White Chocolate

 

     The first few rays of light skimmed across the glassy surface of a frozen lake quartered not far from Denise’s flat, illuminating the fresh blanket of snow that coated everything and danced along the clear surfaces of icicles that had formed along the tree branches.

     It was a picturesque sight of the chimerical appeal that is often associated with the winter season and Denise; being the forever zealous photographer that she is, proceeded to take pictures of the setting before her when long fingers simultaneously obscured her shot.

     “Yah, that’s not why we came here.”

     Denise pursed her lips together.

     “Oh come on Jongin, that was a perfect shot!”

     “It won’t hurt you to not take any pictures for a couple of hours.”

     “But-”

     “Jagiya, please?” The other begged and Denise reluctantly surrendered and handed over her camera. “I promise that you won’t regret this.”

     He was probably right, but Denise couldn’t stop herself from sulking over the fact that she was missing a great shot.

     “You said that you’ve never gone ice skating before, right?”

     The brunette asked, breaking the silence between them.

     Denise’s eyes widened in panic as she watched Jongin pull out two sets of ice skates from his bag.

     “I haven’t and I’m okay with that.” The woman exclaimed frenziedly as she backed away from him. “I really don’t like the idea of skating on ice that may not be completely frozen just yet.”

     Jongin watched the other with a slightly baffled expression before he  suddenly remembered a time not long ago, when she expressed her deathly fear of water.

     He almost face palmed.

     He couldn’t believe that he had forgotten that Denise couldn’t swim. When he looked back at her, she was staring at the lake timorously.

     “Do you really think that I would let you fall in if such a thing were to happen?”

     The young woman jumped at the question because she wasn’t expecting for Jongin to suddenly appear behind her.

     “You know, I hate it when you do that.”

     Jongin chuckled as he wrapped his arms around her waist and placed his head on her shoulder.

     “I promise that I won’t let anything happen to you. Do you trust me?”

     She did, but she didn’t want to risk anything. Life was too short and the future can often be capricious. Denise would much rather be safe at home than doing something this dangerous.

     But one thing that she learned about Jongin was that he was one that enjoyed pushing the envelope.

     “I do.”

     Denise finally replied and Jongin smiled as he slowly removed himself from her shoulder and turned her around so that they were face to face.

     “There’s nothing to worry about, okay?”

     The photographer nodded still wrestling with the uncertain thoughts that were adamant about lingering in her head.

     Taking the initiative, Jongin slowly led her onto the ice, acting as her crutch when he legs wobbled and slid from under her wildly.

     “Easy,” He spoke softly, hoping to calm her down. “I’m right here.”

     Despite the feeling of absolute terror that made her body tense, Jongin’s comforting words and warm embrace proved to be a nice distraction from her anxiety.

     She had barely even noticed that Jongin had led her to the middle of the lake.

     “You’re doing great.” The brunette reassured her as he adjusted his hold on her. His hand entwined with hers before he started to spin her around. “I knew that you could do it.”

     As the couple continued to revolve on the ice, Denise felt herself relax. This was pretty fun after all.

     Jongin didn’t miss his girlfriend’s beaming smile as she gained momentum. Her dark curls flew around her with every move that she made in the sunlight, giving her an ethereal presence that Jongin found captivating.

     Denise failed to notice her boyfriend’s stare.

     The woman had finally gained enough confidence to attempt skating by herself and Jongin let her go, staying an arm’s reach away just in case she needed him.

     Her steps that were at first, unsteady and hesitant soon progressed into longer strides that were modified to be smoother and lighter against the icy surface.

     The air around her was crisp and cold, but Denise didn’t mind in the slightest because she felt content gliding along the ice without a care in the world.

     But she abruptly stumbled along a weaker spot in the ice and a sound reached her ears that made her blood run cold.

     A sharp pop echoed along the ice and a shifting rumble settled over the once serene setting.

     She watched as small white lines split across the surface eerily before she found her voice again.

     “Oh God, Jongin help me!”

     In her confident state she had chosen to skate alone, convincing Jongin that she would be just fine on her own. Now, much to her dismay, she wished that she hadn’t. More cracks wandered about, effectively trapping her and making her situation that much more urgent.

     One wrong move could send her plunging into the icy dark water beneath her.

     Jongin heard her screams from across the lake and responded immediately, skating swiftly to reduce the distance between him and his panicking girlfriend who was struggling to keep her balance among the shifting ice.

