I wake up to an ear-piercing scream early in the morning…? It’s still dark outside so it’s definitely before-sunrise early. Running out of my room, I stand in the doorway to see an enraged mum holding one of her high heels against Namjoon. Not fully awake yet, he stands sleepily while seemingly unable to apprehend the situation.

 

“What’s going on?” I ask, rubbing my eyes.

 

Mum stares between me and Namjoon, her eyes wide open. “Who is he?” She demands.

 

It isn’t until then that I realise mum probably hasn’t met Namjoon yet since he came back. I motion for her to drop her weapon. “Uh, this is Namjoon. You remember Mrs. Kim?”

 

“Hello, Mrs. Park,” he greets awkwardly. “Good morning…”

 

“You’re that Kim Namjoon?” She breathes a sigh of relief. From where she is, she throws her shoe over to the rack. It hits the floor with a loud bang before bouncing off. “And I was wondering what kind of weird guy you brought back home.”

 

I roll my eyes. “I’m not you,” I mutter under my breath. If she heard me, she doesn’t make any indication and flips her hair as she saunters into her room where she’ll probably pass out for the next few hours.

 

“What time is it?” Namjoon asks. Looking at him, I resist the urge to laugh at his silly bedhead. “What’s so funny?”

 

I stifle my laughter. “Almost five.”

 

“So early,” he manages to say through a yawn. He sniffs and stands stoned for a long moment before stretching. “That was a nice nap. But I should probably go back.”

 

Sneezing, I nod. “You can show yourself out, right? I’m going back to sleep.” I drag my feet over to the sofa pull back my blanket. The one I’d been using was so dusty I ended up kicking it away, sleeping with a thick hoodie over me instead.

 

“I’ll call you later in the morning?” He suggests as he puts on his shoes, frowning when I sneeze again.

 

I shake my head violently against that idea. “Call me in the afternoon. I’m not waking until the sun’s high in the sky.” With a lazy wave at him, I drag myself back into the room and concuss into my bed.

 

True to his word, my phone rings just past twelve noon.

 

“Hello?” I squeak into the receiver only to earn myself snorting from Namjoon.

 

“The sun’s pretty high up in the sky already, Sera. It’s time to wake up.”

 

I yawn, sneeze and cough consecutively. “What’s up?” Still huddled in my blanket, I roll around in bed.

 

“Get up, lazy head. I’ll be waiting at the tree, come when you’re ready. And remember to dress warmly.” And he hangs up on me. I’m still trying to grasp hold of what’s going on as I hold the phone to my ear, my eyes still sealed shut with sleep. Did he say to meet at the willow tree? Dragging my sleep-heavy feet out of bed, I take a quick shower before changing into a thick knitted sweater and ripped jeans.

 

How far is the tree from here again? Wadding some cash into my pocket, I bring only my phone and transportation card as I pull on my coat, slip into sneakers and leave the house.

 

It’s only a ten-minute bus ride down but I still manage to take a quick snooze on the way. I almost miss my stop but luckily a jerk of the vehicle wakes me up just in time. Alighting, I stick my hands into my coat pocket and slowly make my way through the dirt path towards the tree.

 

“Jjun!” I call out as I approach him, my nose itching for another sneeze. I wrap my coat tighter around myself. With a ladder and many tools lying around, he seems to be rather busy.

 

“You’re here?” He climbs down the ladder and waves me over. He pulls me closer but not before I throw another sneeze in his face.

 

Sniffing, I apologise. “Sorry. What’s with the mess?” I walk around to the other side, my eyes widening at what I’m seeing. Hanging from a sturdy branch is what looks like a swing, with a wooden plank suspending from the tree with thick ropes.

 

“I’m almost done with it,” he tells me. Reaching into his bag leaning at the foot of the tree, he pulls out a small packet of something and a bottle of water. “Cold medicine.”

 

I take the pills from him. “Thanks.” I cough a few times to clear my itchy throat before forcing two tablets down.

 

“You didn’t have to give me your blanket,” he says, back on top of the ladder and tightening knots of the rope of the branch.

 

I wave him off. “’Thanks’ would suffice. Besides, I had another blanket inside, and you have a weaker immune system than I. Or is it not like that now?”

 

“Thanks,” he offers, a cheeky grin on his face. Satisfied with his work, he jumps off the ladder and kicks his tools and materials aside. He waves me over. “Come sit and test this out.”

 

“Are you sure you made this properly?” I ask sceptically.

 

Rolling his eyes, he says, “Shall I go first, then?” He takes position on the swing and kicks off, flying high into the sky. The ropes hold on sturdily and I’ve got to admit the swing doesn’t look like it’s going to collapse anytime soon.

 

“My turn!” I jump, excitement bubbling within me. Namjoon waits until I’m seated properly before pushing me. Slowly at first but with each downswing, he pushes a bit harder and I swing a bit higher.

 

I don’t think I’ve felt this happy in a long time. Taking in the soft blue of the sky and the crisp green of the tree, it’s as if I’ve returned to when I was a kid. From squealing at the thrill of swinging to being solemnly silent, Namjoon stops me on my next downswing.

 

“What’s wrong?” He asks, coming around to stand in front of me.

 

I shake my head and smile up at him. “I feel like we’ve gone back in time,” I tell him honestly.

 

With a contented sigh, I bring my feet up onto the plank and with great balancing skill stand on the swing. Namjoon’s eyes widen as he rushes forward to hold onto me.

 

“What are you doing? Come down, it’s dangerous to stand like that.”

 

He might be saying something else too but I’m too distracted to focus. I look down at his warm hands supporting me on my waist. Noticing the inappropriateness, he clears his throat and takes his hands away, holding instead onto the ropes to make sure it doesn’t sway too much. Reminiscing of good old times aside, my insides warm up with a spark signifying what feels like a new beginning. With Namjoon standing close, I don’t have to jump down from the swing to reach him. Stretching out my arms, I throw myself into his chest for a hug. With the altitude difference from standing on the swing, I tower over him slightly. Have I mentioned how Namjoon has grown to be unbelievably tall?

 

“S-Sera,” Namjoon seems to have been slightly taken aback. I have, after all, been nothing but cold towards him before. Our short heart-to-heart chitchat last night might have triggered some kind of nostalgia in me. Despite the surprise, he composes himself quickly as he oh-so-gently returns the hug by wrapping his arms around me.

 

Breathing in the warm scent of his cologne, I can’t help but confess, “I’ve missed you, too, Jjun.”

 

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