Breathing heavily, Sehun and I stopped our spontaneous marathon when we were sure we had finally successfully shaken off the pushy reporters who had been on our heels with flashing cameras for a while. On the way, my cry of joy had turned into a light-hearted, liberating laughter coming from the depths of my heart, where even minutes after we had disappeared panting and sweating in a deserted side alley and come to a halt, I had my problems with getting myself under control again and restraining and calming down.

Too many thoughts came to me at the same time and yet I could not have said that I found them annoying or even undesirable. For in view of the completely eccentric situation in which I now found myself, this would have been only the most logical consequence. But I felt neither the shame nor the fear that was otherwise all too familiar to me. 

I couldn't even detect the slightest hint of remorse or regret in me, even though I had given the journalists a show that under normal circumstances would have made my hair stand on end and given my stomach an whiplash. But this unbelievably intense wave of relief that this incredibly brief moment of happiness gave me, when we walked and I never gave a thought to a morning, intoxicated me to immeasurable levels and nipped all the negative feelings in me in the bud.

Even in my few beautiful memories of my messed up childhood, I was sure that I had never felt such a wonderful sensation as I did at that moment. In my side there was a penetrating pain because of the lack of air and my laughter at the same time, but even this did not manage to get me out of my exuberant euphoria. »Unbelievable...«, I gasped in surprise and looked at Sehun beside me with sincere thanks in my eyes.

I didn't know if he understood what I was thanking him for exactly, namely that he gave me the chance to experience this feeling of perfect happiness at least this one time in my life, or that he even interpreted my gaze as thanks, but he smiled in agreement with me and I could have sworn that I saw the mischief in his eyes flashing for a short moment.

However, it disappeared as quickly as it had come, before Sehun finally let go of my hand and interrupted the eye contact to me again. He looked around to get an overview. I, on the other hand, could hardly suppress this mild touch of disappointment that crept in and came over me when Sehun let go of me. I would have loved best to grab his damn hand again and weld it with my own for all eternity.

Fortunately, I was able to stop myself in time and let my arm, which I stretched out for him, sink again just before I reached him. After all, I did not want to give him any stupid ideas and neither did I want to give myself any. Sehun was only a means to an end, I tried to convince myself consistently and ignored this unwelcome desire for him within me. I grumbled sullenly.

After my breathing had become halfway normal again, I finally addressed the word to him again, in order to change my mind - and to suppress this embarrassing silence between us. »And now?«, I asked him waiting. Sehun then stared at me furtively from the side. »Are you cold?«, he asked me a counter-question that was completely taken out of context for me, whereupon I could only scrunch up my eyebrows without understanding.

»Huh? No, why?«, I wanted to know right away. I mean, what does that have to do with my question? He didn't answer me, however, but instead pushed himself off the wall, so that a piece of the already damaged facade crumbled off and crumbled to dust as he walked leisurely down the narrow alley. Confused and partly totally overstrained, I looked at his back, but did not move myself.

Halfway along the way Sehun stopped and looked over his shoulder with a spiteful sparkle in his eyes and said: »Are you coming or are you waiting for better times? Are you scared?« I almost choked. I mean, did he actually dare to annoy me with my own biting comment that I had told him earlier at my window? Insolence! But well, I thought to myself after a sudden flash of inspiration. Now I set myself in motion as well. 

What he could do, I could do for a long time, right? »What are you thinking? Me, scared? Tze.«, I joked emphatically snappishly as I slowly caught up with him. »I think you still have a lot to learn, princess.«, I added with a mischievous wink and gave the jerk an additional slap on the arm as I finally walked past him. It was difficult for me to resist another laughing fit. Well, that was a one to zero for me, I thought gloatingly and could not prevent a mischievous grin from creeping up on my lips.

Sehun let out a annoyed sound which I then heard behind me, sounded like a victory song in my ears and gave me a triumphant feeling. I didn't know exactly why, but I just loved to annoy Sehun and maybe even drive him crazy. At the end of the alley, which was connected to a busy main street, I stopped again to wait for the aforementioned idiot. 

Alternating cars, motorbikes and bicycles shot past us or waited until the traffic lights changed colour again, while pedestrians crossed the streets in droves. In the meantime it had begun to dawn, so that the street lamps bathed the asphalt in a cold, pale light. On some roofs of the surrounding buildings, flashing illuminated billboards in bright color shades also flashed - almost as if they wanted to attract the attention of all the inhabitants and thus promote their products and services in the best possible way. 

This overstimulation, together with the noise of the engines and the people talking, suddenly seemed to me like an organized, terribly hectic chaos and now at the latest my already very limited sense of orientation had finally vanished into thin air. I felt like a lost puppy, while I rushed around looking around to all sides. Sehun, who stood next to me after he had caught up with me again and seemed strangely level-headed in the process now also looked at this orderly disorder before us. 

He didn't seem to mind at all, though, but unerringly took the path to our right. »Where are you going?«, I could no longer hide my curiosity as I obediently followed him. I mean, did I have any other choice? After all, I didn't know what he was planning, where he was taking me, let alone where the heck we were. »You'll see.«, he answered me briefly, so that it was all the more difficult for me to suppress an emerging restlessness and nervousness in me.

On the one hand, I could hardly contain myself in anticipation, for I knew that something would soon happen to me that would bring me back that elation of freedom that I had already experienced earlier. Well well, I didn't know for sure that this hoped-for feeling would come true, but I was pretty sure that Sehun would do something grandiose - or even totally stupid? - had planned with me and accordingly I couldn't get it fast enough until I was finally allowed to know. 

But on the other hand, this very uncertainty and Sehun's vague answer drove me crazy, which is why I would have loved to turn back. I mean, what if it was something completely insane, like the joint last night? I wouldn't put it past him. This restlessness caused me to bite my left thumbnail hastily. Over and over again I thought up theories - from absurd nonsense to banal trivialities - and would have been more than grateful for at least a tiny hint from Sehun.

After what felt like an eternity, in which we kept turning, going straight, turning and going straight again, we finally stopped - and finally! - in front of a driveway that led to a very well-kept, very pompous looking street, in which several nice, huge villas were lined up. My eyes became as big as a plate. Sure, I was already used to this luxury by my parents and the house we lived in was also far above average, but these villas, or rather these feudal buildings, topped everything I knew and put the proverbial icing on the cake, so that my own home suddenly seemed to me to be spartan and far minimalist. 

I could hardly get out of my amazement. »Don't tell me you're lost.«, after I had recovered from the initial shock, although I meant it rather rhetorically, because I for my part could not find any other plausible explanation for it. After all, neither he nor I fitted into this far more pompous environment - especially given the situation that brought us here, didn't we? Sehun next to me laughed. »No, don't worry, I didn't.«, he assured me. He was much too relaxed for my taste, before he continued his way unmoved and walked along the street with a motionless face.

»Wait a minute.«, I hissed in a whisper, because I didn't want us to be noticed and discovered. Strangely enough, I felt an unknown oppressive feeling in the pit of my stomach, as if my mind was stopping me from ever going anywhere near such a colossal and infinitely awe-inspiring environment. I was reluctant to admit it, but I was so intimidated by the enormous authority and grandeur that this street radiated.

»Wait now.« I whispered again, as the idiot had skillfully ignored my objection and continued his way without a care in the world. »What exactly are we doing here?«, I emphasized each word one by one to make him aware of this crazy idea on his