as if it was something so easy to say out loud, but he seems sincere nevertheless.

You don’t say anything, your heart is too burdened for that, so you just keep looking at him. He scoots a bit closer to you, slowly and gently, leaning closer to look you in the eyes. You feel bashful under his stare, but you don’t dare to look away.

“What is it about?” Hoyoung asks gently, his words barely a whisper. With no one around you since you’re sitting on the staircase leading up to the staff room, you feel like this moment is yours only. Something so precious yet so fragile, something that could easily break into tiny little pieces in a matter of seconds. “Do you feel this way because you might have failed your test, and you think you could appear less of a good person to me because of that?”

“I-” You start to protest, but you can’t find the right words to say. You look away, frustrated over not being able to put your feelings into words, but when you look back at him, he’s looking at you as patient as ever. “I think I just feel like… you know, there must have been something wrong with me, some flaws why people I liked in the past didn’t like me back, and I guess, I don’t know… It just crossed my mind that maybe one day you would see that too because I do that. When one thing goes wrong, I overcatastrophise and feel that everything could go wrong and I just… Gosh, that’s why I like being alone at times like this,” you rumble on and on, and by the end, you feel yourself tearing up, and you feel so pathetic, it’s not how you’ve expected this day to go.

You sniffle as you look away from him, not being able to bear his ever so warm eyes. You hate being vulnerable beside others, and it’s not like failing a test is a really big thing. Sure, it might be your first time failing an exam, but there are people out there with bigger problems, and you feel like a fraud mopping over your life in comparison to that. Plus, just as you’ve said, when this happens, suddenly you feel like a failure, someone who can’t do anything, who’s not worth anything, and a lot of times, a good cry helps to soothe your nerves, but you don’t want to cry in front of him. You don’t want to appear silly and overly emotional.

“I could bring up some theories and tell you how what you’re feeling is completely fine because I guess that’s what a Sociology major should do,” he interrupts your guilt tripping train of thoughts, and it works, you’re so surprised by his words that you find yourself completely frozen, the tears not coming out. He really has a way to shift the mood with his words, and you’re both in awe and in shock. “Let me tell you instead that if someone doesn’t like you because you’re flawed just as we all are, then you’re better off without them. It won’t stop me from liking you though.”

Now you’re even more surprised than before, and your eyes must be super wide when you turn your head towards him because his facial expression turns from stern to gentle instead. He looks away for a bit, scratching the back of his neck a bit sheepishly before looking back at you, ruffling his hair afterwards. You’ve noticed that he tends to do something with his hands when he gets nervous, and he’s trying to busy his hands today too, and you wonder just how much it must have taken him to say those words out loud. This time, it’s not the moon you see in his eyes but your own tiny reflection, and you also wonder how he really sees you.

“I’m being sincere,” he adds quietly yet confidently. He gulps once before he continues, and you can literally feel the same kind of nervousness he does, your heart threatening to jump out of your rib cage, so expectant and so giddy. “I like you, and I was trying to tell you for some time, but I guess I’ve waited for the right time, and this is definitely not the right time, not even the right place,” he points out sheepishly as he looks around once, and it’s so true, you find a small giggle bubbling up in your throat. He follows, and gosh, it’s so awkward yet it’s so right. You wouldn’t have had it another way.

“Thank you,” you say as you crush him into a hug, feeling bold and confident and all that. You aren’t even sure that it’s you anymore, but he has just confessed that he likes you! He actually likes you. “Thank you for liking me back,” you mumble into his neck as you’re hugging him, and you can feel his arms coming up to your back, closing his arms around you, tight and safe, comforting and warm as if he was trying to whisper it’s all okay, he’s right there with you.

Even though you could only hope that he would be right when he said that the right one would like you back, now you know that he wasn’t lying. Let you be silly or overly emotional, he doesn’t seem to care. If anything, his love towards you just grows even more.

Because he’s the right one for you. Now you know.

A/N: I hope you all enjoyed this rather fluffy and comforting story as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it! *-*

I’m actually hosting a VERIVERY writing collab, so if you’re interested in joining, click HERE for the announcement. Feel free to spread the word, so it might be able to reach more people! ❤️

“What do you mean I need training? I’ve thought you hired me because I was good enough.”

The air in the meeting room froze for a minute, but Lee Dongheon was firm in his words, and he wasn’t going to break the silence first when he was the one who had asked the previous question. He didn’t want to give up on keeping the eye-contact with the coordinator either because he was sure that sooner or later, the 30-something guy would break. He wasn’t willing to leave just yet, he needed his answers if he was about to receive training when he had been hired because the entertainment company had deemed him the most suitable dance choreographer for their soon-to-be-announced boy group.

“The thing is…” Mr Park started hesitantly, lowering his voice as he continued. “The trainees are complaining.”

Dongheon almost let out a snort hearing that. Almost. The only thing that held him back was his pride and the fact that he was a professional, so he wasn’t going to show that he wasn’t happy to receive such news.

“About what?” He quirked an eyebrow challengingly, having a feeling about what it would be about, but not wanting to back away either. He wasn’t even exactly surprised when he was told:

“About you being too strict.”

“They need to take dancing seriously. It’s not a child’s game. They are preparing for their debut, much worse is waiting for them once they eventually make it to live shows and all that,” Dongheon reasoned with a click of his tongue. He didn’t regret how he had treated those kids. Sure, they were 14-16 year old teenagers, but if they didn’t learn how to behave well during dance practices, when would they take their idol life seriously? One wrong move was enough to turn someone’s life into a hellhole, and they could laugh all they wanted outside of his dance practices, but he wasn’t going to let them have their way when he was their dance teacher.

So no, he didn’t want to show any remorse, nor did he want to seem like he was willing to beg for the company’s forgiveness. He didn’t think that he had done anything wrong. If they kept making mistakes, why wouldn’t he force them to practice more? Maybe he wasn’t the most beloved dance choreographer of all time, but his previous dance teams had never really complained. Though they hadn’t even been as young as these kids.

“Why don’t you just find a new choreographer then?” Dongheon asked flippantly, keeping the eye-contact with Mr Park. The coordinator let out an aghast sigh, then put his hands down on the table, leaning over, so that he could be closer to the guy and explain in a whisper-like tone:

“Because the choreography is yours, and the company is satisfied with it. You just need to soften up a bit,” he said, almost pleading. It seemed like they really did try to keep him at the company, but the choreographer wasn’t exactly happy about some random training when he had other dance classes to attend and other dance groups to teach.

He looked down at the inked words on his arm (a war worth fighting for), the half of that so-called soulmate quote everyone had on their skin. It was like a tattoo, but you couldn’t get rid of it no matter how much you tried. You had half of a quote and your soulmate had the other one, and when you said the two out loud at the same time when you finally found each other, the other half would be engraved into your skin.

He always looked at this half-quote as a life motto. He felt that if he wanted to achieve something, he would only get it if he worked hard enough for it, so that it seemed like a fight. Maybe this particular one would be the same.

