"Ahhh life is so boring!" 

I sighed deeply and raised my hand to block out the sun. There were a few clouds in the sky and their shapes looked like an absolute nothing. Soft breeze was just the right temperature, the whisper of the leaves were peaceful and it smelled like wildflowers around me. I had my jacket under my head and I was laying comfortably on the fresh green grass on my own, just enjoying the day. Seemingly everything was perfect. 

Just seemingly. 

I didn't remember a time I was so bored in my whole life. I was so incredibly bored, so much that it was almost ridiculous. I had nothing to do and stuff I had to do never interested me. I worked because I had to and felt an absolute nothing. I went to the bar close to my work because I was bored; but the music couldn't ease my boredom, nor did alcohol help in any way. At home, I only read some books or watched random TV shows that didn't get me interested a single bit. I didn't feel like talking to my friends at all and I didn't feel like visiting my family - actually, I didn't feel like putting on a fake smile, while I didin't feel like it, it was just tiring. I liked being lonely the best; but it was too damn boring. 

When will you come to your senses? I could almost hear my mother scold me. I snorted slightly when I realised I could hear her speak out those words. She would definitely scold me like that if she knew that I was living like this. She would think I was pitying myself and I was in depression whatsoever. I wasn't. I just had no ambition left in life and no will to find one. I was just living. Maybe if I met someone who'd sweep my feet off the ground, he could be my next reason to live and I would stop being so bored... it was funny that me of all people was counting on some man I hadn't even seen to bring meaning to my life. What was I expecting, a prince charming in shining armor? Wait, that shining armor was supposed to belong to the knight wasn't it... well, whatever it was. 

Nothing had been fine in my seemingly perfect life for two years now. I had a nice house to live in, nice job with enough salary, nice friends and perfect family. I had nice relationships with people around me and there was nobody who would want nothing to do with me. It was me who had a problem with myself. I was looking for trouble, I sometimes thought. I felt like I just wasn't cut out for this everyday life where nothing changed. The problem was, I wouldn't do anything to bring change to my life. 

So yeah, it was practically all up to that knight in shining armor. 

***

"Hey Seonmi! Come and have a drink with us!" 

"Ah no, sorry, I think I'll pass!"

"Oh come on, what are you gonna do? We'll hand out at Crossroads, don't you like there?"

"I always go there but I feel sick today, I'll go home and rest." 

"Ahh I see... get well soon, then!"

I smiled and waved to my friend who didn't pester me further for he knew it would be futile. They were again going out to have some fun together and I was again ditching them. They were almost used to it recently. I sometimes felt bad about being so cold to them with no reason; but well, what could I do about the way I felt? At least I wasn't being dishonest and going with them wearing a fake smile. I felt better that way. 

I took my cardigan and picked up my purse, walked out of the building, in the opposite direction my friends were going. They were going to Crossroads, the bad I always went in the evenings and I had told them I was sick. I didn't feel like trying something new, so I decided to just walk aimlessly until the sunset before I headed back home. I knew the city, I knew I wouldn't get lost enough to be scared of the dark so it was alright. 

I walked by the parks, streets and buildings aimlessly, without thinking. There was a smile on my face, it was nice feeling the cool spring breeze on my skin. I felt better than I had in a while. I sighed and closed my eyes, raised my face to the peace of setting sun... until something hit my feet, that is. 

"Noonaaaaa!!! Pass pleaseee!!" 

"Huh?" I opened my eyes and looked around. I was near a concrete basketball field covered with wire fence, one boy waving at me from inside and a black basketball at my feet. I reached down and picked the ball. "This?" 

"Pass me that!!" the boy called again. Pass? How could I do that? How had he managed to get it out of the fence in the first place? That stuff was high. I started walking towards the door, when he saw me walking he started running at me too. 

"Just a pass would be alright!" he called as he came next to me. It was then I noticed exactly how talll he was. He was about a head taller than I was - and I was wearing high heels, for goodness's sake! With a face babyish like his, I could tell he would still grow taller. 

