He resembles a prince on a white horse, if that can be said. I’ve never seen someone so different from me, in the manner he acts, in the manner he speaks, in the way his gaze seems so loaded with hidden thoughts that they almost intimidate me with their intensity.

The way he carries himself is careful, deliberate, calm and measured, everything I am not, especially in situations like this. Maybe it’s because he’s used to it, and he has to go through times of stress as part of his job.

He’s an enigma, that’s for sure.

He almost makes Chanyeol look like a fussy child next to him.

I am on a horse, Sun Young thought to herself, settling onto the saddle that one of the trainers were helping her onto. He passed her the reins, and she took them, her body still frozen with the unfamiliar sensation of sitting on the large beast, a chestnut mare with white stocking-ed legs.

“What’s her name again?” she asked, looking at the staff who was ensuring that her feet were in the stirrups.

“Cinnamon,” he replied, reaching into a pouch and passing chunks of apple to the mare, “Because of her color.”

“That’s cute,” she commented, “I was thinking they’d have extravagant names, since they’re pedigree horses.”

“Ah, well, most of them do. It depends on the donor, really. Cinnamon and her sibling are an exception, because they were rescued from a stable that were mistreating them,” he said, the horse’s muzzle, “The good thing is that the both of them recovered well after we treated them, and they became very receptive to the show horse life.”

She peered down at him. “And the bad thing?” she prompted.

The trainer laughed. “She’s very clingy. Her sister Caramel-” he paused, glancing at the others and pointing to another chestnut horse Chanyeol was sitting on, “-and her are inseparable. Cinnamon gets really feisty if Caramel goes out and she doesn’t. So we usually have to make sure that the both of them have a lot of time together. Their stalls are also next to each other, so that they can find comfort in each other the way they always do.”

“They must have been traumatized in the past,” she murmured.

The trainer nodded. “Horses are prey in the wild. They get easily spooked and frightened, and they get excited easily too,” he explained, “And between the two of them, Cinnamon is the more outgoing.”

Sun Young looked at him warily. “Will she suddenly jump and get scared?” she asked, worried.

“They’re generally well-behaved. No accidents as of yet.”

‘As of yet’ sounds very scary to me. “O-kay.”

“You have to relax,” the trainer said with an easygoing chuckle, as she nodded and breathed, “When you relax, she will too.”

“I’ll try,” she said, reaching forwards and the horse’s mane, feeling the coarse strands of hair under her fingers. She had hoped it would be glossy and shiny, gleaming in the sun, but it seemed that even horses had bad hair days; although its hair was not tangled, it still felt rough to the touch.

“We’ll be having fun together, won’t we?” she murmured, patting its head, “Let’s not be too hyperactive today, and concentrate on a nice stroll.”

Cinnamon suddenly tossed her head and Sun Young jerked backwards so quickly she almost slipped off the horse.

Yikes!

The trainer grabbed her hand and steadied her. “Don’t need to be afraid, she does that from time to time, it’s nothing.”

“I’m okay,” she croaked back, clearing .

Come on, Park Sun Young, you survived a car ride.

Nothing can be as scary as a horse ride. You’re still on land, for goodness sake.

Well…you’d fall to the ground, a good one and a half metres…

But you’ll still live, won’t you?

Calm down.

Things were turning out extremely well.

After a safety briefing, followed by emergency procedures, the party of eight people were off on the cross country trail, with Chanyeol leading the group along with the horse trainer that had helped Sun Young earlier.

With the advice of the trainer, Sun Young was to follow behind Chanyeol, due to the fact that their horses were siblings. Ju Hyun rode next to her, and Hyun Joo and Victoria were behind them. At the far back, Minseok and PD Kim held up the group, being part of the crew.

Wherever they went, a flying drone filmed them. Microphones were attached to their shirts, and although it was already good enough to not be swarmed by PD Kim’s team of cameramen, Chanyeol still felt that privacy was lacking, what with the small black microphone recording his every word, from small talk with the trainer about horseshoes to comments about the weather as well as the silence that filled the spaces where they were running out of things to say.

