Chapter 1

The early morning air was cold and crisp, nipping the tips of his abnormally large ears. Using the hood of his sweater, he covered his ears with his shaking hands. The sun had barely risen for the day, creating an orange glow in the sky and illuminating the empty road he was on. Today, he left earlier than usual that day today to walk to school, since his father who was his usual ride, was on one of his yearly business trips.

Living in the countryside meant for longer walks to school in the chilly weather. Compared to the city, the country had longer roads that were spaced with large gaps of nothing in between. Chanyeol didn't exactly mind living in the country. Actually, he enjoyed the peace and quiet away from the bustling city and loved the warm and friendliness of everyone around him.

There was a large field near his home. There wasn't much but fuzzy, golden patches of tall and under watered grass that was never used for anything. As a younger boy, Chanyeol and his older sister would go out to the field to run around and release their bubbling, childish energy. He remembered catching bugs and playing hide-and-seek behind small bushes and shrubs.

Upon seeing the lot of yellow land, he gave in. As he walked deeper into the field, he noticed how much the once neglected piece of land changed. Not that he knew if anyone was caring for it, but it seemed like... something was happening. If he remembered correctly, no one owned it. Most saw no beauty in the dry land and left it to just be there. Now, there were small (barely noticeable from the outside) flat stones leading deep into the field.

To put it into simpler words; he was amazed. At the very back of the field, which felt like a mile in, someone was able to create a small, but beautiful garden from nothing. There were flowers of different species from tulips to daisies blooming together in a big, colorful mess. The garden was only about a few square feet but he could see small changes. Whoever it was, they were slowly expanding the lot and evidences of digging were clear all around it.

Chanyeol crouched down examining the flowers in awe. Behind him, his ears picked up on heavy footsteps. Oh, he thought, that must be the caretaker! Prepared to see an older man in his fifties, he turned his head, surprised to see a girl his age struggling to carry a bag or fertilizer. She had her hair in a tight bun, fastened securely to the top of her head. The girl seemed skinny and delicate, wearing a simple, dark blue knit sweater and a pair of black leggings. The tip of her nose and the apples of her cheeks were tinted a bright red from the cold air. The girl didn't take notice to him, preoccupied with the large sack.

Chanyeol quickly got onto his feet and hurried to assist her. With one hand on the bottom and the other on the side, he lifted the -surprisingly light- bag from her smaller hands. Surprised, she tripped over her foot and fell backwards, landing on the dirt..

“Shoot.” He gasped, placing the bag of fertilizer on the ground before wiping his hands on his hoodie and giving her a hand. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” There was a slight pause before she reluctantly took the hand and pulled herself up.

“Oh it’s ok.” She smiled politely. “I just wasn’t expecting anyone to be around here. But, um, thanks for helping me… both times.” Chanyeol watched her large, brown eyes shyly trail down to her feet.

“No problem.” He grinned happily. “I’m always happy to help. By the way, I’m Park Chanyeol. I was walking to school when I saw passed by this field. I used to play in here a lot as a kid. Its cool to see what you have done to this place. It looks awesome.”

“Thank you.” He couldn’t help but notice her body shift uncomfortably. “My name is Lee Seong. And I’m glad someone likes my little garden.”

“Do you work on the garden often?” He asked curiously. “Is it just you or do other people come and help you as well?”

“Um… I come everyday but it’s just me tending for the flowers. But sometimes... nevermind.”She quietly answered with a shrug. Chanyeol waited for Seong to continue or to say something else but she just continued to look at the ground.

“Hey, do you go to the high school around the block?” He asked, trying to fill the dead air.

“Umm,” she frowned. “No.. I’m homeschooled. I’m sorry.”

“Why are you sorry?” He playfully laughed. “Don’t be! I was just wondering if you wanted to walk to school with me but it’s fine.” Seong didn’t answer. She kept looking down and playing with her hands. He pulled his phone out of his pocket to check the time. “Seong?” She looked up at him. “I’m sorry but I have to get to school but could I come back and help you with the garden after school?”

