Starry Fever

Moon Phase

            Seonghwa met her on the night the waxing crescent moon hung in the star blanketed sky. Her hair, the same color as that very sky, cascaded over the back of the park bench. The glow from the moon lit up her pale skin, her eyelashes casting shadows over high cheek bones. She remained still, as if asleep, or...

Seonghwa approached cautiously. He would just check on her. Make sure she was okay. Leaves crunched under his feet, dead and dry from the impending winter. The bitter air nipped at his exposed cheeks and he pulled his scarf tighter around his neck. The young woman didn't stir as he stepped up to the bench.

"'Miss," Seonghwa began, reaching out a hand, but stopping before he made contact with her shoulder.

Her eyes snapped open, gaze piercing right up into Seonghwa.

Seonghwa's voice died in his throat. Her eyes, the lightest shade of blue, stunned him into silence. They reminded Seonghwa of the moon.

"Who are you?" the girl spoke, her voice deeper than he expected, but light in an airy way.

"Ah..." Seonghwa trailed off. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

She closed her eyes again, throwing a slender arm over her face. Seonghwa glanced around him, sucking his bottom lip in and chewing on it. He ran his fingers through his brown hair, wondering if he should just walk away.

"Thank you," she said after a moment, voice soft and sad. "But I'm fine here."

Seonghwa unwrapped his red scarf from his neck, holding it above her head. "Take this, at least."

Those blue eyes opened again, making Seonghwa's heart skip a beat. "Mm?"

Feeling too vulnerable by her curious gaze, Seonghwa dropped the scarf on her face. "If you must sit out here, at least dress warmly."

The girl pulled the scarf off her face, a small smile playing on her pink lips. "This smells nice."

Warmth bloomed on Seonghwa's cheeks, a sharp contrast to the bitter cold settling into his skin from the chilly air. He shoved his hands into the front pockets of his dark jeans, turning his head away. "You should go somewhere warm."

"Don't you think the moon is much like humans?"

Seonghwa didn't.

"There is always a side that isn't showed to others," she continued, reaching out her hand, a silver bracelet glinting in the moonlight as it slid down her wrist. "I wonder what your side is."

Seonghwa's phone vibrated in his pocket. That would be Hongjoong. He pulled out his phone to see a text inquiring where he was. It was well past midnight, much later than he anticipated being home by. "I have to go. Keep the scarf."

Without waiting for a reply, Seonghwa hurried off, feeling her stare on his back until he turned a corner and a building blocked him from sight.

Upon arriving home, San grinned at his flushed cheeks. "Cold? Where's your scarf?"

"I lost it," Seonghwa responded.

San hummed noncommittally, eyeing the open door behind Seonghwa. His muscles tensed, as if bracing himself to run.

Panic engulfed Seonghwa's chest and he closed the door, making sure to lock it.

*

"Did you come here to see me again?"

Seonghwa couldn't believe his eyes. She was here again. He'd come by after practice just in case, but... His red scarf was wrapped around her neck and chin and her eyes crinkled as she watched him. She patted the bench next to her. Seonghwa moved toward it automatically, drawn to her by some blinding force.