“Am I late?” He says as he hops in through the window.

                “Not really.” I sit up on my bed, looking at him. He really does look tired, but still he brought the oranges.

                “Sorry it’s just been really hard few days.” He throws himself on my bed, grabbing a pillow. He lays there hugging it, with his eyes closed. “How are you?”

                “I’m fine. You look dead tired. Are you sure you don’t want to go home and sleep?”

                He sits up, shaking his head. He grabs an orange slice and stuffs it in my mouth. “Anything new?”

                He expects me to answer with this orange slice in my mouth? I make a face at him and he laughs tiredly, putting an orange slice to his mouth.

                “I met someone today at work. He was cool.”

                His face sinks a little. “Who?”

                “Some guy. Cha Hakyeon. Just a tourist.”

                “Oh… Hey what do you want to do to celebrate after the ceremony Sunday?”

                “I’m not sure…” This uneasy feeling comes back into my stomach.

                “I’m sorry I’m really tired.” He suddenly stands up and leaves.

                We haven’t even finished the oranges.

                I wonder what’s wrong with him. I shake off that thought and get ready for bed, because I have the morning shift tomorrow.

                It’s so hectic the next day in the morning g that I’m glad Ravi’s mother is there to help. I mean I don’t have anything against Ravi’s mother; she just kind sings trot all day.

                It slows down around noon and I finally get a break, so I check my phone. “Hey. It’s Hakyeon. Do you mind showing me around today?”

                “Yeah no problem.” I text before I go back to work. The remaining hours pass by quickly. Then when it hits 2 I find myself rushing home, squeezing myself into some high-waisted shorts and a faded gray top.

                I walk to Hakyeon’s hotel, where he’s waiting outside. “Ready?”

                “Beyond ready.” He says, and we head off to Yudal Mountain. It’s a must see for anyone that comes to Mokpo.

                As we’re going up the mountain I can’t help but notice how he seems to be taking everything in. He doesn’t even complain about the hike. When I’ve come up here with Ken he complains about the walking so much it’s hard to enjoy it.

                “It’s so pretty. I didn’t know Mokpo was like this.”

                “Well of course how could Mokpo ever compare to Seoul.”

                “No this is different. Mokpo. It’s like, it just feels so small compared to Seoul but in a way it’s much warmer. It seems more welcoming than the cold city.”

                “Do you not like Seoul?”

                “Not really. I’ve lived there for a good 10 years but I don’t like it that much.”

                “Why not! It’s so big and there’s so many things to do! So many opportunities there! I’m lucky if I even meet someone new around here!” I burst out.

                He looks a bit surprised with my outburst.

                “Oh. Sorry. I’m just... I really want to go there! I just don’t want to be here! I just want to-

                “Runway?” he laughs.

                “What’s so funny?”

                He laughs again. “You. You’re funny.” He grins widely as he takes out his phone to take a few pictures. I feel my cheeks turn hot, and my heart beats fast for the first time in my life. He’s taking a selca when he asks for me to come over. “I just have to take a picture with you. My friends need to know what a cute and funny person I met here.” I was going to protest but his words hit me hard.

                Song Minhee. Calm yourself.

                I couldn’t help but smile all the way home, even the setting sun in the horizon wasn’t upsetting me. We sat by the beach, and he told me more about Seoul which just makes me want to go there even more.

                The sun is finally gone, and with it anything else I knew before this day. “That’s enough about me. So now tell me Minhee. Why is it that you want to run away?” He says, turning to me.

                I suddenly feel like a deer caught in headlights. I turn from facing him, onto facing the dark ocean. “I’m supposed to be marrying my best friend Sunday… and I know he’s my best friend but I just feel like there’s something else out there. I just... I don’t want to. My parents think its fate. They say he’s perfect for me, and that I’m perfect for him. I just… I can’t agree. They’re just trying to convince me to marry him so I can depend on him forever and forget my dream of going to Seoul and being a fashion designer.”

                “I think its fate.” He says.

                “What?”

                “I think that it’s fate that we’re sitting here right now, talking about this.”

                I turn back to him, confused.

                “You’re going to think about this now and honestly I feel really bad for saying this but are you sure that you’re going to get married to him?”

                “I think i-

                “You’re confused, but that’s no reason to go through with this. It’s your life after all.”

                “I know that! And that upsets me! Everyone has their place in the universe. I just wish I knew mine.”

                I went home that night and I sat there in my bed, knowing I wouldn’t sleep. He was right. Cha Hakyeon was right. I’m not sure about getting married to Ken. I don’t feel that it’s fair. In fact, running away right now seems like the best option. I’d save all of us a lot of trouble.