"Like this?" I said and passed him the ball the way I always saw on NBA games. As I totally hadn't expected, it turned out quite nice - I knew, because he had a hard time catching it to his stomach with an "oophh" sound. 

"Noona, do you play basketball??" the boy asked excitedly. 

"No... I have some interest in it, though, I do watch games on TV." I mused. 

"Oh, then are you a natural?? That was a good pass. Wanna play with me a little?" he said. He looked like he could start bouncing up and down anytime now. 

"Wha- me? Haha, you must be kidding!" I laughed, waving my hands about "I'm not talented in sports, even the tiniest bit." 

"Noona is such a liar. You look like you have a tough body, noona, much fit for sports. Come on, I don't bite! Please?" he asked again. I blinked, suddenly realising one thing.

"Are you all by yourself?" I asked. He scratched the back of his head.

"Well yeah, no one's playing with me today. So? Just a little bit, please?" he asked again. I sighed. 

"I know nothing about how to play, I never paid attention to the rules and I have no idea what your name is." I said. 

"Luhan! My name is Luhan and it's okay, it's not that hard. I can teach you, it'll be fun! What's noona's name?" 

"Seonmi, it is." I smiled and gave in. "I had some free time in my hands, I guess it won't hurt." 

"Come on, then!" he beamed and started pulling me towards the concrete field. He looked so happy, so excited and so eager that it was almost contagious. I was chuckling and shaking my head as I tried to keep up with his pace running towards the field. 

"Slow down, giant, I have heels!" I called, which worked instantly like magic and he slowed down. 

"Oh, sorry!" he said; but we were already there. I walked in after him. There was a bag and a jacket next to the fence, I assumed they belonged to him. "You can put your stuff with mine, noona. Um, since you're wearing heels, should we teach you how to handle the ball and shoot, first?" 

That was how I met him, the 19 years old innocence called Luhan. As he offered, he taught me how to keep the ball properly in my hands - even though I had no experience, I was quite good because of all the games I had watched. 

"I never expected the ball to be this big, it looks much tinier in players' hands." I commented, making him laugh like a fairy. 

"They are giants themselves, so no can do." he said, still chuckling. Then we went onto shooting. It took me some time to get it even a little closer to the hoop. All of them went way below the direction they should follow. By the time I managed to get it to hit the hoop, my arms were already tired. 

"I told you, I !" I complained, rubbing my muscles. 

"No!! Noona, you're quite good for a first timer! I promise!" Luhan said and threw me his brand new bottle of water. I had a hard time catching it, but I managed. 

"Yeah yeah, sure I am" I mumbled and drank without touching it to my lips. No matter what anyone said, I didn't like sharing bacteria with a stranger. This boy was a stranger.... okay, not that much anymore; but I still didn't know anything about him. 

"Of course you are. Wanna rest a little?" he said, patting the space next to him. He was sitting on the bare concrete like he couldn't care less. I raised my brows. 

"You'll catch a cold." I said. He groaned.

"Don't be a mom, it's okay to rest for a while! Come on. You're tired, right?" he smiled in the end and patted the space again. Well... I was being very random today, so why not, I thought. I went and sat next to him. Not right next to him, I kept a comfortable distance; but I was still close enough to chat easily with him. 

"Cold does feel nice..." I admitted after short. He grinned victoriously.

"Doesn't it? I told you it's okay!" he said with a nod. 

"Why were you alone, though?" I asked. His face dropped a little; but he tried to keep smiling.

"W-well, it's just that, uhh, they were a little busy today so..." he tried. I didn't buy it. Still, it was no use pushing it.

"Ohh, I see... how about your parents, it's late, aren't they worried?" I asked. He seemed even more nervous. 

"T-they know I'll be late!!" he said. I furrowed my brows. 