“Ah, sure…” She answered hesitantly before offering a one of her small hands. “Nice to meet you.”

“Yeah,” Chanyeol smiled and shook her small hand. “Nice to meet you.”

-

School went by excruciatingly slow that day. Even playing basketball, his favorite sport, at P.E. was a total bore. It was bizarre how badly he wanted to see Seong again even though it was so evident that she wasn’t comfortable around him. He just wanted to help her and get to know her. In 17 years of his life, he had never once met anyone as mysterious or different as her. She just looked so small and delicate, like a flower. There was just something about her that made him want to protect her.

-

The school was soon coming to an end. Chanyeol let his head rest on his arms, watching the last few minutes tick by. 3 minutes… 2 minutes 59….58...57… he counted before feeling a slight jerk on his arm. Annoyed, he turned his head to the direction he was pushed. Chanyeol was faced with a pair of brown eyes about 5 inches away from his face.

“Hey, Yeoda.” His best friend laughed, humored by his own joke. “What’s up?”

“You’re a tick, Baekhyun.” Chanyeol spat, glaring at him.

“Awwhhh.” Baekhyun mocked. “Did my Baby-Yeol have a bad day?”

“Would you stop?” Chanyeol shoved the other’s arm playfully before resuming his watch on the clock. Byun Baekhyun had been his best friend every since their grade school days. Though he often teased and made fun of Chanyeol,  he knew the shorter boy never meant any harm.

“Seriously, though.” Baekhyun walked around the desk to face Chanyeol. “What’s going on?”

“I just can’t wait for school to be over.” Chanyeol groaned.

“Why?” The edges of Baekhyun’s lips curled into a small, sly smile. “Do you have… plans?” He said, putting full emphasis on the word.

“Yeah, I’m-”, Chanyeol stopped himself. Should he even tell the older boy about his new friend? Maybe it was best to keep it from Baekhyun because the other had a long history of being a “playboy”. He picked up girls and broke their hearts like they were nothing. Once, Baekhyun hooked up with a girl in the morning and broke up with her later that very day. Honestly, Seong didn’t seem like a girl that would fall for Baekhyun’s charm, but it was never a bad idea to play it safe, at least for a while.

“I-I’m just really tired.” He stuttered, trying to think of a valid excuse. Chanyeol rubbed his forehead with his hand convincingly, scrunching his face. “I have this massive headache. I just want to go home and sleep.”

“Sorry, man.” Baekhyun backed away sympathetically. “I had no idea. Don’t worry, school’s over in about a second so hang in there.” He said, glancing up at the classroom clock. As Baekhyun said, the bell rang a few seconds afterwards.

Chanyeol called his sister to give him a ride home in order to make his story seem more realistic. He even groaned and grimaced to hide his actual plans. After he got home, he faced a few more complications. Yura, his older sister, had went ahead and told his mother about his “headache”. Chanyeol’s mother, whom was very concerned with his health and well-being, shooed him into bed immediately.

His situation was becoming stickier and stickier. There was no way he could get out of the front door without his mother and sister finding out, and just telling them the truth was not an option at the moment. However, if he didn’t go soon, Seong would probably go home. There was no guarantee that she didn’t go home already, but at the very least he just wanted to try.

When his mother finally left him alone in his room upstairs, he quietly stepped out of bed and walked over to his door to lock it. Chanyeol tried not to make any sounds but it was almost impossible with his massive size. He crept to the window and slid it open gently. There was a pre-installed fire escape ladder attached to his window, so it made escaping his second story room much easier. Carefully, he lowered the chain ladder to the ground before climbing down slowly.

Chanyeol didn’t know what he was doing, running out and lying to his family in order to meet a girl he only spoke to about five minutes. Rather than just not wanting Seong to wait for him, it was more like Chanyeol wanted to be reassured that the girl he met was real. He wanted to make sure that she wasn’t just a beautiful dream.