You dismally stare at your daily planner filled with meetings and deadlines and so much adulting and wonder if your life will ever really be alright. You always try to cheer yourself up by writing a few encouraging words between scribbled appointments (Fighting! Don't give up!) but it just depresses you more this time.

There's nothing to live for. These thoughts swirl in your head every day, and you want to give up, but for some inexplicable reason, you keep getting up in the morning and going to work.

Never mind that you moved to South Korea because it was always your dream to live here. The country itself was amazing, true enough, but the work was and your pay was barely enough to cover all your expenses AND send money to your family back home.

Sometimes adulting was so hard. It constantly depressed you, how life turned out to be so stressful and far from what you dreamed about as a kid.

Still, you were in South Korea! That was something to be thankful for, right? At least, when you could get away from work, you could go to music shows or to your favorite idols’ concerts. “My oppas help me survive”, you mutter to yourself as you go through the never ending pile of paperwork that's been on your desk since you got hired.

You brighten a bit as you put on your earphones and listen to their latest album. Halloween is just around the corner too, and your company is being generous for a change and letting the employees have a day off on the holiday.

On the day itself, your friend Yanmei decides to drag you with her to a costume party because “It'll be fun! Why don't you live a little!”

You roll your eyes at her but let yourself get talked into going to the party. But you're too lazy to think up a costume so you dress in black and put on one of those tokyo ghoul masks that are all the rave nowadays. Bam. Instant female version of Ken Kaneki. Good thing your hair is already silver to begin with, since you dyed it a month ago after one particularly stressful meeting with some snotty clients. You remember how everybody at the office stared at you in shock, and you just glared at them all so fiercely that no one dared make a comment, not even your boss.

That was a good day, you think to yourself and grin at the memory as you let yourself be dragged all the way to Gangnam for the party.

--------

Twenty minutes into the party and you're bored the out of your mind. You wistfully think of your nice room with the comfy bed and your kdramas waiting for you to watch, and figure maybe you should sneak out and go home already.

You look around for Yanmei and spot her getting all cuddly with a handsome man in a tuxedo and a mask covering half his face. You smirk and figure she'll forgive you for ditching her now, and make your way out of the house.

After walking down a few streets in the blissfully cool air, you spot a dude in a Deadpool costume sitting on the sidewalk. And it's not just any Deadpool costume. It looks practically like the real thing, and you feel super excited because Deadpool is your favorite character ever.

Maybe that's why, even though you normally hate talking to people, you approach the guy and boldly ask for a selca with him. Or maybe it's the mask that hides your own face that gives you the bravery to talk to Deadpool as if you were old friends.

“Deadpool-ssi, can we have a selca together? Pleeeease?” Normally you'd kill yourself for doing any sort of aegyo but the urge to get a selca with this authentic looking Deadpool makes you bold (and slightly desperate).

“Huh?” The guy looks up in what seems like surprise and confusion (at least what little you can tell from a guy in a mask), then tilts his head as if he's just processed the words you said. “Oh! Of course, why not. Nice costume, by the way. I love Tokyo Ghoul!”

“Thanks,” you say with a laugh, “but your costume puts mine to shame. It looks like the real thing!”

You both laugh as you take a couple of pictures. And because you're feeling unusually chatty tonight, you decide to keep talking to him instead of heading home.

“So, if you don't mind me asking, Deadpool-ssi, what were you doing on the sidewalk before I talked to you? Thinking of all the people you'd like to troll? Girls? Fighting for world peace?”

Why are you blabbering like an idiot, your mind hisses at you, but you ignore it. everything, it's Halloween and this guy doesn't know you and you don't know him. You'll never know who each other is, anyway.

“Hahahaha, funny you should ask…” Deadpool scratches his head and stands there awkwardly for a minute.

“Ah, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to, Deadpool-ssi! Don't worry about it,” you hurriedly say, because even though you're a chatterbox tonight, you're definitely not an who pries into other people's lives.

“Nah, it's fine, I just…don't know how to say. It's a long story,” Deadpool laughs.

“So walk with me and tell me all about it, unless you've got some prior engagement to go to,” you say (although your brain keeps screaming Are you crazy??? You don't know him!!! at you).

