Ha Neul’s POV

I felt strange. People and booths were zooming past us but I didn’t really notice. The only thing that was sharp in my vision was Jonghyun’s back. My heart was pounding in my chest; whether it was from running or from something else, I couldn’t really tell. Somehow it all felt so unreal; I couldn’t even feel the ground under my feet, it was like I was running on air…

I remembered the scene from ‘Playful Kiss’ where Baek Seung Jo and Oh Ha Ni are running away too. And I felt my heart skip because of the striking analogy and because I knew what happened to the two in the end.

I glanced at Jonghyun and swallowed. Baek Seung Jo took Oh Ha Ni’s hand because he liked her…

But then I shook my head. No, our situation was different. There hadn’t even been a choice in the first place. There was no Yoon Hae Ra with whom Jonghyun had been on a date and I had been standing so close to Jonghyun it would have been weird for him not to take me along.

But that didn’t diminish the happy feeling in my chest in the slightest.

Finally, Jonhyun slowed down and for a while we both just stood there panting. Jonghyun was leaning against a street light and resting his head on the same pole too. His eyes were closed. I on the other hand, just stood there, slightly stooping down and with my right arm akimbo. Only my right arm because my left hand was still entwined with Jonghyun’s…

And to be honest, I didn’t want to let go. It felt right there. I didn’t know why I wasn’t freaking out anymore, like I had been on the roller-coaster… but actually liked it instead…! How could I concede to him so easily?!

“Why are you staring at me like that?”

“Huh?”

“I asked you why you are staring at me like that,” he chuckled. Crap, I hadn’t noticed him opening his eyes again. “Or have you finally realised my outstanding looks?” And I also couldn’t comprehend why his teasing grin suddenly had my heart running again. It had never done that before! Maybe it just hadn’t completely calmed down from running yet?

“Seriously? You really did realise it?”

“What, no!” I yelped and blushed. Why am I blushing?! “Of course not! Dream on!” I hurriedly snatched my hand back and turned away.

This is utterly ridiculous! What is wrong with me all of a sudden?! Why can’t I look into his eyes anymore without turning red? And why do I enjoy us holding hands?!

“Ghosty?” I heard him ask. Why does he sound so worried? I’m just a stranger who forced her way into his apartment! He shouldn’t feel worry for someone like me!! “Hey, are you alright? Is something the matter?” He continued and suddenly I felt his hand on my shoulder, turning me around.

It was as if his touch had sent an electric shock right through my body and I jerked away. What the hell?! I glanced at my shoulder. Seriously, this is starting to creep me out! What is happening to me?? “Uhh, I-I’m fine,” I said without looking up as I still could feel Jonghyun’s stare on me.

“You don’t look fine at all…” I heard him mutter and I bit my lip. Stop being so observant! I—

“I guess you must be thirsty from all the running, huh… Okay, let’s get you something to drink then.” And before I knew what was happening he had grabbed my hand again and was pulling me towards a nearby restaurant. He led me onto the terrace and ordered me to sit down at a little table for two right next to the water. The whole restaurant was built on top of a small river and everything was made out of wood so I could hear the water purling below the wooden floor.

“You wait here,” Jonghyun instructed before he headed towards the sheltered counter. I saw him adjusting his sunglasses and pulling his cap down to hide his famous face. Stupid me! I should have gone and ordered the drinks instead of him!

I was already preparing myself for another swift escape when he turned around and walked back to me with two glasses in his hands. I quickly turned my head and pretended to be looking at the river instead. I definitely couldn’t let him find out that I had been staring at him yet again!

“Here,” I heard him say as he put down the drinks on the table. Being forced to turn back to him, I shifted my sight to the drink he’d bought and honestly, it looked mouth-watering!

Not forgetting my manners, I mumbled a soft “Thanks” and put the straw to my lips, taking a sip.

“Whoa, mata!” I couldn’t help but voice my liking for the delicious fruity flavour and made the mistake to look up.

