Chapter 14: Night Walks

“So, can you tell me why you waited for me or …?” Joonmyun asked quite impatient. He didn’t want to be rude, but his words seemed a bit harsh.

He really wanted to know the real reason why Yoomin waited for him or even wanted to be with him, without Chanyeol. His first thoughts were that he was being used to make Chanyeol jealous. He didn’t know Yoomin by such type of person but he couldn’t help to think that, since he had witnessed what happened at the restaurant. However, he didn’t exclude the hypothesis of Yoomin really wanting to spend some time with him, alone. It was what kept his hopes high.

“Hum, well, I saw you eating alone and I thought of keeping you company. I hope that’s okay…” Yoomin finally explained herself. She caught a bit of the harshness on his words but didn’t mind it. She kind of was waiting for it long ago. After all, she had left him behind when they went to help cleaning the park.

“Oh, of course it’s okay… So there is anywhere you want to go?” Joonmyun cleared his throat and changed his tone as to not be misunderstood.

Even though Yoomin pondered on asking him if he was mad at her, she didn’t, because Joonmyun always seemed so genuine and honest with his words. And if he was actually mad at her, she thought he would eventually tell or she would notice it.

“I don’t know. Do you know somewhere we can go?”

The boy thought for some seconds and then a place hit his mind. “I may know a place you might like,” Joonmyun outlined a smile and Yoomin returned it, as she followed him to the park.

She just hoped he wouldn’t take her to the swimming pool. The event from before had left her traumatized and she wouldn’t risk going there again, at least with people who didn’t know her secret.

“Oh, we’re going to the garden of the hotel?” Yoomin rhetorically asked as she acknowledged the place they were approaching.

“Well, yes. You don’t want to?” Joonmyun asked, always concerned that she could dislike his choices. He was like that with other people. He was the type of person who was always afraid that people wouldn’t like his choices, his work, his company, his conversation. It was part of his personality being that way, but somehow, he had the urge to change, he just didn’t know how or maybe he didn’t have anyone to help him. Maybe that person had finally appeared.

“Oh no, of course I want to. I read in the flyer on the entrance that this garden is huge and beautiful. It was a good choice.” She gave him a warm smile, totally happy that he had chosen that place, since she had wanted to visit it.

They walked through the garden, under the night sky with the relaxing sound of the vermin and the night itself, smelling the wet grass and the other plants around them. The conversation started to flow and they talked about endless thinks. It looked like they instantly connected and knew each other for much longer.

In the center of the garden there was a playground and they ended up there.

“Oh look! A playground!” Yoomin pointed out, as she was both curious and amazed by their «discovery» and walked towards it. Her childish side spontaneously came out and a big smile was all she was wearing (not literally).

Joonmyun continued walking at his pace, observing Yoomin’s happiness. Her smile was contagious as he found himself smiling too. The tender look he had towards her turned into a shy one, once Yoomin stopped at the entrance of the park and looked back to him.

“Joonmyun, come on! Why are you falling behind?” She gestured with her tiny hand for him to go with her and he went.

Yoomin went straight to the swings and sat on the lower one, leaving the higher for Joonmyun. He followed her and also sat on the other swing beside her. As soon as she saw him sitting on the swing she spoke.

“Well, I bet you will lose against me on who can go the highest.” With a smirk, she challenged him and not wasting time, she started swinging right away.

Joonmyun laughed and answered, “Miss, you are very wrong.” Accepting the challenge, he also started swinging.

Soon enough both of them forgot about the challenge and were just enjoying the wind as they went back and forth on the swing. They looked like two kids again, just laughing as they played around, remembering the old days when they had no responsibilities and all they cared about was to play with their friends.

“Do you like stars?” Joonmyun asked as he looked up the sky, now that they got tired of the all swinging and were resting.

Yoomin was quite caught off guard by that question. After being in silence for some minutes, she gazed into the sky filled with white points, some shinier than others, some bigger than others, but all as equally beautiful. “Yeah, I like them.” She then looked at him, waiting for him to say something else.

“Why?”

Yoomin creased her forehead as she got confused as she couldn’t find the reason to his questions. No one had ever asked something like that and therefore she didn’t have a formed answer for that.

After putting some thought into it she finally answered. “Well, they’re shinny and small. They’re relaxing. And somehow it feels like if you talk to them, they’ll hear you. I don’t know. It might be weird but-“

“No! It’s not weird at all. I think it’s cute.” Joonmyun interrupted her as he looked right in her eyes.

She didn’t look away and kept the eye contact.