A Thin Layer of Ice

strawberry blonde

A yawn escaped from your mouth before you could heave it shut. Back to your casual clothes, you were passing through the hallways of the hospital and earning looks of disapproval to the sound of your obvious exhaustion. Pushing against the glass panes of the hospital entrance, you looked up to see the dark sky. But your night was far from over. You had Wook to still text to once you come home, and the thought of that left your chest thrumming in excitement. It was a routine that started last week -- a new addition to distract you from the high stress environment that was your life.

In the corner of your eye, a shadow of a figure was waiting near the entrance. Turning towards it, you found chocolate locks flailing in the wind. Brown hair... and beneath those bangs were indeed glowing golden hues that crossed off any other guesses on the list. It was Wook, reminding you of your childhood even more so. Slightly unnerving, he truly now just looked like himself from years ago, but older.

"Wook?" you breathed out, hesitantly approaching him.

His gaze landed on you, relief growing on him instantly. "[Y/N]. Sorry for showing up unannounced. I've been having a bad day and wanted to see you instead of just texting you."

"It's fine," you said, heart racing at his explanation. He went to see you because he thought you could cheer him up. Knowing that he was already relying on you as he did back then, you felt warm on the inside. "Sorry to hear that though."

"Don't worry about it," he protested, smiling softly. "Seeing you here now is enough to make me feel better. Say, do you want to go somewhere with me? A little night out for the two of us."

You nodded. "Sure."

Grinning at your response, he lifted his pointer finger up. "I have the perfect place."

He led the way, swerving through the sidewalk, his outlined form swaying around freely. You kept your eyes on him and felt a smile growing on your face. Maybe it was a little weird to stare at him so much, but it was like a spellbind, for he was that magical. He was out of this world -- far away from the reality that had bound you since young.

Every now and then, he would turn over his shoulder and glance back to double check that you were still there. It was as if you would disappear into thin air any second if he didn't keep track. It was oddly adorable to see him checking consistently, eyes colored in concern before they calmed down and a lopsided grin would paint his lips. You would roll your eyes at him, shaking your head at his childish actions. He did this back then as well... habits sure died hard.

The hospital area faded in the distance, slowly replaced by another shopping district in the bane of the city, illuminating lights from every other direction. Shops lined up in a row, accompanied by restaurants and offices. However, instead of going entirely in that direction, he turned a corner and arrived at a more vacant area. At the end was a convenience store with an empty parking lot and one lone worker behind the counter, who looked like he'd fall asleep any second. You cocked a brow up. This was where he wanted to go? A little underwhelming but you liked it nonetheless. It was probably for the best anyway, to avoid the chance that Wook would get caught out in public.

The brunet slowed down his pace and waited until you were by his side. Stretching his arms upward, he stared at you with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "They have the best ramen here. Goes amazingly well with the soju too."

"Oh, but of course," you responded dryly.

Whether he didn't notice it or ignored it, your comment did not faze him whatsoever. The two of you walked into the building, the door swinging open, followed by the soft ding of the store. Scanning through the aisles, you contemplated with Wook about which brand of ramen to go with. Ending up getting mildly spicy ones, it proceeded the same in the soju aisle. It took longer than expected, yet the entire moment relaxed you from the day's events.