His drink stood still untouched on the table and he was leaning back in his chair, his arms crossed in front of his chest. He had his head slightly tilted and there was the gentlest smile playing on his lips. Oh God…

But it was not his smile that made my breath catch in my throat; made my eyes unable to look away and my heart skip several beats. It was the way he was looking at me. Despite the impossibility of it, the only word that occurred to me to describe it was ‘loving’. I had recently started to check out some fanfiction and other stuff related to him and had always wondered how it was possible for those girls to ‘melt’ at something he said or did.

But now I knew. Now, I knew it perfectly.

“You know, you’re staring again…”

I blinked and bit my lip, averting my eyes. “Well, y-you started…” I countered weakly, my ‘molten’ brain unable to come up with anything wittier.

“That’s ‘cause you’re cute when drinking so seriously…”

I chocked on my drink. W-what?! C-c-cute? I felt my cheeks getting hot again. Damn…!

“…and when blushing also…”

Y-y-y-yah! W-what is wrong with him all of a sudden?! W-w-why’s he saying all this? My heart won’t be able to take this!!

“…but most adorable is your flustered face.”

Okay, I think my heart’s history…

Jonghyun’s POV

I didn’t know what had gotten into me. I seriously didn’t know why I suddenly said all that. I could reason that it was because I wanted to see her flustered expression once more but I knew that was not the case. But what threw me even more off track was the fact that I was actually speaking the truth. I did find her cute when drinking so seriously. I did find her cute when blushing. And I really thought she was adorable when she was all flustered!

I realised it was actually the reason I kept teasing her…!

Sh!t, this wasn’t good…

My thoughts got interrupted by the ringing sound of my cell phone, indicating that I’d gotten a message. And as expected, it was from our leader, saying where we should meet up again. That’s how our plan worked: First, disperse to get rid of our followers and then meet up again at a place designated by our leader and communicated through our cell phones. It usually worked pretty well; like today, our fans are usually too confused by us running away in all directions to follow us.

“Who was it? From one of your members? Do we need to meet up with them again?” Ghosty sharply deduced but I shook my head.

“No, it’s nothing important. Just continue drinking…”

What?! ‘No’?! What on earth am I DOING?? I did NOT just ignore my hyung’s message, did I?! And I did not just lie to her just so I could spend some more time with her alone, right?!

But that was exactly what I was doing…

Damn, this was not only not good, but actually getting more dangerous with every passing minute!!

And yet I couldn’t bring myself to stop it.

------

Later, when Ghosty had finished both drinks – I had given her mine too because I had been completely helpless against the adorable longing-pouty-biting-lips-and-puppy-eyes-combo-stare she had been giving my juice – we went to explore the amusement park a little more. We didn’t go on any roller-coasters anymore though. No thanks; we both agreed that the maknae’s ‘tour’ had been fully satisfying… =.=

Instead, we just strolled around and decided on the spot whether to turn left or right. And most of the times we even agreed with each other. When we passed by a shooting gallery I said I wanted to give it a try and she went along with it. I hadn’t practiced my shooting skills for a while but I still managed to get the small dinosaur that she said looked cute. Though, when she commented that it looked a little like me I reconsidered my choice for a moment. But then I saw her expression as she happily petted the dino’s head and all displeased thoughts were washed away.

Then, a little later, we walked past a pond where little boats decorated with flowers and stuff did their laps.

“Hey, I wanna ride this one…!” Ghosty said and tugged at my shirt to make me stop from walking on. What? Was she serious? I glanced at the boats and back at Ghosty. “For real now??”

She frowned. “Yeah. It looks pretty. And I like pretty things. That a problem?”

“No… But that’s—“

“Okay, then let’s go!” And before I knew she had pulled me towards the entrance. We were pretty much alone in there; only a couple that was just boarding one of the boats and an elderly man were in there when we walked in.

