"I hate the fact this this tastes so damn good, and the fact that, despite my inability to go on most of the rides, I've had a pleasant time."

"Why does everything you say have to sound like and insult and a compliment at the same time?"

Even if Krystal was offering a backhanded complement, Taemin couldn't help but smile warmly at her. Still she was cold, aloof and distant, but if anything, the smile that spread on her face let him know that maybe -just maybe- he could help her come to terms with her problem. It didn't take a genius to know that Krystal was severely depressed, but Taemin didn't want her to let her past define her any longer. He couldn't help but feel partly responsible for the way she was now, and the guilt ate him up on the inside. 

But right now, he forced himself to forget about it. 

As Krystal stood there, with the darkening sky above her and the chilling weather biting at the two of them, a stick of rainbow cotton candy in her hand and a piece of it stuck to her cheek, all Taemin wanted to do was focus on the now and forget about what he'd done to Krystal in the past. 

"What?" Krystal snapped, her eyes murderous at having caught him stare, "I hate it when you stare like that. It's like you're trying to analyse me."

"Let me guess," Taemin scoffed he he (forcefully) diverted his eyes to the numerous passengers swirling about on the rides above them, "Your therapist looks at you the same way?"

"Yes and no," Krystal chuckled slightly, the two of them beginning to make their way towards the bridge leading up to the Magic Castle, "But most of the time she just looks at me- as if- as if I'm wounded."

"Well you're not, Soojung," Taemin said with seriousness, "But you can't run away from the past - let alone allow it to eat you up like this."

"What do you know?" Krystal snapped at him, staring at him with dark, callous eyes that told the tale of a thousand tears wasted on him in the last 3 years. Taemin's heart ached at the sight of those eyes.

It was that moment he knew for certain ending things the way he did with Krystal was probably the biggest mistake of his life. Never more did he want to go back in time to fix things, atone for things so that maybe she wouldn't look at him like she was wounded, and not as if it wasn't because of him.

As the gleeful faces of all the visitors passed bye, in sheer awe of the surreal sight of the Magic Castle, Taemin and Krystal stood in the middle of the pathway, staring at one another with an intensity that juxtaposed the happiness surrounding them. They shouldn't have been like this, and Taemin wanted nothing more than to be rid of this issue.

Taemin balled his fists, squaring his shoulders in preparation for his confession, "I know that I'm sorry for- for what I did. I was wrong to treat you like that. I want nothing more than to make up for it."

Krystal breathed heavily for moment, eyes returning tot heir normal, dark mask that gave no hints as to how she really, truly felt deep down, "Like I said, I'm over what happened. I want to forget about it."

She tried walking onwards, but Taemin reached out for her hand, gently holding her back, "But that's just it. You can't keep moving on and forgetting everything that's happened Soojung, you need to come to terms with it."

Krystal stared down at Taemin's hand, clasped around her bare skin, with those same, unwavering eyes. Taemin wanted so badly to get inside her head and unpick the darkness that had been fostered inside because of him, but Krystal was anything but easy-going. Stubborn as she was, Taemin knew she'd be a nasty piece of work in helping.

I guess this needs a lot more work.

Realising he wasn't getting anywhere, Taemin let go of Krystal's hand, sighing, "Okay, you're right. This isn't the place to talk about this heavy stuff - I'm sorry. Let's get moving."

Taemin walked on, moving in the same direction with the scattering crowd, but halted when he realised Krystal wasn't following him. 

She stared at him, a smile hinting at the corner of , her cotton-candy half-eaten as she remained frozen tot he ground, "You're kidding, right?" She called out to him

Taemin shook his head, beckoning her to come to him. Krystal groaned, dragging her feet across the way before she and Taemin were side by side again, the illuminated Magic Castle lighting up the darkened sky before their eyes, "Long time no see, huh?" Taemin sighed as he and Krystal stared up at the castle, stood firmly in the middle of the pathway despite the numerous passersby's sending them odd looks for staying put, countless other floating about with their selfie sticks and cameras held aloft. 

"It looks the same," Krystal tilted her head as she admired the lights that had quickly flickered on in the past few minutes, "Pretty, but, nothing new."

"I guess with places like this, a little old is what you need." 

"You're right," Krystal sighed, and Taemin had to look at her, a double-take, to check he was hearing her correctly, "Come on, I wanna' see if everything's the same or not."

To Taemin's surprise, nothing had changed too much; basic aesthetics, the cheesy parades and displays, even the beverage flavours had undergone slight changes (the new 'Mocktails'  had a lovely tang to them), but, despite the cold greeting, reception and progress, Krystal had actually warmed up to Taemin ever so slightly. She'd shown a slight shade of the girl he fell hard for as a kid, to the extent that he almost thought -just for a second- that's they'd never spent 3 years apart in the first place. That he'd never broken her heart...

And he could've sworn Krystal thought the same, even if just for a second. 

"What?" She asked as Taemin was caught staring at her, red-handed. They walked back over the bridge, towards the exit of the Magic World, the breath-taking sight of the illuminated castle looming behind them a nightfall passed over all the visitors in the park. But Taemin could tell the amusement would soon wear off, and that Krystal would shut herself off once more.

He needed to take this chance to break through to her, it would be his only ay of getting her to see him again, "I've had fun. If things weren't so awkward, this may have qualified as a date."

Krystal chuckled, a warm smile spreading on her lips not unlike the same ones she showed Taemin in their younger days, "Yeah, right."

"I'm serious," Taemin stopped in the middle of the bridge, a  nervous smile playing out on his lips as he stared at Krystal with piercing eyes, "I meant what I said, I wanna' make things right."

Krystal stared back at Taemin with those dark, expressionless yes, pensive, sighing, "How do you suppose you'll do that?"

"Let me see you again,"

"Absolutely not,"

"Well then," Taemin shrugged, "I guess I'll be visiting your coffee shop often,"

Krystal scoffed, "Unless you want me to spit in your coffee, don't." She stormed onwards and away from Taemin, her flair for the dramatic making him laugh uncontrollably. Krystal spun on her heel, eyes murderous at the sound of his laughter, "What?"

Taemin shrugged, "I guess I can