As I was enjoying the cool night breeze, I let my mind drift away from all the stressful ongoing trainings and to the little things in life. It was only the third night in a row but I was starting to enjoy these lonely night walks. Yes, the fetching was just a one-time off event; Woohyun soon got too busy to pick me up after practices. I didn’t blame him; I could understand perfectly why he would rather indulge in fun activities instead of being my personal . I could survive independently, contrary to Myungsoo’s beliefs of me being a spoilt princess.

“Hey princess,” I mentally face-palmed myself; speak of the devil and the devil is here.

He strutted over and I noticed him sporting a casual attire consisting of a deep v-shaped black t-shirt and jeans topped with sneakers. He also had his usual camera around his neck, switched off at that moment as he approached me.

“Hey you’re going to have a long life; I was just thinking about you.”

“Ooh really? Fantasizing about me, and admitting it out loud, not afraid that prince charming will get angry? Speaking of which, where is he? Didn’t think he’d let his princess walk home alone in the dark after training. Where’s your car?”

I was partially annoyed by his slight taunting but sensing the worry in his tone, I decided to give him an honest answer.

“I like it, I need the cool down after training anyway and erm…I hate dirtying my car.”

We both burst out in laughter at the ending comment.

“So it’s ok to dirty your fiancé’s car but not your own?” Myungsoo teased.

“Something like that.”

I could get used to the fun as we drowned ourselves in our second round of laughter within the short time frame.

Myungsoo continued speaking after the outburst died, toning the conversation down a huge notch, “But in all seriousness, I don’t think it’s safe for a petite girl like you to walk home alone so late into the night.”

“The dorm is just a fifteen minute walk away I’ll survive,” I shrugged it off.

Myungsoo didn’t seem the least bit convinced, eyeing me with his y eyes.

“Hey, I’m a tough girl, I can protect myself,” I tried to insert the joke as a way to assure him I was telling the truth.

“Does Woohyun know about this? Isn’t he worried?”

No, he never asked.

“You’re starting to sound like my mother,” I mumbled under my breath, refusing to answer his question about Woohyun directly.

“I’m just worried ok.”

I flinched at this vexed tone again, putting in some effort to hold an open conversation.

“Woohyun’s just busy and I didn’t want to bother him.”

“Busy with what? Examinations are over and so are his tournaments.”

I bit my teeth, uneasy with the direction of the topic, “friends?”

“You mean the rowdy bunch from the club?” Myungsoo asked, and I did not miss the furrow of the eyebrow and squint of the eye.

I could only shudder from the memory and begged Myungsoo to change the subject, turning his frown into a face full of sympathy.

“Alright, princess, since I have a strong interest in you, let me take this golden opportunity to play 21 questions.”

I was rather taken aback by his directness but it did not make me feel intimidated at all and I simply nodded my head, glad for him to have lightened the atmosphere and I had after all another ten minutes to kill in my walk back.

“Favourite colour?”

“Pink.”

“Favourite food?”

“Ooh, I actually have quite an exotic taste, have you heard of chili crab?”

Myungsoo shook his head and revealed a single dimple.

“It’s really good! It’s like spicy yet sweet and I love eating it with those steamed buns…” I rattled on about my favourite dish, excitement evident in my glowing eyes.

I decided to shut up when I saw Myungsoo staring intensely at me with eyes mirroring mine.

“Wait, are you the only one who gets to ask questions?” I directed a query at him with the raise of an eyebrow.

“Well, that’s how the game works and I initiated so…”

I pouted at him, resulting in him brushing it off with his thumb, an action which caused me to blush unconsciously.

“Well ok princess, what do you want to ask me? What kind of girl I am interested in?”

My blush only deepened before I picked myself up and waved it off casually, “I just want to know what you are doing out here alone in the dark so late at night.”

Myungsoo simply lifted his trusty camera which was slung around his neck and smiled at me with a slight tilt of the head, an action I had grown to find very cute.

