“Are you sure you’re okay?” I asked for the third time. Although I was sincere at heart, I couldn’t help the smile that threatened to lift up the corners of my lips.

“I’m fine,” Jongin replied sulkily, his arms crossed tightly across his chest.

I smiled to myself. He looked like an impudent child who had been denied his candy. “Then stop pulling such a long face. I’m just asking because I’m concerned about you.”

“Why are laughing then?” he asked, eyeing me with a frown.

“I’m not,” I said, though my smile betrayed my thoughts.

“You are,” he accused with narrowed eyes.

I bit my lip to keep myself from laughing. Jongin’s fall had caused quite a scene at the roller rink. Some guys had laughed when he went down while the few civil ones went up to him to ask if he was alright. I thought that Jongin’s dark skin tone would be a good asset in hiding rising blushes. Turned out I was wrong.

“Alright, I’m sorry,” I said as I cracked up, unable to take it anymore. “I just... can’t ...seem to –”

My ability to form a proper sentence was inhibited by my lack of air. An image of Jongin lying dazed on the floor flitted through my head and I clutched my stomach as another wave of laughter hit me. Jongin stared at me with a frown, but a smile threatened to betray him.

“Alright, you’ve made fun of me enough,” he said as he pulled my arm, trying to get me to stand straight after my laughter began to recede. I looked up at him and noticed that he was now smiling, a soft glow lighting up his eyes.

“Okay, give me a minute,” I said, taking a deep breath to compose myself. I flicked my hair off my shoulders and looked up to meet his eyes, successfully managing to suppress my urge to laugh again. “Alright, where to next?”

Jongin’s eyes twinkled. “How do you like eating ice cream at parks?”

---

 

“So tell me, how well do you know Joonmyun-hyung?” Jongin asked as we strolled down the concrete paths that cut through the grassy strip, absently our ice cream before it was melted by the warm evening sun.

I paused for a moment at the question –as I always did when questions pertaining Joonmyun came about–and proceeded to consider an answer. “Not very well.”

“Come on,” Jongin said, giving me the side-eye. “If he’s willing to admit that he considers you as a very close friend of his, there must be something that you two know about each other.”

“I know that he lived in China before he moved here. Also that he can play the piano well,” I replied finally. “Why do you ask?” I asked, glancing at him.

“I want to know why Hyung’s so attached to you,” Jongin replied, as he twirled his cone to a trail of ice cream that was making its way towards his fingers.

The word ‘attached’ sent a blush creeping up my cheeks, but I managed to hide it with a complacent shrug.

“But you know,” Jongin continued, peeking at me from the corner of his eyes with a smile, “I think I’m starting to understand. I’m getting pretty attached to you myself.”

I tossed my hair over my shoulders in a jokingly haughty manner. “It’s the magnet effect I suppose.”

Jongin laughed, elbowing me lightly on the side. I raised my cone and playfully threatened that I was going to smear it on him. Jongin pretended to be comically horrified and begged me not to spare his poor soul. I laughed and rolled my eyes at his silliness.

We finished our ice creams amidst our jokes. I tried to avoid bringing up Joonmyun as best as I could, and thankfully, Jongin seemed to have had enough of the subject since he never mentioned it again.

“Have you ever ridden tandem bikes?” Jongin asked randomly as we watched several couples cycle past us on said contraption.

I gave him a look. “Don’t even think about it. I tried it with Hyunji once –we almost pitched head-first into a bush.”

Jongin threw back his head and laughed. His deep voice resonated throughout the open park, bouncing against the trees and filling the area with his amusement. I noticed that it had a hint of melodious harmony to it, almost like Joonmyun’s.

“How did that happen?” he asked, his eyes shining with laughter.

“It’s hard to balance on those,” I said defensively. “And coordinating yourself with your partner is no easy feat either.”

“True that.” Jongin nodded with a grin.

“And besides, I prefer the singular, less troublesome version of a bike. At least I get to race on that.”

“Speaking of races,” Jongin said with smirk, “we didn’t really get to finish that race on the rink, did we?”

“Finish?” I scoffed. “We didn’t even start! And I’m sure you know why.”

Jongin’s smirk disappeared and he looked indignant. “I thought we agreed to forget about that.”

“I had forgotten all about it until you reminded me,” I teased with a grin.

Jongin huffed. “Fine. So how about that race? Should we go through with it?”

“Sounds fun,” I responded.

“We’ll do it on bikes, three laps around the park. We start and end...”he drew an imaginary line from a tree a few feet away from us towards the other tree standing opposite of it, “there.”

“Alright. Let’s go get the bikes.”

---

 

The race commenced quite ceremoniously, if I may say so myself. Somehow, the open air and the sound of swishing leaves in the wind had brought the inner child out of Jongin. His enthusiasm was a vast change from his suave confidence, and it with great amusement as I watched him rock back and forth on his bike impatiently as he waited for me.

“Geez, be patient,” I told him as I slowly ambled towards him, leading my bike by the handlebars.

“We’re losing time,” he said to me as he tried to balance himself on his bike. “I want to win before the sun comes down.”

