First, I want to say sorry for my readers and subscribers that I haven't been able to go update before now. I was having a busy week, so many tests and homeworks for school and all, so here I just have the chance to add the new chapter, I hope you enjoy it! Comments are accepted so please no silence reader anymore!:)

The sunrise get through the window as Heeyoung wears off from her sleep. She covers her eyes, tries to adapt to the light rushing towards it. Her head still feel numb and heavy. At least it feels better than yesterday. Wait, Taecyeon was here. Is he still hasn’t gone home somehow? She blushes at the thought. She’s too shocked, excited, surprised, and too tired yesterday that she didn’t ask anything about that childhood friend matter.

She decides to get up, in spite of how blur her vision is. Sungyoung hasn’t come here yet, well this is still 5.30 and she will mostly come around six. She opens the door to find a nice smell of sweets. A cake…? No, it’s a pancake. She follows the scent, pacing her feet to the kitchen. And there Taecyeon is, with an apron, standing facing the stoves as he flips the pancakes on the pan.

She smiles, her headache feels as if it fades away with the source of the smell Taecyeon’s making. Taecyeon turns around when he realize there’s another presence in that room. He replies the gestures when he sees Heeyoung. She’s leaning on the door’s frame, pale skin with light brown pools, discovering her own beauties. He nods at the dining room, gesturing the other person to wait for him there.

Taecyeon brings the pancake. He places it in front of Heeyoung. It puts her heart at ease, it always does. Taecyeon really knows what she actually needs. Taecyeon also puts the medicine on the table as he joins Heeyoung to eat.

“Say, Taecyeon.”

“What is it?”

“You see, why didn’t you tell me you were my childhood friend at the first place?”

“Well, partly because I don’t want to but mostly because you are just… different. Do you remember our first meet?”

“Well yeah, it was the first day of junior high, you suddenly bumped into me and with a shocked face you said sorry. Then I asked if you were in a junior year too, more or less.”

“That’s right. I was really surprised. We used to live in Busan, but I have to move to Seoul because my parent’s work. At first, I refused them. But, when I learnt about your death, it feels like I didn’t have the purpose of living there anymore, so I moved. I still feel regrets lingering when I think about leaving Sungyoung alone, but back then, I didn’t even think. All I did is running away from that place we shared the memories together.”

Heeyoung could see sadness in his smile. Somehow, she wants to hug him. His eyes dancing in a slow way, showing that he wants to go back in that time. Who doesn’t? It was the time they could laugh without burdens on their shoulders, the time Taecyeon was her closest friend, the time Sungyoung didn’t have that miserable face, the time Heeyoung didn’t forget anything.

Taecyeon continued, “The first day of school, I was searching for the teacher’s room when I bumped into you, I said sorry indeed, but when I opened my eyes, it was the exact same face of the person I cherished the most, Sungyoung aside. My eyes widened in shock. I was about to call your name when you asked me if I was in a junior year too. That proved you didn’t know me. There, my hopes and expectations tore apart with exasperation. It wasn’t Sunghee.”

“It wasn’t Sunghee.” Heeyoung repeated, emphasize her old name.

“We asked for each other name. I took a mental note for myself that you’re Heeyoung. I tried to learn about you, carefully not to slip a word ‘Sunghee’ from my mouth. The more I know you, the more I thought you were too similar with Sunghee. I haven’t confirmed it yet, since I had no evidence. But Sunghee or not, I grew to care about you as your current self, as much as I care for Sunghee.

“Still, you didn’t know about Sunghee, and I didn’t want you to think that I care because you have the same face and habit as her, so I kept quiet. When I learned about the truth a year ago, it wasn’t really surprised me. I was just like ‘Oh, then they really are the same person.’, but I still kept you as Heeyoung although I already knew who your true self are. Because… I simply thought you are you. As long as it’s you, Sunghee or Heeyoung doesn’t matter for me.”

Heeyoung blushes, but it’s obvious she doesn’t want Taecyeon to see it, so she turns her face towards the pancake and start chewing them. She looks at him once she calms down. She sighs in desperations, why Taecyeon makes everything so difficult? It’d be simpler if he just explains everything, and she means everything.

“Who is Chanhyuk?”

“There are things better left unknown.” Taecyeon shrugged. Obvious is remained obvious. He doesn’t want to tell her who Chanhyuk is. Well at least she now knows the reason behind Taecyeon’s silence. She’s sure she will know sooner or later about Chanhyuk, and she knows it wouldn’t be a pleasant event. Just, she doesn’t want to know about it in a worse situation.

She sighs. “Taecyeon, why are you still here anyway?” she asked to prevent the topics.

“Can’t I?” he grinned smugly. He’s glad she didn’t ask about it any further.

“No, I was just asking. Didn’t I say you shouldn’t wait for me to wake up? I don’t want to force you to babysit me.”

“You’re not forcing me, I want to.”

“Ugh yeah, whatever, but um... you know… thanks.”

“What for?”

“Look after me.” She said shyly. Taecyeon chuckles, some things just don’t change.

“It’s okay. You don’t have to thank me. I have to go soon anyway, to get ready for school.”

“Yeah you’re right. Uh, how I wish to go. This is soooo boring, trapped in here.”

“That’s what you get for not taking good care of yourself.”

“Yeah, yeah, papa. I will take care of myself from now on.” Heeyoung replied, rolling her eyes, but couldn’t resist a smile tugging on her lips. If she has one thing she will never regret, is to love him. No matter how much she hopes to remember the past, the present is still the time she treasures. It’s the time she has her pillar support, her friends, her family, and the person she loves.

She just wishes Jaebum is here too to guide her and become her present, not just her past. Still, she knows he will watch her from distances. She’s sure her brother will smile playfully at her and if he watches this scene of her and Taecyeon. She smiles sadly at the thought.

Past shows how you become the way you are now, futures hold many possibilities, the two of them are important. But the most precious thing is the present, things she has to do, people she has to protect, times she has to treasure. She knows there’s a way to wake up from all those nightmares, she just has to search it. But for now, she thinks she would let herself sleep for a little while.