The restaurant was cool and calm as Jinki walked in, hands shoved into his pockets. He looked around nervously, searching for a familiar face. Seeing none, he shifted from foot to foot anxiously, backing closer to the exit.

What if she didn’t show? He thought, before realizing how stupid that sounded. Of course she showed. She always showed.

Scanning the room again, he caught sight of a small woman waving her pale arm through the air excitedly. Light brown hair cascaded around her sharp face, cool eyes shining brighter than usual, but still, she was instantly recognizable.

Jung Jessica.

Jinki’s heart skipped a beat as he approached the table.  Jessica quickly stood up, wrapping warm arms around him and pulling him tightly against her.

“Jinki! It’s so good to see you again! It’s been too long.”

“Mianhe Noona. It’s good to see you too.”

Jessica pulled back slightly, her eyes flitting back and forth as she took in Jinki’s figure. Features softening considerably, she shook her head in disbelief.

“You’ve grown so much since I last saw you, it’s unbelievable.”

“It was only five years Sica.” Jinki chuckled, separating from her so they could both take their seats.

“Yeah, only five years.” She replied shortly, though a small smile was playing at the corners of her lips. Jinki opened his mouth to reply, but at that moment a waiter approached the table, short and baby faced, with a charming smile.

“Hello, may I take your order?” He asked.

“Just a plain coffee is fine, thank you.” He replied, barely paying attention.

“And for you?”

“I’ll have the iced tea.” Jessica said.

“I’ll have that right out for you.” The waiter nodded and left.

Jinki took this chance and spoke again, asking the question he was dying to know the answer to. “So what are you doing back here? I thought you moved back to California?”

Jessica turned away and sighed. “You aren’t the only one who keeps secrets, Onew. After the accident, you barely talked to me. I knew you wanted to be alone, so to make you feel less guilty, I said I was leaving.”

Jinki was touched by her words, regret and guilt filling him for ever pushing her away. Aside from Jonghyun, she was the only friend he really had. More than that, she was like a sister to him.

He’d known her since elementary school, when she moved in next door. She barely spoke a word of Korean when she first arrived, having moved all the way from California, but the two still managed to become close friends. By high school, they were completely inseparable. Jinki thought nothing could tear them apart... until the accident.

Looking back on it now, he realized how stupid he had been, trying to push her out of his life. She was his right hand, his best friend, his twin sister.

Jinki took her hands into his own and leaned forward earnestly. Expression apologetic but hopeful, he spoke. “I’m sorry for ever pushing you away noona. If I could turn back time, I would have never let you go. But thank you, for finding me, for coming back.”

“Oh Jinki.”  She said softly, squeezing his hands gently. “I never lost you. I never left.”

“What do you mean-”

“Here are your drinks.” The waiter interrupted, a faint blush dusted across his cheeks. He set down the drinks and hurried away, flustered by their closeness.

Jessica withdrew her hands and leaned back, taking a sip of her tea.

“You didn’t think I would just let you disappear, did you? I check up on you every once in awhile.”

Jinki paled. How much did she know then? With Kibum, she only ever knew him to be a close friend, but now, with Taemin...

“Yah, don’t look so scared. You’re going to make me think you’ve been doing illegal things.”

Jinki laughed nervously. “Ah, sorry noona. I was just wondering how I never noticed you.”

“You wouldn’t have. I always sent a friend of mine in, sort of as a spy. You remember Tiffany?”

“The exchange student that always asked me random questions? Yes, I remember her.” He also remembered how annoyed Taemin was when he first noticed Jinki talking to her. It was the first time he really saw the younger jealous.

Jessica laughed. “She was worried you would think she had a crush on you. She did, but that’s beside the point. Who wouldn’t? You’ve gotten handsome these past couple years Jinki.”

“That’s something, coming from you. I almost didn’t recognize you, you’ve gotten so beautiful.”

“Aish, this kid. Stop teasing.”

This was what it’s like. The teasing, the jokes, the smiles. How easy it was to fall back into the easy banter of their childhood, as if no time had passed. Could he really return to before, as if nothing had changed?

Jinki’s phone chimed in his pocket, and he frowned, annoyed by the constant interruptions. “One moment noona.” He said, checking his messages.

When he saw who it was from, he bit his lip and swore silently.  How could he have forgotten? He threw Jessica an apologetic look. “Sorry Sica.  I hate to cut this short, but I have to go, my hu- my friend needs to be picked up.” Jinki bit his lip slightly, feeling guilty for lying, and for hiding his and Taemin’s relationship. For the time though, it was necessary, he tried reasoning with himself.

Jessica smiled lightly. “It’s okay Jinki. I understand.” Glancing at her watch, she sighed. “I should probably get going soon as well.”

