The next week was a boring one, until Myungsoo called her, asking if he could take her somewhere. She immediately agreed to it. Without school, life was boring, and she didn’t want to disturb Exo when they were having a comeback pretty soon.

He picked her up outside her house, and she entered the car with a smile on her face, but he seemed off. Though he was smiling as well, there was still some… Sadness? She recognised in his eyes? What could he have to be sad about?

“Are you okay?” She queried.

He seemed a little out of it, and so took a few seconds before replying. “Hm? Oh, I’m fine, don’t worry,” he kissed her lightly on the cheek before he continued to rev the engine and drive off, seemingly towards a familiar field that Sera recognised almost immediately.

“We’re coming back here?”

“Yeah, I think we should. And I need to tell you something, and I think this is the best place to say it.”

“O-Okay,” she answered, becoming more anxious every minute she was with him.

They finally arrived at the field that neither of them had been to in years, the last time for Sera being the day after Myungsoo left.

He exited the car first and she followed, and he began walking through the tall reeds that no one seemed to have chopped in way longer than the nine years they’d both been going there. He continued on and on, until arriving at to any other person, a random tree, but both boy and girl knew what this meant to them. It was where they first met, it held special memories; but why was he bringing her here, after all the time.

Sitting himself down against it, he beckoned for her to do the same, and she did, though hesitantly: she knew there was something wrong.

“Sera… There’s something I need to tell you.”
 

“Are you leaving?” Was what she had to ask. He had said those exact words to her when he broke the news of him departing the last time.

He sighed. “Yes.”

She felt dry up. He was leaving again? After all this was starting to work out again? She gulped down her near tears when she answered. “Where? When?”

“Japan. The company wants me to go there. I-I’m so sorry. I didn’t know until about a week ago after we got together. Woohyun’s been on at me to tell you, but I couldn’t, I couldn’t find the right time. How could I tell you that I’m leaving again?”

She nodded. “When are you leaving?”

“Two weeks.”

“And for how long?”

“Just six months to a year, that’s what they said. I’m so sorry, Sera, I really am.”

“No, no. Don’t apologise, it’s not your fault. But, I-I think…”

“What? What is it?”

“We should stop this before it goes any further. I don’t love you, I like you, a lot, but still not as far as love, and I think you’re probably the same?” He nodded. “Well, we should stop this then.”

“If that’s what you want.”

“Yes,” she said firmly.

“But, we’ll still stay best friends, right? Forever and always?”

“Of course.”

He’d hugged her before she could say anything else. Tighter than he ever had before. He couldn’t even express how bad he felt for his decision to leave her again. He was glad she’d broken it off, he didn’t think he would be able to bring himself to do it, but he agreed with her decision.

Both sides agreed that their relationship was simply how they acted when they were best friends, plus all the kissing and lovey dovey stuff, so they were certain that their friendship would never be affected by this.

After the hug, they spent the rest of the day under that tree, discussing and talking about things that they’d never had the chance ever since he left the first time. Neither of them had phones at that time, hence why they lost contact, but Myungsoo was determined to never lose her again. They’d already exchanged numbers before, but he made sure to add emails, skypes, instagram names, twitter names and snapchat id’s onto their phones as well.

The sky began to darken as the time passed even quicker than before, and they were plunged into blackness before they could even think, the only light being the moon helping them get back to the car while their eyes adjusted.

Driving home was quiet, but Sera liked it. It was peaceful.

She oddly found herself not being mad or angry at him. She understood, after all. He was an idol. He had things to do and she sympathised with that; she’d had to see her brother go through.

After they parked up at her house, she was about to leave when he pulled her back. “Sera… Thank you for understanding, I don’t think I would’ve been able to live with myself if you were angry with me when I left.”

“I couldn’t ever be angry with you, Myungsoo. I understand you’re an idol, and maybe we’re just not meant to be,” was her answer before she fully left and walked to her front door, giving him a faint smile and weak wave before he was alone again.

~~

Exo had just done their comeback stage for their newest song ‘Growl’ a couple of weeks before, and Chanyeol had assured her then that it was okay to start coming back to SM again, even if she wasn’t at school. He could tell she missed Baekhyun and Chen’s as well as the other members’ presence even if she didn’t tell him directly.

That day, however, she wasn’t there. Instead, she was at the airport, ready to say goodbye to her best friend again.