“How?” He raised an eyebrow in an almost elegant way, willing to listen if they didn’t want to bring him into some nonsense. Hearing that, Mr Park leaned back, his lips curling upwards. He should have known that the man’s smile didn’t indicate anything good, but what he expected in that meeting room on that fine spring day was very, very far from what actually happened afterwards.

Lee Dongheon found himself at a different dance studio a few days later, staring at the palette of colourful clothes the kids were wearing as they were giddily running around the practice room, occasionally bumping into him and moving on after giggling a bit. If he called the 14-16 year old trainees kids, these kids were toddles. They couldn’t be older than 12. Tooths were missing, boys were screaming in high-pitched voices and girls were still taller than boys. This age group wasn’t something he had ever dealt with, and he didn’t even intend to do so. The entertainment company didn’t seem to think the same though.

He felt so out of place that his usually sociable self started feeling anxious, but it wasn’t because of the amount of people around, but rather because of the age group and their typical (and loud) antics. He didn’t get why he would need to spend time beside a dance teacher who taught dance to kids because it wasn’t the same dealing with teenagers and literal kids! They had different capabilities and different physiques, so how was he supposed to learn anything useful from this so-called training?

That’s when you walked in, dragging him out of his wandering thoughts, and greeted the kids cheerfully. They seemed to like you a lot, grabbing your hand to pull you closer to the centre of the practice room, hugging you (or well, your abdomen because they weren’t that tall to hug you properly) and chattering to you. You listened attentively to them, your smile dazzling and eyes shining in fondness, and only when you walked closer to the benches, did you actually catch sight of the choreographer.

“Oh, hi! You must be Lee Dongheon,” you noted with a bright smile, bowing a bit out of respect. He did the same, albeit a bit fidgety. You took note of his behaviour, cheekily remarking:

“You look like you’ve been reprimanded. Relax! It’s just a class for kids. I don’t even know why you’re here. I only know that you’re going to teach kids as well and need my help,” you explained to him beamingly, and you could see how his shoulders slumped. So you didn’t know. That lifted some weight off of his shoulder. Not because he was ashamed of the reason behind his presence, but rather because he didn’t get it either why he was assigned to you, so how could he explain the situation to you?

“Well, we could say so.” Dongheon nodded hesitantly because he wouldn’t quite phrase himself like that, but let’s just leave it that way.

“It’s okay. I’ve only been teaching kids for three years myself, so I’m not very experienced either, but all I can say is that with time, you’ll surely get used to it,” you reassured him first things first, and when you made sure that he didn’t have any questions, you clapped your hands to gain the kids’ attention, and started the class.

You started shushing the kids and telling them to follow you while you were presenting warm-up exercises. Dongheon followed you a bit clumsily in the beginning, but once he realised that the kid beside him wouldn’t give him odd glances (well, not all the time, just sometimes), he loosened up a bit, and you flashed an encouraging smile at him before continuing. After the warm-up, you went over with the steps for a choreography that you had started teaching the kids last time, and it wasn’t anything groundbreaking, so you weren’t surprised that Dongheon learned the moves just like that, and once it was time for the practice rounds with music, he executed it without any problem.

You decided that it would be best if you showed him how you usually led the classes and after going over the teaching part, he could try himself out while you were practicing the moves with the kids. You hadn’t been given any instruction on how to treat the dance choreographer and what you should do differently compared to your usual classes, you had only been told that he would need to learn how to teach kids, and it was your uncle who had asked you to let him join your classes, so how could you say no?

However, when it was time for the practice rounds by the end of the lesson, and Dongheon took your place, all you could hear was:

“Again!”

“Again!”

“Again!”

You shook your head after a few attempts of his because you could see how demotivated the kids got, their heads hanging low and their usually buzz killed right away. It physically hurt for you to witness what he was doing, and even though you were sure that he would make a great dance teacher one day, he really needed to learn how to deal with kids on top of being a good dancer himself.

“You can’t just tell them to do this again without pointing out their mistakes. They aren’t old enough to realise what they’ve done wrong each and every time.” You stepped beside him, deciding to interfere at this point, and despite the slight annoyed expression on his face, he didn’t voice out his disagreement, so you took it as a good sign and started going around the practice room, telling the kids individually what mistakes you had caught onto while watching them from the side. Then, you walked back to him, signalling him to go on.

You could see that the ones you had told about their mistakes tried to correct themselves, but there were still some children who did the moves wrong by either missing a beat, forgetting to move their hands alongside their legs or putting their arms in odd angles.

“Ag-” Dongheon started automatically, but when he caught himself saying the word, he immediately stopped. He sucked in a deep breath and closed his eyes briefly. For a moment, you assumed that he would give up and leave the dance practice behind, saying that he can’t do it any longer, but a second later, he started going around the room just like you had done so, instructing the kids what they should do differently.

You tried to conceal a triumphant smile, but you were proud nevertheless. He might have looked like he wanted to avoid directly touching the kids or that he was searching for ways to let them know about their mistakes without using too much professional dance vocabulary, but at least he was trying, and you appreciated that. Victories always started with initial attempts.

As he walked back to the centre, you tapped a few times on your wrist, indicating that it was time to finish the class, and he nodded.

“Okay, let’s do it one more time, and then, you’re free to go!” Dongheon announced firmly and when he gave you the signal, you pushed the play button on the laptop and started the music. You watched as this grown young man did the trivial little moves with your students, and you couldn’t help but smile at the sight. It was so obvious that he was used to something different, something that required more physical strength and stamina and probably more powerful moves, but he seemed to get the hang of your choreography by the end, and he was sweating nevertheless when the final round was finished.

“You all did well today, I’m really proud of you! Don’t forget to practice what we’ve learned so far! See you next time!” You clapped your hands as you were ready to bid your goodbye to your students. They all left in their own ways, but you liked that they were still pumped up, and some of them left the room while doing some moves. You gave them encouraging thumbs-ups and watched them leave with a fond smile before turning back to Dongheon.

“I can see that you have the intention of bringing the best out of them which is essential, you just need to keep in mind that teaching them and practicing with them isn’t the same as practicing by yourself and prompting yourself to do better,” you pointed it out based on what you had seen, but before he could say anything, you added: “But you were good. I could see the improvement.”

Dongheon seemed a bit speechless, ruffling his pitch-black locks to cover up his nervousness, but he still mumbled a hasty thank you in the end. You were content with just that much since it was the first time you had ever met. You inquired if he had any queries, but when he shook his head, you let him go on his way, watching with a knowing smile as he left. Then, you packed up your stuff after everyone had left and headed home.

The next time it was time for a class with the same group of kids, you arrived earlier than your brand new student slash co-tutor. You still didn’t really know why exactly he would need his training and why your assistance was enough because you were nowhere near an experienced professional, but you didn’t want to question neither your uncle, nor him. After all, you were sure that they would tell you if it mattered at all.