The two stood and embraced once more, Jessica’s head buried in Jinki’s chest.

“Promise me you won’t leave me out of your life anymore.” She mumbled against him, arms tightening around his waist.

Jinki hesitated. He didn’t want to, he missed her so much, but there was still so much she didn’t know. Noticing his wariness, Jessica backtracked. “How about this. I know we didn’t have much time to talk today, so how about we meet again in a couple days? How does that sound?”

“I’d like that.” Jinki smiled.

“Goodbye Jinki.”

“See you soon noona.”

Taemin was going crazy. Not only was Jinki keeping something from him, but Jongin had been acting fidgety as well. Even Luhan seemed a little off. It was as if the whole world was in on a secret except him.

The weirdest thing was that it seemed like they all had individual secrets. But why? Why was everyone keeping things from each other, what was the point of all this secrecy? In some strange twist of fate, Taemin had become the only truthful one in their group.

Taemin wanted to let it go, wanted desperately to pretend nothing was wrong, but it was becoming difficult. He tried rationalizing things, tried fitting them to some normal scenario, but a feeling of dread still managed to settle in the pit of his stomach.

Jinki, what’s going on?

When Jinki entered the restaurant a week later, he found Jessica in the same spot as she had been their past two meetings, staring out the window as she waited patiently. Jinki quietly slipped into the booth across from her, while she remained oblivious, lost in the havoc of the outside world.

“Hello? Earth to noona?” Jinki said, waving his hand in front of her face.

Jessica jumped, and placed a hand on her chest. “Aish, you nearly gave me a heart attack Jinki.”

“Sorry Sica. How are you?”

“I’m good, just a little tired. Work has been busy lately. And you? How is the coffee shop doing?”

“Just fine, but you’ll never guess what happened the other day. So there was.....” Jinki began, before launching into the story of a drunk ahjumma and her toy poodle.

The door chimed, announcing the entrance of another customer. Jinki paid no mind, continuing to talk to Jessica, when suddenly Jinki felt something ram into his shin. “Hello ahjussi!” A small boy’s voice called loudly.

He looked down to see a small, black haired boy of about six years clinging to his leg for dear life. Jinki blinked, too shocked for words.

“Yah! Sweetie, he’s not an ahjussi, that’s Jinki-appa remember?” A girl, most likely in her late teens, with long, black hair, stood at the table now, arms crossed as she laughed.

The young boy stared up at Jinki with big curious eyes and tilted his head to the side. “Jinki... appa?”

Jinki’s heart fluttered with recognition. “Yoogeunie?”

“Jinki appa!” The boy squeezed his leg even tighter, and Jinki laughed. Yoogeun tried climbing into Jinki’s lap, tugging on his arm.

Jessica laughed. “Wah, Jinki, you really have changed. You used to be so afraid of Yoogeun you wouldn’t get within ten feet of the poor kid.”

Jinki smiled sheepishly. “He’s older now. I’m not so afraid of breaking him.”

While Jinki helped the young boy into his seat, the dark haired girl slipped in beside Jessica. Having situated Yoogeun so that he couldn’t escape, Jinki looked up, watching the two women converse.

“What brings you and Yoogeun here? Did something happen?”

“Aniyo, I just wanted to say hi to oppa. Really unni, how long did you think you could keep it from me that he had returned? I’m hurt.”

A bell rang in Jinki’s head at the girl’s words, and finally, Jinki recognized her.

“Krystal? Is that really you?” The dark haired girl turned and smirked.

“I’ve grown up, haven’t I?” She laughed, tossing her hair over her shoulder.

“Neh.” Jinki agreed, to shocked to say anything else. “You aren’t the little girl I remember. Our Krystal has grown up.”

“Does that mean you’ll marry me now oppa?” She teased, referring to a childhood promise they both knew he wouldn’t keep.

“Ah, sorry Krystal, I’m already taken.” Jinki said without thinking.

“Bwo?!” Both Jung sisters exclaimed, eyes round.

“Yah, Lee Jinki. When were you planning on telling me this?”

Jinki rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “Ah, mianhe noona. It must have slipped my mind.”

“Slipped your mind? You’re dating someone and it slipped your mind? Yah, Jinki, I know you better than that. When you love someone they never slip your mind. Like Kibum.”

“You’re right- wait wait what?” Jinki’s mouth hung open in shock, and the Jung sisters giggled at him.

“Oppa, you didn’t really think we didn’t know about you and Kibum oppa, did you?” Krystal covered to hide her laughter.

“I..But..it was..you just...” Jinki spluttered, trying to form a coherent sentence, and failing.

