These small exchange of talks only made her anxiety grew bigger by the second. Why the hell is he here again? She looks outside to find that it's drizzling. Weird that the loud thunders just now was only for a little rain -

"That was the best meal I've had in days! Compliments to your chef," Jackson is all teeth and smiles after he wiped his mouth.

Perhaps her lingering question could have been answered earlier if it wasn't for the sudden show of this guest - what, he showed up for the first time this evening and now I'll always see him around??

There is something about the guy that irks her. His arrogant stance and the way he talks. Lisa wonders if she's the only one who could sense how fake those overly unnecessary compliments sounded every time they left his lips!

"I'll let her know once you leave, Mr Wang. I don't want you to steal her away now!" Her mother giggled like a fangirl and she knew she is alone in this.

If there's anything that Lisa is confident about herself is that she's amazing at being a listener. In the past 45 minutes, she had pretty much summed up her feelings about this stranger. He's a smart, independent, wealthy man, this she has no doubt of. He spoke briefly about his parents - his father who passed away because of a heart attack. He insists on blaming the unconscious, hourly habit of smoking cigarettes which is odd because he smelled just like it when he first arrived to the house. 

His mother left without much answer, other than 'a broken heart' shortly after. This would soon be a slightly contradicting reason with his later statement - that 'a sense of independence' was practiced strongly in his father's household, and that's why Jackson Wang managed to carry himself well after he was left with the multi-million dollar business. It's either he's really hiding something or he's not comfortable in sharing his vulnerabilities. 

The former would prove his incapability on being a trustworthy business partner while the latter would contravene his too cocky of a personality.

What is this show he's putting on in front of our family and for what exactly? A status in Sanheoli? It's too small of a piece of land for anyone to brag about. Establishing a relationship for future partnerships? Daddy already said that he planned on retiring in 2 years' time. 

"Are you okay, Lalisa? You've been really quiet...I hope my presence tonight isn't too much of a bother," 

So it's a habit, huh? He called me Miss Lalisa just fine this evening! "Don't worry about it. I hardly even noticed," She lied.

"You have to excuse my daughter, Jackson. She's a thinker, small talks of the commoners like us don't really excite her," She knew her father meant well but for some reason, it annoys her. 

"Awh shushh...our daughter just have the most impeccable manner when it comes to talking over people, that's all!" 

Why are they talking as if I'm not here? See, this is the difference that makes her feel like an alien sometimes. The high praises in explaining and excusing me for not wanting how to participate - this isn't normal, right? 

"I didn't expect anything less than a well-raised lady, ma'am. You must be proud to have such elegant beauty in the house...aside from yourself, of course," 

Oh, please...is he for real?? More than that, Lisa can't help her own astonishment at the fact that her mother just flushed crimson. Is it just me or do we talk in a completely different language in this house? Why does everything have to be so formal all the time? She clears her throat and leans her elbows on the table.

"You seem to have a lot of expectations, Mr Jackson. Tell me...are you a man of critical assessment or ambitious aspirations?"

Jackson took a second to study her gaze and posture. "Maybe both, why do you ask?"

"You seem more like the latter. A man of critical assessment, like my dear father, expresses for cultivation...while you seem to have stuck your feet into a dreamland of your own. It makes me wonder...how high are the mountains in your land?" She heard the small chuckle of her father.

There's a slight twitch at the corner of his lips as he smiled, "Pretty high, to be honest. One might take me as being too proud but it's probably the same assertiveness that had brought me to where I am today,"

"Yes...must be hard to insert a little humility somewhere in your busy life, I guess. Two years of running the show your father left you with must've been tough,"

He sighed a little laugh and for a second there, he looked just like any normal guy. Just a second. "I try my best. Experiences make our skin thicker and heart colder, don't you think? My desire to have only the best reflects back to the people around me. It works for them to be rewarded with my high interest,"

Lisa can't help but snicker as she rolled her eyes. 

"You don't agree?"

