RACE YOU TO HER HEART; 
Chapter 5: Chasing Im Nayeon (V)

Nayeon couldn't believe it. 

The ice cream store that she loved. 

The ice cream store that she was dying to bring Dahyun to.

It was once again... 

closed.

And Dahyun actually pitied the older girl a little bit as she bursts out laughing while Nayeon just stuck her face to the glass door looking miserable. 

"Impossible..." Nayeon gasped, hands cupping the the corners of her eyes as she stared blankly into the dark store.

"Nayeon unnie let's face it, it's closed... again," Dahyun said while patting her on the back. "There there... it's okay."

"No it's not!" Nayeon insisted in denial. "This must be some kind of joke. They must be on their lunch break or something."

"Pfft, unnie... it's way pass lunch time why would they be on their lunch break?" Dahyun reasoned. "Besides, the sign clearly says it's closed," she pointed out.

"Nooooo.... whyyyy...." Nayeon sulked. "We travelled all the way here! This is ridiculous! Of all days to be closed! Why today? Why!"

Once again Dahyun started laughing. "Unnie, are you throwing a tantrum right now?" But Nayeon ignored her, she was being too busy sulking by the door of the closed store. 

Dahyun shook her head, "Aish... how are you older than me," she said on purpose to tease Nayeon. "Anyway, I should be the one who is upset right now, not you unnie. I was the one who was promised, and who was looking forward to, an ice cream treat twice." Dahyun sighed, mimicking Nayeon's actions as she went to stand next to her. She strained her eyes, looking into the dark store. "But I'm starting to believe this delicious ice cream you keep mentioning is invisible..." 

Nayeon turned to her with her bottom lip jutting out. "I'm sorry... I guess I failed to get you delicious ice cream again Dahyun-ah," she sighed. "But trust me this place really serves the best chocolate ice cream!"

Looking at Nayeon's pouting face, Dahyun couln't help but grin. "I believe you," she breathed simply. How could she not, when Nayeon had said it so seriously? 

"...You think I'm a joke don't you?" Nayeon accused, furrowing her eyebrows. 

And Dahyun tried to hold in her laughter. "N-no I don't. Why would I?"

"Then why are you grinning like that?" Nayeon pouted again.

'Because you're so cute...' she thought to herself.

"No reason..." Dahyun said instead. Nayeon eyed her suspiciously. 

Suddenly, Dahyun had an idea. She flashed Nayeon a cheeky grin, before she held onto the straps of her backpack, walking away from the entrance of the closed store.

"Hey, where're you going?" Nayeon asked, feet still rooted to the ground near the store.

"Away from you!" Dahyun threw at her playfully, skipping away.

"Yah!" She yelled, only to have Dahyun turn back, sticking out her tongue at Nayeon as she continued going further away. "Come back here Kim Dahyun!"

"No!" Dahyun screamed back. "Wait there! Don't follow me!"

Nayeon raised her eyebrows. "Wow daebakk... what a great way to end the day," she sighed out loud. "My favorite ice cream store has betrayed me... and now my favourite dongsaeng is too..." She muttered to herself, watching Dahyun walk into a convenient store nearby. 

-

Dahyun returned afterwards with a swing in her steps... happily holding a chocolate flavored ice cream cone in her hand.

Nayeon was sitting on the steps of the store then, looking down at her smartphone. Dahyun stood in front of her. "Hello little kid, what are you doing here?" She asked pretending to be surprised. "Are you perhaps lost?"

Nayeon looked up with a scoff, rolling her eyes. "Yes," she played along. "You see, I've been abandoned by a Kim Dahyun. Have you seen her?" She said sarcastically. Dahyun laughed, taking a bite from her ice cream.

Nayeon gasped, "Yah, you went to buy ice cream without me?" 

"Yeah, ice cream aren't for noobs you see," Dahyun mocked, sticking out her tongue.

Nayeon stood up, slipping her phone into her pocket, sighing. "Wow... talk about friendship."

Dahyun giggled at that, continuing to enjoy her icy cold treat. Nayeon looked at her, shaking her head. "Enjoying your ice cream?" the older girl asked.

And Dahyun nodded cheerily. 

"Tsk, look at you getting ice cream all over your mouth. What a child," Nayeon said, clicking her tongue.

"Huh? No I didn't? I don't feel any ice cream on my-" Dahyun was saying when Nayeon suddenly pushed the ice cream cone towards Dahyun's face, resulting in chocolate ice cream smeared all over the latter's mouth. 

Dahyun's jaw dropped. "Y-yah?! Unnie!" She screamed. She couldn't believe what Nayeon just did.

"Aish, so messy this child, and still you dared to call me a little kid..." Nayeon mocked while shaking her head in disdain. 

"What?! But you were the one who did that to m-" and Nayeon repeated her prank again before Dahyun could even finish her sentence. 

"Y-YAH... NAYEON UNNIE STOP IT! SERIOUSLY!"

Nayeon bursts into laughter. "Ahahahahaha! You have a chocolate beard now!" Which earned her a glare from Dahyun. "Aigooo so cute," Nayeon teased pinching Dahyun's cheek.

"Yah, it's not funny okay," the younger girl swatted at Nayeon's hand, showing an annoyed look. Secretly inside, Dahyun thought this was rather stupid and had wanted to laugh along too.

Nayeon continued laughing, clearly very amused. She reached for her phone in her pocket. Quickly, she took a picture of the younger girl. 

