Jinyoung fumbles to fish out his keys out of his pocket, he wants to go home but his body continues to shake preventing him to do so. He’s so frustrated, legs wobbly that he got down in his knees unable to stop the stabbing pain in his chest. Ever since his eyes opened from the memory he found himself crying, the pain continues to linger thus with all the strength he has he bolted away from the old lady’s house. 

Ji Ahn now he remembers, his best friend and first love, he may not fully regain all the memories they shared but he’s sure his life changed because of her. 

He’s sobbing in his knees when suddenly a hand was placed in his shoulder, there again before him is the old lady smiling at him comfortingly. Jinyoung forced himself to stand up following the old lady back inside promising him to answer all his questions. 

Once they settled sitting across from each other in the living room, the old woman offered him a drink but Jinyoung refused suspicious of her intentions.

“I won’t poison you son don’t worry” she smiled reassuringly but Jinyoung only nods absentmindedly. 

“I’m sorry if I’m acting this way grandma it’s just that I really can’t help it you know after what you’ve done” Jinyoung felt so confused and guilty he knows the old woman won’t do anything to him but he can’t let his guard down especially doubting her ability even identity. 

“I understand, now I owe you a wish right? You can ask me that now, well since you found your way back to me”

Jinyoung wasted no time and asked “can you  explain to me what exactly happened? The spell what is this exactly?” 

She smiled again and hums as she stood up to get a paper and pen, she handed them to Jinyoung motioning for him to take down notes. Jinyoung nods unsure why he has to take notes but grips the pen anyway. 

“Well the only thing I can do is to explain the spell its terms and conditions”

“Terms and conditions” Jinyoung mumbled softly a surge of vague familiarity ring in his ears. 

“When you asked for her to vanish, well I have my ways to do that but don’t worry she’s alive.”

Jinyoung sigh in relief at least grandma is not capable of such a thing. 

“Well as for your second wish I tried my best to interpret it so I casted a spell on you” 

“Me?”

“You’re telling me you haven’t able to decode it yet?” she asked in curiosity while Jinyoung blinks at her unsure what to answer. 

“Have you kissed someone after your breakup? You know here” she said pointing at her lips

“yeah tons of  within four hours” Jinyoung shook those thoughts away and responded with simple “yes”

“Ohh so do you remember any of them the sensation, their faces?”

Jinyoung thought for it for a while it’s true though he can’t remember any sensation and can’t makeup any face from his customers, he reason out that it’s because he’s tired but the old lady shook her head. 

“That’s exactly is it, you won’t remember them because they’re not the one for you”

“That’s it?”

“Specifically all the memories you have shared with them will vanish too simply because they’re not your destined half” she finished flatly while Jinyoung too stunned to respond as he tried his best to accept that a lot of his memories were washed away. 

“You told me to save your kisses for the one for you right? so that’s basically how you’ll save it” 

“This sounds like I’ll never found the one for me if every time I kissed someone I’ll forget. Can’t you just cast the spell of?” 

“I can’t do that no reversal but there’s only one way how to stop it”

“How?”

“True love kiss” she smiled again

“Like fairytales” he muttered while a female voice echo in his head “stop dreaming Jinyoung there’s no happily ever after”

He felt another pain his chest, felt his eyes swelling with tears again, he’s torn between wanting to remember her and forgetting all he had discovered, trashing this whole night completely. 

“You’re shaking again here drink it” she offered again “this is not a potion or anything it’s just a simple tea to calm you down” 

Jinyoung smiled in gratitude and finally took the offered drink. 

“Spells are not that simple Jinyoung they have complications”

“Terms and conditions what about it?” he asked now gripping the pen again, the tea was able to soothe his nerves and he’s eager to know more about the spell. 

“I’ll give you three chances but make sure to kiss someone who you are so sure is the one. Well same penalty if you’re wrong then you’ll forget that someone but it’s possible too that person will forget you completely”
 
Jinyoung felt a lump in his throat he’s afraid to choose wrongly not only because of heartbreak but the fact that another memory will be washed away from him again. 

“Be sure not to messed up the three chances ok? I don’t want you to face any repercussion”

“What repercussion?---”

“Well another is that be sure not to have any hesitations just place your trust to your partner”

“Blind trust?”

“No it’s called love. I know you’re afraid Jinyoung but if you’re planning to kiss that ‘someone’ then you should relieve yourself from worries. You need to learn how to trust again so you can fully love again.” 

Jinyoung’s scoffed at the word trust maybe his first love took that away from him too. Sensing the younger’s deep thoughts the old lady suddenly speak up.

