Krystal was all ready for the day that she promised to spend with Minho, but she requested for it to start at lunch because she knows that she needs to catch on sleep. As she went downstairs, Minho had just went to the backyard, making them miss each other’s presence.

“Minho,” she called for him as she reached the bottom of the stairs. She checked to see if the front door was opened, but it was still locked. She noticed that the sliding door that led to the backyard was opened, so she walked closer to it.

The autumn breeze made it difficult for her to walk outside without her socks and just her slippers, but she braved it just to check what’s up in the backyard.

“What are you doing here?”

“I went to see why the door was open.”

“Why don’t you have your socks on? Go and wear them!”

She was confused, yet she agreed. She went upstairs to get her fuzzy socks to keep her feet warm aside from her slippers. She wanted to know what Minho planned for today, but it seems like they actually won’t go anywhere. She was still in her sweats, expecting that maybe she should get changed, but there was no further notice. Minho was also in his sweats and fuzzy socks along with his slippers as he was kept walking outside to the backyard.

“Alright, it’s lunch time and everything’s set. Let’s go!” Minho pulled Krystal to the backyard and her eyes widened at the sight of the tent that in the backyard. “It’s extra comfortable, don’t worry. I made sure that it will be.”

The tent had a mattress and pillows inside with thick duvets and heated blankets. The food was also inside the tent and all that’s left is for the two to go inside. They made themselves comfortable inside the tent and left it a bit ped to enjoy the mild breeze before it gets harsh a little later.

“You like it?”

“Very much! It’s actually my dream to go camping, but I don’t know when I can do it or how I can do it because I can’t live without showering or a toilet.”

“Same here. I guess we can finally tick camping off our bucket list?”

She nodded in agreement. “Definitely.”

“So, I know we got married because of our parents and I just realized how we don’t actually know each other even if they kept telling us before that we were each other’s male and female versions.”

She was just listening to him as she nodded slowly with her lips lightly curved up because she knew that he was right.

“Today, I want us to get to know each other. Our likes and dislikes, anything and everything that we can talk about just like how normal friends do it. I just want to get to know you.”

“So I guess it’s only proper that we really begin this with,” she took a short pause, then she raised her eyebrows before smiling. “Hi, I’m Krystal Jung, my Korean name is Soojung, an only child who loves to read and it’s been my childhood dream to be a doctor.”

Minho just smiled before he followed her lead. “I’m Choi Minho, an only child who loves to play video games on my free time and it’s always been a dream of mine to become a doctor. What’s your favorite color?”

“Blue and white. What about you?”

“We have the same favorites.” He chuckled before asking another one. The two kept asking each other about simple questions, even questions that were considered to be silly, and they kept laughing at how similar they really were. Their lunch didn’t only fill their stomach with treats, but they also bonded and kept sharing laughter.

“Why don’t you eat meat?”

“I’ve never liked it since I was a kid.” Krystal squinted her eyes at a memory of her in first grade. “I had a classmate who brought bacon to class and asked me to taste it, so I said okay. I actually liked it, then I asked mom to buy bacon and it became my stepping stone to eating meat.”

“Why did you stop? You wanted to be a full-time vegetarian?”

She nodded. “I didn’t have a choice, too. I became allergic to it. I’m only allowed to eat vegetables and I’m allergic to everything else. I love to eat seafood, but one day I had an anaphylactic shock while I was home alone. Our maid went outside, while the driver just left. Thankfully, she went back inside and the driver was able to go back before my throat totally closed.”

“Oh, I didn’t know that you were hypersensitive to those types of food. I just thought you want to be vegan.”

She chuckled. “People think I watch my body too much with what I eat, but they have no idea.” She sighed. “What about you, you’re not allergic to anything?”

“Thankfully, I’m not- well, except for the lazy classmates that I had before. Lazy people, in general.” He chuckled and she nodded at how accurate it was. “I met Yoona in college, that’s how we became friends.”

“Mhm,” she added while nodding to his story. She suddenly remembered the night of Yoona’s party when they were getting teased by her mother, Yoona, and the rest of his and Yoona’s classmates.

“How did you guys become friends?”

“We were high school classmates. We loved the same band. If it weren’t for the band, we’d always fight.”

“Because you’re both crabby?”

She nodded in reply. “And really cranky in the morning- but hey, aren’t you like that too? I heard from your parents before.”

He chuckled while nodding. “Yep, extremely crabby and cranky.”

“And when Jiwon said that I’n a workaholic, I could only think that you’re also one,” she laughed.

