w  a  r  r  i  o  r | {12}

Chanyeol slammed his fist into the punching bag. Losing the match wasn’t what angered him most, the fact that Zitao was leaving made him mad to no end.

“You’re going to come here…train…fall in love with her…have her love you back…” He whispered in broken sentences then punched the bag again. “Then ing…leave?”

Chanyeol sat in the middle of the gym, it was five in the morning and no one had shown up yet.

 Minseok was surprised himself when Chanyeol came in so early.

“I came in to train and improve.” Chanyeol lied.

Minseok chuckled. “Wow, you really want to win your next match don’t you?”

I want to win her heart. Chanyeol thought to himself. “Why are you here so early anyway?”

“Meeting with Zitao, he requested to talk to me in private. Man, I hope he’s not leaving the gym or anything.”

Chanyeol rolled his eyes thinking about it. “Zitao’s leaving alright…”

***

Miyeon gasped when Zitao came out of Minseok’s office when she walked into the gym.

“You scared me!” She whispered.

Zitao chuckled and grabbed her bag; setting it on the front desk he eyed the secretary. “Can you put that in the back for me?”

“Zitao…”

“We’re going somewhere today…actually; you’re off for the next week.” Zitao said as he dragged the girl out of the gym.

“The boys-“

“Minseok.”

Miyeon rolled her eyes. “Again? Why?”

“I…Let’s have some fun first, then I’ll tell you.”

Zitao thought about what Chanyeol had said to him a couple days ago when he lost the match.

“I…I’m going to the US.” Zitao said.

Chanyeol looked at him and threw a punch.

Zitao grabbed his arm and pushed it away. “Hey-“

“Why?” Chanyeol scowled. “WHY?”

“There’s…There’s something I need to do.” Zitao said.

“When? Tomorrow?”

“In a week, I booked the flight and all. I need to go.” Zitao said.

Chanyeol threw his gloves on the ground. “There’s so much you have to do here!” He screamed, his eyes rimmed with tears from the frustration. “How can you just…leave Miyeon here? You promised to love her when I couldn’t. I don’t have the right to love her…how can you leave?”

“I’ll be back.” Zitao said. “It might take me a few months but I’ll be back.”

“Bull !” Chanyeol yelled. “What the hell is there for you to do in the states?”

Zitao grabbed a hold of him. “I don’t ing know! Nothing is definite right now…just…don’t say anything.”

“You have a week…bring her to the nail salon…”

“What?”

“Bring her to the nail salon…get her hair done… Go shopping with her… Teach her how to ride a bike… Treat her like a princess and do all the things she was never able to do as a girl… Miyeon grew up parentless without any good memories…give her some ing memories. Bring her to the beach…let her see the fireworks. Do all the things she’s ever wanted to do with her old brother, the things she wasn’t able to accomplish because he died.”

Zitao stood there in silence.

“Bring her to an amusement park; win some stuffed animals for her… Do all the things I failed to do as one of her older brother - best friend figures.”

“I’ll do it.” He whispered. “But keep her happy when I’m not here.”

“Where are we going?” Miyeon asked.

“Let’s get your nails done…and your hair…” Zitao said. “Then let’s go shopping and tomorrow we can go to Lotte World.”

“Why are we doing this?” Miyeon asked.

He laughed. “I can’t treat my girlfriend like a princess?”

“It’s just…all of a sudden we’re-“

He grabbed her hand. “Let’s go, bus is here.”

Never has Miyeon felt so happy in her life.

“Ah why are you laughing?” Zitao whined.

Miyeon smiled. “You’re the only guy here.”

The nail technician laughed as well. “You must love your girlfriend a lot to get a manicure with her. What color would you like?”

Zitao’s eyes widened. “Color?” He looked mortified.

Miyeon leaned over. “Babe, can I pick?”

He looked at her. “Babe?”

She eyed the nail technician and mouthed the words ‘hot pink’.

Miyeon walked out of there with tears in her eyes from laughing. Zitao wrinkled his nose and shoved his other hand in his pocket as Miyeon raised their intertwined hands.

“We match!”

“The guys are going to laugh.”

“But at the end of the day, you have a girlfriend and they don’t.”

“Well played.”

Then they went to the hair salon and took a seat next to each other.

Zitao looked in the mirror; his dark black hair was pushed up and windblown perfectly.

“I’ve always wanted to go blonde.” Zitao mumbled.

Miyeon flipped through the book of colors and closed it. “Do it.” Then she turned to the stylist. “Jet black.”

Zitao looked at her. “I’m gonna miss your lighter hair, it was the only thing about you that hinted you were the least bit gentle.”

“Jet black matches me though; it’s black like my soul.”

Zitao laughed and rolled his eyes as he turned back face the mirror. “God, I love you so much.”

By the end of the day, Zitao walked around with his new blonde hair swooped up, not only was his hair fabulous but his nails too. He held about a dozen bags and had Miyeon’s lipstick print on his cheek.

She held onto his arm as they walked down the street towards her house.

“Why…are we doing all of this again?”

“I’ll tell you in a few days…” Zitao said. “Just…have fun for now.”

She turned to him. “I want to know now.”

“Miyeon…”

“Please?”

Zitao sighed. “It’s just…that you’ve been working so hard for so long and I just wanted you to let loose for a bit.” He said a white lie that Miyeon didn’t catch onto.

She nudged his shoulder. “That’s it? Psh, you could’ve just told me from the beginning.”

Zitao looked at her and shook his head as she walked into her home. You’d never forgive me if I told you that I was leaving for the states. He thought.

When Miyeon finally fell asleep in his arms after a long day, Zitao just stared at her angelic sleeping face and sighed.

Brushing a piece of hair away from her face, he pressed his forehead against hers.

“I’m going to miss you to death when I go.” He whispered.

[a/n]; question of the day - why is Zitao leaving for the states? Any thoughts? 

if you commented, thanks a bunch!