Hao Yi sat nervously on her couch as she watched the clock on her living room wall tick away, her feet tapping nervously. She sighed and looked towards the kitchen, checking to see if the time was correct on the stove clock as well.

She stood and started nervously pacing the floor, brushing a strand of freshly washed and dried hair behind her ear as she sighed. A quick rap on her front door stopped her in her tracks. She shook out her hands and braced herself in front of the door, placing a bright smile on her face. She opened the door and came face to face with a beaming Yixing holding a large bouquet of roses.

He handed them out to her shyly, a blush blooming across his cheeks. Hao Yi took them softly and sniffed at the roses, closing her eyes and inhaling the floral scent.

She looked back up to Yixing. “When did you have time to get these? You’re even early.”

Yixing shrugged and gave her a quick wink. “Better put those in water before we head out.”

Hao Yi quickly turned and ran to her kitchen, grabbing a large glass vase and filling it with water before placing the roses in and setting the vase down softly in the middle of the dining room table.

“Perfect,” she heard Yixing whisper in her ear as he s a hand around her waist, pulling her closer to him. She turned in his arms and smiled up at him, wrapping her arms around his neck. He leaned his head down to rest his forehead against hers, inhaling deeply.

“I thought we had a big day ahead of us?”

He opened his eyes and stared deeply into her own. “We do, I just wanted to take a moment for this.”

“For what?”

“To be happy.” He smiled down at her before giving Hao Yi a quick peck and pulling her arms from around his neck and grabbing her hands in his. He pulled her out to the hallway and stopped long enough for her to lock her apartment and quickly tugged her down the hallway, towards the elevator.

“So, what do you have planned for us?” Hao Yi looked up at Yixing.

He shook his head and smirked at her, giving her a hand squeeze. “Not telling”

Hao Yi scoffed and pulled her hand away, pouting slightly.

Yixing smiled and wrapped his arm around Hao Yi’s shoulder and pulling her to him. “I thought girls liked a bit of mystery and romance,” he chuckled, giving her a quick kiss on the top of her head. Hao Yi closed her eyes and leaned her head against Yixing’s chest, breathing in his scent. She tried to push away thoughts of Luhan and his note, but her mind wouldn’t settle.

The man from the café. The man from the café. The man from the café.

The words from the note wouldn’t stop bombarding her, even as she and Yixing walked hand in hand down the streets of Seoul as he chatted about work, the weather, a cute child that ran past them.

“Hao Yi.”

Startled, Hao Yi bumped into Yixing’s broad back and looked up to him. He stared back down at her, worry etched on his face.

“I’m sorry, I must have zoned out for a second. What were you saying?” She asked quickly, trying to cover her tracks.

“I said we’re here. Are you sure you’re okay? We can head back home and spend the day at home, resting,” he trailed off, checking her forehead for a fever.

She pulled his hand off her forehead and smiled up at him. She looked behind him and her eyes brightened. “Lotte World?” She looked up at him excitedly.

He smiled and nodded, laughing as she started tugging him towards the entrance. After a quick argument about who would pay for the tickets, in which Yixing won, they walked inside, and Hao Yi’s eyes widened with glee as she jumped up and down.

Yixing watched her rave on and on about all of the rides and food, and he couldn’t help but smile as he watched the childish woman in front of him.

They spent hours walking around, riding and eating everything that caught Hao Yi’s eye. The sun had finally started to set, and Yixing’s arms were full of a giant stuffed teddy bear that he had won for Hao Yi as the two trudged towards the exit. Hao Yi skipped along happily as she munched on a small bag of popcorn, occasionally stopping to feed him a piece or two or to let him catch up.

Once the two had exited the amusement park, Hao Yi walked closer to Yixing, wrapping her arms around his as they strolled down the sidewalk.

“So, good first part to our first date?”

Hao Yi looked up at him, startled. “First part? There’s more?”

Yixing laughed and nodded. “Of course there’s more, you think I’d just take you to an amusement park and call it a day? I’m way more romantic than that. Have a little faith,” he chuckled, nudging her slightly. “We just have to make a quick pit stop by the café so I can pick up my paycheck. Have to take care of my girl.”

She laughed as they kept walking, chatting about their favorite rides, movies, anything that came to mind.