"You don't have to lie to a stranger, you know? It's not like I'd have anything to say anyways." I said. He sighed and looked down at his hands.

"Right? Well... I don't wanna sound like a poor boy who wants attention and gets it through pity and such if that makes any sense." he said. My eyes widened. He had somehow earned my respect with that one. 

"Proud, aren't you?" I smiled warmly. He chuckled slightly.

"Well, it's not like it's something so tragic! I don't have many friends here, none of them plays basketball so I play on my own. About parents... well, I have none. I was living in an orphanage until last year. Since I'm still studying they're giving me some economic support; but it's nowhere enough so I live with a family now. They're an old couple who run a ramyun shop, they save a room for me and give me food and in exchange I work in their shop whenever they need help. They can usually manage by themselves in everyday work, they ask for my help when they're busy, when the stuff needs to be carried in the mornings, when there's something to be fixed... and such. They don't really worry about me if I don't come in too late so it's okay." he explained. I nodded my head. It seemed like he had adapted well to his situation. 

"They seem like a nice couple." I commented. He beamed and nodded.

"It's thanks to them that I can go to university so conveniently, I owe a lot to them. I don't even know the face of my real parents; but I feel like parents whould be like that couple." he said. I smiled.

"You're a tough one, aren't you?" I said. He looked at me with a smile so full of life that I couldn't breathe for a second.

"Why should I be called tough, isn't this how we all should be? After all no matter what it's my life to decide what to do with. What good is it to choose to mope around? Isn't it best to live it to the fullest?" he said. This boy had a heart bigger than anyone I could think of, it seemed. I felt ashamed for my own boredom I'd been complaining about. When I did nothing to change anything, how could I complain about life? That was nonsense. 

"You're right, I guess." I said and looked up to the moon. It was a crescent close to half-moon tonight. It was pretty. It also meant it was late. "Shouldn't we get going already?"

"Well..." he said and hopped up to his feet, offering me his hand. I grabbed his hand and let him pull me up, then dusted off my clothes. "I'm here almost every evening, if nothing bad happens. Probably would be alone too. If you had fun, you can always come along. I had a lot of fun." 

"We'll see about that." I chuckled and grabbed my purse. "Thank you, though, it was an interesting day for me." 

"Discovering your hidden talents." he grinned and dribbled the ball next to him casually. 

"Yeah, right." I said, following after him. In the dim light, the ball looked like a shadow. "By the way, why is the ball black?" 

"Oh? No special reason, I just always thought it was cool." he said casually. "Which way are you going?"

"That way." I pointed. 

"Ahh, I go the opposite way." he said, looing disappointed. "Well, I'll see you later, then?"

"Take care of yourself." 

"You too." 

He stood in front of the door of the concrete field until I couldn't see him and waved with a smile all the time. The rest of the way, instead of taking the bus, I walked despite my heels. The weather was fine and I didn't feel like locking myself up in a closed space so soon again. I took a cool shower when I arrived home, I didn't even touch the remote of TV and just dropped to my bed after opening my windows. I had one of the best night sleeps I had had in two years. 

Next day, I didn't think I would go out of my way like I did yesterday. It had been nice and it had been good on my soul; but that was it. I would probably get out of work, go for a drink, then go back home like usual. It never happened, though. I found myself walking away from Crossroads at the end of the work hours. Another nice day, another nice weather and I couldn't waste it, was what I told myself at the time. But of course, my feet took me to the same concrete field from yesterday before I even realised it. I stopped and watched the tall, lean, fragile-looking boy play by himself in the completely empty field. Soon he noticed my existence and waved at me happily.

"Noona! You really came!!" 

I smiled at the usual liveliness in his voice. Today, I was wearing sneakers. 

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new story up!! haha, hope you like this one. it was very sudden that i got the muse for this. don't blame me, i'm watching Kuroko no Basket, i can't help but be obsessed with the anime i watch... welp! please comment and tell me what you think, thank you~