"I believe my answer will only make you uncomfortable, Mr Jackson," 

"No, please. I'd like to hear it,"

Well then, "First of all, your experiences must include you being one of the 'ladies', since it's only acceptable for anyone to have expectations on something if they've embodied it so well. A blueberry is sweet and a raspberry is sour but ultimately, they belong to the same family. For you to insist that a raspberry is any less better than the other is, I assume, based on your lack of understanding of why it is sour in the first place. They both have almost the same amount of nutritional value, by the way. You should try it...it may cure the cold heart,"

The smirk on his face didn't portray any irritations, but Lisa is determined with her own piece of mind.

"As for the next one...I may not know much about rewarding the people with such level of interest...but perhaps you should look into this desire of yours. Having only the best does not necessarily make you the best. It only makes you a man with power and money, that's it. To be honest, it's nothing to brag about. There are five-hundred, twenty-thousand other people who owns eleven percent of the world's wealth. That's the zero-point-zero-one percent of the richest, most powerful in the world. Are you in there somewhere?"

He finally lets his shoulders down - looking a little resigned. "I guess that puts the humility in place,"

"Can't say I didn't warn you, she doesn't do small talks," Her father finally interrupts and Jackson laughs along with him.

"You should have her screen all your partners!"

"Ahh...I reserve only the best seats for her!"

Here we go again! Lisa looks over to her left and is met with her mother's proud smile. Wow...I really can't do any wrong in their eyes, can I? In a way, the thought hikes up her confidence by a notch. 

"Daddy, may I be excused? I need to wake up early tomorrow for...a jog,"

"Can I come with?" Jackson's question caught her off guard. "I jog in the morning too, although I've been replacing fresh air with the AC at the hotel gym for the past week,"

What the - does he think we're friends now - eww!! "I'm sorry, Mr Jackson. I'll be with a friend -"

"Chaeyoung?" Marco suddenly asks.

It took her not even a second to simply nod out of panic. "And she's not really comfortable around guys," Please forgive me for this lie! Please...

"Oh, that's alright then. Maybe next time,"

As if! Maybe when you've drained out all that high-handedness, I'll sit for a month and think about spending any time alone with you! She kept that thought to herself though - only responds with a forced smile.

"Sure, dear. Just be careful,"

...

It's exceptionally cold...and it only gets colder with every step she takes this morning. Even just accompanied by the streetlamps, she can clearly see the thickness of fogs floating close above her. Is it always this crisp around this hour? 

She's never been out this early since she moved here. There were a couple of moments when she thought how she should've done this earlier but the growing numbness of her fingers stopped it. Thank her oversized jumper and sneakers for helping a little while her tights do nothing!

The silence in each passing streets feels pure, with only her shadow moving along with her. Lisa kept finding herself bewitched by the stillness of the sky's air - padding through mazes of quaint town houses. She would wonder why she finds the lifeless winding roads to pleasing to be in when all this while, she had been so in love with the people here.

The dinner with her parents and Jackson Wang - as much as she hates to admit it - is still fresh in her mind. The feeling is not new to her, to feel out of place. Could that be the 'burden' her mother spoke about? A life of being alone...and finding beauty in it? Perhaps they sensed that I'll grow up to be so damn sensitive over things that hardly need much sensitivity at all?

She shook her head, halting her thoughts from souring her mood. Lisa's heart gets eager when she passed by the last block of shop lot - taking a left turn towards the fountain. From a far, she can already see his figure - resting in his seat while staring up to the dark sky. There's something about him in her eyes at this moment. As if not a single soul can take him off from whatever is in his mind.

The sound of her steps as she gets closer brought his eyes on her, and a small, shy smile began curling up her lips. Jungkook then stood up, waiting for her with both hands in his pocket. She spotted a big sigh as a harsh vapor escaped his mouth.

"Did you wait long?" She asked casually, just to stop herself from hopping forward like a fool.

He shakes his head. "I'm sorry...it just occurred to me that I should've waited for you somewhere closer to your house. Then you won't have to walk here alone," Lisa felt the rising warmth on her cheeks. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah...just cold," She stops when she reached him. The bags under his eyes look a little swollen and now clearer under the fountain's light, she spotted patches of redness on his upper right cheek and the corner of his mouth. "What happened - are you okay?"

