It’s been days since the huge fight between the boys. The atmosphere was uncomfortable; Nayeon hadn’t been talking to most of them, the only two people who she actually responded to were Mark and Jeongyeon. Jaebum and Mark hadn’t been talking either and that put Jeongyeon and Bambam in a pretty difficult position.

Younghyun hadn’t been joining Ayeon in visiting Nayeon either despite him instructing Ayeon what to bring and to take care of Nayeon. He just didn’t want to start another fight with her sister again and he knew that it would if he witnessed how Nayeon acted again.

That afternoon, Ayeon was alone with Nayeon at her apartment again. The latter hadn’t been staying in just her room anymore; sometimes she would be out watching a random tv show even though Ayeon noticed how she wouldn’t be focusing at certain point of time. She didn’t had to bring food and water right in front of Nayeon anymore, which was a great relief to everyone else.

Maybe, the whole saga with Nayeon seeing Jinyoung was what helped her get better. But she couldn’t really continue like this for the rest of her life.

“Hey Nayeon.” Ayeon spoke up for the first time that afternoon, sitting down beside Nayeon on the couch in which the latter got back from her state of trance and turned to her.

“Hey.”

“How are you feeling?” It was a cliché start of a conversation and despite how Ayeon herself hated small talks, she felt like it’s the only way to let Nayeon open up to her.

“Nothing.” Nayeon muttered, shifting her gaze back to the television, “Literally nothing. So don’t worry.”

Her reply was short, as if she’s trying to end the conversation as quickly as possible. Ayeon could definitely sense that, however she continued anyway.

“I’m not here to persuade you or anything.” A gentle smile played on Ayeon’s lips, “Can’t I just have a chat with my boyfriend’s sister?”

“Your future husband, you mean.”

Ayeon smiled even more at the straightforwardness of Nayeon. It’s been a while since she heard her use a casual tone like this; she kind of missed it especially when Nayeon’s straightforwardness was one of the reasons why Ayeon found her comfortable. When she was first introduced to Younghyun’s family, if not for Nayeon, she probably wouldn’t have blended into the family that easily.

Nayeon noticed the smile on Ayeon’s face and raised a brow at her in which Ayeon shrugged in response.

“I was just thinking of our first meeting.” Ayeon said in a matter of fact tone. “You know, without your presence I would have been so uncomfortable since your brother didn’t even bother giving me some mental preparation.”

Nayeon smiled at the memory too. Despite her not saying anything, Ayeon knew that she was thinking back on that day too.

“Your straightforwardness and your bubbly personality, that’s probably what made people attracted to you.” A sincere tone could be heard in Ayeon’s voice, which made Nayeon, turned to look at her future sister in law. Somehow, that smile and that sincerity of hers comforted Nayeon a lot.

“Ayeon…” Nayeon muttered quietly to catch the other girl’s attention.

“Hm?”

“Thank you for being here.” She muttered again as she lower her head slightly, feeling a little embarrassed at herself. “It’s probably tough on you to watch over me like this. Everyone probably thought that I’ve gone mad but I don’t care. I know what I’m doing. I have no idea if you believe me or not but, thank you for not choosing a side. Thank you for staying with me from the start.”

Ayeon said nothing in response. She wasn’t expecting a long speech from Nayeon like this; she was actually to be the only one talking in this conversation. So, Nayeon’s sudden gratefulness made her eyes teary a little. The Nayeon everyone knew, she was still hidden somewhere in her current state.

“Nayeon, we are all waiting for you to come back to us.” Ayeon whispered in a soft, gentle tone. “I can see that you’re trying and you’re getting a lot better. So, just take your time.”

Nayeon didn’t say anything; she understood what the older girl was trying to say. Usually she would have gotten mad but Ayeon’s gentleness and the fact that she’s not forcing her like everyone else was, there’s no way Nayeon could get mad like this.

“I will leave you alone for now or both of us would be hungry by dinner time.” Ayeon joked and stood up from the couch, giving Nayeon her own privacy again.

After Ayeon left, Nayeon didn’t leave her spot as she stared into space while the tv is playing. It was only when she felt the presence of someone sitting beside her that she awoke from her trance.

It was Jinyoung.

“Hey.” The male smiled at his human lover. “You seemed to be in a very deep thought.”

Nayeon leant her back against the couch and nodded lightly; Ayeon’s words earlier did hit her hard. She was basically saying the same thing as everyone else, wanting her to pick herself up. However, instead of thinking she’s crazy like how her brother and Jaebum thought she was, Ayeon sounded like she’s trying to understand her.

