[CONTENTID1]Of Sunshine, Rainbows, and Ponies.[/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2]A SELECTION OF CHOCOLATE-BOYS[/CONTENTID2]

[CONTENTID3] (gaksitalGaksital: Hi everyone it's me again.T.T.First of all, many thanks to everyone for the encouraging words. I’m so grateful to everyone that has supported from chapter 1 and everyone else joined our ship along the way. So I’ve been a reading a lot of blog posts that are demanding these ‘upvoted’ stories get banned or the author themselves. Well, I’m older than a lot of kids here, and instead of starting a conundrum, I will most likely leave AFF instead. I will do my best to finish this story (this will only be solely for my readers). If anyone wishes to unsub, then I won’t bash you or hunt you down. I have decided for a long time that I won’t be starting any new stories now. I will probably return to fanfiction.net, the place where my writing dreams have started. To everyone who tried to cheer me up, thank you! I love you all. T.T *virtual hugs* I won’t be replying to stuff at the moment until I’m in a better move, so please forgive me for everything. For ranting. For this story. For buying upvotes. If I could take the star out of this story, then I would.)

The train station was shrouded in a thick fog with tracks glittering in the light of dawn like strips of black diamonds leading off into the gaping mouth of the morning. Over the rails hung a broken metal bridge, resembling a skeleton of some prehistoric creature now trapped in the broken concrete which rolled under her feet like an arctic ocean.

Dawn was breaking over the horizon, shell pink and faintly gold. The sky curled itself around the station like the folds of a snake and a dull roar sound of an engine reverberated in the distance.

Beneath her feet, Suzy felt the shudder of its volcanic-like approach as she looked through the mist. She saw the pale blaze of the train lumbering along the line, like a steel demon, red, gold and black.

Suzy wrapped slender arms around herself, tugging at her zebra striped jumper as a frosty wind swirled around them. The morning was bitterly gelid and the cold slowly seeped through her skin, numbing her extremities until they ceased to bend properly, stiffened and rigid.

Taekwoon gripped Suzy’s hand firmly, a fiery touch that jostled her like electricity, and when she glanced up at him, he gave her a silent nod, dissipating the odd chills that crept up her spine.

The events of the previous night were a blur in her memory and she was glad that Taekwoon was not there to witness anything that had happened. In any case, he had faced enough trouble already because of her.

It was last night when Suzy returned home that she was told about the news of Jongin’s family from Heechul. Her cousin’s parents had tragically died in a car accident and the Kangs had determined that it was their duty as family to take Jongin into their possession and tend for his needs.

The thought had perturbed her all night, she had loved her aunt and uncle however seldom they met, but Jongin was a completely different story. He was a troublemaker, a bully and known by the entire family to be a vandal, much like the bad egg that was never picked by a farmer. He was bad news from the start when she had been a little child in school. He had enjoyed chiding her for trivial things, fought and disrespected anyone and everyone.

From what Suzy had heard on top of that; the elapsed years had not made him any kinder. She prognosticated the worst events possible now that he had returned in her life. She was on her way to collect him from Busan, the next chapter of her life was unfolding in front of her and there was little she could do to direct it in her favour.

When the train finally halted in front of them, the squeaking wheels creaked in her ears and they stepped into its mouth. Once inside, she was surrounded by a comforting warmth and numerous faces with eyes that were drained of sleep, lingering on the pages of the daily newspaper.

Suzy took a seat by the window and Taekwoon opposite her, arms folded, gazing outside with nothing but ambivalence shrouding his face. He was visibly impeccable in his jade sweater, grey blazer and the slight flick of his hair as if he had forgotten to comb it in the morning. The unfathomable man perplexed her with every glance, she wondered what had happened to him yesterday when he started to speak to her in French, but she was grateful that it was no longer the case.

He was just Taekwoon again, and not the foreign French man; Taekwoon who spoke so little yet said so much with a single cast of his enigmatic eyes; Taekwoon, whose broad shoulders and muscular build were definitive of the perfect bodyguard; Taekwoon, whose luscious lips framed an angelic face…

“Suzy.”

And of course; Taekwoon, whose mellow voice was like listening to the waves washing against the pristine, golden sands of a deserted beach-- but his voice sounded strangely alarmed this time.

Suzy broke from her enchanted daydream upon recognising his melodious tone. She was at the edge of her seat, close to falling off and a wetness had formed at the edge of her lip. Gasping, she wiped the drooling saliva with her sleeve and sat up straight frantically, blushing as red as a beetroot.

The engine blared amidst her embarrassment and she let out a sigh of relief.

“Finally moving!” she forced herself to deliver an awkward grin but Taekwoon did not return the smile, he simply nodded his head, like he always had, and Suzy had always preferred it that way.

When the train resumed shuffling along the tracks, a kaleidoscope of colours zoomed passed her. She glimpsed the hills that always looked as if they changed their clothes with every passing season. In autumn they were clad in scarlet and gold, more beautiful than the exquisite gowns the emperors of the old times used to wear. Their leaves tumbled to the undergrowth, blanketing the ground with their brilliant hues. The scenery was captivating and it reminded her of how little the people in the city appreciated the nature that was sitting idly around the country.

