"Oh.. You're going down!" Soonyoung yelled as he began doing some warm up stretches. 

 

"It's on like donkey kong," Minji squinted her eyes at Soonyoung before bending down to touch her toes. 

 

Soonyoung sent her a playful glare as he jogged on the spot. Minji returned the gesture as she got up and stretched sideways.

 

"Are you both playing or…?" The boy working the counter interrupted their intense stare battle. He held the two admission tickets that Minji and Soonyoung had given him in his hands and was tapping it rather impatiently on the counter.

 

"Oh yes," Minji broke eye contact with Soonyoung and got on the platform, embarassed. She re-tied her ponytail before turning to the boy and giving him the signal to start the game.

 

As the game started, Minji could hear Soonyoung's jeers ranging from, "That's all you got?" to "You , get off. It's my time to shine," but she ignored him, her eyes focused on the flashing platforms at her feet. She'd been a pro at this since young and she wasn't going to let some lanky boy beat her high score. 

 

Yes, Minji and Soonyoung were in fact battling it out with Dance Dance Revolution. 

 

Even in the last few seconds, Minji's feet moved in sync with the lighted up platforms and music. Catching her breath, she  used the sleeve of her hoodie to wipe the sweat trickling down her face as she looked up to see her score: 196/200. Not bad, she thought. Smirking, she stepped down from the mini stage where the game was placed. She gave Soonyoung a challenging glance. Returning the gesture, Soonyoung got up on the stage. 

 

Soonyoung stretched out his hands in front of him and stretched his neck. He let out a deep breath before nodding towards the boy at the counter to start the music. Minji thought that his focused expression was adorable and she resisted the urge to go up and give him a big hug. 

 

When the first few beats dropped, Soonyoung followed the lighting up boxes on the ground as if he had been playing this since forever. It seemed so easy for him, his legs and body moved in perfect rhythm with the music. His nonchalant dancing attracted a few girls who had been playing at the other games nearby. They gathered around him, giggling as he cast a glance in their direction. Minji bit her thumb. 

 

As the music got quicker and the beat got sicker, Soonyoung stopped following the platforms. Instead, he began dancing. Dancing as in not the stepping on lights dancing but the make-girls'-hearts-stop dancing. He executed all his moves smoothly, occasionally smirking at the new groups of girls gathering around to watch him. Minji wanted to yell foul. Soonyoung continued to dazzle with his amazing choreography, the sweat trickling down his forehead and the look on his face made Minji's heart flutter. How did this perfect piece of living being like her back? 

 

However, Soonyoung's 3 minutes of fame was up. His score was 179/200 but he seemed to have won in the hearts of all the girls that he attracted. He took off his snapback and messed up his hair. Minji began towards him, getting ready to whack him for not following the rules. But it appears that the group of girls had beat her to it. They swarmed around him, some bombarding him with questions like "What's your name?", "Are you single?", "How old are you?", some flaunting their appearances like they were at a beauty paegent. Minji studied Soonyoung's expression and found that he looked confused but yet amused, "I'm Soonyoung," He said. 

 

She heard a girl flirtily ask him, "Can I meet this Soonyoung?" Minji could practically hear her twirling her hair in her fingers and winking at him. Rolling her eyes, Minji turned to leave. 

 

"Hey Minji!" She heard him call. 

 

Spinning around on her heels, Minji gave him an unamused face. But he ignored her and continued to gesture for her to go over. Mentally cursing him, Minji dragged herself over, regretting her decision to go over with every step she took. She didn't like, no scratch that, she didn't want to be in the presence of all those girls. Just looking at their thin bodies and pretty faces made her want to crawl into a hole and never come out. She already felt like a disgrace to the whole gorgeous female population, so why make her face these people? 

 

When she got to Soonyoung, he pulled her towards his side quickly, his arms snugly around her small frame. 

 

"Yah, let me go," Minji whispered quickly to Soonyoung, turning her face to look away from the many double-lidded eyes that were looking at her. She wondered why Soonyoung had called her over in the first place. 

 

"Minah," Soonyoung started, flashing his signature eyesmile towards a cute girl up front. Minji scoffed. He'd already gotten her name? Figures, he was choosing this Minah over her. 

 

"You wanted to meet Soonyoung, right?" Soonyoung asked cheerfully. Minah stepped closer towards Soonyoung, biting her lip as she nodded, her pupy dog eyes making Minji want to puke out her lunch.

 

"Well.. I am one half of Soonyoung and this is Soonyoung's more important other half," Soonyoung looked down and locked eyes with Minji for a split second before turning back to meet the shocked expressions of the girls infront of him, "And frankly, without this other half, Soonyoung would be unable to function completely," He rubbed Minji's shoulders assuringly as the girls looked Minji up and down, probably wondering how Minji managed to get a boy like this. "I don't know either," Minji wanted to tell them. 