“If you want to remember her you have to help yourself, you don’t need magic to help you with that”

“How?”

“I don’t know search around your things? Because broken people usually ends up keeping all the things that remind them of their past significant other even if it hurts them I don’t know for remembrance maybe?” she laughs suddenly and Jinyoung nods preparing himself to face his fear. 

“Just close your eyes if you can feel a memory I’ll help” she said reassuring him and he responded with a bow.

“It’s getting dark I think you need to go home unless you want to stay here?” she asked kindly but Jinyoung stood up bidding her goodbye not fond of the idea of staying. 

“Just make sure to protect yourself alright? If it feels right go for it this spell is not caging you rather protecting you” she smiled as she walks Jinyoung outside.

Successfully fishing out his car keys he quickly drive back home thus missed the old lady’s last reminder “you still have your last wish son, a wish that involves magic” 

With heavy steps Jinyoung directly went to his room, lost his appetite and drained to answer Yugyeom’s question as to why he looks pale. 

“Maybe he’s just tired” Youngjae answers instead as the younger stood dumbfounded as to why Jinyoung didn’t bother to answer him back. 

“Maybe he just didn’t see Jaebum hyung today” Yugyeom resolves with that conclusion as he go back to the living room to watch the movie currently playing. 

Jinyoung wasted no time and begins his search. He took the old lady’s suggestion he may really keep some of things that will help him regain his memory. After a failed attempt to find the things he’s looking for in his cabinets, he sighed and sat in his bed though he’s completely tired and sleepy his curiosity gets a hold of him, frustrated he’s rocking his legs forward and back to the space below his bed when he heard a rustling sneaking sound below his bed. He stood up bend his body to look for the source of noise when in there below he saw a huge box placed in the corner. Suspecting that may be it, he reached for the said box and shooed away the lizard placed in the top of it. 

It’s just a simple box covered with dusts but Jinyoung felt his stomach twist in anticipation. With a shaky breath he opened the box and empty it out by picking up each material his hand landed to. 

There now on the floor a wedding invitation, a photo of a girl and boy arms put around each other’s shoulders, letter and a flower crown. 

“Focus you can do this just close your eyes and you’ll remember everything” Jinyoung told himself as he pick first the worn out wedding invitation with tapes supporting it in its back revealing the name of his older cousin and her supposed husband.

Jinyoung closes his eyes as a memory flashed before him.

“Congrats Ara noona!” little Jinyoung said as he successfully squeezed himself into their tight dining table as their relatives crowd around his cousin who’ll soon be married. 

“Aww thank you Jinyoung, I hope when you grow up you’ll be able to feel this happiness too” she smiled at him kindly accentuating her innocent and feminine looks. You can see in her eyes a bliss incomparable to any of their relatives claiming their happiness for her impending wedding.

“This happiness?” as a kid he’s curious as to what his cousin meant with that so he decided to ask his mother instead, the one patient and knowledgeable enough to deal with the kid’s curiosity.

“Your Ara noona’s happiness is different because she’s in love” his mother answered smiling at her child’s scrunched nose 

“What is love then eomma?” 

“Well I can’t give you a definite answer because it’s too broad and complicated..” his mom trailed off thinking on how to effectively explain it in simple terms to satisfy the younger’s curiosity. 

“aha! “ she said suddenly and smiles as she seems this explanation is ideal enough 

“You know fairy tales right?” she asked and the younger nods. Growing up sandwiched between two older sisters Jinyoung has a fair share of this in night time as their mother read for them to sleep. 

“Well why do you think they always end happily ever after?”

“Because after the prince rescued the princess and kissed her and they lived happily after” Jinyoung said innocently as him mom’s smile grew deeper. Her son had memorized the basic sentence formula of fairy tales.

“But it’s not just because of that though”

“ what else eomma?” his eyes widened waiting for this new explanation

“They lived happily ever after because of love sealed by a kiss. You see son love is the reason on why they ended happily at the end that’s why kiss is always use because it signifies love” Jinyoung suddenly stood up and planted a kiss to his mother’s cheeks “I love you too” his mom said smiling.

“That’s why my son don’t take your kiss for granted alright? Give them to those who you really love to those who’ll be with you in your happily ever after”

A kid accepted all the older’s offered knowledge without really understanding them but he learned something that night that kiss is a sign of love and don’t take it for granted.

The next time Jinyoung saw his cousin her eyes don’t posses the same glint of shine rather her eyes shines with tears as her body shakes while his mom hugs her. 

