Hanul’s POV
“Oppa, I’m going to go shopping today, okay? Be back around 10!” , I called.
“You’re going shopping for 12 hours?”, he yelled back
“Of course, how could it possibly talk any less time? Plus, getting there takes thirty minutes.”, I shouted back.

I could practically hear his eyes rolling.
“See you!”, I called, and jumped off the front porch.

Nickhun’s POV
That had been a good hour and a half sleep in the taxi, I felt much better now.

“Sir, we’re here.”

I looked out my window.

It was a dusty and quaint little village.

“Sir?”, the taxi driver asked.
“Yeah, I’ll pay you. Just hold on.” I dug into my pocket for cash.

“No, it’s not that… It’s… You’re 2pm Nickhun, right?”

“I-well-yeah…”, I answered, partially embarrassed that he had recognized me in my knocked-out and sugar-high state an hour and a half ago.

“Can …I get an autograph? Please? My son loves 2pm.” I winced; hopefully, he wouldn’t tell his son about the things I had said when I was practically knocked-out.  

 “Uh… of course. Thanks.” I signed a piece of paper and handed it back. “Thank you for your support.”

“Thank you.  Anyways, this ride was free. Since you’re Nickhun.”

“But it was a hundred and forty dollars….”, I protested.  

“On the house”, he smiled and beckoned for me to go.

I grinned, but “accidently” dropped two hundred dollars as I left the taxi.

People like that make it worth being an idol.

As I was walking up the dusty village road, it suddenly struck me that I hadn’t looked in a mirror for as long as I hadn’t slept.

The best I could do was look at myself in a muddy puddle; my handphone had died and I didn’t carry a mirror around with me.

My clothes seemed suitable, and I tried my best to slick back my hair.

The circles under my eyes couldn’t be removed.

 I felt nervous now; the full weight of what I was about to do had finally arrived onto my shoulders.

I finally came to the address I had been looking for. It didn’t look like anyone was home.  

I knocked.

An almost-elderly, barely middle-aged couple opened the door.

I bowed, formally. “Annyeonghasaeyo.”

“Nickhun-sshi. It’s been a long time. What’s your business here?”, Mr.Park asked.
“I’m here to formally request permission to ask your daughter’s hand for marriage.” 

There was a deafeningly loud silence.

Mr. Park cleared his throat and began to speak, but choked.
Mrs.Park said, “Come inside, Nickhun-sshi. Let’s talk.”

Jaebum’s POV
I was walking back home from the village supermarket, chewing on uncooked Top Ramen.

I had hoped the thirty-minute walk would clear my mind, which had been buzzing ever since that phone call with Taecyeon…

My heart was torn. I really, really wanted to go back, but I also really, really didn’t want to face Khun until he groveled at my feet.

“Jaebum-hyung.”

“Khun! What the hell are you doing here?”

My heart was thundering. Was I dreaming? How could Khun be here?

But he… he was.
“I came to apologize. And I came because I wanted to do things properly.”, he said.

He looked incredibly tired, but there was something different about him.. What was it?  
“Well, spit it out. I haven’t got all day”, I replied, coldly.
He took a deep breath and then said,“I’m sorry I didn’t treat you and your family with the respect they deserve. I’m sorry I took advantage of your trust in me, it was wrong. I’m sorry I took advantage of… of Hanul’s trust in me.” I glared at him, and he hurried on, “But I’m here to compensate for the pain I’ve caused. “ Then he hesitated. “Will you… let me?”
“You’re asking me to trust you again.”, I clarified slowly.

“Yes… I am.”
“Khun… how can you ask me to trust you again?” , I said.
“Because I know my priority now.”

So that was what I had seen in his eyes: clear determination. Those eyes were no longer muddied by troubles and worries, they were filled with fire to go after what he wanted.  
“Priority? Only one priority? You’re going to choose between music and my sister?”, I asked, still skeptical.
“I already did. I chose your sister.”
I was silent. So he was here to ask for…

 “Jay, I realize it’s a lot to ask, and there’s nothing I can offer as evidence that you can trust me. I can only ask you to believe. Will you?”

I looked at him with a piercing gaze. “One more chance. That’s all I’m giving you. After this chance, you’re done for. Understand?”

He smiled brilliantly. “Understood, Leader Jay.”

Then, a strange sound interrupted our emotional reunion.

“Was that…?”

“Yeah, that was my stomach”, Nickhun said. “Can I have some of that ramen? I haven’t eaten in two days.”

