A/N: If you don't understand the riddles, it's okay since they are kind of related to Vietnamese. Just enjoy other parts :D

The flashlight goes on and off continuingly. The photographer swiftly shows Soohyun how to post.

“Raise your chin a little. Don’t open your mouth like that. All right…”

Soohyun nonchalantly follows the instructions, half looking at the camera, half looking for the blurry image of Dongho in the shadows of the staff members who are walking busily. His long hair covers almost half of his face. He stretches his lips as in smiling, a sly smile then turns on his heels to leave the room. Soohyun unknowingly heaves a sigh since he can focus on his work now.

After finishing his work, Soohyun gets back to the dressing-room. As always, the room is so messy and full of noises. Eli and Kevin are sitting on either side of Kiseop, who is sticking his eyes on the screen of his iPad. Their faces all look so tense.

“They must be doing some childish stakes.” Soohyun thinks to himself.

“Don’t take the chance to bully Kiseop!” Soohyun yells ignoring the innocent but fishy look on Kevin and Eli’s faces.

“Want some cake?” Hoon, who is sitting in a corner and wearing his earphones, asks with his mouth chewing a piece of cake.

Soohyun shakes his head. Not until now does he realize the disappearance of Dongho.    

“Where is Dongho?” he asks Hoon.

Hoon is taken aback looking at Soohyun, blinking his eyes exactly three times then leans over to get Soohyun’s bag. He throws directly at the other.

“I forgot!” Hoon quickly pushes Soohyun to the door.

“Forgot what?” Soohyun questions confusedly.

“Eating makes me forget! Dongho told that he was waiting for you in front of the company. Quickly meet him or he will force the whole group to dance Three little bears. That must be terrible!”

Soohyun nods his head quickly running away. No matter what Dongho is planning to torture him, the memory of the whole group wearing wigs running around the dorm singing The little frog is so horrible that Soohyun never wants it to happen again.

In front of the company, Dongho is already waiting. The gray sequin hat covers half of his face. Only that smile is still kept on his lips.

“Catch me!” He opens the cab door, looking at Soohyun then says.

Closing the door, the taxi is quickly driven away. Soohyun, still being surprised, huskily catches another taxi following Dongho’s. Luckily the boy’s taxi isn’t very fast, just enough to keep certain distance from Soohyun’s, not too far to lose track, but not too close to catch up.

The taxi stops in front of the metro station, Soohyun lifts up the bag on his shoulder following Dongho. The gray hat sparkles under the autumn sunlight then disappears into the crowd. Soohyun looks around, amongst busy people, finally finds the small image of Dongho with that gray hat stopping in front of the automatic ticket booth. When Soohyun reaches the booth, again Dongho has disappeared. He stands dumbfounded fumbling some ways to find where Dongho wants to go. Suddenly his phone rings, a message from Dongho.

“I want to go to the amusement park you took me to last time.”

Soohyun smiles gently buying a ticket then squeezes into the metro. There he is, Soohyun happily finds Dongho, who is sitting on a row which is only a few steps from him. He smiles at him before pulling his hat down. Right when Soohyun is going to reach him, a fat man appearing from nowhere stops him.

“Excuse me…” Soohyun tries to be friendly. Over the man’s shoulders, he sees Dongho still sits there.

“Stand still!” the fat man frowns in annoyance.

Not wanting to be noisy, Soohyun unwillingly swallow a bitter pill, silently observes Dongho from afar just to make sure that he won’t disappear from his sight, again. The train seems to take a century. Not until Soohyun has pins and needles in his legs does it stop. Dongho quickly leaves with the gray hat sparkling amongst others’ black hair. Soohyun hardly staggers at the back, finally, catches up with Dongho at the stairs. But not letting him have a chance to hold Dongho’s hand, his phone rings again. Dongho turns around to look at him.

“Pick up the phone, hyung!” he says taking the opportunity to take a few step increasing the distance between them.

Soohyun picks up, it is Dongho.

