The rest of my shift went by relatively quickly, despite it being a quiet day. My manager kept me busy sorting new books and rearranging display tables, probably to make up for my lag time with Kai. He was a frustrating man, never willing to be upfront about something he disliked (except with his beady stare, dubbed the demon’s glare by some of my other coworkers), but ready to suffocate a person under a boatload of work as unspoken punishment. By the afternoon’s end my body was sore, but my head felt a little more cleared out. As I walked out I laced my fingers together, stretching my arms straight out for a good three seconds, feeling my sore muscles stretch out.

The kingkas were making it their personal agenda to protect me from Hei. It took some edge off their secretiveness, but Hei was in an even more dangerous light. I couldn’t explain my memory of the soccer field, or how I could just forget something so crazy. My head was caught in a balancing act of wanting desperately to report him or to just ignore his existence. Sometimes I had to shut my eyes and just physically shake away the dark cloud of thoughts before they consolidated.

At the street corner ahead a few people stood waiting for the crosswalk light. I stayed a step back, blankly watching cars zoom by. There were others standing on the opposite way, and when the light changed we all converged onto the walk. About a third of the way across I noticed something in my peripheral, like the motion of a body turning. I looked back, locking gazes with the oldest member of Exo.

Xiumin looked equally surprised as me; neither of us stopped moving, ending up on opposite sides of the street again. We hesitated, staring at each other long enough that it should’ve been awkward. He finally held out a hand. Not a hello, but a gesture to wait.

I didn’t know how to react. Looking up and down the street gave me no sign of Kai, or any other kingka, but I suddenly felt on my guard. Either way, politeness still held the strongest grip on me, rooting my feet to the spot. At the light’s next turn he jogged slowly across the road.

“Hey,” he said in greeting.

“Hello, ” I spoke, still wary, “did Kai-ah tell you I was here?”

“No. I was actually looking for him though,” he seemed surprised at my mention of him, “Kai told me he was shopping in this district, but I can’t reach his cell. I was supposed to be his ride.” To prove the point he held up a ring of car keys resting on his pointer finger.

“Did he tell you I work here?”

“No. I was walking, shopping too.” He showed me his white plastic bag.

“Oh.” My face slowly began to flush. “Kai-ah was here a while ago, but he’s probably long gone.”

“I figured.” Xiumin shrugged. “His loss. He can walk home.”

I didn’t know that much about Xiumin, beside him being the eldest of Exo and an extended studies student. He was known as one of the more quiet and reserved members, and the third year fans often declared him the cutest of the group. This close I could see his eyes were maybe a fraction larger than most, and his face curved more softly compared to Chanyeol or Kai. But he definitely leaned farther to the handsome side then cute; there was also an air of maturity around him, which wasn’t surprising considering he had to be a solid 2 years older than me. Seeing him outside of school made the feel strangely wider. “S-sorry for being rude, sunbae.”

“It’s fine, I think I surprised you.” He chuckled a little, seeming at ease. Our first meeting had been abrupt. He had nearly numbed my fingers from just a touch. It was another memory tacked on my growing list of questionable experiences. “Were you on your way home?” He continued, glancing down the road I came; the bookstore’s sign was still bright and visible. “From uh, your work?”

“No- well yes, from work. I was just about to run an errand.” I took a step, meaning to overpass him then say goodbye. But Xiumin naturally moved to follow and we ended up walking together, beit at a snail’s pace.

“I wanted to check up on you.” He said, probably seeing the frazzle in my expression.“You didn’t look so good back there.” He meant the dance. I looked down at the asphalt, my voice dropping a bit.

“You saw that?” I asked, but it was a pointless question. Even if he hadn’t there’d be people talking about it, sharing pics and videos, giving my face to identify as the infamous wallflower that weaselled her way next to the kingkas. And got one in trouble, I realized, a grimace growing on my face.

“Still a sore subject?” He tried. My face was a good indication of yes. “Can I help make up for it then?”

“What?”

“The dance was ruined from Kai’s attempt at a fist fight, and you got hurt. I think you need a pick-me-up.”

I looked up surprised at the offer, but also his humour for the subject. His expression didn’t show any signs of being light hearted about the idea. “That’s kind of you.” I admitted. “But I’m alright.”

“I’d believe you if your expression was more convincing.” He said, his eyes narrowing. “Besides, all I know about you is your name and ability to swoon strangers.”

“I- what? When do I do that?”

“You tried to take me somewhere private right after we met. It was a little more forward than I’m used to...” he trailed off.

“You looked like you were going to be sick sunbae, I was trying to help!” I said, half defensively. The whole of it was somehow my fault. Sometimes I felt a weight in my chest, tugging down when I thought about the golden eyes. Like I had a sense of responsibility for them I had no way to appease.

“Then let me return the gesture.” He gestured to an ice cream shop at the end of the street.

I gave a soft sigh, contemplating the idea. Ultimately I turned back with an apologetic look. “Either sounds nice, but I have chores.” I held out the small grocery list Ha ri gave me. It wasn’t necessary to show him, but I realized a part of me didn’t want him to think I was making excuses. He eyed the paper.

“Mind if I come with you?”

