She wasn’t entirely sure how she had ended up here. One moment she was meeting up with HongBin at the park, and the next she was hanging out an open helicopter staring 1000 feet down toward the ground as she was about to jump to her death.

“This is exciting!” HongBin called to her over the sound of the helicopter plates. Trying to be enthusiastic for the sake of the younger, Raelyn forced a smile through her fear and nodded at him.

“I agree! Really an adrenalin rush!”

HongBin sent a huge grin towards Raelyn, glad that he heard those words from her. He remembered how JaeHwan had said something about Raelyn loving heights and adrenaline rushes, and it made him feel so much better. However, her being totally excited for the jump did not help the way his gut was wrenching and churning at the thought of actually jumping out of the helicopter. HongBin didn’t dare look down, afraid that doing so would make him completely chicken out.

“Alright!” The jump instructor announced. “Remember, after you jump, keep your body spread in an X formation.”

“Neh!”

“And remember to keep ahold of your drawstrings!” He continued. “There’s nothing worse than being in the air and you can’t reach your drawstring to initiate your parachute because it is flying behind you!”

The instructor laughed heartily as if it was a joke he and his friends shared, but the comment made both HongBin and Raelyn’s stomachs church. A minute later they hesitantly stepped up to the opening in the vehicle, preparing themselves for jump.

“Alright.” HongBin called, “On three, we jump together.”

Raelyn nodded, trying to hide the terror on her face. “Alright.”

They stared over the edge and down at the ground far below them, the hearts jumping when the instructor urged them on.

“Alright, alright, we’ll do it!” Raelyn called back to the instructor. She then addressed the man beside her. “But, before we do, I have a confession to make.”

HongBin nodded, still keeping his eyes firmly planted on the earth. “What’s that?”

“I’m terrified of heights.”

“What?!”

HongBin nearly tackled her to the ground in his attempt to get away from the opening.

“What are you two doing?!” The instructor shouted.

Ignoring him, HongBin turned to Raelyn. “What do you mean you’re afraid of heights?”

“I mean they scare me. They terrifying. They make want to pee my pants, and then eat those pants rather than jumping from them.”

“Ew….” He said offhandedly. “But I thought you loved heights? Aren’t you an adrenalin junkie?”

“Who on earth fed you that lie?” She asked. “I only agreed to come up here because I thought that this is what you were into.”

HongBin let out a nervous laugh that said everything. “Oh no no no no no! Never in my life!”

“So we’re not jumping??”

“No way!”

Leaping into his arms, she exclaimed. “Thank God!”

Bowing to the instructor, HongBin and Raelyn apologized once again. Afterwards, they headed off on their way down the block.

“Well that was an… interesting experience.” Raelyn said, brushing her windblown hair back into place.

“Tell me about it.” HongBin laughed. “My only regret is that I am now down two hundred dollars.”

Raelyn nearly clotheslined him at the comment. “You spent two hundred dollars on sky diving?!”

“I thought that it was what you were into!” He looked away from her and rubbed the back of his head. “If it meant that I could do something for you that you liked, then money wasn’t an issue….”

She was slightly taken aback by this, the comment making something thump against her chest. They stood in silence for a while as she lost herself in thought, but finally she smiled and turned around.

“Come on.” She said. He stared after her for a moment, but then ran to catch up with her.

“Where are we going?”

“To a place I actually enjoy.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Children ran around on the pavement, holding their various greasy foods that filled the air with their aroma. Couples walked hand in hand, holding drinks or cotton candy, everyone holding tickets or wearing bracelets around their wrists that admitted them onto the infinite possibilities of rides. Although this had become something or a normal occurrence to Raelyn, the man beside her was gawking in awe at the rush of everything.

“Wow!” He exclaimed as a ride raised the passengers into the air and began spinning them at many different degrees. “I hope they don’t fall out….”

Raelyn couldn’t help but grin at the silly little comment. “Have you seriously never been to a carnival before?”

