HELIOTROPE ↻ NCT DREAM

nineteen

It was finally Monday, the third day of Christmas break.The gang had decided to have a small picnic at the public park despite the cold weather.

Ayeon was in her kitchen, busy, preparing the food she promised to bring with her. With seventeen's my my playing in the background, the young woman sang along and cheerfully swayed her hips from side to side while spreading some mayonnaise on the ham and cheese sandwich. She would even twirl like a ballerina when getting an ingredient from the refrigerator, truly in a good mood, excited to finally meet her boyfriend, again.

Yes, the couple hadn't seen each other even when the finals ended. But Ayeon didn't mind that during that moment anymore as what's important to her was finally being able to hug him after what felt like months of Hyuck drought.

Once she was finished, Ayeon quickly fixed her makeup which she had done before the food preparation. Looking at the mirror, she was satisfied with the outcome, except for her hair. She couldn't decide if it was better to tie it in a ponytail or to let it fall behind her shoulders and maybe use a ribbon. Pouting, she reached for her phone and shot Hyuck the question through text.

As the young woman awaited for a reply, she had found cute heart shaped hair clips on her drawer and tried another hairstyle with it. Approximately 5 minutes had passed yet there was still no reply from him. Instead, Ayeon decided to ask the same question to Jaemin, adding the third hairstyle in the set of options to choose from.

Not yet a minute had passed, but the female had already received a reply from the said boy. Seeing the message, Ayeon kept the heart shaped hair clips on her hair, patting it softly before letting her fingers smoothly brush down. She inspected herself on the mirror once again and smiled to herself, satisfied with how she looked. And soon, the young woman had finally left the comfort of her apartment.

Her cheeks flushed pink as the winter breeze hit her. The scarf that hung on her neck being blown by the wind, although, she didn't mind. Instead, she happily skidded her way on the pavement that lead to the park.

Upon turning left on the sidewalk, Ayeon spotted a familiar figure a few meters away from where she was. She tightly clutched the handle of the totebag that hung on her shoulder and quickened her pace, almost jogging, just to catch up with the boy. Once the distance between them was small enough, Ayeon tiptoed lightly as possible. Sneaking behind the boy, she quickly raised her free hand to cover the boy's eyes. However, as she tried to do so, the boy's heel accidentally stepped on her toes resulting in her to yelp in pain and hopped with one foot.

Ayeon's plan basically failed and backfired.

The sound she emitted made the boy turn around, realizing what happened. "Oh Ayeon, it's you. I'm so sorry. Are you okay," Jaemin apologized, a bit frantic, even though it was definitely an accident.

Ayeon let her foot down and kept telling him that it was okay, smiling as she did so to assure him.

Both Ayeon and Jaemin went to the park enthusiastically, despite the cold air that continued to engulf them. And soon, when they were a few minutes away from the meeting place, Ayeon's footsteps halted and so did her heart for a split second upon spotting two familiar figures that sat on a picnic blanket, looking as though they were having the time of their lives. The figures leaned back and forth as they laughed and looked at each other.

Jaemin noticed Ayeon's sudden rigid posture beside him, which lead him to stop in his tracks and glanced over to her. His heart raced as he saw how her bright eyes slowly suddenly fill with unshed tears. He was about to speak up and question her, but Ayeon cut him off.

"Some dust entered my eyes," Ayeon spoke, trying to sound believable before blinking her eyes tightly, consecutively. The memory of the view tugged a piece of her heart for an unknown reason. Although, Ayeon did try to convince herself that it was nothing.