You laugh at his cuteness and nod, excitedly. “Yes, I would love to join you!” 

"Really?" he asks you, ducking his head as if he can't quite believe what he's hearing. "Because I thought ... well, I won't question it," he grins, arriving at the street where you live. "I'll come by at dusk, okay?" He gives you a small wave, and with that he enters his house.

You stand in front of your door, inwardly screaming and trying hard not to show any emotions. Fiddling with the key in the lock, you step inside your house and, leaning against the door, finally let out a little squeal of happiness. 

A date. Sure, you've been asked out before, back when your social status had held weight in the school. But none of those guys that had asked you had actually been interested in you; all they wanted was to get close to you, and what you'd most likely inherit once your dad retires. Since that's gone now, your appeal has apparently lost its charm, and having someone like Daehyun ask you - someone you like, no less - is just plain gratifying.

You probably won't get anything done today, but you'll try. Remembering what Daehyun had said about mail, you finally notice the small pile of letters sitting right inside the door. Too excited to bother looking over them now, you grab them and toss them on the counter before rushing to your room and starting on your homework.

For once, you actually have more than mere boredom to entice you into being productive.

You spend about an hour or so doing school work, then proceed to ransack your luggage (which you still haven't unpacked). What should you wear? You want to look nice in front of Daehyun. He's only ever seen you in school uniform, except for that time when you had first met him, and he had given you directions to this house. You want to look attractive, maybe something reminiscent of the old days, but also not so showy that'd he'd infer you were purposefully trying to impress him. You get the feeling Daehyun might not appreciate those types of actions.

But, then what? You only have the clothes you've brought with you, and it doesn't seem to fit the image you're searching for. All your casual clothes look expensive. There's no way you could just wear this and expect to fool him with your careless act. Getting frustrated, you start to throw things onto your bed, desperately searching for something that won't shout 'lost wealth'. 

It's strange. No matter how hard you look, you just can't find something that could be considered banal. Sighing, you stare at the clothes that are strewn on your floor, creating a barrier of fabric around you, before you look down at the uniform you're wearing. Well ... you could just take off the blazer, and maybe change into jeans. But wearing this button-down would work, right? 

You take off your blazer and adjust your shirt to your liking, not wanting to think about it anymore. It shouldn't matter how you look. You assure yourself that Daehyun doesn't seem like the type of guy who'd care what others wore, because he himself doesn't care what people think of him and his rebellious blond hair. This sort of acceptance comforts you, so after cleaning yourself up and changing into jeans, you're renewed with a rediscovered confidence. 

Looking out your window, you realize it's time for you to leave the house. Grabbing your keys on the way out, you exit your home just as Daehyun shuts the front door of his own.

"Oh," he says, watching you, then breaking into a wide smile. "We always do that."

"Yeah," you laugh, falling into step beside him. "You look nice."

And he does. More than nice, really. You're so used to seeing him in that fitted blazer that seeing him in a loose-fit hoody and dark gray jeans is like a phenomenon. A thin, silver chain rests against his collar bone, something you had never noticed before because the tie and collar of his uniform always covered it up.

"Really?" he scoffs, leading the way. He has a hat to cover up his eye-catching hair. "I don't know. I look normal." 

You decide not to mention anything else as he leads you past the busy streets of the city. Although its dinner time for everyone, there are still a few stragglers roaming the night, and the bright lights of zooming cars peal past you, casting ominous shadows on the pavement.

"So where are we going?" You ask him as you turn into a sidewalk that leads to the outskirts of a large park.

"There's a food stall near the park. Well, more than one. They come here all the time. You've probably never eaten street food, right?" he asks you, stepping over a fallen branch.

"Street food?"

"Simply put, food sold on the streets," he laughs lightly. 

You blink. Now that you think about it ... you haven't. "Are there ... is it like, an outdoor restaurant?"

"Um ... not really. They have chairs sometimes. It depends. But mostly, they don't. So we can eat in the park, or something. So you've really never eaten?" he gives you a disbelieving look, and you shake your head. "Wow," he comments. "Cool. I get to give you one of your first times. Oh, here we are," he states, and you follow his gaze to see a whole line of food stalls decorating one side of the street, smoke lifting from their grills and a variety of smells wafting in the air. Little lamp lights hang from their mini-awnings as the vendors flip their food or receive payment from their few customers.

"They actually get people?" you ask, suspicious.

"Well, yeah. It's like fast food. But, it's more fun like this," he says. "So. Take a look. What do you want to eat?"

Your mouth waters as you begin to scan the options. You've never seen food cooked like this before. There are some things you recognize, and some you don't, and to be honest, you don't trust yourself to choose what food to consume. You turn to Daehyun, giving him a helpless look. "Uh. Can you choose for me? I don't really ... know what's good ... "

"Okay, but you better eat what I give you," he says, walking over to a vendor and immediately ordering the recently cooked food. He gives you a plate to hold and gives one to himself, and you follow him as he takes food and places it on his or your plate. By the time he's done, your plate is pretty full, so after paying for the food, he starts to turn away from the vendors.

"Where are we going?" you ask him, not sure where he's off to. Without replying, he leads you to the park, and he waits to found a picnic table until he sets his food down next to yours and speaks.

"See, this is all I can afford, so ... but, I hope you like it," he says shyly, and you take in your surroundings. It's true; it's nothing like the restaurants you've eaten before with your dad. But there's something in the simplicity of his choice of location that endears you to the place. Maybe its the way the moon shimmers on the lake or casts a blue sheen over everything it touches. Maybe, it's the delicious smell of food that overcomes your senses. Or maybe it's the mere fact that Daehyun's here, sitting in front of you, talking to you, quietly confirming his position in your life.

Even though it hadn't been cooked by high-class chefs using stainless steel kitchen appliances ... food has never tasted so good.

You spend the next hour ... hour and a half ... two hours sitting there underneath the stars, talking to Daehyun over unimportant matters. You had managed to finish the food he had given you, and you had loved every bite of it. He offers to get you dessert, but you decline; getting dessert would mean having to stand up and walking away  from this place, from being here in this moment of time, and you don't want to leave just yet. It's one of those scenes in life which you wish you could integrate as a film in your mind, so that in the future, you can reply the moments over and over again and never forget all those times that had meant something to you.

But of course, all things come to an end. After throwing away your trash, Daehyun walks you home. The streets are a lot less empty than when you had first set out, and it gives a peaceful, quiet ambiance. Although you're both a little tired and worn out by the time you arrive at your houses, that feeling of lethargy is overshadowed by the fact that you were able to end a sour day on a high note. 

"I'll see you tomorrow?" Daehyun asks you. You smile.

"Yeah."

"Don't leave for school without me, okay?" he asks you. You blush, and he turns to his house. You give him a nod, and wait for him to shut the door before you enter your house.

You're dreaming. You must be. Life has never felt so good, not even when you bought a new dress from a top designer. It's the little things that really do matter in life. 

Remembering the letters on your counter, you decide to look through them before going to sleep. You want to stay up as long as possible in order to keep the day lasting. Turning over one envelope, you stare at the address, and suddenly your blissfulness slips away, and you feel the walls cave in.

It's from your dad.

Ripping open the letter, you pull out the paper with shaking hands. What does he want? Is this allowance? Are you merely over-thinking? You unfold the paper, but when you read the letter, your heart drops. 

"How are you? Has school been good? As for me, I haven't been able to find a job. I'm sorry, but it looks like I won't be able to send you money. It's been difficult." You in a breath, reading those bitter few words.

"I don't think I'll be coming back."