“In the end, you’ll know which people really love you. They’re the ones who see you for who you are, and no matter what, always find a way to be at your side.”

~Randy K. Milholland

(A/N: I made some small changes in the previous chapter, so read that and then come back :3)

The moment their eyes met, a wave of relief washed over Taemin. He’d only known her for less than a month, yet he was crazy for her. Not a day went by during her solitude that Taemin didn’t think of her - wondered if she’d been eating well; if she’d been sleeping well.

Finally, after almost a week, he saw the face he’d been yearning.

“Annyeong,” he smiled softly at the beautiful girl whose face looked bewildered.

“W-what are you doing here?”

“Taking you to dinner, of course,” Taemin replied.

Naeun sighed, “I told you - there aren’t any restaurants open at this time.”

“Mind if I come in?” he asked. Naeun looked troubled at first.

“We can leave the door open if that makes you feel better,” he added, and Naeun nodded. Her room was smaller than Taemin expected for two people to share. A desk sat beside the queen-sized bed covered in a pink blanket and pink pillows. There were no closets; just two drawers placed at the far right of the room. A small window decorated the center wall, bookshelves and dolls covered the remaining corners, and that was it.

“Make yourself comfortable,” Naeun said. Taemin sat on her desk chair, gesturing to her to join him. She complied and sat on her bed.

“Either my mom sent you, Krystal or Eunji did. I’m betting on Krystal.”

Taemin chuckled, “Krystal played a part, but I came here on my own accord.” His small smile quickly retreated into a thin line, “How have you been feeling?”

Naeun wasn’t sure how to answer him. She wasn’t as traumatized as she felt back at the hospital, but images continued flashing in her mind, haunting her day and night (which explained her dark eyebags). Guilt was still present, but condemnation had subsided after her talk with Mommy Son.

“I’ve been worse,” she replied.

Taemin wanted to reach her but felt that she wasn’t ready for physical contacts just yet.

“Mian-hae,” she apologized

His brows furrowed, “What for?”

Naeun pursed her lips, “The other day, you tried to comfort me, but I pushed you away.” She fiddled with her rosary bracelet, “It’s ironic how you always have something heartfelt to give me, and I return the favor by yelling at you, or pushing you away.”

“You didn’t do that for Secret Santa,” Taemin pointed out, “or the night we were at the ballroom.”

Naeun shivered at the mention of the ballroom and Taemin immediately cursed himself for it.

“I’m sorry I didn’t mean-” she stopped him, “No, it’s alright,” and let out a frustrated sigh, “Why are we always apologizing to each other?”

“I’m so- I mean, I’m not very good at consoling people,” he rubbed the back of his neck.

“Na-do,” Naeun whispered back, playing with her pillow. Silence filled the small room untilTaemin remembered the small white envelope tucked safely in his coat. He reached into his pocket and passed it to her.

“I was supposed to give you this along with the bracelet, but I guess our affections got in the way.” A tinge of pink painted his pale skin. Her cheeks blushed too at the memory of their special night. She opened the envelope and began to read it.

“I’m not one who writes notes or letters, so…” Naeun ignored him.

She read each line carefully:

Always wear this bracelet

And think of me

Always be healthy

I wish only good things for you

I will protect you

(Cue Please Don’t Cry - Davichi)

Naeun’s eyes began to tear again, “Mian-hae.”

“Yah, you said we should stop apologizing to each other,” Taemin said as he grabbed a box of tissue from her desk.

“I know, I know...it’s just...Ahhhh,” her tears refused to stop.

“Uljima,” he whispered, giving her another tissue.

“Eung..” she sobbed.

Ten tissues later, Taemin spoke again, “Happy New Year.”

“Eh? Is it New Year already?!” Naeun quickly snatched her phone from the counter and checked the date.

January 1, 2021.

She’d been moping for almost a week; Naeun felt pathetic. Usually, she’d see fireworks bursting in the air, but since the weather had been very unkind the past few weeks, the event was canceled due to strong wind currents.

“What a wonderful way to start the new year,” she said sarcastically.

“I agree,” Taemin said sincerely, “You found out about your forgotten past, you sulked about it..”

Naeun frowned at him, “Taemin, you’re not-”

“Hear me out,” he cut her, “You moped about it, confessed to your mom about it, cried more, ignored your friends and family…”

She sighed, “Tae-”

“And that’s just how life is. It’s full of happiness, but also misery; full of fun, but also pain. But in the end, you’ll learn to overcome it.”

Naeun didn’t look convinced. So, Taemin continued, “You may not be completely over all of them, and it’d probably take a few weeks or months for that, but with each passing day, you’ll wake up feeling better and stronger than the day before.” He then pointed at the silver chain around her wrist, “And when you feel like you’re falling back into the shadows, I’ll be right there to pull you out of it. Not just me, but everyone - Krystal, Eunji, Kai, Key, your family - we’re all here for you. So please, don’t push us away.” A soft smile formed on his lips when he finished.

“And you said you weren’t good at consoling people,” Naeun pouted.

“I surprise myself every day too.” That made Naeun smile.

Taemin smiled in return, “There’s that beautiful smile.” He stood up and gestured to her outside, “C’mon, someone else wants to see that beautiful smile of yours.”

Naeun’s jaw dropped at the sight in front of her.

Mommy Son was in the kitchen grilling beef. Key was beside her helping.

