•••
"Woah."
"Do you like it?"
Little Eunkyung nodded her head in an aggressive manner, earning a chuckle from her new friend. Her low ponytail was brushed to the front and bangs parted into two as the wind blew her face. The girl spread her arms widely and sighed pleasantly.
"Be careful, you will fall." he pulled her a few steps back.
The princess turned to him, "Do you always come here, Soobin-ssi?"
The male hummed as he looked to the front, admiring the greeny mountain and a small cloud of haze coming from the village below. "I guess so."
"You're so lucky! The only thing we have down there is river and fishes. We couldn't go up here by our own because Sonia said we are still young. Then why do I see children around my age coning up here?" the nine year old girl blabbered. "Luckily Mina was there to be my friend."
Her voice slightly dropped at the mention of her two favourite people. Soobin didn't speak a word as he noticed it but then the girl smiled again, "Can we come here everyday?"
The older replied with a smile. "Of course, Your Highness."
"Ah!" she stomped her foot. "Do not call me that. You are two years older than me it feels strange. No one has ever called me with that name."
Soobin tilted his head. "Then? Should I call you by your real name?"
"Of course! We are friends now, right?" she exclaimed with a wide grin. "You are my first friend here, so I'm going to keep you forever!"
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"What are you making, hyung?"
Soobin paused from arranging the small tarts in the container as his little brother peeked from underneath the table. His small doe eyes were eyeing the variety of picnic food in the basket. "What are you doing down there, Suho?"
"That looks delicious." the latter licked his lips before climbing the chair and leaned in, "Are you making a business?"
Soobin shook his head with a fond smile. His six year old little brother was a curious one. Everything he sees, he asks until he gets the answers. Or else he wouldn't stop.
"Then what?"
"I'm going out with a friend today." Soobin replied while closing the container with a lid. He carefully stacked it in the basket along with other food.
As expected, Suho's eyes glittered in excitement. "Can I come along?"
"About that–"
"Please please please!! You always bring me everywhere you go." he jumped on the chair and slapped the table a few times. Soobin cringed at the loud voice.
"Suho, you will fall."
"Please hyung? I promise I will be a good boy." the boy pouted. Soobin let out a heavy sigh.
"This is my old friend, Suho. Both of you do not know each other anyway."
The younger remained silent with the pout stilling on his face. He crossed his arms against the chest and looked away.
With a heavy heart, Soobin had to bring him along.
His mind raced at the thought of letting Suho comes with him for the picnic. He started to scold himself internally for not doing it discreetly. Suho was just six year old. If he messes up or cause a scene, how would Soobin get ahold of his younger brother?
He wanted this to be perfect as a make up for all those years he had done wrong.
Suho let go of Soobin's hand to run in the field. The field where Soobin met his old friend for the first time in nine years. He did not bother warning Suho to be careful. At the moment, he only worried about how she would react if she sees a little boy with them. Would she be okay with it?
The male laid down a picnic blanket and arranged the deserts. He carefully put the jug of juice on the uneven surface before ending up leaning the jug on the basket. He took out three small plates and settled down while watching over his brother who was running around catching dandelions.
Soon, he heard the familiar horse stomping approaching. From afar, he could see a white horse cantered to him with a girl in an off-white dress, waving. The smile on Soobin's face grew wide as he waved back.
"It's the princess!" Suho gasped before running to hide behind his brother. His small fists clutched on Soobin's shirt while peeking his head out to see the princess getting down from Winter. "Hyung, what is the princess doing here?" he whispered.
"She's a friend." he pat Suho's head with a fond smile. He then looked back to the newcomer who had her hair styled in waterfall braid, letting them fall on her back with a tiara decorated her head. It was the first time him seeing her wearing a tiara – not even Seungmin had seen it since she wore it on occasional event, like the time she went to the village with Felix. The dress she wore reached only at the ankles and there was a small split at the side end, revealing her white pants underneath. It looked like an evening dress but with all covering her skin except the head area.
Eunkyung looked breathtaking.
A huge smile adorned her beautiful facial features. The girl lightly bowed her head to Soobin which he replied with a small laughter and did the same. Then she tilted her head to see the small boy hiding behind him.
"Hello, little boy."
Suho felt so little when the princess was speaking to her. He wanted to hide but Soobin encouraged him to go forward, and so he did. He approached her in a shy manner and handed out a dandelion he picked awhile ago. "This is for you."
She giggled. "What's your name?"
"Suho. Choi Suho. I'm hyung's little brother!" he exclaimed while pointing at Soobin. "Are you really friends with my brother?"
Eunkyung nodded as she took the dandelion, "We are old friends. We met around nine years ago."
