"Things base and vile, holding no quantity, Love can transpose to form and dignity. Love looks not with the eye, but with the mind, And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind."

- William Shakespeare

CHAPTER 15

It was almost three in the morning when Siwon left.

After the hug Yoona and Siwon shared, the latter felt a lot calmer. It was a long embrace, as they poured all of their emotions out. Siwon’s depression turned into smiles again, thanks to Yoona. She had helped him get through today, helped him get through the agony. His heart was swelled with that unknown feeling again. It was like feeling alive.

He didn’t want to leave, as her company made him a lot better. But he had to go, he had bothered her enough, she needs to go back to sleep.

Yoona was rather hesitant to let him go. Even though he looked fine and calm, she was still a bit worried.

“Will you really be okay?” she asked

“Yes. I will. You need to go back to sleep. I have bothered you enough.” He smiled. He noticed a loose strand of her hair; he reached for it and tucked it behind her ear.

The gesture startled Yoona a bit. She looked at him. “Well, if that’s what you want...”

Siwon went to his car and opened the door. But before he let himself in, he looked at Yoona. “Get back to your room now Yoona-shii, I’ll be fine. I promise you tomorrow I will be the annoying Siwon you loathe so much.”

She chuckled. “I’m sure you will irritate me to no end tomorrow. “She started to walk back. When she was a few steps away from the door, Siwon called her.

“Thank you...Yoona-shii...”

Unable to respond, she smiled at him and waved. He smiled back. She then went inside her house and up to her room. She glanced at the window. Siwon went inside his car and drove away.

Yoona lay in her bed, still unable to get back to sleep. She kept on thinking and rethinking everything that Siwon had told her. The conversation she had with Tiffany at the gym crossed her mind.

“.....Siwon is perhaps the nicest guy I’ve come to know, and the most protective.  He always tries to see the good in people, even after....that incident...”

The incident that had somehow shaped the guy’s life. She finally knows now the real meaning of Tiffany’s words.

A question bothered her though. How can Siwon be so kind, so gentle and so cheerful after he had experienced people’s cruelty at such a young age? How can he actually smile?

She yawned. When she drifted off to sleep, a final thought entered her mind. That’s just how he is.

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Yoona was walking along the packed hallway, still sleepy. Good thing she still arrived early. The hallway was crowded with students since first period had not yet started. She yawned and turned around a corner.

“BOOM!”

“YAHH!” Yoona was so surprised she dropped her bag. She held her heart steady and looked at the intruder. It was Siwon, smiling mischievously.

Yoona was so angry she retrieved her bag from the floor and hit him with it “WHAT THE DEVIL DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?” she hit him with it for a few times, hard, but Siwon was blocking every piece of the blow with his expert arms. He was laughing really hard.

“Hey Yoona-shii! You’re harassing an innocent child!”

Yoona stopped from hitting him and stared at him sharply. “Child? You are not a child but a DEVIL!” she hit him again and stormed away.

Siwon quickly followed her. “ Yoona-shii, let’s grab lunch later okay?”

Without looking at him, she responded. “NO”

He smiled. “I’m sorry Yoona-shii, please accept my invitation.”

She finally looked at him. “You’re impossible and NO” she had calmed down.

Siwon looked at her, his eyes twinkling. “Then I’ll just drag you to the canteen”

Yoona snorted. “Drag me if you must, that is, if you can find me.”

“Are you challenging me?” he raised his right eyebrow.

Before Yoona can answer, the bell rang. Students were hurrying here and there in between the two of them, and Yoona let herself be swept away. When she was a good distance apart from Siwon, she looked back at him. “Catch me if you can, Choi Siwon.”

He smiled sheepishly “Challenge accepted.”

Yoona turned around and went inside the classroom. She sniggered. This would be an interesting lunch break.

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When the bell rang, Yoona bolted upright and ran as fast as she can towards the door. She opened it up and scanned the hallway. Siwon is not yet around. She quickly thought of the perfect hiding place, and when her mind found what she was searching for, she instantly went to the place’s direction. As she did so, she turned her phone off. Siwon might locate her through GPS. As she quickly ran towards her chosen hiding place, a smirk issued in her lips.

 Let the game begin.

Siwon arrived at Yoona’s classroom. He wasn’t surprised when he discovered that Yoona was missing. He asked one of her classmates.

“Excuse me, where is Yoona?”

The girl, wide eyed at the fact that SIWON was talking to her, did not respond immediately.

“Miss?”

The girl giggled “...Oh Siwon Oppa...when the bell rang she went away immediately. I don’t know where she is...”

Siwon smiled, causing the girl to giggle more. “Is that so? Thank you.” He then walked away.

He opened his phone and tried to locate her through GPS, but, tough luck, she had probably turned her phone off. Siwon laughed.

A game, it is. Im Yoona, I will find you.

He then started to look for her. He had been studying for almost three years in this school, so he already knew every nook and crooks of it, whereas Yoona was still a freshman. He chuckled at his “obvious” victory.