You put down your stuff on a bench, opening your laptop and getting ready to start the class while the students were coming into the classroom, chattering as cheerfully as always. Some of them went up to you telling you what they had been up to, or who around them had found their soulmate, and you listened attentively, finding their childish innocence and passion heartwarming.

Truth to be told, you didn’t believe in soulmates as much as those kids did. Maybe it’s because you had tasted the bitter medicine of life when you had been kicked out of an entertainment agency on the verge of debuting because you had messed up your final evaluation, but you didn’t believe in fairytales and in life working out the way you wanted it to. Not anymore. You had more important issues to deal with and more important questions to dwell on other than that big soulmate question even though everyone around you seemed to be buzzing in your soulmate-centric world. There were apps where you could upload your half-quotes and find which one seems matching, there were soulmate-based restaurants and selfie booths and movies and you name it. Once, you might have been interested in finding your soulmate, but after you had decided to become an idol and dating wasn’t allowed for trainees, you had tried your very best to hide your quote with those special sprays you could get your hands on.

You weren’t the only one who wanted to hide their quotes. Idols actually did so while performing live if they hadn’t yet found their soulmate, athletes did so and most teachers and professors did so too because they didn’t want others to see it. You couldn’t blame them. Soulmate quotes were highly personal, and those who didn’t want the whole world to see it and strangers gawking their eyes on what those words on their arms could mean tried to hide it, and there were creams and sprays and plasters and all kinds of things for such purposes. Even though you didn’t hide it anymore since your dreams of becoming an idol had shattered into pieces, you were reassured that you could always hide it if you wanted to.

“Hi!” A familiar male voice dragged you out of your thoughts, and you were lucky that you were currently sitting because you were sure that you would have stumbled backwards if you had been standing, you were so startled.

“Hi!” You averted your eyes to Dongheon who furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, but you just shrugged off his unsaid question. He wore a black long-sleeved shirt that was tucked into his high-waisted black jeans, a black belt and black boots, the whole look highlighting his physique. He looked more as if he was to attend a fashion week rather than a dance class with kids, but you wouldn’t comment on his outfit choice for the world. Maybe he had come from a recording and he had needed to dress like that.

“Are we continuing the choreography from last week?” Dongheon asked as he put down his sports bag beside you on the bench, fishing a water bottle out of it and taking a sip from it while he was waiting for you to answer.

“Yeah, it’s the same as the last two weeks, and if everything goes well, we’ll be done with it today. Then, we’ll review it next week and record it at the end of the class.”

“Do you always record them?” He quirked an eyebrow as if it had been that weird, but you nodded confidently nevertheless.

“The kids like to watch it back, and their parents love that they can see their kids dancing,” you explained to him with a smile, thinking of that group chat you shared with your students’ parents. You were lucky that they were all very supportive of their kids’ hobby, it warmed your heart to read their compliments and to hear about their feedback. In a way, it was a way for you to feel as if you had left an impact on their lives. Just as you had wanted to do so by being an idol; you wanted to help others, to cheer them up and to give something to them that would make their lives a bit better, a bit brighter. As an idol, it would have been your songs and your performances, and as a dance teacher, it was the choregraphies you created for the kids and the weekly classes you gave.

“Understandable,” he noted after a few moments of silence, and you were about to ask him why he had posed such a question, but one of your students who had just showed up interrupted you.

“Are you going to teach us today, too?” Minhyuk inquired with his big doe eyes as he looked at Dongheon who was much, much taller than him. Dongheon looked back at you for support as if he had wanted you to answer the question for him, but you just shrugged your shoulders. If he wanted to learn how to teach kids, he needed to learn how to interact with them.

“Yes, I will.”

“I don’t want tooooooo,” cooed the kid with a pout, and you had to sniffle a giggle because he was just so cute, yet Dongheon was just so startled. “You were so scary last time. I don’t want to learn from you,” Minhyuk went on, puffing his chest out as if he had been ready to fight. You wanted to applaud his bravery, but you were so curious about the other dance teacher’s reaction that you kept your reactions to yourself and watched their interaction instead.

Dongheon scratched the back of his neck out of nervousness, then ruffled his pitch-black locks. Once. Twice. Three times. It could be seen that he didn’t know how to react because his eyes were flickering from one side of the room to the other, and his hands were fidgeting with the material of his shirt. Minhyuk kept looking up at him as if he wanted to intimidate him, not the other way round, and you were ready to rise from your seat and interrupt them, trying not to bring Dongheon into such an uncomfortable scene during his second class, but he decided to handle the situation by himself.

“I’ll try not to be that scary today,” he promised a lot softer than usual, but Minhyuk couldn’t be bought with just that.

“You pinky promise?” He raised an eyebrow in question as he held out his pinkie, and you were almost certain that Dongheon wouldn’t give into his wish, but in the next second, he crouched down to be at eye-level with the kid and sealed the pinky promise with the little boy. Minhyuk boasted a boyish smile at that, and bounced back to the rest of the kids with newfound joy.

Dongheon stayed in that pose for a few seconds as if he couldn’t quite believe what had just happened, and when he straightened up and looked at you, your lips curled upwards in an encouraging way.

“That was impressive!” You complimented him and gave him a thumbs-up before he could try to ask you to forget about it or deny that he gave in because he had a softer side, he was just not good at demonstrating it. You didn’t even let him say anything, you got to your feet and walked to the middle of the practice room, starting the class.

This time, the structure of the class was a bit different than last time because you asked Dongheon to do the new moves beside you, so that the kids could familiarise themselves with him and maybe feel closer to him by seeing that he also made mistakes from time to time. Although it was rare, you reckoned that it was only fair that he could be seen as something other than immaculate, and he didn’t seem to mind either. Even though you could see his frustration rising whenever someone missed a beat or made an obvious mistake or started acting up (because they were restless kids after all, occasional tantrums were inevitable), you didn’t need to interfere as much as last time. He still had a long way to go, but at least now he had taken your advice from last time, and pointed out the students’ mistakes albeit a bit harshly sometimes.

After the class, as you were packing your stuff, you didn’t think that Dongheon would speak up even though you could feel his eyes on you. Yet, when you walked back to your bag with your laptop in hand, he broke the silence:

“I don’t know how you can be so patient with these kids,” he mumbled in awe, and you tried hard not to show how surprised yet thankful you were.

“You learn how to be patient when you wait for years to achieve your dream, only for it to be taken away from you in the last minute,” you blurted out absent-mindedly, but when you saw the confusion in his eyes, you realised what you had just said. Damn it. “Nevermind,” you added with a semi-awkward smile, hoping that he wouldn’t dwell too much on your words. You didn’t want to dump your sappy ex-trainee life onto him out of all people. You were sure that he wouldn’t care.

“Anyways, good job today. You’ll get the hang of it soon, I’m sure,” you remarked in your best supportive tone, and watched as his face turned a shade brighter. Oh, so he could feel flustered because of a compliment. What a rare sight.

