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"Hyung, why do you have tea kettles on all four of our stove's burners?"

"I'm boiling water."

I could practically feel Jimin's glare through the back of my head. As usual, I paid very little attention to it.

"Yes, that much I inferred myself," he remarked dryly. "I meant why."

I hardly gave him a second glance, acting unusually nonchalant for such a situation. "A fan went up to Anna the other day and gave her this huge tea sampler set, asking that she shares it well with me and her friends. So I'm boiling all of the water for us."

"...Anna's coming over?"

"Yeah," I nodded. "Is that a problem?"

"No, no, I'm just...," he started, looking at me like I'd just revealed I was the reincarnated Albert Einstein. "Surprised."

"Why?"

"Well, she's only been here for a week or so. I wasn't sure you'd even go after her, let alone so soon," he explained. I sighed, putting my tablet down on the coffee table.

"Honestly, I didn't think I would, either. I was so convinced that she'd tossed me to the side, you know that. But Hoseok convinced me to reach out to her so I did and she was really open to it," I told him, my last statement still coming as a surprise to me. "She was really open to me."

"She was?" He questioned, though he didn't sound nearly as surprised as he did before. In fact, it didn't seem like he was actually asking me anything. "What happened after that?"

"I took her out to dinner." 

"Wow, jumping right to it, I see," he smirked, though clearly very impressed by my news. "And how'd that go?"

"It went... really well. Like nothing had changed," I recounted, a fond smile working its way onto my face. "I had such a good time, and I think Anna did, too."

"I'm sure she did," he easily agreed before rolling his eyes at my confused face. "Jeez, I don't know if being with Anna made your more modest or something but you've gotten so dense. I may not be as close to her as some of the others but hyung, whether or not she's still fully in love with you, you mean the world to her. She really cares about you and it's unbelievably obvious, which is why I'm blown away that you can't see it."

"I saw it last night," I admitted, my eyes twinkling at the memory of her smile and her admiring eyes on me as I told her of all I'd been doing since she'd gone to America. "I don't know if it's still love either - hell, it probably isn't after all of this time - but something was different last night. Every time I used to see her at concerts or whatever, knowing that we'd have to split up again anyway, there was so much tension between us. But that wasn't there last night. Everything felt so comfortable and free-spirited, it didn't feel like I had anything to worry about."

Jimin thought about it before looking at me seriously. "Maybe you don't."

Before I could ask him what he was getting at, I heard the jingling of keys at the front door. We both knew that there was only one person with access to walk through that front door with keys but we didn't expect he'd be dragging someone with him.

"Look who I found!"

Lo and behold, trailing behind our lively third roommate was Anna, a sheepish smile on her face, as if she felt she was invading. Hoseok had taken the liberty of carrying the large tea box for her and took off towards the kitchen to put it on the counter.

"Sorry, I know I told you I'd call you when I got here but-"

"But Hoseok got to you first," I finished for her knowingly. "Trust me, I understand. No harm in having you here early anyway."

"Good, I'm glad," she commented pleasantly, a humble smile gracing her face. She then turned to the only roommate she hadn't reunited with yet, her smile not once fading. They came together in a warm, familiar embrace. "Jimin, how are you?"

"Pretty good," he said simply, reciprocating her affection.

"And your back? How's that doing?"

I quirked an eyebrow in my own personal sentiment of surprise. I didn't realize she'd heard of the small injury he'd attained about a year ago.

"I hardly even notice it anymore. Three good months of taking special care of it did the trick," he mused. 

"You looked like you were in a lot of pain last time I saw you so I'm glad to hear you're back in good shape again."

"Well, I wouldn't say good shape."

The two laughed as I watched on the sidelines. Although it was a fact that they had seen each other within the past three months, I still found it remarkable how naturally Anna was able to get back into the swing of things at SKEES. As was the case with myself, she so easily held a conversation with an old friend she rarely saw. I knew she kept close contact with Hoseok and Jungkook so I couldn't gather such information from their interactions with her but she and Jimin only spoke when they were assigned to the same event or job - and that wasn't necessarily very often anymore.