“Ani.” He replied. “My parents never took me, and my grandmother didn’t believe in them.” This comment made him blush as he recalled his childhood, making him clear his throat. “Um, she didn’t like technology and such.”

“Hey, to each their own.” Raelyn replied, seeing how flustered he was. “Some people have lived different lives.” She grinned. “I’m glad that I get to experience this with you.”

This made HongBin blush even more. “Um, thank you…” He brought his wrist to his face then. “But did we have to buy these? They were kind of expensive.”

“Hey, you spent two hundred dollars on me, so I’m returning the favor.” She replied. “Besides, these bracelets give us access to ride all of the rides in this place, so we might as well take advantage of today.”

HongBin stared at her for a moment, but then grinned. “Araseo!”

The hours passed quickly. With a little urging from the older, HongBin took her on every ride that caught his eye, skipping over the really intense looking ones. Raelyn clutched the large Jamaican monkey that he had won for her at the dart game as they moved towards the food stands to rest, and despite how much she resisted, HongBin insisted on buying her food.

After getting their food, they moved over to an empty table by the stand and sat down.

HongBin let out a sigh as he began to down his beverage.

“Slow down there.” Raelyn laughed. “You’re going to give yourself hiccups.”

“Mianhae.” He replied. “I guess I’ve just been having too much fun to really notice how thirsty I was.”

“Well we don’t want to kill you from having too much fun.” She said. “I think your brother would kill me.”

At the mention of his brother, HongBin’s expression faltered. Noticing this, Raelyn’s face showed that of concern.

“You alright?”

It was then that HongBin grinned lightly. “Neh. Just thinking.”

She tilted her head, knitting her eyebrows. “About?”

He stared at her; the warm wind tousled her hair just gently, the long brown locks contrasting against the pink evening sky behind her. He saw in her big chocolate brown eyes that she showed genuine concern for him, almost that of a mother.

He opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it and shook his head. “It’s nothing.”

Suddenly, a bout of happy music kicked up on the other side of the fair land and, looking over, HongBin found that the source of it was coming from the large red and white tent that towered over the rest of the place.

After a moment, the Bean smiled. “Come on. Our night isn’t over yet.”

Without protest, he pulled her over to the tent, which swallowed them and sent them into a completely different world. Bright lights flashed around them, the roars of various animals they could hardly name mixed with the shrieks of excitement over the music of people around them left them almost deaf. Above them, performers were twisting and turning in long trains of silk, while others leaped and flew and somersaulted through the air from pedestals to swinging bars through hoops to simple boards in the rafters.

It was a controlled chaos, and had it not been for HongBin’s firm hold on her wrist, Raelyn was sure that she would have been swept away in the oncoming crowd around her.

They were seated, and the show soon started. It opened with the booming voice of someone who could not be found until a cloud of smoke suddenly came and went and a man in a large green and purple mask appeared in the middle of the ring. The crowd went wild, and soon the performers came out. The pecking order went from acrobats to lion tamers to magicians to rope walkers to clowns to trapeze artists - it went by too quickly for either of them to completely soak in.

As it neared the end of the show, the lights were shut off, sending a moment of confusion through the crowd before a bright white spotlight clicked on the highest platform - 50 feet above the ground. A very petite female hidden behind a beaked helmet stepped upon the wooden surface; just as she did so, the tent was suddenly filled with light again as the net far below her was set aflame, sending a gasp through the crowd. A few more spotlights were lit upon obstacles that she had to overcome, those such as a couple of spring boards on other platforms, a few rings she had to jump through, as well as a couple of the swings and a hanging silk that the announcer informed that audience wasn’t secure and would fall from the ceiling almost as soon as the woman touched it.

Despite the gasps of disbelief that came from the crowd, the woman only stepped further and further to the edge of the platform. Just before she jumped, HongBin felt a hand reach out and grasp his own, sending a panic through his body before he looked over to find that it was Raelyn. Her eyes were wide and glued to the scene in anticipation and terror all at once.