“What makes you think that you’re going to win?” I asked with a scoff, hopping onto my bike with practiced ease and cycling the last few feet towards him.

Jongin smirked playfully. “Because I’m fast.” And with that, he shot out like the wind, leaving me momentarily dumbfounded before I clumsily started to pedal after him.

“Yah, that’s not fair. We didn’t even agree to start!” I yelled at him as I regained my balance and picked up my speed.

Jongin turned his head back momentarily to stick his tongue out at me. “Too bad!”

I stared at him in disbelief, the wind whipping on my cheeks, before I geared myself up and shot off after him. I wasn’t going to let him win as easily as that.

The park went by in a blur as we circled our three laps. Jongin was always a little bit ahead of me, but I managed to close the distance between us by forcing myself legs to pedal faster. I could hear him yelling at me to hurry up though, his voice carried by the wind that pushed back his hair and plastered his clothes to his body. Occasionally, he’d glance back to check my progress, a bright smile lighting his handsome features as he urged me on with some playful teasing.

I let his playful spirit get to me, a smile lighting up my face as I zoomed past the picturesque scenery of beautiful green trees and romantic couples. We were the only ones racing, and like Jongin, I couldn’t care less as to whom I had annoyed. All we cared about was the wind whipping on our faces and the tantalizing prospect of winning.

While I was busy wallowing in my thoughts, I realised that somehow, I had lost sight of Jongin. I craned my neck, slowing my bike as I tried to catch sight of the gray shirt and the black cardigan he had tied around his waist prior to the race. I spotted nothing but a mass of trees that blocked my view towards the path curving to the right. Figuring that he had disappeared around it (and won the race), I pedalled faster and rounded the turn, a little surprised that he still hadn’t entered my line of sight. He couldn’t have pedalled that fast, could he?

It took another three minutes for me finished the race. I skidded to a stop between the two trees we had designated as the finish line, confused. Jongin was nowhere to be seen. I peered behind me, expecting find him cycling up to me, but saw nothing besides a broad path and swaying leaves. Where on earth could he have gone?

When I turned, I spotted something blue leaning against a tree not too far from where I was. I recognised the silver stripes and the letters that embossed its side as the bike that Jongin had chosen for himself and slowly started towards it, leading my bike by the handle bars. It looked fairly intact, bearing no indication that it could have gotten on a rough path and pitched towards ground as its rider fell off.  I was about to pull out my phone to call Jongin when I heard some soft whistling, like a bird calling to me.

I looked up and stared in disbelief at the boy sitting on the branch, legs dangling under him as he flashed me a mischievous grin.

“Took you long enough,” he called down, swinging his legs as if to taunt me.

I frowned and crossed my hands across my chest. “How did you get up there?”

“I flew,” he quipped, and laughed when I picked up a stray pebble and threw it at him. “Of course I climbed,” he said, remnants of his amusement colouring his voice. “How else?”

“Well, are you going to get down or not? Otherwise, I’d consider this date over,” I yelled up at him.

He pouted. “You’re such a spoil sport. Why not have a little fun and accompany me up here?”

I scoffed. “Goodbye Jongin.”

I began to walk away, but stopped when he called my name. “Come on,” he begged, flashing me his puppy eyes as he leaned forward, as far as the branch would let him. “Consider this as a final favour, the concluding act of our date, if you will. Here, I’ll help you.”

Jongin made a move to climb down, but I waved him away.

“No worries. I can manage it myself,” I told him as I made my way back towards him.

I found a thick branch –probably the same one he used to climb up –and proceeded to hoist myself onto it. Jongin watched me climb with twinkling eyes, holding out his hand when I was near enough and scooting sideways to make room for me on the branch. I tentatively shifted onto it, afraid that it would crack under the additional weight, but was pleasantly relieved when nothing happened. The branch was sturdy enough to hold the both of us.

“This is the first time I climbed a tree on a date,” I mused as I peered down onto the green grass below us.

“This is the first time I had a date who could climb a tree,” Jongin remarked, impressed. “Did your parents teach you survival 101 when you were a kid or something?”

“Nope. I just had a particular for trees.”

He laughed, shaking his head in disbelief.

“One of my previous cats got stuck in a tree once when I was a kid,” I explained, shifting so that I was in a more comfortable position. “I had to climb it to save her.”

“You know, if I were you, I would have just gotten a ladder and leaned it against the branch.”

I shrugged. “It didn’t cross my mind to do that back then.”

“But still, I applaud your bravery,” Jongin said with a smile.

“So, what exactly is the point of coming all the way up here?” I asked him as I swung my legs.

“To enjoy the view.” He jerked his chin towards the scene in front of us, towards the trees that dotted the paths in perfect intervals and the miniature figures strolling below us. “Pretty huh?”

I nodded. “For once, Kim Jongin, you’re right.”

He turned his head to look at me, his eyes shimmering with some indecipherable emotion. The wind teased bits of his hair, tiny invisible fingers pulling on the strands and coaxing some to fall over his eyes. Jongin opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted when a voice from below yelled at us.

