Even when Luhan knew very well where the Nature Republic shop is, we still arrived last. We even had to resort to running, and only stopped for a bit when he staggered. I looked at him in concern then, because he seemed so tired, but Luhan said he just lost balance due to a rock that got in the way. I didn't really believe his nonsense but I just let it go. Maybe because at that time I know I'm more unstable than him, but in an emotional aspect. I practically just wanted to lie on the ground and admire the amazing sky.

                Right when we arrived at the huddle my warriors created inside the store, which really bothered the sales ladies there not because they are stalling but because they all looked like handsome men who could be part of the hallyu, Kyungsoo heaved out a deep sigh of relief. He said he was starting to worry that he’s not reaching us because first, we’re not responding, and second, we’re really late. He reprimanded us by stating firmly not to shut him out ever again.

                I wasn’t able to give Kyungsoo an answer right away even when I felt absolutely guilty, because I was concentrating too much on breathing. So, Luhan was the one who apologized, saying that we took a wrong turn on the way, which 1) Sehun scoffed at (because even he arrived faster than us) and; 2) Is really far from the truth.

                It didn’t help that Chanyeol looked at me weirdly and said, “Did you eat chilis? Why are you so red?” Luhan, who then stood beside Sehun and Xiumin, gave me a glance and did a crooked smile like he knows very well what’s up with me.

                So he does. He was the cause of this all.

                And then all that happened moments ago flashed in my head like a treasured memory.

                There was something utterly different in his eyes, I thought, as he let go of his grip on my wrist and my back was completely touching the wall. They were firing with emotions so bright that I could see my reflection in them. That was the first and last thought I could afford to hold in my head before his lips pressed on mine and I couldn’t give a damn about the rest of the world. Soon I felt his hands snaking around my waist, pulling me closer to him as I held on the thin cloth on his shoulders for support.

                It was then when my head was beginning to spin from his closeness, from his lips that we’re  softly moving against mine and from his fingers that were gently running through my hair, that I heard Kyungsoo speak in my consciousness, “Kai and Tao have already arrived at the meeting place. Xiumin and I are also here. Mi Yeon, Luhan, Sehun, you should be weaving your way by now. Can you hear me?”

                Luhan must have heard it too because he slowly pulled off, his breathing pace completely matched with mine. He opened his eyes a bit lazily and I could see every feature of his face. Even so, I was mostly attracted to his plump red lips that just touched mine. That's when I figured without seeing it with my own eyes, that I’ve turned beet red. Luhan then resorted to surveying my expression, as if waiting for me to ask him to heed Kyungsoo's words, but I didn’t. Instead, I smiled at him and said, “The other three are in a triangular form above the bee’s head.”

                “I know that idiot,” Luhan whispered back before flashing again his beautiful smirk. My heart immediately began to hyperventilate as his mint breath washed over me. “After all, I’m smarter than you.”

                “Now, let me tell you something you don’t know,” Luhan continued as his grip on my waist retightened and I’m left getting dazzled by him.

                Before he can continue however, Kyungsoo’s voice came back, “Luhan? Mi Yeon?”

                “I think…” Luhan said, regaining my attention as he started to close in again, eyeing my lips which made my insides squirm. “…that D.O. is being a total bother right now.”

                My heart hadn’t recovered yet when his proximity intoxicated me once more. It continued to pound loudly in my ears as butterflies reoccupied my stomach. This feeling that I’ve never felt before, he brought it to me as simple as blinking and as hard as getting struck by lightning. With my back completely touching the wall as his body cornered me, I tried my best to move a bit so I could speak to him of the things that I have not told him yet.

                “Luha—" I started, in a voice barely that of a whisper.

                But as always, he never let me finish. He just suddenly reclaimed my lips and even bit my lower lip which momentarily took me aback. Before I could react however, I felt his tongue invade my mouth. At the same time, he opened his eyes and let one corner of his mouth twitch up. I swore I felt more lightheaded then than I've ever been, making me just start to lose my sanity. I didn't even realize it  when I began gripping, no...tugging down, the collar of his polo. All I could think of at that moment was the warmthness in my mouth and the softness of his lips that drew me in like wild fire.

                 As things got more heated, I unconsciously pulled his collar down. This act let out a bright red light which ended up blinding me. Additionally, it made me suddenly get hold of the reality of when and where we are. I know Luhan got startled too, because he pulled away as fast, panting like me as though we’d both just ran a mile.

                “Luhan, Mi Yeon? Are you guys together? Can you hear me?” D.O.’s voice came back again in my head. This time, the panic in his tone was a lot more evident. I could tell Kyungsoo didn't really have any idea what’s happening with us, that he’s really just concerned, but I still found myself restraining my mouth from telling him to shut up.

                “I’m sorry…” Luhan suddenly said, fixing his polo. He avoided my gaze, like he really did not know what he was doing. I, too, realized that we were going a bit too fast about this, but weirdly, I didn’t hate it. He definitely had no idea how I’m going to react that’s why he couldn't look me in the eye. Nonetheless, I found it a little cute of him, so I smiled despite of the shyness and squirminess I felt inside. “I got too carried away.”

                I started fixing my hair with my hands to distract myself from looking at him, before responding, “I guess you’ve kissed a lot of girls before me.”

                He totally got what I was implying because right then, he let out a soft chuckle which sounded so much like bells to my ears. He held out his hand and helped with my messy hair.