“Thanks.” He bobbed his head before gathering his stuff and leaving the practice room with you by his side. You bid your goodbye to him at the entrance as you were heading two different ways, and maybe you had seen it wrong, but it was as if you could see an empathetic smile playing along his lips. As if he had understood you even without you telling him about your crushed dreams.

Sure enough, Dongheon did start to get the hang of it, he just needed to learn how to treat kids on top of being a dance teacher. Or well, rather before knowing how to be a dance teacher to kids. Because someone could be an excellent teacher and horrible with kids, yet someone could be amazing with kids, but wouldn’t make a good teacher. So the two needed to go hand in hand, and you hadn’t been born with your current skills either, you had also needed to learn how to be a dance teacher to kids after giving up on your idol dreams.

You had loved dancing, you had loved kids, so you had thought that it would be rather easy, but you had had to learn a lot in the beginning, and if it hadn’t been for your love for both children and dancing, maybe you had given it up from the start. However, you hadn’t wanted to let this opportunity go when you had had the chance to continue learning unlike the time you had been kicked out of that agency.

You always watched Dongheon interact with the kids with a fond smile, and you had to realise that once he had gotten over his initial discomfort and sulkiness, he was seemingly starting to enjoy himself beside the little ones. How couldn’t he when he acted like a big baby sometimes? You wouldn’t have believed your own eyes that he was the same person from your first dance class together if you hadn’t witnessed both sides of him, but maybe he had just not wanted to do this whole thing in the beginning, and it had kept him from being his true self.

He could be silly and childish around the kids, joking with them and giving in to join their little games or listen to their ramblings. They even started to interrogate him about his life (and his love life), and despite them desperately wanting to know about his soulmate quote, he kept it hidden, telling them that he might show it one day but not so soon. You could understand him since they had tried to play matchmakers when they had seen yours, too, and it’s not like anyone could blame him for wearing long-sleeved shirts because it was winter anyways.

Thanks to the kids though, you got to know that he was a choreographer at an entertainment company, and he taught soon-to-be debuting teenagers, thus he was here to learn how to teach them in a less strict way. Even though you tried to bury your resurfacing memories from your trainee days, they came back anyways, sending a wave of bittersweetness through your body. When Dongheon caught onto your shaken up state and worriedly asked if he had said something wrong, you merely shrugged it off. It was all in the past, you told yourself, and decided to start the class instead.

However, it wasn’t only you who showed a different side of themselves during your classes. It was around two months after your first class together, and you could feel his tenseness from the beginning of the lesson, but decided to not bother him if he didn’t want to tell you about the reason. Maybe he was having a bad day, that’s all. On the other hand, when he got more and more frustrated throughout the class because of the kids’ mistake, you couldn’t just sit idly.

“That’s wrong. Do it again!” He practically ordered Kangmin to do the moves in front of the others without music, and when he was still not satisfied, he put his hands on his hips, letting out a long sigh.

“Can’t you see that you’re doing it wrong? You’ll never become a professional dancer if you keep messing up like this.”

That was when you decided to interrupt him, standing between him and the kid before he would say something that would move the boy to tears.

“Dongheon! You can’t talk to a child like that,” you told him firmly, and it was the first time your voice had such an authoritative edge to it. Whenever he was being a bit too harsh, you tried to prompt him to change his attitude in a rather friendly, nudging way. However, this time, you couldn’t just let him be. It seemed that your usual teaching style wouldn’t be effective on him.

“Why not? Should I be kind when life’s only treating me unfairly?” Dongheon looked you straight into the eyes, his words dripping with hurt and pent-up fury. His gaze could burn a whole city down with its fierceness and power, but there was something very sorrowful, very bitter in it, and your heart sank as you kept looking at him.

You were about to open your mouth when he turned on his heel and left the practice room, the sound of the door shutting behind him echoing for a long time before you found your voice and carried on with the class, your mind wandering off from time to time, wondering where he could be and what he could be feeling.

Not knowing his contact and not feeling like you had the right to pry into his life, you hadn’t seen, nor had you talked to Dongheon again, but you kept thinking of the reason behind his outburst, and it killed you that you felt like you couldn’t do anything for him. You could feel that there was something going on because there was no way he would have gotten so angry at Kangmin all of a sudden, but at the same time, you weren’t close enough to talk about such things. You wished you could be there for him because even if you might not have been able to help, you could at least listen to him.

The next week, you were so lost in thought that you merely registered that someone was already in the practice room when you entered, and if it hadn’t been for him speaking up first, you might not have recognised him until you had walked further.

“Hi!” He greeted you with a neutral expression, but you could detect guilt hiding in the corner of his mahogany eyes which made you feel even more empathy towards him.

“Hi!” You reciprocated his greeting with a subtle smile, not sure how to act around him after last time. So you decided on putting your bag down on the bench beside him without saying a word, letting him decide if he wanted to say something or not.

And so he did.

“I’m sorry.”

As you felt the words hanging in the air, you could feel how difficult it was for him to get it out, but at the same time, you could feel that it was as sincere as an apology could be. So you followed your heart and sat down beside him, looking ahead of yourself.

“It’s okay. You’ve probably had your reason,” you reassured him because anyone could have something going on in their lives that might affect how they treat others. You merely hoped that if he could share the burden, he would be willing to do so, but before that, someone had to show that they cared. So you gave it a shot. “Want to talk about it? If it’s about dance, I’m an ex-idol trainee who has been kicked out of her company after the final evaluation, so maybe I can understand.”

You weren’t afraid to confess something like this now because you wanted him to know that he wasn’t alone with whatever he was feeling. And despite the clear surprise on his face that you could see in the front mirror, you had a feeling that he already had a feeling that your back story would be something like this. He might not have been extremely nosy, but he was observant enough, so you were sure that he could guess some parts about your past.

“It’s not that. Not just that.” He shook his head decisively, and let out an aghast sigh. You finally looked at him and not just his reflection, and from the way his shoulders slumped, you could see that he was trying to master up his courage, but didn’t know how. You didn’t want to push him either, so you sat there side by side, listening to the sound of the clock ticking on the wall.

You would have been more than happy with the silence because at least he was there, willing to show up and willing to apologise, but when he spoke up, you listened attentively, your heart sinking deeper and deeper as the monologue went on.

“After graduation, I got accepted at a dance academy in the US, but a week before I was supposed to leave, my mom got sick, and then they found a tumor. She needed surgery and a few months of recovery, and I’ve stayed with her, giving up on my dream. Since then, I’ve never even left the city because I’m afraid something might happen to her, and last week she got her monthly examination, and her results weren’t that promising.”

“And you were afraid that she might fall sick again,” you whispered, barely able to master those few words out after you had gotten to know such a personal part of his life. He had always seemed rather composed and passionate, someone who had been confident because he had never tasted failure. You couldn’t have been more wrong.

