Luhan didn’t sleep that night. Maybe it was because of Haerin’s things placed around the room that seemed to stabs holes into his heart every time he laid his eyes upon them. Or maybe because the room was just too neat for someone alive to have resided in. He tossed and turned, attempting to let his mind wander off into better thoughts. Like imagining her face reading his letter. Or punching Chanyeol’s gut. Okay maybe not that. But these things didn’t help him slip in unconsciousness. Instead he got up and put on a sweater before stepping outside into the crisp winter air. Although time had stopped, it didn’t stop earth’s spin. Night and day would come in a cycle, over and over again pointlessly for a week, but nothing else moved. Not even the birds would be heard in the morning. But this was his world. In Haerin’s world, her world spun along with reality. And this made him think about just how cruel reality was. No fiction could ever surpass the cruelty of reality. The way time spun in a cycle towards end. To one’s death. And all he could do now was prevent Haerin’s end from coming so fast. He took a deep breath and exhaled watching the warm air from his mouth swirl in the air and disappear. He prayed that she wouldn’t disappear.

Haerin stared at the giant stranger in confusion. It wasn’t everyday that she stepped outside her door to find someone standing there already.

            “I-uhh- I’m Chanyeol! A delivery… errr… person. I just have a letter from your friend,” he said scratching the back of his neck awkwardly, like many people did when they were nervous. He held his large hand out, revealing a neatly folded letter in a perfectly closed envelope. Haerin reached out to  gently take the letter away from Chanyeol’s hands. She unveiled it carefully for it looked like whoever wrote it had put much care into making it look flawless.

            Haerin slipped the letter out of the envelope and opened it up. The first thing she noticed was the neat handwriting and how there wasn’t much written.

Dear Haerin,

I’m terribly sorry for not having met you at the coffee shop. Something has happened and therefore I was stuck at home. I am quite busy right now, so if you want to talk to me, please leave your reply at the coffee shop in the ledge under table 11.

So how are you these days? Everything been going alright? I hope to be able to talk to you soon. Maybe in a week! Stay safe and happy Haerin!

~Luhan

Haerin couldn’t comprehend the things that were going through her mind the moment she had finished reading the letter. Now that she knew this boy wasn’t just a dream, she felt a little disappointed for him having ditched their supposed meet up. But another part of her just felt warm and fuzzy from the way he wrote the letter to her. But even so, the letter made little to no sense. Why did she need to leave her reply under a coffee table? What was with the sudden questions? She sighed and folded up the letter, placing it back into the envelope. This boy, who she had only seen once, was making beginning to take over her thoughts.

            “Um… I think your friend must care for you a lot… maybe you should reply to him as soon as possible?” Chanyeol spoke out, breaking the awkward silence and tension that hung in the air. Haerin’s head snapped up.

            “Yeah, tell Luhan he’ll get the reply tonight for sure. I don’t want to keep him waiting,” she said with a small smile as she glanced up at Chanyeol.

            “You’re very kind for helping him deliver the letter when he’s busy. So thank you,” she said to him sweetly.

Chanyeol felt his cheeks grow a little warm at her gentle compliment, and he grinned like a little boy who had just received a piece of candy.

            “No problem,” he murmured quietly, looking down at his feet. Haerin laughed, her voice ringing in his ears as she clutched her stomach, laughing harder and harder, which made Chanyeol even more gradually shy. She reached up and pinched his cheek.

            “Aww, don’t be shy Chanyeol. I won’t bite you! We can be great friends,” she grinned. Chanyeol stared at her. Her gesture was no help in getting rid of his blush, which had grown increasing darker.

            “Ah, you’re so cute! Tell Luhan he has cute friends! A lot like him really…” she added the last part quietly, but Chanyeol’s ears managed to grasp onto what she had said. He said nothing of it though, as he slowly stepped away.

            “I-I should get going soon, I’ll tell Luhan that your reply is coming tonight,” he said, mentally kicking himself for stuttering. In an attempt to get away as fast as he possibly could, he ran down from the porch and turned a corner, before disappearing back into the future.

Haerin stared at his disappearing figure, her smile never leaving her face. It had been a while since she’s seen such an innocent being around. She tucked the letter into her sweater pocket and continued out of her yard and onto the streets. For most of the population, winter was the worst time to go out for walks. Especially when it was freezing and a thin layer of frost had already begun to form on the grass and the rooftops. But Haerin was Haerin. The winter lover. And she trekked out into the winter wonderland, admiring its beauty. She didn’t know how long she had been out for. It could have been hours. Hours before she felt her phone in her pocket vibrate and she struggled to take it out and unlock it using her mittens. Her mother had called.

            “Aishh, why can’t the screen sense gloves?” she muttered. She eventually answered it and brought it up to her ear.

            “Umma?” she answered, awaiting her mother’s voice.

            “Haerin!” something about her mother’s voice made her heart drop to the bottom of her stomach. The way her mother’s voice was so full of anguish. She could almost hear the crack in her tone.

            “Umma!? What is it!? What happened?” Haerin asked frantically.

            “Haerin… you’re father is coming tonight,”

Luhan walked the empty streets in silence. The  only odd thing about time being stopped that he had seen so far was a frozen dog. It stood with its jaw open and tail in mid-wag. The oddest thing he had ever seen in his life by far. But he knew that there were much more to come. He tore his gaze away from the frozen dog and was about to keep walking until a figure appeared in front of him spontaneously.

            “Chanyeol! What the do you want now!?” he growled when he saw clearly the million teethed smile he had on. And under the moonlight, he could also see that Chanyeol, was beet red.

            “Chanyeol, stop smiling like an idiot. And why are you so red,” Luhan demanded answers in such an authoritive way that it scared Chanyeol.

            “Nothing… Oh yeah, and Haerin said she would get the letter to you by tonight, which in our time would be in about… six hours… so look forward to that. Bye!” and with that, the toothy giant disappeared, avoiding an interrogation. Luhan sighed and growled in annoyance as he ran his hand through his hair. Six hours… it would be the longest six hours of his life.

Luhan waited for eight hours, just for good measure, before he headed over to the coffee shop. It was now day time and the sun shone, as if it mattered. But it didn’t, because time was stopped, and no one knew.

            He stepped inside, breathing in the smell of coffee, and sweets. The smell made the memories come back to him strong. It was as if vivid images were played throughout his head.

He reached table eleven, feeling a buildup of anticipation, and feeling the shake of his hands as he reached beneath the table, feeling for the ledge. He found it within seconds, and felt all around it for anything that felt like paper. To his shock, his hands were met with nothing. He felt his heart rate quicken as he ducked under the table to get a look. He was right.

Haerin’s letter was nowhere to be found.

I update so slow... I know I'm sorry TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

Aish I don't know if its because I'm lazy or if I'm just lazy. Soooo sorry though

I hope you guys enjoy this chapter

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Thanks everyone!

~Naeun