“Hey.”

Ara turned, looking over her shoulder as she softly smiled, “Oh, you’ve come again?” Jiyong slowly nodded and cautiously approached her, sitting next to the goddess as he stared out at the pond. He smiled, “I…I wanted to apologize for sounding so selfish. I really would like to make a new friend.” Ara smiled and folded her knees to her chest, resting her chin on her knees.

She looked down at her bare feet, wiggling her toes slightly, “I should be apologizing. It was immature of me to be judgmental from your simple statement. I suppose it was the many bad experiences which had caused my perception to impair. It was improper for me to assume and I hope you will still consider me at your service.”

Jiyong shook his head and turned to her, “No one is at anyone’s service. From now on, we begin as friends,” He offered his hand, grinning, “I’m Jiyong.” Ara nodded and slowly raised her hand, staring at it. When Ara does not wished to be touched, you cannot touch her. Nervously, Jiyong watched as her hand approached his, and as if she were pushing herself, their hands touched.

She was solid – skin, bones, muscle and all.

With a wide grin, Jiyong excitedly shook her hand, making a smile tug her lips as well as she watched him childishly shake their hands. But there was something he noticed – her hands were ice cold and sent a shiver to his spine. They separated as she looked away, staring at the pond once more with her chin resting on her knees. Jiyong watched her as she gently spoke, her soft voice almost putting him in a trance.

The kryptonite of men and the envy of women.

“Nice to meet you, friend.”

“Aren’t you hungry?”

Ara looked at Jiyong oddly as if he were clueless. The two were seated on a large, secure tree branch, Ara leaning on the trunk as she faced Jiyong. He looked down at the ground, watching as animals buzzed by without a clue of his gaze. She smirked, “I don’t eat, mortal. Or at least I prefer not to.” Jiyong pouted and swung his legs, “When will you stop calling me that? We’ve known one another for 4 days. Come on.”

The girl tilted her head as if he had really gone mad. She scratched her head, “Does it not take more than a few days to feel comfortable with another being?” Jiyong shook his head and dug into his pockets with one hand, the other firmly gripping the branch, “No. With me, everyone feels comfortable.” Ara scoffed as he brought out his phone, thumbs tapping onto the clear screen before he turned to her.

Carefully shifting closer, he proudly smirked, “You can’t look down on me because you’re a goddess. Technically, I am a king.” Raising a brow in disbelief, Ara held back her laughter as he insisted for her to look at his screen. With a sigh, she stared, watching as he