The door opens.
A man walks in. He is tired.
His face is dull, his body limp. He’s lost weight.

“Daddy!”
Soyeon ran to him, giving him a hug.

Her mother rushed into the living room. “Wha-what are you doing here?”

Her husband sighed. “I shouldn’t have left…I’m sorry-“

“No. No. Get out.”

“Honey-“ He tried to take her hands, but she pushed him away.

“Get out!” she screamed.

He shook his head, trying to talk, to explain himself. She didn’t listen. She pushes him out, screaming on the way. She gave him one last look, of despair and hurt, and slammed the door in his face.

She leaned against the door, crying.

Soyeon pulled on her mommy’s dress, tears swelling up in her eyes. “Mommy…” she said.

“Where are we going?” I asked as Minho opened the car door for me, ushering me inside. He gave a smirk and winked, then shut the door behind me and ran to the other side of the car.

He started the car, not saying a word.

“You’re not going to tell me what’s going on?” I asked, pouting.

Minho ignored this, turning the stereo on. I pursed my lips, trying to look annoyed, but I was amused at the mystery of this date, er…

Was it a date?

I wasn’t sure. He hadn’t said…

Minho drove on, for what seemed like almost an hour. I was lost, no idea where in the town we were. I hadn’t been any places besides those I needed to, so remote areas of the city were unfamiliar for me.

“Here we are.” Minho said finally, pulling up to a large street that was filled with booths and tables, people dressed up in extravagant costumes, instruments, animals, kids…it resembled a fair of some kind. I was confused still as to what exactly it was, however. He laughed, noticing my expression, and said, “Don’t worry. I wouldn’t take you anywhere you wouldn’t enjoy. Let’s go.”

“What is this place?” I asked, walking next to him into the wild street.

“It’s…think of it as a fair.” He smiled. I was right, I thought. “Only, for literature.”

Literature? I glared at him. “Books.” I said, shaking my head.

He nodded. “Only, look around.  People here, they take it seriously. It’s like a convention for avid readers.” He laughed. “Sounds lame, huh?”

We walked forward, and all the while I was wondering what made him think for a moment even that I would enjoy this. He knew I didn’t fancy reading.

“See them over there?” He pointed to a group of girls dressed with colored wigs and black clothing. “They’ve dressed up as their favorite comic book characters. There’s a contest for the best costume, I think. Most people here just come and discuss books. There’s a booth for everything. So many series’. And of course, you can just buy books here, which is what I usually do.”
I nodded, trying to look interested.

“And over there,” he pointed this time to an old man dressed in old fashioned clothing, holding a book. “he’s reading to the kids, trying to broaden their imagination. That’s why he’s all dressed up. He acts it out…and they watch…it’s great.” Children surrounded the man, listening to what he was saying. I watched their faces, full of interest and wonder, and wondered myself what they were imagining. I looked back at Minho, who was watching me.

“So why are we here?” I asked, biting my lip.

“Come see.” He said. He grabbed my hand, enfolding his fingers in mine and pulling me along. I gulped, realizing we were holding hands, and he led me to the end of the street, where there was a dead end, with only a small alley on its side that led away.

“Come on.”

“In there?” I asked, looking at the narrow space, filled with trash and graffiti. “W-Why?” I bit my lip nervously, slipping my hand away from his. What was his motive for today exactly?

“Just trust me.” He said, holding out his hand again. I looked at his eyes, so full of innocence and care, and I bit my lip harder until it might bleed, then gave him my hand. “Fine.” I said. “let’s go.”

He grinned, and then guided me into the alley. It was dark, and cold, so I shivered. Still, we reached the end, where he told me to turn right. I did so, turning into some concrete steps leading upward.

I looked up, to get a view of where we were going, but the steps were steep, and I came into view with the sky. The clouds had wiped against the sky, which was beginning to darken, causing its color to turn pale blue. I trudged up the steps, and when we reached the top, all I could see was pure beauty.

“This.” He said, “is my favorite place.” He held his arms out in front of him, motioning to the land.

I looked around. There was tall grass everywhere, as far as I could look, and the most beautiful yellow and pink flowers dotted the scenery. There were few trees, clumped together, and the wind moved the grass in such a way it looked like the wave of an ocean.

“Wha…It’s pretty.” I exclaimed, looking up at Minho. “Then…you didn’t bring me here for the…fair…but for this?”
He nodded. “It’s a nice place to spend time at.”

I looked at him with wonder, thinking about how he could’ve found a place like this.

Minho walked out into the grass, holding his arms out and closing his eyes. He breathed in deeply, then said, “Smell the air.”

I looked around again, breathing deeply as he did and closing my eyes. The air was fresh, cool, and it smelled of the grass and flowers. I felt the wind against my skin, not cold, but just fresh, and I felt it warm me. I breathed in several times, then opened my eyes. “Minho, this-“ I stopped myself, seeing Minho, who had taken his backpack out, lay a blanket on the ground, and sat on it, motioning for me to do the same.

I walked forward, sitting next to him, my legs out in front of me, my hands behind.

“How do you find places like this?” I asked immediately.

He shrugged. “You just need to know where to look.” He said, giving me a happy smile.

I smiled back. This, here, was nice. It was serene. I wasn’t worrying about money, about helping someone check out a book, about where to go to spend lunch, about how I was going to live my life…the only thing that occupied my mind at that moment was what I saw before me.

I felt myself taking in the air again, smiling. My hair was waving in the wind behind me, and the grass felt soft beneath us.

I turned to Minho. He had a book in his hands.

I motioned to it, my face falling. “What’s that?” I asked.

He turned it over, running his hand down the spine. “A book.” He said, lifting his eyes toward me.

A/N im not very happy with this chapter, but i hope you liked it!
leave your comments, they are appreciated ♥ !