Hee-Jin was right. I really should have at least brought something better to wear. But then again, it would look totally weird if I changed my clothes now.

“What’s going on?” Hoya asked as he handed everyone a drink.

“Apparently she’s got a date soon,” Xiumin answered.

“After all this time she finally has a real date~” In her excitement Hee-Jin forgot how her friend had a crush on Dia as well.

“Congrats…” Hoya said simply, his smile disappearing from his face.

“Thank you~  And don’t worry about what happened earlier, I don’t think he’s even angry,” Dia replied with a smile, as always completely misreading her friend’s worries.

“That’s good…” Hoya muttered, and Hee-Jin hugged him to try and cheer him up.

“Do we have to wait? We’ve been here all afternoon…” Xiumin stated.

“But it would be so lonely for Dia to wait here alone for Myungsoo to come, right?” Hee-Jin retorted.

“I wanna go for dinner somewhere nice with you though,” the boy tried.

“It’s fine, just go,” Dia said with a smile. “It’s not like I have to wait that long.”

“But you hate waiting….” her friend commented. “You always get annoyed. You can’t be annoyed on your first date.”

“I’ll wait with her,” Hoya suggested.

“You don’t have to, I’ll be fine by myself, really,” the girl said again and smiled. She was kind of worried about having Hoya and Myungsoo meet up again and she didn’t want this date to go wrong. She wanted it to be good. Even if that meant the stalker would try something again, as he always did when something went well for her.

“Are you sure? It’s your own fault if you end up being grumpy you know,” Hoya joked.

“It’s fine, it’s fine. I’m sure I’ll be happy again once I see Myungsoo,” the girl replied with a smile.

“I hope so, or else he’s gonna be tired of you right away,” Hee-Jin said laughing. “You really don’t do waiting well.”

“Just go on your date! I’m not that bad!”

“You are,” Xiumin stated.

“How would you even know,” Dia pouted.

“I trust my girlfriend on that,” he replied with a shrug and put an arm around said girl.

“Let’s go?”

“Alright… Just tell me everything once you get home, okay?” the girl said and when Dia nodded the two walked off.

“Are you sure?” Hoya asked her again.

“Of course I am, just head home, I’ll be fine.”

“But what if the stalker comes…”

“Like I said, I haven’t heard from him or her in forever,” the redhead said smiling.

“Just… call me if anything happens.”

“Nothing will happen… Nothing I wanna call you for anyway,” she said and stuck out her tongue. Hoya sighed as he walked of. It had been easier to compete against Myungsoo before the boy showed interest in his friend. When he was still the only guy she talked with. He missed that time.

---------------

Like Hee-Jin had predicted, Dia really was getting fed up with waiting. It was only half an hour but it seemed to last for ages. She had gone round the exhibition at least five times, and was now pacing around, sighing.

Maybe I should have asked them to stay after all. But if I did, Xiumin would hate me even more for ruining their date… Did I ruin their date before or something?

Just as she sighed again, she heard Myungsoo’s voice behind her.

“Sorry I made you wait.”

“No, it’s totally fine, I don’t mind,” Dia smiled as she turned around. She wasn’t even sure if she was lying or not when she said this. She would wait for hours if it meant going on a date with him, that was for sure. But to say she didn’t mind waiting was kind of a stretch.

“No one likes waiting,” Myungsoo replied with a chuckle.

“I guess so. But it does depend on what you are waiting for,” she replied.

“So I’m worth the wait?” he asked with a smirk, and Dia turned a bright red. He kept quiet and his gaze on her, waiting for her to answer. She bit her lip nervously then nodded.

“I better live up to that then…” he muttered, more to himself than to the girl.

“Did you have anything in particular in mind?” Dia asked him and he shook his head.

“I figured we could maybe go to that udon restaurant again… Since we both like it? If you want of course…” he then suggested. He was answered by a big smile and a happy nod.

“Yes, I’d love that.”

They walked to the restaurant together, discussing the exhibition. Neither of them brought up the altercation with Hoya, because honestly, neither of them wanted to be reminded it had happened.

“I’m glad you liked the exhibition,” he commented as they sat down at a vacant table.

“The pictures were all amazing!”

“I know, our club is pretty good at shooting pictures,” Myungsoo said proudly.

“Definitely! But if it comes to shooting we won’t lose,” she replied without thinking.

“Wait, that was lame, please forget I ever said that!” Dia quickly added covering her face with her hands.

“That was very lame,” he agreed laughing.

“Don’t laugh…” she mumbled, but she couldn’t help but join in. It felt good to see him smile at her. Even if in this case he was laughing at her rather than with her.

“They liked my pictures too, I got plenty of people saying they were good. I told them it was all because of my model…” he stated softly.

“But I was a horrible model,” Dia commented. “You had to re-take everything all the time!”

“But it’s the results that matter right?”

“I guess so,” she nodded half-heartedly. She could already feel it. She was getting excited all by herself again. Soon he’d ask her to model again. Because the pictures had turned out well. Not because he cared for her. Just for the pictures. This wasn’t a date. Not really.

“Maybe we should do another photoshoot sometime?” he suggested and a smile appeared on her face. It wasn’t because she was happy. It was because she had been right. It was an ‘I told you so’ smile. Even if she couldn’t see it herself.

