Chained Heart (EXO Xiumin)

Chain 1

*Six years earlier*

Minseok watched Yeri as she got her hand in her sparsely populated Valentines box with his nerves buzzing. It was a strange sensation for him, this insecurity.

He did not exactly give his his life as guaranteed, but there were not many conflicts thrown his way, neither in those of his colleagues or his family. He was too young to fully appreciate the blessing of having a quiet life, but he was old enough to understand that not everyone had it as good as him.

He had loved Yeri ever since he met her. She was his first friend since his first year in kindergarten.

That day he didn't want his mother to leave him in that big, new and horrifying place full of strangers.

Yeri had approached him as he struggled with tears and put her hand in his. With a smile, she had taken him to a table for coloring and he had been in love with her from that day forward.

He had never forgotten that, she had been his solace, his ray of light in the dark storm of emotions.

Due to his sensitivity for her, he was one of the few who noticed the change in her over the years, she had gone from being a sweet, funny girl who always smiled and would make others laugh to someone who was quiet and rarely smiled.

She made him feel sad, mostly because he couldn't see the reason behind it, and therefore not fix it.

He never gave up. He thought that if he just kept trying he could find that girl he used to know again. Even more than that, he wanted her to know what he felt, what he really felt towards her. He didn't think she knew how much he wanted to be with her, how much he loved her.

He hoped his special Valentines card clarified this.

Yeri reached into the box, casually taking small generic store-bought cards, that were mostly filled with cartoon characters on then, along with a cheesy and fake feeling. She barely glanced at them while putting them aside. He could've believed that she was totally indifferent towards them, that she was far from feeling something about them, except for the small curve on the corner of her mouth.

She finally reached his. He could tell because the smile fell from her face and her brows furrowed in consternation while her hand stopped, recovering the advance.

She pulled a bit, then turned her hand at an angle to maneuver the large, folded piece of construction paper, unwrapping the opening.

Yeri stared straight ahead. Minseok suddenly felt ashamed, insecure about his gift to her. Maybe it was $&@#%... Was $&@#%.... Was $&@#% and childish. Maybe the different colors of hearts layered over another red pape0r didn't even look good. He should've simply bought one at the store, it would have been better.

He clenched his fists at his sides while blush approached his cheeks. Then she opened it, read the words he had written there and her stomach closed.

Something amazing happened then. As the rising sun on the horizon, her smile appeared, changing her face, illuminating it in a way he hadn't seen for a long time.

Her eyes found his, and in them he could see her answer to it.

She stood up and walked unsteadily towards him, her smile wavering a bit. Then she turned to the coat closet, giving him a look that attracted him to her.

He looked around to make sure no one was looking, waited a minute or something and then followed her inside.

She was standing in a corner in the back, waiting, concern written all over her face, wringing her hands, until she saw Minseok. Her face cleared and a small smile played on her lips.