It’s dull here, she thought absently as she leaned against the fence that ran from the dock to the other end of the park, consisting of a series of wooden posts joined together by thick strings of rope that drooped towards the ground.

The jetty was empty today, since it was morning and nobody really liked going for a swim until the sun had warmed up the water. She toyed with the ropes for a while, swinging it back and forth. The spectacle she witnessed yesterday kept replaying in her head. She couldn’t quite forget the moment where the boy with the twinkling turned and looked at her and smiled. He seemed like a fun guy; definitely someone she’d consider being around. A lot of the guys in her college were jerks, either too lazy or to full of themselves to be considered as dating material. There was only one whom she considered normal, and he had been her best friend for ages.

She turned away from the dock, gazing at the water instead. There was something inviting about the way the emerald water glittered; she could understand why everyone was so eager to jump in yesterday. It spanned for about a few kilometres before it reached the forest. Junhee tapped her fingers lightly on the wooden post, wondering how she was going to capture this scene on paper.

“It looks prettier at night,” a voice said next to her. “Because then, you’d see the city lights reflected on the surface.”

Junhee hadn’t expected anyone to talk to her; she’d been here for too short a time to have known anybody (save for Taeyeon, who was every bit as charming as the establishment she managed). She whirled around, but when she saw his face again, everything that she wanted to say seemed to flutter out of her head.

“You can see the stars too, if you’re lucky,” he added. He was holding his camera up to his face, twisting the focusing ring with one hand while balancing its body with the other. After about a few seconds rapid clicking, he lowered the camera and favoured her with a smile.

He was even better-looking up close. His eyes seemed to glow with their own light, and the curls dancing at the edges of his mouth looked even more endearing as his smile grew larger. It took a moment for her to reply.

“Really? I suppose I’ll come again tonight then.”

He laughed. “Too bad you weren’t here last night; the stars were especially bright. You missed a lot.”

“I don’t think I’ve missed much of the entertainment yesterday, actually.” She didn’t realise that the words were out of until she heard them ringing in her head. You idiot, she mentally face-palmed.

He glanced at her. It seemed like the glow was dancing now. “I’m glad I kept you entertained,” he said with a laugh. “I didn’t think you’d remember me. I guess a second meeting warrants an introduction.” He held out a hand. “I’m Kim Jongdae.”

Third, she corrected quietly in her head, remembering that she’d seen him in the cafe as well. She wasn’t going to tell him though; he probably hadn’t been aware of her as how she had been of him.

“Baek Junhee,” she said, accepting his hand. They shook twice before letting go. She noticed that his hands were warm and calloused. “You seem really enthusiastic with that,” she said, jerking her chin lightly towards the camera. “Are you a photographer?”

“Not professional,” he admitted. “I’m more of a freelancer. It’s a hobby with good returns, if you’re skilled enough.” He patted the camera fondly as he spoke.

“Is that what yesterday’s about?” she asked, turning her body to face him.

He grinned. “I have a friend who owns an online shopping mall. I photograph for him sometimes. Those two brats you met yesterday were two of his part-time models. High school,” he added after a pause. “Jongin and Sehun are sweet kids, but they’re absolutely full of themselves. I thought they deserved a little something to tone down their egos.”

“Well, the blonde one is going to have to comb out moss from his hair for a very long time.”

 “Mission accomplished!”

His gleeful expression made her laugh.

“So anyway,” he began, once their laughter had subsided into small smiles. “Are you here on vacation? I’ve never seen you around before.”

“Yup,” she said with a nod. “I’m here to find inspiration actually; I’m an art major.”

“I kinda guessed that,” he said, nodding at her bag.

She glanced at her watch. She had promised her mother she’d call before lunch, and it was well past one now.

“I think I better go,” she said, offering him apologetic smile as she straightened up.

“Oh?” he looked... surprised? Disappointed? She couldn’t tell. “Well, bye I guess.”

She waved at him and turned away, but his voice stopped her in her tracks before she could go far.

“Hey, I’m going to be here tonight, just in case –you know –you might want company. That is if you’re coming tonight anyway.”

She turned her head. He was smiling at her, but she saw the embarrassment flicker in his eyes after offer. She smiled softly at him. “See you tonight, Jongdae.”

She knew she had spent too long digging through her bag for the right outfit. She just knew that it was bad news when her cell phone alarm began beeping and she still hadn’t assembled a suitable combination yet. But then again, it had been such a long time since a cute boy had requested a second meeting with her, and as a result she’d neglected her closet.

Junhee sighed as she stared at the mess in front of her. All her garments were strewn all over the bed and the chairs, edges drooping limply towards the floor from where they hung. She berated herself for not foreseeing such a situation and was half prepared to sacrifice her cash stash for a quick shopping trip to a dress shop, but a glance at the window told her that, in her state of distress, the sun had set and the sky had melted into a rich, dark blue.

Left with no choice, she chose her nicest pair of jeans and a simple shirt, consoling herself with the fact that Jongdae probably wouldn’t bother to scrutinise her clothes in the darkness. She tried to squelch the thought that he was a photographer of an online shopping mall, and had probably seen girls capable of dressing a whole lot better.

Why am I even bothering anyway? she thought as she tugged on a cardigan. It’s not even a date.

She hustled out of her room and then emerged out of the B&B, plunging easily into the darkness of the night. Contrary to Seoul, where much of its life began at night, this town slept upon the fall of darkness. She felt unused to the lack of cars in the streets; back at Seoul, the flash of headlights were as much a source of light as the street lights and the lighted signs, but here, they seemed to rely on the street lights only, and occasionally, the moon. 