It saddened me that she had probably always been this way, even when she was seeing that other guy. I hadn't even given her a chance to prove herself. I immediately jumped to conclusions and assumed she had changed. And she was the last person who deserved that.

"Yoongi?"

"Hm?" I hummed, refocusing on the present. "Did you say something?"

"I asked if you wanted to start making the tea yet. Or would you wanna wait a little bit?" Anna repeated what I'd been too dazed to hear.

"Oh, uh," I stuttered before straightening up. "We can make it now, if you'd like."

"I would," she confirmed happily before turning to our mutual friend. "Are you gonna join us, Jimin?"

"Do I really have a choice? You guys are taking up a chunk of our dorm," he teased, serving as his answer. Anna chuckled.

"What about J-Hope?"

"Of course I'm joining you guys," said man remarked as he entered the room, inadvertently revealing his eavesdropping ways. "One of my favorite people in the world is back home, how could I not?"

Back home. I glanced over at Anna following his slip of the tongue only to find that his words hadn't fazed her at all. At least, I couldn't tell if they had. She merely grinned before following Jimin into the kitchen to tend to the hot water, leaving me alone with Hoseok in the living room. I felt his fixated eyes on me.

"What is it?"

"You guys really are on good terms," he remarked in pleasant surprise. "She had told me so but I almost didn't believe her. I had to see it with my own eyes."

"You could've seen it earlier if she wasn't so damn busy," I commented half jokingly and half seriously before lowering my voice. "Some hiatus this is."

"Have you talked to her about it?"

I glanced over at him peculiarly. "About what?"

"About why she's been so busy."

"No, I didn't think anything of it. All she told me was that Director Jung keeps calling her in to see him," I explained to him, eyeing him with suspicion. It seemed like he knew something I didn't. "Why? Did she tell you something different?"

It was easy to tell that he did in fact know something I didn't. Hoseok was never very discrete. He hesitated before opening his mouth to say something. What it was, I'd never know as Anna herself popped into living room to tell us that she and Jimin brewed up a few different tea mixes.

"You mean, you dipped a few different teabag flavors into hot water," I pointed out teasingly, earning a playful glare from the brunette. 

All the while, J-Hope trailed behind us, watching us with knowing eyes.

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It felt like dinner all over again, just much less intimate. The four of us sat around the living room, half-empty mugs and tea kettles littering every surface as Anna told all of her tales from America. Some were repeats of what I'd already heard at dinner while others were completely new to me. But I didn't enjoy any single one less than the others, regardless.

"Don't get me started on the paparazzi over there, either," she said amidst her fuel from a rather entertaining rant about the negatives of America. "Not only do they not leave you alone, but they exaggerate everything."

I chuckled. "You know that happens here, too, right?"

"Shh, I'm on a roll here," she quieted me, urging more chuckles out of me. I leaned back in my chair, giving her a go to continue. "Anyway, that behavior wasn't only orchestrated by paparazzi. Seems like anyone can be a leech, including a boyfriend."

"You're not talking about Terrance, are you?" Hoseok asked, stimulating hidden disgust within me at the usage of the dreaded ex-boyfriend's name. He frowned when she nodded. "It looked like you guys were in love!"

"Based on the pictures, of course we did," she pointed out, sighing at the reminder of such an irritating previous matter. "That's what I mean, everything is exaggerated. Everything."

"So, you mean the relationship wasn't actually all that good?"

"Relationship? It was a complete sham," she revealed, tossing back some of her tea like it was a shot of alcohol. "A publicity stunt, if you will."

"What?" Hoseok gasped, feeling slightly betrayed. "You didn't tell me that."

J-Hope hadn't followed my lead of cutting contact with her. In fact, the two of them talked almost daily, even if it was limited to just a few exchanges. I assumed that he had thought Anna had kept him updated on everything, which she clearly had not. But while he felt betrayed by the new news, I was filled with joy.