Kai and Saeeun were setting up the table, Eunji was washing the vegetables, and Krystal was preparing the side dishes.

Mommy Son was the first to notice their presence, “It’s about time you two got out; I was about to wonder if all these beef would go to waste.”

“Don’t worry, mam,” Kai reassured her, “Nothing will go to waste as long as I’m around.”

Everybody laughed. Kai turned to Naeun, “We brought loads of beef for ya!”

“Told you we were going to have a barbeque,” Taemin grinned.

~~~

Once everyone had cleaned their plates, Eunji asked Mommy Son if Naeun could sleep over at her place with Krystal. Mommy Son gladly accepted; she needed her daughter to get out of the house.

Naeun was finishing packing her belongings when she sensed someone’s presence at her door.

“Knock, knock,” it was Taemin.

Naeun gestured him in before grabbing something from her drawers.

“Here,” she said, holding his scarf, “Thanks for letting me borrow it.”

Taemin held the scarf. Like the bracelet, it was another symbol of his feelings for her only, he hadn’t noticed it at that time. It no longer smelled of pinewood anymore, but more of roses with a hint of lavender.

“Keep it.”

Naeun’s eyes widened, “I-I can’t take this; you must’ve paid a fortune for it,” she argued.

“Please,” he scoffed, “I have ten other scarves at home, maybe more if I start cleaning my closet.”

He took a step closer to her, “May I?”

Naeun nodded. He carefully wrapped it around her neck so as not to touch her neck. She noticed what he was trying to do and silently thanked him; she still wasn’t ready for that stage yet.

Taemin had offered to send the girls to Eunji’s place. That, unfortunately, meant that Key and Kai had to take a cab home. They whined at first but shrugged it off the next minute.

“Thanks for driving us, Taemin,” Eunji thanked him.

“Anything for the ladies,” he winked which made all three girls giggle. It was roughly a fifteen minutes drive to Eunji’s place and by the time they had arrived, it was close to two in the morning. Naeun felt uneasy about Taemin driving home alone. When they got out of the car, she stayed behind to talk to him for a bit. ‘

“Be careful, okay? Text me once you’ve reached home,” Naeun said anxiously.

“Geogjeong ma,” he smiled, “I’ve driven later than this before.” She glared at him, “Don’t make it a habit,” and Taemin chuckled. He was about to close the window when Naeun suddenly thanked him.

“For what?”

“Everything,” she shyly replied, “The barbeque party, the gifts, for staying by my side,” a slight blush formed on her cheeks as she bit her lower lip. It took every inch of willpower for Taemin to restrain himself from kissing her.

“Hey,” he interrupted her, “We’ll have plenty of time for me to hear your ‘thank you’ speech another day.”

Naeun had forgotten that Krystal and Eunji were waiting for her under the cold night of winter. She nodded at him.

“Safe trip, Taemin Oppa.”

If only you knew how much you make me go crazy, he thought.

“I’ll see you soon,” he replied before turning the engines back on and drove away.

The girls didn’t do much other than doing their skincare routines which included wearing a face mask together. Naeun wanted to collapse on her bed but she refused to sleep until she was sure Taemin had arrived home safely.

“Good night, sisters,” she heard Krystal say.

“Good night,” the other two said back. Eunji turned to Naeun, “He’ll be fine.”

“I know, I just want to wait for his text before I sleep,” Naeun replied.

Eunji gave in and turned off the lamp next to her.

A while had passed when Naeun saw his name appear on her opening screen.

Pretty Boy: I’m home ~

Pretty Boy: Do you miss me already ;)?

She smiled at his quirkiness.

Naeun: Haha, Eung…

Pretty Boy: Not sleeping yet?

Naeun: I was waiting for you, dummy

Pretty Boy: T^T…

Pretty Boy: Bogoshipo..

Naeun: Na-do…

Pretty Boy: Rest well, my Naeun <3

Her cheeks grew warm again.

Naeun: You too, Pretty Boy...sweet dreams

Pretty Boy: NIGHTSSSSSSSSS

She giggled before sending him a sleeping emoticon. Another notification appeared on her screen - it was a quote from an app she installed:

“A sweet friendship refreshes the soul.”

~Proverbs 27:9

Naeun looked at her now slumbered friends, then recalled their barbeque supper and finally Taemin himself. She couldn’t help but feel emotional again. Despite the wrong deeds she had done, Naeun still had her friends and family by her side to support her and care for her. She felt ashamed going behind their backs and then shunning them away when they wanted to help - to ease the guilt and burden she forced herself to carry on her own.

And Taemin...nothing could describe the deep gratitude she had for him. Every day, her feelings for him grew, and every day, she longed for his comfort, his warmth, his soft lips touching hers to calm the storm in her mind, but she was afraid of pushing him away again. Naeun never wanted to do that again. She caressed her rosary bracelet - it seemed to become a habit to help calm her down.

For the first time in her life, Naeun felt truly blessed and thankful for the people who came into her life. As she lay down on her bed, she put her hands close to her heart and muttered a silent prayer.

“Thank you,” and drifted off to sleep.

So sorry for the inconsistent updates guys :< Truth be told, my exams haven’t ended yet (it starts tomorrow...technical difficulties, oof) and I’m gonna be taking a part time job by the end of the week. Also, I’ve been having mind blocks these past few days, so the next chapter may take awhile again :<

MAAF GENGSZZ (sowwie)