     She was crying now.

     The cracking under her seemed to intensify as she hopelessly listened to the ice coming undone below her.

     The ice shattered again and Denise felt herself falling.

     The ice beneath her gave way in less than a second, but Jongin was faster.

     The next moment, Denise felt her boyfriend’s arms wrapped around her. Confused, the woman opened her eyes and was shocked to find herself on solid ground.

     “Are you alright?”

     Denise nodded stiffly.

     Jongin held her close, rocking them both back and forward in an effort to try to calm her down and Denise released a breath that she didn’t even know that she was holding.

     She was very thankful to have a guy like Kim, Jongin in her life.

 

Milk Chocolate

 

Denise loved Jongin with all her heart and soul, but for the life of her, she couldn’t understand where her boyfriend went and spent five hours of the day without testing or calling her to let her know where he was or if he was alright.

    At first, she said nothing.

    She figured it was a one time thing.

 

 That he wouldn’t be disappearing for long hours at a time like that again, but she was shocked to find that this was becoming an everyday occurrence.

 

    What could he possibly be doing for that long without telling her?

 

    She may have been quiet on the outside, but she was silently brooding on the inside.

 

    What if Jongin was seeing another?

 

    Denise gripped her wooden spoon a little harder at the thought. He wouldn’t...would he?

 

    “What are you thinking about?”

 

    Jongin’s eyes remained fixated on her as he rested his head on her shoulder.

 

    “Nothing. I’m really surprised to see you up so early, though.” The photographer said as she stirred the pancake mix that she was working on. “Did you have a good night’s sleep?”

 

    “Barely.” The other answered as he wrapped his arms around the petite woman’s waist. “Are those chocolate chips?”

 

     “Need you ask?”

 

Denise knew that chocolate was one of Jongin’s favorite flavors, as it was also hers.

It was a known fact that the two indulged in chocolate any chance they got.

Jongin chuckled, gingerly reaching a hand for the open bag of chocolate chips to steal a handful when he precipitously felt a sting along his knuckles and pulled his hand away in shock.

“Don’t you even think about it Kim, Jongin. I barely have enough for these pancakes, so don’t you even try stealing any today.” The dark haired man blinked owlishly as he felt himself being pushed out of the kitchen by Denise. “I will let you know when they’re done. Just be patient, please.”

Jongin nodded, still not liking the idea of having to wait to eat anything.

Denise continued to make breakfast for the both of them, whipping up eggs, bacon and chocolate chip pancakes.

Jongin looked at her gratefully as she sat the plate down before him

While he consumed the meal, Denise let her mind stray into the doubt that she had been trying to fight off for a while now.

She wasn’t stupid; she would’ve noticed something different about him, right? Another woman’s perfume, a change in attitude, anything.

   But Jongin wasn’t stupid either.

Did he have something to hide?

    “Okay.” The other said, snapping Denise back into reality. “What’s wrong? You’ve been spacing out all morning. What’s bothering you?”

    Denise shook her head.

    “Don’t worry about it.”

    “Are you sure?”

    “Mm-hmm.” Jongin gave her a skeptical look. “I’m fine, really.”

    The dark haired man sighed before he got up from the table and headed to the kitchen.

    Denise cut a piece of her pancake and ate it.

    She decided to satisfy her own curiosity and follow him around for the day.

 

~*~

 

    A man with dark hair walked the streets of Seoul, completely oblivious to the woman in black not far behind him.

    Denise smiled as she watched Jongin make a right prior to heading to the Osulloc Tea House located on the corner of Insadong. Fifteen minutes later, he emerged from the building with two large cups of green tea.

The photographer sighed as she realized that this was only one of Jongin’s many errands as he took her all around the city.

    By the time Jongin arrived at his final destination, which was a surprisingly large library on an unfamiliar street; Denise was exhausted.

    It was a stupid idea for her to wear her four inch heeled boots on this stake out and she was beginning to think that she should’ve dressed more appropriately for the dwindling temperatures.

    She sniffed.

    Hopefully, she wouldn’t get a cold over this.

    Without another distracting thought, she entered the building and was instantly lost among the old bounds of literature and knowledge around her.

    Taking a moment to look around, the photographer treaded carefully throughout the store and tried her best not to run into Jongin.

    It took half an hour for her to find him gathering an armful of books from the Astronomy section.

