"How a person masters their fate is more important than what his fate might be..."

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Seonghwa POV:

Out of all the possible ideas I could think of regarding dates, the one idea that I never would've guessed was a picnic. The idea itself was beyond perfect to me, just the two of us alone and away from the busy city while enjoying the view of a nearby lake, all of it was the image of peace and I loved it before it even truly started.

I watched with a smile as Hongjoong fixed the final touches of everything, his brow furrowed in deep focus as he laid out each corner of the blanket with precise care. The sight itself was adorable, but I couldn't help but feel adoration at the amount of thought put into the whole thing. It was the first time anyone had ever tried to do something like this for me, especially for a first date no less.

"There, all done." Hongjoong smile, holding out a hand towards me. "Come and sit."

Taking his hand into my own, I allowed him to gently guide me down onto the blanket with ease before he sat beside me. Butterflies were fluttering in my stomach, but willing it away with the best of my ability, I chose to speak up with curiosity. "What made you think of all this?"

"I wanted to do something where we wouldn't be distracted by anything...," he paused for a moment, nervousness coating his voice before he asked quietly, "..is it okay?"

I nodded with smile. "It's perfect."

The tension in his shoulders instantly relaxed and a soft chuckle escaped his lips. "Alright good...well let's enjoy."

Handing me what looked to be a blank sketchbook along with a pen, he held his own with a smile before starting. "We agreed to get to know each other deeper in person right? I figured we could do something creative and...draw something that closely represents us."

"I-I don't know how to draw though?"

"It's alright, it's doesn't have to be perfect. I don't know how to either," he smiled, "but we can either epically fail and roast each other, or we can try our best? Just don't think about it too much, but go with the flow."

Despite the nerves, I smiled and nodded in agreement before the two began to draw. A gentle breeze passed over us as we sat in a comfortable silence, and for once in years, I could feel myself losing myself in the task of depicting my innermost thoughts and feelings onto paper. It was almost as if I couldn't stop myself, my mind finding a much needed release to let my emotions run wild onto a blank space, a space where there were no real restrictions to confine me other than the length of the page itself.

A few minutes with a combination of scattered streaks and shaded blotches later, I looked up to see Hongjoong looking at me with a smile. "You finished?"

Bashfully nodded, I held the sketchbook to my chest closely. "...can I go first?"

"Please do."

Taking a deep breath, I slowly turned my book to him and closed my eyes, patiently waiting for a response. I knew what I drew, but my mind was reeling on the possibility of him knowing the meaning behind it.

For what seemed to be an eternity, Hongjoong spoke softly. "It's beautiful...you're beautiful."

"What?" I felt blush rise to my cheeks in embarrassment as I turned back to book towards me to hide, "you don't understand...I-"

"Let me finish..." Hongjoong paused, grabbing one of my hands into his own with a smile while slowly pulling the book out with the other. With a soft sigh and his thumb gently rubbing against the back of my hand, he looked at the picture for a moment. "It's you...but you're broken. The way you drew yourself with one half your face covered in scars, and the other half with a pure smile, you're...tragically beautiful."

"I'm nothing but someone cursed with tragedy and bad luck...nothing close to beautiful..."I mumbled, but he shook his head in disagreement.

"Luck is subjective. And even if you think that's you or who you think you are to be, I can see how strong you are despite all of it."

Biting my lip, I sighed. "Enough about me, I want to see yours."

"Of course...no judging, okay?" He playfully held a mock stern finger before turning his book to me, showcasing his version of himself on paper, "...what do you think?"

Taking a moment, my breath hitched at the sight. The picture was nothing I had expected it to be: a clear sketch of me sitting right in front of him but staring out to the lake with a smile. Slowly looking up at him, I whispered. "...how does this describe you?"

"If I'm being honest, I'd say it does in more ways than one. However...the main way is you stepping into my life unexpectedly." He started.

"Ever since we bumped into each other, I found myself not only wanting to find you again, but I got a spark of inspiration again in my life. And what you may believe to be pure coincidence or luck, I believe it was fate..."

Fighting back a blush, I shook my head. "You're just saying that to make me feeling better..."

Hongjoong leaned closer with a teasing grin on his face. "Is it working? I like seeing you blush, even when I'm telling you the truth."

"Stop it." I laughed. "You're annoying."

"I'll be whatever you want if I can take you out more and make you smile...even maybe change your mindset on your outlook on life?"

Pausing, I could see the genuine look in his eyes as he held contact with my own. Part of me wanted to find some way to doubt him, but another part of me wanting to take the leap into the possibility of new beginnings.

With a soft nod, I whispered softly with a tender smile

"I think you can be my lucky charm..."

The End