Chapter IV:

*.☽.*
 

It had almost been a month since that fateful day I saw the guy who turned out to be The Byun Baekhyun of this country.

Believe it or not, I went back to the Hiking Place the very next day. Though I knew that there was a big possibility that he might not show up again because he wouldn't be that careless after bumping into a stranger, I did it anyway.

The truth was, I started to like his music. The way his voice sounded like honey whenever he sang love songs. The way it left a little tug in my heart when he sang a sad ballad. And before I knew it, almost half of my playlist was already filled with his songs. 

I just knew there was a fangirl slowly growing in me and I certainly wanted to see him again. Not that I knew what to tell him or to react when I see him again. I just wanted to see him, maybe just to confirm that meeting him last time wasn't a dream or a product of my imagination.

Then again, as expected, I never saw him up there again. It made me sad a little of course. I continued to hike anyway, telling myself that he was not the main reason I went there in the first place. Which was mostly true. It was my healing place even before he showed up. Meeting him up there was nothing but a pure coincidence. 
 

*.☽.*

It was a late Saturday afternoon when I decided to climb up the old hiking place again. I thought it was a good idea to come here a little later to avoid the scorching sun. It was almost Autumn but it was still hot which was starting to be annoying. That, and the thought that my bike chain broke made me think otherwise. It broke down fifteen minutes away from the entrance of the hiking place. As a result, I was forced to walk from there. I felt like a fool not checking it before coming here.

When I finally reached the entrance, I leaned it next to the signage. I fished for my hair tie inside my bag and made a messy ponytail. I bent my knees to examine it afterward. To be honest, I didn't know what to do with it since it was the first time it happened to me.

Like any normal human being who had a broken bike, I started to do what I thought was the right thing. To try and fix it. It appeared to me that the chain got detached from the crankset. Roaming my attention on the ground around me, I saw a stick near me. It looked quite useful, so I grabbed it. 

It looked easy at first until my first attempt failed. The second one was not any different and the third failed attempt followed. I huffed the loose strands of my hair falling on my face out of frustration. 

"Will you cooperate, please?" I pleaded not knowing if it was for the bike or my inexperienced self. "I need you to go home." 

I roamed my attention around once more and instantly got worried imagining what it'd be here like when it started to get dark.

Shaking the scary thought away, I made my fourth attempt to fix my injured bike. I was in the middle of trying again when I heard something that halted what I was doing. Stopping halfway, I listened. 

It sounded like a car coming in my direction and it kind of freaked me out. Knowing that not a lot of people knew about this place anymore, I didn't waste any time. I suspended what I was doing immediately. I stood and looked for a place to hide. My brain lagged for a brief second before I ran and hid right behind the nearby bushes.

Since I was about 165cm, I needed to make sure my head wouldn't give me away. I crouched as low as I could to cover my entire profile. My hands landed on the ground which I also retrieved and proceeded to place on my lap.

I was certain that anyone who would see me now would laugh at me. Honestly, what would my parents say if they found out that their daughter left her stable job and life in Australia just to hide behind the bushes like this? I dwelt on the thought for a few more seconds until the vehicle reached the entrance of the hiking place.   

I briefly watched as a sleek, black car stopped right next to my bike. My eyes were on it while my mind was also busy thinking of a way for me to escape. My head filled with images of a goon coming out of the car. Tilting my head to the right, I saw a medium-sized rock a foot away. I struggled to stretch my arm and grabbed it. Held it close to me like it was supposed to save my life. 

At least, I had something to defend myself with. 

"Don't let me die, please don't let me die." I chanted silently as I slouched more, pressing my eyes closed.

For some reason, it became really quiet and I could audibly hear the car's door is opened and closed. My heartbeat was speeding as I bit my lower lip. 

The footsteps came afterward leaving the dried leaves crushed under the person's feet. I was fighting my curiosity, convincing myself not to take a peek but then again I had always been a curious cat. I slowly lifted my head to check only to have my jaw dropped. 

I almost poked my face with the stick, which I was still holding by the way, out of surprise when I recognized who the newcomer was. 

It was him. 

It was Byun Baekhyun.  

He was the exact person I saw on TV and on the videos I watched that day I found out who he was. Only now he looked more casual and laidback. He was wearing a navy blue cap, gold round specs, and a loose, plain, grey shirt paired with pants and sneakers. 

I was still staring at him in disbelief. He roamed his attention around, probably looking for the owner of the broken bike. I ducked, shutting my eyes closed not knowing why I had to do it. 

The next moment I get to open my eyes, I happen to have an eye to eye contact with a hideous, crawling bug next to my foot on the ground. My breath hitched as I looked at it unbelievably. I blinked my eyes a few times hoping it'd magically disappear but it was still there. I hate bugs and this one right here made me feel so uncomfortable. I watched its legs make slight movements towards me and it gave me goosebumps.

Without having second thoughts, I shrieked and jumped away from where I was hiding, obviously and voluntarily revealing myself out in the open. 

I sure made a few incomprehensible sounds as I flee from the tiny bug. By the time I came back to my senses, I was panting. My hands, still holding the stick and the rock, were on my chest trying to calm myself due to the sight of the bug. I bent a little, my hands landed on my knees for support. 

"I... hate...bugs," I said in between my heavy breathing.

I was so busy trying to compose myself, completely forgetting that I was not alone anymore.

"Where did that come from..." I trailed off as the realization hit me. 

My face started to feel hot, fully remembering why I was hiding earlier. My ey