As the couple turned the corner of the street, they were met with a large crowd and police tape.

“What’s going on? That’s the café,” Hao Yi murmured as Yixing pulled her towards the storefront quickly.

Yixing pushed his way through the crowd and stopped at the yellow tape next to an officer who was jotting something down in a small notebook.

“What’s happening?” Yixing asked quickly.

The officer waved him off with a quick excuse, telling them to move along.

“No, we work here, what happened? I need in there,” Yixing pushed on until he felt a slight tug on his sleeve. He looked down and saw Hao Yi’s panicked look and followed her gaze pas the officer.

Red paint was splattered all over the windows that were still intact, and rocks painted a similar shade of red littered the interior, amongst broken tables, chairs and glass. Words sprawled across the sidewalk in front of the entrance caught Yixing’s eyes, and he felt a giant lump in his throat that he couldn’t choke down.

ing Chinks

“What the hell,” Yixing muttered as he ran his free hand through his hair. He looked to his side and saw Hao Yi frozen, a hand held over her gaping mouth and tears in her eyes. He quickly looked around the crowd and pulled her to him, placing an arm over her protectively as he gently pushed her head down, weaving them swiftly through the crowd. He didn’t stop running until they had reached the safety of his apartment, door closed and locked.

Hao Yi sat on the couch staring at her hands, quiet. Yixing walked towards her, but stopped when he saw the tears falling from her eyes.

“Hao Yi.”

She looked up, and the fear in her eyes made Yixing tense up.

“I don’t think we should be here anymore.” Hao Yi spoke quietly, yet deliberately, and the words filled the room, creating an uncomfortable air between the two.

Yixing looked confused as he moved to sit next to her on the couch, grabbing her hand and pulling it into his lap. “What do you mean?”

Hao Yi took a deep breath and looked to him. “Here, in Korea. We shouldn’t be here.”

Yixing stopped rubbing her hand as he stared at her, incredulous. His thoughts were a nonstop train wreck as he tried to form words, but his mouth couldn’t keep up, and he ended up looking like a gaping fish.

He stood up and walked to the window, his hands on his hips. “I can’t just sit here and upend my life again just because of some racist s. I’m not going to run.”

“Even if it means your life?”

“It won’t. I won’t let it. I can keep myself safe, I can keep yousafe. Why should we go anywhere else because one person doesn’t like us trying to live our lives?”

Hao Yi stood quickly, her anger finally boiling over. “And what if you can’t, Yixing? What then? I don’t want to live my life in fear, and if that means going home and dealing with all of my there, then so be it. You shouldn’t be so nonchalant about your life like this. We are in real, actual danger here, and I’m sorry if I don’t want to be the bigger man and end up six feet under like Luhan!”

Hao Yi felt the words leave like vomit, and her hands flew to her open mouth, her eyes wide.

“Oh god, Yixing, I’m so sorry, I- “

“Get out.”

Hao Yi looked at his rigid back, tears in her eyes. “Yixing, I- “

“I said. Get. Out. Now.”

Hao Yi walked closer to Yixing and tried placing a hand on his back but pulled back when she felt him tense and turn towards her. The anger and ferocity in his eyes made her shrink. He grabbed a picture frame from the small end table next to him and hurled it towards the wall, barely missing Hao Yi by a few centimeters.

She crouched down, her arms protectively wrapped around her head as sobs racked her body.

“Get out of my home!”

Yixing grabbed her arm and pulled her up, dragging her across the living room floor and pulling the front door open. He pushed her out into the hallway and slammed the door shut. Hao Yi sat on the floor in the middle of the hallway as she heard screams and glass shattering behind the closed door. She mustered enough strength to pull herself off the ground and make her way to her own apartment, her fingers delicately holding her other arm where he had grabbed her.

She fumbled with the lock as tears blurred her vision, and she pushed the door open clumsily before closing it and collapsing against it, sobs racking her body.

“Hao Yi?”

She gasped and opened her eyes, coming face to face with Luhan, who was now crouched in front of her, his eyes full of concern and worry.

“Hao Yi, what happened? What’s wrong?”

Hao Yi hiccupped as she struggled to regain herself, forcing herself to take deep breaths. Luhan hushed her as he waited patiently for her to gain sense of the situation again.

“Luhan, we’re in trouble.”