Chaptertitle: Autumn in Beijing

Part: 1/3

Summary: Autumn in Beijing is where Yoona and Jongin meets and falls in love in a series of Jongin’s mysterious disappearance after the echo of a click.

Autumn in Beijing is a season of cool sunshine and a vast sea of red filled with exotic sceneries and heart-wrenching memories. Autumn is the season of beautiful despair and sorrowful agony; autumn in Beijing is a season of red maple trees that are breathtaking yet an ache to the eyes because of the blinding color, striking into the depth of many hearts.

Amidst the mizzle walks Yoona, dressed in a casual fashion of a black tee and her usual jeans, adorned with a jacket to cover her from the slight cold. Her face is slightly drenched from the soft, mist like droplets, but not enough to blind her sight. Her backpack is light from the lack of things she’s supposed to carry but doesn’t as she walks along the frightfully tall walls. The white paint is peeling from certain parts, showing the existence of time and how time alone has mercilessly destroyed the once glimmering, glorious beauty.

Magnificent is the only word Yoona can think of in her current state of mind-blown. For years she had been couching in front of her laptop’s screen, jaw dropping just from looking at the pictures of the astounding architect alone. She had wondered how huge it’ll be in real life, and it’s only when she witness it with her own eyes when Yoona realizes that huge had never been—and will never be—the right word. Tremendously enormous; Yoona inhales sharply.

Her fingers are feather light as they trails against the run-down wall, her eyes lost in a haze. It’s as if she could feel how it is to stand beyond the wall, to see the other side of the sky. Not for the first time, Yoona fascinates herself standing within the architect, with the feeling of being atop of everyone else, atop of the world. Her heart skips a beat from the fear of anticipation, and Yoona catches herself out of her daydream.

She walks, agonizingly slow. With each step she counts the lines of cracks beneath her foot, staring in wonder at the ground. The back of her mind vaguely remembers reading from somewhere that the ground has seven layers of concrete, built to ensure that no assassins or anyone would be able to dig their way into the palace. Her heart aches lightly, she thinks of the many men forced to build such a difficult task, perhaps too many didn’t live to return to their waiting families of aged parents, anxious wives and children that would never be able to remember even their fathers’ faces.

The thought saddens her as she stands, alone in the middle of the vast emptiness and a cold sadness creeps into her heart. She couldn’t help but think that apart from the magnificent beauty of the Forbidden City, there is nothing else about this place that is worth the while. The beauty is too extravagant, it masks away too much of the untold secrets. The beauty covers the tears, the pain of broken promises and torn hearts.

Dwelling in her thoughts, Yoona is brought deeper into the palace with aimless wanderings. Finally realizing where she’s heading, Yoona stops to take a look around her. The beauty once again takes her breath away in the most amazing fashion that she cannot understand. How it is that people of the past is able to acquire such skills, she wonders in pure amazement. Yet, standing in the middle of nowhere brings a slight suffocation to her.

The emptiness eats into her heart and she shivers for the first time that day. It’s a normal weekday for many, thus the children are at schools and the adults are working. Yoona stands alone in the palace and wonders who else, perhaps in thousand years ago, had also stood alone in such loneliness. Perhaps she had been waiting for a love that can never last, or maybe she had been hoping for freedom that can never be bestowed.

Life function in devious, curious ways that always takes people by surprise; merciful yet merciless in its own way.

The day has started to show signs of fatigue, with faint pink tinged at the sides of the clear blue skies. She stares at the sky, lost in her moment when the sound of a click brings Yoona back to her senses. In a whirl, she turns to see someone else in the vast emptiness. For the slightest moment she is filled with relief of being not the only one in this luxurious cage.

The male’s face is covered by his digital camera. His hair is tousled and his skin a darker fair of color. Yoona is intrigued until he faces her and the sudden click tells her that he has taken a photo in her direction. Her eyes widen, unsure if he was taking a picture of the scenery or a picture of her. He hesitates for a moment before the camera is lowered, showing his face to her.