The boy replies with his mouth forming an O shape, shocked at the newly founded information. "I wasn't born yet. Is that why Soobin hyung never told me about this? Why did he keep you as a secret?"
"Suho–"
The princess laughed at the question while Soobin sighed. He pulled the boy to sit. "I'm sorry for that."
"It's alright," she grinned, "He's just a little boy, anyway."
The male awkwardly rubbed his nape. "You look pretty, anyway."
"I get that a lot."
"Oh, wow."
Eunkyung chuckled, "Just joking. Thank you, I'm flustered," she joked while putting a hand on her chest, "And you look good as well, like usual."
"Ah... thanks." he could have sworn his ears turned red at the compliment.
"Hyung, why are you making the princess standing for so long?" Suho interrupted as he stood up and gestured his arm to lead Eunkyung to the picnic blanket. "This way, Your highness."
She couldn't stop from admiring the cute younger brother. His mouth was full with a cheesetart and his cheeks were puffed up. His voice was muffled yet she could understand what he was saying. Soobin could only glare as they settled down.
"Thank you, young knight." she patted his head, earning a glee laughter. "Did you make all of these, Soobin?"
"Only some of them. But I'm not telling you which." he handed her a plate and gave her the sandwiches he made.
"I'm guessing it's the sandwich then."
"I didn't ask you to guess."
"I did, anyway. I'm right, aren't I?" she snickered but the male shook his head, denying it.
"I saw hyung made the sandwiches earlier."
Soobin closed his eyes and sighed while Eunkyung high-fived with Suho. The youngest among them stuck his tongue out, giggling at how Soobin looked like wanted to send him home.
It was a peaceful evening. There's no one there except the three and Winter, who was laying on the grass to rest. Soobin thought he chose a good date when seeing no gloomy sky that's going to drench them. The mighty sun was out, shining almost every places with some clouds covering it. A flutter of butterflies fluttered around. They could make out some were white, some were yellow yet all of them were beautiful.
Suho squealed when a yellow butterfly perched on top of his nose. He crossed his eyes to see it better but that only resulted to his head spinning a bit so he shook his head and the butterfly flew. The boy pouted. He turned to his brother.
"Hyung, can we catch butterflies?"
"Nope."
He frowned, "Then how am I going to see them closely?"
"Just let them perch on a flower and approach them slowly. If they flew away, then they flew."
Eunkyung stifled a laugh at the answer. "Of course you can catch a butterfly. But you need to free them after that. Their wings are made to fly freely, so we cannot take their freedom."
"But it's so beautiful to let it go." Suho muttered.
"Beautiful things are indeed hard to let go," she pat his head. "But they could make the world more pretty if they travelled around. Imagine if all butterflies are trapped in a jar. Wouldn't that be sad? You cannot see any of them flutter around you."
Soobin just watched as the princess talked to his brother. The corner of his lips curled up into a smile as she told Suho about the butterflies. The younger's eyes lit up when hearing a fact he had never heard of.
To say he missed this was an understatement. He couldn't believe he let her go for a few years because of a stupid misunderstanding. Eunkyung was a great companion to begin with, and she is still.
He could have watched her grew up or grow up together. He could have been with her all these years. He could have stayed by her side but all he did was pushing her away.
He regretted it.
By the time Soobin saw her for the first time in years, he could not believe his eyes. She had grown up so much and he missed the opportunity to watch it.
He realised he let the beautiful thing go.
His eyes did not detach from her as she told Suho to be careful before the boy got up and ran. Then the princess turned to him, saying, "Your brother is so energetic."
Soobin blinked his eyes in realisation and nodded instantly. "Where is he going?"
"More dandelions." she picked a cheesetart and gestured him to open his mouth. Soobin gave her a questioning look with a shy smile. "Open up."
"Why are you feeding me now?"
"I fed Suho earlier so it's your turn. Come onnn."
"It feels like you're a mom."
She scoffed as Soobin took the whole cheesetart into his mouth. He munched it slowly while Eunkyung was waiting eagerly.
"It's delicious, right?"
He nodded and she gave him another one. The male tittered before eating it as well. He covered his mouth with a hand and asked, "Have you tasted them?"
"I have. But I'm not guessing whether you did it or you bought it."
"That's so..." he sighed and she snickered. "I bought it."
"I guess so." the girl took one and ate them. Just then Suho returned with three dandelions in his hand. He covered the head with another hand so that the puffs won't flew while he ran.
"Let's see who blows the most!" he gave one each and settled down excitedly. "On three, two, one!"
And so they blew.
