"Don't you think it's a little sudden?" Minri says, scoffing, her voice hinting at the tiny amount of annoyance, but filled with the genuine surprise.

"I mean, I have been saying I wanted to go," Brian answers, 

"Yeah, but I didn't know you were actually gonna go, this soon" she says.

Minri has a point, the trip to Canada is pretty sudden. Jae's been gone for a week now, and Minri assumes that her boyfriend is simply inspired by the method of stress relief that Jae demonstrates.

And it's believable, it's part of the reason Brian's going; to clear his head, but hopefully in the sense that doesn't involve completely  resetting his memory.

And that's the main reason he's visiting Canada so suddenly.

To see if the sudden trip back to that country will bring back the erased memories; bring back the life of Younghyun he doesn't remember.

"It's only for a week," Brian says, as if it's supposed to be comforting.

"Yeah, I know... But I'm gonna miss you," Minri replies, and Brian habitually smiles before hugging her.

"Hey," he says,

"I'm not leaving forever, I'm coming back."

And for some reason Brian's mind goes on to wonder if he said that to Jae before he left. Wonders if Jae heard these same words, only for him not to return and say "I told you so," and Jae being left alone, feeling abandoned but also having that tiny ounce of hope that maybe he would stay true to his words.

Minri smiles and wraps her arms around Brian, and leans her head against his chest,

"Okay," 

"Are you going to visit your parents before you leave?"

"No, nope, definitely not," the profuse denying accompanied by almost an offended laugh causes Minri to ask,

"Why not?"

"They don't need to know,"

"But I think they'd like to know,"

"Yeah, well, I would've liked to know a lot of things from them, but" Brian sighs, realizing his slightly harsh tone,

"I think it's just better if I go without their knowledge." 

Minri decides not to ask questions,

"Okay. But if your mom calls me and asks about you, what do you want me to say?"

"You can tell them, but I just don't want them to know before I leave,"

"Brian, this is weird, are you hiding something?"

"Min-ah, I will explain everything to you, one day. Please, can you just trust me for now?" 

Brian's voice isn't annoyed, or irritated. Instead it's apologetic, and sincere and that's what causes Minri to nod, and just say,

"Fine," she surrenders, and puts her hands up,

"Need help packing?" she offers with a cute smile, and Brian just smiles and gestures toward his practically empty luggage situated on the floor of their bedroom,

"Please" he says.

Packing for Canada involves a lot of Minri being picky with what her boyfriend is going to bring, and Brian just wanting to dump his whole closet into the luggage an hour and a half in. 

"Where'd you get this?" Minri asks, holding up a white hoodie with an aqua popsicle design all over,

"Uh..." Brian thinks, but nothing really comes to mind,

"I'm not too sure, actually" 

"Hm, weird." she replies, but then proceeds to fold it,

"You should bring it with you though, just incase you get cold" and Minri places the sweater in the luggage.

The couple finishes packing, and then go to sleep because Brian's leaving the next day. 

The next morning, Brian cooks breakfast like he usually does, and eats in front of Minri,

"Does Sungjin know?"

"Yeah, you and Sungjin know."

"Are you staying at a hotel?"

"Nah," he denies,

"I'm staying at my friend's place." 

"Text me when you land, okay?" Minri says,

"Will do" he replies with a smile, and kisses her forehead as he gets up to do the dishes. 

Minri drives Brian to the airport, and they share a chaste kiss before Brian's already boarding his 14-hour flight.

When Brian lands back in Toronto, reasonably, the memories don't come flooding back.

He doesn't know what he was expecting; maybe one foot-step back on Canadian soil and the memories would return, but he knows that it could happen anytime. Just like another reset, the memories returning, if it does happen, can happen any moment. 

Although being one of the reasons for this trip, Brian decides not to focus on it. As if thinking, and waiting for it to happen may jinx it entirely.

So when his friend picks him up from the airport, Brian allows himself to be distracted from his condition, and the curiosity of what's lost.

"Oh man, it's been awhile!" his friend, Terry says, and Brian almost habitually replies in Korean, but catches himself

"Yeah, I know, man."

"So! How's life been?"

"It's been..." Brian doesn't know how to tell Terry that it's currently a chaos of emotions and questions all because of someone he forgot upon coming to Canada the first time.

"It's been hectic,"

"How's your girl, is she okay?"

"Yeah, she's good"

"Are you guys okay?" 

Brian laughs a bit, 

"We're good, how about you? Got a girl yet?"

