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I met her back in mid summer 2012. It wasn't actually the first encounter where you stumbled upon each other and go, "Hey! You know, I haven't seen you around before." because I've seen her around plenty of times before; but I never had the courage to man up and talk to her. All I did---all I ever did---was stole glances towards her direction and smiled to myself like an idiot that I was slowly turning into. I was lucky, because the bench that I always sat on had the perfect view of her across the park. So I usually wasted my ample time watching her, but not too much; because if she noticed, I'd blew my cover and ultimately, the chance that I had been too scared to take. But on that day, where the temperature crept up over the course of the afternoon, bringing with it humidity heavy enough to thicken the air and blurred the horizon---one of the series of glorious summer days---was when I first met her by walking up and talked to her. Like I said, it wasn't one of the actual first meetings, but I'd like to think it was. I remembered, because that was the day that my parents finally got divorced. 

So I decided to skip school again. Not because of flippant excuses but because I was tired of putting up pretenses that was beginning to swallow the real me. Now, you would think, poor Baekhyun, for having to go through his parents' divorce. For having to walk through the halls tomorrow with every pair of eyes averting towards you because everyone thought your family was the happily ever after kind but it turned out to be a hellhole. They would give me pitiful looks and breathed out poor, poor, Baekhyun. 

But there was one thing they didn't know about me and that was that I hated when people felt the need to feel sympathetic towards me for something that was not their business. Maybe I was a little big-headed and stubborn, but they didn't have to be pitiful. I could take care of myself and I could handle things on my own. If you'd say I was egoistic, I'd laughed at your face. No. I was more like someone who refused to show his weakness. 

So to speak, if you happened to spot a guy slouching on the bench wearing his worn out school uniform and a tie loosely hung around his neck with his head buried in his hands trying to sort out his life issues, don't go near him. He would turn into a huge, giant, godzilla with enormous fangs and bloody eyeballs and---sorry. I had been watching too much of those movies lately. One of my life issues that needed to be sorted out.

She was there; I could clearly see her brown curls cascading down her shoulders like a waterfall. Her sparkling eyes that twinkled so brightly when she laughed everytime a kid hugged her legs when they received the free balloons. I had memorized her from afar. The happiness coming out of her was so contagious, so full of life. I always wondered how she could sound like the happiest person on earth simply by giving out free balloons because I could really use a dose of that right now. I could use a dose of anything other than numbness. Anything. 

I didn't know what got into me---whether it was the instincts that pushed me out of my seat, the ceaseless voice whispering in my head, or the courage that finally floated on the surface within me---that made me felt the need to walk up to her and said.....I didn't even know what I was going to say. 

I took a deep breath. 

Okay Baekhyun, remember that pick-up line Chanyeol told you about.

 Something about cough syrup.

 Or was it cherry sundae?

Oh God what was it?

Dammit Baekhyun he told you yesterday! 

I can't freaking remember.

Crap. 

20 seconds of insane courage. I could do this. Just literally 20 seconds of embarassing bravery. 

"Do you like cough syrup?" I blurted in front of her. 

She stopped whatever she was doing and stared at me like I was the most deranged person she had ever encountered in her existence. 

"What?" She laughed. 

Oh God please me into a magic wormhole and save me from this embarassing situation I was getting into. 

I squeezed my eyes shut in dismay as I turned my head sideways and sent a bloody long curse to park-you're-so-dead-yeol. 

20 seconds of courage my .

"Were you trying to sell me drugs?" she raised her eyebrows in amusement and folded her arms across her chest, challenging me. 

"I'm sorry, this was a mistake. I...gotta go." I whipped around quickly, the heat rising up to my cheeks.

Stupid, stupid, stupid. So much for refusing to show your weakness you stupid .

But wait. I realized I didn't care if she thought I was an idiot, but someone who sold drugs? Really? 

I turned around to face her again and strutted my way back to her.

"By the way, I'm not a drug dealer. I mean, come on, look at this face," I flapped my hands around my face, wanting her to notice every extingushing features and the orderliness of what God gave me. Then I situated them beneath my chin in a leaf-like shape and gave the best aegyo face I could muster. It was a second too late before I realized that showing her aegyo was the most embarassing thing I've ever done in my life. Scratch that, it was the second most embarassing thing I've ever done in my life. Nothing beats asking someone if they liked cough syrup on the first meeting. I mean, what kind of hell greeting was that?

She shrugged indifferently. "You have awful eyebags under your eyes that indicates lack of sleep or insomnia. Your lips are chewed and chapped which is either from you chewing it far too much or you haven't hand a single drink today. But I'm gonna go with the first because that's what people do when they're deep in thought. And I've seen you everyday sitting there alone, contemplating deeply about something. And you have acne that states clearly that you're stressed out and under pressure. Do you look like a drug dealer? I'd say yes from the looks of it, but I'm not quite sure." she smiled satisfyingly, the wind blowing her across her face and she pushed it back and tucked it behind her ear. 

I was pretty sure I gaped at her because she reached out and lifted my chin to close my mouth. My cheeks felt hot after her fingers grazed my chin. 

"I'm Hae-ri. You can call me brilliant, wicked, impressionannt Haeri. Anything that can boost my ego would be perfectly fine. And you're the quiet guy that sits on the bench everyday without doing anything except staring into space." 

She noticed me? 

"I'm...Baekhyun." I cleared my throat. "And you are too vain for my own liking." 

"Look who's talking. You were the one who boasted about your face to a complete stranger," she grinned widely. 

I couldn't help but grinned too. I rubbed the back of my neck nervously. Why the hell am I so nervous? "Sorry. I was being ridiculous." 

She was trying to hold back a giddy laughter and shook her head. "Ani. You simply started off strange, that's all." 

I let out a quick, nervous laugh. I couldn't think straight when she was looking at me like that. I gulped and looked around. There was no one else around and I was just so nervous I felt dizzy. My heart was running through a treadmill inside my chest. 

"Would you...like a balloon, Baekhyun?" 

I looked up by the sound of my name and found her eyes staring at me expectantly as she held out a red balloon for me. I blushed, but I wasn't sure if it was the embarassment from being offered a balloon from a girl, or the way she said my name. God, I really felt the need to puke now. 

"S-sure..." I stuttered, and reached out for the string. She beamed and handed me a black marker. 

"You could write a wish and..."

And sent it off to the wind because if you believed that your wish will come true, it would. Yes, I know. I listened to you say that every day. 

I nodded and took the marker from her hands. "No peeking," I told her and she simply laughed. I scribbled a few words on the surface of the balloon, already knowing what I wanted, and gave back the marker to her. The wind was blowing harder and pressing my shirt against my body. 

"Now set it off," she said, and I did. 

I ran to the side of the park, lifting the red balloon in my hands, and when I achieved the momentum I wanted, I let go of my grip on the string. Then I took a couple of steps backwards and lifted my face. I watched it flew into the sky and eventually got swallowed by clouds. I looked back towards her and laughed. And I could see, that she was laughing as well.

"What did you wished for?" she shouted across the park to where I was standing. 

"You'll never know," I shouted back and grinned. 

To get to know you better. 

That was what I wished. 

That was what I ever wanted. 

{ A/N }

First chapter! I hope you guys enjoyed it! And omg 10 subscribers before I even put up the first chapter this is just crazy! Thank you so much guys I will work harder in the subsequent chapters! Do comment and upvote, it would make my day and encourage me to update sooner :) p.s I know I used the name Haeri in PoH and she was a complete but I really like the name so do imagine this Haeri as a completely different person and has no relation whatsoever with the Haeri in PoH haha.