Eunkyung blew once with ease and all of the puffs flew away. She opened her eyes, surprised at that while Soobin had a few left. The guy slightly pouted. Suho aggressively blew them but a puff would not take off. He frowned.
"I win." she showed them the naked dandelion.
"I'm going to find more!" the boy huffed before running to the field again.
Soobin turned to her, "It all flew with a blow?"
"Yes! I'm surprised as well." she giggled. "I've never blew a dandelion honestly."
He hummed while looking down at his unfinished puffs on the flower. "Do you know what the legends says about dandelions?"
This sparked her interest. She shook her head and Soobin continued, "They said if you manage to blow all puffs in one attempt, that means the person who you love, loves you back."
Though it was just a legend's saying, Eunkyung could feel her heart stopped beating. She stared at him while thinking before looking away.
Soobin smiled sadly at the reaction.
"Well, it's just a legend's saying, right?" she grinned, as if something inside her did not just explode into a small firework.
The guy shrugged, "I hope so."
They sat in silence while watching little Suho running around. The puffs kept flying that he made a few halfway trips. Eunkyung's heart was at ease looking at the carefree boy.
"The other day my friend did a presentation about dandelions in art class," she spoke up as she remembered Seungmin and Minju's project . "He said dandelion is a humble flower that symbolises freedom and purity. Just like Suho."
Said boy jumped excitedly when a few butterflies fluttered around him. Giggles erupted from his plump lips before he fell on the ground, arms spread to both sides.
"He still has so many things to discover and so many years to go. He's like a white canvas that needs to be exposed to good things."
"Princess!"
Eunkyung replied with a "yes" from afar before the boy pointed something behind her. Then he ran to them and asked excitedly, "Can I ride the horse?!"
Soobin's eyes widened, "Suho–"
"Of course, why not?" she got up which surprised Soobin. "Come on."
"W-wait a minute–"
Suho cheered as he ran to Winter. Soobin hesitantly got up and asked worriedly, "Are you sure?"
Eunkyung beamed, "As I said, he's a little boy. Show him only good things while you can to let him grow happily without having to see terrifying things."
unlike me.
"Kids tend to get excited over small things and energetic, anyways. It's never wrong to let him ride a horse."
At this point, Soobin could not object anything. He was sure Eunkyung would never take any excuse for him not to ride along. Sighing, he nodded.
"Great! Winter, get up! We're going on a heaaavyyyy ride!"
He could only laugh.
In seconds, the three were already on Winter. Suho sat at the front while Eunkyung on the middle. She told the boy to hold on tight before she whipped the lead line. Terrified, Soobin gripped on her arms since he sat at the back.
Winter galloped, and you could hear different kinds of shouting. For Soobin, obviously he screamed in agony. Eunkyung let out a glee laughter and made Winter ran faster. Suho raised a hand in the air with a loud excited yelling, getting to ride along with the wind passing by his body. His checkered beret almost fell off but Eunkyung held it for him.
"This is so cool!" the boy giggled as they went down the hill. Soobin gritted his teeth and lowered his head on the princess' shoulder.
"Are you okay?" Eunkyung laughed and he shook his head. "It's okay, we won't fall! Just hold my arms."
"I'm doing that right now!" he had to raise his voice since the sound of the wind made them almost couldn't hear anything.
They entered an open area. Winter slowed down as there were a few houses and corps. Eunkyung immediately recognised the place. She smiled brightly and turned to Soobin, "This is the place where we play catch and run."
Soobin nodded with a beam, "And have hot stew at night with the others."
The others. Her old friends.
By now the horse was no longer running and caught the attention of the people living there. A few kids gasped in amazement when seeing their friend – Suho – was on the white, royal horse with the princess of the Kingdom. Suho gave them a smug smile with his chest stride forward. Then he caressed the horse's hair.
He was definitely showing off.
Honestly, Eunkyung did not want to be there for a long time. She sensed some familiar eyed were looking. Of course, she recognised them. The princess only gave a polite bow before ordering Winter to exit the small neighborhood.
Soobin pursed his lips guiltily. He was about to say something but the girl beat him on it, "Shall we continue our heaaaavyyy ride?"
"Yes!" Suho replied. "Let's go every places on this hill!"
"Actually, I think it's better for me to–"
"On it, young knight." Eunkyung snickered at Soobin who did not get to finish his sentence. The male blinked his eyes in hoping for her to let him down, but in a second, he found himself screaming for the next minutes.
Never again let the guy ride a horse.
However, despite the joyful moments, little did they know, someone was watching from afar.
The person had been watching since the very start, and did not like a bit of their interactions.
He gritted his teeth,
"She's never like that with me."
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let's see if i succeed in clowning you people.