The band finishes playing, so I decided to take some fresh air. I wasn’t used to the smell of smoke in such an airtight space. Also, it was really hot down there. Maybe because I barely go out or anything like that.

“Let me know if you want to go home, ok?” Chae Won said before I stepped out. 

I nodded, making my way through the back, going up, exiting the building, to catch some fresh air. The soft breeze brushes through my skin. Yes, I needed this, I thought. There were more lights up this time, so it wasn’t all that dark like last time. I looked around, it was slightly crowded, but not where I was, so I sat down and leaned against the wall. I decided to text Chae Won quickly, telling her that I’m going to be outside for a bit, that she doesn’t have to worry. As soon as I pressed send, I hear a familiar voice again. My heart skipped a beat when I looked up, facing Chanyeol. 

“Can I join you?” He asked, smiling at me. 

I nodded and smiled back, “Of course…” 

“You came again,” Chanyeol started the conversation. 

“Yeah…” I said softly. 

“I’m glad you came.”

“You do?” I asked, trying not to be too excited. 

“Yeah, I was wondering where you were.” He smiled back. 

I didn’t know what to say for a second. Was Chanyeol waiting for me to come? It can’t be, right? Why is he so lovely again, I thought? He’s making it more difficult. How can anyone not like him? 

“Sorry,” I apologised. I don’t know why, but it just came out like that. “Chanyeol-shi?” I whispered. 

He looked at me, waiting. “Never mind,” I said then; I wasn’t even sure what I wanted to say. 

“You seemed down today,” he said, looking back at me.

“You too,” I said back, smiling slightly. 

“How would you know?” 

“I just do,” I smiled, looking him in the eyes. 

He smiled back, looking at the ground, playing with his fingers. 

“Are you ok?” I decided to ask him. I wasn’t expecting him to tell me his troubles, but if he wanted to, he could. 

He nodded, “Well… it’s just that I sometimes want to escape from my life, you know.” He explained, smiling at the same time, but I could see the sadness in his eyes. He must have a stressful life. “There’s so much pressure, and I have a lot of people who depend on me, especially my family. They have everything planned out for me; my whole future. It doesn’t matter if I like it or not, it’s just the way it is, I can’t escape from it.” 

I sighed because I understood him. It must be difficult for him too. Even if they came from a different background, we both have struggles, diverse and yet the same. 

“I understand you…” I sighed, leaning against the wall, looking up at the sky. “You feel like your opinion doesn’t count, whatever you do, you just can’t have what you want. You have to listen, or else people around you would be disappointed. Should we let it happen, or should we fight?” 

“Exactly,” he said. He felt a warm connection between them. Hae Ra understood him. “It , right?” 

“Totally!” I agreed, and we both laughed a bit. 

They both became silent again, enjoying each other’s company. I could feel Chanyeol's eyes on me from time to time, as I try to look at him as well. I know this wasn’t going to end well for her. I was torn between my feelings and thoughts for him, knowing I can’t be with him in the future. How can I escape from this? 

“Hey,” I slightly bumped onto his arm, trying to catch his attention. “You’re not bad at all, you know.” 

“I’m not?”

“I don’t know,” I shrugged. “I wasn’t expecting you to be nice, I guess.”

“People are not nice to you?” He asked.

“You’re kidding, right?” 

He laughed, “Yes, I am. But to be fair, I’m only nice to the people I like.”

Again, my heart skipped a beat.

“You like me?” I asked him in disbelief. 

“Yeah,” Chanyeol scratched the back of his head, smiling awkwardly. “You’re not bad yourself.” 

I smiled because he was kind of cute. I haven’t seen this side of him yet, even if they only recently started to talk. However, I can’t think more about this. It was just a friendly conversation. He’s just a nice guy, I guess. 

“Are you not afraid that people might see us together?” I looked around. He was like the most popular guy in school, hell in the whole district. From experience, no one in school would ever talk to me the way he talks. 

“No, not really, why should I be?” He looked back, thinking. “I don’t care about what people say about me. I would still be popular, rich and handsome, so…” 

My mouth dropped for a second, surprisingly he was joking with her. He laughed. 

“Oh my…” I laughed back, “You’re serious, aren’t you?” 

“Am I?” He suddenly winked at me. “No, … I don’t care much about that. You shouldn’t either.” 

I nodded; he was kind of sweet, though. 

Our conversation got interrupted when the door opened. It was Chae Won. Her jaw dropped when she saw us. 

“Omo, you were here the whole time?” She yelled, half panicking at the same time. “I thought you were kidnapped or something since you didn’t come back!”

I turned to Chanyeol, and we both laughed. This girl was overreacting again. “Sorry,” I whispered to Chanyeol as I stood up walking towards my friend, trying to calm her down. 

“You said that you were going out for a bit, and you didn’t come back. I was worried, I even called and texted.” She pouted. 

“I’m sorry, chingu-ah,” I hugged her. “I lost track of time…”

“You were having fun with Chanyeol, weren’t you? You sneaky girl!” She whispered in my ear. 

“We were just talking,” I said, letting go of her. 

“For almost 2 hours?” Chae Won asked in disbelief. “You guys were flirting out here, tell me the truth.” 

I laughed. “No! We were just talking, that’s all. I promise nothing happened.” 

“Girls,” Chanyeol called them. 

I almost forgot that he was there. He didn’t hear the whole conversation, right? That would be embarrassing. 

“I should head home now.” 

“My driver is almost here too,” Chae Won said. “Let me quickly get our jackets.” She disappeared into the building again. 

“So, I’ll see you again at school?” Chanyeol smiled. 

I nodded. “Of course.” 

“It was nice talking to you, Hae Ra-shi.”

“It was nice talking to you too, Chanyeol-shi.” I smiled back. 

I waved as he walked the other direction, further away from me. He waved while walking backwards, slowly turning away. It felt as if we both didn’t want to go, but had to. All I could see was his back. I couldn’t help but smile. I could feel my feelings getting stronger; my heart had been beating fast the whole time. I didn’t want it to be accurate, not when I know it’s never going to happen. Knowing all of this made me even sadder. 

***

Chanyeol sighed as he couldn't believe what his grandfather just said. He doesn’t make any sense at all. How could he do this to him? He already forced him to be the successor, and now he’s forcing him into a marriage with a total stranger. He’s not going to agree to this. There has to be a way to escape from this stupid situation. 

“You can’t do this to me!” Chanyeol yelled back; you could see his veins through his skin. “I don’t care who she is; I’m not marrying her!”