"Oh, then there's you within my scattered heart

Oh it’s you, find the secret that’s been hidden

For a long time deep inside my mind." 

Taeyeon, "Secret", Rain [Single] (2016)

Nari never let go of Bobby once on the way back to her apartment. He couldn’t deny it – he enjoyed having her cling to him in the cold rain this way, but the fluttering in his stomach and racing of his pulse unsettled him. An effect of Song Nari’s presence that just hadn’t worn off yet.

For the second time in the space of 24 hours, Bobby was able to take Nari's mind off of things by having her wander around the city with him. Despite the rain, he still insisted her on showing him everything worth seeing whilst they had the chance; they waltzed through shopping centres, sauntered through shopping districts, stared up in awe of the countless skyscrapers that loomed over them, and even managed to visit one of the city's famous cherry blossom gardens.

Bobby was shocked at how easily it was to get Nari talking to him in this one evening after she'd spent the past few months completely shut off from him and the world around her. She'd still tease and berate him endlessly, but there was an innocence behind her behaviour, a sensitivity to the joys of the city and world surrounding them - as if they really were just two normal kids in a big city. An hour ago she was crying her eyes out in an alleyway, and now she was ruffling his hair and tripping him up in the street.

Is she bipolar?

No, I'm obviously just amazing at distracting people.

The two ended up at an ice cream parlour, crammed to the corners with eager students and fashionistas, all bustling about for their fill of sugar-filled delights. Still taken aback by Nari's fluency in Japanese, Bobby was rendered even more dumbstruck by the arrival of their ice-cream (called the Rocky Horror tower), which towered far higher than ice creams should probably be piled up. Bobby's stomach wasn't protesting of course.

"Let's see who can eat the most," Nari grinned devilishly at Bobby, a smile he never thought possible from her. 

He gulped, "I don't think that's a question that needs to be answered. We both know I've got this in the bag."

"Oh please," Nari pulled a face, "You haven't eaten ice-creams like this even in your dreams!"

"And you have?"

Nari nodded, "I beat the boys here in an eating challenge two years ago!"

"Bull!"

Nari pointed to the so-called 'Wall of Fame'; it was a wall like any other, plastered with photos and signatures of countless past customers. Bobby assumed Nari's face would be among the many faceless - he could just picture a beaming smile on her face, smeared with chocolate sauce and ice cream as it may have been. 

If she's so happy that she can come back to a place like this...I've gotta' make the most of this.

"It's on like Donkey Kong!"

~

That was the last thing Bobby said before he doubled his body weight and heighted his Diabetic risk. He and Nari trudged out of the ice cream parlour and back into the pouring rain, both of them unsuccessful in their plight to complete the Rocky Horror challenge, bloated beyond the limits of their pant-lining. 

"That was," Bobby started before belching, "Interesting,"

Nari glared at him, "Interesting is an understatement. I'm going to need a blood test when we get home."

'Home'. The words seemed as distant as the place did in Bobby's mind. He almost didn't want to go back to the world they'd left in Seoul, the chaos and danger that loomed over the two of them, yet neither of them wanted to accept it. He was simply having too much fun. Bobby doubted whether or Nari would ever be with this way with him again - he knew he had to embrace her sudden affection whilst he could.

Bobby covered the two of them with the umbrella, (stolen from the bar cloakroom, of course) as they quickly made their way through the midnight streets of Tokyo, people and vehicles relentlessly buzzing about the place despite the disagreeable weather. The gusts of the cold wind prickled his side thanks to his lack of jacket, but the warmth of Nari, pressed tightly against his body, comforted him.

She fits well. If that’s possible.

“You’re not cold, are you?” Nari questioned him as they waited on traffic lights. The buzzing of digital screens hanging about the place, spinning with different colours and images reflected in Nari’s eyes, giving them an animation that was different than their usual hollowed darkness. Speaking of hollowness, they didn’t look as empty as they had before, but fierce nonetheless.

“Hello?” Nari poked Bobby’s side, making him jump at the tickling sensation. She’d caught him zoning out, as well as his ticklish nature, “Please don’t tell me you’re ticklish?”

Bobby shook his head. Nari poked him in the ribs. He yelped.

“Stop that!” He pleaded as she continued to pepper his ribs with pokes, causing him to squeal with outrageous terror. His stomach hurt with the danger of bursting as she endlessly poked him.

“Bobby’s a ticklish little baby!” Nari cackled with delight as she moved her hands up to his neck, making him cringe with a mix of both terror and nerves as her fingers brushed on his bare skin.

However, Bobby wasn’t prepared to let Nari get away with this so easily. Bearing the torture for just a few more seconds, Bobby didn’t hesitate in sprinting across the street, umbrella in tow, as soon as the traffic lights changed – leaving Nari to the mercy of the rain.

“YAH!”

Cackling like a madman as Nari chased him down through the street, mowing down any unsuspecting (yet equally panicked) pedestrians that got in her way. But Bobby’s joy was short-lived when a gust of wind threw his umbrella out of his hand – knowing his luck, the rain just had to pour down even harder and more aggressive than before. He'd be bruised and broken by the time he woke up the next morning.

“Damn it!” Bobby cursed as he watched the stolen umbrella soar metres high into the torrential evening sky. Nevertheless, he was fully aware that if he stopped, Nari would end him and all sign of existence. He continued to sprint through the streets, soaked cold to the bone by the rain, forcing his way through the seemingly endless clusters of pedestrians.

“Slow down!” Nari called out to him as he approached a traffic light, the digits counting