What did he say?

“What is this now Chanyeol?” I stood up and put my arms around my waist.

“Kids, she’s it! Now run!” Chanyeol told the kids and the kids just started running.

“Noona, catch me if you can,” I heard another kid shout.

I didn’t know why but I ran to tag him! Darn it, he’s fast. I forgot I was wearing 5 inches heels, I accidentally lost my balance.

“Hey! You okay?” Chanyeol ran towards me and looked so worried. Fortunately, I didn’t sprain my feet, I just lost my balance and fell. I realized the other kids crowded near me.

“Noona, are you okay?” the kid that I was trying to catch asked me. He looked very concerned. I touched my right ankle.

“You sprained your ankle? Does it hurt? Let me see,” Chanyeol was afraid he’d hurt me so he very slowly put away my shoe. I also threw my other shoe and stood up immediately. They looked shocked.

“Tag, you’re it!” I ran a few meters away from Chanyeol. Chanyeol was there, dumbfounded.

“Kids, he’s it! Now run!” I shouted and the kids ran, realizing what just happened. I looked back and grinned at Chanyeol. Ha! This is fun! He stood up and smirked.

“That’s unfair,” he shouted.

“I don’t care,” I raised him an eyebrow.

“Okay then, miss COO,” he finally stood up and was walking towards me. I too, walked away from him.

“I give you 5 seconds to run. 5…” I started brisk walking with bare feet.

“4…” he started brisk walking too, so I started running.

“1!” he started running.

“What? You cheater!” I kept on running again and again. My adrenaline was slowly running out, I looked back at him and he’s running for me. Darn it! My heart was palpitating out of exhaustion and nervousness because he’s going to catch me! No!!

“It!” he caught me! I stopped from running, and tried to catch some air. This is really exhausting… but fun. After I finally rested, I started to run again and I caught the first kid that I saw. Hehehe! But I got caught again.

“Why do you keep on tagging me?” I ranted. I can feel the blood in my cheeks. I really am exhausted.

“Okay, now! Let’s stop, noona is tired,” I heard Chanyeol call the kids. I nodded and gestured him that I’ll just be resting on the swing; he gave me a wait-for-me sign and went for the kids.

I grabbed my shoes and put them at the side. I didn’t realize I got myself some bruise from too much running.

“It was fun right? Here,” I heard Chanyeol said while offering me an ice cream.

“Thanks,” I took them and he sat on the other swing.

“Kind hyung, pretty noona, thanks for this!/ Thank you,” I heard the kids cry while pointing at their ice creams.

“No problem kids! Thanks for playing with us,” Chanyeol answered and waved at them.

“They are so cute,” he commented and I laughed.

“What?” he was laughing too and I just shook my head.

“Hey, you got some bruise,” he pointed at my left feet.

“It’s just a petty bruise. It doesn’t hurt at all,” I lied. It hurts but it’s not that painful.

“Stay here, wait for me,” he stood up and ran before I can even speak.

I looked at my watch, 5:57. I can’t believe almost three hours had passed. I run that long…

Where did he go? I’ve been here for 30 minutes and he’s still not back. I walked to where he parked his motorcycle and realized it was gone. Did he leave me here?

“Ahh! That jerk!” I cried! I’ll really kill him!

“Huh? Who’s jerk?” I jumped from astonishment when I heard Chanyeol. He was holding a plastic from a convenient store.

“Where’s your motorcycle?” I asked. Wait, was it stolen?

“Tell me if it hurts,” he looked like he was trying so hard to be as gentle as possible. He is currently attending to the diminutive bruise that’s on my left foot. I declined several times, but he insisted he do it since he was the reason why I played that tag-you’re-it game in the first place.

“Again, sorry about this,” he finishes by putting on a band-aid and then he raised his head to look at me, and smiled apologetically. Suddenly, I felt something weird in my stomach… I pretty much don’t know whatever foreign feeling is this so I ended up disregarding it.

He sat on the swing next to me as he was letting his right foot play with the artificial sand beneath us. It gave me the chance to accurately trace the fine lines of his side profile. I realized he doesn’t look as much as his older brother, or his sister, not even his mother. Maybe, he inherited some of his father’s DNA, but still, he looks… different. On another note, it’s not my business to know why he looks like what he looks like, so I stared back at the wide space in front of me.

We settled there for some time. I think he narrated his life. So he never really worked before, and he doesn’t live with Director Kim. I didn’t ask why though. He likes desserts and action movies. That was the reason why he likes riding motorcycles even if his dad doesn’t approve of it.

He used to dream of becoming a pilot for some reason he didn’t tell, but since he has a bad vision, his mother told him to just take some business course. He likes the color black and grey, and he admitted he was a drummer for an indie band before he graduated High School.

He asked me about myself but I declined to share anything… just because I don’t have much to share anyway. He didn’t nag me and just continued telling me things about himself. I just said “ah” or “hm” or “I see” every other fact just for him to know I’m listening… even if I don’t find anything knowledgeable or beneficial for me.

He suddenly stopped talking. We were silent for almost an hour I think.

“I thought… you left,” I don’t know why I said it. To start a conversation, perhaps? BUT, I never initiate a conversation unless I’m talking to an investor… well, he said he’s a premium investor… I guess that’s it?

“Next time, you should just trust me,” he chuckled while looking at me, but I just focused on the empty space in front of me. However, there’s no more next time. After this day, he won’t annoy me, or talk to me unless it’s needed for business… because we both agreed to it and because I won’t let him…after today.

“I don’t trust anyone,” I still wasn’t looking at him, but in my peripheral view, I can see that his looking pretty surprised.

“Not even your dad?” his tone was sarcastic. As if he was expecting an obvious answer.

“I don’t give exceptions,” now he’s more than surprised. I didn’t give the obvious answer.

“You don’t trust anyone. Is that lesson two? You don’t give exceptions. Then that makes it three?” he said while counting 2 and 3 with his long fingers.

“Probably…” I looked at him casually. Puzzlement was all over his face, it’s like he was trying to decode all the different pieces that make me.

“Dead,” he mumbled, but it wasn’t an accident. It was in fact meant for me to hear.

“Excuse me?” I clearly don’t know if I should feel insulted. I have no idea what he meant by dead. He stood up from his seating position and went closer to me. I stood up as well; unconsciously, he’s making me feel intimidated.

“This…” he pointed at my chest. “…it’s dead. Lifeless,” he was looking straight into my eyes. I slapped his hand away but he doesn’t look shocked in any way.

“Really? Then are you talking to a ghost?” I couldn’t hide the hoarse voice that came out of my mouth. I’m definitely insulted, but he looked like he’s not planning to apologize. He doesn’t even look like he’s aware that he insulted me.

“I’m alive,” I continued, sounding like it was the most obvious, visible, simplest thing.

“You survive,” he continued telling me things that for the first time made me want to hit somebody. However, I believe I’ve had enough to lose… and to this kind of person. I decided to keep silent; I don’t want to talk to this person.

“Surviving and living are two different things,” he continued and then I felt a hand slowly holding mine.

“Don’t touch me,” he doesn’t look too shocked when I slapped his hand away again. He instead looked at his watch and turned back on me.

“We still have few hours. Come with me, I’ll bring you back to life,” he didn’t wait for me to answer as he quickly grabbed my hand again and dragged me to some destination I have yet to come to know.

Thank you so much EUNAH of Happy Endings Request shop for this wonderful poster!!^^