The following day, Nam Joon and his cousin sat in a coffee shop, waiting for their old friend to arrive. They ordered their drinks and sat, sipping and looking at the other customers. While they waited, they took a selca of themselves and posted it on their various SNS accounts. They enjoyed spending time together and if someone didn’t know them, they'd assume that they were in a romantic relationship.  

After 15 minutes, the coffee shop glass door swung open and Jung Kook entered. The first thing Ye Jin noticed about him was his change in hairstyle. While his hair in high school was politely parted with minimal sway, his new one covered his forehead in a comfortable, casual bounce. She smiled as she saw it, thinking that College loosened him up a little. He was also adorned in a casual navy jeans and white t-shirt, covered with a light jacket. He looked like he just walked out of a magazine for rugged young men.  

The cousins stood and welcomed their friend. While Nam Joon gave him a tight, excited hug, Ye Jin welcomed him with a light hug. Jung Kook went to get a drink before returning to the table.  

"So, how have you guys been?" Jung Kook started the conversation. 

"Everything has been pretty good. Can't complain," Nam Joon replied. 

"How was the train ride to get here?" Ye Jin asked politely. 

"Mostly empty, which was a good thing," Jung Kook said, smiling.  

"How is College life treating you?" Ye Jin continued. 

Jung Kook nodded and said, "It's been pretty good. Definitely a nice change from High School." 

"Damn right," Nam Joon agreed. 

After a short moment of silence, Jung Kook continued, "Why didn't y'all come back at all?" 

The cousins exchanged a glance.  

"A lot just happened. We didn’t have a reason to go back there anymore," Ye Jin said, matter-of-factly.  

Her tone made Jung Kook not pry any further into that part of the past.  

"I miss you," Jung Kook muttered, looking directly at Ye Jin. 

She broke their eye contact and looked down at her hands folded in her lap. "I'm sorry." 

"You didn’t even message or write or-or call!" Jung Kook exclaimed with fierce eyes.  

"I know! I'm sorry!" 

Jung Kook exhaled. "Just promise me you won't leave me behind again. I came here so we can keep in contact and not be strangers." 

"Okay, I promise." Ye Jin glanced at her cousin, desperate for his interference.  

"Jung Kook-ah, so how are the other? Tae Hyung, Ji Min, Suk Jin?" Nam Joon asked, hoping to ease the tension.  

He sighed.  "They're doing alright. Tae Hyun is studying Theater, Ji Min is working with his father in their restaurant and Suk Jin is doing Culinary Arts in College."  

"Whoa, that's awesome," Nam Joon said, excitedly.  

The group fell into a moment of awkward silence.  

"How long are you staying in Chuncheon?" Ye Jin finally asked.  

"I'm not sure yet. I've never been up here before. Would you mind if I stay a few days?" 

"Not at all! You can stay at our house!" Nam Joon welcomed him eagerly.  

Jung Kook smiled and thanked him.  

After another 20 minutes, their cups were emptied and they decided to take a walk around the area.  

Nam Joon led the way while the other two stayed behind and walked in uncomfortable silence. While Nam Joon strayed to the left to ask an elder lady about where she got her vegetable produce from, Jung Kook decided to approach Ye Jin. 

"Ye Jin-ah," he began, stealing glances at her. "What's going on with you and Yoon Gi?" 

She was taken aback by the sudden question and remained quiet for a short while. Not sure what to reply, she decided to stick with the truth as much as possible. "He came to visit me recently but then his father showed up and took him away. He didn’t look back or say goodbye so I guess that's it for whatever we had." While she let the words flow from , she realized how pitiful it all sounded, but she hoped that Jung Kook wouldn’t look at her like she was an abandoned puppy.  

"Do you miss him?" 

"In a way, yes. But, I know that there's no way we can be together, so I try not to dwell on it too much." 

"Why not go after someone who genuinely likes you then?" 

Ye Jin chuckled. "I don’t think I've met such a person yet." 

"Yes, you have." 

She looked at him, puzzled.  

"Maybe you just overlooked him because you were distracted with Yoon Gi," Jung Kook said, staring into her eyes, pleading for her to realize what he was saying.  

Just as Ye Jin was about to say something, Nam Joon approached them with a small bag of bean sprouts hanging off his left hand. "Let's go! We have a lot more stuff to get!"  

The two followed Nam Joon, but Ye Jin didn’t want to talk about her feelings anymore. She just wanted to focus on enjoying her time with her friend and her cousin. If she focused on her feelings, she would've been a spoiled sport for the entire day, and Jung Kook didn’t need that after he made the effort to visit them. Instead, she charged on, showing as much enthusiasm as she could muster. 

A/N: Yes, i know i havent written in forever, but no more of that! Thank you to everyone who has supported the story till now and i hope you continue to do so. <3