“Hyehyun-unnie, do you want to come with us to the café? The treat is on me,” Bara invited the Main Vocalist when she stepped into the hallway of their dorm. Next to her Sori whined about a hungry stomach.

“No thanks. I actually wanted to meet Joonmyun today. We haven't had time for each other in months,” Hyehyun declined politely.

“Fine but please be careful and don't get seen with him. You know how awful some fans react to dating rumors,” Bara threw her a pointed look and Hyehyun made a grimace. Of course she would be careful after the whole Baekhyun-Taeyeon-fiasco. Poor leader of Girls' Generation, she really gained lots of antis because of her relationship.

But Hyehyun would not end up like that. Her relationship with Joonmyun had always been platonic and she was determined to not be caught hanging out with him. Her huge woolen scarf was covering the largest part of her face and her light brown hair was hidden by a beanie. Together with her over-sized coat it would be impossible to recognize her.

Satisfied with her appearance she bid the other members goodbye – Sori was still whining about wanting chocolate chip cookies – and stepped outside into the cold February afternoon weather. She took the underground station to Yongsan park and sat down on one of the park benches.

They decided to meet at the park because barely anyone went to this place anymore. The park was mostly deserted except for the occasional jogger who would run his laps in the morning. Hyehyun didn't understand why nobody was visiting the park when it included even a small lake and an old, brittle playground. Even though there weren't many families with smaller children living nearby, she was astonished that most times she visited the park and playground in the last few years, she found it empty. To her, the place had always been one of her favorites.  It was in the neighborhood of Joonmyun's flat and as a slightly anti-social person, the tranquil atmosphere and the nature relaxed her.

She shivered in the cold. The temperature was low, even for February and while her coat was big, it didn't keep her warm. Where was Joonmyun? She looked at her clock. It was 17:05 PM, five minutes later than their appointed time.

Suddenly she felt two arms wrapping around her shoulders from behind, and another face nuzzling against her cheek. She yelped and jumped up, slapping the arms away in the process.

“Joonmyun, you jerk! Why can't you approach me like a normal person? You almost gave me a heart attack!”

Joonmyun chuckled sheepishly and Hyehyun felt goosebumps on her neck and arms. How cold was it actually? She shifted away from him and rubbed her icy hands together.

“You kept me waiting.”

“I'm sorry but Kyungsoo messed up the choreography and so our trainer made us practice until we were perfectly in sync,” Joonmyun apologized and Hyehyun smiled at him.

“Want to take a walk?” she asked, knowing what his answer would be.

“Sure.”

When both of them were standing next to each other, Hyehyun was almost as tall as Joonmyun. Their faces were almost at the same height and if Hyehyun would have worn heels, she could have towered over him. But even though she loved her heels, around Joonmyun she usually wore flats. She actually liked it like this, their faces were always at the same level and she wouldn't have to crane her neck to look up to him like she had to around taller guys.

"I missed the lake, the comeback was quite exhausting,“ she mumbled while her eyes drifted towards the blue in front of her. Joonmyun was the only person who really understood her fascination with water. He didn't share her sentiment but he wouldn't ridicule either or say something about her being obsessed with water and thoughtful of her he would often suggest visiting a lake or water park instead of going somewhere else.

It was nice spending time with him again, especially since the last few months he was touring all over Asia with the rest of Exo. She hooked her arm on his and leaned slightly against him.

"Yesterday our leader had the gloriest idea to go out for drinks together," she sighed. "Today I'm the only one who didn't have to take half a pack of aspirin in the morning.“

"In midst of promotions? Seulyong is certainly something, huh?“

"And she invited other male idols, too. It came something of a surprise when Beast and MBLAQ came along. I believe that MBLAQ's Seungho-sunbaenim was attempting to flirt with me half of the evening.“

Joonmyun's shoulders suddenly got stiffer and he almost missed a step. "But you, uh, you didn't flirted back, or did you?“

"Duh, I wouldn't have said 'attempted' if I did. And around 11pm or so G.O-sunbaenim fell asleep on his shoulder and started using him as kind of a pillow substitute, so he was occupied elsewhere. I think he even drooled on his sweatshirt. Gross.“

"It seems like you had an eventful night,“ Joonmyun chuckled.

"And I told Sori that she would have the achiest of head aches if she would drink another shot but of course this girl wouldn't listen to me. We had an interview this morning and she would only sit there and groan something unintelligible while our interviewer looked like he wanted to be anywhere but with us...“

Talking with Joonmyun really calmed Hyehyun down. Usually she was very mature around people her age but with Joonmyun she just felt different, way bubblier and showed a playful side that she otherwise didn't know she possesses. She always thought that the Joonmyun she knew was also a bit different from the Joonmyun his band members or the company staff knew.

This didn't mean that they were acting fake around others, Joonmyun was one of the most upright people she knew and while Hyehyun didn't wear her heart on her sleeve, she was nowhere near pretentious. It was just that whenever they were around each other, they would show other sides to them. Hyehyun would be livelier and a bit noisy while Joonmyun would become a bit more easy-going and actually joke from time to time.

Hyehyun could talk with him for hours and forget pretty much everything else around her. So when the chance arrived and they both finally had time to be together, both weren't really aware of the time which flew past while they were discussing Exo's impending comeback and Luv's success on the charts.

Therefore they only noticed the oncoming storm when a raindrop splashed against Hyehyun's forehead.

Both simultaneously looked up towards the sky and saw the dark gray rain clouds above them which overshadowed everything around.

