Chapter Twenty-Four

Updated on 1st of December 2013.

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"Good morning!" Hae Lynn chimed as she sat down beside Kyungsoo who jerked up in his seat as his head shot her direction in surprise - she was here early. "H-Hey..." He mumbled softly, a hand raised to wave but it was just raised before it was awkwardly lowered down onto his lap as he faced forward, waiting for the teacher to come in as she stared at him. He gulped, not feeling comfortable with her staring that he snapped at her, "If you have something to say, you've got to say it."

"Nothing, I'm just happy today." She admitted sheepishly with a grin and he furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

Did something happen to her that I don't know of? With that thought, he turned to meet her cheerful eyes. "Why?"

"It's a special day today, you know?"

He scoffed. "Clearly I don't know if you don't tell me."

She lifted her hand to motion him closer but he frowned, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "Why can't you tell me like this?" Rolling her eyes and letting him see it for the first time, he was rather amused rather than pissed that she rolled her eyes at him. She let her hand fall as she dragged her chair closer towards him until their arms pressed against each other. His eyes widened as he tried to wiggle his arm, "Y-Yah..."

Another wave of adrenaline crashed over him when her hand brushed against his thigh - they were suddenly so close again. Her face was just millimeters apart from his as she brought her lips close to his ear. The urge to just turn his head to kiss her was rather high - but he couldn't do it. At least... not here, not now. He felt his heart stopping when her lips parted to say, "It's a secret."

Almost too instantly, he turned to face her as he pushed her away in disbelief. "What the hell?" He snapped at her with an eyebrow raised but she simply chuckled. Now she was amused as she dragged her chair back to where it was originally when Kyungsoo shooed her away with his hand. He then proceeded to fan himself with his shirt even though it was pointless - it wasn't going to make the heat he felt in his body go down even though it was pouring outside. "Stupid girl comes so close but doesn't even tell me." He mumbled softly, flicking his pencil on the table when a small note was placed on his notebook.

He looked at the girl who placed the note but brought his attention back to the note as his hands reached for it to open it.

'Come by my house later and I'll tell you why @ 9.00p.m. - don't be late! :D'

He scoffed inwardly, folding the piece of paper before he shoved it into his pocket. She peeked at him with the corner of her eyes and smiled along with him when she could see a little twitch on his lips that threatened to form a proper smile.

"Kim Hae Lynn!" Kyungsoo shouted the moment he entered her house, trying to search for the girl who had asked him to come here at exactly 9.00p.m. and he sure wasn't late. Heck, he was waiting for each minute to pass by ever since he went home just for the clock to strike 8.55p.m. so he could walk over to her house - he was that fidgety about this yet alone excited.

Could it be that she knows about my birthday...?

With that, he searched her whole house looking for her but he decided to check on her grandmother first - he's been wanting to do this but he's never found the time. The moment he twisted the door knob open to be greeted with a very faint smile coming from the woman lying down on the bed. His lips parted as he immediately bowed - only to bump his head against the door. Hissing slightly with a hand on his head, he entered the room with an apology of making a ruckus but the woman smiled, motioning him to close the door and to come closer.

He closed the door behind him before he made his way towards her to sit down on the chair beside her bed. "M-Mrs. Kim..." Kyungsoo greeted as he rubbed his head with a slight small smile on his face. "Kyungsoo," Her voice was soft as she tried to reach for his face but he moved to sit on the bed where she didn't need to move further. "Y-Yes...?"

"Can you promise me something?" Her voice was even softer this time as Kyungsoo reached up to hold onto her hand gently. He could easily see that she was getting tired as if she didn't want to speak but she forced herself to speak anyway - his heart clenched at the sight of her like this, he didn't like it at all. If it was possible, he would rather have her to sleep than burden herself to talk to him.

"Can you take care of her when... I'm gone?"

