If you didn’t know any better, you’d think they were filming a scene in a low budget movie. Their dogs were prancing ahead of their masters, purposely intertwining their leashes time after time again, which resulted in him and Yoona being constantly dragged closer together, to the point where their shoulders were touching. It was indirect contact, sure, but he couldn’t keep his mind off it. They had just started their walk and here they were, already physical.

He scoffed, in an attempt to distract his mind from the unreal girl by his side. To think…all it took to go on a walk with someone of her nature was to borrow his friend, Yongguk’s, dog and he didn’t mean that in a condescending way - he couldn’t be anymore grateful. Here he was, strolling down the slim sidewalk with could be mistaken as an angel at his side. His eyes looked down to her once more to find that her eyes were darting back and forth as well.

Caught red handed and completely embarrassed, Junhyung watched in utter amusement as Yoona’s cheeks went from pale white to a shade of rosy red.  “So-so, what do you do for a living?” Casual conversation always killed the spare hours, right? Sure…he’d much rather talk about things like…if she was alright…how she slept…her plans for tonight but something in his mind wouldn’t let himself be so open with her…so completely vulnerable like bait in the ocean. He wasn’t like that…

“I work at a bar in a club.” He informed as he tugged Bandit to the right a bit, as he was about to trample that thing Yoona called a ‘dog.’  “Ah…how long have you been working there?” He twisted his lips as he mentally back tracked, counting the years from today. “6 years I think.”

“Omo, you old man.”

“Bwoh?!” He snorted with astonishment as her words rang inside his head. Did she just call him…? Old? What did that word even mean? He couldn’t conceal his offend heart as he gently pushed his new found friend to the left a bit more, which resulted in her foot work to become all screwy. “What’d you do that for?” Her voice was laced with what could be taken as laughter as she regained her balance. Did she think violence was funny? Junhyung stared at her for a moment longer, contemplating what in the world ran through her mind to make a chuckle escape her lips before he let a smile creep upon his face as well and followed it up with an arrogant shrug. He’d never know anyway…so why not just go with the flow? Enjoy their moments together like any other normal human being.  “Old men aren’t notorious for keeping their balance.”

You’d think he might have one up-ed her. “Ah…Touché.” But you were terribly wrong. She could have at least argued that point instead of just simply confirming it.

“Favorite sport?”

“Um. Softball….favorite color?”

“Green! Of course. What else.”

“Maybe red?”

“That’s Christmas dork.”

Their conversation jumped and varied as they strolled through the crowded city, chattering the whole time. He would glance down now and then to her to see a white beaming smile imprinted across her face as they passed the batten, so to speak, back and forth. He found gradually, as time continued to surge on he was no longer trying to put space between their shoulders as if they were strangers and should not be near each other…but instead welcomed the skinship he stood proudly beside her, shooting any man who dared to look her way a nasty and unwelcoming look.  It was finally when they reached Central Park, which was not as pleasing to the eyes as it was generally was during warmer seasons, where he felt as if he did not have to assume the role of bodyguard anymore. They found themselves a bench within the heart of the trees and of course, picked up some water and plastic bowls to quench the dogs thirst. Once they were settled in their environment, Junhyung inhaled a deep breath – the fresh air always made him feel that much more alive….but maybe today…he was so awake, so…jolly…for another reason…

“Do you want to go to school for anything?” It was another one of her completely sporadic conversation beginners, but they did not irritate him the way you think they would as it commonly does with others. He didn’t mind going from one topic, to the completely opposite discussion. Not with her, not with the way she turned everything into something b with life and excitement. It was like her light could never be put out. The way she cared herself…it was infectious. He couldn’t retain his poker face in any shape or form.

“Welding, that is the only thing I was ever offered at school anyway. I know bits and pieces about it.” He stated as he leaned back into the creaky wood. He titled his head to his left, where she sat as he stared at her side profile in amusement. He could never get over her beauty…the way she practically shined despite the clouds covering the sun’s rays...

“What’s welding?” …He batted his eyelashes for a moment, waiting for her to follow that up with anything else, something witty, but when she leaned back into the bench and stared at him with her big brown chocolate orbs, it dawned on him that she was being completely serious.

“It’s when you melt metal together with fire.” Almost instantaneously Yoona broke out in a hysterical fit of laughter.  And this was the moment he was referencing – when she did something like this, his facial muscles got a mind of their own as they joined in on her amusement.

…It was the same thing that used to happen with her.

“That is completely obvious, I’m sorry. Common Knowledge 101.”

He dared not to speak,  as he felt him stomach doing black flips. Here they were, enjoying the day, talking about how she watched Pewdiepie daily simply because of his accent and he thought it was just a weird little man talking to himself in the dark…how her old English teacher yearend for her to make a living off of her writing…and how he used to sing piano covers of various numbers. How that used to be his passion…and how his mother once video tapped him as an awkward teenager signing within a church, while belting monotone tunes the entire time due to his spite against religion in its whole.

But he didn’t tell her though that there was a time…just only a few weeks ago…where he spent every living second with a girl. A girl he could hop conversations with…a girl who didn’t give him the option to be miserable or lazy…a dream girl, in all honesty. More than that, much more than that…his wife. And she, she made his mood go from ignorant bliss to distraught within seconds.

“I should be going.” He informed as he rose from the cracked and broken bench with a somber feeling. He dared not to look over to her. He did not want to see her face, he did not want to see her anymore. This girl was nothing….he was…they were, he had his wife. But here he was….he could feel his heart wrenching. He was completely ashamed and disgusted with himself.

“O-oh…okay…maybe we could go for another walk some time?”

He knew his leaving was abrupt and he knew that he was giving her an attitude she did not deserve, but he couldn’t restrain himself any longer.  He had to get away…before getting away wasn’t a reality anymore. Before he couldn’t make himself turn away from her.

“I only walked with you because I wanted to make sure you were okay after yesterday. I won’t be walking with you anymore. Don’t make anything else of it.”

Those cruel words are what he left her with as he man handled his pooch and charged down the cement – not glancing back to see her reaction or her expression, which spoke more words to him than could be fathomed.

The inspiration for this story is personal to the author. Please be careful with your words. If you like the story, please sub! If you have nothing nice to say, please click to another page. Any grammar mistakes or spelling errors can be pointed out, I would appreciate it if you did so - nothing more than getting some helpful hints! Comments are loved!