that two may be one

Taemin entered the military with a fresh mind and a new perspective. He willed himself to focus on his training and serving the country and tried to rid his mind of distractions. But all the while, Naeun was still at the back of his mind. Whenever they got letters, a part of him expected even just one to come from her but nothing ever did. He didn't let it affect him though. He had to be tough. He had to work his way through this training and not let anything make him deviate from his plans.

And so a year passed by without a blur to him and the next thing he knew, his hyungs were already dragging him to celebrate when they found out he was given a week off during the holidays.

A chorus of “Taeminnie!” and shouts from an overexcited Key boomed the moment the door to his Jinki hyung’s apartment opened.

“Ahh, look at you!” Minho gushed as he gave him a big hug. “You’re a military man now!” he laughed.

“We missed you, Taeminnie!!!” Key exclaimed.

It was gonna be a long night.

“Here,” Minho said as he handed Taemin a brown envelope. It was half past midnight and before they start to get slurry with words, he thought it would be the perfect time to give their maknae his gift.

“What's that?” Taemin asked, his brows furrowing together before opening it and pulling out its contents. Upon inspection, he felt his throat start to dry and his palms start to sweat. He looked up at his hyungs who were waiting for his reaction. “A plane ticket? To Spain?”

“Plane ticket, hotel accommodation, a whole itinerary, which we know you won't follow but we still put. It's all there,” his Jinki hyung explained, taking a sip of his beer and smiling proudly because it was an idea he came up with.

“Of course, no dates are set yet. You can go anytime. Maybe after you get discharged or when you get a long break,” his Minho hyung added.

“But… Why? What's this for?” he asked, still dumbfounded.

“Yah!” Minho said loudly, ruffling his hair. “Don't be silly! It's hyungs’ gift to you because you're almost done with your service! Our Taeminnie's a man now!”

Key laughed. “That's what we also said when he got married to‒”

All three men froze and Key was able to stop himself before he could say her name. Three pairs of eyes turned to Taemin who looked away and took a big gulp from his beer.

Minho nudged Key and he cleared . “Just tell us when you want to go and we can have hyung take good care of everything. The papers and all that.”

With shaky hands, Taemin put everything back in the envelope and tried to hand it back to his hyungs. “I don’t think… I don't think I can take this.”

Sighing, Jinki pushed the envelope back to him. “You've always wanted to go again, right? This is your chance.”

But he wanted to go with her. He promised. They promised they'd go together. 30 days and 29 nights. He swallowed the lump in his throat and glanced at his hyungs.

“We know it's not under the circumstances you would have wanted, Taeminnie,” Jinki said softly. “Just use it as a time for yourself. You can unwind and relax without any care in the world. For two whole weeks, you can be selfish and only think about yourself.”

The thing was that he can't only ever think of himself. Whether he liked it or not, Naeun was still in his mind.

“Think of it as a reward for yourself,” Minho encouraged.

“Can I think about it?” he asked in a low voice.

“Aish, what do you mean think about it? It's a gift from your hyungs!

Taemin finally nodded and reluctantly took the papers. “Thank you, hyung. I'll make sure to enjoy myself,” he said forcing a smile.

“We know it's not 30 days and 29 nights,” Key suddenly said. “But make the best out of it. What do you know? Maybe you'll even meet someone new there.”

He felt his heart start to beat fast in his chest. He didn't wanna meet another girl. There was only one girl he ever loved. One girl he would ever want to meet again.

“Don't mind your Key hyung,” his Jinki hyung interjected. “He was just kidding, Taeminnie.”

He only nodded and faked another smile while his Key hyung started his reminders. “We know you haven't traveled without a whole team yet.”

Lie. He always traveled with Naeun.

“But we figured you can handle yourself, right? It's only for two weeks anyway. It's better for you to go without a whole entourage so you can enjoy your alone time and have your privacy. Chances of anyone knowing about you being there is low without a team. Even manager hyung.”

Taemin nodded.

It was worth a shot.

Just a few months before he was set to be discharged, he was given three weeks vacation so he maximized his time and finally took up his hyungs' offer.

He arrived in Spain at dawn. As to keep a low profile, his manager left right after he got him settled in the hotel and given last minute reminders. He was also left to the care of a Spanish tour guide who knew Korean that they've hired to drive him anywhere when he decides to go sightseeing. Apart from that, he was left to fend for himself for two weeks.

As he ordered room service, he received a text from his Minho hyung.

Go out, Taeminnie, okay? Don't just stay inside your hotel room and order room service! You have a whole city waiting for you! Have fun! We love you!

He had to laugh at himself as he looked at the baked macaroni and the bottle of wine he had ordered for lunch. His hyungs knew him too well. He proceeded to pour himself a glass of alcohol and grabbed his fork.

Maybe tomorrow.

But his second day was spent sleeping, eating, and more sleeping.

On his third day in Madrid, however, he forced himself out of bed because his hyungs won't stop bugging him to go out. He had no idea where he was supposed to go so he just asked his driver to take him somewhere where there weren't many tourists. Somewhere he can enjoy the quiet.

After about a 30 minute drive from the hotel, he got off at a small niche museum. It was 3 pm on a Tuesday so the place was almost empty. His driver smiled as he told him he’s sure he’ll enjoy the place and that he’ll be waiting outside whenever he needed him. When he stepped foot into the place, he was surprised by how serene and quiet it was. There were paintings after paintings on th