Seolli's a quiet classmate Kim Taehyung always noticed but never had the courage to approach. Fate leads them to the same college and Taehyung tells himself things will be different. He'll take the steps to reach her heart. All she has to do is stay...
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April 17 Saturday Year 1
The perks of living in our tiny neighborhood, is that we can walk to the festival, enjoying all the cherry blossom trees along the way.
At this time, the cherry blossoms are fully bloomed, even falling off the trees and floating in the wind.
My cousins and I must have kept getting distracted because we couldn't get farther than a couple of blocks from the house without realizing we've forgotten something.
First it was Vivi with her phone and Debit Card, then Sooah with a sweater. I thought I was safe until I realized the headband I worked so hard to create wasn't on my head.
Stopping my cousins had them in a fit of laughter because they knew it was my turn now.
"Seolli isn't as perfect after all," Vivi teases.
With a smile, I excuse myself as I rush back to get it.
When I walk inside, I see it in front of the mirror of the foyer. Picking it up, I admire each of Taehyung's crochet blossoms I carefully stitched into a green elastic band.
It was something that I thought of last minute as I went to bed.
Will he recognize them?
Looking in the mirror, I carefully place the headband in my hair.
"There."
I look back at my reflection. Thanks to Vivi and Sooah, I feel so pretty today. I braided my hair to bed and let it loose today, surprised at how wavy the strands came to be.
"Seols? Is that you?" My mom comes by the stairs.
"J-just forgot something." I look down at my feet as if ashamed to be staring at myself.
My mom's giggles draw closer even though I'm moving toward the door. "You look so pretty!"
I hear her start to come down the stairs and I struggle with the door. "N-no, mom. It's okay, you don't have to-"
She stretches out her leg and closes the door. "Let me see you! Is that a cropped top?"
I clutch my bag, my face heated. Sooah let me borrow one of her white tops, just cropped to the hem of my pants. The puffy sleeves being the only reason why I was comfortable with it.
My mom's eyes turn into half moons as she admires me.
"Are you meeting up with your friends from school?" She asks with excitement.
I nod and blink as she reaches over to let some loose wavy strands to fall near my face.
"Tell me all about it when you get back. Okay?"
I smile and walk out the door. "Okay."
As I walk out the gate, I'm distracted by the flurries of pink against the clear blue sky. Are Taehyung and his friends already there?
A loud noise coming down the street startles me, causing me to flinch toward the gate.
It slowly approaches me and when I look, I'm met with a familiar pair of eyes.
"Heyyy, pretty lady." He grins brightly, while he throws his arms over the handles of his motorcycle.
It clicks into my head who he is. The stranger from the rainy day.
"Date?" He raises his eyebrows.
"H-hmm?"
He licks his lips before grinning wider. "Are you going on a date?"
My face heats up and I can't help but hide behind my hair a bit. I feel intimidated but only because I can't deny how good looking he is. I had the same feeling when Taehyung first started talking to me. Almost as if it's too good to be true.
"No. I'm...headed to the cherry blossom festival."
He chuckles. "Or you can see them here."
I look up at the trees again, "Mmm..."
"S'kay. It's different at the festival, right?" He lifts his hand up, his fingers playing with the cherry blossoms that brush past. Managing to catch a couple, he places them into his palm until he has a small collection.
He catches my stare, cupping his palm and gesturing for me to take it.
Watching my hesitation, he turns off his motorcycle and parks it on the spot.
I hold my breath as he walks over.
He plucks one from his palm and quirks an eyebrow. "Can I?"
I stare back at him and tilt my head, not understanding.
He laughs and happily places the ones he got under my headband.
"There. Now it looks even better."
I lift my eyes to meet his.
He leans in cheerfully and I drop my eyes to the ground on instinct.
He stops himself from laughing. "You're... shy~"
I hold my breath in and nod.
He tilts his head into his shoulder as he laughs.
The wind blows and I lift my hands to protect the flowers on my head.
"Have fun at the festival."
I stand up straight and watch him as he goes back toward his motorcycle, picking up his helmet.
"Where are you going?"
His eyes twinkle. "Want to join me?"
I smile and shake my head.
A corner of his mouth lifts and he squints his eyes at me. "I'd tell you my name and ask for yours, but... isn't it more fun when things are mysterious like this?"
My eyes widen.
"But no worries," he pouts before the helmet is over his head. "We'll meet again. And you'll learn more than my favorite thing to do is ride this motorcycle~"
He starts up his motorcycle and I watch as he steers away.
I think about the interaction for a moment before my cousins are calling my name.
