Your POV
 

“I’ll have that, please.” You pointed to the large display banner hanging above on the wall. It flaunted many Chinese dishes that the restaurant served. The cashier pressed some buttons on the computer and the price of your black bean noodles appeared on the EPOS machine facing towards you. You paid the money, and the cashier gave you the balance. She pointed at the very back of the restaurant, indicating the location of your table. You turned around, and your eyes widened when you realized who was sitting next to the table that was just picked for you. It was too late. You couldn’t turn back now; you’ve already paid. Besides, you were really hungry. And to be honest, you were kind of glad to see that ‘angel-boy’ again. So you quietly walked to your table.

He was staring at you, and it made you feel like a cat on a hot tin roof. You didn’t want to appear more fidgety and nervous than you already were, so you quickly seated yourself on the chair that was the closest to you. You didn’t know what to do or where to look, so you kept fiddling with your hands. You looked straight ahead, trying to look normal. How normal was it to stare at a wall anyway? From the corner of your eye, you could see him still staring at you. You took a quick glance at him; he looked amused, and a playful smirk had formed on his lips.

“I HARASS PEOPLE IN MY SLEEP! I HARASS PEOPLE IN MY SLEEP!”

You wondered where that was coming from. After a second though, you noticed the people around you were giving you weird looks. Even the ‘angel-boy’ was laughing silently. Then you realized. It was the sound of your phone’s ringtone.

“Dammit Luhan!” How dare he record his voice and set it as your ringtone?" You thought to yourself and quickly retrieved the phone from your jeans pocket. Without checking the caller ID, you picked up.

"Hello?"
 

“Hyun Ju! Is everything okay? I just called to check up on you. I know you must be tired-“
 

“Everything’s fine, Dad! And no, I’m not that tired. I’m just really hungry. I’m at a restaurant right now.”

“Oh. Everyone has already gone to bed but I just couldn’t sleep without knowing if you were okay. Anyway, I’ll call you tomorrow okay? I have work tomorrow so I need to hit the sack now. Eat well!”
 

If he hung up right now, you’ll be feeling even more awkward.

“Dad, wait!” you half whispered – half screamed into the phone.

“Yes, dear?”

“Umm….Tell mom and sister that I miss them.”

“I will.”

“But you know that I miss you the most, dad!”

He laughed.

“I do. I miss you too. Good night!”

“No, wait!”

“Yes?”

“Umm… What’s your favourite type of meat?”

“Hyun Ju, are you alright? You know it’s beef. Anyway, I really need to go sleep now. Good night!”

You sighed. “Okay, good night.”

Your dad hung up. You had nothing to do, and you didn’t want to look at the boy again. You already knew he was staring at you, so you didn’t want to look fidgety. In the end, you started to play Tetris on your phone. You never liked the new games that came out. You always stuck to the old ones like Snake, Tetris and Pinball and you never got bored of them.

Almost right after you started the game; your phone flashed a message on its screen: ‘Your battery is low of charge’. You ignored the message and continued to play. Once again, the message flashed and the next thing you knew, your phone was dead. You groaned and stuffed your phone back into your jeans pocket.

You put your elbows up on the table, with your palms supporting your head. Your eyes scanned around the restaurant in search for a clock.

“It’s almost 8:30pm.”

You spun your head around and saw the ‘angel-boy’ showing you his phone screen which displayed the time. He was smiling, and his dimples were visible.

“Thank you.” You managed to squeak out as you blushed furiously.

Luckily, you had spotted where the ladies room was while you were searching for a clock, so you decided to go there to kill time. It would at least be better than the uncomfortable atmosphere now anyway. You stood up quickly, and noticed that the boy looked worried.

Lay’s POV

So far so good. I finally managed to say something. I’d been trying to do so for the past couple of minutes and I’ve finally succeeded. I’ve always been the first to start a conversation, in hopes to make a new friend, but somehow all my attempts ended up as a failure. Even though I somehow knew that this would be one of those failed attempts to make a friend, I wanted to give it my best shot. It’s better to try and fail than being curious about what would’ve happened if I succeeded anyway.