“You two are lucky, besides the other couple that just drove off there’s no one in there,” the elderly man smiled as he prepared our boat and the way he looked at us suddenly made me feel very self-conscious. This was going to be the ride of awkwardness; I could already picture it…

But I still climbed into the boat and even helped Ghosty getting in too (earning me an approving nod from the elderly man…) After admiring the flowery decorations of ‘our’ boat she then sat down in the very front and excitedly watched the boat drifting out of the boathouse. I, on the other hand, watched her as she knelt on top of the wooden bench and looked ahead. The soft fair wind was playing with her hair and the fur of her gilet making it glisten in the warm autumn sun while the boat continued its path along the rails secured at the bottom of the pond.

Crap-crap-crap!! This is why I didn’t want to ride this! Things are already dangerous enough as they are! I don’t need a friggin’ couple’s ride to spike things up!! Urghhh!

And as if on commando, Ghosty turned around, a wide and dazzling smile on her lips. She left her place at the front and skipped over to sit down next to me. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” She said looking up to me.

I didn’t know. I realised I hadn’t been looking at the scenery for even a second. All I had been doing was staring at her…

“You don’t think it’s beautiful?” She asked again, her pretty eyes looking confused.

Finally, I shook my head. “No, you’re right, it’s beautiful…” SHE was beautiful…

Damn-damn-damn! This is bad… this is VERY bad…!

And as if to spite me the stupid boat chose just this moment to drive into a sparsely lit grotto with softly playing jazz music creating the perfect romantic ambiance. I silently cursed under my breath and chanced a glance at the girl who’d gotten me into this. Still sitting beside me she was now looking at me with wide eyes. Well, at least she finally figured out the true nature of this ride…! Sometimes I seriously questioned that supposedly hundred-and-sixty-something IQ of hers…

But then I accidentally let my eyes travel down to her lips and I stiffened. She had slightly parted them because of her surprise and they were looking too damn inviting…!

No-no-no! Wrong thoughts! Wrong thoughts!!

The memory from that night when I’d stolen a peck on them flashed across my mind making me recall the sensation of her lips against mine… so indefinitely soft and sweet……

No. I can’t… I mustn’t…!

But it was as if there was a strange force pulling me towards them. It’s called desire, a small voice chuckled in my head but I didn’t hear it. The pounding of my heart was too loud. I turned around to her fully and was just about to gently cup her chin with my hand when, suddenly, we were out in the open again. I just blinked at her, my expression hopefully blank while not knowing whether to feel disappointed or relieved…

This is was SO not good at all…

Narrator’s POV

After that rather… ‘troubling’ ride, they both didn’t say much anymore. Of course, Ha Neul had apologised several times for asking him to accompany her, but Jonghyun had waved it aside. He just wanted to forget about it as fast as possible.

So, when Ha Neul needed to go to the restroom she simply gave a short comment that she needed to step out for a moment and walked away.

But then Jonghyun saw her obviously heading towards the wrong door and he sighed. There she goes again…

Nevertheless he went after her and just as she was about to pull down the door handle he caught up with her. He grabbed her shoulder and made her face the other door. “At least take the right door, will you?”

Ha Neul turned her head to look at him confusedly and Jonghyun rolled his eyes. He pointed at the door she’d wanted to walk through. “Men.” And then at the door she was facing now. “Women. Please stop making people worry…” He shook his head and walked away again.

Seriously, today Ghosty’s Law had been at its full power once again! She kept tripping over nothing, lost her balance for no apparent reason, and would have run into other people multiple times, if Jonghyun hadn’t pulled her aside on time. And after Ha Neul had almost fallen into a pond due to losing her balance when crossing a little bridge, Jonghyun had quickly decided to hold on to her hand for the rest of the day. As a precaution for all kinds of Ghosty disasters, so to speak…

Though, neither of the two seemed uncomfortable with this nonetheless a little unusual kind of skin ship…