                “I’d take that to mean you love me kissing you.”

                I shook my head wildly and mentally punched that memory to the back of my brain. What am I doing, daydreaming on such a day as this? Damn Luhan for being such a distraction. I threw him an annoyed glance and he let out a quiet laugh. It’s been hardly a day and I’m already forgetting what I should be doing.

                “Mi Yeon?” I heard Chanyeol speak. “Earth to Mi Yeon?”

                “Sorry,” I answered him. “I was just…tired from all the walking.”

                “I didn’t know Myeong-dong is this interesting,” Tao suddenly interjected as he checked out a product that’s called snail solution. Then, as if remembering something, his tone became quite somber, “I wanted to go into one of the shops with designer bags but Kris suddenly pulled me and dragged me to this chicken restaurant. AND HE SAID HE CAN’T EAT CHICKEN!” Tao ended in a whiny tone, glaring at Kris.

                Kris rolled his eyes, completely amazibg me. I mean, who knows boys do that too? “If I didn’t, you would swipe my money off, you cancerous panda.”

                “Cancerous what?” Tao whined like a kid. Wow. I’m seeing a whole new side of Tao today.

                “We can’t stay here for long,” Kyungsoo suddenly said, sneaking a look at the sales ladies. Suddenly I saw Kai exchanged glances with him and then Xiumin gawked at Luhan who seemed to get the message. I looked at them warily, like there’s something they are not telling me.

                “We need to find a place to stay for tonight,” Luhan said. “Seoul Palace Hotel is nearby. The place has good security measures too. It is a good choice.”

                “That place is a luxury hotel though,” Chanyeol worriedly said. “Would it be alright to be spending so much money already?”

                “It’s just for one night, three nights at most,” Luhan assured. “Besides, you’re with me. We’re all covered.”

                “It’s okay with me,” I agreed. “It’s true that we need to settle first. Let’s go.”

                As soon as I said that, I was surprised how everyone moved quickly. Kyungsoo immediately went to my side, Luhan on the other. I questioningly fixated my eyes on him but he just smiled at me. Kai positioned himself right behind me with Tao, Kris, Xiumin, Sehun and Chanyeol following behind. We went out of the shop like a group of simple friends going out for shopping. We barely walked for ten minutes when I saw Luhan bob his head slightly to the right. As soon as he did,  Xiumin, Kris, Tao and Chanyeol suddenly strutted off in a different direction.

                “Whatㅡ?” I was about to turn my head and follow their movements when I heard Kai speak from behind. “Don’t look back.”

                “What is going on?” I whispered frantically, following Kai’s statement. Nobody bothered to answer.

                “How many?” Luhan asked without turning back himself.

                “Two are right on our track,” Kai said. “Three just left after Chanyeol and the others disengaged from our group. But we can’t be too sure, they might have called for reinforcements by now.”

                “I see…” Luhan said, doing another quick thinking which he did not voice out at all. We started walking in a much faster pace, me not really knowing what is happening. Luhan walked quite ahead, leading the way to several alleys and paths. I was doing my best to keep up, seeing that the more we walked, the more people crowded our way. My heart kept pumping from the bizarreness of the situation but I didn’t say anything. I just wanted to get out of this place. I started getting the creeps that someone is looking at me from the dark, but I can’t really pinpoint where.

                “Too close,” Kai whispered. “Shoot it.”

                As soon as Kai said that, someone fell in front of me as if he came down from the sky. I can’t see the whole of his face but one of the eyes is still open even when he was obviously unconscious. He looked like he was frozen, paralyzed. I was too shocked that I immediately let out a short scream, not minding the people around us. Luhan suddenly looked back and realized what was going on. But before anyone could further react, groups of men, about ten of them all in black with matching face masks surrounded us in a semicircle. They could have been snatchers but I knew better.

                “What?” Sehun said, and I didn’t turn to watch who he was talking to. “You said shoot it, so I did. What happened to ‘ONLY’ two?”

                I wasn’t able to hear a retort if there was any, because at that moment, Kyungsoo pulled me by the arm and immediately dragged me out of the place. I stumbled at the sudden pull and three of the shadows reacted quickly to this. Before they could get to us however, Luhan moved in front of them in a defensive stance, making one immediately bumped back to a building wall. People, mortals specifically, started screaming at the fight that is happening, but even so, I could hear Luhan when he shouted, “Go!” Soon we were trotting our way past a dark, narrow alley. Kyungsoo was running quite fast, without telling me anything. I didn’t bother asking after what I’ve just seen, but as soon as we lost the others, I started worrying about them.

                The alleyway was a bit long, but we finally reached the opening. Right at the end, I spotted Tao waiting for us. I was a bit surprised that this was well-planned but I didn’t have time to dwell on that fact. Kyungsoo and Tao nod in silent agreement before Tao grabbed my wrist, taking me completely away from Kyungsoo who hurried to the other direction.

                   We started to run again, doing mini-pauses once in a while just to catch our breaths. Watching Tao’s head go from left to right helped me conclude that he too is not that familiar with the place. After all, I once heard from the faculty members how Tao, as soon as he came back to Korea from China, was scouted for Seijira, so it’s only understandable that he isn’t really knowledgeable on the crooks and nooks of Seoul. We kept doing what we’re doing for another ten minutes. I was just following his lead but I can’t stop noticing how the longer we do this, the more