Dongheon nodded, his mahogany eyes bathing in the sea of uncertainty. You wished you could say something hopeful, but it wasn’t like his mother’s condition would suddenly get better if you prayed hard enough. You also wished you could feel confident enough to reach out and hold his hand to show that you were there for him, but you didn’t know how he would react to that despite that inward urge to share the burden and listen to whatever worries he had.

“It’s no use running tests now because the doctors say that it’s common to have worse results once in a while, but I guess I was worried history would repeat itself,” he mumbled loud enough for you to hear it yet not any louder. It was a confession only you should hear, no one else. It was your secret, the whispers of his heart and the tales of his present.

“I don’t blame you. I can’t even imagine what I would be feeling if I were in your shoes.” A cold shiver ran down your spine even just by thinking about. “You know you don’t have to come to class if you don’t feel well. Mentally or physically, it doesn’t matter.” you added gently, trying your best with an encouraging smile. Just because he was supposed to come to learn from you, you didn’t want him to feel pressured to be here each and every time until his boss would finally be satisfied with his improvement.

Dongheon shook his head, bitterness swallowing up his words as he continued.

“I’ve wanted to apologise to you and to that kid.”

“I’m sure he would understand.” You nodded fervently, knowing Kangmin well enough to assume that he would stay just as determined as before, if not more. That kid was one of the most dedicated dancers in his group. 

“Thank you for telling me this,” you felt the need to add before any of your students would arrive, and when he finally looked at you and you exchanged a glance, there was a bit of a smile in the corner of his lips, and suddenly, that inward urge to be there for him elevated. You couldn’t pinpoint why, you didn’t know what was this sudden odd sensation going through your body, but you reciprocated his smile, and you looked away only when one of the kids arrived.

After you had talked about why Dongheon had suddenly left the class that time, you felt less cautious around him, and he also seemed a lot more loosened up around the kids. As expected, Kangmin didn’t hold a grudge against him, so Dongheon was good to go again, and you would have never taken it to heart that he had just rushed out of your class, especially after knowing the reason why. You felt like you could understand him a bit better, and you could feel his empathy, too. It was as if you could relate to what the other had gone through, and it was odd since you had never felt this way before. May it be because you had quite a special case with being dismissed from an entertainment company and finding your way to your current workplace and his dreams changing due to the circumstances, but that string that had kept on pulling you towards him had become more and more difficult to resist. Not to mention when he wanted to get to know you better.

“Why haven’t you applied for a different company?” Dongheon inquired the next time you met, posing you the question after the class had finished, and it was only you two left.

“I’ve spent my youth on training at that certain one. I was tired of life kicking into me,” you replied with a bitter smile, but you didn’t mind his question. You had a feeling that he would understand, and you wouldn’t need to elaborate further. You were right.

“Understandable.” He nodded firmly, and his serious state showed you that he really cared. Lately, you had had to realise that he was such a goofy, childish guy in general, his serious self resurfacing only when it was about something work-related which was dancing in your case, so you weren’t surprised that you could only see his most authentic sides when some time had passed by.

“Want to show me how you dance if you aren’t teaching kids?” Dongheon raised an eyebrow challengingly, dissolving the tension in the air with his question. You snickered, raising your eyebrows alongside his as if you were ready to fight him.

“Shouldn’t I be the one asking that? You’re a choreographer for idol trainees.”

“Well, if you are that curious…” He shrugged without hesitating a moment, but before he would get ready to dance, he turned to you and put his index-finger in the air.  “But you have to show me what you got afterwards,” he made you promise with a cheeky smile, and you rolled your eyes, but nodded nevertheless. You were actually curious how he would dance apart from your rather easy choreographies made for children, plus it really wouldn’t make any difference if you showed him what you had been working on instead of practicing only by yourself.

You couldn’t tell what exactly you had been expecting, but the guy didn’t disappoint. His moves were fluid, he was perfectly in control of his body, and he made the choreography look so effortless. You could still see behind the seemingly easily executed movements, see the many hours of hard work and the physical strength he needed to use to do certain moves such as pushing himself off the ground or sliding on the floor ever so quickly. Your lips parted in awe as you watched him dance because he was so immersed, it was as if dancing was his second skin, and you adored watching others dance who had the same passion as you did.

Since you didn’t know when he would stop and turn back to you, but the song went on because he probably didn’t finish the last touches on the choreography, he caught you staring with your mouth slightly agape. Even if you wouldn’t deny that you thought that he was amazing, he needed to rub it in your face.

“Not bad, huh?” Dongheon quirked an eyebrow teasingly, and that smirk in the corner of his lips made you roll your eyes. A second later, he let out a wholehearted laughter, and you let him enjoy this moment as he retreated to sit on the bench with you, reaching for his water bottle. That’s when you were ready to let him know about your opinion on what you had seen.

“That was impressive. You could have joined an idol group with those skills,” you pointed out frankly, but he shook his head after he had taken a sip from the water.

“Ah, I’ve never known how to sing or rap, and I didn’t want to be in the spotlight.

“To be honest, I’m rather thankful now that things turned out this way. I’m not sure I would have kept on enjoying being in the spotlight after debuting, so I can understand,” you let him know solemnly. Maybe you had been heartbroken over how you had needed to leave your agency, but now you were a firm believer that everything happened for a reason. Sometimes we can only see what a certain event or a milestone in our life indicates until some time passes by.

You sat in silence for a bit while he was trying to catch his breath, but he didn’t forget about your deal, so he prompted you to dance. You didn’t need to be told twice, you set the chosen song on repeat on your laptop, and walked to the centre of the practice room, sitting down and getting into position before the first beat of the song would be played. Then, you gave your all to the rather feminine choreography, focusing on your reflection in the mirror instead of Dongheon’s face, focusing on how you and your body felt while you were becoming one with the music. The moves were well-practiced and the transitions were smooth, so your hopes of telling a story with the choreography were high. Yet, due to the fact that you enjoyed it so much, it seemed like such a short time until you finished, and turned back to the guy, curious about his feedback.

Dongheon blinked a few times before he could form an opinion, and that was enough of an answer for you, so your lips had already curled upwards before he spoke up. He could scarcely be flustered, so you were rather content that you could make him lose his confidence for a bit while watching you dance.

“That was impressive, too,” he concluded after he had cleared his throat. You kept on your knowing smile as you sat back beside him, pulling up the sleeves of your sweater, the sudden rush of heat warming up your body enough to feel a bit suffocated in your clothes. You didn’t even think much of it until you caught Dongheon staring at your arm. To be precise, the inked half-quote on your arm.

“Oh yeah. My soulmate quote. It says ‘love is a war, but…’. I guess I may get to know once how it ends.” You straightened your arm, so he could see the quote properly. You had never really given the words much thought because there could be endless ways the sentence could end, so there was no use guessing.

On the other hand, Dongheon seemed a bit bewitched for a moment, yet you didn’t know why. Some people were rather sentimental about the soulmate quotes, so you assumed he was one of those too, and that’s why he looked so perplexed, but then he blurted out:

“A war worth fighting for.”