---------

Meanwhile, Ha Neul had finished her business and was just about to step out of her stall, when she saw a very familiar girl walking into the restrooms. Without thinking, she hurriedly went back into her stall and closed the door. She then listed attentively, waiting to hear the girl closing a stall door and thus indicating that the coast was clear. And as soon as she heard that specific sound, Ha Neul quietly opened slipped out, washed her hands, and dashed out of the restrooms. She didn’t know what had suddenly gotten into her, but she just hadn’t wanted for Hyo Rin to see her… Because then she’d no longer be alone with Jonghyun…

Okay, now you’re being ridiculous, Hwang Ha Neul, she then scolded herself and stepped in front of Jonghyun who had been sitting on a little wall. “I’m back,” she said, making Jonghyun look up. He jumped off the wall and slipped his hand into Ha Neul’s again. “Where do you want to go next?” He asked Ha Neul with a smile and started swinging their entwined hands back and forth as they walked off in no particular direction.

Ha Neul shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t really care… You chose!” She’d turned towards Jonghyun for the last sentence and was now eagerly skipping sideways; earing herself an immediate reprimand from her companion. “Oy, walk properly! Or you’ll fa-watch out!!”

Jonghyun’s arm shot up and caught the stumbling girl who, inevitably, had mixed up her steps. He caught her by the waist and gently put her pack on her own two feet. “Seriously, Ghosty, you’re clumsiness is really one of a kind…! I pity the guy who will have to look after you in the future…!” He teasingly added in a low voice but still loud enough for Ha Neul to hear it.

“Yah!! What’s the problem of you guys?! I’m perfectly fine on my own-eeek!! Yah! What was that for now?!” Ha Neul looked up at him accusingly. “A-and w-why are you holding me like this?” She demanded to know and pushed against his chest. They were way too close for her comfort and besides, they were in public! What if someone saw?! Their current position was bound to be misunderstood! God, Ha Neul didn’t even dare imagine what would happen!

But Jonghyun had no intention of letting go. He was enjoying this far too much! “Perfectly fine?” He chortled. “You almost ran over an innocent child!”

“T-that’s because you were distracting me!” Ha Neul tried to argue but she knew it was useless. After all, it wasn’t like she wasn’t aware of her own clumsiness…

“So now it’s my fault, eh?” Jonghyun slowly said and unclasped his right hand from her waist to cup her face. Ha Neul flinched at the sudden contact but found herself unable to move away; it was like she’d been trapped by his suddenly hypnotising stare. “Y-yes…” She stuttered and managed to tear her eyes from his face.

“Why are you avoiding my eyes, Ghosty?” Jonghyun asked and Ha Neul silently cursed herself for thinking that his voice sounded so darn captivating.

“You think my voice is captivating?”

Ha Neul’s inner self: “Nooooooooooooo~! Please kill me now!!

“I… I…” She tried to save her dignity but couldn’t think of a clever way to escape her embarrassment. And in the end she just lightly knocked her head on his chest, admitting defeat.

Jonghyun looked down at her, a loving smile unconsciously spreading on his lips. He raised his hand and was just about to gently ruffle her hair, when a high-pitched squeal made him freeze.

“KYAAAAAA~ It’s Jonghyun again!!! OMG!!”

Startled, Ha Neul looked up but Jonghyun quickly grabbed her head and put it back to his chest.

“Wha—“ Ha Neul started but got cut off by Jonghyun. “Don’t look over!” He whispered. “Don’t give them a reason to think that they guessed right by responding!” He then turned Ha Neul around so that her back was facing the fangirl and put his arm on her shoulder. “Now, let’s walk away slowly.”

But the girl wasn’t one to give up easily. “Hey, wait!” She called after them. “You ARE SHINee’s Jonghyun, right?”

“Way to announce my presence to the whole park, girl!” Jonghyun grumbled and glanced over his shoulder. “Damn, she’s coming after us. Ghosty, run!!” He let go of Ha Neul’s shoulder and grabbed her hand instead and the two started running across the whole park hoping to shake off their pursuer.