“Am I really getting better?” Nayeon whispered quietly, “Do they really think I’m getting better? Or do they still think that I’m going mad because I’ve been talking to you?”

“You can’t exactly blame them, Nayeonie.” Jinyoung sighed softly, keeping his eyes on the other girl. “They really couldn’t see me. To them, you were talking to air.”

“But if I’m really getting better, it’s because of you too!”

“I’m dead,” Jinyoung spoke in a very gentle tone, a hint of sadness in his quiet voice. “The fact that you’re getting better because of me, that’s not healthy.”

Nayeon opened , wanting to retort back but Jinyoung beat her to it.

“If you really want to make me smile; if you want to do things that will let me be at peace and if you really care about me,” Jinyoung paused for a short moment before he continued. “Pick yourself up, go out there and stop cooping yourself at home.”

“Will you be with me?”

“I will be.” Jinyoung nodded with a small smile, “I’m always here with you. Go out there, Nayeonie. Really try your best to pick yourself up. That is the only thing I ask for”

Nayeon kept quiet, taking in Jinyoung’s words.

“I’m sure you know that I’m happy as long as you’re happy.”

Nayeon continued to keep quiet, thinking about both Jinyoung’s and Ayeon’s words seriously. She still cried occasionally but that’s usually because of Jinyoung. She knew that she had been crying lesser and she knew that she’s been acting like a proper human after so long.

Jinyoung’s here now, right? Maybe things would be alright after all.

-

When Nayeon made that announcement, everyone stared at her in surprise. Even though it wasn’t as obvious as Bambam’s and Jeongyeon’s expression, she could tell that the rest of them were as surprised. She could even see a glimpse of relief in her brother’s expression.

“Don’t look at me like this,” Nayeon stated, “You guys are being dramatic about this decision of mine. I merely got myself a part time job, I don’t think I can go out there for a proper one.”

“That’s good enough!” Jeongyeon was the one who first reacted after that as she took Nayeon’s hand in hers in which the latter gave her a smile in return.

“Where would you be working at?” Mark’s calm voice came next. His question was one that everyone expected from him. He had been watching Nayeon closely after all and he’s probably the one who would want to know Nayeon’s whereabouts 24/7, probably more than Younghyun.

“Just a small café,” Nayeon shifted her attention to him and then glanced at the others, “You know the one at the corner of the next street? I walked past them once; it’s near the playground. They’re newly opened.”

“When will you be starting?” Younghyun finally spoke up; he hadn’t been exactly talking to his own sister for a while since he didn’t want another fight between them.

Nayeon took a glance at him; despite her still feeling slight anger towards her brother who wanted to send her to a psychiatrist, he’s still her family. She could definitely hear his care and concern from his tone.

“Next week.” It was a short answer but that was enough information for Younghyun. “I won’t be working everyday, just a few days in a week. So Ayeon, you should take a break from me and go out there too.”

Ayeon didn’t say anything and just smiled. It’s nice to see Nayeon slowly stepping out again. Even though the warm and bright Nayeon was still not back to them yet, this was enough. Maybe more than enough at that moment.

“Is their food nice?” Bambam gave Nayeon a cheeky grin after his question. He could feel the different pairs of eyes on him and each of them felt like a “are you serious” question. He’d been watching everyone’s reaction and their expression; despite them looking a lot more relief, no one was smiling. Jeongyeon was the one who had expressed happiness and Nayeon, she still sounded empty.

He needed to do something about it and he’s pretty sure he succeeded when Nayeon flashed a smile at him. There was a quiet but quick chuckle from her too.

“Come try them sometimes?”

“Are you going to treat me?” He joked again which resulted to him getting a smack on his arm from Jeongyeon. But there was an amused look on her face; Jaebum and Mark were smiling too. Younghyun looked less serious and Ayeon laughed a little. It was a nice sight, a sight Bambam liked a lot.

“Stop skipping lesson,” Nayeon smiled again and stated firmly. “I know you’ve been doing that so stop and I will treat you to a nice and warm chocolate drink. Deal?”

“Deal!”

-

It almost felt like everything was back to how it used to be after Nayeon started her part time job. Mark was finally starting to focus more on his work; Ayeon could finally take a break and prepare for their wedding. The preparation had been on hold and the date had been pushed to a later date. Bambam listened to Nayeon well and seldom skipped classes nowadays.