                I don’t want to feel this way because I feel that it’s unfair… But right now I can see my life going much more smoothly with Hakyeon. He accepts me. He accepts my dreams. This is stupid. Do you really have a crush on him? He can’t even like you back. His words have affected me so much. Much more than Ken’s ever had. If I were to marry someone I would want to marry someone like that.

                Fighting this battle with myself is tearing me apart. I stayed up all night one side of me with this warm feeling in my heart and the other, completely terrified with what the future holds.

                “SONG MINHEE GET UP THIS SECOND IT IS 2 IN THE AFTERNOON WE’RE GOING TO BE LATE!” my mother yelled as she burst into my room.

                “Late for what?”

                “You forgot didn’t you!” she goes to my closet and throws some outfit together, throwing it at me to wear. “We have to go wedding dress shopping!”

                And that’s how I ended up in this dress shop on a Friday afternoon, trying on ten billion dresses, none of them which I liked. Don’t get me wrong I’m definitely a dress kind of girl but not for something I don’t want to go through with.

                “It’s so pretty!” My mom says about the long puffy dress I currently have on. I turn around and I’m about to complain when I catch someone at the window, smiling. He gives me a thumbs up. I smile.

                “Do you like it?” my mom asks.

                “Yes.” I say, still watching Hakyeon.

                I go back to the dressing room and change, as soon as I get the chance I run off. I run in the direction of the beach and when I get there, he’s there.

                “Minhee, you look beautiful in that-

                “I’m not getting married.” I say and right there I hug him, catching him off guard. “Oppa. Can’t you see that I like you?”

                He lets me go and I’m in tears. “This is the craziest thing I’ve ever done in my life but I don’t feel anything for Ken and everything that I do feel it hits me hard. Because I’m into to you and this is insane and-

                He holds me in his arms again, this time tightly. “Don’t cry Minhee. Oppa likes you too.”

                “Really?” I lift my head from his chest and he looks down at me.

                “Yes really.” He lets go of me, and brings his thumbs to my face, drying my tears.

                “Why didn’t you tell me?”

                “You were getting married… I wasn’t sure if that was the best thing to do. You’re already confused.”

                “It’s not my fault that I’m so confused!”

                He takes my hand in his and we start walking until we find a quiet, desolate place by some big rocks. We climb them and sit on the edge with our feet dangling, still many feet above the water.

                “So tell me exactly what’s on your mind.  I want to know exactly what’s on your mind.”

                “Exactly what’s on my mind? You.”

                He giggles to himself. “No, really what’s making you so confused?”

                “I just want to know what I’m supposed to do! Everyone seems to know their place in the universe but me. Like the sun, it always sits there over the horizon, every day. It does the same thing because that’s what it’s supposed to do, light everything up.”

                “Some starts weren’t meant to shine brightly. They were just meant to orbit another star.”

                “What do you mean?”

                “Binary stars. They’re so taken in by each other's pull that they orbit each other and that’s enough for them, because that’s what they were meant to do. They were meant to be the light for one another.”

                I think he’s talking about actual stars at first but then I realize the same thing applies to people. Sometimes one person is just enough and right now, I feel that he’s that person.

                “Oppa, can we go eat something? I’m hungry.”

                “Let’s go eat then.” He says. We go eat at a nearby seafood restaurant and when we leave the sun is gone.

                “The moon looks so big here by the ocean.” He says.

                “Does it not look big over in Seoul?”

                “No. You hardly notice it’s there.”

                “Oh it’s almost a full moon.” I run over into the water looking out into the distance.

                “What are you looking for?”

                I laugh. “Oh that’s right. You don’t know. We have a myth here that a magical island appears every full moon out in the ocean.” He laughs a bit dryly. Then I see a sudden flash of light out in the ocean and he turns to me. “That wasn’t just me right?” I ask.

                “No. It was definitely a light. Probably a ship though.”

                “Oh right. A ship. I think it’s getting late. I should probably go home. Good night oppa!” I say, and I run off without any other thought.

                As I enter my house quietly, Ken scares the heck out of me. He’s sitting on my bed again in the dark.

                “You’re late. What were you doing?”

                “Me? Oh nothing.” I say but I can’t help but smile.

                “Song Minhee. What were you doing?” He says seriously. I sit next to him and try to grab the oranges from his hand, but he pulls the bowl, and I pull back which causes the bowl to fly and him to land on top of me. He quickly gets up, and starts walking back and forth.

                 I get up and try to calm him by walking after him that usually does it when he’s worried. “I was with Hakyeon. Ken there’s nothing to be worried or upset about.”

                “No Minhee you don’t understand I should be worried or upset.” He suddenly turns around, walking towards me with anger and hurt in his eyes. My back hits the wall. “I don’t think you understand Minhee.”

                “No I don’t understand Ken I just told you its fine.”

                “Minhee I love you.” He says and he kisses me, his lips passionately stealing me away.

Hi there subbies :D Hope you guys like the story so far<3