Announcement 05/10/19: Hello everyone! Finals are fast approaching and I’m currently burried under school work. Kindly wait for the next update. I’ll post as soon as my school load gets lighter. It won’t be long. I promise ^_^

Chapter Seventeen:  Love and Understanding

“Are you okay, miss?”

She forced her eyes away from the crowd of fans and looked towards the front. Through the front mirror, her eyes met the friendly driver’s concerned eyes.

She blinked her tears away and forced a smile. “I’m okay,” she lied.

The old man fixed his glasses and gave her a kind smile. “If you say so.”

She smiled unknowingly. It seemed like the old man did not know who she was. Instead of being upset of that fact, she felt lighter. She liked that he sees her simply as herself, a young woman in her twenties, not Son Naeun, the celebrity.

“Just a word of advice,” he spoke as he slowed down the car to make a turn, “in a relationship, you need to be good at fighting.”

She raised an eyebrow and gave the driver a quizzical look. “Fighting?” she asked. He seemed to have the wrong notion that Taemin and her were having a fight.

The corners of the old man’s lips lifted. “Yes, you have to be good at fighting,” he affirmed.

Her brows knitted together. “Isn’t fighting bad?”

A hearty laugh escaped his lips. “I’ve been married for forty-five years.” He looked at her through the front mirror with smiling eyes. “My wife and I wouldn’t have lasted that long if we weren’t good at fighting.”

He then went on to explain that there were two types of fighting in a relationship. The first one was the literal way of fighting. “You have to fight,” he said. “You may have heard that fighting is bad, but it actually brings couples closer together.”

His eyes turned serious as he spoke. “Fight with your significant other, but in

a healthy and respectful way.”

The other kind of fighting was something beyond arguments and misunderstandings. “You need to fight to keep your relationship. Your fear, insecurities, or anything that might potentially hurt your relationship. You must fight them,” he explained. “Unless you want to lose him, you have to fight to keep him.”

She turned to the window and watched the bustling streets of Seoul. “Fighting huh.” She pondered at his words, a small smile playing on her lips.

After she was dropped off, she walked into a quiet dorm.  All the lights were on, but she did not see neither Eunji nor Hayoung’s shadows. She saw their shoes recklessly thrown on the side of the entranceway so she knew they were home. They must be in their rooms, probably still exhausted after a night of partying.

A while later, she found herself sitting up in her bed. Her knees were tucked under her chin as she hugged her legs close to her chest. She wanted to sleep badly, but her thoughts were keeping her awake. Her rampant emotions were now tamer. Her thoughts, however, were still a mess.

Her eyes darted to the two small boxes in front of her. One contained a silver rosary bracelet, while the other housed a delicate chain with a key pendant. She stared at the two items, her thoughts drifting to the man who gave them.

“Taemin oppa,” she murmured absentmindedly.

Her thoughts went back to several hours ago. The hateful comments, her outburst, and Taemin’s words. Her mind replayed every moment without missing a single detail.

She was having mixed feelings. She was feeling hurt, hesitant, upset, and all other emotions she could not name. She did not know exactly what to think and do.

“I’m a mess,” she concluded as she reflected on her rollercoaster-like day.  

She reached for one of the boxes. With great care, she removed the bracelet from its box and wore it around her wrist. Then she raised her jeweled wrist close to her face, admiring the silver metal as it glimmered under the light.

It had been months since she last wore the bracelet. She stopped wearing it after that backstage moment with Taemin during the 2018 Korea Music Festival. She was caught off guard when he pointed out that she still wears it even though they had already broken up.

A smile touched her lips when she remembered how she reacted. To hide her embarrassment, she responded with irritation and anger.

She ran a finger along the silver piece. She missed wearing it. Sometimes, she would stare at her bare wrist and would yearn for the comfort that the bracelet provided. Not only was it her good luck charm, but it was also her source of comfort.

She paused when she recalled the look on Taemin’s face after her outburst. Her

heart sank remembering the shock and panic in his eyes. Although he tried to hide it, she knew he was hurt and confused by her words and sudden change of attitude.

She continuously recalled the day’s events until sleep finally came to visit her. She lazily went under the covers and succumbed to sleep.  

Hours later, the dryness of and the grumbling of her stomach woke her up from her slumber. She groggily forced her eyes to open, only to close them again. The light coming from the lamp, though not very bright, was too much for her eyes.

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