As for Jeongyeon, Nayeon’s housemate, they had been having late night talks like they did in the past. Even though there was less laughter and that she’s doing most of the talking now, Jeongyeon couldn’t be any happier.

Even though Nayeon had stopped bringing Jinyoung up – because he had told her to stop – Jinyoung had been watching her whenever she’s at work and she knew that. However, Jinyoung wasn’t the only one who’s been watching her.

Mark had been doing that too whenever he could. Usually when her shift was in the evening or when she had to work during the weekends.

Like right now.

He watched Nayeon as she walked around the café and since it’s dinnertime, she’s been busy taking orders. Mark had been sitting by the window, quietly having his own cup of hot mocha while he waited for the others to arrive. They’ve agreed to meet up that evening and he had arrived earlier on purpose just so he could have his own quiet time.

And especially when he could occasionally catch the smile on Nayeon’s face while she’s communicating with the customers. It was still one of the most beautiful things to him.

“Stop staring, you’re going to end up being a creep.” Jeongyeon was the first to arrive after him and she probably caught him looking at her again. “How long have you been here?”

“An hour plus?” Mark stated, not bothering to comment on Jeongyeon’s first comment. “I left work earlier since it’s a Friday.”

“She’s doing fine.” Jeongyeon glanced towards the direction of Nayeon then back to Mark. “Try to give yourself some me time too.”

“I am,” He shrugged gently, leaning back against his seat. “I’m just here for some alone time since I know it will be noisy when Bambam arrived. Speak of the devil, he’s here.”

Bambam’s wide smile was thrown towards their direction when he spotted his two older friends. And it’s as what Mark had predicted, he’d been talking non-stop since his arrival as he go on and on about how boring lecture was.

Not soon after, Jaebum arrived too.

“It’s been a while since we’ve hanged out like this, right?” Bambam voiced out again in between of their casual conversation. No one spoke after that, they all knew that what Bambam said was true and that question made them realized how much they’ve missed this kind of gathering.

The only difference was that Jinyoung’s no longer with them.

“What are you guys talking about?” Nayeon broke the silence as she walked towards them. Jeongyeon had to shift a little so Bambam could make space for the other girl. “They are giving me a short break time since it’s getting quieter in the café. Are you guys hungry?”

“Starving.” Jeongyeon exaggerated a little and gave Nayeon a cheeky grin. “Any recommendations?”

“You can just order what you think is good for us.” Jaebum looked at Nayeon, it’s been a while since he had exchanged any conversation with her ever since that argument. But someone had to break the ice first.

Nayeon nodded with a small smile before she headed towards the cashier to take down their order of her choice.

The five of them sat together and talk about random stuffs. As usual, Mark only contributed occasionally. Jaebum seemed to be a little more talkative that night, as if he’s trying to make up the empty spot of his dead best friend. Bambam was still the one who’s the noisiest and he and Jeongyeon would end up having a few ridiculous banters, which made Nayeon laughed a little.

Even though Nayeon wasn’t loud and wasn’t talking a lot like how she used to be in the past, it was still nice to hear her laugh which none of them had heard it in a long while.

“It’s really been a while, hasn’t it?” Jeongyeon smiled after taking a sip from her hot mug of latte. This time, it wasn’t silence that took over; Nayeon was smiling.

“Yes it’s been a while,” She stated before she looked up at a random direction, her next sentence came out as a quiet whisper. “Jinyoung’s watching and he’s smiling.”

Despite her promising Jinyoung to stop mentioning his presence, she couldn’t help but do it this time. It felt like the old times again.

Everyone else kept their gaze on Nayeon, all silently agreeing to not have any reaction to what she said. It got noisy again when Bambam started annoying Jeongyeon on purpose again. Mark watched them briefly then shifted his attention to Nayeon, who’s still staring at a certain direction.

He followed her gaze towards it and silently wished that Jinyoung would appear in front of him too. So, he could thank him for bringing Nayeon’s smile back.

And as if he could read Mark’s thoughts, Jinyoung smiled.

---------

We are at almost half of the story, how's everyone's journey so far? Chapter nine got people's attention more than other chapters (on different sites), did it affect you guys that much? HAHA. Anyway, as you can see, our dear Nayeon is slowly getting better but that doesn't mean it's the end of jinyeon's angst. But you guys will be able to see Nayeon's smile more too. <3

I have nothing much to add on except that for the next three weeks, there will be updates on mon-wed-fri until the story ends. Stay with me! Upvotes and feedbacks will be very appreciated this time too. :)

peace!