"I shouldn't be telling any of you guys about it at all. But I honestly couldn't care less anymore."

"Why? What happened?"

"He was technically a nice guy, don't get me wrong. We were actually friends before anything happened, which was part of the reason why our PR reps decided to pair us together. He was starring in an upcoming film and I was the leading the vocalist on its soundtrack so it was perfect for the film's publicity," she explained, switching her attention to the half-empty mug Jimin had just put down, hoping for a taste of its contents. Hoseok haphazardly reached for his own mug, his eyes locked on her so he could catch every detail.

"But he was just - I don't even know the right word," she continued, her lips pressing together in thought. "Slimy? Disloyal? Attention-seeking?"

"Explain," Hoseok urged, sounding like a housewife desperate for gossip between his command and the way in which he sipped at his tea afterwards.

"He leaked all of these stories and moments of ours to the press, to his friends, to fans on Twitter, you name it. Mind you, these stories were just as fabricated as our relationship."

"So, he lied to everyone about what may or may not have been going on in your 'relationship' just for attention?" I concluded, even more irritated by this man than before. 

"Yes, which I wouldn't have minded had he been telling nice things. You know, like cute dates he took me on, visiting each other at our jobs, meeting family members. Things that don't ruin reputations," she told us before heaving a wary sigh. "Instead, he'd tell all of these vague stories to the public that implied me trying drugs with him or having kinks or fighting other women over him. I've even had some of his friends ask me all these really weird and embarrassing things that they thought I did or we did."

"Like what?"

"You know, totally innocent things like and role playing and me being a dominatrix. And that's just the ual things," she answered Jimin's question. The look on said boy's face in reaction was priceless. "Wishing you didn't ask?"

"Very much so."

"What an ," Hoseok verbalized what I had been thinking.

"I can't disagree. But it's all in the past now. We both got the publicity our reps wanted and went on our own ways," she finished off the story, dismissing it like it was nothing. I admired her ability to move on.

"So, any other things you forgot to tell me?" Hoseok interrogated stubbornly, showing off his inability to move on. "Another boyfriend? A marriage, perhaps?"

"No, no," she laughed, waving her hand in front of her to reiterate that. "No, there really... was no one else for me."

I didn't miss the way her eyes flickered over to me for just a millisecond. And it seemed I wasn't the only one either. Jimin and Hoseok exchanged minuscule glances before simultaneously getting to their feet, their minds working in tandem.

"Well, Hoseok and I wanted to do some food shopping before we run too low on things. Either of you guys need anything?"

Slick. Real slick.

"I'm good, thanks," Anna politely declined, leaving it unclear whether or not she had caught onto the mischief behind their actions

If she was aware, she did a good job of pretending she wasn't. Her eyes landed on me, waiting nonchalantly until I declined their offer as well. And with nothing else to wait for, the two had taken off in the blink of an eye, leaving Anna and I alone. I hadn't been alone with her since dinner, and that was before I knew that the relationship I'd worried so much about was a sham. My mind was in all new places - better places, at that.

"This probably won't come as a surprise to you but I think the green tea was my favorite," she spoke up, preventing a possible awkward silence from filling up the room. I smiled at her revelation.

"Some things never change," I chuckled. That was certainly proven true these past few weeks.

"Like you," she took the liberty to say. "You haven't changed much since I left."

"Is that a good thing?"

"Well, considering I loved you, I would safely say yes," she concluded. I tried not to linger on her past-tensed use of the word 'love'.

"Well, if I never changed and you loved me then, that must mean you still love me now," I joked to ease the sting, exaggerating the humor so she could understand that a joke was all I was pretending it was. But she knew me and she wasn't buying it.

"Yoongi, I have something to tell you."

Her face had shifted from its expression of casual pleasure to one of complete seriousness. The last time I was in a situation like this, it didn't end well. I had no idea what to expect but I feared I would yet again be disappointed.

