GIA/MIRA'S POV:

A warm bead of teardrop rolled down my cheeks as I opened my eyes slowly. All these years, I have been living in the fear of never being free from the curse of reliving my tragic experience at the door of death himself. And because of that very reason, beauty sleep was never an option for me to obtain any sort of peace of mind. I even started to take large doses of caffeine every day, only to reduce the time I spent for sleep and spare any possibilities of agitation or anxiety attacks that followed.

However, ever since I met him, it feels as though that curse has been benevolently lifted off me. For the second time since five years, I was having new dreams and for the first time since then, the idea of sleeping didn't shake me anymore.

He had begun painting my nightmares into nascent memories.

Closing my eyelids once again, I sheltered the images and events from the earlier dream in the depth of my heart, in hopes of reminiscing them with him later. I realized after so long and so far of running from the trauma of this separation, I was finally in front of our destiny that can't be opposed. And for the first time in forever, I felt grateful to be blessed with such generosity.

"Gia-yah, ileona-soe? How are you feeling now?" Soo Yeon eonnie approached quickly and placed her palm on my forehead and cheeks as she checked the temperature of my body.

Taken aback by the unexpected appearance of VIXX's stylist, my eyes scanned the surrounding hurriedly to ensure of my whereabouts. The addictive scent that was adorned all over the bed from the soft cover of pillows till the tip of the sheets invaded my nostrils as I attempted to turn to my side and my senses recognized the owner of that familiar fragrance right away. However, the man in question was nowhere in sight and I was feeling very hesitant to ask the older staff about it as well.

So, I just sat there, fiddling with the sheets anxiously while I waited for her to finish texting and provide some sort of explanation about his uninformed absence.

"Why are you still there? I have to get you to meet a doctor before the boys return. You know you can't board the flight back to Korea if you're sick... Are you feeling alright or is it hard to move or something, Gia-yah?" She rushed back towards me in extreme concern as I shook my head slowly.

"Anieyo, eonnie... I'm feeling better now. Where... have they gone to? I thought we were all going back together today. Isn't the next concert scheduled in about another week's time?" I was unknowingly biting my lower lip as a tonne of possible answers flooded my own brain and they were not pleasant at all.

"Oh... Maj-a! We have another week till Osaka concert. Today they have gone to perform at this show called Asia Progress 2017 but this one was added last minute and I totally forgot to inform you earlier. So, only you will be flying back tonight. The boys will not be back at Korea until the 25th and you really need to see a doctor before the flight. Otherwise, we're both going to get an earful from Ravi. Ppalli!"

I felt my whole body freeze for a moment, then flutter right away at the mention of his name alone. And a small spark joy lightened up my mood as I learned that he'd assigned his stylist to look after me since he couldn't do it personally. However, the fact that I won't be able to see him for possibly another week still burned me badly.

Hesitantly, I got off the bed with the help of the stylist and we retreated to my room. Before leaving me to freshen up, she returned my phone and I instantly noticed the purple light that indicated unread notifications. A pleasant smile graced over my face as I read the message and my hands instantly clutched the device closer to my chest.

"I'm sorry I'll be out working for the rest of this week.
Please get proper treatment and rest well till then.
We'll talk when I get back home, algesseo?
See you later, Mira-yah.

~WONSHIK"

★★★ 

"TWO WEEKS? What kind of excursion lasts a fortnight? Andwae! I'm not allowing you to go." The boy stated in upset as he crossed his arms sternly.

"Ah wae...? Everyone from my class are going and I'll be isolated even more if I don't go too." I whined but he only shook his head strictly.

"ANDWAE! That San Ha and her mean gang were already picking on you in the school and I'm not willing to spare any chance for them to bully you out in an open excursion like that. Trust me, Mira-yah! It's better that way. Plus you're going to graduate in a few months, so what they think of you shouldn't matter anymore."

Although his words were rational and I did understand the worry and wariness in his tone, my defiant teenage hormones were screaming to rebel. Hence, I got up right away and objected in a firm tone.

"ANI! I am going for this trip and that's it. You don't get to decide every single thing for me, Kim Wonshik-shi. I am not a child. I am eighteen and I know what I'm doing. Are you jealous because I get to go on a trip while all you do is practice?"

Unintended train of words escaped my mouth as I protested in anger without thinking rationally of the damage they could cause the person they were directed to. Visibly unhappy with my stubbornness, he got up to his feet and towered over my tiny figure with his rather taller and broader one. At first, I spotted anger in his eyes but that instantly switched color to genuine concern the moment they met mine. He took a deep breath before softly grabbing both my wrists like he usually did when he wants to persuade.

"It's not what I meant. I'm not deciding for you but I'm only looking out for you. Watching you attend the same school with those bullies was already a torture for me and you have no idea about how frantic and frustrated I felt every single day until I saw you again after school. I'm not stopping you because I feel jealous, Mira-yah. I'm just afraid I can't protect you that way." His gorgeous eyes were glooming with concern. Guilt slapped me hard right away as I immediately felt ashamed of my immature attitude.

"Mian-hae..." I apologized in remorse but the boy only smiled and pulled me along with him to sit back on the lush ground that laid amidst the large canola field.

"You know what my first ambition was, right?" He asked, with my hands still in his.

"To become a bodyguard for your sister?" I answered in a low voice as he grinned even wider.

"That's right but you know what Mira-yah...," he slightly drew my hands forward, causing me to glance up at him as he presented his handsome smile, "...I wish I could become your bodyguard too. So, that I can be with you all the time and protect you." I smiled a little at his cute confession but realism crept into my head right away as it gave light to plain pessimism.

