KITE

Chapter 1

2019.

Words just wouldn't come out of her pen. She scratched the blank paper with the nib of her pen, and after a good fifteen minutes of new ideas coming and going, evaporating and condensing, she finally gave up with a huff. The monobloc's screech filled the room; she wished she had a more comfortable chair. Tossing away the useless thoughts, she let the thin gray hoodie drape her frame and pulled the hood up. After a minute of rummaging through the drawer, her hand came into contact with the metal keys; she wrapped the keychain around her finger and at once left the apartment.

It was deep into the night; black and dark and a bit chilly, the trees were swaying due to the slight commotion in the air; it had rained in the evening. She let her thoughts intermingle with the petrichor.

Her thoughts were messed up; she couldn't think a thing. She needed to think; she needed to get an idea to complete the assignment; she knew it was just a point she couldn't figure out; her words just needed to form a pattern, a sequence, something, anything, but not a blank page. No. What was the thing that she couldn't figure out? What was it? After all the sleepless nights and hard work, she just had to get stuck at this very point. What was she going to do now? What was she even supposed to do now? What was-?

She came to a halt.

Where was she? In the middle of the frantic working of her cerebrum, she forgot where she was going. To be specific, she never specified a place where she would go; she just let her legs do the work and take her wherever. She took in her surroundings: the city hills, a black hoodie, a plain grass field, a water spring—wait,  what? A black hoodie?

Oh. It took her three seconds to recheck the human's presence, two seconds to recognize that the human was a boy, and one second to recognize him.

No way.

"Noona?", his curious and childlike voice filled her middle ear ossicles like honey. She finally turned towards him and gave him an annoyed look, shielding her bones that were melting under his cute eyes.

"Kid", she questioned, her eyebrows raised upwards.

"you came! I knew you would! Thank you!" she hated how his bright chirp made her happy.

"Listen, kid, it is a coincidence. What are you even doing here? Don't you know the time? And don't call me noona, I am younger than you are." She tried to finish it with a snort, but how could she when he was standing there smiling like a child who knows his mother is about to start scolding her?

"I was waiting for you noona, umm, you... uh... I" she hated it more; she hated when he became shy and started to stutter cutely; she hated how his hands were trembling.

"what you? What me?" change that stupid, cute expression; just smirk like the cocky boys of your age.

"I call you noona, to show my respect for you, I am sorry if it- eh, what are you doing?"

"Can you see, kid? I am feeling hot; wear this hoodie for me; I can't carry it around." She needed to do it; he was going to melt her heart with his chivalry and manners. He was far too cute for this world.

"I, eh, no no, please, I" her raised brow stopped him from completing his rejection.

"Now that you are here coincidentally, tell me, what do you want?"

He shut his eyes as if he didn't want to answer the question; his fists tightened, and he lowered his head.

She couldn't bear it, she wanted to punch him and his stupid, now-in-her-hoodie-clad frame.

"what's that in your hand?" she pointed, his grip became tighter.

"Nothing, nothing at all, a paper? Yeah, just a paper. Wait, give it back to me " he shrieked when she pulled the thin sheet out of his hand.

She hid it behind her back and widened her eyes at him. At that, he stepped back. She let out a satisfied scoff and offered him the paper.

"Take it", she said, and he looked at her hesitantly.

"Come on," she insisted.

He reluctantly took it back.

"Read it for me," she commanded.

"What? No! I..." her glare shut him

"Aloud and clear," she said, liking how he gave in to her commands.

"loud and clear. Loud and clear?!" he suddenly looked up, as if realization had hit him.

She sighed at his hesitancy; she knew whatever was written on the page was directed to her, but this man couldn't man up.

"look Jungkook, I am going back then" With that, she started to go back.

She knew their relationship was not going to progress if he continued to call her on dates and continued to shy away. What was she even expecting? She was a sadist and a burden to the kid.

She should just...

"Noona, wait!" his hands circled her wrist. Happiness seeped through her entire being as she turned around.

"Confidence, confidence, uhumm, you got this, deep breaths, deep breaths," he muttered under his breath as he unfolded the crumpled paper.

He cleared his throat and begin.

"noona, I, no, yes, I" her eyes softened at the struggle he was putting in it.

"Calm down, Koo" she whispered.

"huh? Yeah! Calm down. So,"

A silence of ten seconds filled the air.

"Dear Shenjae, I want you to have high morale during your test tomorrow. Don't burden yourself; you know everything! You are the best! If a problem ever tries to poke your nerves, just think about me, and I know you won't admit it, but it will make you feel a little, little better because I am a smaller problem (aha dry humor). Well, I know I am not as good as others, but I try my best to share your problems, so please umm share them with me, because, umm I am your fiancé. Let's get it! Shenjae fighting! "