"Naeun." The way he speaks her name falls out effortlessly and drops on the tip of his tongue. He heaves a sigh, feet planted on the dirt as he hears the small creaking of the chains when she continues to swing. The fresh of air caresses her skin when she pushes herself up further into the sky, a palm out, imagining she's reaching out into the sky and it slips out of the spaces of her fingers. "Be careful."

Using the heel of her feet, stopping herself so suddenly as she turns her head to face the older male. Smiling softly to herself as she lifts an arm up to reach out for him. "I am careful, see?"

And he sees it. Jongin doesn't know why he's so attached to this particular woman. He has no certain reason why he's so over protective either. Must be the first time they met where she scraped her knee on the pavement. She was crying and two children were teasing her for it but he came into the picture in attempt to shove them away. He remembers that particular attire she wore, a cute sunflower dress and a bright yellow bow on the back of her head as well. Naeun's still as cute then and now.

"I see it perfectly fine." He assures. Fingers interlocking into the spaces between hers, lightly tugging her as she gets the idea. Peeling herself off of the seat in order to settle on his lap instead, arms encircle around his shoulders for leverage. "I don't want anything to happen to you."

He wants her to be there at all times. Jongin's not too possessive nor jealous if other guys were around her when he isn't. Because she belongs to him the way he belongs to her. 

Lips displaying a bright smile, Naeun reaches over to cup his cheek in the palm of her hand and she shifts over to plant a gentle kiss on the bridge of his nose. "Nothing won't happen to me."

Not now, not yet.

 ✄ - - - 

When they met a second time, she found out from a friend that he was the quiet guy in class. Hanging in his own space, eyeing the groups linked together with other friends and a pencil twiddling in between his fingers. She had to change classes due to a last minute discussion with her teacher in wanting to be in another class so her schedule could fit together perfectly. 

Sitting besides one another, fingers pulling out a notebook to scribble notes on it or sketch a quick drawing until class started. He never noticed her then, maybe after the fifth day when he needed to borrow another pencil to copy her notes too.

Naeun also knew that the older male felt unhappy. He didn't smile much like others around them. They were always cheerful and they had a good time while he was minding his own business, she joined along with them. He sat there in his usual seat, he would read when the teacher asked kindly and answered the question as best as he could. Jongin was smart to his own levels but he had certain times where mistakes were made, he could only learn from it instead.

Her friends were skeptical about her being around him. He displays himself to be uninteresting and rather bland, compared to the male who admired her from a distance. Always making an attempt to approach her when she was around him. Except her gaze didn't really shift towards him it ended up being on Jongin's direction instead.

"There he goes again." Hayoung pointed out, fingers drumming along her chubby cheek absentmindedly. Another index finger was directly pointing towards Jongin's way, tracing the outline of his figure until he disappears and walks out the door.

"Naeun, I don't get how you can sit besides him at class." Namjoo adds on, brows furrowed into the center with her hands cupping her own cheeks. Elbows pressing down on the surface of the table, wondering but never adding on to her thoughts. 

The brunette thought of it, shoulders lifted into a loose shrug as she continues to drink the remaining juice inside of her juice box. The flavor of apple on the tip of her tongue. "He isn't that bad."

 ✄ - - - 

"Anyone here?" Her voice remains soft, not wanting to cause any disruption for her ruckus. It's disrespectful especially when others might be busy in doing so, she pushes the door quietly in order to peek her head out to check in the dance room. The faint lyrics and the sound of the music coming from the tiny speakers attached to ones music player isn't what she looks at first. It's him.

His shoes slides along the wooden tiled floor, arms positioning to one angle after the other. Displaying dance moves with sweat coating his temple down to his chin. Determination and hard work in the glint of those chestnut colored hues. She's absolutely memorized and when he was completely done when the song was over, he inclines his head. Meeting eye to eye with the young woman.

"Naeun, right?"

Immediately she brings her bag up to her face in order to hide herself on it. He bursts into a sheepish chuckle at her reaction, priceless but simply adorable. "The girl who tripped over like a klutz when we were children and now sitting besides me in class. Interesting."

"Yah! Be quiet." The last two words fell out into a whisper as if she was mumbling those words in embarrassment for shouting at first. The word bounced against the walls and mirrors around the empty room. Jongin stares at her in disbelief, for a small woman she carries quite a loud voice in the lungs.

He walks over to her, hands patting his wife beater in order to remove the sheet coat of sweat on his palm. Crouching down to meet eye to eye. "Why are you here in the first place?"

