Getting to their next destination took a bit longer than they thought it would. They left the café at around 11 o’clock and arrived at the park at half past 12. Nina made a mental note to never ever disregard noontime traffic.

“Well, we’re finally here.” Minseok sighed in relief as they reached Gùcūn Park’s entrance.

Nina and Jinli stared in awe at the sight before them. Lining the walkways, Cherry Blossom trees bloomed delightfully. Their pink flowers swayed in the wind, occasionally falling on the pavement. The park was filled with people enjoying themselves, many children were playing around in the grass and adults were sitting under the shade of the trees.

“I almost forgot that they flourish around this time of the month,” Nina said to herself, remembering that Lu Han used to continuously pester her about it. The doe-eyed boy loved the outdoors, so it wasn’t unusual for him to drag Nina to different parks on their off-campus dates.

“Hey, mei, Minseok and I will go get lunch for us,” Jinli chirped, entwining her hand with Minseok’s. “Let’s meet at that pagoda near the park’s center, yeah?”

“Ah, sure,” Nina replied, watching as they bid her goodbye. She felt a slight twinge of jealousy seeing them stroll away happily. She always considered them lucky for being able to spend that much time together, at home and at work. How she wished that she could be with Lu Han all the time as well.

Shrugging those thoughts away, Nina decided to head to the pagoda first. She guessed that the next clue would be somewhere there, considering that it’s the most prominent landmark. Not to mention that it was Lu Han's favorite place. He would always comment on how peaceful it was there and how he admired the designs of the structure whenever he would bring her there. Somewhere halfway towards her destination, she noticed suspicious markings on the concrete under her feet.

Somebody seemed to be leaving deer tracks around.

“Seriously?” Nina huffed.

It seemed that Lu Han was taking this whole animal thing too seriously. Nonetheless, she quickly followed the trail, wondering if the marks were completely necessary. But they probably weren’t.

As Nina neared the pagoda, she caught sight of two familiar figures in its center– a towering blonde and a shorter dark-haired man– bickering over something. Quietly, she approached them as to not give away her presence. Nina hid behind one of the pillars, listening intently.

“Ge, it would be more dramatic if we hung it somewhere near the edge overlooking the river,” The dark-haired man whined. “She’d be admiring the view, looking into the distance, when suddenly, bam, she notices the letter and dramatically sheds a single tear out of gratitude while whispering the name of Han-ge.”

“Okay, first of all,” The blonde sighed. “This is not a Korean drama, Taozi, we know that Nina isn’t the weepy type so I’m pretty sure she wouldn’t bawl over receiving the next clue.”

“But Yifan-ge –”

“Next, the letter might fall off the ledge, never to be seen again, so let’s stick with Lu Han’s plan and place it near the arc for the entrance. It would be the first thing she’d see, making it less complicated.”

“That’s no fun.” Zitao pouted.

“Oh shut up and give me the tape before she arrives. Minseok texted that she was on her way already.”

Nina couldn’t stifle a giggle at Zitao’s rebellious response, opting to throw the roll of tape straight into Yifan’s face. The two men turned to the sound and found themselves looking at the girl they were supposed to surprise. Zitao snatched the paper from Yifan’s hands and not-so-subtly hid it behind his back. An awkward silence fell over the three of them.

“Hi, Nina-jie! What a coincidence!” Zitao forced a smile. “What brings you here?”

“You do know I heard everything right?”

Groaning, Yifan hid his face in his hands. “Well, .”

“Stop swearing, ge.”

“Hello to you too, Yifan-ge,” Nina laughed at their flustered expressions. She turned to face the younger man, holding out her hand cheekily. “May I have my next clue?”

Glaring at Yifan, Zitao gave in and handed the letter. “This is totally your fault.”

“Says the kid that tried to salvage the situation last minute but failed. You’re as smooth as sandpaper, Taozi.”

“Shut up, ge.” Turning to Nina, the younger man pleaded. “Please don’t tell Han-ge about our failed mission or he’ll murder us.”

“Of course,” She chuckled as she opened her letter. Nina could feel a blush creeping up her cheeks. The title itself shocked her.

Our First Kiss

Embarrassing title? I know.

(let’s hope that none of those idiots opened this letter)

So, the title explains everything but I’d like to recount that wonderful (but painfully awkward) day. Brace yourself.