He continued to stare at her before gulping and intertwining his fingers firmly in hers. This surprised her, causing her to pry her eyes away from the scene and look over at him. Her eyes met his and they locked in a moment that seemed to last forever. She stared up into his eyes, so soft and warm and innocent yet had a hint of intensity behind them that send a murmur through her heart just for a moment.

He stared back down at her, the lights from the show gleaming in the irises that were lined with eyeliner and mascara. In that moment, despite everything that was going on around him, the only thought the seemed to process through his head was the fact the he had never seen her without her makeup on. As he began to wonder what she could possibly look behind her mask, he found himself slowly falling into her.

He watched her eyelids close halfway, her full lips becoming even fuller the closer he got to her. He was mere inches from her face, able to pick up the scent of her cosmetics, when a loud exclamation of the crowd ripped their moment apart.

They looked back to the show at hand, everything moving so quickly that they didn’t even realize that it was over until the fire blazed from the silk hitting the safety net and the crowd erupted into cheers as the performer landed safely on the pedestal that had been set out for her.

As she bowed, the audience stood for one last ovation, detaching the woman to his right from him as she began to clap and wail. He stared at her for a moment before grinning and rising to his feet, cheering for the performer as well.

The show lights were shut down and the house lights were , signifying that the show was now over. The crowd continued to beam as it split into two different lines - one that exited the tent, and one that traveled down the stairs to the ring where carnies were assisting passengers up onto the seating dock that was tied to the back of an elephant.

After leaving the tent, the couple walked in silence. It wasn’t until they had left the emptying park and were in the car that a word was spoken between them.

“So can I admit something?” HongBin asked.

A thump was felt behind her chest. “Go ahead.”

“This has probably been my favorite date.”

This instantly sent a flush through her body that made her ears burn. She couldn’t help but look down at her hands on the steering wheel and smile.

“Mine too. Even if we did almost jumped to our deaths this morning.” She chuckled. “You really thought that I was into that kind of thing?”

This statement immediately made the thought process that he had been trying to avoid all day rush back to HongBin. The smile on his face faded, and his eyes became distant.

Raelyn noticed the silence in his aura almost immediately, causing her happy expression to fade as well. She glanced over at him. “Bean-ah…?”

Her nickname for him brought him back to his senses, He looked over at her for a moment, but then scoffed down at his hands.

“My brother told me that you were an adrenaline junkie.”

Raelyn was slightly taken aback by this, but not a bit surprised at the same time. After a moment, she scoffed. “JaeHwan, huh?”

You . Seeing the confused and hurt expression on his face, she kept this comment to herself.

“Maybe he was just playing around with you.” She recommended. “You know how 4D he is.”

HongBin scoffed. “Don’t I know it.”

Almost too soon they were pulling up in front of the apartment complex, hopping out of the car, and were inside of the building.

“I asked him what your favorite gem was, and he told me that it was talc.” He explained.

She made a face at this. “Talc? But talc is a mineral.”

“That’s what I said!” He shook his head and let out an exhale. “Of course, I should have expected as much.”

This caught Raelyn’s attention. “What do you mean?”

“My brother and I have sort of… strained relationship, to say the least.” He stopped and thought for a moment, but then let out another sigh. "I knew he used to lie about his drinking addiction, but I never knew he'd sink this low."

At the mention of the words "drinking addiction" Raelyn's ears immediately perked up. "His what...?"

HongBin stared at the ground before shaking his head in disapproval. "In short terms - my brother is a drunk."

This surprised Raelyn. "Really?"

"He used to be in denial of it."

Raelyn stared at him for a moment, the gears in her head working. "Is that why you two are so distant from each other?"

"Neh." He continued. "When he gets like that, he reminds me of...." His words trailed off into the silent walls of the building complex as his eyes became distant again. Raelyn knitted her eyebrows, becoming more and more concerned by the second. After a moment, though, he shook himself back into reality. "He reminds me of a person I used to know."

