“You look beautiful,” it’s simple, the words are said delicately and he’s extending his arm out for her to hold.

“T-Thanks,” there’s a blush but she insists on holding onto his hand instead as they make their way out.

“I’m happy that you’re patching things up,”

“Well, I can’t avoid her forever,”

When the two get into the car, he straps on the seatbelt then helps her with hers and before he takes off, Jongin leans over and plants a kiss. It’s a random act out of love but it makes her freeze as she daren’t turn her cheek, as if her neck could break if she does so. He grins and leans back, revs up the engine and drives off.

It’s been a few days and they’re continuing on things like normal.

Waking up to morning texts, playful and giddy—practices for the final dance—shared lunches and laughs—intimate dinner dates; it’s everything altogether that could make up for the forgotten promises but it’s not something she’s letting go of just yet.

She plans to take things slow, reminding him of the things one by one but there’s only one last hope if all of that doesn’t work out.

“Say…” She starts, soft and in a snail-like pace but he’s already ushering her to go on, “Yes?”

“Could you sleepover tonight?”

“Why?” He’s grinning from ear to ear, “Need someone to warm your bed up?”

She groans and rolls her eyes, shoving his shoulder as she turns to look out of the window instead, “Forget it,”

He chuckles and slides one hand into hers, gives her a tight squeeze and coos, “Better make some space for me in your bed, then,”

“I can’t believe you’re here,”

Hee Young gives a shrug and Jongin’s lightly tapping her back, the simple gesture indirectly says stop being rude.

“W-Well I can’t turn the invitation down, after personally being given to by the principal,”

The man, Dong Min, he smiles and shakes the hand of his future stepdaughter, “It’s good to see you,”

“I can’t believe I’m saying it but… yeah, it is,” She admits and she’s accepting a forced hug from her mother that causes Jongin to let go of her hand. He steps to the side and gives them space and talks to the principal instead. They chat about the regular things—plans after graduation, preps for the final dance—everything. Then it’s time to sit down and everyone’s enjoying the good music in the ballroom decorated nicely according to their preference.

The ballroom is dimly lit for the cozy effect and Jongin’s seated right next to Hee Young as they share the same table as Hee Min and James along with a few other relatives. They’re not talking ill about Hee Young anymore and it’s such a relief but the fact that Jongin is here says another thing as well. Jongin’s eyes are like a hawk’s—he’s glancing around, making sure that no one is out to talk because they’ll definitely get hit. Then they drift off to the food serving, the buffet style and everyone’s going to get their share. Jongin and James do the honors in being the waiters for the ladies and the two couldn’t say no.

It’s time for the speech and the daughters are invited to say a thing or two after their mother’s speech which includes a much appreciated sob story that explains how life would be if it wasn’t for her two daughters—and her previous husband, inclusive of her only son. As sad as that sounds, it really isn’t as bad and Hee Min’s speech isn’t too far off.

Her sister’s speech is about something that congratulates her mother and it’s another whole turn on her mother’s sob story that Hee Young is determined to keep it short and simple.

She gets to the pedestal and clears —the tears already welling up in her mother’s eyes.

She holds the mic and breathes—then she starts.

“I’m not going to drag this on for too long because Lord knows, we don’t need that right now,” there’s laughter, “I… I ran away from home when I was sixteen—most of you know that by now and…” She turns to her side, “I’m sorry for leaving you on your own like that,” Her mother is acknowledging her words, countering softly with you did what you had to do and she’s continuing, “I actually thought I would not show up today. Firstly because I wasn’t able to accept the fact that she’s remarrying someone but then I thought it over and… dad would be happy, for you,” She takes a moment and she adds, “Joon would be happy that you’re happy too and… Hee Min is accepting things so I should too,” She meets the eyes of the principal, the person she’d call her stepfather and then to her mother, “Congratulations, mom… dad, I’m happy for the both of you,”

Then there’s this quiet cheers being spread around and it grows louder when Hee Young takes the leap of walking up to her mother and stopping her tears because Jesus, it’s your rehearsal dinner, mom… A bit after, she returns to her seat and Jongin’s looking at her the whole time, even when she sits down for a minute or two and sips on her drink.

She meets with the eyes of Jongin and he’s smiling widely.

“What?”

“Nothing,”

The quiet and delicate piano music comes up and Jongin’s lingering a hand in front of her as he stands up, “Shall we dance, princess?”

She suppresses a smile and looks away at first but when she looks back to see him still with a smile on his face, she slips her hand in, “Lead the way.”

