[Secret Secret] A SKZ Story

[Chapter 2: Heights]

She wasn't special.
Just a number of statistics.
Her story wasn't worth remembering.

That's how she felt inside.

But from time to time, she told herself she was worth it, she was unique. That was the fact she couldn't get hurt, and the career she was making for herself.

She wasn't a hero. She might not make a big change in the course of history, but her life was a flash of light... Like a dying star, she'd burn bright and beautiful for a short span of time, oblivious to the watcher many light years away.

Maybe someone was watching.

Well, certainly tonight she was watching someone.

-

Allyson found solace in the roof, watching the stars. She sat on the railing swinging her feet back and forth. Night air was still hot, but cooler than during daytime. She wouldn't dare put a toe in the sunny clammy day.

It was hard, but she liked it there. A week into practice and she had gotten to that quiet and lonely roof.

It wasn't her home.

It wasn't even her country.

Things had changed since that Tuesday. Really changed. One day she saw a possibility, and her nights light up.

She had sent a video and applied for a dancer position on a foreign agency. And she got in. Soon after, she dropped out of college, transferred to a new place and was a trainee learning dance and singing in a new language.

She kept being surprised every time she tried something new. She wasn't instantly good, but whenever she tried, and practiced, she got better. Ally wouldn't have thought she had a good voice before that day. Neither dancing.

Her sleepless nights turned out to be on her favour. And now she had to keep the secret.

Nobody was supposed to be up there, so there was no lights. That allowed her to see the building across without being seen. It was part of the same company, so everyone there were either her bosses or mates.

Most rooms had lights out, but one. Either it was the room of someone afraid of the dark, or an insomniac as her. He definitely didn't look afraid of the dark.

And he was a nice view.

Most of the time, topless view.

-

Tonight he wasn't there to be seen. The lights were off.

She was laying down, staring at the stars. Or where the stars should be. Seoul wasn't a city known for having clear skies.

"Hi! I've seen you around practice. Dance, right?"

Her heart skipped a beat. Her eyes opened wide and focused on the boy standing near her head. Panic evident in her eyes.

"I can leave if I'm a bother." He was turning away. If he said she was there, she was doomed. Exiled to her home country.

"No. It's fine." Her instincts made her hold his booted up leg. She released him immediately.

She tried to look away, but he was compelling. Everything about him was. She sat up, back toward the view, crossing her legs, her eyes following him. "I know I shouldn't be up here, please don't tell."

Ally had to keep him away from telling someone and away from the railing. From up here, he would be able to tell she'd been looking. Looking at him.

"I-I just can't sleep. I feel like the jet lag is never going away."

He smiled. His eyes light up. He had dimples. It seemed like the first kind smile she had received in years. This was a country too cold for her liking. He sat by her side on the floor, leaving a gap between them.

"I know that feeling. I'm not sure when was the last time I actually slept." He made a face and extended his hand. "Bang Christopher Chan, nice to meet you. People call me Chan."

She took his hand. He was warm to the touch.

"Allyson Hill, nice to meet you too. I'm Ally. Sorry for my bad Korean, I'm a foreigner." And added in a whisper. "As you can obviously tell."

They talked about everything for hours.

Well, aside from the part where she had tried to off herself and nothing had happened. She didn't talk about that. She'd keep that part of her past for herself and herself only.

They were more alike that she had thought.

He wasn't exactly a local and he couldn't fall sleep either. He had been in the country for many years now. He dozed off whenever his exhaustion wore out his body. People sometimes commented about that behaviour, but he responded so confident and calm, they believed.

It was easy to talk to him. He had that aura about him that made her confide. Anyway it was easier if she wasn't looking his way, she still remembered his toned torso. He didn't say anything about it.

Until he said that phrase.

Completely serious.

"I know you watched me from up here."

-

Dun dun dun

Inspired by One More Light - Linkin Park