SANCTUARY

chapter 22

"Lee Haechan," I called, looking at him as he gazed at me innocently. His eyes were solely on me.

"So, is it a yes?" an innocent smirk emerged on his face. "Don't tell me you're going to cancel it because of Jisung."

"Cancel what because of me?" Jisung appeared out of nowhere, giving us the look. He smiled, looking at the two of us as he pointed at us. "Ohh, you two are finally dating? Am I right?"

"I know where this is going," I sighed, staring at Jisung who cheekily stood in front of us. "What do you want?"

"Nothing. You two saved me, so I'll keep your secret safe with me," Jisung beamed, his arms crossed. "But how long?"

"A little bit more than a week," Haechan nonchalantly answered. "Anyways, we've saved your ass so we'll get going now."

"Haechan, if you just wanted to say 'I want babe time' then don't drag me into this," Jisung joked, turning around. He waved his hand before walking away. "Have fun on your date!"

"Wow, it would be so nice to embarrass him in front of his crush right now," Haechan muttered before facing me. He smiled and held my hand tightly, then placing our hands in the pocket of his hoodie. We walked outside of the school campus like that. "Let's keep our hands warm."

"Yes, our date is still gonna happen," I brought up, seeing a smile on his face. "For the kiss—"

"I want it now," he brought his face near mine. "If you're okay with it."

"I hate how your height is so intimidating. 7-inch height difference sucks," I mumbled, letting go of his hand and stood in front of him. "For your information, if I lose my balance while tiptoeing—"

"You won't lose your balance. You won't tiptoe, I'll adjust," he smirked, leaning forward for our faces to align. "Also, a research said that a 7-inch height difference is the perfect height difference for couples. Anyways, height doesn't matter. As long as you're you, I'm happy to be with you."

I was flustered by his sudden words. I yanked his hood down to cover his eyes and gave him a small peck before returning to his side. He was flabbergasted, pushing his hood off his head, and looked at me with his hands on his hips.

"I feel so scammed," he was at a loss of words as he poked his inner cheek with his tongue. "It does count as a kiss but still!"

I stuck my tongue out at him and started to laugh. He couldn't do anything else but laugh with me.

⌨

It was the day of Haechan and I's first date as a couple. He had already taken a shower, while I recently finished. I walked out of the bathroom to see Haechan on his laptop, checking on his game.

"Haechan, have you seen Star?" I asked, approaching him before I saw Star pop out from Haechan's shoulder. She was sitting on his lap. "There she is."

"Are you sure we can trust Renjun with Star?" he asked as he turned his chair to face me. "What if he accidentally sits on her?"

"That isn't gonna happen. You're acting like a father sending off his daughter at preschool," I chuckled. "Anyways, where are we going?"

"That's a surprise," he replied and turned off his computer.

"I think I should do something with my hair but I'm not sure," I mumbled while looking at the mirror. "What do you think?"

"Sit down here," Haechan said, getting off his chair and gesturing me to sit down, which I did. He pulled the chair near my bed as he sat down on it. He brought my hair to the back and started braiding it. "I have a younger sister, so I know how to style hair prettily."

"Wow, perfect guy alert," I joked, which he laughed at.

"I'm not, quit saying that," Haechan muttered as he braided my hair. "That should be it. I'm done."

I looked in the mirror to see that it was perfectly braided. A proud smile was on Haechan's face as he saw the satisfaction in my eyes.

"Now, let's drop off this little snitch at Renjun's room and go on our date," Haechan said, picking up Star. "Luckily, Jaemin and Jeno are at work. Renjun's in the bathroom so no one will notice."

"Until when are we going to hide it though?" I questioned.

"Eh, let's wait until they ask if we're dating then we'll say yes," Haechan suggested. "Then if they ask why we didn't say it, let's say they never asked."

"Sounds fun," I chuckled.

The two of us dropped off Star at Renjun's room and headed off to Haechan's car. He drove us to the place where he planned to have the date. I let him decide since he was the one who suggested the date in the first place.

We arrived at the place he decided on and it was an Escape Room Café. It was an aesthetic place that looked stunning.

"Fun, right?" Haechan smiled widely. "I thought this would be better than a fancy restaurant."

"Definitely," I smiled back.

We entered the café and Haechan handled everything as you had to schedule beforehand. We were brought to a room that gave Dark Academia vibes. The staff explained the rules and that we had to escape the room within 45 minutes.

"This is going to be a piece of cake," Haechan's confidence rose. "We'll definitely win."

The staff then left the room and the timer started. Haechan and I immediately started looking for hints and clues to escape the room. Haechan instantly found a note behind the picture frame, which held a clue in the form of a riddle. He easily deciphered it, bringing us to a locked chest. 

"You're really amazing, Haechan," I complimented, in awe.

"Of course I am," he beamed, gazing at me. "Because I have the best girl as my girlfriend."

"Were you always this sweet?" I asked honestly. "I'm asking this as your girlfriend."

"I think it's bound to happen when you're sure with the person you're with," he replied, looking down and grabbing my hand. He planted a kiss on it before speaking up. "When you officially became my girlfriend, I decided to not treat you like one."

"Not as a girlfriend, but rather a wife you can say. I seriously like you and the term girlfriend can't express it," he continued to confess. "The term girlfriend has a lot of uncertainty and it isn't permanent. The term wife is better because of the certainty that you'll love her forever just like how you vowed at a wedding, although sometimes it may not go as planned. Treat the woman, or the person you love, like how you would treat your lifetime partner."