He fixed his disheveled hair and smiles. "Better now that you're here," He reached for her hand and pulls her into his arms. 

The cold that's been prickling on her skin disappears almost immediately but she's more attuned to his heavy heartbeats, felt against her cheek. Did he get into a fight with someone? He looked just fine yesterday - did something happen? 

"I miss you," Lisa hears him breathes and her shyness returned. It still feels partly surreal that this guy had taken the time to be at her house to give her that birthday bouquet. It's even more dreamlike that he kissed her with such warmth and passion. "Come,"

Jungkook parted himself away before she felt his warm palm on hers, squeezing them gently before leading her into Sanheoli Botanical Garden. The darkness have not change as they walked side by side, accompanied by their own secret thoughts. 

Passing by roses and harlequins, she can't help but wonder what and why he's keeping so much from her - if he thinks she's too weak to be able to absorb whatever running in his world. Was he constantly reminded of the the first time they met, when she didn't return much in his rantings? Like Jackson Wang, would he also be wishing that she's more talkative?

When he stopped, she gazes up to the ocean of shadow-like trees - standing proudly upon her. Dukke. She's never been this close to the edge of the forest before. It looks just like in her dream, except that it's darker. 

"What are we -"

He held a finger up to his lips, politely asking her to keep silent. Lisa looks back to her front. If there's anything he wants to show her, it's almost impossible to see in this light! The scent of woody nature is more apparent as she stares out into the depth. She squints her eyes to focus harder - as if there's something in there that she's yet to see. What's there? What are we doing here?

She noticed a slight movement beside but as she about to look, a small flicker of light appeared from the darkness. She held her breath, wondering if this could be true. It can't be...how...how did he know? More flickers started appearing - small, floating, fairy flashes - mesmerizing her to a point that her mind went completely blank.

One of the little light came closer and she felt the hand that he held being raised up. Gently, he turns her palm to face upwards. The viewless wings then bravely lands on it. So small...and delicate. The soft glimmering courageously wanders on her skin and as she caught Jungkook holding his own palm up, more twinkles start to surround them. 

No longer hidden in the dark, she can now see clearly by the collective beaming from these dotted stars. The one on her palm flew away and Lisa turns to find where it's going. The golden illumination around them made her gasps. There are hundreds if not thousands of them - peacefully glowing up the trees and garden. 

Specks of living lights as equally beautiful as the stars she kept seeing at nights surround her and Jungkook, and she can't help but getting teary-eyed over how beautiful the spectacle is. In a turning instance, she catches Jungkook's grey eyes. Flickers of gold dots illuminates the ink in his gaze. 

"You wanted to see fireflies..." He smiles.

He knew. He heard me and that's why he knew. It wasn't a coincidence after all. But this is not the science that I knew...how is this even possible? I've never seen anything like this...I haven't seen a lot of things but this...this is not just any ordinary wonder. 

"You did this...didn't you?"

A moment of silence passes by as one by one, the flickering glows began to disappear. Surge of the morning's coldness creeps up against her skin again and she shuddered under his unwavering stare. 

No, I won't let this go. I can be patient for a lot of things but this...this is beyond what I knew and learned, and I'll demand for an answer even if we have to sit here until the sun is up!

"There are four firefly species in Korea and all of them are active in summer. Why? Cus they need heat. They thrive in warm and humid - there's nothing warm about now. Those flashes? It supposed to give off signals that they're ready to mate which means that they're already beyond maturity level and -"

"See...and you said you weren't that smart," He tilts his head, smiling. "If I say I did...would you run?" 

And it suddenly became clear to her on why he said what he said...and why he kept himself away all these time. Why he asked if she will hurt him. The stance of his built and the smile on his lips could hide it, but the fear in his eyes speaks. But what exactly is he afraid of? That I'd run cus he can do a little magic?

"The sun will come up soon...I'll walk you back," He said, reaching for her hand all too sudden.

"Jungkook..." Lisa stops him immediately. "That's the best birthday gift I've ever had...and the flowers, they're lovely too," Let's see if I can play this right... "It feels magical - more than anything I could ever dream of...so thank you," She tip-toes a little to kiss his cheek. 

His shoulders relaxed in a matter of seconds and when it seems like he had forgotten what words are, she continues, "I'm ready for my third wish now," She gave a cheeky smile.

He sighed a laugh. "Okay...what is it?"

"If it's not too much to ask...can you tell me how you got these?" She held her hand up - tracing the bruised marks on his beautiful face. 

"I..." His jaw tensed. "I just got into a little...misunderstanding...that's all," 

"Is it from the guy I was with?" She asked because it's the first thing that popped in her mind.

"No..." His eyes twinkled and he laughs. "No, Oh Sehun couldn't touch me even if he wanted to,"

There's the radiating confidence that she's been seeing all this while. She didn't mind it. If anything, she'd rather see him like this than being so unsure in front of her. 

"So...can you tell me what this misunderstanding was about?"

Jungkook brushes his hair back and shifts between one foot to the other. She could tell that he's battling with the answer in his mind...and it doesn't look promising. 

"Or would you rather tell me how you made those fireflies appear?"

"Lisa, I..." He sighed again, hiding his face away. "It's not that I don't want to -"

"You just can't, I know. May I know why?"

"You're not supposed to know,"

"Why?" What is this big secret that he's guarding so persistently? What - had he taken some universal oath to not tell anyone that he's practicing some tricks up his sleeves?? 

"Cus I know that it'll scare you and I don't want you to run over the hills from me. Can't you just trust me?"

What? This is so frustrating - why is he like this?! 

"Jungkook, a trust is earned by giving a right to the other. I don't have anything. You haven't given me much to work with here so if you could just have a little faith in me, I'd appreciate it if you can answer at least one question truthfully cus to be honest, I really, really don't mind sneaking out in the middle of the morning, walk in the freezing cold just to meet you, see you but at some point, I think the question you really need to ask yourself is if this thing that you're doing? The hiding - these secrets you're so afraid of, they might ultimately be the reason of me running away from you. Now, are you gonna give me something or should I walk back on my own?"

Her heart chases up fast. She felt like she just ran a mile with those sentences but what else can she do when he's always leaving her with stacks of questions every single time? When he's still unresponsive, Lisa crosses her arms and moves past him - ready to leave. Well, if he wants to keep being so damn mysterious with me, he can keep being just that from far away - I don't care how good the kiss was!

"I called for them," He said. 

Lisa stopped her tracks. Frowning, she turns back to him slowly. "You...called...the fireflies?" 

He nods nervously, tucking both hands in his pockets.

"I can make them do whatever I want them to do,"

"Them...as in...the fireflies?"

He nods again and bites his lower lip. For a second there, she thought of how boyishly cute he looked. But back to the issue -

"So like...you can control fireflies...is that like...sort of like..." It's obvious that she's struggling to find the right words, seeing as how Jungkook sighs down his nervous laugh and walks slowly towards her.

"I can control anything I know or see, Lisa," His words are even slower, as if he's asking her to understand every single thing. "Some by emotions...but mostly from intentions,"

What... "Is this another lie just to stop me from asking?"

He shook his head and took out a hand. She watched as he raised it up to point on the streetlamp not too far from them. With a single snap of his fingers, the light switches off. And then the next. One by one, her eyes follow through the streets as the town gets darker and darker until finally, the last lamp that sits the farthest shuts off. He snaps for one last time and in unison, the lights are back on.

Her gasps must've been a little loud because really, what the hell just happened?? "So..." She turns back to him. Let me get this straight - "You're a magician? That's it?" 

He laughs. What's so funny? "No, not magician. I don't perform by the hour and I certainly don't do it in front of just anyone,"

A thought came across her mind. His grey eyes...the petunia...and the festival, "Can you control people too?"

"Aside from my family...but it's not really what we'd say 'control'. It's more of like...making them believe whatever I want them to,"

"You can do that to anyone?" Is that how Sehun fell into the water then?

He nods. "Except you,"

Her shoulders tensed. "Why not?" Is there something wrong with me??

"I don't know...I guess that's the start of it,"

"Start of what?"

"You...occupying my mind,"

...