The night sky is clear except for a full moon with not even a hint of a cloud in sight. There’s only one other person on the bus besides Baekhyun and Hera. Although he had previously complained about taking the bus, he now believes it was one of the best decisions ever with Hera currently sleeping soundly on his shoulder with her smaller hand still holding on tightly to his. They’d stayed until the palace was closed, making sure they ventured to every single part of it that they were allowed to. A soft smile spreads across his lips as he reaches out to tuck back a loose hair behind her ear and he wonders, could she be dreaming about them at this very moment?

He cups her cheek gently and turns his head slightly, just so his lips would naturally brush against her warm forehead. His heart is beating so loudly right now, he’s surprised it’s not waking her up. Everything that happened today and even at this very moment has been perfect. The feeling in his chest is a lot like the feeling he had when he and Soondeok were sitting in Damiwon on their last night. It’s like a neverending firework show.

Hera twitches slightly before she quietly stirs away and Baekhyun can’t help but be disappointed when the weight of her head disappears from his shoulder. She scans the bus and the streets passing them by before turning to Baekhyun.

“Sorry I fell asleep,” she mumbles which comes out a lot cuter than intended because she’s not fully awake yet.

Baekhyun shakes his head with a soft smile on his lips. “Did you have a nice nap?”

She nods and pulls her hand free from his to pull her hair into a ponytail at the top of her head. He looks down at his sweaty palm and wishes she would slip her hand back already. When he looks up again, he catches her in the middle of a yawn before she returns her eyes to him. For a moment she doesn’t say anything which makes him a little nervous.

“Earlier, you looked very disappointed when Damiwon was under construction.”

His gaze drops down to his lap for a split second. “I have many memories at Damiwon. It was like my little safe place.”

“Because of Haesoo?”

He shakes his head which surprises Hera a bit. “I mean, I liked visiting her because she was my friend but it’s not because of her.” He shrugs. “It was a pity that I couldn’t visit it today.”

There’s a mutual understanding in her gaze as she gives him a warm smile. “There’s always next time.”

At this, he tilts his head slightly with a mischievous smiling creeping across his lips, causing a rush of color to Hera’s cheeks due to the way he’s looking at her. “Are you going to go with me?”

She shrugs and turns away from him to lean back on the leather seat with her arms folded across her chest. “Depends.”

Grinning, Baekhyun slides up closer to her with his arm pressed up right against hers. “Did you remember anything?”

Through the reflection of the bus window, he watches her playful expression slowly wash away into a disappointing head shake. She heaves a heavy sigh and slides down the leather seat so she can place her head on Baekhyun’s shoulder again.

“It’s okay though,” she mumbles. “It felt nice to be there. It was nice to be Soondeok again and relive the short moments… Despite knowing so much about how quickly the palace can turn on you, she was so innocent.”

Baekhyun swallows and he’s glad she doesn’t notice. Innocence was what killed them in the end. “I want to ask you something.”

Hera sits up to face him as the other passenger presses the button to alert the bus driver of her stop.

“How do you feel about me, right now?”

Her gaze drops to lap where her hands were fidgeting. “I’m leaving soon to London.”

“I know,” he says. “But that doesn’t change anything for me.”

She swallows and surprises him when she slides her palm under his and laces their fingers together. “I really enjoy being around you,” she begins, eyes still on her hands. “But I think it’s best if we give us some time. I think time apart will help sort things out.”

Hera doesn’t need to look up to know that he’s sadden by her answer. There’s a tense moment of silence before he squeezes her hand and brings it up to his chest where he kisses it. Her chest goes on a rampage at the warmth of his lips on her skin as he sighs.

“Disregard everything else besides you and me,” he begins slowly. “What’s your answer then?”

Baekhyun watches her play with his fingers to avoid looking at him and possibly prevent herself from speaking the truth.

“I need time,” she whispers finally after the longest moment, bringing her eyes up to meet his. Another long moment passes of them just gazing intensely at one another, neither knowing what more to say yet also realizing how intimate this simple moment is at the same time. Eventually he nods once and a small curl of his lips brings the conversation to an end.