“Sure.” She tried to hide her disappointment as well as she could. At least, she had another chance to meet him. To hope it would work out somehow.

They ate their noodles and chatted plenty, but Dia’s excitement had dropped quite a bit.

“Did you not enjoy it?” he mumbled as he walked her home.

“Hn?” she looked at him questioningly. She had been zoning out a bit and missed his question almost completely.

“Did you not enjoy our date?”

“I did,” she replied with a smile.

“That’s not a real smile.”

His comment surprised her and she could only stare at him in shock.

“What?”

“I have the pictures, remember, with your real smile. This isn’t it.”

“Can I be honest?”

“Of course,” Myungsoo said, but he was looking rather uncomfortable now.

“I just kind of felt like you only took me out because you wanted to take more pictures…” she mumbled.

“I didn’t. I just… wanted to see you again.”

This time the smile on her face was very real.

“You can see me anytime, even without pictures,” Dia replied.

“How about another date then? On wednesday? After club?” Myungsoo proposed.

“Really? Then yes! Please!” she was more than a little excited now and her reaction made him smile as well.

“Now that’s a smile,” he said softly. “Have a good night!”

Without Dia realising it, they had reached her apartment.

“Goodnight!” she replied cheerfully. She felt the urge to sing as she walked up the stairs to her house. It had been a real date after all. No matter what the stalker would do to her now, she would be happy.

---------------

But nothing happened. Not a text. Not a photo. Not an attack. Nothing at all. As if the stalker had really disappeared from her life. But she couldn’t quite believe it just yet. Was he really gone? Somehow, to her, it felt like the calmth before a storm. Or maybe, just maybe, she really was getting paranoid.

---------------

After not getting any message from the stalker over the weekend, even though she had gone on a date, Dia had gotten more suspicious. Of course, she was happy everything had gone well, and without any trouble but somehow it seemed fishy to her… The stalker had been so persistent before, had he really given up now? Just like this?

Because of her growing paranoia, she jumped more than a little when she happened to bump into Xiumin after club practice.

“Why are you acting like I’m about to kill you?” the boy asked with a glare.

“I’m sorry, you spooked me.”

“I have every right to be here. It’s just after my club practice.”

“I never said anything, right? I just got back from practice too,” Dia said with a smile.

“Sure, you’re not saying anything to me,” Xiumin commented.

“What? Who would I be talking to?”

“Oh I’m sure you’d find some people to turn against me.”

“Turn against you?” The more Xiumin talked, the more confused she got.

“Acting like such a good girl these days. But I know better. And apparently so does your stalker.”

“My stalker?”

“He’s going after you right? I can’t say I blame him. In fact, I must admit I rather enjoy how he messes with you,” Xiumin shrugged. Never before had Dia seen her best friends boyfriend look so cold.

“Why… Why do you hate me so much?”

“You really don’t know? You forgot? You really are the worst. You ruin someone’s life and just forget all about it?”

“I… I ruined your life? How? What did I… What did I do?”

“You know, those pictures Hoya and Woohyun mentioned? The boy in those pictures? It was me.”

“But... I never met you before I started school here... Right?” Dia asked.

“You did, though. I live in the same neighbourhood you used to live in.”

“You do?”

“Yes. I saw you a lot when you were younger. Always playing with your mother. But never with the other kids.”

“I do remember playing with my mom a lot… But you… I met you back then?”

Xiumin forced a smile.

“I was the kid trying to talk with you. I actually tried quite often.”

“You did?”

“But whenever I did… You’d just start crying. And crying. And crying. Until the whole neighbourhood thought I was bullying you.”

“I cried? Why?” she tried to think back, but she truly remembered so little about the time when her mother had played with her. Before she had gotten so homesick she locked herself in her room. Before she had left them to go back to England.

“How should I know? All I know is all adults tried to protect you, by punishing me. All other kids started avoiding me. And in the end, even my parents scolded me about how they hadn’t raised me to be a bully.”

“So, everyone turned against you?”

“Yes. And it was all because of you. Because I thought you’d be lonely and tried to help you. You sure payed me back for that,” Xiumin said, his voice laced with hatred.

“I don’t… I don’t remember… I’m sorry.”

“Like I believe that. You ruined a great part of my childhood. I’m glad there’s someone ruining your life this time. You deserve it.”

With those words, Xiumin turned around, leaving Dia confused and teary eyed.

I deserve to be stalked? Because I was a horrible kid? But I don’t remember… What did I…

She tried her hardest to think back to her childhood. The good memories of her mother singing songs about old MacDonald and his farm. Her father getting grumpy because she should teach their child Korean rather than weird English songs.

I didn’t know Korean? I learned it pretty late, since my mom only knew the basics… So if Xiumin tried to talk to me in Korean… I wouldn’t have understood…

Slowly she started to understand. The more she thought back to those times, the more she remembered a little boy walking up to her, talking in a weird alien language. And no matter what she said, he just kept talking and walking towards her. He was scary. Why did this alien talk to her? What was he gonna do? Why couldn’t he say something she understood? So scary!

I was scared of him, because I didn’t understand him. I was still a child. I didn’t know he was trying to be kind. I thought he was scary. And he still hates me… Because I was scared of him when I was two or three.