From the distance afar, Yoona could make out a distinctly handsome face with defined features that most, if not all girls will go for and guys to be envious of. There’s a muscular sense of beauty about him, yet a certain childish feel of his good looks. The two stands like statues, looking at each other in the distance of unclear sight and smudged visions.

He lips curl upwards like a small smile before he brings the camera to his eyes again and before Yoona knows it, another click could be heard and a blush rises up her cheeks this time because she is clear of what he has done. His smile is beautiful and sweet in a way that Yoona doesn’t understand. She closes her eyes and wonders if she’s in a dream because the next time she opens them, the guy is nowhere to be seen and a certain disappointment is brushed away in her mind.

---

Jongin chuckles as he walks around the temple. Bowing in respect at the carved effigy that depicts the deities, Jongin steps out to face the hill that is covered by flaming autumn leaves. Beauty has many forms, and one of them, Jongin firmly believes, is nature itself. Bringing the camera to his eyes, the soft clicks create a rhythm to his ears. Photos are memories that the mind are unable to keep, because when the images fade, the memories is brought back alive from the photos taken.

He is pleased at the lack of crowds for the day. The brochette left forgotten in his jacket pocket, where the recommended watching routes had been circled for him by Kyungsoo, who managed to gather the information in a short span of time when Jongin abruptly announced, in Joonmyeon’s apartment at four in the morning, that he’s taking a holiday trip to somewhere in China, blantly ignoring the fact that everyone else needs their precious sleep.

He remembers with a snort of laughter at how Sehun had promised threats of slow, excruciating death in a laze hiss as he tossed around to get more sleep with Joonmyeon trying not to look exasperated at how sudden Jongin was because everything about Jongin is unforeseeable while Kyungsoo had very graciously delivered him a kick in the shin that Jongin is unable to dodge even with his fast reflex.

He knows Kyungsoo will definitely claw his eyes out when he returns because Kyungsoo knows him inside out. Despite that, he still went to find all the possible information for Jongin, all the while knowing that he’ll throw aside everything because Jongin never abides by the rules. Disregarding that recommendations that he should have walked from Jingcui Lake to Shuangqing Villa to Xiangshan Temple, where he currently reside at, Jongin takes a detour and decides with a grin to go to Jingcui Lake instead of continuing to Heshun Gate.

Jongin is infuriating like that, and he likes what he does.

The trek downhill is exhausting yet worth the while with all the beautiful sceneries. Jongin walks past an elderly couple with a soft smile because they’re the sweetest thing he has ever seen. Watching them walk upwards towards as if towards the skies, Jongin brings out his best pal and takes another photo of memories he didn’t want to forget. Even with just the image of their leaving backs, Jongin’s smile widen because he can feel the serenity between the two, the tranquil happiness that’s simple yet easy to content.

It feels like spring again as Jongin breaks into a little run like a hyperactive five years old when the sight of the Tranquility Green Lake comes into view again. Jongin had not stop by when he past it previously, but he figures that it doesn’t matter since he’s here anyway, and he’s not missing out on any of the calm, clear beauty. His fingers work on their own as he leaves evidence of his presence by leaving footprints all over the places he pass.

He’s not sure how much time had passed, but when Jongin zooms in on his camera, an almost nonexistence gasp emits from his lips as he finger presses the button on reflex. Jongin frowns, his eyebrows furrowed as he looks at the photo he has taken and then at the girl opposite the lake. There’s a certain air of familiarity about her that Jongin couldn’t put his fingers on.

He wonders if she realizes his existence because she seems to be too engrossed with her reflection on the mirror-like lake while he thinks that she’s like the Greek myth of Narcissistic at the same time. He realizes she’s not fascinated by her own reflection, instead she seems to be like a new born child amazed at everything that she sees, the smile lit up her entire face (as if she’s not gorgeous enough already), peals of tinkling laughter elicits through her lips like soft ringing of bells.

It’s a nice melody, Jongin smiles.

She looks up when a soft click is heard, echoing around the silence between them like a soft lullaby. His camera is faced towards her, while Jongin is grinning at her. From the distance away, it’s hard to tell but perhaps there’d been a blush as she smiles softly in return, waving her dainty hand at him. He laughs, reciprocating her gesture.