It was getting very awkward, if he could be so bold.

And the fact that Sun Young was directly behind him didn’t add to the peace he was seeking during the trail. Was it her eyes on his back or was it just his imagination? Why was she so shaken during the car ride? Why didn’t he ask her if she was alright?

He wondered if it had anything to do with whatever Baekhyun had seen during the night he had gone out with her and her friends.

A girl who is afraid of crossing the road…

A girl who is afraid of cars…

What a strange phobia, but who am I to judge?

I have many fears myself.

As he stared straight ahead, at the endless greenery that filled the equestrian club, his mind wandered to the Observatory, pondering over what Sun Young and he had argued about.

There is nothing between us, is there?

At least, nothing beyond this?

Whatever did she mean, this? Wasn’t it obvious enough for her?

“How long is the trail?” he heard the producer ask.

He smiled to himself. “Surely, PD Kim, you’re not tired already?”

“Of course not! I’m merely asking!”

“It’s about three miles or so,” the trainer supplied, “We’ll be going through some wooded area, past a stream or two, and return to the clubhouse.”

“Will we be doing jumping?” Ju Hyun asked, and Chanyeol resisted the urge to roll his eyes as the trainer replied.

Why would inexperienced riders have jumping? Honestly, if you want to show off, do it in a better way.

But he simply stared ahead.

It was going to be a long ride.

It seemed like they had gone riding for forever, and Sun Young was starting to get a hang of horse-riding. They had stopped at a resting shelter, where she realized her thighs and were sore from rubbing against the saddle, and while she was distracting herself with feeding Cinnamon bits of apple, Chanyeol approached her with his horse by his side.

She jumped in surprise, although she knew he had been trying to get her attention for the longest time. “Yes, Mr. Park?” she asked, taking out more apples and proceeding to feed Caramel as well.

He didn’t say anything, at least not yet, until she was getting unnerved with his lack of reply that she glanced up at him.

“Yes, Mr. Park?” she repeated, sounding less shaky this time.

How very awkward.

Where’s Victoria when you need her?

“Miss Park,” he began, “I was…thinking…what you said earlier…in the Observatory-”

Oh.

Oh hell no.

I am not going to talk about this, especially not now.

Her eyes widened. “Not here,” she hissed, stuffing his mouth with apple slices, and watched as he sputtered in response, “Are you mad?”

He coughed, chewing on the apples. “Are you mad? Do you want to kill me?”

Look at him, all incredulous.

“Don’t tempt me, then,” she muttered under her breath, “Can’t you wait till later till we can talk about…whatever you want to talk about?”

“When and where?”

“Huh?”

“When and where do you want to talk about it?”

Is he for real?

I thought guys usually don’t like to talk about feelings and gooey stuff, and now he wants to make plans to talk about what happened in the Observatory?

Here’s a thought.

How about no?

Sun Young blinked, her lips parting in confusion. “Never, actually,” she said, feeling her cheeks starting to turn warm, “I don’t want to talk about it, about anything!”

I’m already mortified as it is! I don’t want to have to go through it again, for goodness’ sakes!

“Wait,” he began, and she went towards Cinnamon, climbing up the horse with much difficulty.

Now, where is the trainer ahjussi when you need him?

Oh, bother. I can’t go up without his help.

She grumbled as she failed to climb, and placed her head against Cinnamon’s shoulder instead.

“Please go away,” she whined, “Forget about it, why won’t you?”

“Because,” he began.

She slowly turned around, seeing his troubled face.

He sighed. “Because I think it’s important that we communicate effectively, to prevent future miscommunications,” he said, “Don’t you think so?”

Sun Young threw up her hands. “Then don’t kiss me,” she hissed, pushing past him to find Victoria, not caring if she had left her horse with him.

“Alright, ladies and gentlemen, shall we resume our cross country trail?” the trainer asked jovially, “Up on your horses, let’s go!”

Sun Young cursed under her breath, walking back to her horse and bumping into Chanyeol’s shoulder in the process.

