Taemin got a message from Jongin(KAI) on his way home from Hyerin’s café that he was coming to spend the night at his place as Jongin was flying abroad the next day & they had been so busy individually to spend time with each other otherwise.

Jongin was already inside when Taemin got home.

“You came early?” Taemin entered inside putting on his slipper watching Jongin lying on the couch busy with the game-console, his eyes on the television as he clicked the buttons, “Hmm” “My schedule got wrapped up earlier”

“Anyway where were you?” “Euisoo-hyung told me you left the practice room a few hours ago?” he glanced at him trying to focus on two things at once.

“Did you eat dinner?” Taemin ignoring his question made him turn off the game as he watched him walk towards the bedroom.

He stood up to walk behind him, “Where would you go?”

“I know, you don’t roam around after practice as you have to immediately eat & be home to lie down” “Huh?”

“Went to meet a friend” Taemin couldn’t help but smile saying that, and Jongin was curious now what kind of friend would bring this strange smile on his face, “Whom did you meet?”

“Yah!” “Are you my mother?” Taemin looked at him giggling, making Jongin doubt him more, “I’m hungry” “Order something for us first” he saw Taemin walking away to the bathroom with a soft smile.

“Whom did you meet to be so happy?” Jongin mumbled observing him walking himself out to the living room as he saw kkoong walking across him like the princess of the castle, “Your appa is acting weird” “Do you know anything?” she walked ahead after blankly staring at him for a while as he moved ahead pouting in suspicion.

Taemin walked out of his room with wet hair as the water was dripping all over the floor, “Yah!” “Can’t you bring a towel with yourself” “You are making the floor wet” Jongin watched the water on the floor behind him.

“AH!” “I forgot” he smiled as he walked to the kitchen straight smiling, “Food?”

“Coming!” Jongin answered watching his best friend smile like a fool since he was back home.

“Why are you acting like the times when your crush had talked to you for the first time in highschool?” he added watching him gulp the water, emptying the whole water bottle of almost a litre.

“Am I?” Taemin smirked at him, walking towards him to the couch sitting beside him.

“Whom did you meet exactly to be smiling like that?” he looked at him waiting for an answer but Taemin chuckled while taking the remote control watching the screen.

“Ahh!” he grunted dying with the teasing now, “Killing a person with suspense”

“It’s impossible that you would go meet a girl at this time”

"You don't have much girls to meet ar-" Jongin was blurting, smirking to himself till he happened to see Taemin’s eyes blink slightly.

“Why don’t I know this?” he was shocked, “LeeTaemin?”

“What was happening in your life when I was away?” Jongin was waiting for the answer as he kept staring at him.

“Even I’m wondering what is happening with me” he blinked again, cutely smiling soft, as he kept scrolling the option constantly without selecting staring at the screen, as he pressed his lips together.

“Just wait for while”

“I’ll tell you soon when I’m sure” Taemin nodded, taking a glance at his friend who was more disappointed now, stuck at the half story.

“But are you guys friends already?”

“It’s unusual of you to make the move” Of course Jongin’s brain was connecting all the information Taemin gave him till now.

“Hmm”

“It happened that way” Taemin was satisfied at how it was even now, for him, he had crossed a big distance, just by going up to Hyerin’s café for the first time that night.

He wanted to wait for Hyerin to show what she wanted now.

“Okay!” Jongin nodded watching his friend’s calm smile still lingering on his lips, “I’m really curious about her now” he was staring as Taemin looked at him smirking, making both of them laugh, as the door-bell rang.

Food was here!

Taemin cleared the table as Jongin stood up to get the food, and they spent the night watching Netflix & playing some rounds of game, talking about some random stuff as they always do, for next few hours as Taemin went ahead to sleep as he had the award show to attend the next day, as Jongin stayed up for next hour more, till he was asleep on the sofa for the night.

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Hyerin was busy planning her new exhibition which was mainly focused around the idea Taemin gave her.

She knew exactly what she wanted to execute to convert the idea into a successful event that could give a crowd of people happiness as that was the main purpose of conducting the exhibition as well as would probably draw new customers to the café too, if starts well & ends well, as that was going to be her new approach as the concept of café here onwards.

She even told Goon Ho to visit if he could, when they met yesterday, Goon Ho had come to meet her as the marketing advisor of the two restaurant minor-chains, where Hyerin was the acting bakery supplier for a year now.

They had met twice now after the break-up & GoonHo was professional & seemed fine meeting her both the times.

Both of them were reflecting on why they ended the relationship, and now it all looked like a momentary attraction, as they saw each other again.

They were not awkward like other couples would be, there wasn’t the guilt too now, maybe because they were adults or maybe because there was never any deep feeling involved more than friendship, among them, as it didn’t take them long to feel normal like this around each other again.

At least they didn’t have to part away their ways as strangers who can’t face each other again.

Both of them were satisfied that they had stopped at a better place, now that they thought back.