Her eyes are beautiful; Jongin thinks to himself; amygdaliform, like a doe, Jongin muses. Her fair skin seems to shine under the reflected light of the sunlight and he thinks, once again, that she looks like an angel. Locks of her black hair fall forward into the lake and she merely laughs at her chagrin, swiping them behind her ears again. She looks delicate, yet Jongin isn’t sure if delicate is the word to describe her.

His lips curl into an inward smirk and another click could be heard. By the time she looked up, surprise flickers through her defined features because there’s not a single soul apart from her. Startled, she wonders where has he disappeared to but he doesn’t return.

---

Autumn is perhaps the most attracting season in Beijing with the alluring maple trees and cool temperature of fresh air. Sitting by the window of the restaurant cafe, Yoona is grateful for the silence that hardly come by when you’re in a bustling city as she watches the people rush around. In her hands holds a cup of lukewarm cappuccino; a new flavor which she has never tried, but in a new city, Yoona figures that trying out new things is a nice new start.

She had always been a girl that isn’t afraid of challenging new things in life. Given her adventurous, carefree lifestyle, Yoona likes to travel around the city and visit different countries. She’d been to New York City on a backpack journey under Yuri’s influence; she’d been to Kyoto, Japan after reading Memoir of a Geisha because she thinks it’s a beautiful place; she’d been to Egypt for its Pyramids and Mauritania because of its desert that took her breath away; she’d been to Bhutan for mountain climbing of the famous Himalayan mountains and because she wanted to experience a different culture that survived pretty much isolated from the rest of the world; she’d been to Sao Tome and Principe and enjoyed the relaxing lifestyle by the vast ocean.

Yoona isn’t afraid of trying out new things. In her opinion, she thinks that daring to try out even the simplest thing is a valuable experience in life and she isn’t the type that likes to miss out on things. Yoona thinks that life is beautiful in many different ways and sometimes, what’s hauntingly scary can be beautiful in a twisted sense. It’s just that not everyone is willing enough to try out the wonders that mother nature bestows on them and Yoona is just more than glad to open her eyes and accept life as it is, just as how life had accepted her.

Lost in her thoughts, she catches sight of a guy squeezing through the crowds yet not faze by the never-ending sea of people through her peripheral vision. Yoona figures he’s tall, lean with toned muscles and a darker skin color compared to most others. His cocky grin is familiar on those lushful lips, his eyes as clear as the first time she had seen them, his features leaving a permanent imprint on her mind unlike the lasts; where the tide will not be able to erase away.

He carries a simple black, bulging sling bag, and it’s like time cease to a stop when he turns to her direction and seems to have seen her. His grin widens to a smirk while Yoona gapes mutely. He raises his camera and Yoona blinks for a second. Bewildered, Yoona is desperate to search for the guy who had repeatedly taken her photos without her permission (she doesn’t really mind), yet just like the other times, as Yoona realizes, he disappears after the click of his camera, leaving with a fragment of her.

She sits back down reluctantly, giving up the search for that somewhat familiar smirk amidst the crowds of thousands. Yet, instead of being thoroughly put out, her lips stretch into an amused smile mixed between an excited grin. She wonders about the unnamed guy, and wonders just how many more of such meetings will occur before she finally get to know him.

She wonders if they’ll even meet again (it’s hard to tell what fate has up to with her sleeves full of trickery and playful schemes).

---

When Jongin met Yoona again, he hadn’t expected it to be in such a, for a lack of better word, fashionable way.

It had been a cloudy day, without the sun blazing upon them; Jongin enjoys his bicycle ride while humming to the song with his earpiece in his ears. The park was filled with joyous laughter from young children, shy couples who enjoyed a simple get-together without disturbance, a few casual teens having fun while studying as they crowded on small hills and a few others standing before the fountain with their hands clasped and eyes closed.

