A/N: I recommend reading chapters 51 and 52 in one seating. You will find three songs featured, linking the two chapters – the first reprensenting Hayaley’s POV, the next representing both their voices (highly recommend that you wait till this song ends before starting on Chapter 52, letting your imagination take over as the music plays), and the last one representing Jae Joong’s POV, recapping his feelings from when he was in Vienna till his return to Hayaley. Conversations in italics are in English. Also, there are some slightly mature content, implied or not. If you prefer not to read them, please do stop reading.

And all that you need to say
To make it all go away
It's that you feel the same way too

And I know
The scariest part is letting go
'Cause love is a ghost you can't control
I promise you the truth can't hurt us now
So let the words slip out of your mouth

Christina Perri – "The Words"

November 12: 9:23am, Café Cha, Shangri-La Hotel, Beijing

Hayaley pushes the Nasi Goreng (Fried Rice) on her plate around a few times before setting her spoon down. She takes a sip of her Chinese tea instead. She sees Mael’s eyes watching her intently and takes another sip of her tea.

“Something wrong with the nasi goreng?” June asks.

“Hmm? No. I just don’t have an appetite,” she announces without thinking. Then saw June’s dropped jaw and Michael’s raised brows so she adds, “I drank too much last night. My tummy feels a little quesy.”

“I didn’t think you drank that much last night.”

You can always count on Mael to be so observant. She kicks him lightly under the table. 

“Then again, I guess I was drinking too much myself to really notice,” he adds, keeping his eyes on his plate.

“I don’t think anyone drank as much as Shawn,” Christian pipes in.

She hears Shawn protest and lets the rest of the conversation blur away.

Jae Joong texted her two nights ago: “We need to talk when we get back to Seoul.” It made her anxious and she tried not to speculate on what he plans to say. Yesterday was easy. She had been preoccupied with the set-up, rehearsal and concert. No time to contemplate. But as soon as everything was over and she was alone in her room last night, she was overcome by anxiety again. The fact that she had missed Jae Joong so much did not help either. She collapsed in the shower, crying, giving in to all her pent-up emotions.

She pours more tea into her cup as she restlessly starts to countdown the hours and minutes before she sees Jae Joong again. Twelve hours by her calculation.

“Let’s go get some food after we check-in. I’m super hungry,” Channarong announces.

“Sorry,” Hayaley apologizes. “You guys go ahead without me. I already have a dinner appointment.”

Channarong, Kelly and Akiko, her stylist have flown back to Seoul with her. She finally agreed to the article and photoshoot for Harper’s Bazaar Korea. And this is the staff that normally travels with her on a destination photoshoot.

She hugs them goodbye then leaves for home. Five hours.

November 12: 4:35pm, Incheon International Airport

Jae Joong quickens his steps. Ahn Jjang tries to keep up. He wants to tell Jae Joong to slow down but he knows it’s futile. His hyung has been in a very melancholic mood the last few days. He has smiled at the camera and laughed with the staff during the long photoshoot sessions but when they were alone, he turned somber. He did not dare ask because usually if it was up for discussion, Jae Joong would have said something by now.

They drive back to Jae Joong’s villa in silence. As soon as they got there, Jae Joong mumbles a thank you and books out of there, disappearing into the building before Ahn-Jjang could respond.

November 12: 8:59pm, Hayaley’s Home, Cheongpy