The rest of the week, Suho made more excuses to be with Hanbyeol, such as pulling her to sit next to him in science class. Of course, she wasn't complaining. Hanbyeol was a bit shy with all of his gestures in front of their whole class, but she was in heaven.

Similarly, Seojun would try to spend every minute with Jugyeong. He would follow her around and join her at lunch. Although it seemed like their normal teasing, the atmosphere between those two was different.

On the weekend, Suho stared at his phone for ages, tempted to call Hanbyeol. He chewed his lip as he sat on his bed, but he eventually decided against it. He would see her the next day anyway.

When Sunday finally came around, Hanbyeol made her way to Hongdae. The afternoon warmth was inviting, though the crowds in the metro made her a bit suffocated. Huddled next to the wall of the carriage, Hanbyeol clutched her guitar and small backpack. Her long hair was styled in waves as usual, and she wore their school skirt and a black t-shirt to match with the band.

Arriving at Hongdae, she was met with towering buildings and a mass of people swarming the coloured streets. The sun melted with orange hues as she started walking to the main busking street. Leaving the traffic of cars, Hanbyeol ventured into the wide footpaths with similar shops on either side. Hongdae was always living off the energy of tourists and foreigners, but it held a thrilling vibe that anyone would like.

Hanbyeol had been to Hongdae only a few times, mainly with her friends or band mates to watch people busking. Even though she wasn't too familiar with the place, she knew exactly where to go as she avoided all the people. The pedestrian street was as wide as a normal road and tiled with the rainbow as it weaved like a never-ending snake. Small alleyways and paths branched off this main street.

As the sky grew violet, Hanbyeol was early at their meeting spot. Down that large walkway, there were a few steps on the right in a semi-circle, creating a space for people to perform while the audience watched above on the curved steps.

A crowd was already formed as they stared in awe and filmed a group of teenagers dancing to a k-pop song. Hanbyeol smiled as she stood on the side, her head moving to the beat like some of the others. The music was a fragrant smell that drifted in the air and beckoned to passerby's.

When the dance crew of boys finished, they took a bow, and were rewarded with claps from everyone. They jumped into their next performance, eliciting cheers that resonated with the upbeat song. As the dancers interacted with the audience, Hanbyeol was filled with joy. She felt like she belonged in this world of music and entertainment.

A few minutes later, the street lamps flickered on to highlight the paths under the darkening sky. The deep blue blossomed over them in a watercolour motion while the dance crew finished up their song.

A tap on the shoulder brought Hanbyeol's attention to her right. Immediately smiling when she saw her band, she hugged them. They shared the same excitement with their instruments in hand, which they then set down on the side to prepare.

"Are you ready for your first busking in our band?" Doyoon asked her as she opened up her guitar case on the ground.

The long-haired girl nodded strongly. "Definitely. I love busking here. It's always so crowded."

"Yeah, especially on special events like Christmas. Let's put the 'jingle' in Jingle Bell Rock this year."

Hanbyeol let out a laugh. "Don't you mean put the 'rock' in Jingle Bell Rock?"

"Nope, I'mma jingle my ass," Doyoon winked.

Gyuri and Hyuk shook their heads, used to ignoring Doyoon's antics. While they chuckled at Hanbyeol's reaction, they finished tuning their instruments. Once the dance crew finished their final song in a few minutes, it would be their turn to create their stage. Hanbyeol took a sip of water and licked her lips in anticipation.

When the energetic music ended, a round of applause erupted. Hanbyeol looked up from her spot on the floor to join in. The dancers took a bow and exited on the other side of the space. Although the crowd dispersed, some still stayed to watch curiously as the band set up their instruments in the middle of the space, replacing the dancers.

Hanbyeol wasn't nervous. She's done this several times. But no matter what, her stomach always tumbled around like a washing machine before they started. It had taken her longer to do her hair and makeup today as she wanted it to be perfect, and she kept messing up the eyeliner.

Adjusting her guitar strap over her shoulder for the third time, Hanbyeol looked to her band mates on her right. They made eye contact and gave each other a comforting nod. When Hanbyeol faced the front again, her eyes scanned the small audience that had formed. Her mouth parted gently in surprise. Right in front of her was Suho. He must've gotten there a while ago.

The tall boy wore casual pants and a white t-shirt covered with a black jacket. Although he didn't wave at her, his eyes gave the same gesture, warming Hanbyeol's heart. She smiled gratefully as she looked away with a cherry blush.