He was not the only one cycling around. In fact, according to the information Kyungsoo told him, the park had a small fame due to its wide area just perfect for cyclist to have fun without having any restrictions. Jongin wasn’t much of a cyclist, but he likes cycling whenever he can; it’s a form of relaxation and exercise at the same time.

Jongin was having fun. At least, he had been having fun until he heard a scream and some shrieks following. Almost crashing into a tree in his attempt to crane his head to see what’s going on, Jongin dashed towards the source of the noise before throwing the rented bike to a side, surprised and curious about the crowd that had formed.

Squeezing his way through, Jongin’s jaw unhinged as the sight unfold in front of his eyes. He stood agape and looking dumb, but that’s the last of his worries at the moment. For in front of his eyes, a woman with stomach protruding out at weird angles was lying on the ground, being held but another evidently younger lady.

“Someone call an ambulance—the woman’s going to birth!”

“It’ll take too long, look—the baby’s seem to be rushing out already!”

Jongin didn’t have time to really care about who’s dialing for the ambulance (someone was screaming the address behind him) or who’s going into a panic attack (a male fainted at the sight of blood), all he did was walking towards the duo and squatted down beside the young lady.

“What happened?”

“I don’t know! I was walking past this park when she suddenly fell and I-I just did the only thing I could think off! I didn’t expect this!”

Jongin turn from the pregnant lady to look at the girl who seems close to tearing her hair out in frustration and fear at the whole situation. Her eyes was glassy, her hair and clothes in a mess, but nothing mattered.

Jongin recognized her. He recognized those beautiful amygdaliform eyes shaped like doe, he recognized those locks of beautiful black hair that’s tied into a loose, messy bun, and he recognized the fair, smooth skin and those beautiful lips. Jongin recognized her. The girl who he had taken photos of repeatedly without an aim, the girl who captivated him without words, and the girl who looked akin to an angel by Jingcui Lake.

“…You,” Jongin breath.

The look of confusion was evident in her expression until her pupils dilate and her lips were slightly parted. There’s a flicker of familiarity in those beautiful eyes and her body relaxed from the tension at the thought of meeting someone familiar.

“Oh god, oh thank god!” she cries in relief, “I was so afraid of having to face this alone.”

The soon-to-be mother between them let out another cry of pain, startling both of them back to the attention at hand. Both of them, inexperienced, are at a loss of what to do just like the rest of the crowd around them.

“The ambulance is too slow!”

“I don’t think she’ll be able to wait, she looks like she’s about to birth anytime now!”

“Is there a doctor here, by any chance?” someone cries exasperatedly.

“Here, here! I’m a nurse, what happened?” a middle-aged woman cries, pushing herself through the crowds, “Let me through! How else am I supposed to help?” When she finally reached, there was no need for any exchange of words as it everything is apparent. Barking out orders, a chaos of the situation as everyone rushes around to provide help in every form. Jongin, perplexed, was pulled into the situation after the nurse gave him a look of disdain, muttering that they had no choice. Jongin blinks confusedly by what’s happening but still went along with the flow (not that he had a say in it).

---

It had been five hours later when a cry of a newborn can be heard. Everyone breathed out in relief, some with tears in their eyes at the fact that they had helped delivered a new life into the world. One by one the crowd dispersed after the ambulance had taken both mother and son to the hospital.

“Well, I certainly haven’t been expecting that,” Jongin chuckled.

The girl, who until now, he still doesn’t know her name of, laughed at his chagrin as the two walked side by side.

“I doubt anyone would expect that at all,” she smiles, “And I’m Yoona, if you wishes to know.”

“I’m Jongin,” Jongin laughs at her remark and shoots her his infamous cheeky grin. “And—wait, where’s my bike?”

“What bike?” Yoona blinks, staring at the emptiness in front of her.

The bike should have been lying by the side of the pavement, where Jongin had thrown it at, was nowhere to be seen. Jongin stood agape, unsure if it was lady-luck refusing to stand by his side or if he was just this unlucky today. He groaned, slapping his forehead in frustration. Why is it that everything seems to befall on him, and on just one day? Though, looking at Yoona from his peripheral vision, Jongin thinks that maybe he wasn’t that unlucky after all.

