Twenty; Young and Naive

                                    

                                          
|| NARRATOR ||
He grabbed her left hand forcefully and inaugurated the purple bouquet into her hands.
"For you." He expressed, waiting patiently for her response. Cho Rae stared at the beautiful array of flowers before her; violet teasels, lavender bellflowers, and plum iris'. She adored each and every one.
"How did you know?" She shyly asked, knowing that her members were on the other side of the door, listening carefully to each and every word. They all were more so obsessed with the mystery boy Rae kept hidden. "How did you know I loved purple?"
Seonghwa scratched the back of his neck anxiously. "I asked Hyunha. She said it's been your favourite colour ever since she knew you." That was the answer she figured. She bent her head down to smell the flowers, emitting the plum smell into her body. 
"They're lovely, thank you." She said, smiling brightly at him. "Let's leave now." She wrapped her arm around his as she quickened up her pace, away from the dorm. She could hear her members protest as they both fastened their pace and walked away.
"Where are you taking me?" She asked him in the elevator to the first floor. Seonghwa smiled, wrapping his muscular arm around her. "It's someplace far away, so the drive will be long. You'll survive, right?" 
She hummed in response as they walked to the parking lot of her apartment complex. "You're lucky we have underground parking, or there would be a swarm of fans waiting to see us together." She joked. "Where's your car?" She pondered, looking around for the vehicle he usually took her out in.
"I got a new one, actually." He pulled out his keys, the car behind them beeping as he opened the locks. Her jaw dropped to the floor as she stared at the vehicle. "It's a Porsche 718 GTS, a brand new one I bought a few days ago."
His hands creased around the hood of the rouge automobile, the shine reflecting so brightly Rae felt as if she went blind. He opened the convertible door for her, and she hesitantly sat in the passenger seat.
"Gee, how do you even afford this?" She commented and he chuckled in return. "I think you're underestimating how much money street racers make." He revved the engine, startling the girl next to him. More than she made, at least.
They talked for a bit. Rae loved gabbing with him. Talking to Park Seonghwa felt like talking to one's middle school crush. You're flustered and nervous and you never want it to end although you keep on stumbling on your words like a teenager. 
She felt like she could speak to him about anything. He understood her like no one else in the world did. When she looked into his eyes, she didn't see judgment or confusion. She saw what he saw in her. He understood.
The road around them was empty as it was late into the dusk. The street lamps moved fast as Seonghwa pressed down on the pedal. The window was open and Rae's hair was flying everywhere, but she didn't mind.
So.." Seonghwa glanced at her. "I heard KQ debuted another group. Ateen, was it?" He murmured. She stared at him, unimpressed. Rae knew that Seonghwa kept up with the news regarding JEWELLE and KQ.
The corner of her lips towed into a devious smirk. "It's Ateez, actually." She held back her laugh as she watched as Seonghwa pretended not to know. "Are you jealous, or something?"
He choked at her words, pressing down a little too hard on the brakes as they both went flying forwards. "What? N-No." He cleared his throat, flustered.
"Whatever you say." She teased, enjoying the idea of seeing Park Seonghwa envious, especially of guys that didn't mean anything to her. 
Eventually, they arrived at their destination. They were in front of a beautiful, but a small, lake. It was hidden in the night, so it was just them there. Rae's face lit up as Seonghwa parked his car on the side of the water.
"What is this place?" She asked in awe, jumping out of the car to approach the mesmerizing water. It was as clear as daylight, seeing her own reflection through the waves as she picked up a rock and threw it in.
"Found this place as a teen. Never bothered to show anyone except you." He said. Her face softened as she turned to face him. "I love it." She muttered under her breath.
He chuckled, sitting down on the bench provided as she heeded him. They didn't talk, but it wasn't uncomfortable. Calming, actually. She leaned her head on his shoulder as they both stared at the lake in front of them.
Seonghwa spoke after a while. "You know I would do anything for you, right?"
Rae looked up. "Really?" He hummed in return. "I know it sounds weird because we have only been dating for a few weeks. But I think I'd jump in front of a train for you."
She blushed brightly underneath her layers of makeup. She leaned back on his shoulder. "Yeah, I know." The face he made when he said that to her, it wasn't a face you make when you lie. That's how she knew he was telling the truth.
Rae thought about many things that night, but she made one significant discovery. As she sat there on the wooden bench, leaning against what she could only say was the man of her dreams, all she could think about was spending the rest of her life with him.
Maybe it was the young and stupidness talking in her. She was just too innocent back then to know any better. In some ways, he too. They didn't know what was coming in the years after that night in 2018. 
They were naive, but the happiest they had ever been in their lives.