CHAPTER VIII: 

It didn’t take that long for them to convince Kim Minseok that Rahyun was somehow needed for some serious family affairs. From how he had so lightly replied, she imagined he had fancied her just as much as she did to him. The man even offered to leave in advance- “I’d rather invest my time in some more fruitful matters,” he’d said.

If she wasn’t mistaken he could’ve also been planning an escape route out of this ‘date’.

Rahyun managed to wipe his snarky little comment off her shoulders as she watched him leave the marbled gates of the museum, the staff bowing him in farewell.

“He didn’t sound very pleasant,” a voice spoke from behind her.

The woman turned around to see a wide grin flash in front of her, “You eavesdropped.”

Yongguk shrugged, “I wasn’t standing too far away.”

“What did you hear?” she questioned, moving around him to fetch her coat.

“Not you.”

Rahyun laughed, “Right. I wasn’t really an active part of that conversation.” She scoffed at the thought of Minseok’s endless flow of words, “My supposed date was too absorbed in his own monologue.”

The boy from earlier was handing back her belongings, which she gladly accepted. But before she was able to wrap her coat around herself, Yongguk put a hand on her shoulder to stop her.

“Did I do the right thing?” he noticed the distant look on her face.

She smiled to assure him, “Did you? Well the answer would vary according to different perspectives, my friend.” Rahyun felt his hand leave her upper arm, “If it was my bubby, then you would have sinned a great deal. My friends would have scolded you to let me suffer a bit more because it was hilarious- but as for me... I’d owe you.”

 “Don’t exaggerate.” He laughed softly, “All I did was pull him out of your hair.”

“I’ll buy you dinner again.”

He nodded approvingly, “Man- I should just quit music to do this for a living. The title ‘Date-Crasher’ has a certain charm to it, don’t you think?”

Rahyun helplessly smiled at his words.

Yongguk turned away, his back facing her. She watched on curiously as his figure headed back into the museum, his thick shoes leading him into the hallways. What was he even doing there in the first place?

She quickly cancelled the plan to leave and stripped off her half-worn coat before handing it back to the previous boy. Her footsteps followed his- the sound of her heels echoing off the walls. She passed a few corridors decorated with framed paintings before she saw a shadow walk by.

The figure stopped before it faced her, “I thought you were going home.”

Her chest was rapidly rising and falling from the sudden chase, “I thought so too.” Rahyun looked at the man standing quietly in front of her, “But I have questions to ask.”

Yongguk sent a little smirk, “Then ask away.”

“Why are you here?” she asked as she approached to where he was standing. The latter seemed to be assessing the paintings one by one. It looked to her as if he was studying them.

“Artists usually wander about to find inspiration.” He started, his eyes going over another hanged piece, “I usually go for sceneries, travels, or in today’s menu: museums.”

Rahyun pulled a questioning frown, “And how does that work?”

“Definitely not by listening to the prices of the arts hung around here.” Yongguk gave her a cheeky smile before looking away, “See? I’m doing it right now.”

She pushed him away lightly and he pretended to trip over. A laugh rang out of her, “What are you doing?”

“Do you see this painting?” he stood up straight again, nodding at the direction of a painting next to him, “I’m trying to find its story.”

Rahyun took a look at the painting and realized that it was the one she saw earlier with Minseok.

“El Lamento.” She stared at it, “It’s worth at least 3 houses.”

Yongguk whistled, “Really? And why is that?”

“I have no idea.” Rahyun remembered how Minseok couldn’t explain the meaning of the picture.

She noticed the man in front of her shifting in his position, pushing up his specks up his nose bridge before crossing his arms over. His eyes were focused on the said artwork.

“Let’s see...” he sighed, “El Lamento translates to ‘The Lament’ or ‘Lamentation’ from Spanish. That might give us an idea about the nature. Now what do you think it’s trying to tell us?”

Rahyun rose an eyebrow in question, “What do you mean?”

“It’s simple really- You look at painting, you think about painting, and then you tell about painting.” The man smiled, “It’s not rocket science.”

She hesitated, but her gaze returned to the painting beside her.

Maybe it was worth a shot to try.

“The girl... she’s lamenting.” Rahyun glanced at Yongguk, seeing him nod in approval, “She’s grieving over everything that she’s lost... and all of the things she gave up to be on that throne- the ones that are now scattered messily on the steps of the stairs. She’d left them there to relieve the burden of walking up to the throne- it lessened the pressure. Her clothes, her jewellery, her shoes, and all the luggage she’d carried... She gave them all up.”

