He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing was forthcoming. He simply murmured a “you're welcome” as he her hair gently. Unexpectedly, she leaned up on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek, before seeming to realise what she just did and flushing lightly.

“Ah… That was rather forward of me, wasn't it..?” She looked down at their feet, obviously embarrassed. But he suddenly grabbed ahold of her chin, gently tilting it up as he kissed her on her forehead. “You can talk to me whenever you're down, alright? Jing ran you yuan fen ren shi ni, wo xiang wo men ye ying gai suan shi peng you le ba. (Since we met each other by fate, I guess we're counted as friends now right?)” Kuri merely nodded, seeming somewhat too shy to speak at the moment.

“Come on, let's go see the rest of the park.” He pulled her along, not seeming to notice the curious stares as the whispering around them began.

“Isn't that EXO’s Tao?”

“Who's that girl with him?”

“Is that his girlfriend?”

Kuri tried not to pay attention to the murmuring around her, desperately wanting to sink into the ground.

I'm not worthy of his company or his concern. The sudden thought hit her, feeling like a punch to her gut. It was suddenly getting too hard to breathe, and she felt like she was going to scream. Or cry. Or both. But instead, she hesitantly let go of his hand until she was only holding his pinkie, a habit she'd developed since she was a child.

Tao suddenly tugged on her hand excitedly, and she looked up to see that they were at a game stall. Without hesitation, Tao paid for two games, handing a basket of tennis balls to Kuri as he took one for himself.

“But… I can't throw well..” She said weakly, weighing a ball in her hand. “It's alright; just try. I'm not good at this either.” Tao chuckled, wrapping her fingers around the ball.

“Just try.”

Hesitantly, she raised her arm, pulling it back as far as it would go before throwing the ball. A can clattered to the ground, and a faint sense of victory overcame her. She turned to him, excited. “Did you see that? That was the first time I ever hit something with a ball!” she cheered, and he chuckled, ruffling her hair affectionately. “Well done, now watch me.” He smirked as he leaned back slightly, before snapping his arm forward and releasing the ball. All the cans clattered to the ground, and he grinned. “An easy victory.” He laughed as the attendant asked him to choose a prize.

His gaze landed on a stuffed toy panda, and he grinned.

“Give me that one.”

After the person handed it to him, he turned to her, eyes sparkling.

“This is for you.” He said, pushing the huge bear into her arms. “What? No, I couldn't-” she started to say, but he released the bear, forcing her to hold it. “Take it as a gift to remember me by.” He smiled, and she sighed softly in defeat, hiding her blush in the panda's soft fur. “... Thank you.” She murmured, hugging the bear tightly.

He laughed, tugging the bear away so he could see her face.

“There's no need to be quite so formal; we're friends now, right?” His lips were stretched into a genuine smile, making a rush of warmth fill her as she nodded, mirroring his smile.

He sighed internally in relief at seeing her happy again, before he noticed the store next door had a game that resembled the first, only with guns instead of tennis balls.

“Let's try that game.” He pointed, and without waiting for her reply, dragged her towards the stall. Kuri brightened up as she saw the guns, before handing the bear to Tao.

“This game is my treat this time.” She laughed, paying for two games and picking up a gun. Tao set the bear down and followed suit, as they loaded the plastic bullets into the guns. For a moment, all was silent as they took their aim. A humongous clattering soon followed, and Kuri cheered as she watched the cans tumble. As she looked around for a prize, she caught sight of a stuffed black cat with brilliant green eyes. Once the stall assistant had given it to her, she shoved it in Tao's arms.

“Now we're even.” She smirked, and he sighed in mock exasperation, shaking his head with a smile but accepting the gift nevertheless.

“There's an archery stall there omo!!” She dragged him over excitedly, holding the bear in one arm and grasping his hand with the other. Tao allowed himself to be pulled along, holding the cat by a paw. A moment later, they were already at the stall, preparing their gear.

Taking cautious aim, Kuri released the first arrow, where it landed in a ring for seven points. She growled softly in frustration, letting another arrow loose. This time, it hit the bull's eye, and she triumphantly cheered as she turned to her companion.

He wasn't shooting; in fact, he hadn't touched a single arrow. He was just staring at her, a mixture of pride and awe on his face. He noticed her notice his staring, and he flushed, looking away quickly.

“Where did you learn to shoot like that?” He asked, curious and desperate to lift the sudden awkwardness he felt.

“My dad taught me.” She smiled, apparently not noticing that he had been staring. She nocked another arrow, looking curiously at him.

“You're not gonna shoot?” She asked, lowering her bow. He quickly picked up his bow in answer, mirroring her grin as he loaded an arrow. They both straightened and aimed at the same time, two dull thuds following their arrows finding their mark. They'd shot at the same time, both arrows lodging in the ring marked with the tiny x.

They lifted their bows in the air triumphantly like kids who had won a soccer game, not caring about the stares they were receiving until a boy stepped up beside them, causing them to fall silent.

“Not bad; I'd never have expected you to be such a lethal person with long range weapons.” Kris said, giving her a once over as his face split into an easy going grin. “You seem so delicate and mild.” He continued, reaching out towards her bow.

“May I?” He asked, a corner of his lips twitching up in a smirk. “S-sure…” She stuttered, handing the bow over immediately, nearly dropping it when their fingers brushed.

“Watch me.” He winked, letting an arrow fly. There was a loud crack as the arrow he'd shot hit the ground, and Kuri looked towards the arrow he'd split in disbelief.

“Whoa…” Tao and Kuri both said in unison, awestruck. Kris merely grinned and handed the bow back to her, while Tao immediately went up to Kris. “Where did you learn to shoot that well?!” he asked, shocked. Kris merely shrugged. “I'm gifted.” He smirked. “Didn't you win first place for the solo archery section of the Idol Star Athletics Championships?” Kuri asked, somewhat unsure. “I think I read about something like that once…” She murmured, sounding more and more unsure of herself by the moment, making Kris laugh.

“Yeah I did. But that was in 2013 though.” he replied, looking back towards the broken arrow. “That's my first time doing that though. Wow, I must be more talented than I thought.” He joked, before peeking over their shoulders. “Ah, here come the rest. They were worried about you, Kuri.” Kris said as the other members approached, accompanied by Nessa and Angela.

“Kuri, what happened? Are you alright? Why were you crying just now?” Luhan asked, concerned, but Kuri just brushed off his worry.

“Don't worry, I'm fine now.” She smiled genuinely.

“I always am, aren't I?”

[A/N hello again!! <3 this chapter is one I I initially struggled with, but it somehow exceeded the word limit I set for myself haha (': but it was interesting to write because I was (WAS OTL) in the archery club in school and I guess Kuri is just kinda like what I'd have liked my skills to be like? (I prefer guns to bows bc well... Easier to aim I guess idk (':) but I did win a prize at an amusement park for shooting the cans down once so I guess that's where that part of the story came from haha :'D (omg I feel so thick skinned for saying this now...) Anyways! Reads and reviews are always appreciated yeah! As always haha (': and thank you for stopping by and reading this. I appreciate it. <3 see you in the next chapter!! ^^]