"This looks like a downpour, we should seek refugee somewhere before we'll get drained,“ Joonmyun frowned and grabbed Hyehyun's hand. Meanwhile more heavy raindrops fell on the ground next to them. It would get stormy really soon, this was certain, and Hyehyun stepped a bit closer towards Joonmyun. Now that the rain interrupted their conversation, she could feel how chilling the air was, her hands and the tip of her nose were cold as ice.

"Should we go underneath the trees?“ Joonmyun concernly asked, gripping her hand a bit more tightly. The wind started to blow Hyehyun's hair into her face.

"No, that wouldn't be safe in case they get hit by lightning. I have a better idea, just follow.“ she shouted. The wind was so loud he wouldn't have heard her otherwise.

Hyehyun lead him into the direction they came from and Joonmyun followed, his hand firmly holding hers. The small path had become muddy and dirt was splashing them with every step they took. But Hyehyun wasn't faltering, she pushed her long, brown hair out of her face and lead Joonmyun to the place she hoped would give security in this stormy weather. Joonmyun on the other hand followed her quietly, even when he didn't know where his best friend would lead him, he knew she had a fixed destination in mind and trusted her to bring them back into a secured place.

After a few minutes, they reached a small path and not long afterwards they could see the wooden playground, a tiny clearing in the middle of the forest. Hyehyun dashed past the swings. There was a small tower with a slide and two climbing walls and underneath it's platform was a small, quadratic space which was confined by a thin, wooden wall in three directions. The fourth side was only halfway hidden by one of the climbing walls but there was enough space so that children could enter and play in the small compartment.

Hyehyun had only ever been on the swings of the playground before, but when the storm was impending, she remembered the small tower and thought that it could be a sanctuary in this weather. When she ran through the rain there had been a few trees that were already shaking ominously in the wind and Hyehyun didn't doubt that it was possible that some of them would be destroyed in this storm and, if Joonmyun and her happened to seek refugee beneath them, bring them in danger.

Therefore she was heading to that compartment, in hope that it would keep the rain and most of the wind away. She sat down on the wooden floor and moved over a bit so that Joonmyun had enough space to sit beside her. The air smelled like wet wood  and the compartment was indeed tiny so that Hyehyun's shoulder was uncomfortably pressed into Joonmyun's.

She felt slightly awkward but that feeling was quickly forgotten as she started freezing. While she was running she didn't feel the cold as much since she focused on maneuvering her way towards the playground but now the coldness rushed back to the point that her hands were starting to become numb.

"Do you need my jacket?“ Joonmyun asked.

"No, it's okay,“ Hyehyun objected but immediately sneezed afterwards.

"It's not okay. You're a Main Vocalist and you are currently promoting. Here take my jacket, I won't let you become sick.“ He took off his jacket and gently put it around her shoulders. Even though the fabric wasn't very soft, Hyehyun felt a bit warmer.

"Thanks. But what about you?“ she asked, concern laced in her voice.

Joonmyun smiled at her. "It's okay. I've got a good immune system and besides, I'm wearing a thick sweatshirt.“

She looked at his sweatshirt. He was right, it looked really nice and cozy so she didn't object any further and let her head drop against the wooden wall behind her.

A few minutes passed without anyone talking, the only sound was the raindrops pattered outside on the roof. But despite the silence, Hyehyun didn't feel calm or peaceful. It was the opposite, she felt odd, abuzz with excitement for some reason she couldn't fathom. A weird mix between giddy and alert, and she wasn't sure why.

"I should have watched the weather forecast,“ Hyehyun said in an attempt to lift the heavy atmosphere with mindless small talk. Joonmyun just hummed noncommital.

Then they got silent again. Hyehyun could feel her heart pumping in her chest and her blood rushed into her face. Awkward wasn't the right term anymore, this here was something else – heavier, more severe and definitely more thrilling. Her gaze moved towards Joonmyun, his worn-out shoes, the black jeans and the cozy-looking sweatshirt, before her eyes landed on his face and their gazes locked. Blood started rushing into her face.

And she wasn't sure which emotions she could read in his eyes but they were intense and she couldn't stop looking at him. Why did she never notice how handsome he actually was? Her heart was pumping heavily. Despite the weather she felt warm all of a sudden. And when their faces came closer and she could feel his breath against , she couldn't actually say whether it was her or him who made the last step and initiated the kiss. His lips were soft against hers, even though their coordination was still a bit awkward and when Joonmyun broke the kiss and made an attempt to retread a bit, Hyehyun instantly lunged forward, kissing him again.

His lips caught hers. Joonmyun drew her closer to him, her s colliding with his chest, her legs pressed closer against his. As he wrapped his arms around her, he increased the pressure of his lips against hers. He continued to kiss her, his lips moving slowly over hers. He sampled and tasted, coaxed her to open for him, then slid his tongue inside. The tip of his tongue the edge of her teeth, ventured further, brushed the inside of her cheek in a burning, delicate exploration. The kiss made Hyheyun light-headed, and she wrapped her arms around his neck in a desperate need for warmth.

His mouth possessed hers with wicked skill, while his arms surrounded her. Sliding her hands into his hair, she curved her fingers around his scalp, beneath the thick locks.

A harsh breath escaped him, and his lips slid along . Even in her innocence, she sense the wealth of experience in his careful touch, the hunger he kept so tightly shackled...

She pulled away, a red tinging her cheeks. What exactly did she do with Joonmyun? What compelled her to suddenly kiss him?

"I'm sorry." Joonmyun muttered, as he ran an uncertain hand through his dark hair. "I didn't mean to... What was I thinking..."

"No, I'm sorry," Hyehyun mumbled, as she looked down at the ground, her cheeks burning. "I don't know what made me do that."

They sat in silence for a while longer, both not knowing how to handle this delicate situation that seemed somewhat impossible for them.