Cat And Mouse -- Kpop Idol x Reader

Part III

I stopped outside the low fence of the playground, peeking through the bushes. Sangwoo was almost at the other side. So he wasn't going to the park, just strolling through it?

What was I doing? Making him worried someone was creeping along after him in the dark? I had intercepted those students and sent them off in the wrong direction believing they were going to be doing exactly that. And here I was, far worse.

My heart started to close up in my chest. I took a few steps forward and stumbled to a bench beside the slide, where mothers could sit and watch their children. I sat there, frozen, while my idol started to circle around the far side of the playground.

The person I should be protecting him from was myself. I was the one out there playing cat and mouse with him. Making him glance back all the time and see some stalker hiding in the shadows and following him. I wondered if he was annoyed or, even worse, scared by my antics.

"I am such a creeper," I whispered to myself. "Such a bad fan." I checked the fence line over where he had been, but thankfully he was gone. I put my face in my hands as I felt ashamed. I was so stupid. And selfish.

Hot tears seared their way up behind my nose and squeezed between my tightly-closed eyelids, dripping into my palms. "Dumb, dumb, dumb," I was still speaking into my hands, afraid to look up even when I heard footsteps approaching.

I kept my head down, wishing whoever it was would just keep walking. No such luck. I controlled my tears and pulled myself together, giving one last sniff as I lowered my hands. Please, don't let it be a policeman. Pleeeeease.

The person standing in front of me hunkered down, his face suddenly at eye level with mine. Light from the streetlamps along the walkway through the park illuminated his pale, dusty blond hair, and his soulful eyes looked right into mine.

"Oh," I said. "I'm so sorry..."

A little smile pulled the corner of his mouth to the side, but his expression remained serious.

"Is this game not fun anymore?"

I suddenly felt like crying again. I sat up straight on the bench, pulling away from him. "Once again let me say how sorry I am."

With an easy movement, he rocked back and rose to his feet. A gentle tug on my sleeve brought me upright at the same time. He stepped back before I could feel nervous at his nearness.

"You don't need to be sorry." He turned, and it was so easy and natural that I fell into step beside him, walking back out the way we had come. I was afraid to say anything, so I waited. He made a little sound that could have been a laugh. "I thought it was funny."

"Thought what was funny?"

"You." He was looking at me with those expressive eyes again. "Thinking you were hiding when I could see you almost the whole time."

Suddenly I wanted a hole in the pavement to open up and swallow me. I hadn't just been unkind and creepy, but I'd looked silly doing it, too.

"I am so..."

"Do NOT say 'sorry' again!" He was definitely smirking.

He lead the way back. I followed dumbly beside him, retracing our steps through darkened alleyways and empty streets, and I waited for him to say something. Because the only words that seemed like they would come out of my mouth were, "I'm sorry."

It was really late, and starting to get cold when we walked back onto the street Heavenly Coffee was on. My fingers felt oversized as I opened the app and typed in my request for a taxi. He stood behind me, peering intently over my shoulder.

Getting a cab to might take a while, but he stood with me as I waited.

"Five to ten minutes," I told him, glad to finally have something different to say. I shoved my cold hands into my pockets and felt the notepad in there. The fangirl in me still wanted to pull it out and ask for an autograph. I tamped that feeling down. "You don't have to wait with me. I'll be ok."

The look on his face said he didn't quite believe me.

He shrugged out of his jacket and swung it up behind me. Letting it settle gently and envelope me in a cloud of warmth. "What kind of man would I be if I did that?" He sounded amused again. Like he found the whole situation funny.

Every muscle in my body tensed, my heart beating wildly. I couldn't form a thought or a word, nestled in his jacket like a cocoon. How could he miss the fact I was freaking out? I breathed in the smell of him.

He didn't seem to notice. He looked up and down the street and finally pointed at Heavenly Coffee. "Is that where you work?"

Now I had to say something. Had to answer with words that made sense. "Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday," I replied. I smiled up at him, praying he'd say something about stopping by sometime soon. "The best part about working there is that even if I show up to work tired, there's an unlimited supply of caffeine around me."

He nodded in agreement, but before he could say anything the taxi pulled up. He opened the door for me and waited while I climbed in. I started to pull his coat off to return it to him.

 He looked so handsome, standing there in the dim light with his soft features, well-muscled frame, and kind eyes. His hair fell forward into his eyes as he leaned down into the car door.  

"Keep my jacket, it's chilly tonight. I can't pay for the cab to send you home." He laughed a little. "I didn't bring my wallet or phone tonight. I was just going to go for a quick walk."

Now I felt bad again. I had disturbed all that. I shut the door. And then I felt worse, so I rolled down the window and said, "Have a goodnight."

"It has been good," he smiled. "I will come for coffee and my coat on Thursday."

 The driver was already pulling away, and I thought maybe I had heard wrong. I leaned out the window and looked back. He was already walking away. I wanted to call out, "See you then!" but my brain disconnected and I blurted, "I love your hair!"