"I normally go here to draw, it's the only place that was quiet." Jongin's eyes fall onto the notebook that was peeking out in the pocket of her bag. He remembers glancing at it once in a while when he wasn't focusing his attention out the window. He respects her choice, nodding once.

"I'll stay quiet and you can finish your sketch alright?" And despite first impressions, Naeun knows he wasn't that bad after all. 

They sat besides one another on the wooden tiled floor, the sound of the pencil scribbling on the paper and the way his breathing lingers into their ears was catching her attention. Back pressed against the mirror as he eyes her, teeth catching her lower lip for concentration and the tight grip on her pencil. She's interesting, the older male couldn't deny it. 

"Do you like drawing a lot?" Her head nods in response. 

"How long have you've been doing it?" He questioned, palms pressing on the ground to apply his weight on it. 'Four years,' was the answer Naeun gives him in return and he just sighs quietly under his breath.

"What about you?"

"And what about myself, Naeun?"

"Tell me about yourself." She continued on, shades of monochrome was splashed along the porcelain pearly white sheet.

Scoffing, Jongin drifts his eye to the opposite side. Glancing at the abandoned chairs no one sits on and the stands performers uses from time to time. "I'm Jongin. A dancer. There's nothing interesting about myself. Unless you like being around someone who stays quiet and considers the world to be a place full of broken promises and shattered dreams." 

Naeun doesn't speak right away, she hums quietly to herself. The outline of the piece was completed and she closes her notebook to hold it close to the chest. "I think you're interesting at least." 

For once, he'd actually like to prove her otherwise.

 ✄ - - - 

He likes being around her, it's a calming aura whenever her presence was around him. Jongin begins to be more talkative whenever she asks him a question and the whole classroom questions their relationship by then. Which was predictable because people were always wondering what is up with him. How he doesn't really hang with the group of guys, maybe just two guys but they known him for years. Chanyeol was a buddy he met before attending high school here, the pill of happiness that tries to shake him up into trying new things or convince him to go out more often with him. Never works. And his best friend, Sehun, who's constantly out and about with another girl in his arm. They just weren't in the same class together. He didn't really need any more friends, didn't care much about gaining popularity either.

Girls who tried to approach received nothing more than a quick wave and a dull expression. They carried themselves towards his direction. Jongin knows they don't like him for who he is but how he appears. Not exactly a charmer but he overhears from others that he's quite dreamy and attractive.

Sometimes, the girls would point the blame at Naeun for the reason. It hurt, not wanting to cause any trouble but she veils it with a smile. She doesn't speak up about it but the male does, rising up to his seat when he hears two girls chit chatting the free ten minutes away in the corner.

"I heard what you've been doing." Jongin states bluntly, a stern look etched along his features as crimson colored tresses fall over her shoulder. Krystal gazes at the male with a blank expression on her own face, not sure what he truly meant by then. "Yeah? And what's that?"

"That you kept blaming Naeun for the reason why I'm not close to anyone else around here."

Her friend glances at her then Jongin for a split second, taking a step back out of mere respect with lips tightly pressed together. "Your point?" She spat out, arms folding across her chest. Awaiting for Jongin to spill another comment or two out of anger but it didn't happen.

Naeun approaches the situation, fingers coiled around his wrist to tug him back. There was no need for a scene in a public space and besides the bell ringing in the class was an indication that class was going to start again. A quick apology is all she gives to the other two women before she tries to pull Jongin back to their seats. She doesn't mind that people were speaking about her but she doesn't want to become a burden on anyone's shoulders. 

"I was trying to help you." His explanation remains vague, quick to the point so this conversation can die out quickly. "Damn idiots don't know when to keep their mouths shut."

"Well no need to, please?" Lips parted to protest only to shut together, he complies.

 ✄ - - - 

School's a living Hell. There's no denying that. When winter arrives, Naeun disappears suddenly for a week or two. Incoherent mumbling lingers across the room once in a while, Jongin grips his pencil tightly. Potentially close to snapping it in half because concern was rising in his thoughts but he glances out the window to distract himself away from any negative thoughts. Everything will be okay, musing those words silently to himself. When the bell rings, he carelessly shoves the items back into his bag. Throwing the strap on and he rushes out the door before anyone else blocks the exit.

He rushes through the hallway, eventually encountering the friends Naeun's normally is with and his breathing becomes rigid to the point where the short haired female offers him a fresh bottle of water. "Where is she?" He asks between pants, hands resting against his thighs for leverage before he pushes himself up to stand up properly. 

"Naeun?" Hayoung inquires. Wanting to make sure she was getting the correct person and when he nods his head urgently, awaiting an answer Namjoo takes over and gives him a response. "She's