“But I always have biscuits in my pocket— but yes, I’m also one.” He nodded with a smile when he realized that she also heard it from her parents and she remembers it even if the information was shared when they were still in college.

“Remember when they were forcing us to have a picture together?”

He nodded as he remembered everyone teasing them.

“I actually hated it. I don’t know if I was too shy or-“

“Or because you actually hate taking pictures?”

Her eyes widened at how spot on he is. “How-“

He hugged his knees and nodded. “Me too. I was feeling the same way, but do you agree that-“

“One picture’s just enough?”

“See! They didn’t have to enjoy themselves too much!

“Yeah! Like that was so awkward because it was our first time meeting each other, but we do know about the parents wanting us to be together-“

“And we couldn’t even do anything that night and just stand there awkwardly as they take our picture-“

“And I just wanted them to stop,” they said in unison. The two shared a laugh when they finally found out how the other felt in almost a decade since the incident.

“That was too much for a first meeting, right?”

He nodded in agreement. “We weren’t able to talk first because I was shy to approach you and your mom even if I’ve met her before.”

“Me too, I didn’t know how to approach you. Just two awkward souls not knowing how to approach each other, then they’re suddenly pushed for a picture.”

The two shared another laugh as they looked back at the awkwardness once more. The feelings were mutual and they were glad that it was.

“Were you supposed to be just an only child,” she asked him.

“Maybe, yes.” Minho took a sip of water before he continued. “My parents almost broke up, dad told me, but he put up with mom because mom can be a bit annoying at times. I just know that they had this huge argument when I was maybe around 3 or 4 years old about mom being so demanding and it was only dad who was working, but dad stayed with her and she was able to realize that she was wrong, but her nagging went on. It’s as if dad just forced himself to love mom. I used to ask for a sibling because my friends had one, but they had arguments when I was younger. Maybe that was the reason why I didn’t have siblings. What about you?”

“My mom was supposed to have twins before me, but she miscarried while she was in the office. I only found out when I was already in college- that was when she finally told me. I did ask my parents for a sibling, but I think me being an only child out turned out for the best. My parents argued a lot when I was younger, too, then my dad would change shortly, then it will be chaotic again and he was also abusive. I tried to understand him because he was my father and even kept forcing mom to stay with him countless times, but I finally had it when I was in high school. Mom and I finally got tired of giving him a world of chances. We left the house, but that was even difficult.”

“Why, did he do something before you left him?”

Krystal was staring blankly at the door of the tent as she reminisced the past. “We had to run for our lives. He threw a chair at me and it landed on my arm. I had a huge bruise here,” she pointed to her upper arm. “Until I went back to school after the winter break. It only disappeared in spring. After that, we tried to escape, then he chased us with a gun. Our helper was able to call a taxi for us, then mom and I checked into a hotel for days to go into hiding. You could say that was the best Christmas that I had,” she said before laughing sarcastically.

He was surprised to know about this chapter of her life. He had no idea that she had a difficult time growing up because of her own father. “So I guess you can say that your father was the first guy to break your heart,” he remembered about Jiwon’s warning when she said that Krystal has had her heart broken countless of times.

She could only nod. “And he repeatedly broke it. Aside from not working, he even cheated on mom-“ she paused at the sudden memory. “Remember when we went for lunch and I became so upset that I left my valuables?”

“When you kept crying in your clinic?”

She nodded to confirm his assumption. “I saw the girl who went behind mom’s back and kept sending her anonymous texts about being the mistress and she would also call me at home as an anonymous caller to say that she was the mistress. I was able to recognize her voice because she also works in the office as mom’s staff, but she said that it wasn’t her and she kept saying that she’s the mistress. I thought she was joking, but at 8 years old, I knew I could only trust a few people.”

“You should’ve told me. I would’ve spilled drink ‘accidentally’ on her on my way out.”

She giggled lightly at his remark, still with hurt and sadness in her eyes. “I’d appreciate that. Yeah, I should’ve told you. Enough with the heavy part!” She waved her hands to put an end to it. “Let’s go back to those slam book questions. When’s your birthday?”

“December 9th. I’m not also big on celebrating, just like you. I like quiet and simple celebrations, like traveling or just having dinner with family and a few friends.”

“Then why did you throw me a huge surprise?”

“Well it was simple for me. Just family and friends were there and it was a dinner that you didn’t know about.” He smiled at her. “I don’t know, I’m not big on celebrating mine, but when it’s for other people, I like making then feel special.”

“Me too. I go all out in surprising my friends and my family when it’s their birthday- even if they don’t know when mine is. I just like seeing them happy on their special day.”