Deadpool surprisingly agrees (“I guess you can tell I'm not going anywhere since I was just sitting on the sidewalk the whole time haha”) so you start walking around until he blurts out, “It's so liberating to walk around and no one knows who you are, yeah?”

“Isn't that normal?” you ask, “...unless you're a celebrity or something.” you look at him with wide eyes and put your hand over your heart and say in jest, “You're not Ryan Reynolds, are you?????”

“HAHAHAHAHA, no, no of course not!”

“Cool,” you say cheerily, “but if you are, your Korean is really really good. Just saying. “

You both laugh for a few minutes. But you eventually sober up and answer his question. “Actually, I get what you mean. It's really nice to just walk around and not worry about bumping into anyone I know and having to pretend I'm happy to see them and like that.”

Deadpool nods vigorously. “That's exactly what I mean! And when you don't act happy, they judge you for it. Like, what if I'm tired or just don't feel like talking. What if I just want to have some alone time?”

“I totally agree,” you say enthusiastically. “Is that why you were spaced out on the sidewalk?”

“Actually, yeah,” he answers, “but before that I was also people watching. It's kinda fun to look at people going about their lives. But I was also looking at all the costumes. Halloween is so fun!”

“The best thing about it, though..” he adds after a few seconds of deliberation, “..is that you can prank people and no one can tell on you!” He turns to you. “Let’s go spook a few people!”

It seems the both of you are both bold because your faces are covered, and his enthusiasm is infectious, so you agree without any hesitation. “That sounds fun...but let’s try not to do anything too extreme. Someone might get a heart attack,” you joke.

He laughs and drags you around Gangnam and the both of you pick dark corners to hide in while waiting for innocent people to walk by. You shout “Boo!” at them and run away while cackling at hyenas at the people who scream and shout insults at you. You make sure to never scare little kids going trick or treating or old ladies out shopping, though. You may be s, but you know where to draw the line.

At one point you spy a former client of yours, this really tall, handsome guy who you crushed on so hard for two years before he moved away to China (leaving you to console yourself with several bottles of soju to console your broken heart), and you quickly pull Deadpool in the opposite direction because, even though you're wearing a mask, you’re pretty sure the “cold city guy” (as he introduced himself years ago) would know you in a heartbeat and expose who you really are.

That, and a few really close calls (people either actually going after you or threatening to call the police) tires the out of both of you and you soon find yourselves sitting on a bench in a park, trying to get your breaths back because you’ve done so much running tonight, probably more running than you’ve done in your entire life.

“Ha--ha--ha, that--was--fun..” you gasp while trying to catch your breath.

“Yeah,” he agrees, as he lays back and stretches his arm on the back of the bench. “That was really fun. Probably the best fun I’ve had in a long time.”

“Oh? Things been hard on you lately?” You know you shouldn’t pry, but after all the shenanigans you both have been through tonight, you kinda want to learn more about your partner-in-crime.

“Yeah…” His voice trails off and he stares into the distance. “Actually….there’s this girl I really liked? She was really pretty and fun to be with..and we just clicked, you know? I really thought she was the one...but then we broke up and it’s been months and my friends were all telling me to just move on and I want to but I don’t know how...”

He takes a deep breath and faces you. “This is probably boring you--”

“No,” you cut in. “ I know how it feels. I liked a guy before so much that it made my heart hurt, but he never even looked at me. I don’t think he knew I existed, until I had to talk to him for work. But he forgot about me right away anyway. I wasn’t relevant enough to exist in his world.”

You say the words lightly, but even as each word drops from your lips,  they stab you in the heart all over again. You’re grateful your mask covers most of your face and the little that’s exposed is covered by your hair too, so he can’t see that your eyes are welling up with tears and oh , why can’t you get over your dumb crush anyway??

“Hey,” Deadpool softly says. “You okay?” He chuckles. “I guess we’re both in the same boat. But you know what? Today was honestly really fun. Made me forget my troubles.”

For some reason, you’re comforted by his words. “Me too,” you sniffle. “I think it’s the masks. We’re invincible tonight.”

