~Natalie's POV~

They say that memory is a way of holding on to the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose. If there is one thing that I learned from my experiences in Korea, it is that you can never take those kinds of things for granted.

"All of the guys are here," Seunghyun informed me, "They...really wanted to see you again before we left."

I was at FT Island's dorm, for what might be the last time before I go home. They wouldn't rest until I had promised that I would come over. We were having a small celebration before their flight to Japan, and I knew we also had to say goodbye. I wasn't even sure if I was ready to say goodbye to them yet – I had never really imagined what it would be like. Being around all of them once again is what made me realize how important memories are.

Ever since I met FT Island, I seemed to only make things harder for them. I knew I had caused a lot of fighting between them, a lot of worrying, a lot of trouble. But it was moments like these – when everyone joined in on the chorus of laughter, the montage of smiles, the patchwork of pleasant conversation – which I knew I never wanted to let go of.

Jonghun popped open a bottle of sparkling cider, pouring everyone a glass of the fizzy juice. I laughed silently – of course Jonghun wouldn't have let us drink alcohol when I was still underage. "Here's...to us!" he stated simply, and everyone raised their glass in acknowledgement.

I looked around at everyone, busy in their own conversations, as I swirled the champagne flute around in my hand slightly. I shook my head with a smile as Seunghyun and Minhwan started a chugging competition, seeing who could finish their drink the fastest while Hongki and Jaejin timed them. I noticed Jonghun, who also didn't seem to be a part of the conversation. I caught his eye, and he came over to talk to me.

"So it's been a bit of a bumpy road, hasn't it?" he said, and I nodded.

"I guess everything just might work out after all," I said optimistically, and then was quiet for a moment as I thought. "Jonghun, I want to thank you."

He raised his eyebrow. "Thank me? For what?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. For everything, I guess. I'm going to miss you," I hugged him tightly, already feeling my eyes starting to sting.

He patted my back lightly. "You make it sound like we're never going to see each other again," he said, and when I faced him once more, the smile on his face was enough to reassure me. Of course I would see him again, I had to. Now in my mind, there was no other alternative. I didn't know when, but some day in the future, I knew we would meet again.

"Hey, you didn't forget about us now, did you?" Minhwan and Jaejin called out.

"It's exciting to be going to Japan again, but...we really are going to miss you," Jaejin said sadly.