But whenever Jonghyun looked back, that girl was still following them. “God, is that girl persistent!” He huffed and glanced at Ha Neul. “You still okay?”

Ha Neul nodded even though she knew she wouldn’t be able to keep this up for long. She really wasn’t the sporty type. She trained her brain cells instead of her muscles.

So, when they ran past a little forest, an idea suddenly popped into her mind. “Hey, let’s go that way!” She huffed and pulled Jonghyun into the forest. Running on tricky forest floor was definitely not her forte and if not for Jonghyun’s assistance she would have surely kissed the floor multiple times… Then again, if she weren’t with him right now, then there would have been no reason for her to run through a forest like this. But in the end they safely made it through and upon looking back, they really had managed to shake off the girl.

For a moment they just stood there panting, until Jonghyun checked their surroundings. “But just where on earth are we??” He wondered, making Ha Neul look around as well.

It appeared they had ended up on some sort of clearing. It was a small meadow that was just big enough for the sun to still reach the grass between the towering trees. Ha Neul stepped onto the meadow and walked towards its centre. She turned around her own axis, admiring the trees and bushes that were still in full leaf and presented themselves in beautiful fall colours. She could hear the distant hustle and bustle of the amusement park but thanks to the little forest the meadow was quite secluded. She wondered how such a place could even exist inside an amusement park.

Smiling widely, she turned back towards Jonghyun who was still standing at the edge of the meadow. “Hey, what are you doing over there?” She called. “It’s much nicer here in the sun…!” (A/N: For some reason I’m expecting Jonghyun’s skin to start sparkling as soon as he steps into the sun, hahaha =.=)

Jonghyun slightly shook his head, as if to dispel some confusing thoughts, and walked towards Ha Neul. There was something about this place that he didn’t like. It felt dangerous somehow. Maybe it was because it gave the feeling as if they were completely alone in this world. Or because everything seemed to be glittering and sparkling here. Even that Ghosty. In fact, from the moment Ha Neul had stepped onto the meadow Jonghyun had been mesmerized by her. He had recognised the feeling from earlier on the boat, only that this time it was much stronger. Goddamn, she was BEAUTIFUL…! He had suddenly been very grateful to the fact that he was standing in the shadows for his expression would have surely given him away. His mind had been screaming at him that it was dangerous and that he should walk away NOW, but his feet hadn’t complied. And when Ha Neul finally called, it was like she broke a spell. But deciding to not let this strange experience bother him, Jonghyun just shook his head and went to Ha Neul.

“Um, I think it’d be better if you changed your clothes, I think…” Ha Neul suggested when he’d reached her, not noticing the slightly unsettled look in his eyes. “They already know what you are wearing so it’s easy to spot you. So, um… you wait here and I’ll be right back…” She started walking away when Jonghyun grabbed onto her shoulder. She turned her head, giving him a questioning look.

“It’s alright; you don’t have to go…” Jonghyun muttered. “O-one sweater like THAT is already more than my wardrobe can take…!” He quickly added after a short pause, feeling he needed to explain himself.

Ha Neul’s expression instantly darkened. “Don’t worry, this time I’ll buy something normal!” She shot back and stalked away.

That jerk! Here she was, being nice and buying a disguise for him and all he did was complaining?! Hmpf!

But on her way back, while absentmindedly the soft fabric of the sweater she had just purchase and letting today’s events replay in her head, she couldn’t stop the smile from crawling onto her lips. This afternoon had been so much fun. Even that couple’s ride. She might not have realised that it was one in the beginning but she couldn’t deny that she had enjoyed it a lot. And neither could she deny that it was partly because she’d spent it with a certain Alien Terrorist…

Ha Neul stepped onto the meadow again and her eyes fell upon just that Alien Terrorist. He was now lying on the ground, his arms crossed behind his head and his eyes closed. She quietly sat down next to him and put the bought clothes aside.

