My hand was loosely locked with Namjoon's, and as we walked through the town, our arms lightly swung back and forth, a pendulum of our easy heartbeats, an extension of our synchronized breathing.

Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale.

Inhale. Look over to see the way Namjoon's hair lay in little whisps out of his hat.

Exhale. Feel Namjoon's thumb gently rubbing against the back of my hand.

Inhale. Try not to think about whether he knows he's doing it or if it's subconscious.

Exhale. See the way the light reflects off of his pastel pink hair.

Inhale. Hold his hand a little tighter as the streets start to get more crowded.

Exhale. Wonder if he notices you moving closer to him.

Inhale. Notice the way his hair matches the cherry blossom trees coating the path ahead.

Exhale. Wonder who looks better with the colour. Quickly decide that the answer is Namjoon.

Inhale. Decide whether the cherry blossoms are prettier than his smile.

Exhale. Confirm that they're not.

Inhale. Listen as he starts to talk.

Exhale. Hang on to every word.

"This is Namsan Park. It's one of the most popular places to see the nature in Namsan, especially to see Korea's finest flowers." He pointed to a cluster of flowers trailing the path every few paces. "Those are Rose Of Sharon flowers. They're one of the most sacred flowers here."

I tried to focus on the flowers, but I was too caught up on looking at the way Namjoon looked so at ease as he spoke, sputtering all sorts of facts and statistics.

He had more knowledge than one would expect from a gang member. Then again, he hadn't always been like this. If my dreams were true, then he had had a very lush life before this. He could probably have gone to the finest university in the world if he wanted to, with just the snap of a finger.

He had pulled me to the edge of the path, kneeling under a small tree covered in beautiful yellow flowers.

I couldn't give them credit though, because next to Namjoon they may as well have been dead weeds.

"These are forsythias. Pretty, right?"

I made a noncommittal sound, still staring at Namjoon as he grinned, reaching a hand out to gently shake one of the branches.

And then dozens of little yellow petals were falling down, coating our hair and sending streaks of yellow through our vision.

He turned to me with a wide grin, his eyes glowing in excitement.

He had a childlike wonder about him as he stared at the loose petals falling, and he shook the branch again, sending more when the petals began to dwindle down to coat the ground beneath us.

My back was starting to hurt from crouching, but I didn't want to ruin his obvious delight, so I shifted my legs forward and sat back on my heels, watching him intently.

He caught my eye and lay his hand on my knees, and then it wasn't the petals coating my vision, it was him, his eyes boring into mine right until I closed my eyes to focus on the feelings of his abrupt lips meeting mine.

He pulled back with a devilish smirk, and then he was pulling me to my feet, leading me along the path again. I followed easily, keeping our hands wrapped up together, reveling in the feeling of connection that came with the touch. I was here with him, and he was here with me.

Every few feet he would stop and easily point out a new type of flower. As he spoke about them, a few people walking by would stop and listen, and I could do nothing but hold onto his hand tighter and hope that he wouldn't lose me in the crowd of people, admiration and curiosity in their eyes.

I knew if they knew who he was they would freak out, and their stares wouldn't be so admiring, but with his identity a secret, they simply looked at us kindly before moving on their way.

"These are azaleas!" He was standing in front of a shrub coated in pink blossoms. I smiled gently at him, listening as he spoke what he knew of them.

His voice was different than usual; there was no underlying command to it. He had no reason to speak in a dominating voice, because right now he wasn't ordering anyone around, he wasn't the leader. He was just a young man who had a lot of knowledge and lots of wonder. His voice reflected this, it's deepness lacking any rough undertones.

It was hard to imagine him killing someone.

But he had. No doubt. And at least approved the kills, if not taking direct part in them.

I felt a slight discomfort, and I unconsciously pulled away from him slightly. I would never hold it against him, but the threat was there and my primal instincts were hard to resist; they were innate.

Then I remembered B-Free, and how I had so easily pulled the trigger, so easily committed him to death. I didn't hesitate at all. I had been completely confident and committed.

If there had been bullets in the gun I would've killed him.

Maybe Namjoon and I weren't so different.

We had both been young and ambitious once, and then life had interrupted like it always seemed to. People can't blame us for how we turned out, we're just doing the best we can with the choices we've been given.

And this thought made me clutch his hand tightly, and as he looked at me in confusion, I stepped forward and forcefully hugged my body to his, clutching to him tightly.

He didn't respond for a moment, obviously wondering what crazy things were going through my mind. But then his arms were wrapping around me too, and he leaned down to lay a comforting kiss on my head.

When he loosened his grip I pulled away and laughed lightly at my own outburst.

"I'm sorry, I don't know why, I just had the sudden urge." I didn't know what else to say, but Namjoon only smiled at me, putting his arm around my shoulders and leading me down the path once again.

He was swinging his long legs out, and pulling me to him before bumping me away just when I got close.

I tried to act annoyed, but his immature antics reminded me of how it felt to be young and carefree, and I quickly joined in, playing around and shoving him back and forth.

The people passing us gave us looks, some joyous, others annoyed, and others nostalgic, as if we reminded them of a time of their past.

I knew it wouldn't last long, but for now this felt like a paradise. Hundreds of flowers around us, warm hands laced tightly together, the sweet smell of flowers mingled with the smell of coffee in the distance. Shared looks and wide smiles. With cherry blossoms steadily falling around us, mixing with the golden light to create a pinkish hue, everything felt picture perfect.