“Oh shoot—my bike is stolen,” Jongin groaned, “The uncle is going to kill me…”

Yoona, despite the situation, giggled.

“It’s a rented bike, huh?”

It ended up with both of them at the bike rental shop with an angry uncle who screamed Chinese that neither could understand into Jongin’s ear for half-an-hour before Jongin paid for the loss and dragged Yoona away from the shop as quick as possible, not wanting to risk losing his life as well.

“I’m never going to another bike rental shop again—ever.”

“Oh, come on. It wasn’t that bad,” Yoona laughed teasingly.

Jongin did the mature thing; he stuck his tongue out at Yoona, who rolled her eyes at his childishness.

---

Autumn is the season where old memories fade and new memories are created. In a sense, Jongin thinks that maybe autumn is giving life a chance as it bestowed happiness upon those who delivered the fragile new life and that autumn is bestowing a chance for the newborn to be able to savor the delights of life.

Jongin knows that autumn, for its sorrowful depression, is known to be a season of suicide. He knows that autumn takes away many lives, but at the same time, Jongin thinks that autumn gives life too. It doesn’t only takes, it’s a balance where autumn takes what it has to takes, and gives what it has to gives.

Autumn is also a season for vibrant life and new chances.

---

Yoona thinks about the dark-tanned boy more than she’s supposed to late in the night. The soft resonance of the echo of those clicks is loud in her mind against the subtle silence surrounding her in the hotel room. She lazes on her bed; groaning softly in pleasure at the softness of the silk blankets while tossing around, determine to press the coolness into her demanding body.

She thinks of Jongin, the way he smirks with his camera in his hand; she thinks of how he takes her photo, she thinks about how he’s able to disappear whenever she tries to look at him for a second time. It’s almost magical, Yoona muses, like a game that fate has for both of them. She doesn’t understand how a guy is able to reside in her mind against her wishes just after a few meetings that Yoona doesn’t think counts.

A light blush tinges her cheeks for daringly thinking of a male in the middle of a night, a male she doesn’t even know of. She thinks of how inappropriate it is to be thinking of a guy but she couldn’t control her mind. Every time she tells herself to sleep, her mind is automatically filled with his cocky smirks, child-like grins, his camera and him. Her mind is also filled with images of when he holds the newborn, a look of bewilderment mixed with ecstasy, like a father holding his child for the first time, it’s a kind of happiness that is so simple, yet so heart-felt.

It’s unusual for her to think of a guy (or anyone, in fact) like this. Never before had such things occur on her and Yoona thinks it’s ridiculous for her to be thinking of some stupid guy of names she doesn’t even know of like a stupid high school girl in a crush. She’s not a high school girl anymore, she passed that stage and even at that time, she didn’t think of any guys like this.

Covering her face in a squeal, Yoona tells herself it’s not worth it to lose sleep over a guy, as Sooyoung will always tell her. She feels unnaturally hot for a cool night with her air-condition set in a cooling temperature, thus the harder she presses her cheeks against the soft, cooling blankets, telling herself not to think of him, or anyone in general.

Yet as the night passes by, Yoona realizes that all she’s thinking about is him.

---

/ What do you mean you’ve ‘decided to stay a little while longer’? /

Jongin twirls the cup in his hand, bringing it upwards facing the light. He smirks, casually admiring the beauty of the translucent redness in his hand. His mind and his heart hardly agree on anything, but Jongin thinks that this time, both his mind and his heart desires the same thing.

/ Isn’t it obvious enough? /

/ Jongin, this is not funny, / the other line sighs, / You have an upcoming photo shoot, as the main photographer, certainly you’d know better than to excuse yourself without a proper reason. /

/ I’m not going to drag that long, Kris. /

/ The last time you promised me something akin to this, you ended up disappearing for three months. /

The other’s exasperated, bemused expression could be heard while Jongin can almost imagine the eyes-rolling and head-shaking from the other guy because Kris is just too easy to understand sometimes. He knows Kris is most probably supporting a major migraine now, then again, Kris is prone to head-splitting headaches; it is not (entirely) his fault.