Finally calming down, Jinki answered hesitantly. “You don’t... you don’t mind?”

“Mind what? That you’re gay? Please, if I stopped liking you because of that I didn’t deserve to be your friend in the first place.” Jessica replied, rolling her eyes.

Krystal leaned forward and set her head in her hands, grinning eagerly. “So, who’s the lucky guy?”

Jinki smiled, heart aching with joy. How was he so lucky? In a country so full of conservative minds, how did he end up with such accepting friends?

“You want to know?”

“Yes!” The two girls cried out with excitement.

“Yes!” Yoogeun added, a beat late but smiling all the same.

So Jinki told them. He told them about the chance meeting on the bus, about Taemin arriving in his cafe one night soaking wet, of their first kiss, of their secret-not-so-secret crushes on each other, of them finally admitting their feelings, the proposal, their wedding.

Through it all, the girls listened with full attention, only interrupting once in a while to squeal at something cute, or to say “awwwh” at particularly sweet and adorable moments. By the time Jinki finished, both were looking a bit teary eyed, and Krystal even sniffled a couple times.

“Oh. My. God. That was seriously the cutest love story I’ve ever heard. Ugh, now me meeting my boyfriend in the girl’s bathroom sounds like an even dumber story.”

“You have a boyfriend?” Jessica asked, shocked.

“What, you have a kid.” Krystal shrugged, blocking her sister’s attempted punch in reply.

Jinki shook his head at the two and checked his watch. “Crap.” He muttered. He was running late again.

“Hey Sica, Krystal.” He called out, gaining their attention once more.

“Neh Jinki?”

“I should get going. I can’t let Minseok run the shop by himself forever, you know. Bye noona, bye Krystal.” Jinki tried to stand up, but was stopped by small hands clutching his own.

“Jinki- appa?” He whimpered.

“Bye bye Yoogeun. Appa will see you soon.” Jinki smiled, gently tugging his hand from the child’s grasp.

“Bye oppa.” Krystal smiled.

“Bye Jinki. I’ll see you in a few days. And I’ll bring Yoogeun too.”

Jinki nodded. “I look forward to seeing you both.”

Jinki waved once more before heading towards the door, hands shoved into his pockets. Humming happily, Jinki strode out of the restaurant and down the street.

 He felt light, happy, as if everything was finally falling into place. Not that he hadn’t been happy with Taemin, but this, his past returning to him, it made him remember what it was like when he was a rebelling high school student. He felt like he’d not only been given a second chance at love, but a second chance at life. In that moment, nothing could go wrong.

And yet, there was a sense of foreboding, as if something weren’t quite right. Jinki rolled his shoulders in discomfort, trying to shake the uneasy feeling. What was this? Shaking his head to clear his mind of dark thoughts, he continued on his way.

As he passed by the entrance to an alley, something tugged at the back of his shirt, and he gasped as he felt himself be shoved against the rough stone wall. He struggled, kicking and swinging his fists. A glint of metal and something sharp and cool touched his neck. Jinki froze, chest rising and falling rapidly.

Oh god. He was about to get mugged. Jinki thought fearfully, trying not to breathe too deeply with the knife pressing against his throat. Was this really how it was going to end? After finding his true love and finally reuniting with his friends, only to die at the hands of some criminal?

“I don’t have much....take it all, just please let me go.” Jinki begged. If he were stronger, taller, maybe he would have fought, but he knew if he tried now he would be killed.

The man chuckled darkly. “I don’t want your money.”

“Then what-” The knife was pulled away and the sound of skin on skin echoed through the alley. Jinki held his cheek, tears pricking the corner of his eyes at the sudden pain.

“First rule. No talking Jinki.” The man said his name with a sneer, and a shiver ran through Jinki. How did he know his name?

“How do you know-” A hand came up again, slapping Jinki’s face once again.

“You really are stupid. You don’t know how to shut up, and you don’t even notice someone who's been following you for the past four months. I bet you can’t even figure out who I am.”

Jinki’s eyes widened, suspicions confirmed.

For months, he’d been seeing shadows following behind him, had chills run down his spine at the feeling of being watched. He’d thought he’d been going insane, imagining people following him.

He wished he’d gone insane.

It was much preferable to what it actually was. A man, stalking him day and night, watching his every move. It still didn’t answer his question though. Who was this man? There was no one from his past that would have turned up, he didn’t have such a secretive past as Taemin-

Taemin. What about Taemin? Had his mother returned, hell bent on destroying her son’s life to the point of killing Jinki?

“You really are stupid. Hasn’t Taemin told you about me? I was only the love of his life.”

Jinki knew.

“Minho.” He whispered, a maniacal laugh telling him he was right.