Different thoughts scrambles in Sehun's mind. Scenes from the past. Jongin's lame jokes. Their childish fights and truces. Then he practices how to start a conversation with Jongin tomorrow. What topic he must open up to keep Jongin's interest. He think of bringing Jongin on the shore and watch the stars like they used to do. He wants to do a lot of things. 

 

'It's destiny'

 

Baekhyun's words keep replaying in his mind. He wants to believe it's destiny. And a strong determination bubbles up inside him. He tosses aside the blanket covering him,quietly open his door and peek outside before he slowly goes down the stairs to the kitchen.

 

He opens the fridge and praises the heaven above there's two bags of chicken inside. Jongin loves chicken. Now he regrets how he didn't manage to learn cooking anything. He could have perfected lots of dishes in those ten long years instead of dying in depression and could have cook something for Jongin like now. Regrets! Regrets!

 

He swipes his fingers on his phone screen and type in 'how to fry chicken' on the search tool.

 

"Okay!" He claps his hand as he reads the steps in one go. 

 

The light slowly creeps on the dark environment and the sun rises. Suho is the first to wake up and the smell of something burning caught his senses and hasten his steps to the kitchen. He found Sehun picking the burnt chicken separately from the edible ones.

 

"Goodmorning.."

 

Sehun jumps in surprise and almost drops the chicken's wing in his hand.

 

"You surprised me. Good--good morning. Did you sleep well?"

 

"Yeah..You're cooking?"

 

"Uhm- - yes," Sehun smiles shyly, "I'm almost done. There's the coffee while I prepare our breakfast."

 

"You need help?"

 

"No,it's ok. Thanks anyway."

 

Suho nods and prepares himself a coffee. Sehun sighs and thankful it's not Jongin. But the chicken his holding sadly lands on the floor when Jongin's voice greeted him.

 

"Sorry!" Jongin apologizes as he pick the chicken leg poorly lying beside Sehun's feet.

 

"I'm really sorry I shouldn't have barge in here this- - -"

 

"It's ok. It's not your fault I easily freak out."

 

"You cook?"

 

"Uhm- - maybe. I thought you guys would love to have chicken in breakfast. And it's a shame if we let you eat crackers and coffee at your first breakfast here with us."

 

"I love chicken!"

 

I know.  Sehun mentally pat himself.

 

"Hey you got some- - - " Jongin pointed Sehun's chin. The latter wipe his chin but he forgot his hand is still covered in flour smudging more in his chin.

 

"Here." Jongin takes a napkin on the table and wipes the flour in Sehun's chin. "There, you're fine now."

 

Sehun lowers his head to hide the pink stain slowly creeping all over his face.

 

"I'll leave first. Goodluck!" Kai decides to not disturb him further and left.

 

Only when Jongin left Sehun can breath normally.

 

Jongdae exaggeratedly gasps his breath when he sees two large plates filled with fried chicken,french toast,fried rice and fresh strawberry milk on the table.

 

"Is my mom here?" He asks Suho who just giggles.

 

"Wow Suho I didn't knew you could cook.." Baekhyun asks entering behind the door.

 

"Nope, I eat can goods all my life."

 

"Then Jong- - uhm- - I mean Kai prepared this? WOAH?!"

 

"I can eat but can't cook..It's Sehun-ssi."

 

"WHAT?!!" Both Jongdae and Baekhhyun scream. 

 

Sehun goes out with cleaner hands and face , "Goodmorning everyone. Let's have breakfast now."

 

"Wait,Sehun you did this?Wow but I didn't hear the truck left. Where did you bought all of this?"

 

"Jongdae hyung I cook them myself."

 

"Owww?! yeah right! I'll cut my own hands if you can fry a single chicken wing.."

 

"I saw him cooking it himself.." Suho blurts.

 

"Me too." Kai seconded.

 

"Have your hand be ready to be chopped hyung!" Sehun beams at Jongdae.

 

"Wait guys let me taste it first, " Baekhyun takes a single piece on the plate, "Let me sacrifice my life since he's my cousin if I die in food poison."

 

"Ha! Ha! Ha! very funny hyung. Fine don't eat!" Sehun threatens to take away the plates on the table.

 

"Wait! just kidding! c'mon Suho-ssi, Kai-ssi have a seat."

 

Sehun snorts and sits beside Baekhyun.

 

They all silently take bites on the food infront of them while Sehun is waiting for their reaction especially from Jongin. He celebrates inside when he sees Jongin take another large bite of the chicken.

 

Atleast there's something that didn't change. He thought.

 

"So,any particular place you wishes to visit in this village?" Jongdae asks.

 

"Where do you guys work? I mean your workplace?" Suho asks.

 

"Me and Sehun stays at the clinic the whole day. But sometimes,we spend time at the school with the kids since it's a few meters away from the clinic. Sehun teaches the kids music instruments and dance. I teach them to sing sometimes. Jongdae here do nothing as in nothing."

 

"hey that's not true! I drive you guys everyday!"

 

Baekhyun rolls his eyes to Jongdae.

 

"Wow. You guys are amazing. No wonder the villagers love you." Kai says amused.

 

Sehun secretly trace his eyes to every part of Jongin's feature. His pitch black hair, his deep dark eyes that curves upward when he laughs, his prominent nose, and Sehun hold his breath when his eyes lands on those pair of enchanting lips.

 

"Is it delicious Sehun-ah?" Jongdae asks with a teasing smile after he caught Sehun.

 

"huh?" Sehun feels like a bucket of cold water splashes into him. 

 

Everyone's looking at him now. Jongin's eyes expecting and waiting while his mouth's munching. He take a bite on the chicken his holding and pretends to savor the meat.

 

"Yes,delicious." He replies shooting a deathly glare to Jongdae who's smiling like a psycho.

