PART ONE

"Do you think she'll like this? I thought she hated things like this."

Seulgi let out a small laugh as she watched Taehyun's face scrunch up in confusion as he turned the present over and examine its details. It's been a long time since he had last seen Joohyun; he didn't know if she had changed after all these years or had remained the same. Having grown up with a single mother who was often ill, she had always been like an older sister to him. At times, she acted as a mother figure in his own mother's absence. Seulgi, on the other hand, was the friend who always kept him up when life tried to knock him down. The two seemed to lean on her a lot, but there were just some things that he couldn't tell either of them about the past four years. 

"She's changed some over time."

She couldn't help but stare at her friend as he continued to look over the gift again and again. The expression on his face was hard to read, but it was obvious that he was nervous about seeing Joohyun again after all these years. Nam Taehyun had grown up a lot in the time they had not seen him, but it wasn't only his appearance that had changed. By just looking at him, she could tell that something serious must have happened for him to have disappeared a few years ago with no contact and no trace. After his mother had passed, he had grown quiet and began to pull away. They hadn't guessed that he would just get up and leave without a word.

"You think she hates me now?"

Turning to her friend, she saw an expression she had grown to know well. It was the same look that would appear on his face whenever he thought that he had disappointed his mother. It was the expression of a child's fear and defeat. As a child, Taehyun had taken on the responsibility of caring for his mother while also attending school and making sure they had a way to pay the rent. When something did not go well, he had always felt like a failure.

"No, why would you think that? She misses you like crazy."

His eyes softened as she spoke. 

"I hope so." He whispered.

It had been four years, seven months, and eighteen days since he had seen her. 

It had been four years, seven months, and eighteen days since he had walked out of his old home and left on his own.

It had been one day, five hours, and forty-three minutes since he had met up with Seulgi once again.

"I think you're forgetting that she has always favored you over everybody else. Do you remember that time when you made me drop that box of gardening supplies, and even though I was the one who had a huge cut on my leg, she was too busy making sure your clothes weren't dirty?"

Seulgi had not seen Taehyun smile in such a long time that it took her by surprise.

"Yeah, I was always more of a little sister than you ever were, wasn't I?" He laughed to himself as his focus remained on the snowglobe in his hands.

"She's going to ask questions."

He knew that she was going to ask. He knew he was going to have to answer them someday. He knew that he wasn't ready to reveal everything. But he also knew that he owed them an explanation, no matter how small or short it may be. Seulgi's questions went unanswered the day before, but she knew that if Taehyun was choosing to stay quiet, he had a good reason. Bae Joohyun, however, would want answers right away. After having had him disappear for years, he knew that she wasn't going to let this go. He could only hope that she would grant him the time that he needed.

"I know." He sighed, turning over the snowglobe.

"She's going to demand answers."

"I know." He watched as the fake snow began to fall on top of the little houses once again.

"She's not going to leave you alone until she gets them."

"I know." The tiny people began to be covered in white, their smiles still shining through.

"She's can be very hardheaded, you have to be ready to talk."

"I know." He could feel his phone vibrate in his pocket; glancing down, he could see the name that flashed across the screen with a new message.

Song Minho 
Don't worry about me and stay with them tonight. They need you as much as you need them.

"She's probably going to stick by you to make sure she doesn't lose you again."

"I know." He answered softly as he read over the message.

"She's missed you so much and is sorry that she couldn't be there for you for all of these years." Turning around at the sound of her voice, he saw the older girl walking towards him with tears in her eyes. She took each step cautiously, as if she were scared that this was all in her imagination and that he would disappear again in the blink of an eye. As she got closer, she realized that he really was back.

As he stood up, she threw her arms around him and began to sob. Her little Taehyun was back; no matter what he had gone through, he was there and safe.

"I know." He whispered as he tried to hold back his own tears.