"HAHAHAHA!" Nayeon then laughed loudly, looking at the picture of Dahyun's shocked - chocolate bearded - face on her phone screen.

"What the-... Nayeon unnie delete it, oh my God!" Dahyun screamed trying to snatch Nayeon's phone away. 

"No!" Nayeon laughed, swiftly slipping her phone back into her pocket. "I'm keeping that forever! Ahahha!"

"Unnie!" Dahyun whined. She seemed genuinely upset now.

"Alright, alright... I'm sorry Miss Chocobeard, I'll stop."

"Nayeon unnie!" Dahyun exclaimed after hearing that horrifying nickname.

Nayeon giggled, "Come here you messy child." She reached a hand into her school bag searching for something. 

"... no," Dahyun said taking a step backwards. She continued to eat her ice cream though.

Nayeon click her tongue. "Tsk, I said come here. I'll wipe it off for you silly," she giggled as she took out a packet of tissue. 
 

"No, you'll just bully me again. You're mean unnie! I'm not stupid." Dahyun said, taking another step back.

Nayeon held back a laugh as she rolled her eyes at the younger girl. "I won't," she said taking a step closer to Dahyun. But once again Dahyun took another step back. "I promise," Nayeon tried again. And Dahyun eyed her suspiciously, finally standing still.

Nayeon stepped closer to Dahyun, reaching a hand towards Dahyun's chin. "See, that's a good kid now. Stay still," she said, and Dahyun rolled her eyes. "I'm not a kid, unnie," Dahyun said.

Nayeon only smiled. She held Dahyun's chin with one hand as she leaned in, using her other hand to wipe a tissue gently across the younger girl's lips. Dahyun looked at the older girl who was standing so close to her. She found herself staring at Nayeon's eyes... that were staring at Dahyun's lips. Dahyun was mesmerized by the gentleness in Nayeon's eyes... until she felt a thumb accidentally brushed against her's lips. 

And Dahyun's heat skipped a beat.

"There, all clean," Nayeon said softly. Her eyes met Dahyun's. And suddenly Dahyun felt that odd feeling again. A fluttering feeling in her chest... or maybe it was in her stomach. 

'Is the ice cream giving me a stomach upset?...'

It didn't help that Nayeon seemed to have froze for a while too, staring right back into Dahyun's eyes, with her hand still on Dahyun's face. Soon Dahyun could feel the blood rushing to her face.

'Why does my face feel so... hot?'

Flustered, Dahyun was the first to break eye contact. "Y-yah... unnie are you done?" She asked, eyes darting to the side.

Nayeon kept quiet for awhile before a small smirk appeared on her face. And as quickly as that smirked appeared, it vanished, changing into a innocent like grin. "Yeah," Nayeon said with a hint of nonchalance, as she pulled her hands away from Dahyun's face. 

'... what was that?'  Dahyun had thought confused.

"Let's go," Nayeon then said while reaching for Dahyun's free hand.

"W-wait," Dahyun said. Nayeon cocked her head to the side in question. 

"Um... This is for you..." Dahyun muttered shyly, tugging out a packet of fish shaped waffle ice cream from her pocket. "Hopefully it hasn't melted much yet..."

"Omo?" Nayeon said surprised. "So you did buy one for me... aigooo what a good kid." Nayeon complimented her, ruffling Dahyun's hair. 

"Yah stop it unnie, you're messing up my hair!" Dahyun scolded, but Nayeon just grinned at her. "And y-yeah of course I did. I'm not that heartless."

Nayeon opened the packet of ice cream. "How much is it though? For both. I'll pay you back since I promised you a treat."

"Nah, it's okay," Dahyun brushed off.

"Huh what do you mean it's okay?" Nayeon asked, hooking an arm onto Dahyun's as they both started walking again. "I can't have a middle schooler buying me things pish..."

Dahyun chuckled. "It's my treat... to thank you for everything."

Nayeon giggled lightly, "What? But I didn't even do anything." 

"Yes you did," Dahyun let out. 

'I couldn't have done it without you...'

"Pfft, no... you worked hard and won the races yourself, silly." Nayeon said logically, taking a bite of the fish shaped waffle.  "Oh this is delicious! Seriously though, how much is this? I want to pay you back."

"No, I'm not telling you." Dahyun insisted, sticking out her tongue at the older girl.

Nayeon chuckled, "You know I could always just go to the convenient store to check..."

"So? I won't accept your money," Dahyun retorted.

"Then I'll just secretly slip it into your bag one da-"

"Yah unnie!" Dahyun gasped. "Just accept it oh my God, take it as a thank you for saving my life.

"What? No way! I saved your life twice, I am sure that is worth way more than a fish shaped waffle ice cream," Nayeon joked.

"Fine. Then take it as a thank you for..." Dahyun pondered for awhile. "For encouraging me to run again." She said sincerely this time. "For accompanying me when I practiced," Dahyun smiled. "And also for believing in me."

Nayeon raised an eyebrow. "Hm.... Well then..." she said. "I guess I will accept this ice cream." She grinned, patting Dahyun on her head. "Thanks Dahyun-ah."

'No Nayeon unnie...

Thank you.'

A/N : Happy Sunday everyone! It's mother's day today woohoo! To all the mother's in the world, happy mother's day!:D How was everyone's weekend? Ah, the week seems to fly by so quickly. It's already Monday again tomorrow, so I guess it's back to school for most of us:/ All the best for school/work everyone, I hope you enjoy this chapter and have a great week ahead:)!

~ strangemagnet