The next station zoomed into view. A second clutter of people rushed in and brought with them the tintinnabulation of fervid conversations, mobile phones ringing and couples sharing laughter.

There was only one unhappy man among the boisterous crowd and to Suzy’s dismay, it was Changmin. He strode in through the pneumatic doors like a dark cloud that swallowed a summer sun. His contagious solemnity spread through the entire compartment like a dreadful virus, smiles were turned to frowns and people around Suzy negated from conversing with their companions to browsing their phones.

When her tutor caught sight of her, she wanted to shrink and effervesce through the window. His piercing eyes burned a hole through her head and instead of taking the unoccupied seat beside her, he stood with his back turned, grasping the supportive railing that hung loosely from the ceiling.

The train started moving again, it darted through the town, faster and faster. Suzy could not help but watch Changmin in pity. His body swayed with the speed of the vehicle, a clammy hand clutched at the laptop bag that hung from his shoulder.

An old man tugged at the hem of his coat, causing the giant to look down at him. There was no hint of kindness in those eyes.

“Please sir,” the old man pleaded. “Have a seat over there. I fear you might fall,” he cautioned, pointing a finger at the seat beside Suzy.

She froze in her chair, mortified and turned to face the window, shielding her face of fear when Changmin politely thanked the man before taking a seat beside her. Even though there was no physical contact, Suzy could feel the rigidity of his body within close proximity.

Heat radiated from her like a hot, sizzling frying pan. She stole a furtive glance at Changmin, who merely clasped his fists and rested them on the table; a vein throbbed in his temple, and she knew the only thing that flowed through each blood vessel was a deep enmity.

“Ch-changmin-nim,” Suzy blurted impulsively. She didn’t want to see him like this. She didn’t want him to be swallowing himself in anger just by the mere prospect of sitting next to her.

“I don’t want to hear it,” he spat curtly, without looking at her.

“But-“she struggled to find the words. “I’m-“

“Are you deaf?” This time, his face turned to meet hers squarely.

She cowered under his pejorative gaze, vulnerable and hurt. It was then she noticed Taekwoon, who watched Changmin, suspicious as ever. He started to rise but she was quick to reach across and hold his arm, shaking her head.

Changmin, however, was surprisingly adept at remaining composed. He was no doubt offended by Taekwoon’s sudden attempt to launch at him, but it did not show on his callous face.

Minutes of silence passing between them felt like a long, excruciating eternity for Suzy. The grouch had pulled out a journal from his bag and scrutinised it intently, underlining numerous sentences with a pen that magically appeared in his hand when she was not spying in his direction.

"Sir?” she tried again, mentally preparing herself to take any insults he dared throw at her, determined to soak it all like a sponge.

His right eye twitched at the sound of her voice and his lips pursed into a tight grimace. However, he did not utter a word of acknowledgement.

“I’m still struggling with science,” she admitted more to herself, swallowing a lump that had lodged in . It was true, the subjects had been a greater struggle than she anticipated and every class she attended at college was a strenuous exertion.

“In that case, you should be paying closer attention in lectures.”

Suzy was bewildered by how much she had endeavoured to even converse with a stoic man who simply did not care. It infuriated her to the bone that he was persistently unforgiving even after she had expressed somewhat remorse.

Another dull moment of reticence passed and time had begun to dissolve into itself, as shapeless as rain.

Suzy had had enough. Her patience was beginning to wear thinly. The prospect of reconvening with Jongin was already one part of the early morning that had worried her. Now, she was given the silent treatment and had to endure listening to Changmin’s intermittent, angry sighs.

He must have known some notion of happiness. She recalled the events of last night, witnessing his failure of a band playing at the ball and making a fool of themselves. It was just to her that he displayed a man of authority and strict rules.

Suzy mustered up the temerity to steal another look at his face and to her surprise, his eyelids had drooped and there was a slight lolling to his head, as if drunk with fatigue. His fingers skimmed the papers in his hand, but his limbs bore the appearance of being too heavy for him, like he was personally struggling against far more gravity than everyone else.

Then, sleep captured his body; the paper slipped from his frail grasp and his head drooped down against her shoulder.

Suzy gulped at the sudden contact and glanced towards Taekwoon. He was watching her, serene like a smooth and still lake, with expressionless eyes that slowly darted back to the window.

Watching Changmin now, he was much less frightening, his face radiated with an incandescent glow, and his lips were no longer pulled into a tight frown. It was hard to believe that such a stringent man beheld a face so celestial and sweet; sleeping like a baby. The soft wisps of his auburn hair tickled her neck and Suzy had to resist the urge to the glossy strands.

It occurred to her that perhaps Changmin had secrets of his own; a man who wore an austere façade, masking an impenetrable heart that had undergone profound sorrow.

She refrained herself from staring at him like an idiot as she was conscious of Taekwoon’s presence. The last thing she wanted was him suspecting her of anything. Instead, Suzy positioned her shoulder at an angle to ensure her tutor dreamed comfortably in a world that might have been made of sunshine, rainbows and ponies.

The bewitching scent of expensive musk emanated from his body and latched onto her skin like a piece of garment. It intoxicated her senses as the train trundled further and further.

Forty minutes had passed