“Why did you do that?”

There was a slight tremor in her voice that she tried hiding with a scowl but V saw through her- she was shaken. He bore holes into her eyes and her cheeks began to color before she looked away.

“D-don’t ever do that again.” She warned, her eyes never leaving the ground. Her voice was muffled and a wave of shame crashed against V as he took a step towards her but she backed away. Her cold response made V flinch slightly and it hurt more than her slap ever could.

“Please...just leave, Taehyung.” She looked up when she said his name and V saw the glazed look her dark eyes had. he stood there stunned and cursed himself for being so selfishly stupid. V quickly turned away and left without another look back because deep down he knew he’d officially lost her and most likely Taehyun as well.

The rest of the year, V spent it ignoring Taehyun and Yerin. He avoided him, specifically, like a plague. Apparently Yerin hadn’t told him what had happened between the two of them because he still sought V out. Taehyun was a loyal friend and it only made V feel worse. He felt like when he’d walk past Taehyun and left him standing there with a greeting on his mouth and not so much as even a glance back to him. By the end, Taehyun had stopped trying and even though it hurt V- he couldn’t blame him and wondered why he’d even lasted so long.

Yerin was the complete opposite and that hurt V the most. She didn’t seek him out. If she had been distant before the kiss, she was world’s away now. Her indifference only made him regret his actions even more to the point that he couldn’t even think of her without his chest clenching. As sappy and embarrassing as it was, V was love-sick- heartbroken- and only time would heal him, or so he hoped.

Music was his medicine. Music healed V and helped him lock away Yerin in a small corner in the back of his heart. He didn’t go to college and took, what his mother called, ‘the easy road’ when he joined an entertainment company where he was hired as a songwriter. He was pretty successful, but not completely satisfied with his work since most of it was given to idols who, in his opinion, never did justice to the songs. However, V knew there wasn’t much they could do when they ran on little sleep and long schedules.

He always tried to look out for them and often accompanied various groups, boy-groups especially, in the recording studio and sometimes helped out the managers by going to video and CF shoots. It was during one of these MV shoots that V saw Yerin again.

She was a rookie actress who’d barely debuted and was doing her first MV with the boy group V was currently subbing in as a manager. She was just as radiant as he remembered her. Her baby fat was gone and her hair was longer and she sported bangs. She was slightly taller and V noticed she wore heels. Her dress was pure white and matched her milky complexion. He suddenly wondered if her lips were just as soft as they were five years ago and that was when he realized she was wringing her hands and biting her bottom lip.

She was crazy nervous. More nervous than V had ever seen her. She looked so helpless on the set that he wondered if she would crack. She tried getting her manager’s attention but it was no use and she started to panic. Her eyes darted around the room until they landed on V and her brown orbs widened in recognition. Then she did something he didn’t expect- she got off set and walked up towards him.

“Get me out of here,” and that was all she needed to say for V to oblige her. They stepped outside and she took a deep breath before leaning against the building and looking up at the sky. V stood next to her and for a few moments they stood like that: quiet and enjoying each other’s company.

“I’m glad to see you, Taehyung.. Truly,” she finally looked at him and gave him a small and sincere smile. V said nothing and just smiled slightly, still stunned by the fact that he was standing next to her- his first love. He suddenly felt the urge to tell her how he felt back then. He wanted to admit that he loved her first but was too much of a coward to admit it. He wanted to tell her that deep down he still felt the same way.

“You know you could’ve just told me.” She looked at him, really looked at him. “I always thought you disliked me which is why I never confessed either. I guess we were both cowards.” She laughed mirthlessly and looked down at the ground.

V stood there and took in everything that she had said. He wanted to just die then and there from both shame and happiness. He realized life was giving him a second chance and he took it without any regrets.

“I love you, Yerin. I always have.”

He took her arm and wrapped his other arm around her waist bringing her closer. She gasped and V leaned in kissing her with all the love and passion that he’d locked away five years ago. She was stunned at first but responded to the kiss and tangled her fingers in his hair. When they were both out of breath they parted and had beautifully bruised lips. V grinned and pulled her into a hug taking in her sweet aroma that he’s missed.

“I love you too, idiot.”