Your POV    

 

   The sky, from the magnificent sapphire blue of the afternoon and the fire red streaks through sunset orange of the evening, had been replaced by a sheet of jet black. Glimmering shiny stars like snowy white paint dotted on the black sheet glittered in the sky like a thousand diamonds. The darkness did nothing to slow us down, since we were in the comfort and light of the brightly lit shopping mall.   

 

   Slipping my delicate hand into Hyunseung's big, warm one, we swung them freely as we strolled around, stopping every now and then to glance into the interesting looking beautifully decorated stores selling attractive eye-catching fascinating stuff. It was an advantage for me, since it was my birthday and I could have anything I wanted. Before long, bags and bags of shopping were in Hyunseung's hands, as I picked out everything I wanted.

 

   Feeling extremely ravenous after a long day at the amusement park, we immediately ducked into a fancy Italian restaurant to have dinner to soothe our growling stomachs. It was well furnished, with glossy black walls surrounding us and dim pink lights illuminated the entire room, providing a romantic ambience. Settling down on a soft leather chair, which Hyunseung very gentlemanly pulled back for me, in front of a round table with a beige tablecloth draped over it, we started to look through the menu.   

 

   "Hyunseung oppa, look at the others eating," I whispered to Hyunseung and made exaggerated movements towards the other customers, "the servings are so huge! Those plates are gigantic and are totally full, I definitely won't be able to finish one by myself. Why don't we share just one dish and then order dessert?" I suggested when I got taken aback by how big the servings of the food were.   

 

   Agreeing instantly to my request, we raised our hands high up and called for the waiter and ordered two bowls of hot tomato soup, two servings of garlic bread, a platter of spaghetti carbonara and two plates of tiramisu. Tapping my fingers on the table impatiently while waiting for the food to arrive, I shivered in cold as my smooth skin made contact with the cold-as-ice stainless steel cutlery. It was then that I noticed that I was literally freezing because of the ridiculously low temperature.

 

   Noticing this, Hyunseung had shrugged off his thick black denim jacket and lain it gently over my shoulders, warming me up almost instantly as the warm fabric provided an insulation. I couldn't help noticing that the scent of Hyunseung's cologne had stuck to his jacket, making me feel giddy since it smelt so sweet. Just like my drug, since I couldn't stop sniffing it. A warm smile spread across my face as something burned in my heart.

 

   "Hyunmi, you know better than to forget to bring a sweater or a jacket along. Even a thin cardigan would be much better than none. What if you catch a cold? It's going to be very terrible if you do, with the bitter disgusting medicine and bored in bed with nothing to do AND-"

 

    "Yes, grandpa, I'll remember to bring my jacket next time, so shut your naggy mouth," I sheepishly laughed and joked as he narrowed his beady eyes at me jokingly. His nagging - I never got tired of it.

 

   As we continued to crack jokes and tell funny stories to liven up the mood, the aroma of the delectable food wafted through the cool air towards us, making our stomach grumble in contempt loudly, making the tips of my ears turn pink. Glancing back instinctively, we caught sight of a waiter balancing a big tray carefully as he made his way, shaking, over to us.  

 

  "I'm sorry for the long wait, sir and madam. As you can see, there are a lot of customers present today," he apologised, gesturing to the crowd of people still waiting outside and the full tables, "so we had to bring your full meal in one go. Please enjoy your meal."

 

   Without thinking, we picked up the speckless spoon and fork and started to chomp away at the aromatic garlic bread which was delicious and I couldn't believe how vampires could hate it, slurping the hot tomato soup which was sumptuous with a tinge of sweetness and warmed us up in no time, even tilting the bowl and scraping at the bottom for any last bits of the thick red soup with the metal spoons. Red - like blood.

 

   Placing the huge ceramic plate with the scrumptious spaghetti on top, we made eye contact for a moment and smiled before digging in. Flavours of cheese, bacon and eggs coupled together with the slight spicy taste of the black pepper melted into my mouth as I twirled the noodles around my fork and rammed it into my mouth, savouring every bite.

 

   Tugging at a few thin strands of spaghetti which were already between my pink lips, I was surprised and confused about why they wouldn't budge. There's nothing to stop them from moving...except...

 

   Praying that the situation wouldn't be as awkward as I had thought of, I looked upwards and immediately blushed a deep red, possibly even redder than the blood red tomato soup. Averting my stare, so that it wouldn't be too embarrassing, I desperately tried to use my front teeth to bite down on the ends of spaghetti in my mouth.   

 

   Because there, sitting directly opposite from me, Hyunseung had the ends of the same strands of spaghetti in his mouth.

 

Hyunseung's POV   

 

   She may be really embarrassed by the situation, but right now I'm bursting with happiness and I couldn't control the smile from spreading on my face. Yeah, it wasn't sipping drinks from the same cup or the same ice cream cone, but I count it as an indirect kiss. We were chewing on the same strand of spaghetti!