 

"So, goodbye now! The whole of Soonyoung is leaving," Soonyoung flashed them another one of his megawatt smiles and waved as he took Minji's hand in his, both of them walking away from the group of bumfuzzled girls. 

 

"What was that all about?" Minji yelled at Soonyoung as soon as they were a distance away from the girls. 

 

"I sensed that someone was jealous," Soonyoung said mockingly. 

 

"No, I wasn't!" Minji replied almost too quickly, earning a chuckle from Soonyoung. 

 

"Please, if I had a boyfriend as cool as me I'd be pretty jealous if I were you," Soonyoung said matter of factly, swinging their hands up and down as they walked down the pavement. 

 

Minji was taken aback. Was Soonyoung already her boyfriend? When had they established that? 

 

"Boyfriend?" Minji looked up to see a flustered Soonyoung. He looked away, a shy smile playing on his lips. Minji laughed. 

 

"Am I not?" He countered her attack and was successful in making Minji blush this time.

 

For the rest of the journey, they both walked in silence. Their hands stil intertwined, swinging back and forth. Both of them enjoying each other's presence the way they always did- Peacefully but nonetheless, filled with lots and lots of love.

 

----------

 

Mingyu and Jinah had been walking in silence along the pavement for the past 10 minutes. They both found it too awkward to speak, not after what just happened at the park. 

 

"Thank you," Jinah finally spoke up. 

 

Mingyu, who had been walking a few steps ahead looked back at her and gave her a small, reassuring smile. He stopped in his tracks, waiting for her to catch up.

 

And when she did, she said the words Mingyu thought a person like her, a person so perfect, happy and cheerful, would never say. 

 

 

"No, you're not," Mingyu reached out and patted her back. He mentally cursed himself for saying such things of no help. 

 

Jinah laughed softly, smiling at the ground. She kicked the fallen leaves on the ground, spreading the orage and brown everywhere.

 

"Stomp on them," Mingyu glanced down at her. 

 

"What?" She laughed at his childish suggestion. She took a step forward, ready to continue walking but she felt him grab her wrist. 

 

"It works," Mingyu let go of her wrist and began jumping on leaves to prove his point. He continued to jumped around, holding onto his beanie as he laughed out loud. Jinah couldn't tell which one was more delightful, the sound of dried up leaves crunching beneath his boots or the adorable smile plastered on his face. She watched as he ran towards a whole patch of leaves, "Try it!" he yelled as he stomped on them. She pouted and shook her head no.

 

 

 

"You know, I think everyone hates me!" Jinah yelled as she jumped. 

 

"Why do you say that?" Mingyu yelled back, concentrating on destroying one particular leaf at his feet.

 

"Because they always leave me!" Jinah replied, this time her shout a little softer than before. 

 

Mingyu gulped, thinking about that time when Jieun told him that Jinah's parents had left her. Then, he remembered Leo who also had recently left her. 

 

"How about you?" Jinah kicked a pile of leaves at Mingyu's feet.

 

Mingyu kicked them back at her sneakers, "What about me?" 

 

"Will you leave me too?" Jinah stopped kicking and playing. She stood up straight and put her hands in her coat pockets, looking up at Mingyu, waiting for his reply.

 

Mingyu opened his mouth to speak, "Well-"

 

"Ah!!! Leaf war!!" Jinah suddenly grabbed a fistful of leaves and threw it at his face. 

 

"What the?" Mingyu brushed off the leaves that got stuck on his hoodie before running after Jinah who was running in the opposite direction they had been walking in the first place.

 

"Wait- Why are we running in this direction? Home is there!" Mingyu stuck out his thumb and pointed it behind him. 

 

Mingyu noticed Jinah stand up on her tiptoes to look at something behind him but before he could turn to see what it was, Jinah hurriedly grabbed his arm, tugging him forward. He stole a glance behind him. Bad mistake. In an instant, he felt the whole world crashing down on him.

 

"I would really like to continue the leaf war but then…" Jinah spoke a little louder than usual.

 

Mingyu could hear Jinah talking but his mind was elsewhere. To put it exactly, his mind was focused on the couple across the street, their hands intertwined, swinging back and forth.

 

--------

 

"You saw them, didn't you?" Jinah asked softly.

 

Mingyu didn't say anything. His gaze was fixed on the street lamp infront of him, his expression blank.

 

"I won't," He muttered.

 

"I'm sorry?" Jinah was going to point out that his reply didn't quite make sense but Mingyu cut her off.

 

"I said," he in a deep breath, "I won't leave you,"