*****

Was it her face that invaded your mind?
Her kind isn't that hard to find
She lets you think that you found her first
That's how she works, her sick and twisted gypsy curse

               It was the way her hips moved and swayed to the music, the way her face was covered with that piece of little cloth that only her tantalizing eyes was all he could see and the way she stared at him as if beckoning him to stop and stare that caught his attention and made his gaze divert to her direction right in an instant.

               The loud cheers were deafening, the number of people surrounding him  felt uncomfortable and weird with their sticky skin brushing against his as they push their way in and the smell that drafted within that place was suffocating that if you’re not used to it, you’ll surely faint.

               But that wasn’t the case, what the person was thinking at the very moment was that, it was his first time stepping foot in that kind of place, the first time he felt that he belonged and for once in his life he managed to blend in with the crowd. And for the first time, an enigmatic beauty like her intrigued him.

               Almond eyes still glued to the figure clad in a commoner’s (yet somewhat gorgeous looking) dress, her golden anklets bouncing as she continued to dance, hands moving graciously as if the wind’s the one controlling its very move – the person watching, by the name of YunHo, remained on where he was and continued to watch the whole show with pure interest.

                His curious eyes observed as to how the other people around him enjoyed the performance, clapping their hands together with the music, tapping their foot in time with the beat and laughing with pure glee as they continued watching the performer do her own thing.

                He found himself smiling when the said performer approached an old man, urging him to dance along with her which earned more laughter from the audience.  Before his smile could get any wider, it disappeared quickly when he noticed a little girl just an arm away from him saw his reaction. He cleared his throat uncertainly and felt embarrassed for a split second.

                 Minutes passed and the music was slowly fading and YunHo continued watching.  With such great impact the performer busted her last moves –hips swaying here and there, her hands were thrown in the air and her head was moving from side to side. And with a blast, the show was over. The crowd applauded furiously, cat calls and gasped of awe were heard. YunHo, because of the crowd, the great performance and the dancer, couldn’t help but clap his hands too. This time, the same little child was still looking at him with a big smile on her face. He decided to smile back.

                Everyone was then slowly throwing coins onto a hat that a monkey on a leash was holding, the little animal went from one person to another, soliciting any amount that they could give. A man with a weird beard said something about seeing them again for another great performance and just like that, in a blink of an eye as if nothing just happened, the crowd dispersed and went on their separate ways.

                A snicker from behind him was heard and with pure disgust, the person behind YunHo said, “Good for nothing gypsies – performers by day, thieves by night. How low could they get?”

                YunHo’s ears perked up hearing that. ‘Gypsies?’ he mused in his head and remained still as he listened to the ongoing conversation, “They should leave this place of ours. They’ll do no good here”

                There was a sigh, “There’s a rumour going around that they kill or poison anyone who tries shooing them away. And everyone’s too scared to do anything about it. I also heard that they got invited to perform at the palace sometime this week. The king wants to see them perform”

                ‘Now that’s something interesting’, YunHo thought as the two guys behind him started walking away. He took a step forward towards the performer and her companions who were busy packing their stuff, having decided in his mind that he should at least say some few words.

                By the time he was near them, he coughed on purpose, trying to gain the dancer’s attention but she paid no heed to him as she continued petting the monkey with a leash. Even so, YunHo said, “That was one amazing show”

                The weird bearded guy who was passing by and who happened to hear what YunHo said, stopped on his tracks and turned to the dancer, telling her, “I think he’s talking to you”

                The gypsy quirked a brow, her gaze tearing away from her pet, “What?”

                The weird bearded guy jerked his thumb towards the stranger’s direction and the gypsy straightened up, he whispered “He’s talking to you. Better entertain him. I can tell, he’s got lots”

                With a wink, the guy was gone and the gypsy was walking towards YunHo’s direction. And for every step that the dancer takes, taking her closer and closer to the stranger – YunHo’s heart, in some weird way started beating nervously. 

                “Did you enjoy my performance?” The dancer asked confidently no hint of shyness or uncertainty in her voice as if she’s used to people praising her and flooding her with words of flattery.

                  And her eyes, her eyes were the only thing that YunHo could see and he felt frustrated.  There was something inside him that’s urging to remove that piece of cloth off her face to know how breathtakingly beautiful she is.

                YunHo was bound to stutter in reply but he managed to pull his self together, “Yes” he said smiling and reluctantly added, “May I see you perform again?”

                The gypsy merely nodded, confused as to how this stranger was asking for permission. Every gypsies’ show is open to everyone unless if they’re invited to perform on a special or private occasion organized by someone with such high status in society. 

                YunHo felt self-conscious as he saw how the gypsy ran her eyes up and down, inspecting him from head to toe. In some way, he felt and no one in his entire life managed to make him feel that way. He was then, even more intrigued.

               There was complete silence as they remained on their spots with nothing else to say. The atmosphere getting a bit more awkward as seconds ticked.  When the gypsy raised her head, YunHo saw that there was something in her eyes that was very captivating and he found himself lost for a moment.

                Then, without any time to spare, he reached into his pockets and handed her a pouch, “Here. You deserve this”

                The dancer could only stare at him as she accepted the gift; YunHo then saw how the gypsy felt unsure of giving it back or not. Before she could finalize her decision and before YunHo could know what it was, he gave her a soft smile before he turned his back and walked away.

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A/N:  This is kinda like my comeback here in AFF after not posting one single fic or chapter after a long time. please do leave comments because they are highly appreciated and constructive criticisms are also encouraged :)) to those who just read this *hugs* thank you~ ^^