“What?” You furrowed your eyebrows in question, not knowing what his words could indicate. Was he trying to guess the ending of your soulmate quote?

“Love is a war, but a war worth fighting for,” he spoke up loud and clear, and you didn’t even have time to dwell on his words because you could feel a tingling sensation on your arm. It was as if an invisible force was hovering over it, but it didn’t hurt, it felt a bit ticklish instead. It wasn’t an entirely unfamiliar feeling, but you had felt this way only once before; when the half-quote had appeared on your arm on your 14th birthday just like it had done for everyone. Which could mean only one thing...

The moment you looked down on your arm, your quote was finished. After the comma, ‘but a war worth fighting for’ was written as if it had always been there. You blinked in confusion, looking up at the guy who held up his arm for you to show that he had the same - now - full quote engraved into his skin. He seemed just as bewildered as you, but knowing that he was your soulmate could explain why he had seemed to understand you like no one else, and why you had wanted to be there for him to share his burden. Sure, soulmates could be best friends, siblings or lovers, but whatever their relationship might be, they were called soulmates for a reason, and knowing that he was yours was both oddly satisfying and scary. You had toyed with the idea of meeting your soulmate one day, but you had never quite imagined it to go this way.

You were both speechless for quite a bit afterwards, but then he nudged your shoulder, and said:

“Hey! At least, it’s not that awkward that your jaw dropped upon seeing a guy dance because I’m your soulmate after all.”

“I’m not the one who needed to visibly gulp after seeing my dance,” you retorted as you nudged his shoulder back, and you caught him with that, you could see it in the way his eyes widened. However, in the next moment, his lips curled upwards and he burst into laughter. You followed his example, and you let yourself enjoy this rather joyful moment. With him. With your soulmate.

What a turn of events.

After getting to know that you two were soulmates, not much changed. Neither of you were firm believers of forcing this soulmate thing onto your relationship, you let things flow as they would either way. Though one thing that the realisation helped to facilitate was opening up to the other, talking about your dreams and past scars after practices because you knew that you were soulmates for a reason, so you could share such personal matters, and after last time, you were more certain than ever that he would be able to empathise with you.

You enjoyed getting to know Dongheon better because there were so many sides to him, and the initial sulky one was just one of them, and now that you knew why he had acted the way he had done so, you couldn’t even blame him. He was such a jokester sometimes, you didn’t even get all of his jokes, but as more time went by, you became accustomed to his cheekiness. Not to mention that he got better and better at teaching kids, and you had a feeling that it was because he was still a bit like a child at heart, he merely needed to put aside his sternness when teaching the little ones. It also helped that his mother was doing okay again, so he didn’t need to worry about her previous worrying results.

No wonder his higher-ups noticed the change in his way of teaching, and you were both told that he wouldn’t need to come to your classes anymore because his so-called training had seemed to be effective. On top of that, he became busy watching over the soon-to-be debuting boygroup’s practices, so he couldn’t come by every time, but he still made an effort to show up from time to time, and the kids welcomed him affectionately each and every time. You sometimes met outside of practice rooms too, mostly eating or having something to drink after both of you were finished with work for the day, and soon enough, you found it easier and easier to believe that he was actually your soulmate. You two were close friends for a while afterwards, and occasionally you helped each other out with choreographies for your classes or for your own pleasure. Sharing the same passion for dance brought you two even closer, and when it was just the two of you dancing in practice rooms, you felt like your heart would burst out of your ribcage each time his fingers ghosted along your skin, and each time you felt like you breathed the same air with only a few centimetres between you two.

Soulmates didn’t have to be lovers; they could be siblings, they could be best friends or anything similar, but you felt the string between you pulling you two closer and closer figuratively and literally. You caught him when he almost fell on his butt on the ice outside of the dance studio you worked at, he pulled you back when you stepped onto the ground when the lights turned red, you helped him get into a taxi and get inside his flat when he knocked himself out after a drinking night, and he accidentally held onto your hand when you were watching a horror movie together (or at least, he said that it was accidental). All of those moments might have been coincidental, but you wouldn’t have minded if they had been for real.

Dongheon must have felt the same because once when he pulled you with him when you were running to catch your bus, he didn’t let go of your hands when you sat down in a love-seat. You looked at your intertwined hands, and when he caught you staring, he merely shrugged his shoulders.

“Does it bother you? I think it’s rather comfortable,” he remarked with a subtle smile, casting you a curious glance nevertheless.

“It doesn’t bother me. I like it,” you agreed with heat flushing to your cheeks, and you had to look away before he could see the blossoms of burgundy tinting your rather pale skin. You sucked in a few deep breaths before turning back to him, but when you did so, he was closer than ever, and you almost bumped your head into his.

“Really? I like it, too,” he said in a rather cheeky tone, and his eyes were so mesmerizing, you just couldn’t bear yourself to look away, so you kept staring into those dark orbs, those hidden universes, and you wished you could capture this very moment; him being so close to you, your heart beating alongside his, and his breath fanning over your skin.

Sure, it might have been less intimate if you had just kissed him right then and there, and he might have felt the same way because he didn’t seal your lips tight, he merely let a boyish grin stretch over his lips that didn’t fade away even as your bus ride came to an end. He didn’t forget about your earlier confessions, so when he walked you home with his hands still in yours, he hovered over you gently and slowly, and kissed you while smiling to himself. He knew you wouldn’t push him away, he knew you would kiss him back, but what could you do? You were already weak for him.

Prince Minchan wasn’t an ordinary prince.

Or in fact, maybe when it came to his appearance, he was actually prince-like. He was slender, tall and broad-shouldered, thus he definitely looked like someone who could protect a whole kingdom. He had fluffy, slightly curly locks that seemed like shades of the fresh cinnamon; somewhere in between deep brown and light pecan. He had mature and defined features, his sharp jawline looked like as if it had been crafted by some kind of god. His mellow lips were ever so scarcely pulled into a smile, or maybe it was just that average people didn’t have the chance to see his sunrise-like smile very often alongside his whole appearance in fact.

Prince Minchan was an ordinary prince in the sense that he had been trained to serve with the army, he had been trained to become the next sultan as he had been the older out of the two heirs with his little brother Gyehyeon being two years younger than him. He had been taught manners, ethics, mathematics, physics and history. He had been taught well how to conduct a debate, how to add to arguments in a polite yet firm way, how to come up with strategies, how to read a map and how to lead a group of people if needed.

However, he wasn’t ordinary in the sense that he didn’t yearn for all these; the fame, the power, the perks of being of royal blood. He wasn’t interested in wars and fights, neither mathematics or history. He wasn’t fond of debates and arguments, he rather preferred solace and quiet afternoons. He preferred inks tinting the parchment paper instead of war threats sent in the kingdom’s way, he preferred sitting in the blooming garden instead of practicing out on the field and he would have preferred to live his life as a mere merchant instead of a prince.

But after all, he hadn’t chosen his own fate. His fate had chosen him. Or so he had thought so before he met Sookyung.

