After Dusk || Im Changkyun

12. Hand In Hand

Chapter Twelve

"It's too bright. I don't like the sun." Changkyun complained, strolling down the crowded streets of the city alongside the six of you. He walked closer to you and picked the sunglasses off your head, earning a bit of a fright as you jumped in fear.
You never really handled it well when people scared you when you without any notice.
You gently placed a hand on your heart and you could see Changkyun's face soften when he saw your expression, but he put on your glasses and continued walking beside you anyways.
"Women's glasses I see. Interesting choice."
"Clothes are genderless. So are accessories. You shouldn't be so close minded, Eggo."
"I never said it was bad, Kyun."
He cringed at the name you called him. You never intended on using the shortened name. Sometimes it slipped out but he never seemed to notice.
"Why, Kyun? Do you not like the name, Kyun? How about Kyunie? My lovely best friend." You jokingly pinched his cheek and he glared at you, completely disgusted. You giggled at him as you strolled down the streets. The people were one hundred percent staring at the two of you and Changkyun seemed to notice. He looked to a group of what looked like fellow tourists and pointed to you,
"She's crazy." He said in English, his face stone cold. The tourists looked confused and you punched him very hard in the chest, making him falter back from the impact of your fist.
"And he's a psychopath." You replied with a grin.
"Have a nice trip."
The tourists quickly scurried away and the two of you shared a laugh at with each other. You even high fived for a split second, laughing even more as soon as you did.
Changkyun and you didn't have too many similarities, but you guess you'd found one of them.
Scaring innocent people.
"Look at them." Jooheon cooed while throwing his arm over Yuta who instantly did the same back to him.
"Our babies are finally getting along."
You both instantly stepped away from each other, grimacing at the mention of your kindness to each other.
But you had to admit that it was fun.
You looked back at Jooheon and Yuta, who still had their arms around each other but were pouting as they saw the distance between the two of you widen.
"We shouldn't have said anything." Jooheon muttered sadly, slipping his arm off of Yuta's shoulder and dragging his feet over to Suhyun and Jungwoo who were a couple steps in front of the rest of you. Jungwoo turned back, making all of you stop. Jungwoo wasn't able to drag you out of the house earlier because Changkyun had pulled you back in, so Jungwoo still hadn't gotten his latte and was still insanely jet lagged.
His eyelids were drooping and you couldn't tell if that was because of the sun that was shining in his eyes or the lack of sleep.
Probably both.
"Nothing, it's fine." Jungwoo turned back around, continuing his walk but yawning two seconds after he took his steps. You walked quicker to get closer to him. Changkyun only had to take two steps to catch up.
"Should I buy you a coffee, Woo? I'll get some for everyone while I'm at it."
Jungwoo shook his head, the slight breeze almost knocking the sunglasses off the top of his head. Yuta had quickly steadied them though.
He always had the best reflexes.
"It's fine, Y/N. You shouldn't go alone."
"Take Changkyun. He's been here a couple of times." Jooheon offered, nudging Changkyun gently. He just glared at Jooheon who was grinning brighter than the blazing Italian sun.
"Then we lose our two fluent English speakers." Suhyun piped in for the first time in a while, which was surprising since she always had something to say.
She was probably tired too.
"I'm pretty good at English." Jungwoo announced proudly and Yuta snickered as soon as the words came from Jungwoo's mouth.
"Ah, potato?" He mocked, making Jungwoo pout and gently punch his arm. Unlike the others, Jungwoo was too gentle to actually hit someone.
Without intention.
You were certain that he'd beat someone up if they deserved it.
Despite his innocent and gentle personality, he had long limbs and a whole lot of muscle that was hidden between his very twiggy arms. Sometimes you questioned if he even ate but then you remembered that he was Kim Jungwoo.
You'd never seen anyone eat more than Jungwoo has.
It was a talent. You needed to learn from him. You could barely stomach a salad half the time and he's out there eating a whole chicken without gaining even a gram.
"I'll just go." You finally said, waving as you walked away from the group with a cheeky grin. Jungwoo and Yuta tried to stop you, but you'd already been engulfed into the busy streets, clutching the small pink bag that your mother had bought you for your birthday a few years ago. It took only a second before you couldn't even see the tips of their hair.
The streets of Milan were insanely crowded. But then again, you were in Milan.
You couldn't even imagine would this place would be like in September or October for Milan Fashion Week. It must be hard living here. It's probably annoying to see all the people that very obviously aren't from here because they're wearing their "I Love Italy" shirts and their fake Dolce & Gabanna or Giorgio Armani sunglasses
You wouldn't know.
You weren't a local.