“Probably,” Deadpool nods. “We should get drinks to celebrate tonight. You know, being free from everything. Like, everyone who hurt us.”

Wow, Deadpool is either really deep or angry at the world. But then, so are you. You both head to the nearest convenience store and buy bottles of soju and a couple of beers. “Ya, Deadpool-ssi, my apartment is just around the corner from here…..do you wanna drink there? Or we could find a different place to drink?”

Why are you inviting a stranger to your house, your brain shrieks but you ignore it again, because Deadpool has been cool so far and you feel at ease with him, so you just cross your fingers and hope he isn’t a crazy axe murderer who will kill you before the night is over.

You drag Deadpool to your apartment while talking a mile a minute (you know you were fine with inviting him but now you’re nervous and you hope he isn’t freaked out by your forwardness either) and set the alcohol on the table. “Sit down, make yourself at home, Deadpool-ssi,” you say brightly as you flutter around the kitchen to grab food and glasses for the drinks.

As you sit across Deadpool, he leans forward and places his head in his hand. “You know, we’ve been running around Gangnam all night, but I didn’t think to ask for your name. Can you tell me your name?”

You feel a bit scared and nervous, but hell, he’s in your ing apartment already, so why are you even feeling weird? But it suddenly seems so intimate, giving your name, so you stall by answering, “Only if you tell me yours. I’ve been calling you Deadpool-ssi all night! And I don’t even know what you look like!”

Deadpool laughs. “Ya, I asked first. And I can’t see your face either. How about we take off our masks and introduce ourselves properly to each other?”

You agree to both, but ask to freshen up first because, well, running around in a mask has definitely made you look sweaty. You point him in the direction of your bathroom, while you wash your face in the kitchen sink then run to your bedroom to retouch your makeup.

You're jittery and hyper all of a sudden, and so preoccupied with your thoughts that you don't notice there's something in your way out of the bedroom, and you bump into someone's broad chest… and, as he grabs you by the arms to steady you, you look up.

At the most gorgeous man you've ever seen.

“Hi, again,” says the guy with slightly messy pushed back black hair and a toothy grin. His smile is enough to make you weak in the knees, and you're suddenly glad he's holding you up because you suddenly can't feel your body.

It's Park Chanyeol. The rapper from the hottest boy group ever, EXO. PARK ING CHANYEOL, who always appears in your dreams that make you wake up all flustered and sweaty. Except now, it's not a dream at all.

“Ya,” you say, “you look awfully familiar…”

“And you look awfully pretty,” he mimics you in a teasing tone and slides an arm around your waist to bring you closer to him.

“I'm Chanyeol,” he whispers in your ear, sending shivers down your spine. “Nice to meet you.”

“I-I'm Hisako,” you barely manage to whisper back, you don't know how you can even function right now because his hands are moving up and down your arms and your back and you don't know how you got into this situation but you don't want it to stop.

Your hands involuntarily move themselves to run up and down his arms and then his chest and you can't stop yourself because he's just too irresistible and not touching him seems so wrong.

“Nice to meet you, Hisako,” he softly says.Hearing your name on his lips triggers something inside of you that you can't explain, so you pull his head down so your lips touch.

You lean back to look at him, to see his reaction, and the look of hunger in his face flames the desire whirling inside of you. He pulls you back towards him and captures your lips again. His lips are soft and inviting and you melt into him as he pulls you even closer until there is no space left between the both of you. You feel one of his hands cup your neck to bring you even closer and your brain reels because you are kissing Park ing Chanyeol and maybe you're going too fast, maybe you should stop but why should you when it feels so, so right?

He deepens the kiss even more and your brain stops working all together, because his mouth is hot and wet and you want more more more more, your body begs for it, so you greedily take as much of him as you can, as much as his willing to give.

Late, late into the night, you stare incredulously at his sleeping form beside you, hardly believing you just spent the night with the man you've been dreaming of forever. There'll be whats and ifs and whys and hows to be answered eventually, but for now, you snuggle up to him and listen to his heartbeat as he holds you close, until you fall asleep with a tired but satisfied smile on your face.

Best. Halloween. Ever.