Raelyn opened to address him, but due of the clues of context that he was sending her, she shut it. Instead, she cleared .

"So I guess it seems like you don't really know me at all, doesn't it?"

HongBin stared off down the hall for a while before his dimples decided to peak out. "I guess it is so." He glanced down at her before looking forward again. "But I plan to change that."

The words sent her nerves flipping, her heart seeming to fly. Before she could say anything, HongBin looked down and let out a sigh.

"I just can't believe that he'd do something like this."

"Like what?"

As they reached their door, HongBin paused. He turned to her and stared down at her without a word until she returned his gaze.

"Mislead me and ruin my chance with the woman I want to make mine."

Her eyes widened just slightly. She stared up into his face, his expression serious yet soft.

Not knowing what else to say, she spoke the first thing that came to mind, stammering over her words as she did so.

"W-why on earth would you want to possibly do that? I mean...."

"What do you mean? How could someone not want to make this wonderful woman theirs?" He asked, doing his best to force his nervous heart to be confident. "This beautiful, sweet, perfect woman."

She lowered her head, her hands shaking as they held each other. "That opinion is relative."

"Maybe so," he reached up and placed a hand on her shoulder, sending a tingle through her body at his soft touch. As he slowly dragged his palm down her arm and to her hands, he continued. "But all that matters is what you are to me."

Her hand was moved from its resting position and up towards him, causing her to look up at him in confusion. It was then that her palm was placed against his plate, her heart doing somersaults.

"I have never had the kind of trust in anyone as I do in you." This statement sent her overjoyed heart sinking to the bottom of her stomach. "And I believe that you will take the heart of this broken soul and lock it away within your own pure one."

Pure. The words send daggers through her heart, nearly crippling her. She did her best to disguise her immediate guilt by looking away from him.

"Broken soul? How on earth can someone like you have a broken soul...?" She looked back up at him, sorrow in her eyes.

It's my soul that needs saving....

"You want to know what I was thinking during the show earlier? How absolutely beautiful you are." He said. "And I couldn't help but wonder how our Raelyn looks without all of that makeup on her face." He placed a hand against her cheek, her essence melting with every of his thumb.

"That's that Raelyn I want to see." He stated. "The Raelyn in her pure, vulnerable, unmasked form."

They shared a long moment of silence as they stared into each others eyes, their hearts pulsing the blood through their veins in uniform with each other. Raelyn couldn't help as she felt her lip quiver just slightly, more from the pain of her own mask than anything else. She almost didn't notice as the tall man began to lean into her. Rather than complying, however, she turned her head away from him, placing a hand on his chest.

"Are you sure you still want to do this?" She asked, looking up at him. "Are you sure you still want to kiss the lips of a masked woman you don't know anything about?"

He looked deeply into her, his eyes alternating between her eyes and her lips, his head tilted just slightly.

"Absolutely."

The answer grabbed her heart and ripped it out of her chest, and all she could do is watch as he closed his eyes and leaned in, giving her his all in this one kiss.

Before he could press his lips against hers, however, the door to the apartment was ripped open, and the two of them were humiliatingly met with a very surprised looking Ravi.

"Well then." He said, a grin falling across his lips. "Maybe I'll just go back inside and come back out in five minutes."

“Hyung!!!” HongBin cried, covering his blushing and smiling face with his hand.

“I’ll just leave you two alone.” Ravi turned around and walked back into the house, setting the bag that was flung over his shoulder down on the couch.

“You ruined the mood anyways, so nothing is going to happen.” The younger grumbled as he moved into the house.

Raelyn stood outside of the doorway in her emotional mess, unsure of what exactly to do. It wasn’t until HakYeon walked out of the kitchen that she was pulled into the house. It looked as though he had begun to mope, but the moment he saw her his face lightened up.

“Anneyonghaseyo.” He sang with a bow to her. “Come in, come in.”

The thought of politely refusing him crossed her mind, but she had come to discover over the course of the past few months that once HakYeon’s mind was made up there was no way to thwart it.