“Shopping?” I hesitated. “Well, it’d be really boring.”

“But you’ve never went with me.” He said with a comical smile. “I swear I’ll help you save at least two dollars.” A giggle escaped my mouth. There was something inherently comfortable about him, but something like a feeling was never usually enough to get me to loosen up. His presence made me realize how much I didn’t like being alone these days; my thoughts easily plagued me until I was eaten up by paranoia.

“I also need to pick up some things too.” He continued, becoming more earnest. “I struck out as the driver and the errand boy today. If you don’t mind, maybe we can help each other out?” Somehow that was just enough, the right thing to say. A couple minutes later we walking into the nearby mart, him steering a cart and I holding my list, internally in awe at my own spontaneity.

“Here are your apples.” He said, choosing a bag from one of the display crates. I looked them over before placing them in the cart. His brow rose. “Don’t trust me?”

“It’s not that. I’m picky, so is my aunt.” We scanned through the produce section for grapes and pears, then started wandering through the aisles.

“No rice? Noodles?” Xiumin asked, grabbing a sack of rice for himself.

“We don’t cook much.” I grimaced. “Or we do, then the house smells like burnt plastic.”

He gave me a quizzical stare, but underneath he was trying to hold in a laugh. “How?”

“I don’t know. If we kept trying we’d probably get better, but both of us are inherently bad at it so,” I trailed off, shrugging in a what-can-you-do sort of way.

“Is it just you two?”

“Yeah. My parents live abroad.” He nodded at the piece of information, looking between two packs of dried seaweed. “Who do you live with at home?” I asked.

“My parents, and a younger brother. He’s six, so it’s your stereotypical family craziness.”

“I have a brother that’s seven, but you two must have an even wider .”

“That totally doesn’t make me feel old-”

“No! I didn’t mean it that way.” I laughed. We ended up talking through a variety of subjects He told me funny stories about his brother and I shared the highlights of my family trip to Osaka. After rounding up the rest of the the items on the list we went to the cashier lanes. Xiumin was a speedy bagger, completely done by the time I’d finished paying for my own things. I tried to help him too, but in the end he had to reorganize my work, lightly teasing the way I overfilled bags to a stretched out bulge. The sun had just started it’s descent towards the horizon as we walked out, painting the sky in a burnt orange. People still milled along the streets, and the occasional biker zipped past.

“Lena-ah,”

“Yes?”

The easing going look on his face had turned into something more observant, like he was trying to read my expression. “Did something happen earlier?”

“Earlier?” I echoed. Tingles automatically circled the crown of my head. “Nothing really. I just bumped into Kai-ah during my shift.”

“I never mentioned I meant him.” He said casually.

I froze for a solid beat before looking down, my face warming. “I thought that was what you were talking about...” To his credit he didn’t push further. We walked quietly for a while, him giving me time to calm my thoughts

“It’s nosy, but if you want to talk you can with me,” he spoke again, “I think I could be a pretty good listener.”

“Like how you’re a good shopper?” I gave a light smile. “Nowhere in this did I save two dollars.”

He apologised gallantly, with a bow and all. I made him stand up again, laughing the entire time, and we continued on.

Still...this is a good of a chance as ever.

“Can I ask you a question?” I started slowly.

“Don’t be so nervous.” He smiled easily at my expression.

“I’m not.” I said truthfully. Moments like these were more frustrating than scary. “Most of the time when I ask questions I don’t get answers.”

“Well,” he spoke after a while, “I can tell you as much as I know.”

“It’s probably more than what I’ve got.” I looked up, but his gaze was elsewhere. I wondered if I was making him uncomfortable, but ultimately took a breath “Who’s forcing you guys to keep your secret?”

I had to smile at the way she said it, the way her eyebrows naturally came together in wariness and concern.

“No one’s being forced. It’s just personal,” and from your perspective, fundamentally impossible.

“I figured, but I still want to understand.” She fiddled with her fingers. Her form naturally curved within itself, subconsciously withdrawing. After a moment she straightened, lightening her tone. “Can I at least learn your trick?”

“Huh?” Her sudden tangent surprised me. A flash of humour appeared in her eyes.

“Freezing your fingers.” She paused, eyeing my expression as she tested the subject. “Or maybe I don’t want to know that part?” We were edging so close to the truth of my gift but I didn’t feel tense; she had a strange gift of making me feel relaxed. I could even chuckle genuinely, which seemed to make her more comfortable too. We reached the street corner nearby the book store, back where we had started.

“Thank you for the help,” she bowed slightly, the formalities returning, “good luck finding Kai.” I couldn’t help but sigh a little at the reminder of my ‘task’. I looked down at the bags in my hands, contemplating.

“You know, I wouldn’t mind walking you the rest of the way-”

She looked away with a grimace-smile.

“Too forward?” I asked, subconsciously mimicking the look.

“Just a bit.” She took the rest of her things that I held, adjusting her grip. “It was nice seeing you.” I didn’t protest, offering a wave before I turned. A voice in my head was steadily urging me not to. One of the Ghost murders had happened in this district, building my reluctance to let her go alone. But there was also a more basic, instinctive reason I was quickly realizing: I liked spending time around her.