"Nah, university is taking too much of my time to even think about being in a relationship." Terry replies, 

"Do you think you're gonna marry her?" is a question Brian isn't expecting nor is he ready for,

"I don't know... I mean, we're both still young, right? So, I can't really answer that." is what he replies with, though.

"Yeah but, you've been dating her for, what, 3 years now? Can you picture yourself with anyone else?" Terry asks,

"I'm not sure." and Brian thinks about a time when he could've answered "no" without hesitation. 

A time where his love for Minri was unquestionable, no doubt laced his actions or words towards her. 

Brian's eyes are focused on the tall buildings that flash by his window, the familiar streets of Toronto passing by and Brian finds himself happy.

He misses the nights on the town, simply hanging out with the boys and not being bothered by his life or condition. He rolls down the window, and sits back to appreciate the crisp air running through his hair as if he's in a movie scene, admiring the foreign yet familiar food trucks parked on some streets. 

Brian decides that even if he doesn't get his memories back; he's going to enjoy the trip. 

He figures that Jae is on to something, leaving to another place to just clear your head, be surrounded by new things that are both exciting and slightly frightening.

"Oh, Bri, the boys wanted to hang out tonight, but I told them maybe we'll do something tomorrow since you might be tired from your flight" 

"Yeah, the time change is getting to me. But, I'd definitely want to see them ASAP," Brian replies.

"Oh, for sure. You can crash in my room if you're tired," Terry says, 

"Thanks," is all Brian says with a smile, and then returns to gazing out the window.

Terry's bed is comfortable, his room is almost the exact same as what Brian remembers it being 4 years ago. He's jet-lagged, and overall tired from his travels, so he's just about to slip into slumber when his phone goes off. 

He's going to ignore it, and simply mute his phone but then he remembers his girlfriend's request. He springs up from Terry's bed, and checks the notification on his phone, but already assumes it's Minri asking if he's okay. But it's not, it's just a notifcation from one of his social medias that he doesn't really care about. 

He goes to text Minri, but figures a call would be better considering it's been almost 2 hours since he landed, and she might be panicked.

He dials her number, and is waiting for her to pick up. He runs a hang through his hair, and sighs, simply just wanting to sleep.

"Brian?" she picks up, and Brian can tell by the tone of her voice that she was sleeping,

"Hey," he says softly,

"Sorry, I forgot about the time difference," he adds as he looks at the digital clock on Terry's bedside table.

"No no, it's fine. You landed safely?"

"Yeah, perfectly fine."

"You sound tired," Minri says,

"Oh, look who's talking" he replies, and hears soft laughter from the other line.

"Was your flight smooth?"

"Yeah, not too bad. The food could've been a bit better though," he jokes. 

"Okay, I'll let you sleep. I'll text you later," Brian says and Minri just hums in reply, too tired to vocalize a response

"Night, Min-ah,"

"Bye Bri~" she says, and mumbles somewhat of a 'love you' and Brian smiles while saying,

"Love you too." 

And having assured Minri, Brian sleeps peacefully, and Terry understandably doesn't wake him up. Brian passes out for a long time, and only wakes up to eat and go to the washroom. Terry and his parents are completely comfortable with Brian, so they're okay with the fact that he only comes out to eat, then retreats back in Terry's room to sleep again. 

The next day consists of Brian catching up with the boys, teasing about how he's probably going to get hitched to Minri, and a lot of eating which Brian wasn't complaining about. 

The week is filled with a lot of Terry bringing Brian around to new booming food places that were nonexistent 4 years ago, catching up over coffee, and Brian actually performing a bit at a live club as a result of losing in a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors against Terry. 

But on the second last day, he decides to have an alone day.

Thankful that Terry lives downtown, Brian doesn't need to borrow a car, or take the transit, but simply walks. He leaves Terry's home in the afternoon, and tells his friend that he'll probably be back later tonight. The weather isn't too warm or cold, so he wears the white hoodie Minri packed for him.

He doesn't recognize some shops that have opened, but for the most part, most of the city looks the same. He stops by a couple of stores to buy something for Minri, almost blushing as he enters some sections of the stores, ignoring the amused stares that follow him. 

Brian decides to visit the CN Tower, telling himself that he might as well considering he doesn't know when he'll be back next.

He's walking cautiously around the glass floor, and there's not that many people there, so he doesn't feel too embarrassed and 'tourist-y' when he starts snapping some pictures. He's crouching down, almost sitting, taking pictures of the scenery beneath him.