“You shouldn’t eat ramen straight away, that’s bad for you. Let me ask my parents to cook something up. I’ll tell them you’re here.”

“Actually…”, Khun said, awkwardly, “your parents already know I’m here. I, uh, asked them if it was okay, too…”

I stared at him.

Wow, I thought, he really is taking this seriously and doing things properly this time, huh?

As I was staring at him in admiration, the bastard, without warning, grabbed the ramen out of my hand and downed it whole. 

“YAH!”

Hanul’s POV

I hadn’t really come here to shop…

I’d come here… to let go.

I had thought myself strong enough to weather whatever storms came my way…

On one hand, I wasn’t over Nickhun, just like Taecyeon had said.

But on the other hand, I didn’t believe he would come for me anymore…

Not at all…

Not really…

Not even a little…

I pulled out what I had always kept with me, what had always proved to me I hadn’t simply imagined everything between Nickhun and myself…

Our engagement ring.

I stared down it; it shined just as brightly as it had the first time I had seen it, illuminated by starlight in the meadow.

I jolted to a stop; apparently I had walked to a stoplight.

The cars were passing by…

I closed my eyes… I felt like my heart was going to break…

Had it all… been just a dream? I didn’t mean anything… to him…

Someone jostled my elbow, and the ring flew out of my hand.

I watched it in slow motion as it flew in a perfect arch.

It hit the crosswalk and rolled to the other side of the sidewalk.

I heard myself gasp.

I felt torn.

My mind was telling me that now was the moment to let go; that fate itself supported that decision. Fate was telling me that if I let go right now, I would be able to go on, and heal, and live life like a normal person, without so much pain and depression.

My hand felt lighter without the burden of him on it.

My pocket felt ready for something new.

But something else was protesting violently…

Something was screaming at me that the thing I had treasured most for the last half decade had slipped out of my hand, and that it wouldn’t wait for me forever. That if I let go now, all the years of waiting would be fruitless.

Something was pushing my feet forward; telling me to GO, unaware that what was moving weren’t people anymore, but cars.

Something was yelling at me to recover the most precious thing in my life, regardless that the stoplight happened to be the color green.

My heart… was telling me that the four letters S.T.O.P. didn’t matter as much as the four letters that said L.O.V.E.

I listened to my heart.

My feet moved forward, my hand stretched out to grab the ring, on the other side of the crosswalk.

Suddenly, a screeching sound blared loudly in the air, ripping the air to shreds, and several honks roared.

Time resumed, and I found myself a kiss away from death, in the form of a blaring truck racing forward, unable to stop or even swerve.

For a moment, I saw myself on the asphalt, dying. I saw myself alone.

At that moment, the simplest thought entered my head: This isn’t it. I’m supposed to have a happy ending.

That thought pushed me forward, shoved me onto the other side of the crosswalk just as the truck passed by.

Breathless, but unable to register the pain due to the adrenaline rush, my hand snatched up the ring, my ring, our ring.

My life was safe, my heart told me.

In more ways than one, my mind replied.

I would have laughed, but an incredulous voice interrupted my life-changing experience.

“WHAT THE HELL DID YOU JUST DO?”

I looked up, fully prepared to explain myself to the police, but instead I found myself looking a very beautiful man.

I swear he’s a prince.

“HANUL, DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU JUST DID?”

I was still on the ground, gripping the ring.

“DO YOU WANT TO KILL YOURSELF?”

He leaned forward and grabbed me. Instinctively, I swatted his hand away.

As I did, the ring fell out of my hand and dropped onto the sidewalk, where it rolled in a circle once and then was still.

I watched as his eyes followed the ring to the ground. I watched disbelief cross his face.

I snatched it up before he could confirm what he had just seen, but he grabbed my wrist and forced my tightly closed fingers open.

I winced internally as he saw the confirmation sitting on my palm.

 Our eyes met over our hands. His eyebrows were furrowed, almost touching.

And then I saw his mouth move, “Sul mah… You’re not telling me that this is the reason why you almost…-?”

a/n: finally! they met. :) hopefully, i didn't have to say his name for you to know who it is. i hope this chapter makes sense. it felt like a big rant to me. but the next few chapters. mwahahaha. <3
i hope everyone had a lovely christmas. mayvin's present to me was the last comment mayvin made which made my grab my stomach and laugh for an hour. hellopanda23's present to me was the e-mail, which was extra delightful this time around.
almost new year's eve now!
hope you liked the chapter! (: and the image. <3 thanks for reading.