“So you think she misses them,” Yongguk commented, a little surprised by her efforts to discuss the painting.

She turned to face him, “And you? Do you think so too?”

“Not exactly,” he shook his head, “I just thought that rather than going up the stairs- the story starts from the throne. The girl there- she’s looking at the items lying around the stairs longingly, so she was planning to walk down there to gather them all. To find pieces of herself and to complete who she was. In my eyes she was about to start a journey.”

Rahyun blinked, “... Then what is the real meaning of it?”

In return, Yongguk gave her a smile, “I thought you already knew. You even said it before.”

She could only reply him with a blank stare.

“It’s all in the perspective, Rahyun.” He used her words, “And that’s how I find my inspiration.”

“Roses? How cliché can you get?” Miji said to Luhan as she received the red bundle of petals.

The latter scoffed in disbelief, “Just be grateful I’m actually here to pick you up.”

“You were 15 minutes late,” Rahyun tossed in her comment, “Their plane arrived earlier than you- and it was a delayed flight!”

“I expected more of you.” Kris said with a grin, pushing a cart with their baggage in it. Miji dropped the bouquet from Luhan on top of the pile to join.

Luhan bowed mockingly, “What can I say; I am known for my punctuality.”

“Yes- for how horrible it is.” The tall man spoke, receiving a jab in the ribs in return.

The four of them walked along the parking area of the airport to get to Luhan’s car. Miji and Kris were finally back from Fukuoka and their little group felt complete once more.

“I heard you had your second blind date four days ago- so how was it?” Kris asked her as they opened the trunk of the car, “better or worse?”

Rahyun raised a brow, “How are you so up to date on all of this information?”

He shrugged as he threw in a large suitcase, “Miji speaks loudly on the phone... and I have ears.”

“Unbelievable.” She laughed, “Both of you are basically one entity. I can’t even tell her stuff without you knowing!”

“Better believe it,” he winked before handing her another bag to stuff into the trunk.

After they’d shut the doors of the trunk, she spoke, “Well it wasn’t a total punishment to go through. He was just... I bet he really loved show-and-tell back when he was little.”

“A little confidence wouldn’t hurt.” Kris smiled, “women usually find it attractive.”

Rahyun laughed, “A snobby human is usually despised by other humans. That is the nature.”

“Yikes. That bad?”

“Like I said- not so bad.” She considered, “I didn’t even stay long enough to fully get a taste of his character.”

Kris side-glanced her, “You ditched him?”

“Now ditch is a harsh word, but sure. You could say that I did- with someone’s help...” Rahyun trailed off.

“Is it... ?” Her friend looked genuinely surprised, “That producer dude again?!”

Rahyun eyed him with an assaulted expression, “Wait... How much do you actually know?!”

“Enough.” Kris answered with a grin, “So who’s next on the list?”

“Please refrain from calling it a ‘list’. My head spins just thinking about it like it’s some chore.” She droned, “And to answer your question; yes. It’s good alright.”

He looked at her suspiciously, “Is that supposed to be sarcastic or are you actually interested in your date?”

Rahyun returned a winning smile, “Uh- uh- uh, mister,” she waved a finger back and forth in front of his face, “The answer will cost you. I’ll only tell after you spill on what happened between you and Miji during your ‘business trip’ in Japan.”

“Wh-what! But nothing happened!” his face grew ashen, “I’m serious!”

She stared daggers through him, her gut telling her that something was off.

“You can’t fool me, Wu Yifan. I know something’s up.”

Kris breathed out a grumpy sounding sigh before pulling a tiny velvet box from his coat. His stare was empty as he spoke, “Rahyun. I thought you knew that I never lie.”

She received the box he placed in her palms, “Is... is this?” her words stammered as she opened the box. Inside it was an intricately designed rose-gold ring with a few small diamonds lining the upper curve. Rahyun almost dropped the tiny container out of shock. “You didn’t?!”

“Was about to,” he flipped the lid of the box shut, “Chickened out at the last minute.”

Rahyun stood frozen as he pocketed the item back in his thick coat. She couldn’t believe that he almost did what he had been wanting to ever since she knew him. It was obvious between her and Luhan who Kris loved- but for Miji it wasn’t the case.

“So you see- I was right.” Kris swallowed a lump in his throat before showing her a bitter smile, “Nothing happened.”

“Lu- you’re sure that you can make it here right?” Rahyun whispered over the phone, look