“Is there something you need me to do for you?” He asks in the midst of the silence—the good kind—as his fingers are idly twirling around the strands of her hair as she rests her head on his arm. The room is dark and they can barely see anything but she knows he’s right there beside her. She shakes her head and turns to look at him, meeting with his eyes in the moonlit room, “No… why?”

“W-Well, I just thought maybe you needed me to help with something, that’s why I’m sleeping here?” He tries to guess and even if there was something or nothing for him to do, even if she didn’t have an ulterior motive, he’d gladly sleepover because one, he knows it’s lonely to be sleeping alone. Two, what boyfriend wouldn’t want to sleep with his girlfriend?

“Now that you’ve mentioned it…” She breathes, sitting up and shifting away from his embrace that he follows her movements as well. She nearly falls off the bed and he clutches onto her waist to steady her, “Woah… don’t go injuring yourself—the dance is in two months,”

“Yeah yeah,” She brushes his hands off and then stands by the table.

He crosses his legs on the mattress, blinking at her figure that he could see with the aid of the moonlight glow, “What’re you looking for?”

“Remember you said if there’s anything I had that could possibly remind you, show it to you?” Her voice cracked in the middle and he’s nodding regardless, “Yes…”

She holds into the box and moves back towards the bed, sitting down and mirrors his position by crossing her legs so that her kneecaps are pressing onto his gently. They’re close but there’s a gap in between for her to place the box on her lap, “This here is… well…”

“Things from when you’re a kid?”

She nods slowly and places a hand on the lid, “Maybe if I can’t remind you with words… maybe these things in here could,”

He nods and his eyes are flaring with determination, “Let’s try,”

The charm bracelet she has doesn’t ring any bells in his mind. He analyzes it, every single charm from the heart, to the clover, to the diamond and to the smiley face but nothing comes to mind. She says it’s okay and he places it aside.

He picks up the photos next.

One, two, three, all—none of them make him remember a thing he’s supposed to.

She says it’s okay once more and he places the stack to the side.

He picks up a necklace and he’s hoping that this could be it that makes him remember because he knows he’s seen this before—but nothing is arriving. He stares at it for a while, he touches it all over, he’s placing it down and picking up, placing it on his lap and locks his eyes on the gold chain… but nothing.

She says the same thing and takes it from him, placing it back into the box and he’s looking at the last thing that could possibly help him remember. It’s a tiny bottle, filled with colored sand and at this point, he’s praying for this to be the lucky item that brings back that specific piece of gem that’s stuck in his mind but… blank.

He turns it around, looks from the sides, from the bottom, from the top but… nothing.

She says it again, it’s okay and takes everything and puts it back into the box. There’s no hiding her dejection as she places the things away, sliding the box back onto the table and then he’s sighing—he’s guilty but he’s trying his best, “I-I’m sorry, I… It doesn’t help—“

“It’s okay,” She says once more, the umpteenth time of the night and he’s frustrated because he wants to remember so desperately.

“I really wanted to remember…” He breathes softly and she’s shaking her head, settling back into the bed, feeling his arms snake around her waist as he tugs her back to his chest and he’s breathing by her ear with disappointment, “I’m sorry…”

“It’s okay,” She says again, with more sincerity and she turns to look over her shoulder, meeting with his pair of eyes that sparkles just like on the first day she’s met him and even though he doesn’t see it—she does. He’s also trying—and that’s all she could ever ask for, “It really is okay.”

“Who gets up this early anyway?” she muttered softly but he simply smiled, again, “I do—plus, we have practice to get ready for,”

“Yeah, in three hours, idiot,” She grumbles and sits up but feels a surge of wind past her when Jongin’s saying he has to use the bathroom and she’s shaking her head, “Don’t break something!”

“No promises!”

She gives him all the time in the world he needs as she lazes in bed and it’s been rather a while that he’s been in there.

Inside, he’s done with his business and now he’s searching for the toothpaste because she’s organized and it’s hidden somewhere in her cabinet. He stalks her cabinets under the sink but then realizes he hadn’t checked the mirror cabinet. He scoffs at his own density but reaches to pull it open. “Ah, there it is,” He has a smile and reaches for it but at the same time, something else falls out from it.

It’s small, but at the size of his palm, the length of his fingers from the tip to his wrist. He holds onto it and curses because he almost got it wet since the sink was used and he leans away from it, putting the tube of toothpaste aside just to see what he’s got in his hand.

It has a ring with strings connected from one end to another, over again and again and again until it forms a certain geometry pattern. There’s a symbol in the middle and there are tiny feathers dangling from the circle and with the strings combined, it takes Jongin a while to realize it’s a dreamcatcher.