She took the reins and led Cinnamon away, vehemently not looking at him as she did so, for fear that he would see how red her face was with embarrassment.

With that, the second part of the trail began, and she pretended to not have any semblance of her flustered expression as she fell into step behind Chanyeol once more.

She stared at the back of his head, willing her eyes to be lasers and his head as her target.

Oh, how nice that would be, to not have to talk about gross feelings.

I swear, he is either secretly earnest about this whole thing, or he’s trying to make me die with embarrassment.

“The weather is terrible today,” Ju Hyun remarked for what seemed to be the fifth time, “It’s cold and grey and lifeless. Hardly any good for the horses, don’t you think?”

The trainer chuckled, humouring her. “With the intense training they undergo for competitions, a leisurely stroll is a brief respite for them. They’re quite hardy too, and some of them even enjoy playing in windy weather, like these two.”

Ju Hyun raised her eyebrows, seeing the trainer point to both Chanyeol and Sun Young. “Their horses, you mean,” she corrected him, frowning.

Sun Young sighed. “I doubt he’s talking about us, as in people,” she tried to say without as much sarcasm as she could muster, “Although I do fit in the description of liking all kinds of weather.”

“Me too,” Chanyeol suddenly said, and she ignored his comment.

The trainer chuckled again. “Why, yes, I was referring to their horses.”

Ju Hyun was looking offended to the point of being hilarious to look at; Sun Young could barely keep a smile in as she resumed her staring on Chanyeol’s head.

He was nodding. “Baekhyun and I are fond of them, he usually takes Cinnamon while I take Caramel,” he explained, “They have lots of energy, whether rain or shine.”

Such a shame that people like Ju Hyun keeps trying to make sure that she has Chanyeol for herself, it’s too funny.

Ju Hyun looked down at her horse, a large Arabian with a pleated black mane. “I prefer more reserved horses,” she said, giving a glance in Sun Young’s direction, “You never know when a jumpy horse might get anxious.”

Sun Young’s smile wavered, getting replaced with a faint scowl.

Is she trying to scare me?

She looked behind her, seeing Victoria shook her head subtly.

Don’t engage, she mouthed.

Sun Young sighed, turning to the front once more. “How do you manage a panicked horse, then?”

The trainer, oblivious to the undercurrent of unfriendliness between the girls, merely continued. “I think the most important thing to do with a panicked horse is to speak to it in a calm, clear voice. You don’t want to scare it, but you don’t want to seem scared of it either,” he said, “That’s the most important thing to calm it if you can, and try not to seem panicked yourself.”

Sun Young nodded.

I’ll keep that in mind.

They were getting closer to a stream, and Sun Young knew that because she could hear the sound of flowing water, and as they were walking through an area shrouded with trees, she inhaled the fresh scent of leaves, shutting her eyes in appreciation as she did so.

The shade was a short burst of coolness from the bright sun, and they had just emerged from the wooded area when something ran across the path, startling them.

“It’s just a snake,” the trainer began, when Chanyeol’s horse suddenly bucked, neighing at the top of its lungs.

Sun Young gasped, seeing the hotel director slipping from his saddle at the unexpected gesture. “Chanyeol!” both she and Ju Hyun cried at the same time, as he dropped to the ground, letting out a shout as he crumpled on the dirt path.

No- he’s alright, isn’t he?

He is, right?

The trainer quickly dismounted, bringing Chanyeol to the side before Caramel could accidentally trample him.

“Are you alright?” everyone asked in concern, while Sun Young was trying to find a way to dismount without falling down herself.

But suddenly Caramel whinnied loudly, before setting off at an alarming speed, galloping away from them and ahead.

“Carame- ahhhhh!” Sun Young screamed, as her own Cinnamon gave chase.

“Sun Young!” the rest cried helplessly, as they watched her be swept away on her horse.

The young man in his red coat took off his helmet, ruffling his hair to fluff it up as he passed it to his instructor.

“Done already, Mr. Kim?” came the response, “You’ve barely gotten three hours of practice!”

“I think he needs his own rest,” came the reply, as smooth as butter, “I don’t want to have to strain a muscle sometime near the competition, unless you’d rather I did?”

