Though school had ended, Neo had no plans of going home on time. Especially with the fact that he had to see the faces of the people he detests the most. Besides that, finding an apartment to be able to move out hasn't been an easy task either– which made him request the help of his friends to find one after school.
As they made their way along the busy streets and sidewalks, they came upon a three-way junction with a pedestrian crossing sign and a traffic light seated at its vintage points. Joining the group of people in wait for their chance to cross to the other side, Neo spotted a familiar figure which he deemed to be Irianda; scampered out of a grocery shop that stood about the length of a longhouse away.
With a quick pat on Shin Woo's shoulder– followed by an excuse, he bolted off before they could even say a word. A sigh instinctively escaped Shin Woo's lips as he watched the former in the distance with the slightest idea of what he was up to.
Getting a firm grip on the seat of the bike, Neo pulled his target to a halt before she could even strike off to the road. Irianda on the other hand, deftly allowed her gaze to travel behind, following the sudden pause which had her almost jerking off the bike– only to see a familiar figure which she wasn't expecting; holding on to it. Meeting his gaze, he wiggled his brows at her with a teasing smile plastered on his face.
"You?" She said with creased brows while she stepped down. The intruder let go off the bike~ straightening his posture to his full length as he watched his prey come face to face with him. Noticing the height difference for the first time, he almost chuckled. "Are you stalking me?" She questioned, her face screaming the doubt on her mind.
Neo instinctively tsked at her words while he tilted his head to his side as if in sync then back to Irianda– a deadpan look replacing the initial smile.
"Yah–," He expressed with hunched posture as he brought his gaze a bit closer to Irianda's face. "Does this face look like one of a stalker?"
The latter was a bit taken aback by his sudden action but then, masked it with a scoff– rolling her eyes in the process. Taking another glance at him, she reached out for her bike– not in any way ready for his cat and dog games.
"I better get going." She said, gliding onto the bike.
She started to paddle on but the former stepped into the center of the path, bringing her to a halt once again– as she stared anxiously at him; not particularly sure what this was all about. It was not like they were allies or something.
Irianda was about to shout out her frustration when her ears screeched; as if the trees were talking to her– while her eyes swiftly turned sea blue then back to their original state.
This instinctively sent her on alarm– clearly knowing it was a sign of a Nine-fox tail (Gumiho)'s presence. At that moment, she stared away from Neo as she tried her best not to look him in the eyes. It was then that she caught a glance of Shin Woo and the others approaching from the distance.
She knew from instinct; she needed to get away from there before anything goes wrong. The former on the other hand– noticed her sudden change in posture and wanted to know if she was okay but before he could utter a word, she glided on her bike and paddled off– taking him off guard.
Neo's brows intuitively creased in confusion. "Why does she always turn to run from me." He grumbled to himself. "She is always acting strange."
"Was that Irianda?" Park Ki-young uttered while they neared him– cutting into the former's thoughts with their gazes fixed at the tail of Irianda's bike as it disappeared into the distance. Neo's deftly allowed his gaze to travel to them; not to answer their question but with a rather different agender on his mind.
Dae Hyung noticed those looks in his eyes and knew exactly what they meant but just couldn't place a hand on what he had in mind. Before he could say anything, Neo waved an approaching taxi to stop.
"Sorry guys but I have to go now." He hastily muttered, sliding into the cab as he pulled it open. "Let's talk later." He lifted his gaze to his astonished friends who remained rooted in their spot rather confused by his sudden behavior.
"But where are you off to?" The words managed to escape from Dae Hyung's lips but before he could even complete his sentence, the taxi zoomed off. He stared at the tail of the car with a slack-jaw then sighed, throwing his hands dramatically in the air as he glanced at Shin Woo and Park Ki-young.
********
For a moment, Mandy remained speechless in her steed– dumbfounded by the sight before her eyes. Everything about the young man before him looked exactly like her husband. If not for the age difference, she would have mistaken him for her husband.
"W-Who are you?" She managed to say, swallowing hard as her heart thumbed in its cage as if to break free from its enclave.
As the words escaped Mandy's lips, the intruder's eyes turned back to their original coffee color. Without a word, he reached into his pockets– bringing out an emerald green jade bangle embroidered with some unique beads; which the former intuitively recognized the moment she set eyes on it.
Her eyes deftly rolled in their sockets, shimmering with unshed tears– as her gaze swiftly traveled from the bangle to the intruder's face.
"I believe you remember this?" He uttered,
At that moment, the tears Mandy had been fighting back~ freely trekked down her cheeks. The sight of the bangle brought back a thousand memories she did thought she had forgotten but rather remained locked in her heart.