 

-------

 

Kai wants to experience riding the truck so Jongdae volunteers himself to ride on Suho's convertible. Baekhyun and Kai are sitting on the front while Sehun on the back watching Kai being amazed by the outside view. He doesn't notice Baekhyun looking  at him on the rearview mirror.

 

"So Kai-ssi?.."

 

"Huh?"

 

"Is it your first time to live in country side?"

 

"In my ten years,yeah..I spend all my life,the one that I can remember, in Seoul, Tokyo, and Italy. This place is so different,so refreshing.."

 

"If you don't mind me asking,what do you mean by 'the ones you could remember'?"

 

Sehun doesn't make it obvious that his ears perks out and anticipating Jongin's answer.

 

"Well. I had an accident ten years ago and all my memories were erased."

 

"Ow..That's sad..Don't you have any flashbacks or fragments of your past memories coming back to you sometimes?"

 

Sehun wants to punch Baekhyun cause it made his heart thump wildly.

 

"Hmmn. Nothing. My real parents told me there's really nothing worth remembering from my past,"

 

Sehun's heart sinks and turns his head away to hide the pain in his eyes.

 

"But sometimes I try to remember atleast something. I got this feeling that there's something missing,something I really want to remember and it frustrates me that I couldn't no matter how I try."

 

"Ow. I hope you remember it soon." Baekhyun checks on Sehun at the back.

 

Sehun carefully blinks away the tears threatening to fall down. There are thousands of butterflies flying inside his stomach. 

 

--------

 

They drop first on the clinic. Suho interrogates Baekhyun about his field and both shared an interest to traditional medicine where Baekhyun finds to be weird for a lawyer. Sehun left the four while he checks on the boxes of medicines delivered from Seoul.

 

"Is it hard?"

 

He's startled when Jongin suddenly speaks behind him.

 

"The what?"

 

"Being a doctor? I took Engineering and Business management. But I think medicine is the hardest profession. You must be really really smart."

 

"Uh--not really. It's my parents choice. They're both doctors so they want me to follow their steps. And I love kids so gradually I learn to love this profession."

 

"You're married?"

 

"Huh?!"

 

"That," Jongin pointed his finger to the ring on Sehun's.

 

"Ow..Uhm- - No I'm not married. Someone special gave this to me." He says looking at Jongin intensely.

 

"Ow, is that someone the reason you were- - -sick? when we first met?"

 

Sehun hesitates to answer but he realizes this is the perfect timing for him to penetrate to Jongin's memory. He doesn't care anymore if it's too early to make Jongin remember him.

 

"Yeah..We were lovers in highschool but our parents' against our relationship so they forced me to leave this country. I left hi- - uhm- - that someone behind. We haven't seen each other for ten years. And when I came back few months ago. That someone is getting married."

 

Jongin whispers a silent 'Ow'. And feels bad for bringing up the bitter past of Oh Sehun upon seeing the sadness in his eyes.

 

"Didn't you asks her why?"

 

Sehun smirks at the 'she' but ignores it. Jongin doesn't know it was him anyway.

 

"That someone can't remember anything from the past. Just like you.."

 

"Losing your memory is the worst. It feels like there's always heavy inside your heart that your brain kept on blocking. The pain is there but you just can't identify what is it or why do you feel it. Sometimes I pray I could remember everything so I can have a piece of mind."

 

"But I remember you told me you don't wanna go back cause you're afraid to lose what you have now."

 

"Yes. I love the people in my life now. But- - -I don't know- - - I feel like hanging and suspended in time. I feel incomplete. And no matter what, I'd still choose the one I have right now anyway,it's not like everything will change completely if I remember my past."

 

Sehun feels a powerful punch in his gut. He massages the back of his neck to calm the rushing of blood to his brain.

 

"Are you ok?" Kai asks moving a step closer to Sehun.

 

"I'm fine."

 

"You'll be fine Sehun-ssi. You're a wonderful person and deserve someone much better than- - -"

 

"You don't know about us so please don't say that." Sehun cuts him off.

 

"Sorry."

 

"No,I'm sorry I didn't mean to raise my voice. You see,I'm still strongly attached to that person and I don't think someone could ever take the place in my heart I have for that person."

 

They look at each other but Sehun withdraws his gaze first,scared that Jongin might see through him.

 

"You wanna meet the kids? You'll love them,they're just bunch of adorable angels."

 

"Sure! I could help and teach them something too. Though I'm not sure what else I'm good at aside from building structures and business. I don't have special talent."

 

"Soccer.Dancing.Games. I think you're good at those stuff."

 

Jongin wrinkle his eyebrows like trying to remember if he's good or even did one of those in his life.

 

"Can I just read them stories?" He asks shyly.

 

Sehun scoffs but smiles afterwards.

 

"That will be helpful too."

 

"Uhm- - Sehun-ssi?"

 

"Yeah?"

 

Kai scratches his head, "Uhm- - Maybe I don't have the right to say this but- - If you really love that person then don't give up on her. Make her realize what she will be losing for forgetting you. I don't know but I just have this strong gut feeling that you are a great person."

 

"Yeah. I will not give up until that person remembers and realizes we're made for each other."

 

And Sehun will certainly not give up on Jongin. Not now that the world that once separated them brought them back to each other again. And not now that Jongin tells Sehun himself to make him remember the love he lost for him.

 

The following days, Sehun still find it hard to believe and adapt that Jongin and him are living under the same roof. Sometimes, he gets terrified bumping on sleepy Jongin coming out from the kitchen early in the morning. Or jumps in surprise and spill the cup of coffee in table when Jongin suddenly speaks behind him. And when he realizes that Suho and Jongin is living with them,he watches every movement Jongin does and treasures every conversations,smiles and glances exchanged between them.