He smiles at the little things she’d keep in an odd place—a mirror cabinet?

But then his eyes widens at the certain pattern that he remembers, he’s seen this before and—

"C’mon… what is it?” She’s holding both her palms out, impatient.

“Wait…” He coos, swirling up and about in the air and she’s huffing, “Jong!”

“Here it is!” He lands it on her palms and her eyes open from the anxiety and the butterflies roaming from within. She lets out a cute wah… and his eyes are glued to her eyes as she admires the beauty of a charm that’s in her hands. He rubs the nape of his neck and he admits meekly, “It took me a while because you know…” He shows his fingers, “I’m bad with these kind of things,”

She shakes her head and stares at it like it’s the most important thing ever and it makes his heart swell from the warmth that’s bubbling and exploding at the same time—altogether. There’s a mix of blue, pink and purple—then white, black and orange because she likes those colors. He smiles wider when she grins, clutching onto it tight.

“Do you like it, princess?”

She nods and it’s everything in her smile that he wants, “I love it,” She’s happy, she’s feeling the entire universe at the moment as she looks into his eyes, “Thank you,”

He pokes her side and requests, “Hey… you said you’d call me that whenever we’re together—you don’t call me that!”

She’s too immersed with her new charm of a dreamcatcher that she doesn’t realize his little huffs that expresses his dissatisfaction.

“Princess!”

“Hm?”

He frowns and it’s the cutest thing ever because sometimes she’s torn between thinking if he’s cold or not when he does this cute thing with those pair of lips.

She shows him one of the prettiest smiles yet and his insides are doing the funniest and weirdest things yet when she says in a voice that melts him down.

“Thank you, my precious Jonginnie.”

She knocks on the door just to check if he’s fainted or not, “Yah! Are you okay? Did you lock yourself inside?” She likes to think she’s playing around, joking and stuff but then the door is opening in the slowest pace she’d seen Jongin open a door.

Her eyes are widening slightly from the look on his face but then she notices the item he’s holding in his hand. He holds it by the string and the charm is hanging in midair with the tip of his fingers. His jaw is slack but it’s her who can’t believe how or why he’s holding it in the first place.

She tries to reach for it, “J-Jong—“

“Precious,” He breathes, carefully and each syllable leaves his quivering lips as he eyes the dreamcatcher with focused eyes. He repeats the word again, emphasizing on both syllables before he turns to look at her and their eyes are completely locked in one another. She feels like time is stopping and this is not real, this is not real, this is not real.

This is not real.

“You used to call me precious,” He mutters, his lips and then he continues, “Because precious has eight letters and princess has eight letters,” He explains without her ever telling him those words and she’s wondering if Mr. Kang has a video or something that records everything the two have said to one another but no, he proves it by speaking.

“I made this for you because you said nightmares are horrible and I told you that you would never have them again. I made this for you because your favorite colors were black and white and I told you that you needed to have more colors in your life. Then you called me a childish freak for thinking so but I added them in and you still love it,” He has a hard time breathing and so does she. He feels this foreign yet really good feeling burning his insides and he feels like there’s something blocking his vision—when did it get this hard to breathe, this hard to see?

“And I told you that no matter where you are, as long as you had this, I promise I would find you,”

He only realizes that she’s crying when the tears roll down her cheeks and he remembers once upon a time when he’s eight, he promise he’d never make her cry. He’s dropping the charm, it slips from his fingers when he feels the tightness of her arms embracing him, squeezing his lower torso and clutching onto him as if he would disappear into the memories of the past. He takes a while to notice that he’s crying, his tears are dripping down and hers is seeping into his shirt when she breathes in a voice that cracks his heart… but mends it back at the same time because Jongin finally remembers.

“I thought you’d never remember,” Her voice is broken, as if her voice was gone but he catches every word perfectly.

“I’m sorry it took me so long,” He rasps, feeling how her shorter arms are holding onto him and he’s doing the same to her, pressing her in as she sniffs and buries her face in his chest and he’s repeating the same words over and over again. “I’m sorry.”

He feels like an eternity had passed but with her, it doesn’t seem like it. She leans away and looks at him and her eyes are all red from the immense, fully-filled bucket of tears she’d never expect to let go of. He frames her cheeks and brushes the remnants of her tears and he makes her laugh when he asks, “Can you call me that one more time?”

 author's note;  I plan to end things here but decide that there'll be an epilogue at the end to sort of 'wrap' things up??? So there'll be an epilogue just to show you how things are in the near future-but not that far into it.