"Hi everyone," Gyuri called into her mic. "We're the rock band from Saebom High School, and today we'll play a few songs for you."

She signalled to Doyoon and he counted them in with his drumsticks. Like autopilot, Hanbyeol and the others started their music. The loud bass and guitar strumming attracted more people to come and watch as if they were birds flocking to seeds. Everyone of all ages moved their heads to the rhythm.

Hanbyeol grinned, feeling the rush of wind tickling her hair and skirt. Her adrenaline was running high with the heavy thump of beats pounding in her heart. Doyoon's voice swam through the air with the two girls echoing the adlibs.

When they finished their song, the crowd cheered and clapped. Hanbyeol's eyes immediately darted to Suho, and she giggled inside at the way he gave such soft claps.

The band performed three more songs as the night went on, and the crowd grew bigger every time. At the end, they gathered in the middle to bow, Hanbyeol's body still bubbling with energy.

"Nice job, Hanbyeol," Hyuk complimented, patting her back.

"You too," she replied while she helped them pack up their things.

As the audience drifted back into the sea of people, they huddled on the side under a streetlight. Two large, black boxes on wheels stood next to them, and Hanbyeol felt bad that she didn't have to take any of them.

"It's fine," Gyuri assured her, catching Hanbyeol's gaze. "Let the two boys handle it. Are you hanging out with your boyfriend now?"

Suho was lingering a few metres from them, pretending to be on his phone while he waited for Hanbyeol. Her cheeks turned pink as she looked between him and her friends.

"Go on, don't make him wait any longer," Gyuri nudged her cheekily.

"Okay, thanks guys," Hanbyeol smiled at all of them. "I'll see you at school tomorrow."

They all waved goodbye and shooed her off to Suho. 

* * * *

Gripping her guitar case, Hanbyeol turned around and approached the lonely boy. He pocketed his phone when he saw her coming and stood up straighter. Shadows shaped his face as the glow from the lamppost illuminated his features. Hanbyeol bounced up to him, and the busy sound of people faded away.

"You were really good," Suho praised with a gentle smile.

"Thank you, and thanks for coming," Hanbyeol replied shyly as she tilted her head down.

"Do you want me to carry that for you?"

He stretched his hand out towards her black guitar case, and she moved it slightly away from him, her short boots taking a small step back.

"No, it's fine, really," she rushed to say. "I'd feel too guilty if you did."

Suho knew that she liked to be independent, but he wanted to help her out and let her know that she can lean on him.

"I couldn't go to the gym today because of you, so let me carry it," Suho lied with his usual straight face.

"Fine," Hanbyeol sighed, passing him her guitar.

He took it, and her hand felt lighter. Secretly, she liked how he was such a gentleman inside. Hanbyeol rolled her shoulders and let out a breath.

"Where should we go now?" she asked him, glancing around.

Suho shrugged as he pointed in a random direction. She nodded and they started walking down the main street. All around them, couples cuddled together and laughed with one another. Were they also on a date? What did people usually do on dates? Hanbyeol had ice-cream with him after her boring blind date, but she wasn't sure if that counted as a date – probably not.

Hanbyeol fiddled with her fingers as she walked, her eyes flitting in every way. When they passed a store with trendy clothes, her gaze lingered. Suho noticed.

"Should we have a look inside?" he asked quietly.

"Sure."

They browsed the store, which was decorated in shades of black and grey. The clothes looked as if they were taken from a rock band. Although Hanbyeol checked out every clothes rack with Suho subtly trailing behind, she didn't buy anything.

The couple continued their trek down the street, stopping every few minutes to have a look at a nice store or buy some snacks to eat. Dark blue shielded them above as numerous people enjoyed the calming night.

Turning into a small street, Hanbyeol was startled by a shout as a man came running past. Her eyes widened but her body couldn't move fast enough. Suho reacted on instinct as his right arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her into him. The guy running past was gone, but they remained in this embrace for a while. Hanbyeol went stiff, feeling his arm securely around her and the hard guitar case bouncing against her leg from its hold in Suho's left hand.

Hanbyeol cleared her throat. Suho quickly stepped back and avoided eye contact.

"I tried on a new perfume. Is it good?" he stammered, cursing himself inside for the ridiculous lie.