Kyungsoo blinked at her abruptedly - not because he has anything against with that request. Even him, himself had already made a promise that he would take care of her no matter what but his question was how could she be so sure that she'll be gone? How will Hae Lynn be if her grandmother really did pass away? The thought of Hae Lynn crying again snapped through his heart just like that - he never wanted her to cry again. "B-But, you're the only family member Hae Lynn has left. How will she be if you're... gone...?"

"I just need you to promise me, my dear." At this rate, he'll never get to know what he wants to know and he doesn't intent to pressure an elderly just to answer him. He gulped as he held onto her hand assuringly, "I-I promise, Mrs. Kim..."

With a slight smile, she was happy and contented - she felt satisfied.

"Happy birthday, Kyungsoo-ah." He smiled faintly, nodding his head with a small word of thanks but he managed to ask her how did he know it was his birthday when rarely anyone knows it's his birthday. Heck, even EXO-K didn't know today was his birthday. "I kind of overheard your mother and Hae Lynn talking about it."

At the name of Hae Lynn, he shot up as he let go of Mrs. Kim's hand unintentionally - he had forgot that's the reason why he's here in the first place. "I-I have to go actually." Mrs. Kim snickered quietly, nodding once as she ushered him to go. He bid her goodnight before he really left, closing the door behind him as he walked across the hallway just to reach Hae Lynn's bedroom door.

His hand lifted to knock on the door but he couldn't the moment he didn't hear anything. It sounded so quiet as if no one was in that he just opened the door to invite himself in. His eyes widened when there was no one in her room. He furrowed his eyebrows as he closed the door behind him to look around. "Kim Hae Lynn!" He hollered with a hand beside his mouth but there was no reply. He grumbled softly as he wanted to leave. "She's not even here..."

He placed his hand on the doorknob when he heard grunts from the balcony. He turned around to widen his eyes when he saw her standing there with a smile on her face. He felt his heart skip a beat when he could see her features clearly under the moonlight. “Come out here!” she shouted and he gulped before he pulled his hand away from the doorknob.

If someone back in his hometown were to pull something off like this, he would definitely just leave but with her, everything felt like nothing was impossible to try out something new. Considering that even back in his hometown, no one would even try to converse with him after the first encounter because he was always so cold. He opened the balcony door and he furrowed his eyebrows when he realized she wasn’t there anymore. “What the hell?” He cursed and he jerked up when he heard her shout “Up here!” He walked further out on the balcony to jump and caught a glimpse of Hae Lynn on the roof. “What are you doing up there?!” He shouted and he could hear her chuckle.

“What are you doing down there?” she shouted at him back and he cracked into a smile. “I asked you first!” he shouted and he jerked backwards when she came to the edge and smiled at him. “Come up here with me.” She said as she offered a hand. When he saw her hand, he wanted to just leave immediately as everything like this was just like deja vu for him all over again.

No one really knew why Kyungsoo was so cold ever since he went to primary school back at his hometown and carried the exact same character to where he moved but deep down inside, he was just dying to tell it all out to someone. When he was younger, he had a younger sister. He and his sister were so tight and they had a special bond with one another that even their parents found it cute. One day, when he was just taking her out to play to the playground when he was six and she was five.

His mother was there too with them but a terrible accident happened when he dropped something on the road and wanted to take it but his sister offered to take it for him. When his sister got his toy in her hands, she turned to shout at him “Oppa! I got it for you!” She giggled and she offered her hand to her brother as she gestured him to come to her. In a split second, just like that, he saw his sister get ran over by a truck that was speeding. It scarred him for life and ever since, he couldn’t find happiness in his life anymore. Every single time when a person who is dear to him would just offer their hand like this, that painful, tragic memory just flashes up in his mind - he felt so guilty.

“K-Kyungsoo?” her voice rang at the back of his head and he snapped out of it. “W-What?” he asked confusedly and she grinned. “Take my hand, I won’t bite. I promise.” She placed her other hand on her chest and he cracked into a bigger smile. She instantly let her lips curve up into a smile when he reached for her hand and he climbed up onto the roof to sit beside her under the starry night.