“We’ve just finished eating, but I haven’t put anything away yet, if you’re hungry.”

Raelyn shook her head. “I’ve been snacking all evening, so I’m full.” She explained. “Thank you though.”

“Oh, Raelyn…” Hyuk’s voice drew in her attention as he exited his bedroom. When she looked up at him with a large smile and bowed to him though, he could only bring himself to nod towards her.

Through a side glance, Hyuk could see Raelyn’s confused expression. He was about to apologize, but Hyuk’s mind was spinning already and he couldn’t bring himself to try and say anything to her. He walked past HakYeon and into the kitchen, making HakYeon look at him curiously for a moment. Grabbing a cup, Hyuk tried to make himself as invisible as possible to everyone else.

The front door opened, and his attention was caught by Ravi’s form exiting through the frame. He had a string bag slung over his back, and his hair was pushed under a snapback cap. He only sent a small glance back towards HakYeon before pulling the front door shut.

Hyuk traveled out of the kitchen with his now full cup of water, looking towards HakYeon for a moment. When his eyes accidentally landed on Raelyn again, he grimaced before turning away and headed back towards his room.

“Yah, SangHyuk!” HakYeon called out.

Groaning quietly so his cousin didn’t hear him, Hyuk turned and looked at HakYeon. “Neh, Hyung?”

“Don’t take that into your room, I’ll never see that glass again.” HakYeon shook his head slightly as he pointed at the cup in Hyuk’s hands.

“I always bring them back out though….” Hyuk whined slightly as he started back towards the kitchen.

“Or I do….” HongBin teased, laughing a little as he looked at Hyuk.

HakYeon could only laugh and point at HongBin for a moment. “Exactly. Oh, and your brother went out tonight, just so you know.” He stated, the statement not meaning anything to him as he touched HongBin’s shoulder for a moment.

“Where’d he go…?” HongBin asked, gritting his teeth.

“To some bar with his coworkers.” HakYeon shrugged. “He came home around seven I think, and then promptly left.”

HongBin only grunted in response, his eyes turning away from the eldest and towards Raelyn. She looked at him, her eyes meeting his for a moment longer than she normally looked at anyone. Looking towards HakYeon, then back at HongBin, Raelyn could only barely smile at him. He could see there was something in Raelyn’s eyes that she wanted to say, but couldn’t, and it made him want to spend even more time with her that day.

Looking away though, Raelyn looked towards HakYeon. “I really think I should get going…. No doubt Lucca’s going to be at home wondering where I’ve been.” She laughed a little, but then turned and started towards the front door again.

“Good night Noona~” HongBin called out before she had her hand on the door handle. When she responded the farewell to him, HongBin turned and left the living room in favor for the bathroom to take a shower.

Hyuk was watching from the kitchen though, and his eyes had widened when he heard Raelyn say something about Lucca. While none of the others would have known, Hyuk knew that Lucca had to work over that night, and no doubt she had messaged Raelyn about it as well. He looked from HakYeon to Raelyn, then quickly dropped the cup onto the counter. He went to the living room as he adjusted his sweatpants on his hips.

Raelyn finished saying goodbye to HakYeon, and then waved just barely at Hyuk. He sent a short wave to her, his mind racing as he tried to figure out what he was going to do. The front door closed behind Raelyn, and Hyuk heard HakYeon let out a sigh. He turned away and started back towards the kitchen. Hyuk waited until the eldest had his back turned to the front door, and then ran for the front.

Finding the only shoes he wouldn’t have to tie up, Hyuk slipped his feet into them quickly.

“Hyuk?” HakYeon asked curiously.

Gasping, Hyuk darted from the living room and out the front door. He couldn’t miss his only chance to figure out exactly what was going on.

“Hyuk!” HakYeon’s voice was loud. “Yah, Han SangHyuk!!”

“I’m sorry Hyung!” Hyuk called back as he ran down the stairs and started running down from the apartment complex.