He had taken off his cap and sunglasses and Ha Neul realised that this was the first time she ever looked at his face closely. Of course there had been several occasions where she’d come into close proximity with his face but never before she had actually STUDIED it. She had never realised how long his eyelashes actually were when he had his eyes closed or that his lips were chapped slightly (just VERY slightly) from always wearing make-up. She had never noticed the small scar beside his left eye or the almost imperceptible asymmetry of his eyebrows.

When she realised she had actually started tracing his features with her fingers, she gasped and retracted her hand. But the moment her fingertips lost contact to Jonghyun’s skin his hand shot up and grabbed her arm. Surprised, Ha Neul lost her balance and fell over. And when she had regained her balance, she found herself staring straight into the now wide open eyes of the guy who’s features she had been admiring just seconds ago, her lips hovering above his just millimetres apart… That was close…

But for Jonghyun this was just enough. He had been fighting with himself the whole afternoon and this was already long past the level of temptation that he could withstand. He lifted his head off the ground and with ease bridged the almost non-existent distance.

He had promised himself to only let it be another short peck, just like the one that night in his apartment. But then he felt her soft lips against his. And it completely shut down the logical part of his mind. His eyes still closed he savoured the taste of her lips and inhaled her sweet scent. And when Ha Neul tried to back out he quickly sneaked his left hand to the back of her neck and entangled his fingers in her silky hair… keeping her in place… So Ha Neul could only stare at him wide-eyed.

“Quit staring at me, already…” Jonghyun mumbled and the vibrations from him saying it without letting go of her lips sent shivers down her spine. Tilting his head a little, Jonghyun started nibbling on her lower lip and almost instantly Ha Neul’s eyes fluttered close. The butterflies in her stomach were fluttering like crazy… the places he touched felt hot… and it was as if all her nerves were focused on her lips… The concentrated aroma of that illegal scent of his made her head spin… Suddenly, she felt something wet press against her upper lip and she gasped. That little sound and her hot breath on his lips brought Jonghyun to the edge of his sanity. He had never ever thought of going this far, but this girl drove him nuts.

He wrapped his right arm around her waist and pulled her down, sighing at the sensation of their bodies finally touching. And taking advantage of Ha Neul’s surprise, he dipped his tongue between her still parted lips, tasting her. He felt her stiffen and a wave of elation hit him when he realised it meant that this must be her first real kiss. He started teasing her with his tongue, inviting her to play along. And tentatively, very tentatively, she answered his kiss.

But when Jonghyun slipped his hand under her pullover it was one step to fast for Ha Neul. She yelped and broke out of the kiss, pushing herself up. Her hand flew to and she stared at Jonghyun with wide eyes while her cheeks slowly grew a dark shade of pink. It took her mind some seconds to catch up with what had just happened.

But when it did, she instantly looked away and for quite a while they just sat there in silence. Until Ha Neul swallowed and spoke up again. “U-um, I think we should go back to the others soon… They’re probably worried…” She mumbled, hoping to escape this mortifying together-alone-awkwardness this way.

“Yeah… probably…” Jonghyun answered and started picking up their things.

They KISSED!! SDKFASLKLLDHALSDJLA!! *throws confetty* (But God, that scene took me forever to write...! T.T I'm definitely not cut out to write that stuff... =.= I sincerely apologize for this laking work! I wish I could just post the pictures in my head because there everything is perfect. But once I try to put it into words... *sigh* Oh well, please just use your own imagination to cover it up...! T.T)

And on another note:
I'm a little busy, so I'm sorry for not replying to your comments yet!! >< I'll be away from home for three weeks now (summer break has finally, FINALLY arrived!! XDD) so I don't know when I'll be able to update again... (I'm sorry it had to be right at this position! >.<) Although, I'm returning home for a few days after one week but I'll be busy repacking my things and stuff, so yeah...  :/ But I'll be clearing my head and come back with loads and loads of good ideas...!! ^-^

Thanks for all your support!! <3 Kjerena