Author's Note:

Just thought I'd mention that there are some parts in this chapter that do involve the reader and Kai exchanging texts again. I'm referring to the parts where they're bolded. But also, would like to mention that the next chapter will have some spice. Either way, enjoy! 

The following morning… 

You woke up and got ready for the day, except you didn’t have a photoshoot. It was one of your days off. Although, you remembered what Kai said to you the night before. He wanted you to meet him at his place before he left today. Which made you wonder, what is it that he wanted to give you? And how would all of this play out? Would the two of you really work out a long distance relationship or was this just a fling? Either way you really hope that this relationship will last in the long run, since you knew Kai was different. 

As you were getting ready to go in your best outfit and looking good for Kai, you finished getting ready and headed out the door of your apartment. And as you walked out the door, you heard the hustle and bustle of the cars going left and right and the sounds of the other fellow New Yorkers who were going about their day. You were used to this though. Used to the loud sounds and crowds of people. It was nothing new to you, but just a regular day. And then you finally received a text from Kai telling you where to meet him. 

“Meet me at the Scarlet Terrace in the Penthouse Suite.” 

Out of all of the hotels that Kai could stay at, this surprised you. You knew it was one of the most expensive hotels in the city. At the same time, you could kind of understand why he would stay there though. He probably wasn’t getting bothered by fans and less likely to be found. But you kept those thoughts to yourself and didn’t bother to ask as to why he was staying there. So, you did what you did best and replied as quickly as you could. 

“So fancy. But I’ll be on my way soon and am glad I get to see you before you leave.” 

Kai was quick in responding back to you and seemed to be excited. 

“What can I say? I like having a good view…” 

He truly sounded like a flirt at this point, but he made you smile. 

“As long as I’m a part of that good view. ;)” 

You didn’t realize how cheesy that had sounded after you texted him that, but went about your day and got onto the subway to get to the hotel. It didn’t take long for you to get there either. And then your phone buzzed as you were getting off of the subway as it stopped near the hotel.

“But of course.” 

Perhaps this was Kai’s unique form of flirting with you, but you could tell he was having fun with it. And you didn’t respond back and put your phone back into your pocket and started to make your way to the hotel. You weren’t that far from the hotel either. The station you were walking out of was less than a few feet away from where you were walking, so you made good timing and didn’t really break much of a sweat. 

After you walked into the hotel, you were greeted by a polite and elderly doorman. He was looking at you from head to toe for a moment until he asked you, “What is your reason for coming into the Scarlet Terrace and how can I help you?” You were surprised at how friendly he was but also felt a little nervous to answer. “I’m here to visit my boyfriend and was told he’s staying in the Penthouse Suite. Can you show me how to get there?” The doorman looked at you in surprise and turned his head around ensuring that no one overheard your conversation. “Ah, yes. I’ve heard he has been expecting you. Go down the left and stop where the hall is to get on one of the elevators. It’ll be the last floor to the top. And also, here is a room key for you to enter.” You smiled at the doorman and quietly said, “Thank you, sir.” And then you were on your way to get onto the elevator. 

You couldn’t believe you would be with Kai in a matter of minutes. Let alone being alone together one last time until he left on tour. You knew this was going to be tough, but you kept trying to keep your negative thoughts from taking over. So you took a deep breath and closed your eyes as you stood in the elevator until it finally came to a stop on Kai’s floor. You really couldn’t believe your eyes. The Penthouse Suite was really nice and you could see why Kai liked it. There was no one on this floor except himself and a security guard standing outside his door for good measure. But you made your way to Kai’s door and the security guard let you swipe your key card to go into the room. It’s almost as if you had to jump through hoops to get within Kai’s reach though. Then again, here you were at Kai’s hotel room bright and early in the morning. You just couldn’t believe that this might be the last time you see him before Christmas. That was the thought that kept crossing your mind and you tried to not think about it too much. So, you tried your best to keep calm and got excited once you saw Kai turn around from the window he was looking at that oversaw the city. 

Kai smiled with his cheeky grin and kissed you good morning. As he kissed you, you wrapped your arms around his neck and looked him in the eyes. “What do you need to give me before you leave today?” After you asked him that, he let go of you from your embrace and walked towards the coffee table in the middle of the room. There was a gift bag that was on top of the coffee table. You could only wonder as to what was in that gift bag. If anything, you really hoped it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. It isn’t that you were excited that he was probably going to give you a gift, but you wondered as to what it was. EIther way, you kept thinking of the possibilities as to what was in that gift bag now. 

He could tell that you were looking doubtful or unsure with what he had in mind, but smiled at you and had the gift bag in his hands now. “I know we’ve only been together for a short amount of time, but I would like to give you this gift as a way of me being with you.” After he had said that, he handed the gift bag to you and let you open it in front of him. You smiled at him and were surprised. “It’s so cute.” The gift was a brown teddy bear that had a blue bow wrapped around it. 

You looked up at him and set the teddy bear down, and hugged him for a moment. “It’s so sweet of you to have given this to me. I can only imagine how these next few months will be without you though. I will miss you.” There was a moment of silence between the two of you after you had said that, but then he pulled you back in for a hug and kissed the top of your head. He whispered softly into your ear, “I know that the bear isn’t much, but I know you’ll at least have some part of me here with you and can bring it with you or cuddle it as much as you want.” 

