Still hand in hand we made our way down the sidewalk. I tried a few times to get him to let go, but he would only squeeze my hand tighter and make quick glances at me. I gave up trying but I couldn’t get over the attention we were getting from people on the street. It felt like everyone was watching us and smiling in approval. Or maybe that was just me being paranoid. 

 

We finally reached a parking structure and he lead me to his car. He walked over to the passenger door, opened it for me, and stood there beaming an adorable smile at me. Hesitantly, I sat myself down in his car as he closed the door behind me. He walked around the front of the car and hopped in, turning to glance at me quickly before starting the engine and driving out of the structure. 

 

We passed through the city and the scenery slowly began to change. Buildings were becoming less frequent with the increase in greenery. I became absorbed in the new view. The mountains were so green and lush it almost seemed like we were in a completely different part of the world. We drove on for another 15 minutes before I came to my senses and started to worry about where he was taking me. 

 

“Hey,” I said as I looked over to Daesung suspiciously. “Umm, where exactly are you taking me? We’re going awfully far out of the city…”

 

Still looking at the road, a small smile appeared on his face. “You’ll see when we get there.” He looked at me from the corner of his eyes and grinned. I sighed and rolled my eyes at his answer. He saw this and quickly added, “But don’t worry! I know you’ll have fun! Really.” 

 

I glanced back at him and gave him a half smile, trusting his judgment, before returning my eyes to the beautiful landscape passing by outside my window. 

 

Soon we arrived at a small makeshift dirt parking lot. A few feet in the distance I saw a trail leading into the forest. I looked at Daesung in shock. “Hold on, we’re going hiking?” 

 

His eyes shifted nervously before speaking. “Y-yeah…do you not like hiking? I thought it might be nice to get out of the city for a bit.”

 

“Are you kidding!?” I was suddenly filled with childish excitement. “I haven’t been hiking since I was a kid! My brother and I used to go all the time and--” I stopped mid-sentence when I saw Daesung smiling widely at how animate and out of character I was at that moment. I relaxed back in my seat, cleared my throat and replied coolly, “What I mean is, yeah, I like hiking.” 

 

“Good,” he said still smiling at me. “Let’s go!” 

 

Daesung led the way on the trail, frequently looking back at me to make sure I was keeping up with his pace. When approached an incline in the path, he climbed up first then turned to offer his hand to help me up. I shyly accepted his help and when I took his hand my stomach was filled with butterflies. I felt myself blush and quickly made my way up the trail trying to disregard the fluttering feeling. 

 

We passed by many nice lookouts along the way, but the most beautiful was at the end of the trail. The trees parted to reveal a small clearing, perfect for picnicking and it seemed like people had come there often to do just that. A small stream cut through the clearing; it flowed slowly and was home to many small fish and other creatures. I paused at the stream admiring the tiny creatures going about their business when Daesung called out to me. He had gone further ahead a bit and was motioning for me to follow him. 

 

“C’mon,” he said while taking my hand in his. “You’re going to want to see this.” He led me through the brush off the trail. My curiosity overcame my sense of worry of leaving the trail. 

 

“Where are we going?” 

 

“Don’t worry! I know you’ll love it; Trust me.” He smiled softly at me and continued to pull me along by the hand. I don’t know what it was that I felt at that moment, but it was something I had never felt before. Watching him from behind having his strong hand delicately holding mine as he led me deeper into the mountains suddenly made me feel nervous. I unconsciously held his hand tighter, which caused him to glance back at me and give me a warm smile. 

 

“We’re almost there, just a bit further,” he reassured me. 

 

Daesung suddenly stopped and let go of my hand. He pushed aside the brush and motioned for me to go first. I looked at him cautiously and slowly passed him, making my way through. 

 

I’ll never forget what I saw next. It looked like an open field in the middle of the mountains filled with wild flowers. The trees and brush enclosed this secluded place well; the sunlight beamed down brightly reflecting the vibrant colors of the flowers. 

 

I stood there in awe with my hands covering my mouth trying to take in everything around me; the crisp smell of the fresh air, the colors of the flowers dancing in the wind, and the warmth of the sun. I felt Daesung’s presence next to me and without looking at him, I instinctively hugged his arm. I felt him flinch a little at my touch, but he quickly relaxed. 

 

“So, what do you think?” He asked and glanced at me. 

 

“It’s beautiful. I didn’t think a place like this existed. Especially deep in the mountains.“ I turned my gaze up at him still holding onto his arm. “Why is this even here? How do you know about this place?” 

 

He smiled and shrugged. We both returned our eyes back to the field. “I don’t know. I was hiking here a few years ago and decided to explore; then I found this place. I felt the same way you feel right now. This place has become special to me…” He looked down at me and shyly smiled. “And I’m happy I could share it with you.”

 

I started to feel the nervousness creep up on me again. All I could manage to say was a shaky “T-Thanks…” Something about Daesung threw me off; I felt like I could let my guard down and just be me when he was around. It scared me, but it also felt like a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders. As hard as I tried on the inside to keep my distance from him emotionally, he always managed to sneak through my defenses and catch me by surprise. It was frustrating and confusing, but he provided a warmth that I had felt from no one else before; a warmth that was slowly working its way to my heart.