Although he’ll most probably get a call the first thing tomorrow morning and either Yixing will be at the other end shrieking for causing more unnecessary troubles for Kris or maybe Kyungsoo will gladly do the honors, seeing that he already had things that he wishes to scream at Jongin for.

/ Trust me. /

In actual fact, Kris would really not choose to do that because trusting Jongin is the same as trusting a starving lion wouldn’t eat the sheep in front of him and maybe trusting Hermes will not steal his money might be a better idea. Still, Kris suppresses a sigh and nods his head, not bothering that Jongin cannot see his gesture because he knows Jongin knows.

/ Just so you know I’m not going to save your sorry when Kyungsoo breaks your face. /

---

As a photographer, Jongin isn’t like others. He doesn’t have his favorite things or favorite food (but maybe Kyungsoo’s spaghetti is changing that). Jongin thinks that if he wants to capture all the simple things in life, he shouldn’t dwell on just thing that he likes. Jongin doesn’t like being biased; he thinks everything is beautiful in a sense, even if not everyone appreciates it.

He had never been a big fan of photography, in honest truth. Jongin is unpredictable, he’s almost fickle. Photography, in his opinion, is not. Photos don’t change once their taken. They stay in the form, all truth shown yet all secrets hidden. Jongin is ever-changing, his goes in his own momentum and seldom stops to catch his breath. He doesn’t see the reason to. Years ago when Kris introduced him to photography, Jongin had scoffed; it was hard to imagine a guy with a permanent scowl on his face twenty-four-seven like Kris would be sentimental.

Jongin is constantly on the verge of jumping off a cliff just to see if he can make it out alive and crashing a car just to explode it on fire in fashion. Photography is too calm for his liking, yet ironically it’s the only passion that accompanied him for the longest. He learned to appreciate beauty in all forms through the lenses (and his camera is too precious to be cast aside).

Jongin used to think that spring is too vivid, summer is too fervent, autumn is too depressing and winter is too frigid. Jongin used to like spring because the more vibrant it is the more it suits Jongin’s taste. He used to like summer because he’s able to sleep in and dunk himself with chilling waters just for the sake of it. He used to like winter because its effing cold and everything extreme is approved in his dictionary. Jongin used to like autumn because it’s depressing enough to move people to tears and the season provides good backgrounds.

Jongin thinks he still likes spring because it’s brilliant; he still likes summer because he’s lazy, winter is still approved in his dictionary, but maybe autumn holds a special spot in his heart. Autumn is beautiful in a heart-aching manner because it reminds people a lot of fading memories, but Jongin thinks autumn is also a season for new starts. With each memory forgotten, a new memory is made; Jongin thinks autumn is beautiful like that.

Of course, there’s another reason that brighten up autumn even more beautifully for Jongin than a splash of radiant orange and maple red.

---

It had been unexpected when Jongin meets Yoona again. Unable to remember how he had gotten her number, Jongin stares mutely at the scribbled numbers and smudges words on his palm. Due to his perspiration throughout the day, the words had become a smudge of blue-hue before he even had to chance to look at it thoroughly. Not that it matters. Without wanting to, Jongin had memorized those numbers and that “call me” by heart.

He also had been intending to call Yoona; but being shy and cowardly all of a sudden, the only thing Jongin did was staring at his phone like it was from outer space and after the third time he placed it down after picking it up, Jongin gives up with a sigh. It just won’t do. As much as Jongin is tempted to call her, he realizes that he doesn’t have much to talk to her about. As much as he just wants to listen to her voice, Jongin just cannot bring himself to face the awkwardness. As much as he—oh god, just let him die from indecision and awkwardness already.

Disheartened, Jongin decides that maybe cooping up all day in his hotel room isn’t doing him any good and gets up, rummaging through his messed up luggage before managing to find some decent, clean clothes, Jongin thinks he should just go out for some fresh Beijing air that might do his brain some good—as a direct quote from Kyungsoo.

