The days rolled by and Hyomin began to lighten up. Not see the doom and darkness in everything. Lose the paranoia. She had allowed herself to be convinced by Joon that her distrust was all in her head. Hyomin supposed it made sense. For as long as she could remember, Hyomin had been wary of most people ... And when she met Hyuna, that wariness turned into something much darker. She was out to get her. Hyomin was different and she had to be punished. That was her lot. Everyone was her enemy, except for her family.

And Jaejoong.

She had never felt a moment's real fear with him, when thinking rationally, was plain ... irrational. She mean, he's a werewolf! A dangerous predator. But Jaejoong had shown her all his dark corners, not hidden them.

Maybe fear is in not knowing? Trust is about knowing?

Hyomin wasn't stupid. She knew that the attraction she had to Joon was partly down to the enigma of him. And the fact that he was so golden he glowed. The shallow part of her wanted that golden boy, wanted to believe in him. HIs beauty seemed to reflect any that she had. So that was why Hyomin spent her days fantasising about spending the night under the starts, the other side of the mountain, with her boyfriend, refusing to think about his sister, trying not to let Jaejoong in.

Not that Jaejoong was around.

---------------------------------------------------

Hyomin took the dress and held it against her in front of the mirror. The two-tone satin shimmered and her face glowed along with it. She saw herself stepping through the great palace to its grand ballroom. Elegant, womanly with Jaejoong holding her arm proudly.  But would she ever get there? Wasn't it just a ridiculous fantasy?

Hyomin shivered as she realised how much it would bother her if that were true.

Because she wanted to be the princess at the ball. She wanted to dance with a handsome boy and have everyone gazing at her. Hyomin guess there's no girl in the world that doesn't deep down want that.

She shook her head, embarrassed at her train of thought. She never usually had any truck with that kind of romantic stuff. Never wanted to dress up. But putting on that dress ... seeing herself as a boy might see her ... it changed things.

And that dress didn't belong here on mortal Earth. It belonged to another world. Where she was another Hyomin. And it belonged to her and Jaejoong.

A knock on the door brought Hyomin out of her thoughts.

"Hyomin." Her dad's voice. "I need some help getting a table in the van ... Your mother and sister have gone into town. Could you give me a hand?"

"Just coming." She lay the dress on her bed and grabbed her sweatshirt.

-------------------------------------------------

Her dad had finally finished Ms. Jung's table and it was enormous. Hyomin haped as he opened the shed door.

"I'll do the brunt of this," he said. "I just need you to guide it through the doors."

"Appa. You shouldn't be lifting anything yet." Hyomin said, giving him a stern look. "Let's wait and Eomma and I can do it."

"It needs someone stronger than your mum .... at one end at least." He sighed, gently rubbing his shoulders. "But perhaps you're right."

"I could call Joon. If you can hang on twenty minutes?"

Her dad shook his head. "I'll give Ms.J a call. Maybe she can wait another day and your mother can help."

"Okay." She moved to lean against the van, where her dad joined her.

They stood in easy silence, looking at the table, through the shed door.

"You like him, then?" Her dad said after a while. "Joon."

Hyomin looked sideways at him.

"I guess," She said, a little shyly.

Her dad nodded. "Seems a good kid. Seems like a bit of a loner, too." He caught her eye. "I don't want you to be hurt."

Her skin prickled. "He's staying around for the summer, he told me."

"Good. Just be careful, that's all."

She shrugged. "He wouldn't hurt me. Not on purpose, anyway."

"Hyomin." Her dad pursed his lips for a second. "You're very young. I can see how a kid like him -- worldly, travelled ... that kind of thing -- would appeal. But he's independent. I can see that. I'm just not sure you should set your heart on him."

"I'm not. " She said, annoyed. "What is this? You don't like me having a boyfriend?"

"Not at all." Her dad smiled. "I suppose every father says this about his child, but you're special, Minnie. A special girl. And you're sensitive."

"I can look after myself. I'm not a child any more."

Her dad continued smiling at her, moving closer and settling an arm round her shoulders.

"You remember when he came to lunch. And your mother talked about being in love."

"I remember. She couldn't eat."

"That's right." Her dad chuckled. "Well ... when i first met your mother, she was pretty cut up. She didn't tell me everything ... but I got the distinct impression that this guy --- her "first love" -- had really broken her heart. She told me he had been a free spirit ... always a little unavailable ... that she'd known they would never end up together deep down because of that, but that he felt like her soulmate, and she fell for him. She was devastated when it ended."

"What happened?" She asked, curious. "How did it end?"

"He just disappeared." Her dad shrugged. "She tried to contact him, but she never saw or heard from him again."

"Poor mum," Hyomin breathed. She turned to look at her dad. "But then she fell in love with you."

"It took a while. But she knew I wasn't going anywhere and I adored her. And eventually she came to love me."

Hyomin squeezed his arm. "Mum loves you, loads. It's obvious."

"I know. I wasn't her first choice." He tightened his hold on her shoulder, leaning in to kiss the top of her head. "But she told me when we got engaged that she knew I was the right choice."

"Of course you were." She snuggled into him. "The other guy would never have made her happy in the end."

"So, I'm just saying .... that all that glitters may not be gold. Don't give away your heart until you're sure. Fool around a bit. Have fun. But keep something back."

Hyomin nodded. She was pretty sure that Joon was the right choice. And he wasn't unavailable, was he? He's gorgeous. Kind. He always seemed to find the right words ... when she had doubts, anxieties. Joon always said the right thing. He wanted her. And she wanted him.

But he wasn't her soulmate. She couldn't completely trust him. Not yet.

                 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

JoonMin's camping trip: COMING SOON ♥

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