“What on earth are you doing?” Soohyun tries to keep patient.

“Hung, let’s play a game. Hyung will follow me, but you must keep a ten-step distance with me. If it is too close or too far, I’ll be the winner.”

“It’s not the right time…” Soohyun almost screams.

“Hyung, don’t stray from me.”

Soohyun is going to say something but feels that someone is looking at him. Looking up, he finds Dongho is looking at him tensely.

“Hyung, promise me!”

“Uh… I promise!” Soohyun whispers.

Dongho slackens his face then forms an exciting smile.

“Let’s go!”

Dongho then hangs up. His legs, just like having springs, runs to the amusement park really, really fast. Soohyun follows while catching his breath. Soohyun wonders to himself if this is impulsive syndrome of people under twenty years old.

During the next hours, Dongho almost turns into a five-year kids, enthusiastically plays game after game and twitters with Soohyun like a little bird. Therefore there is no ten-step distance.

However…

Giant swing – ten steps

Mysterious aquariumbo – ten steps

Pirates’ ship – ten steps

Bumper cars – ten steps

Gliders – ten steps

In the gentle autumn sunlight, cool winds slightly stirring green leaves, blue sky with white soft clouds, Soohyun laughs mirthlessly. It should be a normal date like everyone else.

“Soohyun hyung!” Dongho shouts loudly.

He swings onto the barrier separating game area from outside path and waves his hand to gesture Soohyun to come closer.

“No!” Soohyun knows what ten-step distance is. “Don’t fool me, Dongho!”

“Please! I miss you!” Dongho pretends to sulk.

“Really?” Soohyun screams ignoring people looking at them like they are two clowns.

“Really!” Dongho wears a deformed smile. “Come here!”

Soohyun tiredly comes closer to Dongho, pleasingly enjoys Dongho’s impatient face. Dongho seizes the barrier with his legs swinging in the air. His face blushes due to sweats and his smile dazzles like sunbeams. Soohyun tenderly brushes away some tangled locks covering the other’s face.

“All right! Are you hungry?” Soohyun ask.

“You get punishment!” Dongho states just like it is the most obvious thing in the world.

“What?”

Dongho winks at him.

“Because you have come close to me! You lost so you have to be punished.” Dongho laughs heartily like a kid get his candies.

“You called me…” Soohyun chokes with indignation.

“Who told you to follow my words!” Dongho is still satisfied. It is not a daily task to be able to trick Shin Soohyun.

Soohyun looks at Dongho discontentedly, half whines half laughs.

“Bad boy!”

“I want cotton candy! Over there!” Dongho gestures to the stall that is crowded with short kids about five or six years old.

Soohyun sighs quietly walks to the cotton candy stall. Really, Shin Dongho isn’t that kind every day.

“Shin Soohyun!!!”

Dongho suddenly screams in the crowd making Soohyun’s ears get hot. He slowly turns around. Dongho ignores the warning look on Soohyun’s face and continues screaming.

“That “bad boy” adores you most in the world!!!”

Some people widen their eyes looking at Dongho. Some cover their mouths laughing. Some even question why Soohyun stands dumbfounded like that. Soohyun forces a smile, tells himself that Dongho’s happiness is more important than anything, including…, many things.

After buying a cotton candy for Dongho, Soohyun receives another call, from Dongho despite the fact that they are only separated by a barrier. He says while eating.

“Hyung!”

“Uh!”

“Let’s continue our game!”

“Uh!” Soohyun thinks that he himself must be a superman since he never knows what tiredness is. “Until you are tired of it.”

Dongho bursts out pealing laughter, waving at Soohyun before climbing up Wooden horses wheel. Soohyun heaves a sigh, leans on the barrier and waits. The sunlight is getting stronger. It’s already sunset.

The phone rings again.

“Hyung! I’m tired. I’m at the fountain in the west of the park.”

“What do you want to eat?”

“Machiatto!!!” he exclaims.

“Alright.”