    As she watched him from behind a nearby aisle she shook her head.

    How could she possibly forget that Jongin was a bookworm? The man would read anything that he could get his hands on, so it really shouldn’t have shocked her that a library would be where he led her.

    The photographer slid down the bookshelf, suddenly feeling horrible for not trusting him in the first place.

Not a moment later, Denise inwardly grimaced as her phone played Jongin’s ringtone loudly from her jean pocket.

    Slowly pressing the answer button, she stiffened at the sound of Jongin’s hushed voice on the other end.

    “Did you find what you were looking for, Denise?” The other couldn’t answer as she felt more guilt creep up her spine. “If you’re done lurking about and acting suspicious, why don’t you join me?”

The photographer lowered her head in embarrassment.

She was caught.

    “Jongin-”

    There was a sigh on the other end.

    “Instead of following me around all day, why didn’t you just ask me? I’m not one to lie to you.”

    “I-I know...”

    The silence between them seemed to stretch on for what seemed to be forever before Jongin decided to speak again.

    “Come here, Denise.”

    The other complied.

    Leaving her hiding spot behind a nearby aisle of books, she scurried over to her boyfriend who was oddly enough, sitting next to a pile of books on the floor rather than using a chair like normal people do.

    Hesitantly, Denise slid to the floor where Jongin pulled her closer until he was able to wrap an arm around her.

    “You wanted to see what I was up to, so you’re going to sit with me today and watch everything that I do.”

    “This is really unneces-”

    “I want to show you this because I want you to trust me. Denise, I need you to know that I would never hurt you, at least not intentionally.”

    Denise faltered at his words.

    So all this time, Jongin knew about her doubt?

    The photographer leaned her head on his shoulder, dark curls spilling everywhere and tickling her boyfriend’s face.

    “Oppa, please forgive me.” She pleaded as looked up at the other nervously. “I’m sorry I didn’t trust you.”

    Rather than answering right away, Jongin left a tender kiss on her forehead.

    “I forgive you, yeobo.” He answered fondly. He leaned over and grabbed one of the cups of tea that he had gotten earlier. “Here.”

    Denise laughed quietly at the gesture.

    She should’ve known that he knew about her when he got two cups. Who buys cups that big unless they’re planning on sharing with someone?

    Their quiet voices soon lapsed into quiet whispers until Denise fell into a fitful slumber.

Carefully, Jongin adjusted his girlfriend’s sleeping form until her head rested against his lap.

    Looking down, the man couldn’t help but to smile at the beautiful woman before him.

    It was faint, but Denise could feel long fingers running along her scalp as she snuggled even deeper into Jongin’s lap.

Jongin chuckled quietly under the golden light of the library.

    He could get used to this.

 

    

Dark Chocolate

 

    Their relationship started in the middle of November. With the colorful leaves spiraling and rustling in the kaleidoscopic air, traveling over the city as they went.

    That day at the park became their first encounter.

    As Denise sat on a swing that she wasn’t shockingly too big for, she began to think over her life from her turbulent adolescent years in America; to her now vanilla flavored life in Korea.

    Sure, she was happy, but somehow she felt as if she were empty. Her life needed a spark that was severely lacking, but she couldn’t put a finger on just what it was.

    She looked up at the silver sky above her.

            “What’s missing from my life?”

Silence.

Of course, she wasn’t expecting an answer. She would think it weird if she got one.

    “Do you always talk to yourself?”

    The young woman jumped at the masculine voice that suddenly spoke from her left, almost falling off the swing in the process.

    A man gently rocked himself back and forth on the swing as he stared back at her with a small smile that made her heart flutter for a moment.

From there, began their relationship.

Their very first kiss was sweet and addictive, leaving a stunned Denise craving more that what she had been given. 

His embrase was warm and compassionate; perfection to the photographer, who was by no means considered as normal or orthodox in society.

On her quest to find something truly extraordinary, she stumbled upon a furtive entity that went by the name of Kim, Jongin.

He was certainly handsome with his dark eyes, chestnut brown hair and honey colored skin, but what drew her in was actually his shyness.

Denise wouldn't have guessed in a million years that such an attractive guy would be an Introvert. She still found it surprising that sometimes he could be found in a cozy little bookstore off the corner of Guuiro.

It just seemed like he didn't belong there.

When it came to Jongin, everything became a mesh of blurred lines and varying colors, rather than the clear and stable black and white that she was so used to. It was a change that she was comfortable with.

