“You all packed to go home, (Y/N?)”, your mom asks you gently. You’re surprised how much less critical she’s been on you recently.

              “Yep! I got everything packed this time.” You add a wink for good measure. “You know, I already miss Eric. He was really nice to me.” Eric had gone back to the Yuehua dorms the day after that emotional talk with him.

              “Speaking of him,” your mom adds, “he talked to me a few days ago. I really shouldn’t be so critical of you. I’m sorry.” She wraps you in a hug, and the tears start forming in your eyes again.

              “I’m sorry too, Mommy.” You weep, returning your mom’s embrace. “I’ll try to be a better daughter for you.”

              As you and your mom are about to say goodbye to Mrs. Lee and walk into customs, a young male’s voice calls out behind you, “(Y/N)! (Y/N)!”

              “Eric! What?! How did you – “ You’re too flabbergasted to speak coherently. “But I thought you were at Yuehua?”

              “Nahh, I just took a break to say goodbye to you. I left a bit… suddenly last time.” Relaxing your muscles, you smile widely and tackle him in a hug. “Acch, (Y/N), you’ve really gotten stronger, haven’t you?”

              “Are you still not over that nametag elimination game?” you tease Eric, practically pinning him to the wall. 

              “What? Of course –“ you notice Eric’s gaze is directed to the floor. He’s blushing a little.  “Actually, nope, you better come back here someday so I can win against you properly next time!”

              “Thank you,” you say softly, hugging him again. “Thank you for letting me stay with you and get to know you better. And thank you for the encouragements. I definitely needed those.” You let go, looking him in the eyes, and notice he’s welling with tears. So are you. “Hey, will we get to see each other again after you debut? Or even contact each other? I know you’ll be pretty busy.”

              “I will be busy,” Eric remarks sadly. “But I’ll still be contactable via KakaoTalk. There’s always going to be some time to just chill and catch up with my family and my friends. Here, can I add you?” You gladly add your newly created KakaoTalk account to his friends list.  "I know you'll do a lot of great things, (Y/N). Just stay positive, work hard, and be patient, okay? Psst, and watch my V-lives too!" He gives you a nice pat on the back. 

              “Hey, (Y/N), we should head into customs now before we miss our flight!” your mom interrupts your emotional moment.

              “Good luck with your debut!” You hug Eric one last time, and by the end of it all, both of your shirts are damp with each other's tears. “Don’t forget me, okay?”

              “Bye, (Y/N)!” Eric waves back at you, not stopping until you’ve disappeared completely.