He drops by a café to buy Machiatto for Dongho and Capuchino for himself. At the fountain, Dongho is sitting there stretching his legs comfortably after an enjoyable afternoon. The intense orange light splatters after the water drops. The gray sequin shines like an object that is burning itself so lively and surrealistically.

When seeing Soohyun appears, Dongho smiles lightly then receives the coffee cup from Soohyun’s hand. Soohyun sits down but not next to Dongho. It is right ten steps from the boy.

“What are you doing?” Dongho totally forgets about his own game.

Dongho’s phone immediately rings.

“Do you want to play a game?” Soohyun asks.

Dongho looks at the other then nods his head.

“Each person will give the other a riddle. If not giving the right answer then take a step closer, ok?”

“What happens if I or you lose?” Dongho asks.

“The loser will be punished.” Soohyun answers with a mild smile. “Stand still.”

Dongho shrugs putting the coffee cup down then stands up to face Soohyun. The distance is ten-step long. His heart is beating like it’s running a marathon. That smile of Soohyun’s has a horrific attack especially under the sunlight that is now as strong as caramel.

The wind is blowing gently.

“Let’s start!” Soohyun says. “What is Kevin’s favorite drink?”

“Redbull!” the answer is given out without any hesitations.

In Dongho’s surprise eyes, Soohyun takes a step.

“What are you doing?” Dongho stutters in the phone.

“You got the right answer, so I have to step up.”

“You didn’t say that!” Dongho scolds.

“It isn’t late to say it now.” Soohyun imitates exactly the half smile of Dongho’s.

“That’s cheating!” Dongho pouts but doesn’t forget to give a riddle. “Next! The old monkey holding a box of chocolate ice-cream watches Rooftop prince?”

“Too easy! Xander hyung.”

Dongho forcefully takes another step.

“My turn! A salmon turns into rubber?”

After thinking for a while, Dongho finally finds the answer.

“Kibum hyung?”

Soohyun doesn’t say anything and just take a step. It means that Dongho is right. He excitedly asks the next question.

“The parrot?”

“Eli?” Soohyun sniggers. “A little harder!”

Dongho sullenly steps closer.

“Question please!” he urges.

“Washing machine?”

“Hoonmin hyung!” Dongho confidently answers after a few seconds.

“Wrong!” Soohyun flatly rejects.

Dongho retorts, mouth agape.

“You’re wrong!”

“I’m the one to give the riddle!” Soohyun laughs. “It’s y, Free and Single.”

Dongho doesn’t step and stands still feeling unjustified. Seeing that, Soohyun takes two steps ahead.

“What?” Dongho turns annoyed when Soohyun takes the punishment rashly.

“I take the punishment for you.” Soohyun says calmly. “Your turn!”

Dongho grits his teeth. Nevertheless, he has to think of a really difficult question, difficult enough for Soohyun not to find the answer no matter that he calls others for help.

“What takes you so long?” Soohyun asks concernedly looking at Dongho’s anxious face.

“It has to! If you get the right answer, I will voluntarily take three steps!”

“Alright. What is the question?”

Dongho grins then clearly says.

“A family has three bunnies…”

“Jaeseop and Kiseop!” Soohyun didn’t think that Dongho could recklessly give him such an easy question.

Of course Soohyun gets the wrong answer. Dongho burst out laughing,

“You are so silly. Give you another chance.”

This time Soohyun thinks more carefully before answering.

“It’s Christmas, isn’t it?”

“How do you know?”

Dongho lets out a melancholy sigh walking with a waddle, one step, two steps and three steps. They are only one-step apart. Soohyun reaches out pulling Dongho into his arms.

“Ah! Catch you!” Soohyun exclaims happily taking in the scent of Dongho’s hair.

“That’s cheating!”

He snuggles into Soohyun’s neck hugging the other tightly.

At sunset, the sky is covered with orange. Two shadows are printed on the ground. The bitter yet sweet smell of Machiatto floats in the air just like the most passionate kiss in the world.
 

 

A/N: It's really cute, isnt it??? XD

 

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