This quiet young man was her link to something that she couldn't even imagine.

    That same smile that she fell in love with that day had become one of her favorite things about Jongin and she couldn’t help but to smile once she thought about the day they met.

    As the drumsticks fried and popped occasionally in the hot oil, Denise checked on her Classic Chocolate Coca-Cola Cake. It was a simple dish from her childhood that she had learned from her mother shortly before leaving for Korea.

    The strange recipe that involved quite a bit of cocoa, vanilla extract, Coca-Cola, and oddly enough, spiked with a double chocolate vodka that give the dessert a nice edge. Denise didn’t mind though. Her boyfriend was open-minded enough to give practically anything a try, so she prepared it in hopes that he’d love the dessert as much as she did.

    The jingling of keys sounded faintly in the night before the lock came undone and the door opened prior to closing again.

    “Denise?”

    The said woman her teeth. Why was he back so soon?

    “In here!” She called. Oh well, dinner was almost done anyway. “Welcome back.”

Jongin leaned against the doorway, golden eyes taking in the fried meat and the chocolate cake in the oven.

    “So what’s the occasion? It must be something if you’re cooking fried chicken.”

    The photographer shrugged.

    It wasn’t a secret that Denise didn’t care for fried chicken like others would assume. In fact when questioned, she would wholeheartedly admit her love for beef.

    “I know that I already apologized for yesterday, but I wanted to make it up to you.” She said as she gestured to their dinner. “Forgive me?”

Jongin walked over and pulled his girlfriend into his arms.

    “How could I not?”

    The man murmured into her hair.

    Denise hugged him as tightly as she could to try to get at least some of her gratitude across.

Sometimes she wondered how he managed to put up with her.

Dinner that night was intriguingly, a joyful occurrence.

The photographer watched as her boyfriend ate with an energetic smile and bright eyes as he happily munched on the seasoned chicken and stir fried vegetables and potatoes as he eyed the three tier cake with interest.

“What’s this now?”

“Chocolate Coca-Cola Cake.”

“Really? Never heard of that before.”

Denise smiled.

“Careful though, it’s been spiked with vodka, so you’ve been warned.”

Kai smirked while Denise cut him a slice.

“I’ll take my chances.”

 

~*~

 

Denise felt comfortable wrapped in Jongin’s arms while she sat between his legs.

    Tonight was a true sight to behold as the duo let their eyes wander the star soaked skies above Seoul as they sat along the rooftop.

“Coma Berenices.” Jongin said suddenly, gaining his girlfriend’s attention as he pointed to a cluster of stars on the left. “This constellation is very interesting to me. It is referenced to an Egyptian queen named Berenice who offered her hair to the goddess, Aphrodite in return for her husband’s safe return.”

    Denise said nothing. She leaned her head back further into his chest.

Jongin had a knack for recognizing the constellations and explaining them. She decided long ago that the man was rather curious about the heavenly bodies and space overall.

    “I don’t see how you do it, Jongin. There are so many stars…how can you be sure of which is which?”

    The other shrugged as her buried his face into her hair.

    “Part of it is research. The rest is learning by trial and error with memory.”

    Surely, it couldn’t be that simple.

    Denise stared up at the expanse of star streaked black and navy around the glowing moon.

    “I couldn’t do it. You never get tired of looking at them?”

    “Astronomy has always been a hobby of mine, much like photography is for you. I can never tire of it…” As Denise looked up at him, Jongin noticed something different about her normally warm gaze. The two of them were used to being close to one another, but tonight, Denise seemed to be nervous. He could almost feel the unusual fluttering of her heartbeat.

“What’s going on in that head of yours, Denise?”

“W-what?”

    Genuine confusion tainted her gaze for a moment, but Jongin barely noticed it. The other’s eyes radiated a far more complex emotion that simmered just under the surface.

One that stirred a similar feeling inside of him and drew him in closer to the photographer to investigate the matter.

Acting on the feeling, the man gently pulled on the smaller, placing her in his lap as he wrapped his arms around her waist securely as he buried his face into her wild hair.

Jongin inhaled deeply, groaning as he took in the scent of lavender vanilla that lingered in her hair.

That alone, sent shivers up Denise’s spine as she felt him hover closer to her face. A strange warmth had bloomed in her chest and it slowly spread over the expanse of her body.