It was almost a month since we got into our relationship and I knew you’d surprise me with a gift (blame Ren, she told me everything). I fussed over it, completely at a loss on what to do. Should I give you a gift too? Should I take you out? Oh my goodness, I distinctly remember complaining to Jongdae about it but that stupid Korean only intensified my anxiety by telling me you’d hate me if I didn’t do a romantic stunt. I searched the shops for something, anything that I thought you’d like. And I was so close to buying you a necklace with a deer pendant out of desperation. But then Minseok told me that the deer thing was becoming a bit too repetitive (you’re probably thinking that too but the deer tracks were totally Tao’s idea).

It was the day before our first monthsary (is that what they call it nowadays?) and I still didn’t have plans. I was freaking out because you asked me to accompany you to Gùcūn park to take pictures of the Cherry Blossom Festival for a project. You knew I frequently came here to relax so you needed me to show you the best spots. And then it hit me. I’d show you my favourite spot in the whole park.

After we met up and got sufficient footage, I brought you to this very pagoda. I couldn’t help but gush about how much I liked this place. I kept talking about how pretty it was here, how tranquil, how calm. I remember that I had to stop myself and apologize because I thought you were getting uncomfortable. But instead, I saw you looking at me intently. You blushed when I caught you staring. In a hurry, you explained how you didn’t really mind me rambling about anything. You told me that it was amazing how I light up with passion whenever I talk about things I love. You started rambling too, embarrassed that you just blurted those things out of nowhere.

But I also thought you were amazing whenever you gushed about anything and everything. I couldn’t explain what I felt. I reached out and pulled you closer. And with my lack of experience, we both ended up squishing each other’s noses. After a while, I pulled you in again, but then your hair got into my eye. Man, I was mortified. I thought you’d tease me about it and never live it down. But surprisingly, you just looked at me with the softest gaze ever, tilted my face with your hands and kissed me. It was perfect.

Until now, I still consider you smoother than I’ll ever be. And honestly, I still get butterflies whenever I kiss you, but that’s the magic of love, I guess.

Okay, enough cheesiness, I’m sorry if you cringed at that, but I assure you that I’m 101% sincere (just please tell me that they weren’t reading along with you though). By the way, the next stop is Mineok’s house! I’m sure that place will bring lots of memories back as well!

~Lu Han

“Wow, that really is cringe-worthy though,” Zitao suddenly commented, hovering behind Nina as he scanned through the letter. She yelped in surprise and frantically shoved the paper into her bag, still blushing profusely.

“Zitao! Don’t do that!” Nina scolded him. The dark-haired man shrugged before gesturing to the pagoda’s entrance.

“Minseok-ge and Jinli-jie are here.”

“Oy, Tao, it’s rude to read those letters,” Minseok shook his head in disappointment while Jinli rolled her eyes at him. “Give the two lovers some privacy.”

“Oh, please,” Yifan said. “I bet you read the letter too.”

“No I didn’t! Unlike you two, I am a saint!”

“Anyway,” Jinli cut them off, sensing Nina’s discomfort at the whole conversation. Enthusiastically, She raised a McDonald’s plastic bag above her head. “We got some food, do you want to eat here, mei?”

For a moment, she thought about it. But Nina shook her head, wanting to get to her next clue fast. “That’s alright, we can eat that in Minseok’s house.”

“Why not in Minseok-ge’s car?” Zitao suggested, earning a glare from the Korean man.

“No, you’ll just make a mess.” Minseok deadpanned before trudging towards the pagoda’s exit. “Come on guys, let’s go.”

Ignoring Zitao’s protests, everyone followed after the eldest, excitedly chatting amongst themselves. Nina looked longingly at the Cherry Blossoms they passed by. The longer this day drags out, the more anxious she gets.

She can’t wait to see Lu Han.

---

A/N:

RUSHED AND HEAVILY UNBETA'D I swear I'll fix any errors tomorrow but right now  I'm in a rush to post this chapter

MAY 24TH! IT'S MY FRIEND'S BIRTHDAY! BUT I'M A DAY LATE HERE IN THE EASTERN HEMISPHERE

She's basically the inspiration to majority of my fanfics so without her, there would be no LuNa <3

I love you, chingu! <3