𝐼𝓃 𝒴𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝒟𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓂𝓈 ~| Huang Renjun

十二

"So how's Korea thus far?" The two of them walked down the street. Even though it was noticeably cold, it bothered them little.

The boy nodded, letting her know he had heard her question as he thought of an answer. "It's amazing. I can't believe it, honestly."

"Even school?"

"Even school," he replied with a smile. "Being the center of attention is, of course, tiring. But amazing too. I hardly got any attention in Jilin. I wasn't used to getting that much eyes on me."

Even though his tone was uplifting, a sudden pang shot through her body starting from her heart, making the forming smile in her face disappear instantly. "I see. Were you made fun of?" This question took the Chinese by surprise, causing him to bolt his eyes at her. She didn't mean to even make a question, but her mind projected a young Renjun being told the things she was told as a child.

"What? No, never," he replied almost immediately. "And if they did, I paid no attention to them. I was, pretty much, the artistic kid no one talks to unless there's an art-related assignment. But they never made fun of me."

She nodded along, the faded smile coming through once more. "Yeah, I get what you mean. You must've been the most talented student in your class, then. Would you let me see your art one day?"

"Sure," Renjun laughed, throwing his head back, finding the girl's eagerness funny and cute. "You draw too?"

"I try," she frankly replied, pursing her lips. "I got injured as a child, on my wrist." She rose her dominating hand to indicate which one. "So for a long time I wasn't able to even write. I'm rusty."

"How did you injure yourself? What were you doing?" he asked, frowning in curiosity at the Korean.

"I fell down the stairs and on top of my hand." Once more, he laughed. This time because of her natural comedic skills, that even if she was telling a painful anecdote, it sounded funny and chaotic.

Eventually they found a café, and Renjun's attention was diverted from their conversation. He was so amazed that he mindlessly switched to Chinese as he spoke to himself, kind of like when a child starts saying nonsense upon seeing a toy they really like. "How about this place? It looks so pretty," he said, looking in through the window while the giggling girl caught up to him.

The café was decorated like a cabin in the woods. The inside, which was lighted with beautifully shaped candle containers in each table, was dim. There were pretty carpets on the floor, and interesting decor on the walls, like paintings. There was music playing faintly, but it was muffled by the conversations among customers. "Do you like it? We can go inside."

Like a child, Renjun turned his head to face her, his eyes shining excitedly. You could tell he really liked this kind of vibe. "Really? We don't have to if you don't want to. After all, this is for you, not me."

"Renjun, your eyes are strangling me to go inside with you. How can I say no?" she laughed, pointing a finger at his face to emphasize what she meant. The boy came back to his senses and shyly backed away, hiding his face with his hand as he smiled embarrassingly at a girl he had barely met seeing him like that. "Let's go."

She pushed the boy into the café, the aroma of coffee embracing them both. Shortly after, a boy walked up to them and bowed. "Hi, my name's Taemin, I'm an employee here. In a couple minutes, when they finish cleaning it, I'll lead you two to your table. Sounds good?"

"Yes, thank you," Jihyun said, bowing her head lightly in gratitude. The boy left, walking deeper into the café past a door. She turned to her friend and smiled once their eyes met. "You have good taste in decoration."