"Are we going to be like this until midnight?" Soojung asked.
"Umm..no. i guess we have to talk." Taemin replied, scratching his head in embarassment because he was the one who initiated this meeting yet he said nothing since five minutes ago.
when soojung finally came, taemin was thinking deeply which made him unaware about her presence. He finally realized it when he lifted his hand and turned his head, seeing there's a girl sat beside him.
"What do you want to talk, oppa?" Soojung asked. she decided to break the awkward situation by acting as normal as ever even though it's quite hard.
"I want to explain something.." Taemin started. he looked less nervous after soojung called him with 'oppa'. It's been a while since the last time soojung called him properly. Starting from the day they had a quarrel, soojung didn't even mention his name or called him properly. She talked to him like talked to no one. Taemin really wished, it would be a good sign.
"explain?" she tilted her head, looking at him.
Taemin sighed. he took her hands and held it, making soojung surprised. but she didn't pull her hand back.
"Listen, soojung. I'm really sorry about what happened these years. i have to admit...yes, what you've said that night is true. i won't say no because i don't wanna lie to you...at least not anymore. i did hit on you because i saw you like her, making me feel like you're the substitute of her. but i swear, after getting to know you better..after we get closer, i found that you're different with her. you're not THAT same. so i started loving you the way you are. I love you as jung soojung, not jung soojung who is similar with...her. The memories about her still came accross my mind sometimes, but it's not like i still desperately want her back." Taemin paused. "so if you think that i never love you, that's just a nonsense accusation. i do love you, soojungie.." he looked at her eyes, confessing her feelings and hoping she'd understand that.
Soojung stunned. she never expected something like this would happen. she even prepared for the worst scenario and already memorized what to say if taemin dumped her.
"Soojungie..say something." Taemin pleaded with his slightly trembling voice.
"I--i don't know. i think you didn't lie." She finally managed to give her answer. Taemin nodded, feeling relieved because she understood his feelings.
"soojungie..i know i've been jerk..for hurting you back and forth yet you still bear with it. I feel guilty, really. so it's up to you now. i want you to be happy and i'll do anything for that. even if you want to dump me or hurt me or curse me, i don't care. as long you happy.." Taemin said. "what's the best solution?"
soojung remained silent. to be honest, she didn't really pay attention to what he said. Her mind was travelling anywhere.
"Soojung-ah...it's okay, you can say anything." Taemin's touch on her shoulder made her realize it's not the right time to think about others.
"Ah.." soojung huffed, feeling guilty because of it.
"do you want to break up with me but you're too afraid to tell that?" Taemin asked, eyes looking sad for a moment he said that.
"No!" Soojung blurted out, shaking her head violently. "We can't break up!!"
"Okay..relax soojung..relax.." Taemin got surprised because of her reaction. her reaction was a bit weird. Taemin smelled something's fishy but he didn't know why.
"Don't break up with me.." Soojung's eyes got teary, making taemin confused. "Please don't.." She added while started sobbing.
"Y-yah soojungie! who said i wanna break up with you??? I don't want to!" Taemin startled. he quickly pulled her in a tight embrace and started patting her back.  Soojung still sobbed, buried her face in taemin's chest without saying anything.
"You didn't listen to what i've said, did you?"
Soojung refused to answer but taemin knew the answer. He kept her hair and hushed her, asking her to stop crying. "It's okay.." He said.
soojung loosened her grip to taemin's jacket and looked at taemin. "I'm sorry.." She said. She looked tired somehow and she couldn't be focused.
"Are you okay? Did something happen?" He asked worriedly.
"No!" Soojung answer quickly, too quick in taemin's opinion.
'she hides something..' taemin thought but he decided to say nothing.
"so..we're getting back together?" Taemin asked "just wanna make sure."
"Yes." She nodded.
"Any terms and conditions?"
Soojung was silent for a moment then shook her head. "You're mature enough to know that you can't deceive someone twice because that's mean."
"I'll be honest to you starting from now." Taemin patted her head. "I'll answer all your questions honestly."
"After you broke up with her...have you met her? Or tried to look for her?" Soojung asked.
taemin froze because he didn't really like the topic.
"I never tried to look for her.." Taemin started answering her question. "But i accidentally met her...just now."
"What?" Soojung looked surprise. she turned to taemin, looking at him in disbelief.
"Yeah..when i waited for you, she was sitting here. i thought it's you so i approached her and..yeah we met." Taemin paused "i swear it's an accident."
"I know. i'm not upset." Soojung smiled weakly. "Did you guys....talk? I mean, since you guys are best friends and it's been a while."
"We were. we are no longer best friends." Taemin corrected her. "But yeah, we did. we talked about some stuffs. She talked, explained, and so on and so on and i listened. just like that."
"You didn't say anything, did you?" Soojung guessed.
"How did you know?"
"I know you, oppa." Soojung huffed. "You're too stubborn sometimes."
"You can't expect me to be nice to someone who hurted me." taemin sighed "even when she said she didn't do it on purpose.."
"What did she say?" Soojung asked.
