TAEMIN

It’s cold outside, and everything is dark. The moon isn’t shining enough to reach through the canopy of the trees. The forest is too dense. I move each leg warily, afraid of stepping on something that will make me lose my balance.

I have trouble controlling my breathing and I feel weak. All of this is becoming too much. I feel like this exit was a decoy for the real path I should have taken. This forest leads to nowhere.

I just want all of this to be over. I’ve fought enough. I don’t know what I want. But I swear to myself I would accept anything if it means it’s getting me out of here.

I don’t how long I walk. I don’t even know if I walk in a straight line or in circles, but as I look over my shoulder, I can’t find the bar again. There’s nothing around me. 

Until there’s a light. Right at the horizon, in a meadow, there is a bright light shining. I can feel a warmth spread through my chest, and I really hope this is what I was looking for. No more decoys and detours. As I approach it, certainty settles in my gut. This is the path I’m supposed to be on.

The light is in fact a big fire, and there’s a shape right in front of it. I stop for a second, because I recognize it instantly. It’s the same shape as at the bar. Except that this time it’s not made out of a liquid. It’s made out of someone—Minho.

I say the name out loud as I think of it, and the man turns around to look at me, a gentle smile on his face. I don’t know why, but I smile back instantly, a feeling of peace invading my body.

“I’ve been waiting for you, Taemin,” Minho says gently and reaches out his hand to cup my