I saw the waiter making his way towards my table balancing two bowls of noodles on a tray. I bowed my head as he placed a bowl of black bean noodles infront of me. He turned towards the pixie-girl’s table to place her bowl of noodles as well when she suddenly stood up, pushing her chair back abruptly. The waiter tried to avoid the chair hitting him by stepping backwards, but he lost his balance and spilled the bowl of food all over the floor. The clattering of the spoons and bowl against the marble floors caught the attention of the customers in the restaurant. The pixie-girl stood frozen for a second before she helped the waiter to stand up. She kept apologizing but the waiter politely waved it away saying it was a mistake on his behalf. He quickly cleaned up the mess and asked her whether she would like to order again.

This is my chance, I thought.

I stood up and placed my set of bowl and cutlery on her table casually. I asked the waiter to just bring an extra set bowl and cutlery. He nodded and left. I seated myself, but the girl just kept standing.

“Sit with me, please!” I said cutely and smiled. She looked utterly confused but she finally sat. The waiter came back just then and placed a bowl and cutleries infront of her. I put half of my black bean noodles in her bowl.

“Eat up!” I said cheerfully. She opened to say something, but only the loud rumble from her stomach was audible.

She smiled shyly and said, “No, it’s okay. You don’t have to share with me! Besides you already paid for it. Oh and by the way, thanks again for earlier. At the bus stop I mean. You’ve already done so much, how can I shamelessly just eat your food?”

“So then, do you want to return the favour?” I asked cockily.

“Yes, please! What can I do for you?”

“Have dinner with me. I’d really love the company.” I smiled at her.

She laughed a little. “Okay, if you say so.”

“Great! Dig in then!” I started to eat and to my relief, she did too.

“Are you new here?” I asked, trying not to sound too rude.

“Yes. I just arrived today. How’d you guess? I must look like a country bumpkin, right?” She said cheerfully, which took me surprise. All this time, she seemed kind of shy.

“No, nothing like that!” I said, waving my hand.

“Oh! My accent!” She exclaimed.

“No! This is only my first time hearing you talk and you honestly don’t sound weird at all! Did your family move to Seoul?” I tried to change the topic.

“No, only I did. How about you?”

“My parents moved here before I was even born. So basically, I’ve been living here ever since I was born.” I smiled.

“Oh, so you aren’t a native Korean?” She questioned with enlarged eyes.

“I’m Chinese.” I said right after swallowing the food in my mouth.

“Oh, that makes sense. After all, this is a Chinese restaurant.” She nodded her head understandingly.

“Are you saying you’d believe me if I said I were from Thailand if this was a Thai restaurant?” I teased.

“No I just…” She started, trying to find words to say.

“I’m just kidding!” I chuckled, seeing her getting flustered. She was really cute.

I speeded up my eating when I noticed that her bowl was almost empty. I made sure that I ate at a steady pace though; I didn’t want her to feel pressured to finish her food quickly.

“Oh, what’s that song?” She asked suddenly, when the song playing in the restaurant changed.

“Kiss the Rain by Yiruma.” I answered almost instantly. She seemed amused that I answered so quickly.

“Thanks. I really like it. I think I’ll download it tonight.” She said, as she gulped down her last bite.

“Yiruma is a great pianist.” I said, as I swallowed down my last bite as well.

The waiter came over to take away the empty bowls, so we both stood up to leave the restaurant together. We made our way to the escalator to descend down to the ground floor.

“Oh, it’s already 9:15pm.” I said, amazed by how fast the time passed by. Normally I finished dinner within 10 minutes maximum. This was the first time I had a meal with someone since the first week of Seoul High, which was about 3 years ago. I smiled unknowingly.

“Really? I better head home before it gets too late. Tell me; are there lots of gangsters and creepers roaming around the streets here or maybe on buses?” She asked, obviously scared.

“If you want… I can walk you home.” I said, as we stepped off the escalator and exited the mall. I looked at her for a response, and she still looked scared. She looked at me with fear in her eyes. I wouldn’t blame her. She’s probably wondering if she could trust me or not.

“Um, okay.” She said, letting out an uneven breath. Is she afraid of me? Or is it the darkness that scares her? Maybe it’s because she’s in Seoul all alone. All I knew was that she was really afraid. What should I do to make her feel comfortable? I’m so inexperienced in dealing with people that I honestly had no idea what to do.

“Do you mind telling me your address?” I asked her carefully, observing her expression.