“What is there to take in the dark? Are you just lying to me, you’re actually stalking me aren’t you?”

“Don’t be so full of yourself princess, you have much to learn about the beauty of night photography. There is so much to play with, lights, reflection and controlling of the shutter speed. Here, let me show you how different the school looks at night.”

I found my jaw drop a little by little as Myungsoo scrolled through the picture he had taken, finding myself drawn to the beauty of the images.

“Wow,” I breathed.

“Thank you,” he smugly accepted the deserving praise.

“I was actually drawn to the flyer the photography club was giving out, but I know I would never have such talent.”

“You liked the picture?”

“Yup, a lot. I kind of…still have it in my room.”

“Really?!” Myungsoo sounded shocked.

“Yeah…it calls out to me for some reason and I…kind of…like to look at it while studying…calms me for some reason…what?” I asked Myungsoo, realising that he was looking at me weirdly with a wide smile on his face.

“Glad to know I had an effect on you even before we met,” he whispered suggestively, earning himself a whack on the arm by me.

“Ok princess, I still have another nineteen questions to go; favourite movie?”

“Step Up. I love love love dance.”

“Really? Me to!”

I gave him a doubtful look, “really? Or are you just saying that to please me?”

“Seriously, your fiancé is rubbing off you the wrong way. I’m no Michael Jackson but I do enjoy the occasional hip hop sessions.”

I nodded at him, deciding to take his words at face value and made a mental note to grasp any future opportunities to make him showcase his hidden talent.

The game was soon forgotten as we lost ourselves in our deep and enjoyable conversations sharing about everything under the sun. Myungsoo had shared stories about his family with me and I found myself liking them even before meeting them. Myungsoo stayed just around a corner, one of the perks of having a father as the headmaster; they were given an on-campus accommodation. Myungsoo had an older brother, Moonsoo, who was due to take over his father’s duties, leaving him to chase after his own dreams. That was the one thing I really envied about Myungsoo; the ability and strength to do whatever he wanted with the support of his family. My future was determined the moment I was born; what courses to study, what I was going to do after I graduated, hell even my husband was chosen from birth.

“How about you?” Myungsoo requested for an equal set of information from me.

“I’m an only child, engaged to Nam Woohyun; whom you have met. My family’s great, we’re closely-knit. I guess my life’s been pretty much planned out you know?”

Myungsoo nodded in response, with a glint of understanding and sympathy in his orbs which were quickly replaced with a familiar cheeky one, causing a nervous flutter in my stomach.

“Do you regret being engaged to Woohyun?”

“No,” I was quick to reply.

“Is he your ideal type of man?”

“Are we back to the questions game?”

“We can.”

“I don’t know, I guess I’ve always fancied a prince charming…” I dreamily answered, ignoring the sniggers from Myungsoo.

“…I’ve always wanted to experience those butterflies in the stomach, pounding of the heart and all that jazz. Woohyun promised me many of my firsts and he was true to his word but I never felt all those things you know…with Woohyun, everything felt…normal. I guess I just want a guy who makes me feel special,” I ended.

“You are special, Yuri.”

Feeling uncomfortable with the way Myungsoo was eyeing me, I quickened my pace slightly and prompted, “next question?”

“Do you think I’m attractive?”

I paused at the elevator door, pressing the up button and turned to look at Myungsoo. Feeling my confident self return, I decided to be straight-forward.

“Yes, I do think so, along with the rest of the school.”

For the first time that night, I saw Myungsoo appearing shy as he rubbed his nape before following me into the elevator that arrived.

“Sending me to my doorstep Mr Popular?”

“Well…that’s one of the criterions to being prince charming right?”

I rolled my eyes at his antics, covering the final distance to my doorstep. I thanked Myungsoo for the company on the walk that had seemed especially short tonight and greeted him a good night.

“Good night Yuri,” Myungsoo responded, before placing a kiss on my cheek and walking away.

As I stared at his retreating back, I felt the butterflies in my stomach and the rapid pounding of my heart.