Her mother had always joked that her Coca Cola Cake would spark romance, but Denise didn’t take the woman’s words seriously, until now.

Jongin’s golden eyes shined brightly under the moonlight.

The moment peaked; their lips meeting under the limpid moonlight with an enchanting  converge that seamlessly dawdled into that of passion and bliss.

Denise closed her eyes as she let the moment happen.

It felt right, to her.

From the way he held her, to his warm lips against hers, she wasn’t going to let this moment pass without enjoying every second of it. The cold air made a nice contrast against their heated skin as fleeting touches seemed to almost blur the senses and dissolve the world around them.

The stars glimmered in the sky above, silent witnesses to the couple who indulged in their moment, below.

 

 

Bittersweet Chocolate

 

Move.

 

It was a single word, but Jongin felt his heart clench at the text that he had received that moment.

 

“Jongin?”

 

A voice croaked, making the other turn around. His aurous orbs locked on her dark ones from across the rooftop.

 

Her hair was a disheveled mass of curls that fell well past her shoulders as her bloodshot eyes narrowed at the sun.

 

As she tried to make her way to him, the man could tell that she was in pain and that she was struggling herself to keep herself upright.

 

“What’s going on? Why are you standing out here by yourself?”

 

Pitying Denise in her crippled state, Jongin closed the distance between them for her sake and caught her just as her body gave out on her.

 

He didn’t have to say anything for her to understand what was going on.

 

Jongin never thought that he would see the light in her eyes falter the way they did, that morning.

 

“How long?” She asked as she turned her gaze to the pavement. “Jongin-”

 

The said man looked to the sky.

 

“I don’t know, Denise.”

 

But the other wasn’t accepting that.

 

“Liar. Tell me how long you’ll be gone for!”

“I really don’t know, Jagiya.”

 

Even in her weakness, Denise still found the strength to hit the man a couple of times in the chest.

 

“I don’t understand...why now?”

 

“Denise, do you really think that I want to leave you in this state?”

 

“Shut up,” The photographer murmured weakly. “I don’t want to hear it when it won’t make a difference, anyway.”

 

“I didn’t know about this until a couple of minutes ago, Denise. Please believe me…”

 

“Why should I?”

That statement alone alone made Jongin’s blood freeze.

 

“I-This is for your own good, okay?”

 

Denise stared at the other as if he’d grown another head.

 

“What are you going on about?!”

 

“You’ll understand in time, Denise.”

 

With a wave of his hand, she collapsed.

 

~*~

 

When Denise came to, she found herself on the couch in her living room.

 

Just as she had begun to sit up, a sharp pain skewered her head, causing her to grip the armrest to keep herself from losing consciousness a second time.

 

“The hell-”

 

Three knocks sounded on her door.

Her eyesight was failing now, but when she opened the door, she just barely made out a male figure with Jongin’s features.

 

“Jongin?”

 

“I apologise, but he’s not coming back anytime soon.” The unfamiliar voice spoke as the woman proceeded to close the door only to have his foot stop her actions. “He is however, a dear friend of mine and he sent me here to assist you through you metamorphosis.”

 

“My what? Ugh, no thanks. I’ll be fine on my own.”

 

The man shook his head furiously.

“Miss, please reconsider. If you turn me away, then you’ll have to deal with these changes alone. I doubt that you’re capable enough to go through extreme changes such as complete blindness and muscle deterioration by yourself.

 

Denise was absolutely speechless.

 

“Am I dying?”

 

The man nodded sympathetically.

 

“Yes. Your body is breaking down because you are no longer human.”

 

“You’re kidding…”

 

The man shivered as a particularly harsh gust of wind blew through the area.

 

“Perhaps we can talk more, inside?”

 

Sighing, the photographer stepped away from the door.

 

“Who are you?”

 

As the man walked through the door, Denise’s legs finally gave out for what seemed to be for good.

 

The man caught her just in time.

 

“Don’t worry, I’ve got you.”

 

He lifted her body effortlessly, much to Denise’s surprise.

 

“Although it doesn’t really matter who I am, I guess an introduction is needed, huh? I’m your temporary caretaker; Lee, Taemin.”

 

 

 

Author's Note: Hey guys! I kind of felt guilty for making you all wait so long on this story, but I finally found the other segments, so this story can finally be updated! Also, I've updated this story on my phone, so any line spacing issues will be fixed sometime, Saturday.