He opened every classroom he had passed, from first up to the fourth floor. He searched in the library, the music room, chemistry and physics laboratory, the faculty office, administration office, office of the Board of trustees, office of the president, the student council room, he searched all of the rooms in the building, even the comfort rooms, both for female and male, much to his embarrassment, but no trace of Yoona can be found. He chuckled and shook his head. Yoona can make him go crazy.

He then went to the rooftop but no one is there, except for a few couples. He went to the secret passageways and shortcuts he knew, but no luck. He finally went outside, which was crowded with students, but Yoona was not there. He looked for her in the gym and in the vast theatre, but both places are empty. He laughed and brushed his hand through his hair. She was really serious.

“You win Yoona-shii.” Siwon whispered.

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Yoona was sitting comfortably in one of the chairs at the canteen, smiling at their silly game. She thought of this place because of its obviousness. Lunch was almost over but Siwon was still unable to find her. I won. Wahahaha.

But she was a bit sad though. The game was intended to punish Siwon, but she actually liked to eat lunch with him. Oh well... she thought.

As she randomly scanned the crowd, two familiar faces caught her attention. Eunhyuk, together with Tiffany, was eating their lunch at a table nearby. Tiffany suddenly looked up, and saw Yoona. She smiled and waved at Yoona. She waved back. Tiffany then gestured her to join them. Yoona obliged.

Eunhyuk looked at her when she had sat down. “Yoona-shii, where is Siwon?” he asked.

“Yeah where is he? I always see the two of you eating lunch together, except when he was absent, but today...where is he?” Tiffany added.

Yoona chuckled. “I think he’s still busy searching every corner of this school to find me.”

Tiffany looked puzzled. “I challenged him to a game earlier this morning. I will only eat lunch with him only if he can locate me. It’s like we’re playing hide and seek.”

To Yoona’s surprise, both Tiffany and Eunhyuk choked. A laugh escaped from their mouths.

“What?” Yoona asked.

It was Eunhyuk who answered. “Siwon when it comes to that game, hide and seek that is.”

“Yes that is so true.” Tiffany sniggered. “When we were about 7 years old, the three of us together with other kids in the neighbourhood went to the playground nearby to play hide and seek. Siwon was it. The playground was small, and the only things that can block us from him are the trees and some slides. But he still couldn’t find any of us. So he became it for a few more times.”

It was Eunhyuk who continued the story. “At the 15^th time of being an it, his was so annoyed and so frustrated that he stomped his foot on the ground and cried. He was bawling at the top of his lungs” Eunhyuk laughed.

“Poor Siwon, his eyes were so red. He even went to his hyung, saying we didn’t let him enjoy the game, and Kangta oppa being so protective, confronted us. In the end it was Kangta oppa who presented to become it. Siwon smilled again and---“ Tiffany stopped. “Oh...Yoona, Siwon is here.”

Yoona followed her gaze. Siwon is at the entrance, but he wasn’t looking at them. She instantly ducked out of sight and ran towards the nearest hiding place she could find, behind the food counter. The game is not yet over.

Her heart skipped a beat when she heard Siwon’s voice. “Two orders of ham sandwich, one lasagna, one éclair, one can of Pepsi and two bottles of water please. ”

Upon hearing  Siwon’s order, Yoona felt sad. So he’s just going to eat by himself when he couldn’t find me. She shook her head. Of course he has all the right to eat by himself...why the heck am I thinking like this...

“Are you going to eat it here?”

“No, I’ll take them all out.” Siwon answered.

He walked away after taking his order. Yoona waited for a bit before she went out of her hiding place, as she did so, the bell rang. She walked towards Eunhyuk and Tiffany, waved them goodbye and set off towards her classroom.

Well, at least I won. She thought. But she doesn’t feel victorious.

When she went inside the classroom, she noticed a small brown thing atop her table. When she stood beside it, the small brown thing was in fact a small pack. She sat on the chair. She carefully opened the brown wrapper. The pack contains an assortment of food.

Yoona frowned. She took every piece of food inside it, one ham sandwich, lasagna, éclair, a bottle of water and a can of Pepsi. Exactly the same food Siwon ordered in the canteen. Yoona couldn’t help but smile. As she turned the now empty wrapper upside down, a small piece of paper fell. She held it and read.

Yoona-shii,

I thought triumph is mine, but I was proven wrong.

You see, I at playing hide and seek when I was young.

And I still up until now. Kekeke...

You’ve hidden well, I couldn’t find you (or was I just being dumb?)

Anyways, I was worried. Maybe you didn’t eat.

So I bought some and left it on your table.

Don’t worry I’ve tried them, they’re not poisonous.

Kidding!!! Kekeke...

--Siwon ^_^

P.S. come meet me at the Music Room after class :D

Yoona mentally replied “Okay”. She placed the note on the table and smiled. She then uncovered all the food Siwon had bought, and ate it with pleasure.

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mianhe! haven't updated for a while. i was busy studying and taking major exams. hope you like this chapter.. ^_^