“Here.” She said as she passed a box to him. He furrowed his eyebrows before he looked down on the box on his lap before he gazed up to look at her. “What’s this for?” he asked as she smiled. “I hear it’s your birthday today... and, your sister’s death anniversary.” His eyes widened as his hands were getting sweaty all of a sudden. “How did you know?” he croaked out softly as she lied down on the roof with her arms folded behind her head. “Just open the box, Kyungsoo.” She smiled at the stars.

Kyungsoo opened the box and his eyes widened when he saw a brown Rilakkuma bear in the box. He gulped before he pulled the bear out. “That’s your sister’s favorite, isn’t it?” she asked and he nodded his head slowly before he glanced at her. “That was my sister’s favorite too.” She sighed as she stared at the night sky. “Y-You have a sister?” he asked as he put the bear back into the box before he looked at the girl beside him. “I used to. Until she... until she gone to a better place.”

"W-What happened?" He swallowed the lump in his throat when he saw how close she was to just bursting out into tears but she smiled instead. "She was living with my grandmother too as by the time my grandmother came to the orphanage to take the two of us, she only managed to get my sister because I was already adopted and my step parents didn't allow my grandmother to take me back. I've only got to get close with my sister for two years and... after a tragic car accident... she just, left. Left to reunite with my biological parents."

Hae Lynn could still roughly imagine the image of her sister in her mind. The memory of them playing with each other before her sister died was simply blissful and happy to her. Even though she didn't get to be with her sister for a long time before she passed on, it was still the best moment of her life knowing that she had two family members around her. Even when her sister passed on, she was still thankful she got to know her sister. Though, not many people know about Hae Lynn having a sister. Only Nicole and Sehun know about this but now, so does Kyungsoo.

“How are you still so happy even when your sister... when... she’s gone?” He asked and she sat up to look at him and pushed him to lie down beside her before she lied down beside him. She scooted closer towards him and tilted his head until he rested his head on her shoulder. His eyes widened and his heart beated faster as she did this but she didn't feel anything at the moment. It was his birthday and she wanted to do this for him - just for him.

"K-Kyungsoo... He never wants to celebrate his birthday because of a tragic incident..."

Hae Lynn furrowed her eyebrows as she turned to look at Mrs. Do. "W-What tragic incident...?"

"His sister died on his birthday. His younger sister, Do Soo Jin. Ever since he... took blame for not being able to protect his own sister and he's been cold to everyone for God knows how long... But when he met you, things seemed to change so I thought..."

Hae Lynn held onto Mrs. Do's hand with a smile. "Don't worry, Mrs. Do. I know exactly how to help him."

"R-Really? You think you can?"

Determination flushed in Hae Lynn's veins as she grinned from ear to ear this time. "I'm positive I can."

“Sometimes, we have to look on the bright side of things and not dwell on the bad things in life. Losing her was like losing my life because I only have two family members by my side but my life still goes on. I’m not saying you have to forget your sister, but just be happy for her. She would want that for you.” She could feel him trying to move his head away from her shoulder but she held onto his hand and he stopped trying when this was the second time she voluntarily held onto his hand.

“Don’t push away people who try to care for you and make you happy. Your sister would want you to be happy too.”

He gulped before he tried to relax his body. He lifted his head to look at the girl who was just admiring the night sky. He was just looking at the girl who seemed to be an annoying partner in class a few months ago but now he saw her as nothing but a beautiful girl with a nice heart and soul. He knew that now his answer to his qusetion that was left unanswered in his mind was a rather clear answer now. “Hae Lynn,” He called her name out softly as she turned to look down on him, letting out a soft “Hmm?”

“Thank you.”

His answer to his question : Do I like her?

The answer to that was : Yes.

He knew what he had to do now.

And need he emphasize, he was going to do it now.

No interruptions.

No second thoughts.

As they got down from the roof after a long time filled with nonchalant talks and jokes, that incident that took him so long to erase was finally gone. The memory that would haunt him couldn't haunt him any longer - because she helped him. And it didn't take long for him to know that the change he's been looking for all this while... was her. The person to help him change, the person to make him smile, the person to try out crazy things, the person who came into his life to make his life louder that was filled with laughter and happiness - Kim Hae Lynn, that's her. If someone were to tell him months ago that this girl is the girl who will change and own his heart, he would tell them to go shoot themselves.