But he almost has a heart attack, when something falls on the floor right beside him, and apparently Brian's scared jump was less subtle than he thought,

"Oh, sorry" a voice says as the owner bends down to pick up the phone that had fallen,

"It's okay," Brian replies with awkward laughter, but then his smile disappears when he looks up to see the clumsy owner of the phone,

"Oh," and the tone signifies that he's just as surprised as Brian

"What're you doing here..." Brian asks as he stands up, and the blonde, tall man in front of him smiles awkwardly and answers,

"I heard the poutine here was pretty good." 

"Oh man, people were right!" Jae says excitedly as he devours the plate of fries, gravy and cheese infront of him. Brian's watching in slight awe, but not just at the speed at which Jae is consuming the poutine.

After meeting at the CN Tower, Jae and Brian decide to go grab some dinner together, mainly out of courtesy to avoid any awkward goodbyes.

"Your English is pretty good," Brian comments in Korean and Jae answers with,

"Studied in Cali for a bit," in English, as if to prove himself.

"So, this your first time in Canada?"

"Mhm!" 

"When do you plan on going back?"

"Actually, I was supposed to leave today, but my flight got cancelled and so now I'm leaving tomorrow." 

And their conversation reverts to Korean,

"I'm leaving tomorrow too, what time's your flight?" 

"I'm not too sure..."

"How do you not know when you're leaving?" Brian asks, laughing lightly,

"Because I don't want to." Jae replies, honestly.

"It's the same feeling everytime I run away like this. I don't want to go back to my problems, to what's been stressing me out so much that I left," 

But, looks like it followed me here this time, Jae thinks, staring at Brian who has begun eating,

"Would you want to come back?" Brian asks,

"Oh, yeah definitely. But I'd want to come back for fun. You know, not because I'm too stressed or overwhelmed back home, but simply for vacation purposes." 

"It was crazy seeing you here though," Jae comments,

"Yeah, I know.  I wouldn't have ever guessed you escaped to here,"

"I wasn't expecting to meet you at the CN Tower either," Jae replies,

"What a coincidence..." Brian says, nodding as he thinks and Jae ignores the way his mind wanders to focus on the word 'fate'. 

The two finish up dinner as the sun starts to set on the busy city. The hours pass by a lot quicker when there's company, Brian concludes, and he didn't realize he missed Jae's rambling. They're just walking around Toronto, Brian showing Jae where he studied for a bit.

So this is where you were, Jae thinks, and he ignores the venomous thoughts of;

I wonder if you kissed someone else while you were here; if someone received the same attention that I did-

Because it's not like things would change. Brian has Minri, Jae's aware, so whatever he did in college wouldn't make a difference.

They're walking side-by-side, Brian holding the bag of Minri's present on the opposite side of Jae so there's not much distance between them. Mainly to be able to hear Jae's words amidst the noisy city. 

It's about 9PM, and Brian didn't realize how long he's actually been out, but they decide to stop by a bar downtown. Jae chooses not to drink, the main reason being Brian's with him, and he doesn't want to repeat any mistakes.

Brian, however, decides to drink a bit. 

He figures that he might as well let go while he's still on vacation, and decides to drink a couple of beers. He's still sober enough that his words aren't slurred, and only the distant lights in the bar are a bit fuzzy. 

Jae, however, is right beside him and he's clear as day.

"So, why'd you come back to Canada?"

"Missed it," he says. and Jae nods,

"Needed to clear my head." he adds, and then continues,

"Tried to get back what it took from me." 

Jae smiles sadly and thinks,

Yeah, it took you from me too. 

"Clear your head, huh?" Jae says as he takes a sip of his soda,

"Something still bothering you?"

Brian just nods,

"Why don't you talk to Sungjin about it? Minri?"

"Because I don't know how to tell them,"

"Tell them what?" Jae asks,

"Tell them that..." he thinks of how to word it, he always wonders if it's okay to tell Jae.

But then something clicks in his mind, the lightbulb turns on, as he recalls Jae meeting his parents at the cafe.

The tense atmosphere between Jae and his dad, the intoxicated words of questioning from Jae, asking if his parents said anything. 

It's a mix of betrayal but also guilt that intertwines with Brian's,

"You know." 

"I know what?" Jae asks, and Brian almost feels stupid,

"You know who I am,"

Jae scoffs, and assumes that Brian found out about the past he had forgotten,

"Of course I know who you are, Brian Kang." and a sad smile makes it's way to Jae's face.

He's been smiling sadly too often ever since he met Brian, he thinks,

"I also knew the you that you forgot." 

Brian doesn't know if he has the right to feel betrayed.

"Why didn't you tell me you knew?"

"What would it change?" Jae asks, 

"What would you want me to say to you, Brian?" 