You mindlessly walked around the streets, your eyes searching for the people with coffee cups and then walking in the direction they were coming from. Eventually, you'd found one. You broke out into a smile as soon as you saw the glass doors and the spelling of freshly roasted coffee beans wafted through the air.
It smelled so good.
You took slow steps towards the store and as soon as you stepped in the sensation of the cold air conditioning filled you.
Only then did you realize how hot it was outside.
You'd quickly ordered and they'd made the six drinks scarily fast. Especially since there was only three employees.
The Italians really knew how to hustle.
Thankfully, you somehow remembered how everyone liked their coffee.
A Cold Brew with a pump of hazelnut for Yuta. An Iced Caramel Latte with an extra spoon of sugar for Jungwoo. An Iced Americano for Jooheon. An Iced White Chocolate Mocha for Suhyun. And an Iced Vanilla Macchiato with three shots of espresso, a splash of almond milk, a pump of sugar syrup, and a bit of whipped cream for Changkyun.
Apparently he wouldn't drink coffee any other way.
You'd learned the hard way.
Oh, and a strawberry milkshake for you.
You didn't really like drinking coffee.
The nice barista had given you this fancy coffee holding box that you'd only ever seen in movies. They had tops and everything so the coffee wouldn't tip over.
It was genius.
You held the box in one of your hands. It was rather heavy but you didn't quite mind.
You looked around aimlessly at all the people and you realized.
You'd left without asking where everyone was headed.
And you hadn't even made plans beforehand because Jooheon said that it would be "boring" if you all stuck to an agenda.
You took only a step forward before retreating back next to the door of the coffee shop. You shouldn't have left so hastily. They could be anywhere right now and you were in a city that you didn't know. And it's not like they'd be able to find you.
You opened your bag, pulling out your phone in hopes of being able to all someone but you had no WiFi and your phone wouldn't be able to make a call without it.
You ran your hand through your hair, undeniably stressed while you walked hundreds of people walk by you as each minute passed. You just stood there blankly watching. You began to mutter to yourself.
"Honestly, what an idiot Choi Y/N. How did you get accepted into college with a full scholarship when you're this du- oh!"
You looked down to see a little boy clutching onto your free hand, looking up at you with a small smile but lost eyes. He started speaking incredibly quickly in Italian. So fast that you couldn't even make out a separate word out of anything he was saying.  The boy had very Asian features, but his eyes were a dark dark green and his hair was a light brown.
Mixed?
You dragged the boy closer to the store and kneeled down so you were at his height.
He couldn't be anymore than three years old.
"I don't speak Italian. Do you speak English?" You asked softly to the boy who quickly nodded. You sighed in relief. For a kid that seemed so young, he sure was quite smart.
"I let go of my mother's hand. I kept on walking in the other direction and I thought you were her. You're pretty like my mom. She's a model."
You smiled tenderly at the boy, ruffling his hair gently. He spoke with a slight accent and it was adorable.
You loved kids so much.
"Thank you. Will you tell me your name?"
"Vino. Vino Choi."
"Your last name is Choi? Mine is too!" You laughed at the Vino, who immediately giggled back, making you break out into a smile.
He was so cute.
"Vino, do you know your mom's number?"
"No. It was too long and mommy said I didn't need to learn it until I'm five."
You nodded. His mother sounded like a smart person and Vino was a smart kid.
"How old are you?"
He held up three fingers and one bent finger which made you giggle. You simply nodded, mouthing three and a half to him which instantly made him grin with pride.
How was he so fluent in two languages for someone so young?
"Do you know where your mom would be right now, Vino?"
It was a question he wouldn't know the answer to but it didn't hurt to try. But as you predicted, Vino shook his head, his beautiful naturally brown hair bounced while he did.
He was a very dashing child.
Just by looking at him you could tell he'd grow up handsome.
You thought a bit more and asked to see if he knew anything about his father. He shook his head, adjusting his small PRL shirt.
You didn't know that they made kids clothes but you know what? You learn something new everyday.
"Dad goes to work a lot. He's in Madrid for a press conference."
You nodded at him, trying to process the information he was giving you.
You did not expect a three year old to know so much about his parents.
From the looks of it, judging by his clothes and his mannerisms, he seemed to be rich. Or well off at least. You wondered if he meant that his mother was an actual model or just that she was pretty in his eyes.
Kids would never say anything bad about their parents. They have too much respect for them.
You grabbed Vino's hand, taking him across the streets. He happily followed. You looked around for anyone that looked remotely Korean. There weren't a lot of Asians around so you'd assume his mother would be easy to find.
But there were too many people.