But if you told him that now, he couldn't agree more - she was the one for him.

Now they stood by the balcony with their hands gripping onto the balcony railings as they admired the night sky. By they - it was only Hae Lynn admiring the sky when Kyungsoo was staring at her tentively. The insides of him just urged him to tell her now. The timing was perfect and what better time to do it other than his birthday? If he actually succeeds on getting her heart today... it will definitely be one of the most unforgetable birthdays in his life.

“I like you.” He breathed out and her eyes widened when she heard him say that. He felt his insides just burning as he finally took the leap to admit those words he's been holding in for so long. Despite the fact that Minhyuk said it first, he hoped that Hae Lynn managed to sense the sincerity he's trying to portray in his words.

On the other hand, was she hearing things or was she just going crazy to the extend where she imagined him saying that? Her cheeks started to blush faintly with a shade of light pink but she tried to stay calm - maybe he was tricking her, that's what she thought. Her heart wouldn't slow down on beating fast. “W-What?” she croaked out softly as she turned her head to meet with his eyes. “Y-You what?” she stuttered through her words and he turned to face her. He placed his hands on her shoulders before he turned her to face him. “I like you. I really do, Hae Lynn. I need you to listen to me.”

She gulped, not because she didn’t like him back. Because she was afraid of getting hurt - remember? Girls are insecure of things like this and though she seemed like those girls who didn’t care about all of that, she’s actually the complete opposite. “M-Me, why?” she shook her head when she realized she had put the words out wrongly. He smiled softly when he saw how flustered she was.

“W-Why me?”

He let go of her shoulders and lifted her chin up with two of his fingers. “You came and loved me when no one else did. You believed in me that a change would come for me and it did. Even if you didn't plan on changing me in the first place, deep down inside your heart, you thought about it at least once or twice." He definitely struck the jackpot when he could see the nervousness in her eyes, he was dead on right.

"Haven't you notice that I've been changing lately? I've been smiling more - talking more than I would have before I met you. Heck, I didn't think I would actually sign up to work at an ice cream parlor but I did just for you.”

Her eyes widened and her lips parted. "Y-You're working there too?"

He wasn't starting yet but he was already employed - so that counts as a 'yes'. With a nod, he continued - there was so much left to say that he had to pick the important points to say it to her, this was his only chance. He needed to pour out all his emotions he's been bottling in or it'll drive him crazy.

"I thought that coming here would be horrible and terrible but I was clearly wrong. I thought I was right the moment I came here because I met crazy people. And yes, one of them were you but little did I know..." He paused for a while, taking a moment to tuck strands of her hair behind her ear as she blushed harder - her heart was going to leap out of her chest if he continued to do this.

"...-I began to notice more of you. I began to wonder the things about you that usually a person who didn't like you wouldn't have. I started to think why you acted this, why were you so nice to me and whatnot. Until one day I decided not to question because I liked it. I liked how you treated me and I loved how you never gave up on our friendship when other people back from where I came from would easily treat me like an outcast whereas you see me as a different person. I bet you didn't think I was like this either when we first met and I didn't think that I would fall for you either but here I am... trying to tell you how honest I am and how crazy you've been making me feel after all these months. I wanted to run away so badly but instead, I guess I came running back to you even more."

She swallowed hard as she blinked at him slowly - letting all of this sink into her. She just had a rough assumption that he had a crush on her but she never knew that he actually liked her. She didn't know that this day would come sooner than she thought - it finally came today. His words were like soft kisses planting all over her body, causing her to feel the tingling sensation flushing through her veins as she repeated the words he had said in her mind. With that, she managed to ask meekly, "I... I make you crazy?"