A couple days in and I’m already turning into Sehun and Kai-

“Xiumin sunbae!” She called out. I looked back almost too quickly. She was walking back the distance between us, a nervous expression on her face, which made my heart beat speed up. “Could give me Sehun’s cell phone number?”

I blinked.

“Or Lay’s or Chanyeol’s if you have them.” She added on.

It took a moment to find my voice, to sound natural. “You don’t want Kai-ah’s?”

She bit her lips into a line, as if trying to hold in a reaction. “Just one is enough.”

“Then can I give you mine?” The words left my mouth more forward than I intended.

“Uh, sure. That works too.” She tried to sound nonchalant, but her face gave her away. I tried not to smile as I took one handful of groceries from from her, setting it on the asphalt before giving her my phone. She took out hers.

“Let me know when you get home.” I said. Lena nodded, recovering a small smile and a wave. I grinned back, starting to head down the street. I kept my eyes to my phone, the 7 digit number lit on my screen, but my ears were trained on the sound of her footsteps, slowly growing soft.

“Someone’s looks stupidly happy.” Kai’s voice filled my head when I was a couple feet away from my car. I looked up sharply from my cell, instinctively scanning up and down the street.

“Kai? Where the hell have you been?" He had to be relatively close to reach my thoughts. Almost instinctively I pushed Lena into a far corner.

“Looking for you hyung.” He answered, but I couldn’t find him between the faces of people walking along the sidewalk.

“Being vague?” I slipped my phone into my pocket, striding up to the driver side door. “You have two minutes to get your here or I’m leaving.”

“Ouch.” A voice spoke aloud. I looked over my shoulder and there he was standing, as if out of thin air. Which was technically true judging from the rapidly vanishing wisps of black mist at his feet.

“How many times has Suho told you not to teleport in public?” I spoke internally. Kai shrugged, walking around to the passenger side. A small plastic bag jostled against his leg.

“Too many times to count. No one saw, not even Lena-ah.” He nodded down the sidewalk, back to where her form could still be seen. I didn’t turn, something in my chest tightened. That feeling you get when you realize you’ve been caught red handed. But was I even guilty?

“You saw?”

Kai leaned an arm on top of the car door. “It was a nice moment. A sunbae-hoobae romantic-slice-of-life kind of vibe.” With a grin he ducked his head into the car. I got in too, shutting the door behind me.

“Did you wait out here until her shift ended?” I asked.

“I stayed a while.” He said, fiddling with the dial for the radio stations. “Someone needed to keep watch.”

“Right.”

Kai’s lips upturned with a smile. “I’m not the helicopter boyfriend type, even if she’s into that.” He considered the thought. “Nope, she’s definitely not.”

“And you know her enough to know her type.” I spoke, unable to hold in my sarcasm.

Kai shrugged. “People have their tastes, I can tell what they are.” I shook my head, shoving the key into ignition. The engines roar was muted, almost a low purr. I put my hand on the gear shift, but hesitated going into reverse.

“What happens now? We’re going to let her go by herself?”

“Sehun and Lay hyung will take over.” Kai said, his voice dropping into a grumble, sounding like a child in a pouty tantrum. “He tells Lay hyung where her house is, but not me.”

“Well he can heal her foot and you can flirt, or worse.” I smirked. “The choice is simple.”

Kai rolled his eyes. “Ha ha. I’m such a wolf.” We sat in silence for a while, until he decided to break it again. “Did she say anything about Luhan hyung?”

I shook my head. The biggest shock of the formal hadn’t been me or Baekhyun, but Luhan. Suho’s prediction about imprinting felt shaky now, making him and Kris even more unsure of how things were going to play out. Chen and D.O thought the rest of the pack should just avoid Lena. Lay and Chanyeol insisted Luhan could be introduced again, that somehow their first meeting might’ve not counted.

I sighed aloud, “you sure they’re here already? I can’t sense them.”

“I didn’t realize you were the protective boyfriend type.” Kai teased, tapping a finger on the dashboard. In response I backed out of the parking space, directing the car down the road in the opposite direction of the way she went. I held the wheel in both hands, counting the minute bumps of the wheels hitting the road, trying not to think about the distance I was purposely making between us and her.

“Worried?” Kai asked after a while.

“If you’re not then I’m not.”

“Lies.”

“Shut. Up.”

“I can tell Sehun is, and I am too.” Kai admitted suddenly, almost throwing me off guard, but I knew I felt the same. Deep inside my stomach, the tension constantly twisted around. I only realized it existed during the hour I’d spent with her, because then it had finally disappeared. Kai kept his gaze out the window, the bottom half of his face covered in his hand. It was a look that said he was deep in thought, and I wasn’t going to try to reach his mind to figure out what occupied it. Reading his cards would mean I had to show my own.

~~~

Hey guys, how’s everything going?

Here’s the latest (late) update, I hope you enjoyed reading it (and decide to kindly ignore my sporadic updating schedule). Please subscribe, comment, and upvote if you did, I will always appreciate the feedback :) Also I’d like to wish everyone a happy holiday! Remember to rest, eat well, and enjoy time with the people you care about.

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