You walked around together a bit longer, holding onto his hand tightly as you weaved through the crowds of people. Vino stuck close to your leg and you wrapped your hand around his back, making sure he wouldn't be swept up by the tons of people. You struggled to hold onto the box of coffee as well, but at this point, that was the least of your worries.
The two of you made it to a clearance in the crowd. You bent down beside a tall lamp post, pulling Vino closer to you just in case.
"Will I not see her again?" Vino asked, his lip quivering and his eyes glassing over. A wave of guilt rushed over your almost immediately.
Mrs. Choi, where the heck are you?
You instantly shook your head, pulling the child into a short hug.
"No. I'll find her buddy. She has to be around here somewhere."
Vino sniffled and you gently wiped the tear that ran down his cheek and gently ruffled his hair, which made him crack a small smile.
"Don't cry, Vino. She has to be-"
Your eyes landed on a woman running around the sidewalks on the other side of the road. Her long black dress trailed across her and her sunglasses were threatening to fall down her head. Her sparkly jewelry shined from the light of the sun and you could see them perfectly from here. She looked worried, running a hand through her hair a few times and rubbing her temples.
That has to be her.
You stood up, still holding onto Vino's hand. You gently tapped his shoulder, trying not hit him with the coffee box and pointed at the woman.
"Vino, is that her?"
He turned around and you watched his face brighten up as soon as he laid eyes on her. He nodded at you and you grinned at him.
Your deductive skills were useful.
In your face, Donghyuk.
"Excuse me!" You shouted over and over again. It was loud but not as loud as the main road. She didn't seem to hear you.
You shouted again.
It was of no use.
It wasn't until Vino shouted that she turned around. You see her snap her head back and forth. When she looked in your general direction you waved furiously.
"Over here!"
You gestured towards Vino, who was still holding onto your hand and smiling at his mother. She came running across the streets, not even watching to see if there was a car or a bike coming.
Thankfully, there wasn't.
She took Vino in her arms, hugging him and kissing him all over his face.
"I'm so sorry, NoNo. I should've been more careful."
How funny, that was Doyoung's nickname for Jeno.
You watched with a smile as his mother continued apologizing to the child, obviously worried and trying to soothe him.
For someone who was just separated from his parent, Vino was quite put together. He just giggled from all the love and attention he was receiving from his mother.
She finally let go of her son and looked to you. Her heels made her stand far taller compared to you and now that you finally got to look at her, Vino was right.
She was a model.
She was one of the prettiest people you'd ever seen.
She looked about your age too.
"Thank you so much for taking care of him for me. How could I ever repay you?" She breathed out. She still looked stressed but there was a clear smile on her face. You shook your hands at her.
"No, you don't need to. I'm just happy he approached me. Your son is incredibly intelligent."
Vino's mother smiled that smile that all mothers do when they're about to brag about their children. You awkwardly fiddled with the cloth of your blouse that was carefully tucked into your jeans.
"He was born intelligent. My husband is quite smart. Me, not so much."
The two of you shared a quick laugh with you trying to convince her otherwise instinctively. You never let people self deprecate themselves, even if you didn't know them.
"I'm Rena Choi. It's nice to meet you."
"Y/N Choi. Vino likes the fact that we share a last name."
The two of you shook hands. Vino looked up at the two of you. His eyes were so big and pure. He was literally so cute.
"Do I know you from somewhere?" Rena asked, her foot gently tapping on the concrete sidewalks. It made her jewelry shine even more and you couldn't help but focus your vision on it.
It was very pretty.
"By any chance are you an actress?"
"I am. How did you know?"
Rena clasped her hands together, breaking out into a smile.
"Choi Y/N from Trapped! I loved that show. You're an amazing actress. Plus, you're very pretty!"
You instantly blushed. It was such an honor being praised by someone as gorgeous as her. You denied all the compliments she showered you with before her phone rang. She looked down it, grabbing Vino's hand and looking up at you.
"We really must go now." She reached into her Gucci purse and pulled out a business card, placing it in your hand before beginning to take a step back.
"Call me if you need anything while you're here. It was lovely meeting you, Y/N and thank you so much!"
You waved at Vino one more time before you watched them both disappear among the crowd of people. You sighed, reality rushing back to you as soo as your eyes came to the somehow still intact coffee box and the busy streets.
Now you had your own problem to handle.
You put the business card in your purse, not having the time to read it before you continued strolling down the streets, taking in the sights of the city, though it would be nicer with your friends beside you.
You thought of going back to the house you all rented out but unfortunately, you had zero clue where that was.
You stopped at a store, leaning your head against the walls of it and sighing, earning looks from the people walking past since you probably looked like a depressed lost person.