"What is it?" I asked, feigning a calm and cool composure. The only assurance I had was that she didn't look necessarily worried. She just wasn't fooling around anymore.

"You asked me at dinner when I was going back to America."

"Yeah, to which you gave me an extremely vague answer that didn't actually answer anything," I recalled teasingly, still trying to remain light-hearted. She nodded.

"That's because I didn't know. And I still don't," she admitted, though it still didn't clarify anything for me. I said nothing, waiting for her to continue. "But what I do know is that I wasn't entirely happy in America. Being back with my family was indescribably wonderful and I was striving in a country that didn't hesitate to skyrocket me into stardom. If I thought I had achieved my dreams here in Korea, I had no idea what was in store for me in America. And yet, something was still missing."

It seemed that I was listening patiently on the outside but on the inside, I was hanging on the edge of my seat waiting for her to continue. It was outstanding, the things she could do to me.

"It was you. I was missing you. I had finally fallen in love with someone, someone who couldn't have been anymore of what I wanted and needed, and then I lost him. I lost you. And being in America showed me that that was something I couldn't accept."

"I thought about you everyday. When I was in the studio working on music, I longed to have you in the seat next to me like old times. When I received awards, my Grammy even, I wished you were at my side congratulating me and beckoning me to go up and accept the honor - but not without the proudest and most happy of kisses. When I'd pose in public with Terrance, I'd imagine it was your arm wrapped around my waist instead of his and your smile beaming down at me for the cameras. And at the end of the day, I realized that the piece preventing me from feeling like I had it all was you," she revealed, her emotions fully invested in every one of her words. "I went to America in search of my happiness. What I didn't realize was that I had left a major piece of that behind in Korea and for the last few years, I've regretted it."

"So, what are you telling me?" I asked almost voicelessly. "What does this mean?"

"It means that I've decided to make some adjustments to my job," she explained. She took a deep breath. "And I'm moving back here. To Korea."

"What?" I blurted. I was left totally dumbfounded and caught even more off-guard. "But what about America? How can you leave all your success there behind?"

She shook her head, giving me a wise smile. "I won't be leaving it behind. I'll be bringing it with me."

"And your family? What about them?"

"The apartment I've leased to live in is big enough to accommodate them and more. And I won't reveal how much money I've made but I will tell you that I've managed it well enough to fly them out to visit when they can," she explained. "Only my sister's been to Korea and she loved it, so it's safe to say that all three of my family members were happy to accept this plan."

"And what about work? You're not just gonna give up being Annabelle, are you?"

"No, of course not! But I'm almost 24 now, I wouldn't mind slowing down a little bit," she admitted, reminding me of what I'd definitely forgotten. It still felt like she was the 19-year-old American who'd come here in hopes of a future and I was the 23-year-old man who became a part of that for some time. "I'll obviously still travel around but with ample amounts of success behind me, I don't mind working out of Korea. And I've actually been talking to Director Jung about becoming a mentor for artists here who plan on transferring over to the American base. He basically hired me for the job on the spot."

I stared at her so awestruck that my jaw might as well have been on the floor. I slowly took it all in, every part of it. I kept looking for a reason to tell her that her decision was rash and naive so I could prove to her that I wouldn't be selfish this time. I wanted to tell her that staying in America was what was best for her future but I couldn't find that to be the case. Neither choice seemed wrong but I couldn't disagree with her that one seemed better for her now that she'd come so far.

But there was one question that had yet to be answered.

"What about us?" I gave her my final inquiry. I saw something shift in her expression. "Before you left, you told me that you'd wait until the day you'd get to call me your boyfriend. You said that there was no one else for you. Has that changed?"

It felt like I had waited an eternity for her answer when it was really only a couple of seconds. But this was so important to me because despite my own leap to stardom, I, too, found myself missing something I needed. Someone, to be exact.

She smiled again and in that moment, I felt like we had jumped back to four years ago. Four years ago, when the arrival of an extraordinary American girl ignited the unexplainable feeling that things were about to happen. Great things. 

"Some things never change."