“So why do you not like celebrating?”

“I already told you about that, right?”

“Yeah, but I kinda feel like there’s something else.”

She sighed at how good he is. “Okay, okay. I had this one birthday when I thought the people who know it so well actually didn’t. It was only my mom who greeted me. My parents were still together at that time, but only mom remembered. Since then, I realized that it was no big deal.”

“Again, for you. Then there are people who love you and so, we want to celebrate you.”

She smiled at hime before looking down at her feet. Her cheeks felt like they were slowly heating up. “I don’t mean to ask this, but I just want to know. I’ll be apologizing in advance- how many girlfriends have you had?”

Minho laughed at her cuteness. She was just like a child. “I just had one.”

She was shocked when she heard this, not because he only had one ex-girlfriend, but because she somehow couldn’t breathe and her heart started beating fast. “Am I— no, no. You don’t have the right to feel that way, Krystal,” she scolded herself mentally. 

“But we were still young when we became a thing. We didn’t last very long, too.”

The first thing he said made her relieved. When he said that they didn’t last long, she slowly nodded before taking a sip of her water. She felt more relieved. “How’d you guys meet, through a friend?”

He shook his head. “I met her during a soirée, and we were in our sophomore year. We broke up shortly after a few months after we both realized that we’re not yet ready for a relationship. And you?”

She laughed out loud before she could speak. “Guess how many?”

“You’re a player?!” He didn’t expect it from her because she didn’t seem like one

“What?! Do I really look like that?”

“Well- no. Uh, one?”

She shook her head. “Guess again.”

“Two?”

She threw her head back from laughter before telling him the correct answer. “None! I have zero ex-boyfriends.”

He just watched her laugh and enjoyed it before waiting for her laughter to die down. “So it was really just your dad who kept giving you heartbreaks?”

She curved her lips up to a thin smile as she nodded. “And he was good at it.” She sighed before drinking water.

“That explains why she’s so guarded,” he thought. “Now I know why she wouldn’t let her walls come down even if there are moments that I’ve already broken it.” Minho took mental notes and even remembered what Jiwon said about Krystal getting her heart hurt a lot of times. “You don’t really believe in love, do you?”

“Yeah.” She took a deep breath while her eyes were focused on her feet. “I suppose you don’t either?” She looked at him with her eyebrows raised to give him a questioning look. Slowly, he nodded in reply. “That explains why he’s a bit awkward with girls- because even his own parents weren’t an example of how an ideal couple should also be,” she thought.

There was a short moment of silence after their painful secret was revealed to each other.

“Call me cheesy,” Minho voiced out to put a stop to the silence. “But when I saw you for the first time at the party I thought to myself that you looked so beautiful in white.” He pursed his lips together before curving them up to form a thin smile and looked at her.

Krystal remembers the night they first met clearly as she looked into his brown orbs and noticed his shy smile. She followed his gesture, then they both looked at their knees right after. She was dressed in white, he was in a tuxedo, then their picture later at the party was both of them wearing white because he removed his suit and was just in his white button down. She was surprised to hear those words from him. “For me, it’s your awkwardness left an impression. I found it a bit cute how you were awkward with saying hello.” She giggled.

“Wow, as if you weren’t in the same state! You know what Yoona said? It was as if she was looking at a mirror with the male and female versions of each other and it made her laugh the whole night.” Minho chuckled at the memory.

They looked at each other before flashing a smile at the same time. They continued to get to know each other until it was evening and they even failed to notice the time. Their backyard camping was filled with laughter and stories and secrets were subtly being revealed. All they know is that they they both felt the same way, however discreet the signs may be. Maybe, just maybe, they think that this could be the start of something new.

Author's note: So I just posted a triple update! SURPRISE!! Please don't forget to tell me what you guys think of the chapters in the comments section below and please don't forget to hit subcribe to stay updated for the upcoming chapters :) I'd also like to thank and welcome my new subcribers :D I hope you guys will enjoy the journey. Looks like the story's gonna make some twists and turns, but I know you guys wouldn't want a bumpy ride, so- just stay tuned!!

P.S. Is anyone a fan of Broadway/musical theatre?? Yesterday was the 15th anniverary celebration of my favorite musical of all time (and imo was, and still is, the greatest musical that was ever made), Wicked!! I just bawled my eyes out when all the Glindas and Elphies came out on stage and seeing the original Glinda and Elphaba really made me jump and scream for joy- even if I'm sick because of the change in the weather.

Anyway, don't forget to leave comments and hit subscribe! I'll be seeing you in the next chapter :D