He smiled again as he cupped her cheeks and she sighed inwardly at the warmth of his palms. "Very... very crazy." He said as she gulped before looking up into his brown eyes that seemed so attractive to her. "You are the change that completes me, Kim Hae Lynn. I can't promise that I'll be the best boyfriend in the world but I will try if you'll just give me a chance. A chance is all I'm asking for."

His heart finally managed to calm down but there was no lying he felt extremely nervous. His hands cupping onto her cheeks lifted her face up to meet with his eyes again - he wanted an answer, now. She felt butterflies in her stomach again and the feeling of his hands cupping her cheeks - she loved it very much. Her hands, shaky, as she reached up to cup his cheeks. He shuddered inwardly at her touch - this was something so new, so foreign... but he too, loved it a lot. Now he knew how she felt whenever he did this to her and he wasn't going to lie, he didn't know what this means.

"I like you too."

The barrier preventing her to not accept his heart broke into pieces as she smiled at him lovingly - she liked him too much to think that anything bad was going to happen because even if it did - she knew that somehow, one way or another, they would find a way to reconcile and things would be alright again as long as she got through it together with him. His eyes sparkled with joy as he stared at her with wide eyes and disbelief - it all feels like a dream to him.

"You do?" He questioned her just to confirm and she tiptoed to level their lips together. "Can I kiss you to show you?"

He shook his head and she frowned as her hands fell, just like her heart. Her lips parted involuntarily as she stopped tiptoeing with her eyes staring at his neck. She felt like her gut was twisted - was this all just a game? Before she could even say anything, he pulled her closer as he dipped down to whisper on her lips, "I'll kiss you."

With that, his lips pressed against hers gently as he took this nice and slow. She mewled softly as she was taken back by this but it made her feel like she was walking on cloud nine but the thought that she could possibly fall from it anytime soon had also entered her mind. Her eyes fluttered shut as she kissed him back with the same amount of love he was kissing her with. His hands moved down to place it on her waist while her arms gingerly made it's way around his neck. He simply shuddered again at her touch but then again, he would definitely love to get used to this and that goes the same to her. The complete satisfaction of being able to kiss one another flowed through their bodies as they shared this one special kiss that felt like it lasted for a lifetime. Was it possible to feel this much content and confusion at the same time?

With her eyes shut, through the complete blackness she found tiny colored sparks just sparkling through as she parted her lips to allow him in as he took this as slow as he could - he wanted to prolong this indescribable feeling they shared. It felt like she was holding onto him as if her life depended on it - as if her life depended on this kiss. He felt her body relaxing and he gently nipped on her lower lip before he was the first one to break the kiss even though she hoped that they could kiss longer but they ran out of breath.

She inhaled deeply as he pressed his forehead against hers - she was still blushing.

"So now you're my girlfriend, got it?"

Shyly, she remained still but once his hand lifted to place it on a cheek, carressing her skin softly, she nodded and looked away from him. "No, look  at me, girlfriend."

Not used to the sudden term, her eyes looked up to him and she swore that she felt her heart skipping a beat again when he smiled at her with so much love - the Kyungsoo she met months ago really changed.

"Minhyuk can't kiss this lips anymore and if he does, tell me. I'll beat the out of him."

Her eyes widened as she blinked at him with her cheeks blushing even more that she was this close to looking like a tomato.

"Y-You saw?"

"Well, yeah." He answered bluntly as he added in, "First time I've ever felt that way for a girl."

She bit her lower lip in guilt. "S-Sorry..."

"Don't apologize - I still got your heart, didn't I?" He joked slightly and she laughed softly, nodding her head as their foreheads were still leaning against one another. They stared at each other for a moment to let this all sink in for them - it was still new and fresh to them but they knew that it was going to be a start of something new. Something they never saw it coming but now, it was more than just right to be with one another. The spark and love they were able to see in each other eyes made every thing more perfect than it already was.

"Can I kiss you again?" He asked with a playful smile on his face and her arms moved so she could cup his cheeks.

"I'll kiss you this time."

A/N : This story will end at chapter twenty-seven! Yep. Just letting you guys know that. (: