There's that guy from the coffee shop, walking out his friends and waving them goodbye. Lisa have been watching this scene almost every day for the past 5 months, and he still has that same mischievous smile whenever he sees them out. Some days he would pair it with a smirk and she wonders what they're joking about.

"What is it about that one that makes you reject me over and over?"

She looks past her shoulder and finds Sehun smirking - instinctively making her blush crimson.

"I mean...he's good to look at, no doubt...but I've been told that have the best face in town," He continues to wander about behind her.

"It's a big town...you sure there are no other hidden gems out there?" She teased as a customer walks in and looks over the frozen confectionery.

"I won't consider him or his friends one of the towners and trust me, you don't wanna be seen anywhere near them -"

"Hi, welcome to Cherry On Top! Would you like to try a flavor or five?" Lisa cuts him off and proceeds to greet the girl with a cheerful smile. The young-looking brunette looks up to her for about a second before darting her eyes on Sehun. They rest on him longer, so she got the picture.

Turning back and towards Sehun, she whispers, "I think this one is yours,"

"It always hurts how easily you gave me away,"

"What can I say...I have a soft spot for girls with crushes on guys they can't get," She joked.

"I've been telling you..." Sehun moved past her before turning around with his usual flirty grin. "You need to switch your flavor,"

Lisa rolled her eyes and shook her head with her small laugh. It's all she could do since she knew no one would understand the fascination. She still remembers that evening like it was yesterday...

He said his dream was to leave, but for some unexplainable reason, he's still here. There was something in his eyes and it's not just the color. A longing...as if he's trying to find who he really is in this big world. He spoke about not wanting to disappoint everyone, but also, he wants to. It's a weird feeling to be sitting next to a confused stranger like that. A stranger who talked to her as if he had known and trusted her with his life. And that's only the little parts.

He picked a flower...only he didn't pick it. She swore it floated out of nowhere and was somehow made to rest on her. Lisa spent nights believing that she had gone crazy - thinking and re-thinking if it was indeed windy that particular moment. Because there's simply no way that he could have done it. She honestly thought it was magic at one point! But the more she thought about it, the more absurd it sounds.

He doesn't know much about outside of Sanheoli. Won't someone who's practicing magic would have known or been outside? Where else could they have learned the tricks? In the 8 months of her stepping foot outside and into town, she has never seen any magician around. And in the many times she'd seen him, he appeared to be just a normal guy. I mean...the towners would usually avoid him and his friends but the reason is nothing like what I had in mind!

So the fascination stayed...and grew. Who is he, really? Does his friends know about his dreams? Like the ones he shared with her? And those girls - the many girls she had seen around him, do they know it? His dream about wanting to get out? It must be nice to hold a conversation with him...I can tell from the way he spoke that night, that he's the kind that would have a lot to say or asks. And that kiss, as surprising as it was...that was nice too.

...

"You should be thankful that the window's all tinted. Otherwise she might get you a restraining order for gawking at her so much,"

He's half-aware that Jisoo is saying that close to his right ear but he couldn't turn around. "Do you think that's her boyfriend?" Not that he needed a confirmation on this...just an assurance I guess?

"I don't know...they do look friendly but...I can't say it's any worse than you with your girls,"

"I mean...I'm hundred-percent positive that the guy is flirting with her. I noticed it more these days...that shameless look -"

"You would know,"

Jungkook finally turns to Jisoo, finding her smirking as she wipes the glass clean before placing it on the metal shelf.

"You have a strong opinion of me, don't you?"

"Well..." She looks up with one hand on her hips, weighing the question among the nothingness filling the air. "Don't take it personally, it's not just you...can't say it's strong though,"

He can't help but chuckle. "Am I gonna regret it if I ask?"

"No, definitely not. I'll tell you what you'll regret though - it's not getting your shit together, being man enough to just go over and talk to that princess across the street. One day you'll see her getting out after her shift, hand-in-hand with that guy and you're gonna damn well cry over it,"

"Pshh...I don't cry! Not for any girl," He rolled his eyes and continue back to staring out - resting his eyes on the doll-face. "And stop calling her 'princess'. Every time I hear it, my self-esteem reduces by an inch,"

"Glad to know someone's able to do it," He could tell that Jisoo's rolling her eyes at him. She should really count herself lucky that Jin's her husband! "Fact of the matter is, she's the daughter of the wealthiest man in this town. The only daughter, might I add. Why she built an ice-cream shop is something I can never understand. If my dad owns half of the lands out there, I'd be sipping cocktails by the pool overlooking the mountains all day long. I won't even get up! The sun rises high and low just to have my butlers giving me whatever I want – hair, manicures done for life!"

"You were from out there,"

"Yeah, but my dad was an alcoholic abuser – definitely not a king,"

Jungkook had to laugh at Jisoo's exaggerations. Well, she was right about the former sentiments. The Manobals may have only move here a mere five years ago, but they came with big news and truckloads of packages. The locals were hit with weeks-worth of surprise when they found out that Marco - the man of the house - had bought acres of lands from beyond the hills to the small Sanheoli and he planned on developing it. 

He was nice about it though, this Jungkook had to admit. He was clear that he takes no path of anyone's houses and will only help rebuilding and refining it, as well as developing the existing business areas. A year of his vision and hard-working laborers later, most of the houses and store huts around the town's streets already look polished and shined. Roads over and across the hill had been fixed and people grew to accept that they're no longer hidden much from the world.

Then there were news that he's giving out business loans to the locals - an effort to grow incomes and create new job opportunities so that youngsters like Jungkook won't abandon the town and run to wherever. He built an harbor, a small theme park just shy west of the town, a botanical garden near the forests where Jungkook lives, and invested in resort-like hotels. More people started coming in and essentially, everyone's life turned for the better.

The people here love him, including his parents - although they'll never say it out loud. The developments still feel pretty new and they only established their first ever Town Council a year ago. Jungkook never thought much about it. Not until he met her. Everyone has heard of her but had never seen the daughter until 8 months ago, when she stepped out around town with her parents. There were rumors that he once overheard his mother rambling about of how she was home-schooled the entire time.

She knew this because one of the maids at the Manobal's 'mansion' told a florist who then told the local hairdresser who then told about half of the people at the fish market and one told his mother. No one's ever came out to testify this story so it remains a mystery up till now.

Jungkook's own curiosity led him to 'watch' her...only from a far, that is. Looking at her wide, cheeky smile now, he wonders what exactly is on her mind. Oh Sehun is 4 years older than him and Jungkook only knew him as a senior at the one and only school in Sanheoli. It was a small one before and understandably, the guy's quite popular for his looks. Personally, Jungkook felt that he's better.

"I feel like I should remind you again that this thing that you're doing...is cringe as hell," It's clear that Jisoo's getting annoyed with the way he zones out at work, day by day. "I don't know how it's so easy for you to flirt with all these bitches in town and yet you can't even cross the street and pretend to buy an ice-cream over there,"

There's her smile again. She smiles a lot in the ice-cream shop but that's probably because they sell ice-creams. Ice-cream people are always so happy, aren't they? Lalisa. Her name is as pretty as...well, everything on her...

"I don't eat ice-creams," There's that...

And well...a couple of reasons actually. The number one being the obvious...he isn't just any ordinary mortal. His family is one of the living descendants from Seongja bloodline - the lost, skillful warrior who walked many miles to protect Princess Duri of the Joseon dynasty when she was thrown away by her own father, the King. The one who fell for the princess's bad luck after she had given birth to seven daughters.

Some of the older generations still pines over the so-called myth. The well-hidden princess was punished for not bearing a son whilst with her husband, but it soon changed after she was exiled. She gave birth to only sons as the result of consummation with Seongja. It was a tragedy written in heaven's book – that's what his mother said. A tragedy that led them into seclusion – their appearance and disappearance being mocked by generations.

It wasn't a big deal to Jungkook's family and the other six as only they knew the truth and up until today, they don't plan on telling anyone about it. Not just that there's no point to alarm anyone, it's also because the surviving bloodlines have bigger issues at hand. That being every time a son was born and has come of age, the parents would have to explain why they inherit a certain...power.

And as if only telling them is not hard enough, imagine having to cultivate them into using the powers only when necessary and keeping it a secret. Jeez, it took around six years for Jungkook to finally get the picture! It's quite hard to not use it, really. It's especially difficult for boys not to want to show it off too, especially the Hyeons like Jungkook himself. The fact that they always stumble and fumble is a risk to the families. 

Naturally, this led them to be an outcast too. For decades, the families have been excluding themselves from the world - fixing their houses around the same places in Dukke - the untouched forest at the foot of the hill, just next to the town of Sanheoli. It's the only land that people seem to not want to mind...or some years, even forget to exist. Jungkook himself, was taught to not be addicted to the modern world outside. If only those teachings stuck by him...

The first time he met Lalisa was at a bus stop 8 months ago. He was half-drunk – mad at the world he was in - and she was a new, pretty face. He didn't quite know what he was thinking by approaching and trying to make a pass at her. He can't recall what the 'he-said, she-said' but it ended up with him shamelessly kissing her. It didn't matter much when she pushed and slapped him across the face. If anything, he was right to thank her for sobering him up a little. 

But then she showed up to work across the coffee shop he works at, and he found out who she really is. It's partly amazing how that grew quickly into a crush but he felt that he can't ever redeem himself. Not from what happened that night...and certainly not about who he is. Like Jisoo said, she's the town's princess. And Jungkook...well...he's far from Prince Charming.

The first person who knew about his crush was his brother, Jimin, and the elder specifically said that there's too much at stake to even 'try it out'. Jungkook knew he wasn't exactly in the list for anyone's favorite boys hanging in this town. None of his 'friends' are too. If anything, the 'woodsmen's sons' are considered a menace to the society here - always jumping around one another in the middle of the night and somehow ended up causing troubles...or so they said.

Ahh...but it never hurts to dream, right? I'd take her out early in the morning...steal some beans in here to make her a coffee before I bring her on my bike to find a beach somewhere. We'd catch the sunrise together and watch the harbor turns into melted gold.

Explore what the outside world has to offer - does she love it more than here? We'd stop by the coastal roads and I'd pick little flowers for her. She'll smile when she takes it...she'll ask me 'why are you looking at me like that?' with that same curious, frowning eyes from that night. And I'll tell her the same...that it's because she's beautiful. 

...