Jongin thinks it’s either him, or her, or maybe fate is up to her usual pranks. He didn’t understand why their meetings always had to be in such different ways, not that he minds, it’s just that it boggles Jongin, and Jongin doesn’t like that feeling very much. His camera in hand, his stomach complaining a little tad too loudly, his face in a permanent scowl that can almost give Kris’ a run for money and his clothes disheveled like he just woke up (which was, in some ways, true).

Just as he turns, someone knocks into him (or he knocks into someone) and drops his precious camera. Jongin lets out a tiny groan as he sinks to the floor dramatically, clutching his baby to his chest. Just his luck, of course; nothing seems to want to go smoothly for him.

“I am so sorry! I didn’t expect anyone to come out, I’m so sorry, is there anything I can—Jongin?” with that curious, surprised and a little surreal tone, Jongin raises his head to the all too familiar voice a little too quickly and ends up bumping his head, hard, to her handbag.

“Yo—Ouch!” Jongin groans.

“Oh my gods, I’m so sorry!” Yoona’s eyes widen even further, reminding Jongin a splitting image of Kyungsoo. Jongin lets out a forced smile and shook his head, rubbing his sore spot.

“I didn’t know you stay in the same hotel,” Jongin raises his brows, looking at the flustered Yoona.

“Neither did I,” Yoona smiles a little, but worries are evident in those beautiful orbs, “Are you sure you’re fine?”

“Yes,” Jongin snorts, “I’m not that fragile, am I?”

“No,” Yoona’s usual glint in her eyes return, “I suppose not.”

---

“I thought you had my number?” Yoona asks, when Jongin nods meekly in reply, Yoona flares up, “Then why didn’t you call? I was waiting—I was so worried you didn’t get it, seeing how clumsy you are.”

“Hey! I’m not clumsy!” Jongin pouts in indignation. Suddenly, his brain processes certain information and he backtracks the conversation a little, “Wait, you were waiting for me to call?”

“Don’t start getting cocky,” Yoona, flushed, grumbles.

Jongin lets out a cheeky, ‘I-know-everything’ smirk that Yoona wants more than nothing to smack it off his face. She rolls her eyes, refusing to look at him again, instead focusing on her peppermint frappucino that Jongin had decided to order for her.

The two of them sat facing each other in a coffee café that’s a few walking distance away from their hotel. Yoona takes a tentative sip at the cold coffee and a grin subtly lights up her face, satisfied by the flavor, she finally eyes the amused Jongin who had been looking at her all this time a reluctant gaze.

“How is it?”

“Not too bad,” Yoona replies airily, determined not to inflate Jongin’s ego anymore. However, the smug grin on Jongin’s lips told her that her answer was quite lame and for a moment, Yoona is almost tempted to believe that Jongin can read her mind.

“I was intending to call you,” after a moment of silence, blushing Jongin finally breaks the comfortable silence, avoiding looking at Yoona’s face to see her reaction, “It was just that—I-I didn’t know what to say…”

Yoona blinks in surprise at the sudden confession. In front of her, the confident and egoistic Jongin seems to have suddenly disappeared. In place of it is an adorably blushing boy that’s incredible cute. Yoona smiles; thinking at how someone so confidently y a moment ago could become so adorable in a matter of seconds.

“I thought you always knew what to say,” Yoona teases.

Jongin resorts to not answering her and instead look out of the window, a hand propped below his chin and his free hand absentmindedly stirs his caramel macchiato. Yoona, toying with the straw from her drink, does nothing but stare at Jongin. For a moment, silence reigned over them. Howbeit, it was not uncomfortable or awkward, it was a kind of warmth silence between them that both are unwilling to disturb.

---

When Jongin finally breaks the silence, it takes both of them aback. Jongin stares into Yoona’s surprised, dilated pupils, her drink half-left and forgotten and Jongin’s empty. He regrets letting the words slipped out of his mouth even before he actually thought on them. He’s sure he must have surprised Yoona, after all, who says such things to people you barely know of? Honestly, what he said had surprised even himself.

“Let’s run away.”

---

“Wh-what do you mean by that?”

“Let’s run away.”