“Samsung Apartments, 155 Jeonnong-dong.” She recited, eyes locked on mine. She really does look scared. I had to do something about it. She was so cheerful and hyper only a minute ago. I wonder what was truly bothering her so much.

“My place is in that direction as well!” I said cheerfully, hoping to lift her spirits. “Let’s go!” I started to walk, and she walked alongside me. There were small convenience stores here and there, lighting up the streets.

“Oh, I just remembered! I need to buy some snacks and drinks, and also a pack of noodles.” She said.

“Me too! I’m all out of snacks too. Shall we go buy some?” I asked her, and she nodded joyfully. Good, I think she isn’t that scared anymore.

We went to a store and I opened the door for her to enter first before I followed. I greeted the salesperson with a bow and looked away to find the pixie-girl excitedly scanning the various types of snacks.

“Found anything you like?” I asked as I went near her.

“There are so many different flavours and snacks here! Only the originals are available back at home! Woah! Sour cream and onion flavoured Pringles? I wonder how these would taste.” She exclaimed.

I was honestly shocked that she didn’t know that any of this existed. I managed to keep my expression normal though, in case she felt uncomfortable.

“I really like that flavour.” I said, grabbing two shopping baskets. I handed one of them to her, and as she reached her hand out to hold it, I noticed the leaf bangle on her wrist. It looked really simple, but it was stunningly beautiful. It was definitely my style.

“That bangle looks really cool.” I said subconsciously while I stared at it.

“Thanks! Hey, recommend me some good snacks! Thank god you’re here; otherwise I would’ve gone mad trying to decide what to buy!”

For a split second, it seemed like my world froze.

‘Thank. God. You. Are. Here.’

Does that mean she likes my presence? Am I finally being accepted by someone? As if. She probably didn’t even mean it. She’d only leave just like my other ‘friends’.

“Um, you should check out the drinks section. There’s plenty of unique flavours there too.” I said, dismissing my thoughts.

“Really? Wow, you’re right! Vanilla coke? Cherry cola? Fanta raspberry? You Seoul people are so lucky!” She said, swiping half of the bottles on the shelves into her basket, literally.

“You said you’d like some noodles too?” I pointed at the shelf filled with different kinds of instant noodles.

“Good lord, I give up! How on earth am I supposed to choose one from there? Just pick one for me, please?”

“Sure.” I tossed a pack into her basket whilst picking out some for myself as well. We returned to the shelf with the snacks and started piling up a mountain of them to buy.

“I’m going to the counter to pay, okay?” She asked, and I nodded. She turned away and started to walk.

“Hey! Do you like chocolate or vanilla and nuts or no nuts?” I yelled loud enough for her to hear.

“Chocolate with nuts! Why?” She yelled back.


After I paid, we both stepped out from the store and continued to walk. I had managed to grab the plastic bags before she was able to pick it up from the counter.

“So, you said you liked chocolate and nuts right?” I said, retrieving two chocolate ice cream bars from my bag.

“Here! Quick! It’ll melt!” I said enthusiastically, unwrapping her ice-cream bar with almonds and handing it over to her.

“Aw, you didn’t have to! Thank you!” She giggled.

I unwrapped my ice-cream bar as well and we walked together, enjoying ice cream.

Ice cream can work wonders. She looks so happy. I unknowingly giggled when I heard her cute chuckles.

It was an enjoyable walk. We laughed and teased each other. It was definitely one of the most happiest days of my life. Maybe the happiest day of my life.

Just as I was going to throw my ice cream bar stick to the trash bin near the entrance of Samsung Apartments, she let out a little shriek.

“No! Don’t throw that away!”

I looked at her, puzzled.

She quickly pulled out a black sharpie from her side-bag and wrote something on her ice cream bar stick using the wall as support. She gave me the stick and the sharpie, and asked me to do the same thing.

'13/09/13 Thanks for everything!' was written neatly along with a cute drawing of an angel.

I went up to the wall and wrote: '13/09/13 It was my pleasure' and drew a little pixie to it.

“Here.” I handed the sharpie and the ice cream bar stick to her, smiling brightly.

She looked at it, and her face was glowing with happiness. She looked so beautiful. I was in a daze and couldn’t stop staring at her.

“Uh, good night!” She said, waving both of her hands.