Sookyung wasn’t an ordinary girl - in any sense.

She had boyishly short hair, locks as dark as the canvas of the sky above the kingdom at midnight, eyes as deep as the Pacific Ocean and gaze as searing as the hottest of fire. She was taller than the average female, loose clothes covering her feminine curves and face usually covered by a hood. She was a quick runner, an excellent debater and an even better criminal, hence the hood over her head. It wasn’t that she had been sentenced to death, but let’s just say she was usually not welcomed in places, thus she didn’t even stay at the same kingdom for longer than a few weeks.

There was also something slightly odd about her; no matter her crimes and her cheeky and fierce behaviour, she had a soft spot for people in need - just like she had been one of them before she had chosen this path. Though as an orphan, kicked onto the streets as a mere child, what more could she have done?

No wonder she halted in her steps when she caught sight of an unusual scene at the market - the sandy road dotted with multiple stalls smelling of fresh books, baked goods, magnificent herbs, spicy flavours and people selling many colourful carpets and the finest of silk. There was a boy at a book stall, holding a book in his hands, the merchant yelling at him to pay for it and the boy insisting that he had money, just not right now.

Sookyung narrowed her eyebrows at the sight because he did look like someone who would have money; from the way he dressed to the way he formed words, he seemed like a rather noble young man. Though she didn’t know about people in such high ranks, especially not here in the Kingdom of the Setting Sun. She had been here for only a week.

Nevertheless, she strode to the stall, reached for a few coins in her pocket and gave it to the merchant who smiled through his hollow teeth. Merchants like him didn’t care about people until they got their money, so she wasn’t surprised that he didn’t ask questions. Unlike the fine-looking young man.

“Thank you,” the boy whispered in awe, eyes searching for hers, but she purposefully didn’t look into them.

“Don’t thank me.” She waved him off, knowing that she didn’t do anything good, yet before they could part ways, the merchant realized that she had given him fake coins and instead of her, he grabbed onto the young boy.

Sookyung grabbed the merchant by his shoulder and pushed him backwards, and the action itself and the power she used was enough for him to take a few steps back and for her to grab the boy by his wrist and start dragging him with her.

Despite the short time she had spent in the kingdom, she knew her way around, especially back to her little brick house that she had found abandoned when she had come to the kingdom. They made their ways through narrow corridors, outdoor stalls and busy market places, turning corners and looking back to see if the man was following them, but based on her quick examination regarding his physique, Sookyung had a feeling that he didn’t stand a chance.

Yet, they could only be sure about that when they arrived at her little brick house that was seemingly out of reach and run down enough for people not to bother her while she was staying there. From the outside, it looked like no one had lived there because the empty door frames were covered by thick curtains, thus not even light  from the inside could be seen.

“So what’s your deal? You don’t look like you belong here,” Sookyung remarked as she popped down onto a cushion that might have seemed too ordinary for someone who walked around in such high quality clothes, but the boy seemed to be more shocked by her realization than the sight around him.

His eyes widened as if he had been an animal caught in a trap, his Adam’s nipple anxiously moving up and down, lips slightly trembling.

“I-I...” He stuttered, yet seeing his nervous state, she rather waved him off.

“You know what? Nevermind. You’re clearly running away from something, and you’re clearly naive for trusting me,” she pointed out honestly, yet shrugged her shoulders as if she hadn’t cared about him. Though she had to admit that there was something captivative about his coffee-bean like eyes, something that she had also seen in her own orbs: the yearn for freedom.

“Fancy some tea?” Sookyung popped the question ever so casually as she rose from the cushion and walked closer to the part of the room she liked to call the kitchen. It was barely a table and a few other equipments but those were already enough for making tea and preparing some bread with cheese or a few chocolate-covered dates. All stolen, of course.

“Well, yes, actually.” The boy nodded, yet upon seeing her reaching for the tea cup, he corrected himself. “I meant, the running away part,”

“So you do admit that you’re naive?” She quirked an eyebrow in question, amusement tinting her lips. She decided to remove her hood at this point, there was no point in hiding herself from someone who looked so clueless and out of place. Despite his seemingly wealthy background, he looked like he wouldn’t be able to hurt a single soul.

The boy gave her a pointed look that seemed opposite of every action of his from before. He seemed much more firm than a minute ago, and she had a feeling that he had been taught for it, too. The way he corrected his posture and the way he held his chin up high; it was something that radiated superiority.

“I don’t consider myself naive. I am currently trying to read your body language to analyse your intentions,” he explained sternly, yet she couldn’t help a cheeky smile from appearing on her lips.

“And what does my body language say?”

No matter how provocative she tried to seem, the boy was flustered for only a fraction of a second. After that, he regained his composure and kept the eye-contact, making sure that she knew that he wasn’t one to have such ulterior intentions.

“Nothing like that.” He shook his head, a few of his cinnamonish locks falling into his coffee eyes. He was sure a sight to behold, and his behaviour was just the cherry on top.

“You’re cute,” she said shamelessly, deciding to ignore the slightly dumbfounded expression on his face. “It’s not like I’m killing boys in my free time, so relax, feel yourself at home,” she declared before he could get totally scared and might run away as if he had lost it. Though he was probably wondering around anyway, seeing how he stayed with her until this time and didn’t leave the moment they arrived at her little house. Or maybe he was merely too curious.

At first, the boy seemed reluctant to stay, yet he seemed reluctant to go either. It was a pretty interesting sight, so while he was trying to make up his mind, she busied herself preparing the tea and was surprised to find him actually staying in the end. She didn’t mind though.

The boy was actually an interesting company because it could be seen and could be heard that he had been taught well and he had read enough to know about topics she had absolutely no knowledge on. He was actually much more outspoken than he had seemed at first, and no matter how hard she tried to focus on what he was saying, her eyes still lingered on the shade of his eyes and the curliness of his locks. He seemed too much of a painting rather than a real human being, but actually seeing moles and circles under his eyes made her more reassured. At least, he had such flaws that made him humane.

She wouldn’t have thought that they would be able to have such an enjoyable conversation but apparently they did so, and even though he didn’t confess who he was, she could figure out that he had been travelling a lot because his family was wealthy and that he read a lot and that he was trained a lot. He could have been a prince or the next Sultan for all she had cared because what mattered to her was the fact that they could talk about freedom and breaking stigmas, understanding and empathy towards others and a lot more. Until, of course, he needed to leave.

“To where you’re running from?” She quirked an eyebrow in question, but didn’t pressure him to talk about something he didn’t want to. “Well, good luck!” Sookyung said in the end with a half-smile, watching as the boy forced himself to stand up and directed a final look in her direction.

“Thank you,” the boy - who had introduced himself as Minchan - remarked before leaving, missing out on her shaking her head and smiling cheekily to herself. What a boy he was! How flustered he had gotten when she had called him cute! She would probably never forget him even if they didn’t meet again. Though she hoped that they would.