Because you were.
You could hear the music that was playing from inside the store. You couldn't read the name written on the sign very well because well... it was in Italian. You also couldn't understand the song that was playing, because it was also in Italian. But it had a nice groove to you. It sounded like something Seulgi would dance to if she ever had the chance.
You absentmindedly stared out at the clear blue sky.
"At least the clouds look nice." You muttered to yourself, beginning to slouch down the wall. You looked down at the coffee box instinctively to check if you'd spilled it. Thankfully, it was still intact and still put together. You didn't know how you somehow managed to do that but couldn't figure out where you were.
You'd ask someone for help but you physically couldn't approach someone you didn't know and ask for directions or ask where you were.
Your mother had always raised you to figure things out on your own. That independence was the only thing that would be able to get you places. So, from a young age, you were told to never ask for help.
That you needed to be able to figure stuff out for yourself and to not depend on others for guidance.
You found it hard to ask questions or ask for help even as an adult since you'd spent most of your life with that mindset.
It was unfortunate but it's not like you could turn back time and change the way you were raised.
If you could ever turn back time, there would be one thing you'd do and you wouldn't even hesitate.
You felt the presence of a person beside you. You instantly jumped in fear, holding your hands in front of your face and dropping to the ground. You could feel the person bend down next to you, who was
trembling an unnecessary amount. They grabbed your hand and pulled it away from your face but you squeezed your eyes shut in a way that made it almost hurt.
"It's just me, Eggo. Relax. It's just me."
Your eyes fluttered open at the familiar voice and you took a breath of relief as soon as you saw Changkyun kneeling down in front of you, a small smile placed on his face which his black hair partially covered.
If he wasn't Changkyun, you would've hugged him. You might have been scared to death but you still had some of your brain cells working.
He unexpectedly placed a comforting hand on your shoulder and raised himself up, offering a hand to you. You hesitated for a second, but you grabbed it and he pulled you up off the ground.
You gently dusted off your clothes and you managed to peek a smile at him, still a bit shaken up.
He awkwardly rubbed his hands together, looking at the ground and then back up at you.
"Sorry. I forgot you get scared easily."
You were genuinely shocked.
"Sorry? Im Changkyun, did you just apologize?" You joked, instantly returning back to normal, hiding your still shaking hands behind your back. He rolled his eyes at you, cocking his hip slightly as he folded his arms together.
"I see you're okay again." He began walking down the opposite direction in which you'd come from, you took small strides to try and catch up with him. You tended to be pretty slow if you weren't in like danger or like about to get murdered.
Not that you were ever about to be murdered...
"Let's go, Eggo. Jungwoo is having a mental breakdown and Yuta hyung is about to go running across all of Europe looking for you." Changkyun slowed down his pace and you wanted to thank him but the words just wouldn't leave your mouth.
He grabbed the box of coffee from your hand, your fingers briefly brushing each other for just a second. You both stopped.
Your eyes met for a moment, a very long moment.
Everything stopped for that moment. You couldn't hear the sounds of the city. You couldn't hear the music playing from inside of the store. You couldn't feel your hands shaking more.
You just saw him. Only him.
You managed to look away and Changkyun just looked back to the ground.
"So, where exactly are we-"
You gasped when Changkyun grabbed your hand, pulling you through the crowds. He moved you to the outside of the sidewalk, but still walking in the clearing to avoid the other people. His grip on your hand was tight, unlike yours that was completely limp because you were still trying to process everything.
Changkyun noticed your vision focused on the both of your hands, he said waved them around in front of your face.
"You're slow and I'll lose you if you keep that pace up. I'm not walking another mile just to find you again."
And so he dragged you through the city.
You both walked, him just a step in front of you, pointing out all the places as you passed and sharing small stories about them for "the sake of your entertainment" as he had said.
His stories spanned from singing and dancing with Shownu to getting drunk with Minhyuk and even being depressed with Wonho.
He told you an unexpected amount for a person that was so reserved about his personal life.
And you kind of liked that.
Changkyun stopped for a second, making you stop too, looking up at him. He let go of your hand, but just to adjust your fingers. He weaved his long ones through yours, making your heart skip a beat.
"Your hands shake a lot." He says while tightening his grip again.
"Hold on tighter. It'll help."
So, you did.
And the two of you walked through the city
Hand in hand.

•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•

Did you guys listen to the entire Fatal Love album yet?
I did today and Night View is hands down my new favorite Monsta X song like ever
Teehee this is the first chap of the Italy chaps
I'd recommend you pay attention to EVERYTHING
It all has a reason ;)