Though she knew what he was trying to do, she decided to play along. Stepping closer to him, she boldly sniffed near his neck and nodded. He gulped – he wasn't prepared for her face being so close to his. Hanbyeol could tell it was the same, clean cologne he always wore, but she let herself enjoy the moment.

"Smells nice," Hanbyeol said smoothly as she moved away again.

"That's good," Suho replied, hiding his awe at how charming she was when she was straight-forward.

As the long-haired girl entered back to her surroundings, she spotted an ice-cream stall nearby. It was the type that sold vanilla soft serve towering higher than a ruler. Hanbyeol immediately lit up as she pointed to the place.

"Let's get ice-cream," she exclaimed.

Suho chuckled with a nod. He followed her to the small ice-cream store, watching her skip excitedly. There wasn't a long line, but they could see couples leaving the area with the dessert or other snacks. Once Hanbyeol got an ice-cream, they continued their gradual path down the small street, finding it emptier as they went along.

A cool breeze matched her food, but she enjoyed the creamy taste. She held the cone and licked from the top of her ice-cream, which was nearly three times as high as the cone. Hanbyeol tippy toed as if that would help her reach the top. Suho watched her with a flicker of amusement in his eyes. When she got a bit of white on her cheek, he accidentally let out a snort.

Hanbyeol pouted. "Stop laughing."

She turned to see her reflection in a store window, and wiped the ice-cream off her face, luckily not smudging her makeup. Suho joined her by her side – two dark figures standing in the glass. He was nearly a head taller than her, but what surprised her was her hair. From all the head-banging in her performance, her locks had spun itself into a bit of a mess.

With Hanbyeol's eyes shaking in panic, she rushed to pat her hair down and detangle it with one hand. Everything was going so well, but what if people looked at her weirdly since she was with a hot guy?

Suho grabbed her wrist to stop her, spinning her around to face him. There was something in his eyes that made her feel safe.

"It's okay," Suho said, gently looking down at her. "I've told you before that I don't care how you look, and you shouldn't either. The people who matter will see how bright you shine inside. In fact, you looked really cool before."

Hanbyeol's heart warmed but her eyebrows furrowed in uncertainty. As Suho slowly let go of her wrist, he used that hand to take out his phone and show her pictures he took of her performance. She leaned down to get a better view.

In the photo, she had just struck her guitar with radiating energy, and her eyes and grin were as vibrant as the stars. Her ebony hair stuck out in all directions, but it wasn't oily like it used to be, and it seemed to flow with the wind. She looked like a true rockstar.

"I love it," Hanbyeol gasped, unable to form any other words.

As her eyes sparkled to reflect the joy in the photo, Suho felt proud. He pocketed his phone and pat her head with that hand.

"Cute," he muttered with the corner of his lips twitching up.

Hanbyeol froze. She wasn't used to this much affection, and she also wasn't used to seeing him act like this. It was quite adorable. Blinking, she held in her laugh and stood up straight. Suho's expression quickly turned serious again as he dropped his arm.

"What did you say?" Hanbyeol asked teasingly.

Suho swallowed, his sharp jawline moving with it. Hanbyeol's ice-cream in her hand stayed strong like a burning fire, but a droplet melted down to her thumb. Under the husky light of the silent street, Suho tried to find the words he wanted to say.

"Have you seen butterflies?"

The question from his small mouth barrelled out so fast. Hanbyeol scrunched up her nose in confusion and tilted her head.

"I mean, there's a free butterfly with stars exhibition at the botanic gardens for the next few weeks." Suho stumbled. "If you want, do you want to go with me?"

A soft smile settled on Hanbyeol's face as she nodded. "That sounds nice. Next week is the Saebom Festival, but I guess next weekend should be okay?"

"Perfect. Can't wait for our date."

Hanbyeol's big, shining eyes blinked once. Was he confirming it as a date? And then after, they might officially be a couple? Her breath caught as her heart swirled inside. She didn't know if she was ready, but she now trusted Suho.

"Is it a date date?" Hanbyeol asked.

"Would you still say yes if it was?"

"Yes," she let out, her frizzy hair fluttering in the wind and her pink lips curving up.

"Then it's a date."

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Sorry for the long update!! Please forgive me. I'm too busy.

...And so excited to write a Study Group fanfic! But I have to wait till I finish this. Lol, this is only episode 5 of True Beauty.

Ah, what a sweet chapter, their relationship's going so well. Thanks for reading! Please vote and comment :)