Right after he said that, you started to tear up. You couldn’t believe that this was happening already. Was this his way of telling you goodbye? It couldn’t be, it really couldn’t be. You hoped that he wasn’t saying goodbye. Then, as soon as he saw you crying he asked, “What’s wrong, dear?” You tried to wipe up your tears as best as you could. “It’s not that I’m happy that you gave me the gift, but I know this is going to be a hard time for me. You know? Of course I’m going to miss you, but how will we make things interesting and keep up with each other if we’re just going to be on the phone for the next few months? I’ve heard how difficult it can be to be in a long distance relationship.” 

Kai looked at you and was shocked at your words, but was quick to answer. “I know it’ll be difficult at first to adjust to me not being here for some time, but I can assure you there are ways we can keep our relationship interesting. Even if it’s just over the phone. There are ways that we can make it special, I promise you. Just wait. I’ve already got a few ideas in mind.” He smiled after he said that to you. 

“As long as we can make it interesting and keep up with each other, that is what matters. But is there anything you’d like to do before you leave for your flight this evening?” You were calm but really hoped the two of you could do something before his departure. Then you felt Kai put his hand over the top of your palm. His hand was so warm amongst your skin. That was something you liked about Kai though. But he looked into your eyes, “I would say let's go walk around Central Park before I leave, but I’d rather stay here with you alone and not be bothered by possible fans out there. You know how sneaky they can be and some just don’t know how to leave my members and I alone. I’m not sure if you’ve ever heard about that or are familiar with k-pop fans coming after k-pop stars in public places, but it can happen. I don’t mind seeing my fans, but only if it’s from a safe distance where they respect my space. As well as my group’s space.” 

You were upset and felt a little bit let down at the fact that the two of you wouldn’t be able to go to Central Park together, but you understood now. Kai had a fair point and you knew that it was for the sake of his own safety. As well as your own as well, because you have heard of fans not respecting the boundaries of celebrities let alone k-pop stars in public places. Or, as you have come across on Twitter, you’d see clips of k-pop stars walking away as quickly as they could from fans and getting into a black van with tinted windows. You wouldn’t be surprised if Kai had been in a similar situation such as that. But you respected the fact that he was looking out for the safety of you and him. 

“Well, I know that this probably means the last of our time spent together before you leave will be short. I would’ve loved to go walk around with you in Central Park, but I understand why you wouldn’t want to go there at the moment. Is there anything else you had in mind or would like to say to me? Because, I know we’ll be away from each other for some time.” You looked into his eyes after you had said that to him and then felt him hold your hand in front of the two of you. He looked like he was ready to say something that he had held in after you spoke. 

“There is something I’d like to do with you, but I’d rather wait until I come back after the tour and give it to you. But for now, I’d like to just give you one last kiss until I see you again.” You were trying your best not to get emotional and just looked at him, “Of course, you can kiss me. And that’s okay with me. I’d rather wait until you come back for you to give me whatever it may be. I’ll wait for you.” And with that, you felt Kai leaned towards you and caressed your lips with his as the two of you stayed like for a moment. The two of you shared your last kisses before the two of you broke a part and he looked into your eyes. “I know this is going to be hard, but just know that this isn't goodbye and that I will keep in touch with you.” And after he said that, he walked you to the door and hugged you one last time and then the two of you parted ways. 

You tried your best to not cry as you walked out of his room and onto the elevator. But you were still startled and surprised. Kai left you wondering about what it was that Kai wanted to do with you on his way back after the tour though. You could only imagine what it might be. Although, you tried not to think too much about the situation at hand and started to focus on your career. Of course, you could think about Kai and contact him. You just had to make sure you still had your priorities straight while he was gone. That’s what you hoped not to do though. To not dwell into overthinking or assuming the worst. You just hoped nothing would happen between the two of you while he was gone. But you kept trying to think of happy thoughts as you walked to the subway to go home. As soon as you got to the subway station and found a spot, you admired the skyscrapers and high-rises in your view. There was something pleasing to the eye with seeing all of these buildings and lights. It’s something you loved about the city and why you loved to live in New York City. But as you were admiring the city, you felt your phone buzz. You received a text from Kai. 

“I meant what I said at my place earlier. This isn’t goodbye. And I promise that we can walk around Central Park during Christmas. I’ll also try to facetime you once my flight lands in South Korea.” 

You were quick to respond as you texted him back.

“As long as I’m not alone on New Years. Save me a kiss. But I look forward to our date in the future. And of course, this isn’t goodbye. Have a safe flight home.” 

And after that, you didn’t receive a response. You only knew that he was probably in the middle of getting ready for his flight back home. But you hoped that he was safe and would be expecting to hear back from him later. You knew that the timezone in Korea was far more ahead than your own. But you sat in silence on the way home and went about the rest of your day. You knew it wasn’t a goodbye though. And then it was like that for you for a while. Sitting in silence throughout the day and just going about your day working. Wishing you could spend time with Kai. Until finally, you received a text message from Kai. 

“Call me later. There’s something I need to tell you.”