ridin'°nct dream

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  "Here you go," Saehyun says after cutting the kid's fruits into smaller pieces.

  She then, walks around the cafeteria in search for other kids needing her service when a figure stops beside her and a handkerchief gets patted on her cheeks softly.

  "That boy's calling you," Jisung says amidst wiping her stray tears away and flashes a small grin.

  Sae's heart skips a beat and she internally fangirls at him passing around the juice cartons.

  Something about a man being caring and lovable towards children makes them more attractive in a way.

  "nOoNA~" the boy Jisung mentioned about, calls with his adorable little accent due to not having clear pronunciations yet.

  She turns and smiles. "I'm coming!!"

  "Oohhhh, Jisung's becoming a man now," Jaemin teases after seeing his interaction with Saehyun.

  The younger's ears turn bright red. "It was nothing," he mumbles, fiddling with the tape on the box.

  "Hyung! We need more milk cartons on this side!" Chenle shouts from across the room and Jeno nods.

  The latter walks back into the room with full stacked boxes on his arms and bumps into Donghyuck just about to get out.
"Where are you going?"

  "Just to the playground. Sian said he lost his car toy there so I thought I might just help find it," Hyuck informs, fixing his shoelaces.

  "Ah, then, can you get the rest of milk boxes later? The supplier who's supposed to bring them in hasn't come, yet," Jeno says.

  Donghyuck nods and Jeno leaves.

  Hyuck breaks into a fit of coughs as he digs up the sandbox with the toy shovel, wanting to find the car.
"Aish, where could it be?"

  The screech of a truck pierces through the air and he stands while dusting himself off.

  His footsteps make crunching noises as he ambles on the stone pebble path, approaching the school gates.

  "Are you sure you can carry that?" A warm male voice queries.

  "I can carry them. You don't have to do this. They're heavy," another voice with care in his tone, insists.

  Donghyuck ruffles his hair and shakes off the pale sand from it, standing beside the wall.

  A challenged, girly chuckle chimes like the harmonious bells greeting cordially on a winter morning.

  "I am not weak."

  This time, a female voice speaks.

  Her tone light and playful but it sends an excruciating pang to Donghyuck's heart that's starting to race erratically.

  He steps out from behind the wall slowly and sees the two boys getting the boxes from the girl between them.

  "Yeah, we get it perfectly that you're not weak. But, you just got better so take it easy," one of the males insist and she crosses her arms while watching them walk away with a smile on her face.

  "Clowns," she mutters under her breath and chuckles.

  "Excuse me."

  She freezes amidst pulling the box out and slowly turns.

  Their eyes meet and his breath hitches, in disbelief.

  She's here, she's actually here.

  He's wished for this countless of times and thought about how he would greet her.

  But now that it's actually happening, he's paralyzed by shock and overwhelming emotions.

  "Can I help you?" A voice interrupts his irrational thoughts.

  Donghyuck turns to the male who's scanning him cautiously.

  "Beomgyu, wait," Jinae says, suddenly and the two boys whip their heads to her as she approaches the older.

  "You know him?" Beomgyu asks, sounding surprised but Jinae only stops in front of the other.

  "Are you another volunteer? It seems like you had fun playing at the playground until you got sand on your cheeks," she comments, tone softer than usual, restrained.
"My name's Jinae. You?"

  Her question seems to squeeze all the air inside him, out. What?