 

   Giddy with happiness, I barely paid attention to the rest of my meal, just scooping up bits of food and chewing each bite unconsciously, my mind packed with the delightful situation which happened earlier. Soon, we had finished the meal and had paid the bill before strolling around again.

 

   Hyunmi had plastered her face on the smooth glass display of a shop, gazing lovingly at the stuffed plush toys of different colours and sorts - ranging from the eye-catching red Angry Bird to the hot pink Care Bear toys, and ranging from toys as small as the yellow Winnie the Pooh toy to the huge pale pink Piglet toy which she could hug in her sleep.

 

   "Oppa, I want the big Rilakkuma," she ran over, tugged at my arm and pointed to the huge light brown bear with  equally huge black eyes staring at me. My hands and arms were already lined with plastic bags full of clothes, shoes, keychains of all sorts and other little collectibles like notebooks and stationery, and even though I might love her, I mentally groaned. Fishing out my wallet, I handed her $20 as she hurriedly rushed to the counter to pay for the toy.

 

   As she came back, hugging her Rilakkuma bear with linked arms, I was surprised to see her without a plastic bag to carry the toy in. That meant one less plastic bag to carry, which made me heave a sigh of relief. Yet I felt jealous of the bear, for having her hug it so tightly.

 

   Yeah, sounds strange doesn't it? Being jealous of a bear toy, what am I? Six?

 

   "Welcome, everyone! Today, as to celebrate this special event of Valentine's Day, we will now hold a couple contest! Registration is not needed, you just have to be here in five minutes, and the contest will start then, and you can just write down your names on a piece of paper so that we can give you the prizes. Come on everyone, join in in this celebration!" a booming voice thundered out of the blue from the first floor of the shopping mall.

 

   My eyes brightened up. Couple contest? That was totally for me! Well, us.

 

   "Hyunmi, do you want to give it a try? Just to join in the fun, of course. And after the contest, maybe we could just grab some ice cream and go home. Does that sound good?"

 

    Pondering for a moment, and disagreeing, I had to pester and persuade her into going before she finally nodded in agreement. Huffing, I checked the time on my black digital watch. 7.58pm. 2 more minutes before the contest starts.

 

   Grabbing Hyunmi's hand and heading for the escalators, I had to skip down steps without waiting for the slow escalator to send us down. Riding down a few more escalators, we finally reached at 8.01pm. Well, just one minute doesn't really make a difference. Hurriedly rushing to the middle of the huge spacious shopping mall, we saw scarlet curtains and a maroon carpet which covered the marble floor. Rushing over to the table, I picked up the wooden pencil and scribbled our names down on the name list. Doing the same for the clear white stickers, I peeled them off and stuck them to our shirts.

 

   "Welcome to the couple Valentine's Day contest! I see that many couples have arrived. Exactly ten, to be exact. Which means 20 people! Thank you for participating! All right, now let me explain the rules of the contest to you. There will be 3 different small contests, and points will be given to you depending on how well both of you fare for them. The top three couples with the most points will be given prizes at the end of this mini competition.

 

   "All right, let's start this! The first competition will depend mostly on the males. You will have to carry your female counterpart for as long as you can. Any position is fine, bridal style or piggyback, anything. Points will be given according to how many minutes you can carry your girlfriend. If you can carry her for 10 minutes, you will be given 10 points, which is the maximum for this game. Get ready, and...start!" the plump man finally finished announcing.

 

   I peered around to take a look at how others decided to carry their girlfriends. A short man with a mohawk haircut had piggybacked his brown-haired skinny girlfriend who looked beautiful without makeup though I felt that my one and only was much more gorgeous. A redhead young man had swept his blonde girlfriend with cat-like eyes into a bridal-style position, and they were laughing non-stop. A tall neon-blue haired man had even let his girlfriend with doll-like features sit on his broad shoulders comfortably while holding onto his head.

 

   Thinking for a moment, I decided on a good way to carry Hyunmi. A unique way.  

 

   Linking my hands around Hyunmi's hips and lifting her up effortlessly, I quickly informed her to wrap her long milky legs around my hips, which she instinctively did while shrieking. Using my firm hands to press her against me, she joined her arms around my neck. Carrying her wouldn't be difficult, since she was pretty light. We tried to relax and reduce the tension. A flashback came back to me...

 

Flashback      

 

The bright green grass seemed to darken gradually as night fell. As the sky darkened together with the colours of the Earth around us, the stars refused to be affected as well and instead, brightened. Dazzling white stars dotted the dark night sky and twinkled brightly as time passed. Apart from the beautiful shining stars, the night sky was totally clear - the moon couldn't be seen. The only source of light was the starlight.