“Of course not, Mr. Kim, but the quota for training-”

“Let’s say I came today for a leisurely practice, instead of training? Will that stop you from nagging at me?” he asked cheekily, but it would have been serious in the way he looked at his trainer with a straight face.

“Aigoo, Mr. Kim, how about another hour? Maybe you can practice your trail riding, hmm? Saverin is always refusing to jump over the logs, it happened in the last competition too.”

“Saverin is fine, he just doesn’t enjoy the stress of the competition, don’t you, boy?”

The glossy black horse tossed its head as if to agree.

“But still, Mr. Kim-”

“Fine, fine, I’ll take him for a short trail ride, but alone, do you hear me?”

His instructor sputtered. “B-But sir-”

“Are you the equestrian Olympic medallist?”

“No but-”

“That’s all I need to hear,” came the smooth interjection, before the young man began to lead his horse out of the dressage arena.

The instructor cursed under his breath. “This boy,” he muttered, looking down at the helmet in his hand, “With no regard for safety whatsoever, and that arrogance, the only medal you’ll hope to get is the award for most rebellious student!”

“You love me, Instructor Dae,” he said with a small smile, “I gave you five gold medals at the Summer Olympics last year.”

“Medals don’t mean nothing when you’re cocky to a fault.”

The young man scoffed. “Nonsense,” he said with a smirk, “Cockiness helps gain medals. We put on a show for the judges and hope they don’t see us screw up, isn’t that the case?”

“This punk-”

The rider was off, cantering out smartly. “See you later,” he called back, before urging his horse out into the trail.

“You forgot your helmet!”

“It’s fine!” he called back, smiling to himself as his horse Saverin cantered down the hill. The wind blew strongly, raking through his hair as he laughed softly to himself.

This is perfect weather for a cross country ride, he thought in satisfaction, holding tightly to the reins as he wove deeper into the trail route.

Just as he was following one of the paths, he spotted a horse – without its rider – coming in his direction.

He paused, blinking as it galloped past him, and shrugged.

I didn’t know they allowed the horses to run free.

But in that case, why is it all tacked up?

Strange.

He continued on, leisurely enjoying the breeze that was picking up, when another horse came into view, this time with a rider.

“- you have to stop!” whoever it was – most likely a girl, by the sounds of it – was saying, and he frowned, sensing the panic in her voice despite the fact that she was trying to sound firm.

Ah. She must be chasing the horse.

He noticed how she was leaning too far in her saddle – bad for the back, really, she was going to get an ache later – when he realized she wasn’t doing it on purpose. It seemed like she was struggling herself.

She was coming this way fast, and he could feel his Saverin starting to pace uneasily at the sight of the other horse.

“Shhh,” he murmured, patting Saverin’s neck, as he frowned in curiosity.

The approaching horse – now closer – allowed him to notice its rider, and as he was about to ask her what had happened, he realized she wasn’t even in control of her horse: she was literally holding onto it for dear life.

And then, he realized something very important, as the girl and her horse came closer.

It’s that girl.

The one who was staring at me in the foyer.

She was the only one with curly hair.

“Help!” she cried, as his eyebrows furrowed even deeper.

They passed each other, gazes locked, and then she was gone, tearing in the direction he had come.

He blinked to himself as the few seconds passed, still coming to terms with what had just happened before his eyes.

First horse is running free.

Second horse is following, with its inexperienced rider unable to stop it.

And then there’s me, an equestrian with no inclination to help whatsoever. I mean, she is heading towards the club. No doubt there’d be people to help.

He sighed. “I’m not that mean,” he murmured to himself, pulling the reins and turning his horse around. “Come on, Saverin. Let’s save a damsel in distress.”

This was not how she had planned for her day to turn out.

Her hands, one on the reins and the other hanging onto Cinnamon’s neck, were slowly starting to slip off.

Sun Young shook her head. “No,” she breathed, grasping the mane as she tried to sit up to maintain some semblance of control. Her back was hurting as she tried to hold on, and her foot had slipped off the stirrup, but she was not going to fall off a moving horse if she could help it. “No, I am not going to fall off a horse!”

