The next morning she scanned the whole bus when she got on, but didn’t find him sitting anywhere. Slightly disappointed, she took a seat, and plugged on her earphones to listen to Red Velvet on full blast.

Airplane mode on, because she didn’t want her dad to call early in the morning.

Staring out at the mostly empty lands that spread afar on both sides of the road, she leaned her head on the window.

Wait, is that him?

Hurriedly pulling off the earphones, she took her bag and leapt to her feet. “Ahjussi I’m getting off!!!”

“Decided to walk to school I see.”

She beamed at the boy who was gaping at her when she got off the bus a few meters ahead of him. “Good morning Suho!”

“Good morning.” He grinned back, taking longer strides to reach her fast. “Did you get off because you saw me?”

She nodded, hanging her magenta backpack back on its place on her shoulders. “What made you walk? Is it the view?” she asked, looking around the fields full of various coloured cosmos flowers, and the road wide enough for just two vehicles to pass each other, edged with yellow chrysanthemums. The clear blue skies with just one or two clouds added more points to the view, along with a fresh morning breeze unlike the polluted winds in Seoul.

“Um... yeah.”

He didn’t like lying to his new found one and only friend, but he wasn’t yet ready to tell her about the weird dreams he had been having since a few years now.

* * *

“Wait for me Eunae! Stop running so fast you’ll fall at this rate!”

Ignoring his words, she ran through the field of cosmos, arms spread out in delight of the temporary freedom she had received. He stopped for a moment, admiring the beautiful view of her raven hair that cascaded down her back in long straight tresses.

“Eunae don’t run too far arasso? We have to return to the mansion before abhuji. He’ll be storming to my study to check on me as soon as he returns from the royal court.”

He walked up to the girl who had decided to stop hearing his words, head hanging down with a sigh. Lilac silk robes swaying in the breeze of the field and the chain of pearls hanging from his black hat oscillating to the rhythm of his steps, he walked up to her. “Don’t be disappointed my Eunae... I will definitely take you out in secret tomorrow night to watch the lantern festival. It’s a promise.”

Sulky face lightening up in a bright smile, she turned back to him. “Will you really take me young master?”

* * *

He couldn’t tell her that the face that has been appearing in his dreams for the past few years is identical to hers. He didn’t want her to think of him as a creep when even he couldn’t understand the meaning of those dreams.

Nightmares, most of the time.

Those made him wake up either shaking or sweating...

Or crying.

“So do you take art classes?”

He was brought back to earth with her question.

“Ah, no I don’t... and I never had.”

“Then how can you draw this beautifully?” she asked back in awe.

* * *

Yoona was one of the very few who were nice and friendly with Yooju, given that two thirds of the school avoided her mostly because of her being a politician’s daughter. But even Yoona couldn’t be with her outside the lesson hours since her clingy boyfriend from the neighbouring class, Kim Minseok ran to find her whenever he found a free minute.

And like that, she ended up walking to the school cafeteria alone at lunch time.

Every table was occupied with two or more people, except for the one at the far corner where he sat, lunch laid forgotten in front of him and his eyes glued to the phone screen.

He looked up in a startle when his dinner tray was lifted off the table surface.

“What are you watching so eagerly?”

She asked, raising an amused eyebrow at the surprised boy.

“Ah, I love travelling. I follow some travel blogs so was going through the updates.” He held up the phone to show her a photo of a coral reef. “Waah...an artist who is also a nature lover.” She smiled acknowledgingly. “Let’s go out. It’s so stuffy here.”

She signalled him to follow, and walked out taking two trays of lunch held with glittery manicured fingers.

In silence, he followed her with his cup of hot chocolate.

They settled down on an empty bench under a willow tree near the school grounds.

“Let’s make this our special spot from now on! I hate eating indoors.” She lied, making an excuse for bringing him out of the hurtful lonely atmosphere. The boy nodded, taking a sip of his streaming hot chocolate. The hot beverage made a layer of steam on his spectacles, covering the lenses in a sheen of mist.

The girl couldn’t stop laughing. “You have white shades now...” she said pointing at him between giggles. A faint pink crept up his pale cheeks, and he took off the glasses. “Haven’t you seen such a thing before? It always happens when I drink something hot.” He said timidly.

But she stopped laughing.

The pair of eyes watching her laugh, were far more attractive than they seemed behind the thick lenses.

Breathtakingly beautiful that she couldn’t take her eyes off them.

He blinked, confused.

Unconsciously, she raised her palm to his forehead, and pushed up the jet black fringe that covered his entire forehead, revealing a pair of thick black eyebrows.

“You’re so handsome... didn’t you know that?”

He couldn’t reply and stayed still, frozen under her touch.

“You have the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen.”

* * *

“Han Yooju!!!”

Yooju whirled her head around, to witness him running towards her right before she exited the school gates. He came to a stop in front of her, doubling up while panting.

“Why Suho? Is anything wrong?” she asked widening her eyes at the still panting boy. He straightened up, and shook