“Oh yes, good night.” I waved too.

We stood like that for a second.

“Um, my shopping bag is still with you.”

“Oh! Here!” I laughed awkwardly, handing it to her. I waved her good bye once more before I my heels to cross the road.



Your POV


You woke up to see the sunlight filtering through your window. It’s been a couple of days since you moved to the apartment and you were slowly getting used to it. There was only a few days remaining for your university to begin. You checked the time on your alarm clock which was placed on the knight table right beside your bed. The clock and the warm rays of sunlight lightening up your room indicated that it was afternoon. You stayed in bed, too lazy to get up. You reached your hand out to the table and picked up the ice cream bar stick. You had left it there after washing it as soon as you got home that night. The writing on it remained as it was without fading; just the way he wrote on it. The memories of that night flooded your thoughts. Not wanting to spend the entire day in your pajamas like the previous days, you put the stick away on its place and got up to shower.

Your dad called you every day, and you’d sometimes talk to your little sister and step mom. It seemed that everything was going well and smooth back at home. Every now and then, you’d exchange texts with Luhan, but he was too busy to meet up with you.

You threw on your bathrobe and went into the kitchen to prepare some noodles. While it was being cooked, you checked your mail. Seoul University had sent you the list of text books that you’d need. You saved the list and decided to head out as soon as you finished lunch.
 
After you were done eating the noodles, you dressed up in a plain black V-neck T-shirt and black jeans. You completed your outfit with an olive green jacket and went out.

You decided to explore your neighborhood as it was only your second time out of your apartment. Besides, it was only afternoon. You walked down the street to enter the main road. There were many café’s and pastry shops located here and there.

You continued strolling down the street and you eventually found a four-floored bookshop. You entered there, and were amazed by how organized and huge it was. There was a board hanging up on the wall, explaining the type of books you’d be able to find on each floor. It seemed like the ground floor was for kids and the university text books were on the third floor, so you made your way up the staircase. When you reached the third floor, you noticed how crowded it was. You quickly grabbed a basket and started searching for the text books that you needed. You weren’t even halfway through the list but your hand already ached from carrying the heavy basket of text books.

You were finally almost done with the list, and it turned out that the last book you needed was at the very back. No one else was there, or so you thought. You kept searching through the aisles when you suddenly heard a voice coming from the aisle next to you.

“Are you saying that you don’t like me anymore?” It was a girls’ voice.

“Yep. I’m not interested in you anymore, since I already got what I wanted.” The reply came from a boy.

“You used me! You only wanted my body!” Her voice cracked. It seemed like she was crying.

“Bingo!” The boy said in an uninterested tone, and you heard the sound of his footsteps walking away.

You hid behind the shelf and took a peek but you could only see his backside. He was wearing a white snapback backwards with the word ‘BOY’ on it. It seemed like he had also drawn on it with a black marker in a graphite style. You watched him walk away and then you picked out the book you needed.

You help the basket with both of your hands and brisk-walked up to the counter. You paid the cashier after she scanned the barcodes and handed you the bag. You carefully climbed down the stairs to the ground floor and stopped by the exit of the bookshop, putting the bag down on the floor and relaxing your tense arms. You spotted a guy bumping into a pregnant woman nearby and the books that she was holding fell. It was the guy you saw upstairs. He didn’t bother to say sorry or help. He just exited the bookshop without any care. You were really frustrated at him, but when you looked back at the pregnant woman, you noticed the boy you met at the bus and the restaurant helping the woman to pick up the books. She smiled sweetly and thanked him. He bowed and left the bookshop.

“Hey!” You exclaimed.

You picked up your bag with both of your hands and walked out of the bookshop too. He had a small plastic bag with two books in it. One of it looked similar to a book that you just bought.

“Oh, hi!” the angel-boy waved. “Let me carry that bag for you.” He added when he noticed you having trouble with carrying the bag.

“No, no. That’s okay. I should be able to do it.” You said, adjusting your grip on it. All of a sudden, the plastic bag ripped the next thing you knew, your books were on the ground.

“Damn.” You quickly started to pick them up, and the boy helped. He was much faster, and you noticed how he picked most of them up for himself to carry. He smiled, and you both continued to walk.

“I don’t think you’ll be able to carry all the books by yourself up to your apartment.” He said, now serious.

