"When we recall the past, we usually find that it is the simplest things, not the great occasions that in retrospect give off the greatest glow of happiness."
— Bob Hope
 

His embrace, his scent, the feeling of being in his arms…who knew she would miss such a—

"Park Su Min!" a cheerful voice called from behind, snapping her out of her daze.

Su Min had been staring into nothing, just thinking about what happened, that she didn't realize how much time had passed. She glanced over her shoulder and instantly saw Chanyeol's face peeking into the office.

He pushed open the glass door and leaned against the frame, crossing his arms. "You ready?" he asked with a sweet smile.

Su Min nodded and diverted her eyes, turning back around to collect her things. Seeing her best friend's innocence pained her heart. Ever since they met, Chanyeol had always been there to listen, and she had always told him everything―her likes and dislikes, her pet peeves, her dreams, her worries―but why couldn't she reveal the most important secret he was entitled to know?

As they drove back to the apartment, she looked out the window and gazed into the distance. The sky was black and freed from any visible stars, but everything below it was beautifully illuminated by specks of light from the city.

From where she sat, everything in her surrounding was serene, yet her mind was at war with deafening thoughts. Like hail on a random afternoon, they battered her unexpectedly, and all at once. What now? What should she do? How should she act? What would he do? How would he act? How would things be different? And how quickly would they change?

Though these questions bombarded her from all sides, the one that weighed heaviest and struck her the hardest was: did she make the right decision?

|| A Few Days Later ||

It was early morning, and she and Kai had been sitting in the car for the past four hours, drifting in and out of sleep. There was an odd mixture of awkwardness and comfort in the air, but aside from that, everything felt normal.

The two of them, along with one of SM's all-around staff, were on their way to the set of the new variety show, "My Random Family". It was a spinoff of "Family Outing", where a group of randomly picked celebrities gathered to spend one night and two days in the outskirts of Korea's major cities. Their goal was to obviously act like family while working for their meals and lodging by completing numerous missions.

After another thirty minutes—with the last fifteen being a very bumpy ride—they finally arrived at the film site.

While Kai left for the schedule briefing and mingled amongst his seniors, Su Min helped unpack their things. As she strapped a bag of extra clothes and shoes on her shoulder, her phone rang.

It was Woojin.

"Hello?" she answered, thinking he was just checking to see if they got here on time.

"O, Su Min. Tell Kai it's okay. Also, please drop him off after the shoot and I'll have someone pick him up tomorrow," he mumbled into the speaker, sounding rushed.

Confused, Su Min's brow arched on its own. "Tell him it's okay to what?" she asked, hoping for some clarification.

"Alright! I'll be right there!" Woojin's voice muffled as he yelled back to the person who must have asked for him. He quickly returned to their phone conversation and hastily thanked Su Min before hanging up.

"Wait, Woojin! Woo—" she called just as the dial tone entered her ears.

|| End of Filming ||

Many "goodnights" filled the darkened room as they wrapped up the last scene. After a minute of filming a row of "sleeping" celebrities, the clapperboard ended the day with a loud *clap*. With that, the lights and the actors slowly rose from their comforters like zombies on Halloween.

Unlike other variety shows, this one didn't actually require their guests to sleep in the lodging provided. They were free to go spend the night wherever they wanted, as long as they returned early the following day to film a very realistic "good morning" scene. It defeated the concept of "one night", but showbiz is showbiz.

After saying goodbye to the other guests, Kai made his way over Su Min. Surprisingly, rather than looking tired from the long day's work, he was quite energized.

"Did hyung say it's okay?" he asked as he zipped up his coat.

Su Min nodded. So he does know what Woojin is talking about. She commented mentally. Letting her curiosity get the best of her, she looked at Kai. "But what did he agree to, exactly?" she inquired.  

"You'll see," the idol answered, returning her gaze with an excited smile.

|| …………… ||

After making their way down multiple dirt roads, the van eventually stopped in front of a traditional Korean house enclosed by a low, stone and mud wall.

Su Min glanced out the window and scanned the dimly lit structure, trying to recollect any memory of the unfamiliar place. Coming up with nothing, she turned to Kai, who was busy collecting his bags from the trunk. "Woojin is sending someone to pick you up tomorrow morning, so please be ready by four…" she began, but his puzzled look slowed down her words.

"What are you talking about?" he asked as he made his way over to her side and pulled her out of the vehicle, "You're coming with me."

"Huh?"

|| …………… ||

Su Min stared at the diminishing van and the trail of dust it created, wondering if she somehow missed one of Woojin's instructions. Did he tell me to accompany him? She asked, but before she could recall their conversation, a third person interrupted her thoughts.

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