Kai looked at his cousin with incredulous look; Kris was sitting on his bed and constantly nagged him to fasten his preparation.

‘Why are you so eager to go to party?’ Kai asked.

‘Dude, just in case you forget, this is your party! You’ll be officially announced as chairman, don’t you eager to go to?’ Kris raised his eyebrow.

‘No,’ Kai shortly reply as he fastened his bow tie. ‘And anyway why are you so happy about that?’

‘Of course I’m happy since I’ve new rival,’ Kris smirked.

Kai threw face towel to the elder which Kris laughed it off.

Kris Wu, the chairman of Wu Ent and the most happy-easy-go person Kai ever knew despite his aloof and distant aura. And the thing he envied the most was Kris’ relationship with his wife. Kris and Jessica gone through extreme ups and downs yet they remained strong. From their childhood until now. Wow indeed.

Kai, Kris, Jessica and Krystal grew up closely together. Back when Kai and Krystal were 6 years old, four of them played the bride and had their wedding at the back yard of Kris’ house. Kris and Jessica remained together ever since—of course not always as couple, they broke up several times; even both of them ever date other people—but the opposite happened to Kai and Krystal. Once they moved to Korea around junior high period, Kai and Krystal slowly drifted apart. No one knew the real reason but they seemingly kept themselves in fair distant. They were back to be close again when their parents set an arranged marriage between them but who knew that the outcome was unexpected.

Kai did not regret his decision though.

He let Krystal go.

Five years ago, yet it still fresh in his mind like it happened just yesterday. Their week gate away in Spain—the most precious time in his entire life—he gave Krystal a choice to stay or leave—which she choosed the latter. Krystal was always a free bird thus he never blame her for run away. For him, if they were meant to be, she would come back to him.

But now, it was already five years after the even took place.

It just five years, his heart told.

Kai sighed. Maybe, it just five years. Would he be waiting for her much longer?

He did not know either, but for sure, after she left until now, none caught his eyes—well, when he ever actually? In the past all he did just screw the night and waste. Something he did not do in the past five years. Those was not his real lifestyle though, it just, what can you expect from bachelor with money and look during his free time aside of club, alcohol and women?

In all honesty, after Krystal left, Kai wondered himself, what made he never have proper relationship before. Why could not he be like Kris? He had no idea and whenever he thought of a woman in his life, the only person who appeared before his eyes was no other than Krystal.

Did he love her all these while?

‘Have you ever thought if you didn’t end up with Jessica Noona?’ Kai found himself ask to his cousin.

‘Huh?’

‘I was just wondering what if you end up with someone else,’ Kai sat on the edge of his side table and crossed his arms.

‘We found other half in each other selves? I don’t know, we’ve pull and push period, if you remember and we even seeing other person too but I guess we didn’t find what we’re yearning for on those people so here we’re, comeback to each other,’

Kai smiled. To say that he was not envy with Kris’ explanation was a lie. Now, for the first time ever in his life, he yearned of someone.

‘So what about you? Have you decided to do something about that?’ Kris asked.

Kai looked down and slowly shook his head.

‘I don’t know.’ He stated.

‘It’s been five years since she left, didn’t you want to know about her well being?’ Kris asked.

Kai inwardly laughed, did not want to know? He wanted to know her badly and almost every time it took every ounce in his fibber for not stalking her. The last time he aware about her whereabouts was the day she left. She did not leave for Prague as she always told to him.

“She left her ticket on the bench, she went somewhere to Andalucia.”

Andalucia.

Why would she go there?

And why didn’t you try to search for her? His subconscious asked back. Right, why didn’t he?

‘She’s a free bird; I don’t want she felt trapped.’ Kai reasoned. That was true, that was the thing he kept on reminding himself whenever he was about to looking for her.

‘What if she thought otherwise?’ Kris asked.

Kai shoot up his head and looked at the older between the two. Meaning?

‘What if she waited for you? What if she—‘

The rest of Kris’ “what ifs” left blurred. He never thought about the possibility, and to think that Krystal might need time to discover her feeling for him but, wait, what if she did not do anything about that?

No, she said she wanted it for them.

Kai still remember how she kissed his head before she left. She thought he was already fallen asleep in fact he was not and he had to fight really hard for not run after her and ask her to stay instead.

I need coffee, he concluded.

‘Can we go somewhere else before headed to the ball?’ Kai asked.

‘Where?’

***

Kris awkwardly followed the younger of the two passed row after row of tables in one old fashioned coffee shop. Kai did not tell why they were here; he just walked until he stopped at his usual table. A VIP private table for two. Kris acknowledged that this coffee shop was his cousin hiding place in the past five year. Not that he knew the reason why, as far as he knew, Kai was not a coffee drinker until recently.

Not long after them both sat down; a waitress served two cups of coffee, but instead of took the tray off, she put down the coffee together with the tray, only then Kris realized that the tray was decorated as well.

‘Mr. Kim hope that the coffee would at least warmed you up Sir,’ the waitress told Kai and he turned around only found the barista smiled warmly back at him and Kai nodded as per gratitude.

‘Tell him I really thank you,’ Kai smiled at her and she nodded before left them alone.

‘This is Krystal’s favourite place,’ Kai began. ‘I really didn’t want to bother her because I promise her to respect her choice. Call me coward but all I can do is holding on the tiny silver line of her word before she left. And I hope, I didn’t misinterpret it.’

 

 

“For us Kai.”