“Kim Jongin and Go Aeri, get down here right now!”

I tore my eyes away from Jongin as my heart leapt at the sound of the voice. My jaw dropped slightly when I saw Joonmyun below us, his hands on his hips as he gazed at us sternly.

“Hyung!” Jongin whined with a frown.

“I don’t care what you have to say, Kim Jongin. It’s dangerous up there and you two better get down here right now before I make you!” Oddly, I found Joonmyun’s fury somewhat comical and tried to bite back my laughter. Contrary to the effect it was supposed to have, I found it cute.

“What are you doing here anyway?” Jongin yelled, making no move to come down.

“I was taking a walk after work and I saw you two on the bikes. In fact, you pretty much passed by me twice without noticing.” Joonmyun rolled his eyes before putting on a stern look again. “Yah, get down now! Especially you, Aeri, it’s not safe up there.” He gazed up at me concernedly.

“I think we should do to what he said,” I murmured to Jongin, unable to take the way that Joonmyun was looking at me. “Before this branch snaps and all.”

I shifted and started to descend from the tree, retracing my steps and carefully placing my feet on the branches I deemed strong enough to hold my weight. I was aware of Joonmyun’s eyes boring into my back as I made my way down and I could picture the look they had in them: concerned, worried, gentle –the kind of expressions that I always pictured him looking at me with. Distracted, I lost my footing.

I let a tiny scream escape me as my foot slipped altogether. I couldn’t grasp the thick trunk quick enough and ended up tumbling down from the tree. I expected to make contact with the hard and merciless ground waiting for me at the bottom, but instead, I landed on something soft; somehow, Joonmyun had caught me.

“You okay?”

I opened my eyes only to find myself staring right at him, his eyes deep, dark and concerned as they gazed into mine. He brushed my hair out of my face worriedly.

I didn’t realise that I had been holding my breath until a pair of hands pulled me up, separating me from Joonmyun. I was turned, my chin lifted up by slim fingers as Jongin inspected my face.

“You’re alright, aren’t you? Nothing hurt?” He sounded panicked, frantic.

I brushed his touch away and took a step back. My heart was still beating fast from when I saw the way Joonmyun looked at me.

“I’m fine,” I reassured them both, keeping myself a safe distance away from both Joonmyun and Jongin.

Joonmyun shot Jongin a look. “I thought I told you: if you want to do something reckless, make sure you don’t involve anyone else.”

“I checked the branches before I climbed,” Jongin protested. “They were safe.”

“She could have gotten seriously hurt,” Joonmyun countered.

“I’m okay,” I said, suddenly feeling the need to defend Jongin. The fall, after all, had been no one’s fault besides my own. Jongin shouldn’t have to take the blame for my clumsiness. “And besides,” I continued as I took a step closer to Joonmyun, “it was pretty fun up there.”

Joonmyun pursed his lips as he eyed me. Beside him, Jongin’s lips were pulled up into a thankful smile as he gazed at me. He flashed a quick wink when I chanced a small glance at him. Finally, Joonmyun sighed and placed his hands on my shoulders, startling me.

“You sure you’re not hurt?” he asked again, slowly this time.

I nodded mutely, frozen as I looked into his eyes.

“Okay,” he said, letting his arms drop and raking his fingers through his hair. “Just do me a favour and don’t do anything this idiot tells you to do ever again.”

“Hey!” Jongin protested. “You make it sound like all my ideas are bad.”

“They are,” Joonmyun said flatly. He reached out and grabbed my wrist, pulling me with him as he walked away. “Come on,” he said quietly, “let’s get you home.”

“Yah, Hyung, get back here with my date!”

---

 

Dear Diary,

I am seriously confused right now. I just got back home from a date with Jongin, Joonmyun’s cousin who seems a little bit too flirty for his own good. I know, I know. Why did I go on a date with him when it’s Joonmyun that I like?

Well, I guess you can say that I’m trying to forget him I guess, or at least let my feelings for him wane into just a tiny crush. I know that he can’t possibly have any feelings for me. I know I shouldn’t be a pessimist, but it’s just a gut feeling. I guess I was still nursing some hopes at first, but his willingness to coax me to go on that date with Jongin pretty much proves that his feelings for me just borders on platonic. Even Yixing and Hyunji think so, although they never really said it in my face.

Jongin’s a good candidate. He’s spontaneous and unpredictable. To be honest, I really had fun on that date (speaking of which, I still haven’t forgiven Yixing for stalking me. Remind me to plan my revenge sometime in the near future.) I sort of like Jongin. But why oh why does Joonmyun have to appear right at the very end? He sent my feelings spiralling again, like butterflies dancing and twirling in the air.

It was he who sent me home despite Jongin’s protests; it was he who ran to catch me when I fell (and believe me, I fell hard). I still can’t erase the mental image of his face from my head, how handsome he looked with sunlight crowning his hair and how everything about him just seems so perfect. It the end, I realise that Kim Joonmyun still has a tight hold of my heart. 

Gosh, since when did I start getting so cheesy?

Love forever,

Aeri