The other six members of Infinite were there as well, saying goodbye. She watched as Myungsoo hugged each and every one of them for a long time. He was nervous, she could tell, and he was going to miss his bandmates more than he let on.

Time arrived for him to say goodbye to her as well, and he dropped his bags and hugged her tight, her head burying into his chest. “Call me whenever you like alright? I’ll pay for the phone charges, I’ll pay for everything, so if you need to talk, I’ll be there, okay? I’ll really miss you, but I promise I’ll find you straight away when I come back, I won’t take three years like last time,” he promised.

“You’d better not, or I’m going to be so angry at you” she choked a laugh and hit his chest lightly as she pulled away from him. Tears were b her eyes, but she tried to hide them, she didn’t want to stop him leaving.

“And Sera, you can come to Woolim whenever you like and see us if you get lonely,” Sunggyu reassured.

“I will, thank you.”

“Just make sure Sungyeol doesn’t hit on her, alright?” Myungsoo laughed.

“Hey! I wouldn’t dream of it. Well… Maybe. But I won’t,” Sungyeol answered.

“Flight to Tokyo, boarding in ten minutes” a bored sounding voice echoed through the airport.

“Well, that’s my flight,” Myungsoo announced.

Before he left, the group members all had a huge group hug, their heads in the middle reassuring each other, and Sera couldn’t help but admire them.

They all pulled away after a half a minute and Myungsoo smiled one last time at Sera before he turned and headed to the gate, his suitcase trailing behind him.

“Hey, Sera, do you want me to take you to SM?” Woohyun offered.

“That would be great. thanks,” she answered, following him to his car as the other members left to their other individual ones. With the exception of Sungjong, who got in with Sungyeol.

“Are you okay?”

She turned to the male beside her in the car, and slightly nodded. “I’m okay, you?”

“I guess. I mean, he’s never gone away without us before by himself. So,I worry. I may not seem like it, but I do,” he admitted.

“He’ll be fine. He did things all the time by himself when we kids, well, before he met me anyway, I wouldn’t let him go anywhere alone after we met,” she replied.

“He couldn’t stop talking about you after the massive sleepover at your house, I’m sure all of us knew half your life story by the time you actually met the rest of us,” he laughed. “Well, anyway, we should get you back, your brother will be worried, right?”

“I guess. Thank you for offering to take me home.”

“No problem.”

They drove off, occasionally exchanging some conversational words until they arrived outside the company entrance.

“Wow, you come here everyday?”

“Most days, but my school is only down there,” she pointed down the street.

“Ah, I suppose.” Woohyun nodded, and she thanked him one more time before leaving the car, sending a quick wave to him before she disappeared around the opaque door.

The ride up the elevator was quick as she started down the familiar corridor. She half expected to see Henry, but after thinking about the debacle a few weeks before, she automatically stopped her expectations. She didn’t want to face him, and she guessed he probably felt the same about her as well.

She didn’t hesitate to enter the practice room after so many months of doing so. She wasn’t bothered about Sehun annoying her anymore, but he had been acting strange. Again.

As she entered the room, she tried to send a small smile his way, but he turned and ignored her, pretending to talk to one of the other members when she could clearly see that neither of their lips were moving.

Was he still mad about what she said?

Their practice was just finishing up, and most members left the room, including Sehun after giving her an icy glare before rushing out of the room. For the first time ever, she found herself following Oh Sehun out the door, curious as to where he was going.

She caught his figure swerving around a corner just as the got out the door, and proceeded to follow him quickly; she didn’t know why she wanted to follow him, but she supposed that her curiosity of his icy attitude towards her got the better of her. Sure, he’d been mean before and so had she, but she thought they were on okay terms now.

He turned a sudden corner through a pair of doors, and she realised they headed to the roof as soon as she began climbing them, the wind already evident as it brushed her face coming through the open door.

The boy stood at the edge, leaning on the banister and looking out onto the other buidings.

Hesitantly, she stood next to him, and he didn’t move away, he didn’t do anything to suggest he had any kind of problem with her, but she had to ask him.

“Do you have another problem with me?”

He turned to her slowly. “No.”

“Then what’s wrong?”

His whole body turned to her then, his hand gripping the railing. “Why do you care? Why’re you even here?”

“Because I want to be with you.”

She’d barely finished her last word when his lips pressed onto hers, and she had to grip her hand onto the railing to stop herself from falling over. And surprisingly, she didn’t want to get off or let go, she didn’t want him to pull away.

To her mind’s confusion, she even found herself enjoying it.