dandelion ➳ 박성훈

𝐒𝐈𝐗: love in the ice

chapter six

꒰☁️꒱

"how are you?" the boy asked once he saw her approaching their usual spot, her meters away due to not owning any skate shoes. she nodded, smiling up at him. "fine, how about you?"

"same in here." he said with his head hanging low, as haneul chuckled and clapped to get his attention. "I'm here, not on the floor." she pointed at her chest, as he let out a small laugh.

"anyways, where's my surprise?" her hands clasped together, as his face lit up and his mouth hanged open. "oh, right. you only came here for that. I am more than thankful for that-"

"blah blah blah, whatever. would you be satisfied if I said that I only came for you?" he shrugged. "maybe." he skated his way closer to the land, as her eyes followed his tall figure.

he came back, holding a box on his two hands as if it was a precious gift of someone special. but haneul knew less, may she remind herself.

"here." he handed the box to her, as she looked at it for a moment before her brows turned into a frown. "you ain't pranking me with a disgusting insect or what?"

one more shrug. "you never know if you don't find out for yourself." she eyed him a couple of seconds, before she opened the lid of the box and her eyes lit up in excitement.

a pair of white leathered ice skating shoes was neatly placed in there, the small golden details catching her eye, as well as the silver strings that fell on the side.

"sunghoon, I - you...oh my-" she's at a great loss of words, and he wanted to think that it was good. the shoes could count up to four years old, which only made him worry about the quality of theirs and how good they were able to perform.

"this is the most beautiful surprise I've ever received!" she said with her eyes sparkling under the afternoon sun, as the breeze blew past them, coming in between and interrupting that small, yet so meaningful interaction.

"I'm glad you like them." he chuckled, as she ran her way up the bench and sat down. it was pretty difficult for him to follow, but there was no use, for he could make out her crystal clear voice from that far.

"PARK SUNGHOON BEST BOY EVER!" she yelled from the top of her lungs, him laughing as she skipped back to him, almost tripping from how happy and content she was.

"want help?" he asked, as she took off her jacket and placed it on the grass, sitting down with her legs thrown at the front. "yes please!" she exclaimed with childish excitement, him letting out a chuckle as he bent over.

he helped her tie up the laces, as she kept her gaze glued on his hands, at the way they gracefully work their way on the shoes, in the most gentle manner, much new to her. that was so, since there hasn't been a boy that acted with such respect for her.

again, haneul knew less.

"there you go." he tapped her ankle, as she held his hand tightly and got up, trying to maintain her balance while gripping firmly on his hand. but, with the first slide in the ice, she found herself leaning forward and almost crashing into the cold surface.

"hold up!" he hugged her closely by the waist, sighing in relief as she stood up straight. "okay, guess we need to learn the basics." "dang, you make it seem so effortless, like hell how?"

he laughed, as he set off for the center while briefly being followed by her. "this is what eight years of skating do, oh dear kim haneul." he gracefully bowed, making her mouth hang open.

"eight. freaking. YEARS?" she yelled out in disbelief, following him with her gaze as he started maneuvering with his hands swinging. "yup. mom wanted me to join the hockey team, but I found myself loving dance, and since I liked being on the ice, what's better than combining two loves of yours?"

she nodded, trying to keep herself balanced as he held her hand. "tip number one. bend your knees a little and keep your hands fisted and your arms close to your body. like this."

he did as said, motioning for her to do the same. she tried, letting out a sigh of relief as she finally got to stay still. "now, open your feet a little to form a v. keep them close to each other, this way they won't start sprawling like some tentacles."

she smiled, his right hand hanging so that he'll be able to catch her in case she falls. but there was no use, for she had found the way and was happily balancing in the thin ice.

"yoooo, my legs hurt." she said, and in an attempt to straighten her back, she fell back with her legs in the air. they stared at each other with wide eyes, before he laughed out with his finger pointing at her.

she kept back her smile while biting her bottom lip, attempting to stand up as he offered her a hand. "you by now wear the crown of the most adorable human I've ever taught."

"oh, I ain't your first student?" a pout formed on her lips, as the smile on his lips faded away for some seconds. he then looked back at her, helping her up. "no, you ain't."

"boyfriend material. ain't you tired of being so angelic? don't you miss your home up there?" she joked, as he held her hand a little tighter, but she didn't really feel it, for her hands had grown numb in the coldness of the weather.

unbeknownst her, the atmosphere had grown colder.