"Well... you can't be with me all the time. What if I have to go somewhere really far away or say, something unfortunate happens to me?"

"YAH! CHOI MIRA! I TOLD YOU NOT TO SAY THINGS LIKE THAT ANYMORE!" He let go of my hands and knocked my head in upset but I could only smile at him. I've brought this topic up for quite a few times now and his reaction never changed at all. Taking his warm hands in mine, I touched his dulled face as he looked at me with teary eyes.

"Life is full of unexpected incidents, Won-ah. See, I didn't expect to be abandoned or grow up without a family, but it still happened. I certainly didn't even think of meeting someone like you or growing emotionally attached to you but it did happen. 'We' did happen, right?"

"But that's different..." He tried to protest but I silenced him by placing my finger on his lips as they trembled a little beneath my touch.

"No matter how much effort or hopes you put into something, the moment you get distracted, it'll be over. I'm just telling you to be prepared for every unexpected events of life without fear, Won-ah. Sooner or later you'll debut and there'll be a lot of things awaiting in that career pathway. You'll have to be readily armored in order to face all difficulties thrown your way in both life and profession. If you can't even accept smaller issues like how you can't protect me all the time, how will you face larger conflicts?"

The boy had his head hung low with his baseball cap covering half of his beautiful face as he remained unspoken. I knew that my words carried pretty heavy weight but somehow I felt the urge to acknowledge him of the seriousness of them. As if something unpleasant was really in store for us in the future and I don't really know why. Moving closer to him, I caressed his face with care and spoke the words in my mind.

"You have to be ready from now on, Won-ah. Start with me. Accept that you can't be there for me all the time. Let's say, if something happens to me, don't stop, don't ever look back and just go into a future without me, run forward towards your dreams. You must learn to let go, Won-ah. That way you will become stronger. Algesseo?"

I waited for him to reply but all I got was a silent stream of teardrops as they glided over my hands and the sight broke my heart. I wanted to kiss the sadness off his heart but I held back the urge because the boy hasn't seen this world through my eyes. And he needed to learn accepting such harsh realities of life because I didn't want him to suffer like I did.

However, he was losing the glow in his gorgeous eyes because of the weightiness my words wielded and I couldn't stand it anymore. In attempt of lightening the mood, I squeezed his cheeks together as he squinted at me in startle.

"Yah, Kim Wonshik! If you'd thought crying would stop me from going for the trip, then you're so wrong!"

"Yah, who's crying? Mosquito went inside my eyes!" He objected adorably while wiping his tear stained face as I watched him without blinking. After a few minutes of memorizing his beautiful face in silence, I fell on my back and he did the same too while we laid amidst the canola field. His hand instantly found mine and our fingers intertwined like habit as he suggested out of nowhere.

"Let's go back to Gangwon-do next season, Mira-yah. It's been a really long while since we last played in the mountains."

"Yah... I was simply kidding about the trip, okay? You just got chosen for the debut candidate lineup training. You need to concentrate on that." I tried to pull my hand from his grip as I got up but he yanked me back and I fell right into his arms. Drawing me closer, the boy secured my smaller body in his strong embrace and asked ardently again.

"Aniya... I can't promise anymore dates if I really get chosen for the final lineup so let me take you to this one. Let's go to that place where everything began, Choi Mira." I could feel him smiling.

"Geurae... Let's go to Gangwon-do."

★ 

"Gangwon-do..." I repeated the words again.

"Mworago-yo? Kang Dongwon? Soelma! Eonnie, are you dreaming of Kang Dongwon?" My overexcited roommate exclaimed eagerly as she ran out of the room screaming to the rest of the housemates that I was having some weird dream about this Kang person whom I don't really know to be honest. Pushing the sheets away in hurry, I chased after my screaming roomie in attempt of saving my almost ruined image.

"Yah! Yah! Yah! It wasn't Kang Dongwon but Gangwon-do, pabo-ya!" I pulled the younger girl by her ear as she trailed after me, yelling in pain. Hearing her high pitched screams, Sorim emerged out of the kitchen in a hurry and followed into our room as well.

"Yah! I can't believe how you can scream at such high octave despite being the... OUCH!" Jiwon suddenly kicked Sorim's shin as the girl yelped in startle without completing her sentence. After a solid moment of silent eye contact, Sorim kicked her back and out of nowhere, an intense Shin Kicking Battle began between them while I could only laugh at their childishness.

"OMG! Stop it before you both get serious injuries, girls. Geuman-hae!" I grabbed both of their ears and dragged them towards the couch, where they finally settled down like nice kids. As I watched them continue to poke each other playfully, I couldn't help but remember how much I've missed both these beagles during the few days I spent at Japan.

Right then, the sound of my message tone stole our attention as I took note of the new incoming message that I have been waiting for since the day I landed back in Korea. Although I was truly eager and totally excited to get any kind of response from him at last, it was still upsetting to think that it took him one whole week before finally contacting me.

I knew that he was caught up with the whole Daydream Concerts and even Asia Progress all at once whereas I was deemed unwell to continue with the rest of their schedule due to the extreme stunt I pulled in Tokyo. And was sent back to Seoul on speed mail to receive further medical attention.

However, now he was finally back and it still made me feel extremely elated to hear from him again. Smiling to myself, I replied immediately and twirled around in delight but only to find my loud roommate and lousy housemate staring at me with eyebrows raised in suspicion. In a swift, Jiwon sprinted towards me and snatched my phone but thanks to my quick reflexes, I foresaw her move beforehand and locked the device before she could get her curious hands on it.

"AH, JI AH EONNIE...!" She whined while placing the device back on the dressing table and flopped onto the bed.

"Now