And he doesn't know how to respond.

"You could've let me know-"

"Know what? Brian, it wasn't my place to tell you that the life you've come to believe wasn't real,"

"If anything it should have been you," Brian says,

"Not the people that took me away from you-"

"They didn't take you away, Brian." Jae corrects,

"They took away Younghyun."

It's quiet, and Brian thinks he's never had such a serious conversation with anyone,

"Even if I did tell you, would you have believed me?" Jae asks, and Brian wants to say 'yes' immediately, but he doesn't.

"Would you listen to some author who happened to meet you at the cafe you work at, who tries telling you 'Hey! You're the person I used to be in love with, and you loved me too!'?"

And when Jae puts it like that, it's absurd. 

"Still."

"God, still what, Brian?"

"You could've given me a hint, something that would've lead me to the truth,

"I became friends with you." Jae says, and Brian isn't sure what he means at first,

"I still talked to you, I'm here in your life, Brian. By chance, I happened to be with you on your birthday, and your parents met me."

"And that was supposed to lead me to the truth?" Brian asks, and Jae says,

"It did, though"

And Brian can't deny it. Although indirectly, it's kind of true. If Jae hadn't become Brian's friend, he wonders if he would even question anything of the past.

"So you know." Jae says after long minutes of silence,

"Know that my parents lied to me? Yeah, I do."

"And so, what do you want me to do?" Jae asks,

"What do you mean?"

"Do you want me to stop talking to you?"

"No, what, why would I want that?"

"Because it seems like I'm making things hard for you." Jae replies and it's quiet again.

"It seems like me being involved with you causes so many questions and doubts..."

"What about you?"

Jae tilts his head,

"It must be hard being right beside the person you love when they don't remember you."

Jae ignores how right Brian is,

"I like being friends with you, Brian." he admits,

"But I don't fool myself thinking you and Younghyun are the same person. You guys like different things, have different habits. So, if it's okay with you, I'd like to remain friends. But if you want, I'll walk away right now and we can pretend like we never met."

"How can I pretend like you didn't change my life?"

"Forget." 

Brian laughs, and it's so sarcastic that it almost hurts,

"You make it sound so simple,"

"And you asked me as if that's any easier."

It gets quiet again, and neither of them choose to break the silence. It's an unsaid mutual understanding that they're going to continue talking, see what happens. 

Brian drinks a bit more, and Jae still hasn't had a sip of alcohol,

"I like your sweater." Jae comments, an amused smile on his face

"Thanks,"

"Where'd you get it?" 

"I'm not too sure,"

"Makes sense." Jae replies and says,

" 'Cause that's mine," before taking a sip of his soda. 

And Brian doesn't know why he's laughing, but he is. 

They enjoy each other's company for a while longer before Jae says he should get back to his hotel, and Brian says that Terry's probably wondering where he is at this time. They part ways, and Terry helps Brian pack before they both go to bed.

Brian finds himself shifting over to Group 1, telling himself it was just a coincidence that he wore Jae's sweater upon meeting him.

Even meeting Jae as a whole, was pure coincidence.

And he tells himself it's just coincidence again, when he's at the airport the next morning, and his eyes catch a tall, blonde man who just dropped his passport and tripped over his own luggage.

But when he's seated in the plane, and Jae goes to sit beside him, he says under his breath,

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me.."

And Jae takes a second look at his boarding pass, making sure he has the right seat, coincidentally right beside Brian. He laughs awkwardly, still standing,

"What a coincidence, huh?" he says, and Brian can't disagree. 

Jae puts his carry-on in the overhead compartment, sits down, and Brian has a sudden feeling that this flight is going to be a long one.

AUTHOR'S NOTE; 

me: *tries to update quickly* 

also me: *gets hurt on a daily at work and is too tired after work which results in an update a week later*

LOL , hi guys ! sorry for the wait, but !! hope this chapter wasn't too horrible. i tried writing quickly but then i suddenly got busy and i was like wtf-

but aNYWAY LOL, thanks for reading!! ^_^ yes; i made jaehyungparkian meet in toronto.  yo guys, i saw them live in Toronto and i actually died ???? like hi-touch murdERED ME- ok so ! please please please comment any thoughts & opinions ! i love reading & replying to them ALL, and would love to be friends with my fellow day6 stans (sundays? idk anymore man-) upvote if you're enjoying the story, and please subscribe to keep updated!! o man, also thank you for 52 subs- why is this A/N so long, i'll stop blabbering but ANYWAY! sorry again, for the wait! i'll try and update soon, but until then, PEACE! - Zen