There had to be some way for her to regain her balance.

As of now, her foot was dangling at the side. During the burst of speed earlier, she had been caught by surprise and had been jerked backwards, slightly off the saddle. It threw her off balance, and her foot had slipped out of the stirrup, making her slip slightly more to her right.

She heard the sound of hooves from behind, and before she knew it, the black horse from earlier was beside her, with the young man in the red coat.

He was keeping pace with her horse, looking down at her. “You need to sit up,” he said to her, stretching out his hand, “Slip your foot into the stirrup and push yourself up straight.”

She stared up at him, wanting to take his hand but afraid she would slip off entirely if she did. “I can’t-” she began, panicking even more.

“You can.”

His voice was like an anchor, steady and measured, loud but not noisy and firm but not scolding. There was a certain calmness about it, and it reflected off his youthful face.

His eyes exuded a focused determination as he reached for her again, compelling her to not look away from him. “Just try to find the stirrup and put your foot behind, it’s right behind you.”

She tried moving her foot, trying to find it. “Ah, I can’t!” she cried, feeling herself slip even more, “I’m gonna fall!”

A part of her was already trying to find a soft spot to land. She could see the rooftops of the clubhouses, as well as the stables. Her eyes were erratic, searching for any kind of grass patch that looked softer than other parts.

“You’re almost there, you can’t give up now,” he said calmly, as her foot found cool metal.

She in a breath as she found the stirrup, slipping her foot inside. “I did it!” she breathed, as she felt his hand slip into hers.

She looked up at him just as he helped her up. “Yes!” she cried, adjusting herself and sitting up on the saddle, her balance regained as she looked at her savior.

He was nodding his head. “There we go,” he said, “Hold onto the reins.”

She gripped it. “Should I pull it?”

He smiled slightly. “Of course not.”

Sun Young raised an eyebrow. “Then how do I stop her?”

He shrugged nonchalantly. “When you’re on a runaway horse, you run with the horse. Don’t try to stop it; it will slow down eventually,” he said, “If you try to stop it, it might try to kick you off, or fall to the ground on top of you, or fling you off-”

He paused, pretending to peer at her through the side of his eyes in order to gauge her reaction, and she rolled her eyes.

“Oh, very funny.”

“It wasn’t supposed to be funny,” he quipped.

Sun Young flipped her hair over one shoulder. “You can’t scare me,” she told him, giving him a confident smile, “I just survived all of those potential risks, so I am just very thankful I’m okay, to be honest.”

“Oh, I’m sure, miss- what was your name again?”

She suppressed the urge to smirk. “I never gave it, to begin with,” she remarked, “If you’re trying to be smooth, you failed.”

For the first time since she saw him, he gave a smile that reached his eyes, making him collapse into laughter that lasted for a good few seconds.

Sun Young glanced at him uneasily. “It’s not even a joke,” she said, watching him laugh.

“I know,” he said, resuming his serene expression in a blink of an eye, so quickly that she wondered if she had ever seen that laugh at all, “The way you said it was very amusing.”

“I suppose,” she murmured, “Either way, shouldn’t you be introducing yourself first? Why ask me when you’re the one who approached me first?”

“Perhaps then, if you feel hesitant on revealing your name, I should call you Miss Runaway, and that’ll be the end of it,” he commented, “You can call me Prince Charming, or Your Highness, since I saved your life.”

She felt a smile tug on her lips at the way he .

This guy.

He must think he’s so charming.

It must work, then, because I’m not annoyed by it at all.

“You will do nothing of the sort,” she scoffed, “Technically, my life wasn’t in much danger to begin with.”

“If you fell, you could’ve been dragged along with the horse,” he interrupted, “I’ve seen it before, not a very pretty sight, especially with a horse that’s running at thirty miles an hour.”

She gasped. “It’s happened?”

He nodded solemnly. “At the equestrian championships, too.”

“Did he die?” she asked.

He stared up ahead. “I w