 

There were no crickets chirping, no vehicles honking or screeching, no owls hooting. There was peace and tranquility of the silence which was comfortable. The cool night air was clean and pure, without a trace of pollution or dust. There was a fresh smell - no odour or stench of any kind blocking up the nostrils of our aquiline noses. 

 

Our fingers were intertwined - her long, delicate ones and my firm ones - filling up every empty space and fitting perfectly like two pieces of a puzzle. Under our bodies, we could feel the soft, damp grass which felt like fur - so nice to the touch. The cool, damp grass cooled down our bodies. It was serene and tranquil. We lay there on the soft green grass, gazing up at the beautiful sky and admired the glittering stars, our faces expressionless, yet a burst of emotions filled our warm hearts. Awe, peace, happiness, and love.

 

A long river stretched out in front of us, gurgling and gushing ever so quietly that the sounds were unheard to human ears. Clear pure water flowed continuously in the river, travelling for miles and miles to who-knows-where.

 

Very soon after, exhaustion took over her lethargic body. Her delicate body became limp and her large gleaming eyes had shut. Normally, she seemed like a fairy - so beautiful and kind. Now, with her innocent sleeping appearance and her sharp features softening, she seemed like an...angel, with her beautiful angelic features which made up her flawless face.

 

Glancing at her, he thought of which way he could use to carry her back to the dreary dilapidated orphanage. Piggyback would be wrong, since she was asleep and unconscious to her surroundings. Bridal style would be inappropriate, him being a thirteen-year-old. Sitting on his shoulders would be dangerous. Lifting her up, he tenderly placed her arms around his neck, wrapped her legs around his body and lifted her up effortlessly.

 

After a period of time, they finally arrived at the dark orphanage, with all the bright lights turned off, indicating that everyone was asleep. Silently, he tiptoed up the creaky wooden stairs and into the tiny cramped bedroom both of them shared. Laying her gently on the bottom bunk and covering her with a thin white blanket, he kissed her on the forehead.

 

"Good night, Hyunmi. I love you."

 

Flashback end.

 

  "And ten minutes are up! Congratulations to this game's only winner - the sweet couple Hyunseung and Hyunmi! Well done for being able to carry her for ten minutes straight, Hyunseung-ssi. With ten points, Hyunseung and Hyunmi are at the lead! The second game involves having you to guess facts about your counterpart. We will be giving out some pieces of facts sheets, please fill them out and remember to write your name! We will be testing your boyfriend or girlfriend on the five questions. If you are able to guess all five correctly, you get five points, and if your counterpart can too, it will be ten points in total!" the cheery plump announcer happily said.

 

  Within seconds, the facts sheets had been given out to us. Staring at the questions, I laughed at how ridiculous they were.

 

Facts sheet

Name:                             Partner's Name:                                   

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Favourite food:

Favourite colour:

Favourite animal:

Favourite flower:

Favourite movie:

 

   After filling out the forms and handing them back to the workers in charge, we stood together and watched the process. It turned out that the couples barely knew about each other, the highest only getting a six. It was surprising.

 

   "Gong Minji, and Kang Daesung, please answer these questions. What is your counterpart's favourite food?" We watched the last couple, who obviously knew hardly anything about each other. Pathetic.

 

  "Erm...patbingsu?" the girl with a purple pixie haircut answered the same time the blonde guy next to her said, "Dukkbokki?"

 

  "Favourite colour?"

 

  "Er...blue?" "Red?"

 

  "Favourite animal?"

 

  "Dolphin?" "Piglet?"

 

  "Favourite flower?"

 

  "Water lilies?" "Roses?"

 

  "Favourite movie?"

 

  "Twilight?" the moment the girl muttered this, the blonde boy on her left grimaced and stared at her in disgust, seeming to be so disgusted that he couldn't even mumble a word.

 

  "I'm sorry, none of that was right. Well...you both got 0 in this game. Sorry!"

 

  Hyunmi and I glanced at each other and knowing smiles spread on our faces. We definitely knew that we would win them, since we knew so much about each other.

 

  "Welcome...the sweet couple! Hyunmi and Hyunseung, I do hope you will get 10 in this game as well! Wish you both luck! Now...let's not push this back any longer! What is your partner's favourite food?"

 

  "Chicken." "Garlic bread."

 

  "Favourite colour?"

 

  "White and black." "Purple."

 

  "Favourite animal?"

 

   "Dog." "Penguin."

 

   "Favourite flower?"

 

   "Sunflower." "Lilac."

 

   "Lastly, favourite movie?" the announcer seemed excited.

 

   "Pirates Of The Carribean." "The Hunger Games."

 

   "Fantastic! The sweet couple has gotten 10 again! Well done! This is amazing! Now, without further ado, let's start the final competition! It is none other than the famous, legendary, pepero stick competiton!" the announcer said with a flourish as he pulled out two boxes of pepero sticks from behind his back.

 

  My eyes nearly popped out of its sockets.