“You were right” “I was really angry at you when you asked for a break up suddenly” “It made no sense to me because we seemed happy with each other” “But after thinking on it for few days now I think, we were just trying to change each other for our individual happiness consistently when we had our own strong values” “I wanted you to be someone you are not & when you denied I couldn’t help myself but be unsatisfied about it” Goon Ho said this time.

But for Hyerin, more than him doubting her perspective & changing it, she was upset, because even when she had someone to lean on, it was making her feel alone, as she feared & kind of expected him distancing away from her at a point of their relation in future, even when she didn’t wanted to happen it that way at the beginning. She wanted to be non-judgemental & trust someone unlike her younger-self. But she didn't had changed much to accept someone else in her life who didn't really love her.

Hearing this closure from Goon Ho was kind of relieving for Hyerin as she knew for sure now that they both were always on different paths in their lives.

Their relation might have changed in the whole year because of them dating each other, but she knew he always had good intentions for her & it was rightful to not hate him for not understanding her, because she could never open up to him about herself. Why would she expect him to keep up with a puzzled piece like her!? 

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“Oh!” “Taeminnie has released a new album?” Gaeul asked Soobin as they were standing in front of the reception, watching the promotion ad of IDEA running on the television.

Hyerin was sitting at the reception attending the customer who was there to do the payment. She looked up hearing Taemin’s name, unintentionally.

“Isn’t he looking awesome?” “Have you watched the mv yet?” Gaeul's eyes were staring him with bright smile on her face as Soobin looked up after watching for the chocolate syrup stained on her apron that she had spilled while adding it to the strawberry crush.

“Uhmm” Soobin looked at the television which was playing the last seconds of the ad. 

“My room-mate is a shawol” she pressed her lips against each other, widening her eyes, raising her eyebrows, “I’ve been hearing that song every day since last two weeks” she patted Gaeul’s shoulder sighing & smiling as Gaeul smiled back knowingly.

“Ah!!” Gaeul exclaimed, giggling. 

“But the song sounds really good,” Gaeul smirked eyeing Soobin as she nodded. 

“It is” “But every day is a bit-” she furrowed her eyes pouting as Gaeul giggled watching her.

“Aren’t you going to do the same when NCT has a comeback?” Gaeul eyed her moving to the coffee machine watching the new customers enter the café now.

“That-” she rolled her eyes, understanding, “Are you his fan?” Soobin snapped at her watching her as she walked behind her.

“No” “I’m not” “But who doesn't like good songs” Gaeul was at the coffee maker already preparing the coffee.

Hyerin was just listening to them all the while her attention was now distributed in two places, “What is this exhibition about?” The middle age-woman at the reception asked her when she was drawn into the conversation of her two employees.

“Yes?” Hyerin turned back to the lady who was holding one of the pamphlets over the counter, kept to be given to the customers, but Hyerin realized now that she had already let many customers go without the pamphlets in her distraction.

“This?” The lady showed her the pamphlet she had picked from the counter.

“Ah!” “It’s the exhibition I will hold in a while for free tasting & you can buy the premium products if you like the taste,” Hyerin explained as the lady listened to her carefully.

“You need to fill the nickname you want & you can write about your fantasy or anything you want to wish could come true & I will try making it come true through my baking.” Hyerin’s joyous tone while explaining got the lady’s attention hooked now.

“You need to put the filled pamphlet in the box outside, at least two days before the day of exhibition” "We will be closing the entries as I will need some time to prepare" she added as the lady was reading the details written on the pamphlet.

“This looks interesting” she murmured reading the pamphlet.

“Oh!” “Can I have some more, please?” The lady asked looking up for Hyerin, "I'll like to give it to my friends"

“Yes” “Of course!” Hyerin smile grew as her heart was filled with delight by the lady’s positive response now, as she picked more than five pamphlets to hand to the lady.

“I’ve recently shifted to this neighborhood” “And I must tell you, since I have tasted your blueberry cheesecake I’ve been craving for it so often” “That I come here almost every consecutive day” she giggled finding herself a bit embarrassed saying that herself.

“Oh!?” “I should make sure I don’t remove it from my menu then” Hyerin said, overwhelmed by the lady’s words of appreciation.

“I would really like to participate & see what kind of exhibition it is.” “It is making me curious now” the lady had a diligent & honest tone which made Hyerin really happy to see the lady so excited.

“Thank you so much!” “Please do come” Hyerin’s heart was filled with warmth

“This time it’s going to be something I’ve never tried before” “I would love to know your review on it as our newly joined customer” Hyerin was excited now as they were talking about the thing she was most invested in at the moment.

“I see” “I haven't heard of such custom-baking exhibition that often?” the lady asked surprised

“Yes” “I’m doing anything like this for the first time in my life too” Hyerin was really excited with her new approach to baking this time with Taemin’s idea she was going to use for this exhibition, “That’s why it’s gonna be really special” “I’ll really appreciate if you could come”

“It see