Elijah

I took a deep breath as the plane I am in landed safely in Seoul. I put my mask on together, wear a baseball cap and sunglasses. I silently get my luggage, making sure no one will notice me. Several reporters are outside waiting for me to come out as I was seen in Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris yesterday, taking a flight to Seoul. A group of Asian tourists claiming to be YG artists' fans asked for a photo at the airport after I checked in. I obliged and didn't realize I got careless until the photo was posted on the SNS. I walked normally to avoid suspicions from the photographers waiting outside. I tried to cover my face hoping no one will recognize me. I almost successfully passed them when a little girl cried after crashing to my luggage, causing a scene. I'm trying to console the kid to stop her from crying when one of the photographers recognize me. They all circle us and take pictures of me, making the kid cry more. I look around to find the kid's parents, but a lot of people surround us. I carried the kid and covered her face while trying to get passed the photographers. "Let me through, please. Don't take photos of the kid. Let me through."

A group of men in a suit approached and helped us to get through. I walked fast, still covering the little girl's face until the men led us to a car waiting outside. I went in, not protesting anymore as the photographers are almost mobbing us, and I was worried about the child who is crying hard. I look at the driver after we settled inside the car. "Sir, I was sent by your grandfather to pick you up. It seems like we received wrong flight info."

I was supposed to board a flight that will arrive later, but after I found out about the photo posted on the SNS, I took a different plane. "It's fine, but can you help me out with this kid? I don't know who her parents are, but there is a contact number on her ID card. Drive us to the other side of the airport, and I'll contact the kid's parents to meet there."

The kid stops crying when I had her talk with his mom on the phone. Her parents arrived after 10 minutes to pick up the kid, and I apologized to them for causing trouble.

"Call someone from the Korean Air and ask them to wait for that kid's family and upgrade their seat to business class," I ordered the driver before closing my eyes to sleep.

Jennie

I am in the training room since early in the morning, and I'm so annoyed at myself as I can't keep my focus since last night. Reports about Elijah being spotted in the airport last night is all over the internet. I feel nervous and restless as I have no idea what will happen. It has been three years since I last saw him; Three long years since I last talked to him. I was hurt when he refused to fight for us. I hate him for deciding on our life without taking consideration of what I think and what I want. I hate him for being a coward.

I hate and love him at the same time if that is possible. I hate him, but I hate myself more for still loving him despite everything that happened. I hate to admit, but I never stopped loving him. I've been trying my best to make myself believe that I don't love him anymore. I'm working so hard to forget everything I feel about him. He made me feel like I'm someone he likes to spend time with, but not someone he is willing to take his chances on. I saw him embraced freedom in the past three years, but never dared to risk when it comes to me. I was devastated, lost, and broken after witnessing him living his life as if I mean nothing to him. It was hard for me to see how easy it was for him to move on. I was looking forward to every holiday there is in the calendar, hoping he will come home.

I waited for him to talk to me. I was secretly hoping he will at least send me a message. I spent my last three birthdays staring at my phone, hoping for at least a single text message from him. It's as if he completely erased me from his life for the past three years. There are times, especially nights, after receiving disappointments in my trainee life that I cried hard thinking about him. I want to complain to him when I feel so hungry, but I can't eat because I'm tired and sleepy, and most of the time, because I'm afraid I'll gain weight. I want to cry to him every time our debut got canceled. I want to hear him say that I will debut, that I'm good enough, that everything will be alright. I did not only lose a boyfriend, but I also lose someone who is so much more than that. I lost someone I can tell my fears, someone I can cry on and never be judged. I lost someone I can go to when everything seems wrong. I lost my person, and I lose myself in the process.

And now, he is home. Elijah is back. The man I've been trying to live without is back, and I'm scared. I'm afraid that all my effort to live my life without him will go to waste.

Elijah

One month later

I've been in Seoul for a month already, but I never had the chance to do things I want to do. I've been spending all of my time with my grandfather.