There was something about this town that made you feel protected, safe. At Seoul, it would have been akin to suicide to walk alone at night, but here, it was as if everyone watched out for each other. The only eyes that she felt on her were just those that belonged to the people who passed by and smiled at her. She settled into a comfortable pace, making a quick turn to the left and emerging at the park.

At least I wouldn’t have to worry about being alone, she thought. There were a lot of people here; she supposed that the residents still appreciated the lake’s beauty even though they’d lived here to see it every day. Most of them were couples though, hands entwined as they walked –a lovely scene to paint.

It didn’t take her long to find Jongdae; he was standing at the exact same place they were this morning. The breeze tugged at the idle strands of his hair, coaxing them to stand –he raked his fingers through his hair to subdue it. His camera was carefully cradled in his hands, a Nikon D3300 she had yet to see him without. Occasionally, he’d lift it to snap a few shots of both the lake and the park. She waited for him to make a full circle with his camera before waving at him when he pointed it at her. He smiled as he lowered it, letting it hang loose by the strap on his neck as he watched her saunter over.

“How many shots have you gotten in that?” she asked when she reached him, gesturing lightly at his camera.

“Oh, a lot,” he said with a light laugh. “I pretty much snapped everything I saw on my way here.”

“Show me.”

Jongdae smiled and reached for his camera. She tried to peer over his shoulder as she watched him go through a series of different options, expert fingers running through the appropriate dials and buttons before coming to the photo album. She leaned in closer as he softly began explaining the pictures.

“These are from my garden,” he explained, showing a row of different shrubs taken at expert angles. He scrolled further, and she found that he had even taken the photos of the dew on the leaves. There was even one where the dew hung limply on its tip, already on the verge of falling to the ground, with rainbows dancing in swirls on its surface.

He showed her a few more things he saw on his way there: an old car with faded paint and cracked headlights, but had a vintage feel to it; a town square, surrounded by higgledy-piggledy little shops , the ground covered entirely with misshapen stones; and a flash of a display glass of a store at night, winking like a star.

He was good. Very good.

The last one he showed her was one of the shots he had taken before she arrived. It showed the lake, with the town lights reflected on a surface the colour of rippling midnight –beautiful as he’d promised.

She turned then, trying to compare what she saw in the picture with the lake in reality, and was left breathless. The lake’s beauty was mesmerising; the shadowy water had a mystic feel to it, shifting and changing underneath the moonlight. There were ripples on it, some more centred than others, with the occasional flash of silver scales moving underneath it. She saw the lights on its surface, the way the colour seemed to blur and shift at every movement, as if it had a life of its own. Then, there was a patch of silver at its very centre, undefined at its edges but vaguely circular, which was even more beautiful than the colourful lights itself.

Jongdae edged closer to her and lifted the camera above the water, so that she could see both the lake and its picture. “Pretty, huh?”

“Yeah,” she breathed, still unable to take it all in. She tried to memorise everything she saw, all the details: the shifting waves and the different hues of colour on the water.

“You’re going to draw it?” he asked, withdrawing the camera.

“No. Only a painting can do justice to this.” She rested her palms on one of the fence’s posts. “But I’m going to have to tote a whole canvas here, as well as extend my stay for a few more weeks.”

“What medium so you prefer working with?” he asked curiously.

She shrugged. “In sketches? Pencil, mostly, but occasionally, I do use charcoal. When it comes to painting though, I prefer watercolours.”

He nodded, intrigued. “I don’t usually turn my pictures into prints, but when I do, I prefer to use minimal photoshop. I think everything beautiful deserves to be left the way it is.”

“What about the online shopping mall thing?” Junhee asked curiously. “Surely you have to do some editing for their pictures.”

He waved his hands dismissively. “I just turn in the pictures. It’s usually another employee who does the editing –and he’s very good at it too. Jongin and Sehun do not look that good in real life.”

She laughed out loud, but quickly muffled it with her hand, her shoulders moving up and down with her silent giggles. He smiled lightly, his hand unconsciously moving to brush away a strand of hair falling into his eyes. She noticed how much they mirrored the lake, both in depth and the lights reflected on its surface.

“Did you... um... come here with a tour guide?” he asked when her laughter had subsided and the only voices besides theirs were the whispering of the wind and the lapping water.

“No,” she replied, shaking her head. “The travel company offered to put me in a group with one, but I don’t really like travelling with tour guides. They always end up rushing you everywhere because they want to cram everything in one day. There’s just not enough time to stop and smell the flowers.”

“Well, how about one who stops and smells the flowers with you –or better yet, one who shows you which flowers to smell.” He entwined his hands behind his head and grinned widely at her. “I know a lot of places in town that, as a fellow art enthusiast, you would love to see –things that are not in a tour group’s itinerary.”

She tapped her chin playfully. “Hmm... I’ll have to think about it.”

“I come with a camera,” he said, offering her a winning smile as he held it up and pretended to snap pictures with it.

She laughed. “Do I have to pay?”

He chewed his lip, pretending to think. “Well... I do prefer cash, but I’ll accept payment in any form of physical expression of gratitude.”

She rolled her eyes and punched him lightly on the shoulder.

Laughing, he stepped back. “I suppose that counts.”

“You’re going to have to work your way up to a hug.”

He grinned. “We’ll meet here tomorrow then, ten o’clock sharp.”