“I think I’m going to need your help.” You said, a smile forming on your lips.

“No problem.” He assured you. “So, you’re starting university right?”

“Yep! I’m so excited!” You cheered.

“Why?” He asked curiously.

“Universities here would be so different from the ones back at home! I can’t wait to meet my teachers and classmates.” You answered.

“Oh.” He nodded.

“By the way, did you change your ringtone yet?” He asked mockingly.

“My ringtone? Why?” You asked, surprised with the sudden question.

“I harass people in my sleep?” He laughed.

“Oh! I completely forgot about that! I turned my phone on silent mode ever since that.” You exclaimed.

“Was it a prank that someone played on you?” He asked, eyebrows furrowed.

“Yeah. I’ll change it as soon as possible. Thanks for reminding me.” You smiled at him.

“Do you really harass people in your people?” He asked jokingly.

“Hmm, I wouldn’t use the word ‘harass’. I do have a habit of kicking and punching while I sleep though.” You explained.

He chuckled.

“So, did you download that song?” He asked.

This time, you knew what he was asking about. “Yes! I’ve been listening to it on repeat.”

Whenever you listened to that sweet melody, it reminded you of him. You’d play it every day before going to bed, and drown yourself in those sweet memories. Not that you’d let him know that.

“Oh, really? You should listen to his other compositions as well. I think you’ll like them.” He said.

You might like them, but you knew you wouldn’t love it as much as Kiss the Rain. It was a special song. You grinned and said, “Oh, I will!”

You both reached Samsung Apartments and entered the elevator. You looked at your reflection in the mirror. Your face was extremely oily and your hair was getting frizzy. You usually never cared much about your appearance, but the fact that you looked so horrible infront of him made you feel uneasy. It didn’t make it any better that he was looking perfect either.

When you glanced over at him, you saw him staring at your leaf bangle.

“You must really like this bangle.” You said, bringing his attention back to you.

He laughed, “I do.”

Just then, the elevator came to a stop, reaching the 34^th floor. You kept the books that you were holding on the floor to fish out your keys from your jeans pocket and unlocked the door.

“Come on in!” You said, picking up the stack of books and entering your apartment.

All of a sudden, you realized how tiny and dull it looked. You made a mental note to decorate it make the apartment livelier.

You placed the books on the coffee table in your living room and so did he.

“Thank you, once again! I’d offer you refreshments if I had any, but I haven’t done any real grocery shopping yet.” You said, feeling bad. He has always been so kind and you haven’t done anything for him in return.

“That’s okay! You’re welcome by the way. I’ll leave now. Bye!” He waved, and left.

“Bye...” You watched him get on the elevator, and reluctantly locked the door. You plumped down on the sofa and stared at the two piles of thick text books on the coffee table. You took out your phone to check the mail from Seoul University. You scrolled down and found some text right below the list of text books: “All students are required to study 8 subjects and those who scored an average of 95% and above are required to study 2 more subjects; being ‘Philosophy’ and ‘Drama and Arts’.”

You quickly went over the pile of books you bought and found two thick volumes for Philosophy and one book for Drama and Arts. Then you realized. One of the books that the boy had in his plastic bag was the book for Drama and Arts too. Does that mean he scored an average above 95%? Is he going to Seoul University too? Maybe he’s attending another university. It’s not like Drama and Arts awould be taught only in Seoul University anyway. He might have bought the book just because he liked the subject though. He seemed really interested in artists like Yiruma anyway.

You pondered about it throughout the whole day. The truth was that you really wanted him to attend the same university as yours. The same class would be even better. You could go to university together with him, and grab a drink afterwards. You could be even paired as a team to do a group project! Your mind quickly made up scenarios, but it seemed too good to be true.

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Readers! I'm soo sorry for the late update! Im currently spending my holidays in UK and have been kinda distracted :/
Forgive me, please! xD
Make sure to leave comments!! and i hope you liked this chapter!

Message from Beta Reader ( rainykeepsbitingme )

I'm so sorry this took so long to post. Kiwi had already written this and sent it to me for editing in November but I was too lazy and procrastinated OTL. So it's totally my fault x_x People who read and enjoy this fiction should send me messages on tumblr or something and pressure me so that I can feel motivated to edit sooner okay? Thank you for reading!