That night Baekhyun dreams of Soondeok waking up in his arms, shy and flustered by him but the dream ends in him jolting awake in a cold sweat with the warmth of Soondeok’s cheeks still hot on his palms and the image of her lying lifelessly next to him imprinted in his mind.

“Prince.”

Baekhyun plasters his hands to his ears, hoping that her voice will go away.

“Do not lose your way.”

He shouts but her voice is still as clear as day.

“I didn’t lose my way!” Baekhyun grabs the nearest pillow and thrashes it at the nearest wall. “You did, I didn’t!”

Moments of silence passes by, giving Baekhyun some time to calm down before he sinks back onto his bed and buries his face in his hands. He found his way back to her but it seems like she’s still stuck at a crossroad, contemplating if the path to him is the path she wants to walk again.

***

As fast as things fell apart, things quickly fell back together. Within days, Sehun was back at their apartment again after returning from his overseas schedules. Chanyeol still drops by every now and then, leaving them expensive cupcakes from the SUM Cafe everytime and Hera has somehow found herself almost done with packing. It’s like everything has finally begun falling into their respective places, well, for the most part.

Hera was replacing the posters around the meeting rooms when some weird feeling shot up her spine. Without much thought, she turns and notices Johnny walking down the hall with Doyoung who notices her first and greets her loudly with an excited wave. Johnny looks up from his phone a second later and she catches his expression faltering a bit.

“Working hard?” Doyoung teases as he approaches Hera. “I heard you’re leaving soon. I’m going to miss seeing you around.”

Hera shoots him a look but also keeps her attention on Johnny who was walking very slowly towards them. “You at lying, you know that?”

Doyoung pretends to be insulted but they both laugh it off just as Johnny finally joins them.

“Oh, we’re heading downstairs to get a drink before the meeting,” Doyoung turns from Johnny to Hera. “You want anything?”

“If you’re buying, of course,” she teases lightheartedly.

He grins mischievously and slyly slips out a card from the front pocket of his jeans. “I got the company card. Whatever you want, I can get.”

Hera laughs as Johnny chuckles quietly beside him. “Oooo! Can I get a Lambo?”

Doyoung freezes. “Uh. Come again?”

She smacks him lightly in the chest with one of the rolled up posters and he instantly turns to Johnny for protection. Their eyes meet for a split second and Hera is instantly filled with guilt.

“Iced coffee, I’m guessing?” Johnny says calmly.

“Uh,” Hera scratches her head nervously. “Yeah. Please.”

Doyoung pops up from behind Johnny with a grin. “Three iced coffees then? Cool, be back soon.” He gently shoves Johnny into Hera and turns on his heels. “You stay!”

Without a word he quickly darts down the hallway and vanishes around the corner, leaving Hera and Johnny alone for the first time in a very long time. When Hera turns back to Johnny, he’s already looking at her with an apologetic gaze. She swallows nervously with the roll of posters shifting in her arms.

“Okay,” he sighs like he’s been holding his breath for centuries. “I’m sorry. You’re right.” Johnny catches one of the posters that slips out of her grasp. “After thinking about it, I felt so ty and I didn’t know how to approach you afterwards.”

Hera quietly bites down on her lip. “It’s okay, let’s just let it go.”

Johnny frowns and stuffs his hands into his pockets. “That story you mentioned,” he shrugs. “Can you tell me now?”

Her jaw falls aloof for a second. “Um,” she grabs the poster from his hand and slips it back into her pile. “It’s a long story and one I have have to tell you in private,” she explains and the guilty face returns. “It’s okay. Um, message me when you’re free?

Johnny nods as Hera tries to balance all her posters in her arms before shooting him a quick smile.

“I’m gonna bring these back, see you at the meeting.”

He nods once more then steps aside to allow her to pass with words itching at his tongue but he holds himself back and slips into the nearest conference room.

***

Unlike before where Hera use to spend most of her days at the company, she’s been frequently coming home after the morning meetings to take care of things before her London internship. Due to the lease of their apartment coming up while she’s gone, Hera had to pack all her belongings and send whatever she wasn’t taking back to her paren