My absence affected my grandfather's position in the Yunjin Group. In a business as big as the Yunjin Group of Companies, one of the essentials is to have a strong family line. The head needs to have a reliable heir. If snakes and rats inside the company smell something wrong, they will attack. My grandfather is not getting any younger, so the boards need to feel secure that there is someone who can take over the company anytime. So when I stopped coming home while finishing college, and when I refused to go back after graduating, rumors started that affected my grandfather's position in Yunjin Group. Yang Yun-jin, within a month after my arrival in Korea, didn't waste any opportunity to show the world that me, his heir is back. He brought me to a lot of his business meetings and his engagements in the business world. I was busy meeting people and making connections in business. I enjoyed everything as I love meeting and interacting with different types of people. I learned a lot of things within a month of working with my grandfather.

The only thing that frustrates me is the fact that I still haven't had the chance to meet my friends, even spend time with my grandmother. But today is different as I'm in the dining room, eating breakfast with my lovely grandmother. I left the house too early several times in the past month without having a chance to share a meal with her. I'm happy to see my grandmother, who aged a lot from the last time I got the opportunity to look at her. She has been looking at me and hugging me since I woke up. She told me a lot of things like how much she missed me, how Jisoo only visits her once a month, sometimes every two months, and a lot of her complaints about my uncle and me. I spent quality time with her before kissing her goodbye to meet my uncle in the office. He asked me to meet him in the YG building today for some reason I have no idea.

After an hour of driving, I arrived at the YG building. Happiness is evident on my face upon seeing the familiar place I spent my childhood. I bowed to every person I met inside the building; most of the time, I know who, some I don't.

I had coffee with my uncle after eating lunch in the famous YG's in-house cafeteria. We also talked about business, and the older asks for business advice from me. I found out that one of the reasons why the debut of the girls got delayed again is the controversy surrounding 2NE1. The management is taking into account the possible backlash the new group might receive if they debut in the middle of the rumored disbandment of the group. The company is in turmoil after the controversy faced by the artists handled by YG. After spending the whole afternoon together, we had dinner before going separately.

I decided to go to the gym, located in my uncle's apartment building in Hapjeong, since I'm already in the area. I want to take off mind away from Jennie, even just for a while. I didn't bother to call Jisoo as they are in Japan for some extensive training from a well-known dance studio based in Osaka.

I was running on the treadmill while staring at the midnight sky when I noticed someone — my focus shifts on the woman who started to run on the treadmill next to me. My heart dropped when I saw a familiar face. I'm right next to Jennie. I look at her with my eyes wide open. I'm still shocked by the sudden intrusion, but I wasted no time to look at her. Her facial features matured a bit but still looks the same as before. She looks cute but hot at the same time. I never imagined someone would look so good in a simple pair of white shirt and black spandex. She looks great, as usual. I am in that thought when I realize that Jennie is staring back at me.

"Sorry. It's just that I didn't expect someone to be here at this hour. I didn't expect you to be here. I heard you're in Japan with the girls, so I was confused for a while." I said while stepping out of the treadmill.

"We returned three hours ago. I can't sleep, so I went here." She answered back without looking at me. She continues to run on the treadmill, and silence surrounds the place.

I tried to break the ice and said, "You look great, by the way."

She looks at me with a bitter look in her eyes before answering back. "Did you expect that I would look miserable after you left without a word? Is that what you expected after leaving me like trash three years ago?"

"I didn't mean to offend you. I'm sorry." I shook my head as I don't have the face to see the pain in her face.

I realized that she already stops running on the treadmill when she stood right in front of me. "Look at me. Stop being a coward and face me." She hit me in the chest when I refused to look at her. "You just left and never came back. I waited for you. I waited for you every single day. I waited for your call. I waited for you." She continues to hit me in the chest until she broke down in tears. "Did you even think about me in those years you're gone? I was a mess. I am still is."

Elijah hugs her tightly. "I did. I think about you every day, every night, every time, every moment I was there. It feels like hell in those three years we were not talking. I feel horrible even up to now thinking how much I hurt you."

Jennie tried to fight her feelings, but like what she expected, she lost the fight and hugged him back. She's crying hard on his chest. All the tears Jennie held from the past years flows endlessly. She clings to his body when she felt that he is letting go of her touch.

"I won't leave. I want to see your face. I'll be here with you as long as you need me." I assured her while I look at her in the eyes.