“I.. can’t.. believe.. he’ll do..this... to me!” she struggles to finish her sentence with every hiccup.

“Ara what happened?” his mother continue to rub her back while Jinyoung too stunned to move closer. 

“I was going to surprise him so I visited his office to celebrate our anniversary as a couple but I saw him and a girl on his lap kissing and I.. I surge forward grabbed the hair of the girl and slapper her I was so angry I couldn’t control myself. 

“He stopped me holding my wrist of course I slapped him and threatened him to call off the wedding but he just told me it’s fine if it’s that what I want! Can you believe that? now this is all my fault?!” she untangle herself from the hug and ripped the invitation in front of her, Jinyoung’s mom motioned for him to throw the pieces away, he obediently complies though instead of throwing he kept it inside his room and applied tapes to form the pieces. 

That night he realized that kissing is not only about love but it also ironically shatters happiness. 

Jinyoung opens his eyes gently feeling dizzy to this new (old) memory, same as before the pain embedded in his memories stabs his chest. He feels the same pain again, the pity he felt for his cousin. 

Jinyoung placed the invitation to the box once again and now holding the picture of what seems like a childhood photo, him wearing a blue shirt with a cap while arm placed to a girl’s shoulder hair pony tailed, wearing a green shirt with the same design as his word “BEST FRIEND” printed in bold letters. 

Jinyoung placed his thumb over the little head of the girl he’s so sure that this Ji Ahn, sighing he closes his eyes again as his vision takes him to another dimension.

“Why can’t she just wake up?” a girl asked in exasperation watching in the living room with little Jinyoung. 

“Because a prince charming has to wake her up” Jinyoung answered back eyes focus on the movie

“Ohh great so here’s the prince now shake her up she’s been sleeping so long” Jinyoung snorts at his friend’s impatience and lack of knowledge “this a fairy tale he needs to kiss her to wake up” 

“Gross morning breath” Ji Ahn complained while Jinyoung laughs

As they finished the movie and now lazily eating the leftover popcorns. 

“You know I can’t understand what’s so amazing with prince charmings” she said as Jinyoung’s eyed him curiously 

“Because they just wear those flashy suits and all nothing so magical if I’ll to have my own man I don’t want a prince charming.”

“What do you want then?”

“Maybe a rock star, I’m so sure his voice we’ll wake me up than those kisses or an action star you know he’ll have this awesome rides than chariots.” she said clasping her hands. 

Ji Ahn is different from the common stereotype image of girls. She’s not the innocent and feminine one rather an opposite of it. She often wound herself as she always deemed physical games more enjoyable than dolls. Has different taste as she prefer spicy foods, all in all she’s extreme simply different from Jinyoung.

“You’re really different, how did we became friends again?” Jinyoung asked teasingly knowing Ji Ahn has a sharp tongue too. 

“Well you’re so different from me and that makes me question sometimes who’s the guy in our friendship” she said mockingly. 

They may be different from each other but their tongues shared a common sassiness and that may be enough to transcend all their differences as they understood each other’s words. 

Graduated in the same middle school and now attending high school together Jinyoung and Ji Ahn continued to be friends and may be that’s the reason they relied so much to each other, especially in difficult times. 

“I think I’m bi” Jinyoung confessed to his best friend as they are now in the school’s rooftop finishing a project. Entering high school made him realize a lot of things on how he seem to be capable of being attracted to the same gender, how he’s struggling in his personality and how confuse he is now to his identity. Observing himself each day combining his extensive research he concluded now what is the reason.

“Took you long enough” Ji Ahn said nonchalantly as she measures the cardboard

“Hey I’m serious here you know, what if my family won’t understand?” Jinyoung knows Ji Ahn is not the one for comforting words but it’s not like he has a choice because she is his best friend and the most trusted one. 

“Ohh they will because they love you” Ji Ahn looks up to see Jinyoung mouth agape “hey close your mouth you’ll a fly” Jinyoung immediately closes his mouth and smiled “ohh is Ms. hardheaded being soft now?” “shut up” she responded throwing a glue into his direction. 

When Jinyoung opened his eyes again he doesn’t feel pain but somehow happy being able to have a glimpse of his relationship with Ji Ahn was like. Same as the invitation he put back the photo and now took the worn out flower crown and closes his eyes eager to know more.    

I decided to cut it for now as I'm planning to make a whole chapter all about flashbacks and it's getting heavy for my own liking so yeah. I hope this chapter is alright to reveal as to why Jinyoung's character is somewhat weird obsessed with patience thing. Thank you for your time and let me know if you want to cut the drama first or I'll just continue.