Madeleine jumped down the see-saw. Her sneakers were full of sand, but right now, she didn't care. Her eyes were drawn to that smile, that happiness that seemed to destroy the immense amount of sadness cumulated in her life these past few days.

She wanted to talk again to that stranger. That guy, she thought looked evil at first. That person she didn't even know the name and yet…

She started getting out of the sand, the little beads crunching in her sneakers as they were dispersing everywhere, sooner than expected crusted in the dark corners where it would be impossible for her to remove.

She stared as she kept advancing. As if on cue, the little kids started rejoining into a small group and heading to their house probably close by.

They were alone.

But she couldn't stop looking. It was like she was drawn to that smile, that source of joy.

The stranger turned around risking a glance in her direction probably wondering why she looked at him like that, not even bothering to close her eyes once in a while to keep them from getting dry.

The awkward silence that surrounded them was broken by the crunching sound of her sneakers on the ground, rattling it sickeningly.

Madeleine took a deep breath.

Alright, this cannot be that difficult, C'mon, you can do it.

"Hello…"

The guy turned his head sideways searching for the person she was spoking to and finally looked back at her as he understood it was indeed him she was addressing to.

He raised his hand in a salute and kept quiet. The smile slowly dropped from his face as it seemed to be replaced by a frown.

Well this is awkward….

"Sorry for the disturbance, sir." She quickly said while heading away.

To chase the awkwardness she felt, she would usually play a melody with her violin. It would take all the negative energy away, but it wasn't close by right now and she still didn't feel like going back home.

She went back to her see-saw and sat the opposite way, to make sure the stranger saw her back, not her face. She started swinging slowly, her face red as a tomato thinking about what she had just done.

As she thought about that, all of her problems resurfaced, the constant fights with her parents, her constant loneliness, everything that made her hate herself so much.

She sighed heavily to cover the sob that was slowly making its way and battled her eyelashes furiously to dry the tears coming in the corner of her eyes. She breathed hard and tried thinking about positive things, which were practically non-existent at the moment.

She tried thinking about her friends that all went separate ways after their last year of high school. She tried to memorize their faces and the great times they had together. Whether it was that time they skipped that big party students had organized after prom and instead crashed at one's house and ate pizza at two in the morning… She memorized how she would always smile in their company, enjoy theirs hugs and reassuring words whenever she was victim of yet again another heartbreak or fight with her evil parents.

A tear silently made her way down her cheek and she quickly brushed it away, letting the gentle blow of the wind against her face dry the rest. It still felt like it was there, but she knew that by looking at her, nobody would actually know that she had cried, yet again.

What she wouldn't do to see them again…

And then she couldn't endure it. She let the tears pour, the little whines of sadness fill in the silence of the place and didn't even bother to blow her nose. The sleeves of her shirt were made for that!

As she heaved her heart, let out all the hatred and sadness all at once, she started breathing bit by bit more evenly and started to calm down. To feel better.

"Are you okay?" a grave voice asked nearby.

"Yeah sure don't mind me" she answered flustered and ashamed, somebody had actually heard her cry. She knew he probably still was in the park, but she never thought he would come up to her and ask about it. It had never happened before, and yet it was the first time she did cry in the middle of the day while the sun glowed and transformed the ugly somber tears into little pearls of rainbow.

"Liar" he simply said.

"Oh shut up you creep!" she sobbed.

She heard distant steps getting closer.

A little thump resonated beside her as the man sat on the other see-saw and started swinging slowly.

The sun caught his shining black hair and a bit of tan skin that wasn't hidden by the massive cap he had pressed down his face.

As he swung harder and harder, getting higher in the sky by the minutes, she swore she saw dark wings spread on his back propelling him towards the world above.

She imagined him dancing in spirals with the stars as a sweet voice accompanied the sound of her violin.

"Jungkook" he breathed softly.

She deported her gaze the other way around.

"Sorry, in which language is that?" she asked taken aback.

The guy sighed heavily and simply answered: "It's in French"

"Hey! Are you taking me for a fool or something" she shot back.

"Maybe"

She glared at him and started laughing.

"Why are you laughing?" he inquired, surprise tainting his voice.

"Well for your information, genius, when something is funny, the right way to react is laughing" she retorted.

"But that wasn't funny"

"Well to me it was."

"It was meant to be mean, but hum okay"

"So, your name is… Hmm, forget it I'll never be able to pronounce that."

"Tell me yours and we'll see if mine is that complicated to tell"

"Madeleine"

"Well then, Madeulineu, if I can pronounce your name correctly than you can" he tried.

"But you didn't pronounce it correctly." She snapped.

"Then, I won't bother you if you butcher mine" he answered.

"Nan, I would rather not try. I still have pride you know."

"Then how will you address me?"

"That is if we ever talk to each other again"

"Indeed."

"What about… Kookie?"

"Do I look like a kid?" he asked insulted.

"Yes"

This time, he was the one to laugh.

"See you laughed as well and I have been mean to you!"

"Fair enough"

"So, what do you do for a living, Kookie?" she asked

"Oh, so you decided to talk to me again it seems" he responded.

"Hey, I have nothing better to do, so let's shall we?"

"I am a singer"

"Stop joking. That one really isn't funny!" she said.

"You want to know what the funniest part of all of this is? It's the fact that I am not even joking."

Impossible.

I asked for a sign and a shot at a music career and faith gives me a weirdo that pretends to be a singer!

And to add to that he is mean and literally barged in my shelter uninvited!

"Well to be accurate, I used to be a singer"

"Next thing you are going to tell me is that you aren't a singer. Am I wrong?" she shot back.

She couldn't believe it.

"Not planning on doing that" he said looking at the horizon.

"Then prove it" she sighed deeply.

And he started singing.

To say that he was good was an understatement. She felt goosebumps rise on each of her arms as he reached notes she never thought a man with so deep of a voice could. She felt every word the song had to offer. Every emotion he poured in each of the line he delivered with such passion.

She wanted to play the violin more than ever just to get a taste of playing with him would feel like.

But the melody ended too quickly.

As silence installed itself between the too, she couldn't help but clap her hands loudly trying to cope her loss for words at the sight of such talent.

"Thanks" he simply said.

"What do you do for a living?" he added.

"I wish I could be a violinist, but right now I am unemployed."

"Right you told me that yesterday. Such a pain that I can't hear you play at the moment."

"Maybe if you come back tomorrow you'll get that chance" she whispered.

"I would love to."

"Then I guess I'll see you tomorrow, Kookie" she said as she stood up and marched back in the direction of the metal gate.

As she touched the metal, she glanced back and met his dark orbs.

And then she heard it.

The sound of a bell.

And as her heartbeat accelerated, she wondered if, he too, had heard it.