Chanyeol: Something came up. I'm going to be late.

You: Ok.

You: Where are you now?

You: The movie is starting soon. Are you nearby yet?

You: Chanyeol?

I sighed as I stared at my phone again, hoping that Chanyeol had replied to my earlier messages.

Nothing.

It was already half past ten in the evening and I had been waiting outside the cinema for almost two hours. Where could he be? And why was he taking so long? I started to worry as grim thoughts entered my mind. What if something bad had happened to him on the way? Could he have gotten into an accident?

I switched my phone on again and tried dialling him this time. His phone was ringing but he didn't answer. An elongated tone invaded my ear as my call went straight to voicemail.

Out of frustration, I huffed. I was getting tired of waiting and being in the dark both literally and metaphorically. What if it was all a prank to him? I kept thinking. If I didn't have grim thoughts, I had doubtful ones as I tried to rule out every possible reason as to why Chanyeol was really late. And the more I thought about it, the more I became uncertain as to which one of the possibilities could actually be worse.

What if Chanyeol was just leading me on when he said that he wanted to go on a date with me this evening? Or what if he really got into an accident and he might be suffering at this precise moment while I'm here, waiting for him to arrive?

I was about to ring the other EXO members when I suddenly felt something drip onto my head. Sprinkles of rain had started falling and, it got heavier as every second passed by. I scowled, Just my luck. As best as I could manage in platform heels, I raced towards a nearby café that was still open. There, I sat down as I tried to pat myself dry. I checked my face in the mirror and saw that thankfully, my make-up hadn't smudged.

"So much for surprising him," I said aloud.

Hyun-suk had spent a few hours helping me get ready for my date with Chanyeol. He had gone through the effort of doing my makeup and curling my hair so that it cascaded down my partially exposed back in ringlets of curls as I was wearing a pink off-shoulder dress. After much debate on what to buy, Hyun-suk and I managed to pick out an outfit that was modest yet flattering for my figure. It was an A-line dress that ended just above the knee. Hyun-suk had given me his thumb of approval after he had finished styling me to his taste. After he had finished, he had instructed me to wait outside the cinema to see if Chanyeol would notice my fabulous transformation and to report back to him once my date was over.

I stared at my reflection glumly. I felt bad for Hyun-suk because he had invested so much time and effort yet it had amounted to nothing since Chanyeol hadn't turned up.

I sighed despondently as I checked my phone again. Still nothing.

Maybe I should head home and forget about this date? I thought to myself. But before I did, I decided to ring the EXO members, back at the dorm, to see if Chanyeol had gotten in touch with them. If anything, there was one person in the dorm who would tell me straight if Chanyeol was at home.

"Hello?" I heard him say. "Nami-ah, is that you?"

"Hi, D.O-ah" I replied weakly.

I heard D.O clear his throat, "What's up? How come you're calling? Is there something wrong?"

I sighed as I told him, "Chanyeol hasn't turned up."

"What?!" I heard D.O shout. "Why? Where is he? Why isn't he with you?"

"I don't know" I responded wearily. "That's what I wanted to ask you. I was wondering if he's gotten in touch with anyone back at the dorm."

D.O replied, "No. None of us have heard from him. Last time any of us saw him was back at SMHQ. We left at the same time. He was meant to take a taxi and meet you at the cinemas over an hour ago."

My heart sank. So Chanyeol wasn't at home either.

"Have you tried calling him?" D.O asked. "Is he not answering?"

"It keeps going to voicemail."

As D.O thought of what to say next, I suddenly felt a tap on my shoulder. "Excuse me, miss. Mind if I sit next to you?" I turned around, my phone still next to my ear.

"Omo!" I exclaimed as I saw who it was.

I had forgotten that D.O was still on the phone with me. "Hello? Nami-ah? What is it? Has Chanyeol arrived?"

I quickly replied, "It's okay, D.O-ah. I'm with a friend now. I'll call you back later." And I hung up.

The stranger walked to the seat opposite me and sat down as he placed a tray, carrying a cup of coffee, down on the table.

"What brings you here, Nami-ssi?" Ryuk asked as he smiled at me. "And I must say," he said while glancing me up and down, "you're looking very beautiful this evening. I almost didn't recognise you."

I blushed at his compliment. "I was waiting for someone," I told him and then my voice grew quiet as I remembered how Chanyeol hadn't turned up. "But, I guess he's not coming."

Ryuk must have seen my forlorn expression because then he asked, "Were you waiting for someone special? A... boyfriend, perhaps?"

I averted my gaze, my cheeks feeling warm. I nodded slightly.

I heard Ryuk let out a breath of disapproval. "He's such a douche."

I peeped up at him and saw that he had a scary expression on. "How dare he leave a charming young lady like yourself alone at this hour? Honestly!"

"He's not that bad" I hurriedly mentioned. "He must have his reasons..." but even I didn't know why I was defending Chanyeol. What if he really did jilt me?

Ryuk wasn't convinced. He stood up abruptly. "Well, I wouldn't be any better if I leave you here on your own." He quickly downed his coffee and gestured for me to stand up too. "C'mon Nami-ssi. I'll take it upon myself to be your for tonight."

I was startled, "Oh, no, Ryuk-ssi. You don't have to do that--"

But he wasn't having any of it. "I insist." He smiled at me warmly to reveal his yellowing teeth. "You always give me a can of coffee every day and I feel bad that I don't give you anything in return." He thought for a moment and then added, "I know, why don't I take you out for dinner? How does that sound?"

"Ryuk-ssi, it's okay, honestly--"

"Please, Nami-ssi. Let me help you out. You must be hungry already."

As if on cue, my stomach grumbled and I placed my hand on top of it as if it would mute its gurgling. I blushed, "Yeah... I am kind of hungry now" I admitted.

Ryuk was pleased, "So shall we go