"Can't we just change the topic? i don't feel like talking about her." Taemin groaned in frustration.
"You have to." Soojung insisted. "I want to hear the truth from yourself."
taemin sighed. since he didn't have any choice,  he started his story.

taemin and minjung sat together on the bench, looking at nowhere in unbreakable silence. taemin felt so awful and confuse at the same time. he wasn't ready for this day, the day he'd meet the one he loved, in the situation like this.
minjung looked calmer than taemin. she secretly looked at taemin before changing her gaze to other object. she didn't know the day like this would come this soon.
To be honest, she really expected it. she had many things to explain to taemin.
minjung didn't want to spend this preciou time with stupid silence, so she made a move first by asking a question.
"so, how's life?" she asked casually.
"i had better life before." he answered in sarcasm, making her lowered her head. She knew what was he talking about.
"minnie.." she started. "i want to explain."
"i don't need any explanation." he sounded tired. "can you please go away and never come back?"
"not until you let me explain. i don't want to live like this. feeling guilty all the time." minjung pleaded.
"it's over." taemin said. "no need to explain. i got it."
"no, you didn't!" she turned to him and her eyes started teary. she forced taemin to look at her, making taemin froze when her hands grabbed taemin's arms.
"sorry.." she quickly loosened her grips and let him go after seeing his reaction.
"10 minutes." taemin said.
"eh?" she turned to him.
"you have less than 10 minutes to talk before my girlfriend comes. so you'd better hurry." he said in a cold tone.
minjung bit her lips. she heard some rumour about taemin's relationship but she never knew it's true. when she heard it just now from taemin himself, it hurted her even more like there's a sharp knife stabbed her chest.
"a-ah okay. i'll explain." with forcing smile, she started her explanation.
"hmm.." taemin responded.
"i never really cheated on you." she started with those words, making taemin laughed with no humor in it.
"cool story." he hissed.
"listen to me before judging." she sighed. "something happened at that time.."
"what?"
"my dad was looking for me and coming back to home. he started doing the bad things again to mom and me." she shut her eyes, trying to calm down. Taemin realized her expression changed but he said nothing.
"i was so afraid, confuse, and didn't know what to do. i couldn't talk to you either because you're so busy and i didn't want to make you worry. So i hid it from you." she sighed.
Taemin remained silent. he gulped his hot chocolate and his expression changed when he gulped that literally "hot" chocolate. he schooled his expression and quickly stayed calm because he didn't want the girl beside him realized it.
"I--ran away from home with umma. we stayed with one of our relatives in japan for couple years before going back to korea." She paused "it's really hard at that time. umma was sick and needed a treatment so i worked from morning until midnight, hoping my mom would be okay after having a treatment but unfortunately, god took her last year."
"Sorry to hear that." Taemin commented. He felt sorry to hear her story because he never knew that she had a very hard time and many problems back then yet he always thought that she's a happy virus.
"Since then, i live alone and make a live for myself. thank god i have a proper job now so i don't have to work as hard as before."
Taemin didn't say anything. He stared at her blankly then quickly drifted his gaze away.
"Minnie..please say something." She pleaded, making taemin froze upon hearing that name. it's been a while since he heard that nickname.
"Don't call me with that name." Taemin his lips nervously. His heart stopped for a sec when he heard that.
"Sorry.." She lowered her gaze an bit her lips. Taemin sighed, knowing that her reaction meant she's so nervous.
"Done?" Taemin asked.
"What??" She looked at him.
"If you've done talking, i'm gonna leave. i need to meet my girlfriend in a few minutes." he told her coldly.
"Oh..okay." She weakly nodded. She quickly stood up and looked at taemin. "It was nice seeing you again after a while.." She forced a smile.

"And you let her go just like that??" Soojung looked at him in disbelief. "Really?"
"Yes.." Taemin slowly nodded. "That's the right thing to do."
"Oppa.." Soojung turned to him, looking at him seriously. "You have to forgive her."
"What?" Taemin's eyes widened upon hearing her words.
"Yes." Soojung nodded. "She had a hard time, oppa. You can't put a blame on her."
"I don't want to compare you with her, but you also had a hard time yet you never cheat on me." Taemin replied coldly.
"The situation is different, oppa. " soojung huffed. because i still have jongin with me, the one who's always be by my side.
Soojung's mind wandered around, thinking about what happened a few hours ago.
"Soojungie.." Taemin tapped her shoulder, making her startled a bit.
"A-ah yes."
"Daydreaming?" Taemin frowned, looking at her confusedly.
"No." She smiled weakly and mentally scolded herself for thinking about jongin in the situation like this. "I think you should befriend her again."
"What? are you serious?" Taemin's jaw almost dropped because of her.
"Definetely." Soojung nodded.
"I love you, soojung. I swear i'll do anything for you except this one." Taemin refused firmly. "Can we drop the topic? i think it's not the good one. why don't we go eat something and celebrate this day?" He offered. "I'm so happy to make it up."
"I'd love to." Soojung smiled, trying to look excited even though she didn't feel like celebrating anything.