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            You were awake. Yet you still refused to open your eyes. You remained still, feeling the warmth of the sun on your face. You fervently hope to fall back into slumber and continue with the dream that you were having before waking up. As the alarm beeped, you squeezed your eyes shut for the last few seconds before opening them slightly. It worked (for a bit), because at the last the second before you opened your eyes, you caught a glimpse of him smiling at you.

            “TGIF!” you muttered as you dragged yourself out of bed to get ready for work. With your eyes still half closed, you got ready and made your way to the kitchen for a quick breakfast.

            “Morning Rara,” you greeted your best friend, who was also getting ready to leave for work. “Thank goodness it’s Friday, right?”

            She laughed merrily as she gave you a peck on the head before she headed off for work. You were glad to have her as your roommate because she was like your mother, sister and best friend all rolled into one. You slumped into an empty chair and as you ate some cereal, you prayed with all your might for a smooth day at work that day.

            Miraculously, God seemed to favour your prayer that day. The day went by smoothly with no major mishaps. Working with children always requires one to be prepared for the unexpected. So, it’s not only physically exhausting, but it’s definitely mentally exhausting as well. As you bade the last child goodbye, you closed the classroom door and settled down on one of the small chairs. Letting out a long sigh, you got started on marking the children’s work. The moment you were done with the last paper, your phone rang.

            “Hi Miss Hana,” it was Sasha, one of your good buddies. “Done with work yet?”

            You could hear several other familiar voices in the background.

            “Nearly! Where are you at right now?” you replied.

            “The café! Where else?”

            “Café? Which café?” You frowned as you tried to figure out which café your friend was referring to.

            “Unbelievable, don’t tell me you forgot that your friend’s new café will be opening tomorrow?!”

            “…”

            “…”

            “Well??”

            “Oh, my! I’m so sorry! I’ll be there in an hour!” you exclaimed. You had been too preoccupied with work till you had totally forgotten that tomorrow was the grand opening day. You heard your friend sigh on the other end of the line.

            “You know Hana, you’ve been forgetting so many things lately.” Sasha mused.

            “It’s as though you’re purposely trying to forget something.”

            You took in a sharp breath. Because somehow you felt that was true. You let out a sigh.

            “I’ll see you soon.” You spoke softly before hanging up.

            You leaned back against the small chair and lifted up your wrist. You stared at the bracelet that was resting against the surface of your skin. You ran your finger over the full moon charm and mused,

            “And what exactly is it that I want to forget so much?”

            --

            When they said grand opening day, you didn’t expect it to be this grand. The café was packed with customers; most of them were family, friends and acquaintances. The speakers were blasting pop music – which Ruki (another good friend, who’s the café owner) is a fan of. The girls and you were kept busy throughout the day, serving orders and cleaning up tables. Thankfully, the workers that Ruki had hired were fast learners and could efficiently manage the counter by the end of the day. Finally, at around ten that night, the crowd began to disperse. Shifting several tables together, you and your friends enjoyed supper together. After having spent close to eight years together, mealtimes would always involve reminiscing about the past and spilling long-kept secrets among one another.

            After about an hour of exchanging stories, you excused yourself to the restroom that was on the basement. You were relieved to discover that the restrooms were clean and reminded yourself to help Ruki plan the duty roster for the week. Humming, you went to relieve yourself and proceeded to wash your hands with soap before stepping out of the ladies room. While going up the stairs, you noticed that your shoelaces were untied so you placed your foot on a step and bent down to tie it. Satisfied, you took a step forward and hit straight into someone's hard chest. Because of the sudden impact, you were thrown backwards. You missed your step and was about to fly down the flight of stairs when a pair of strong hands grabbed hold on each side of your arms. Once you regained your balance, you immediately apologized as you looked up at the person who had saved you. As your eyes registered the familiar face, you gave a loud gasp.

            “Kris??!”

            Shock was clearly evident on his face. Kris took a deep breath and broke into a grin. Over the period of six years, Kris hasn't really changed much. His features remained pretty much the same, but his style has definitely matured. Pairing a plain white button-down shirt with black pants and a pair of black oxfords, Kris definitely looked like a man now, rather than a boy trying to look like one.

            "It's been a while, Hana." He simply said in his deep, low voice.            

            You were dumbfounded. The last you heard from him was about six years ago, at the Christmas party. You swallowed and managed to regain your composure. Taking a step back, you couldn't help but grin back at him. Surprisingly, you felt good seeing him.

            "How have you been?" Kris spoke after a while. You had suggested to step out for a bit to talk in private. Sitting on an empty bench by the garden, he glanced down at you; awaiting your reply.

            'How have I been? Honestly? Life has been like a living hell. Pretending to understand what others are talkling about when I honestly have no damn clue what they’re referring to,' You thought to yourself. 

            "Fine." you managed to reply nonchalantly. You couldn't show your true emotions to Kris, not him. Ever since that fateful incident last winter, you had built a wall around yourself and refused to let anyone in. You hardly opened up to your close friends, what more a mere acquaintance who used to be a member of a widely popular boyband. You still had no idea how you actually became acquainted with a celebrity like him. Kris gave a loud sigh. He kept his eyes on the night sky, a faint smile evident on his lips.

            "He's suffering too." His soft voice filled the air. He clearly didn't buy your reply to his question earlier. "Every single day. You remember, right?"

            You remained silent. You had no response to his statement. Besides, you felt void of any form of emotions. You didn't feel any pity, regret or sadness, nor did you feel good about it. Because in all honestly, you have no idea who’s the ‘he’ that you kept hearing others talk about. Apparently you and him used to have something going on. But for the life of you, you cannot recall any single thing about this boy who was apparently another member of the same group Kris used to be in.

            "What business did you have coming here?" You asked, attempting to change the topic. Kris clenched his jaw and stared at you. After a while, he relaxed and broke the eye contact.

            "I'm here on a business trip actually. Actually, Kyungsoo, Lay and Chen are here as well." He replied, nodding his head towards the cafe. You raised a brow upon hearing the familiar names. "We've actually started a company together. The five of us. Me, Lay, Chen, Kyungsoo and Jongin."

            The names sounded familiar. Somehow, you managed to link each name with a face. Except for the last one that was mentioned. The boys were no longer promoting as EXO ever since several of them voiced out their intention of pursuing a different career like acting, dj-ing and others. Apparently, Kris and the other four had entered the fashion industry and even launched their own brand, 'GALAXYSTYLE'. It was apparent how they were no longer as passionate about performing songs that had no creative input from their part and wanted to each pursue something that they could very well call their own.

            "He was supposed to tag along for this trip as well, but had to cancel at the last minute because his sister gave birth on the day we were set to fly off."

            "Mhmmm." You responded simply. Who was the ‘he’ he’s referring to? Both of you sat there in silence. For how long, you weren’t sure because at that moment, your mind had wondered to the past. Trying to search for memories that were no longer there.

            "Are they still in there? I should go and say hello." You stood up, waiting for Kris to do the same. Seeing that he was still not moving from his seat, you glanced down at him. There was a flicker of something in his eyes when your eyes met with his. It was only there for a short second but you were sure to have seen it before he blinked it away. Kris continued to hold your stare and finally, after what felt like eternity, gave you a small smile and stood up. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he tilted his head towards the cafe, "Let's go."

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