Prince Minchan didn’t know what hit him when his legs found their ways to the girl’s house. As someone who needed to remember maps and strategies, his memory was particularly good and he knew the way around the kingdom anyway, although it had been some time since he could have left the palace for a longer period of time.

After the Sultana had died, the Sultan had wanted to make sure that he kept the boys as safe as possible, thus sneaking out was strictly prohibited for a while. Minchan had spent most of his childhood and teenage years wondering what it could be like outside, what a market could smell of, how hot the sand could feel under his feet when there was nothing to cover him from above and what it would be like to watch the sunset from somewhere else other than the terrace of the palace.

It had been only after his father had assumed that the princes were trained enough to take care of themselves properly that he let the boys leave the palace with the requirement of them letting him and the palace guards know that they would be going outside. Prince Minchan had left the palace multiple times ever since, mostly to buy new books for himself, yet sometimes - just like last time - he didn’t have enough money on himself and he didn’t want to cheat his way out of a payment just because he was a prince. People didn’t know how he looked anyway since he hadn’t been able to leave the palace for so long and they could have only seen him during ceremonies but those were kept inside of the palace anyway and only royal families were invited.

Yet, there was something about the girl’s mind-set and way of speaking that drove him in. It felt as if someone could have understood him which was surprising given their different backgrounds and the mere fact that sometimes he felt like no one understood him.

His little brother had also been very different from him; while Minchan was tender, soft-hearted, more of a sophisticated person rather than a skilled fighter, Gyehyeon was fierce, determined and an excellent swordsman and runner. It seemed like he had gotten the power and strength from their father and Minchan had gotten the softness and intellect from their mother. Which would have worked out just fine if the Sultan hadn’t insisted on Minchan being the Crown Prince just because he was the oldest.

Small wonder it felt nice to talk to someone who seemingly didn’t know who he was and what burden he carried. He craved the same kind of understanding again, hence his visit at the seemingly empty house. He looked around for a bit, suspecting that Sookyung might have gone somewhere else already as she had shared with him that she had been travelling ever since she had left the kingdom she had been from. She didn’t want the place to remind her of her own bitter memories, of being abandoned and of being left alone and tossed away at such a young age.

However, in the next moment, someone poked him in the chest, and Minchan was so surprised to find the girl beside him once he turned his head that he almost let out a squeal. Almost.

“Miss me already?” Sookyung chuckled, seeing his startled expression, her eyebrows rising up and down in a slightly teasing manner.

The prince needed a few seconds to gather his thoughts and pull himself together enough to answer her playful question. No matter her cheerful behaviour, he didn’t want to play along with her this time, thus he decided to be honest.

“Missed talking to you, actually. You seemed like you understand me,” he admitted as he scratched the back of his neck sheepishly, the sudden change in the atmosphere making him fear her reaction. He shouldn’t have been afraid though; the girl’s features immediately softened and instead of a cocky smile, it was replaced by a bittersweet one.

“Had a rough day?” She inquired quietly, her eyes boring into his own ones. Even if she had been practically a criminal, he knew her reasons and her personality meant so much more to him than any crime could. It’s not like she had seriously hurt anyway, she just needed to get by somehow.

He nodded to her question, his lips pulling into a grimace. The girl got the message just by this action of his and pointed in the direction of her colourful cushion. 

“Well, then, have a seat. I’ll get you your favourite tea,” she suggested, making her way to the table, yet Minchan was taken aback by her words almost immediately. While it was true that they had talked about his favourite kind of tea the last time they had met, he wouldn’t have thought that she would do as much as to buy his favourite tea.

“Did you purchase my favourite tea?”

“Well, I didn’t actually purchase it because it’s way too expensive, but I had a feeling you would come back,” she explained with that adventurous glint in her carob eyes and Minchan couldn’t help but let his lips curl upwards. “I like that smile better. Your gloomy face is way too ugly,” she remarked shamelessly, and he was sure that it was to lift up his mood, thus he wasn’t angry at her. Not like he could be angry at her. After all, she had helped him a lot more than he could have asked for and this day prove him right yet again.

Talking to Sookyung was always full of surprises; not just because of the way she could always throw retorts in his way but also because of her words. She was full of twists and turns just like her whole life, and talking to her was actually a lot more fascinating than a lot of books he had ever read. Maybe she wasn’t educated, but she was sure knowledgeable enough when it came to life itself and she had a lot more experiences than others could have had during their whole life.

There was also that kind of undefeatable understanding in her that Minchan prominently appreciated because no matter the people around him, it seemed like a girl like her was the only one who was willing to listen to his deepest and most sincere concerns and take them seriously. Even though she said that she wasn’t good at such advices because she didn’t know his whole situation, her reassurance was enough, not to mention the fact that she was willing to listen to him.

Tea cup empty, the scenery darkening around them, the prince had to realize that no matter how much he wanted to clear his head, he needed to go back to the palace to not cause a ruckus.

Yet, before he did so, he didn’t hesitate to thank the girl who waved her off as always - but this time, it was with a knowing smile, the best kind in his opinion.

Times had passed and Minchan found himself going back to Sookyung day by day, and the more they talked, the closer he felt to her. Eventually, she had realized that he must have been one of the princes from the kingdom because she had heard enough rumours and she had put together the pieces. It hadn’t meant that she had treated him any differently, it was as if this tiny fact hadn’t even mattered to her that much. She had kept teasing him, calling him by playful names, giving him those stares and wiggling her eyebrows. She had been as shameless as she could have been, but in the best possible way.

Yet, knowing her situation, he shouldn’t have been surprised, yet he still was when she announced that she would move to another kingdom.

“I really wish I could go with you,” Minchan confessed with a dreamy expression, his curly locks falling into his eyes. Maybe it wasn’t even just the other kingdom he craved but maybe it was the girl’s presence too that he was willing to run away for. Or that cheeky smile. Or those childish glints and occasional fiery moments. Or her way of making his favourite tea a bit bitter but still sweet. Or her characteristic, deep laughter. Or her boyishly short locks. Or her determination.

“You know, you can always come when you’re ready,” she concluded with yet another knowing smile of hers, and he really wished he could have been as hopeful as her. He didn’t know when or if he could ever leave the palace and live the life he wanted, but seeing her example, he knew that a new chance and a new life was always possible.

“I’ll come find you then,” Minchan said firmly, earning a gentle smile from the girl who looked him into the eyes for long, unbreakable seconds, the smile not wavering from her lips.

That was the first time he realized that she might have enjoyed their encounters and conversations as much as he had done so; she might have felt the same way towards him as he had done towards her; she might have had that same electronic jolt in her body as he had had whenever their hands had accidentally touched; she might have felt like she had found a home in his presence rather than just a conversational partner.

“I can’t wait,” Sookyung remarked cheekily, her lips turning upwards into a smile before she shortened the distance between the two of them and pecked a soft kiss onto his cheeks, something that he kept remembering back to until he set out on his journey of self-exploration a few months later and until he set out on the journey of finding her.