The Varied Path (Akatsuki no Yona Fanfiction)

25k Special: Shin-ah and Calista's First Date [Oneshot] Modern AU

But as she skipped towards the extremely long line of people winding on the marble staircase, a sudden pressure on her right hand made her halt in her tracks.

"Shin-ah?"

His gaze was flitting around nervously, but his tugging was insistent and without questioning him, she found her feet following him blindly.

He led her to the side entrance, where members could enter since they paid ahead of time and this time, she stubbornly pulled him back. She knew how easily he could get embarrassed and wondered if he just didn't know that this entrance was only for certain people.

The second she stopped walking, he was already turning to her, worried eyes scanning over her frantically as an instinctive reaction from the many missions they went through together.

Calista smiled at him reassuringly, then it dropped slightly as she subtly motioned to the door with the security guards.

"Uh, I don't think we can go through here." She muttered quietly so that she didn't draw any attention to them. "It's only for people who are members."

He didn't say anything for a while and she shifted her weight, unease eventually transforming into curiosity as she finally got a clue when he made no indication of turning around.

"Wait... you didn't."

Shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly, Shin-ah's eyes crinkled as he sent her a shy smile. She barely stopped her squeal in time but she couldn't refrain from bouncing up and down.

"Shin-ah!!" She exclaimed, excitement clearly slipping through despite her best efforts to contain it. "You didn't have to!!"

The way his gaze softened at her so fondly made her heart skip a beat.

"I wanted to..." He told her bashfully, a blush dusting across his cheeks in the cutest way.

The smile that split her face was huge and she threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. Whispering a 'thank you' into his ear before pulling back, she missed his adoring expression as she shot off towards the door.

As someone who was well aware of how much it cost to visit one of the largest aquariums in the world, she knew how much he paid to get them a membership. Not to mention, it lasted a year. She could come back endless times to visit before it expired and wouldn't have to fork over a cent.

He didn't have to say that's why he did it. It was written all over his face.

The two approached the door and passed the security check without a hitch. After they were admitted, one of the guards palmed something to Shin-ah discreetly, under the radar of the girl's usually keen senses.

Her attention was too entranced by her surroundings to notice it. Calista's eyes flew wide open with awe as she drank in the beautiful, historic architecture of the ginormous building. Huge, cathedral ceilings carved with geometric patterns arched above them and the windows were filled with intricate, stained-glass paintings.

A light touch on her back guided her through the crowd so that she didn't crash into people when she wasn't paying attention. Or worse, a wall.

Shin-ah was captivated by the way she was gazing at everything with so much wonder in her eyes. He would've thought that someone who had seen just about every cruelty in this world would have lost the passion and enjoyment in the simple things, but not her. She fought to find happiness, and no matter how miniscule it might've seemed to others, if it made her happy, he would support her 100%.

The tourist attraction was heavily concentrated today. Granted, it was a weekend and while the Shedd was bustling with activity, he was determined not to lose sight of her.