First off, huge apologies! I'm very sorry for the long wait. Once again, school has wrecked my schedule. 

On a side note, new subscribers! Thank you so much!<3 You know who you are ;D

And finally, here's Chapter 4. It's unbelievably long compared to the first chapters. Hope you enjoy!

 

Chapter 4

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From the trail leading into the forest, two shadows approached them. Sarang recognized the faces in an instant and smiled reluctantly.

“Baekhyun-ah, Chanyeol-ah!”

The usual, cheerful Chanyeol flashed a heartfelt smile accompanied by a subtle wave. Baekhyun, hands in his pockets, bared a bland expression, which raised some eyebrows. No concern whatsoever.  

“Did you two get lost?” She asked. They glanced at each other, acknowledging something she wasn't aware of. “Lost? We know this place by heart." Chanyeol replied with a soft chuckle. "We just spared a moment to talk. You know, the kind of conversation that best friends have.” He nudged his arm at an irritated Baekhyun.

 

Talked? If that’s really the case, why did I make a big deal out of something so trivial? 

 

“See? I told you they’d return pretty soon.” Kyungsoo beamed, proving his point.

Chanyeol scrunched his face in apology. “Mianhe Sarang-ah. We didn’t mean to make you worry.”  He pressed his hands together to show his sincerity.

Feeling a tad bit uncomfortable, she wiped the sweat from her forehead with her bare hand, "Ah, you don't need to apologize." She waved her hands swiftly in front of her face to exaggerate her input. 

 

Baekhyun forced out a yawn, tears forming around the corner of his eyes. It was so contagious that a yawn escaped from the other members.

"It's late. I think we should all go home and rest up." he suggested.

The boys muttered in agreement. It was decided. The boys shuffled into the auditorium to retrieve their belongings. 

Sarang gulped as she watched the boys file back into the building. She wiped her sweaty palms onto her navy skirt and finally cleared .  “Wait!"

They whirled their bodies as they heard the alarm in her voice.

"Will you guys please listen to what I have to say?”

All five young men stood erect, giving her their undivided attention. They surrounded her, their tall statures loomed over her small frame. In a way, it was intimidating.

Her eyes intertwined with theirs. Baekhyun stared keenly, anticipating her every move. She avoided his strong gaze.

After the bittersweet moment, things escalated into awkwardness. Then, there was that pang of guilt building inside her chest. The whole 'on the verge of death' accident made it seem like she avoided Baekhyun’s question on purpose.

It wasn't until she saw the calm natured Sehun, that all the negative feelings went away. He smiled warmly and made an 'OK' gesture with his hand. This gave her the signal to begin.

 

“I...” She stuttered, fumbling around to find the right words. The boys leaned forward, trying to grasp her words.

“The truth is I joined the club for the sake of a friend.”

An uncanny silence settled on them. 

 

“You mean, Baekhyun didn’t sign you up?” Suho inquired. His face narrowed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. She shook her head.

“There’s more…” Her lips trembled. If you could picture anything more difficult, it would be Sarang trying to get the exact words out of without stumbling every so often.

“I had a gut feeling that I would run into him in the Astronomy club,” she finished, fidgeting as she contemplated their reactions.

Baekhyun crossed his arms against his chest in a cheeky manner. Chanyeol, whose mouth hung open, stared at the ground in disbelief. 

“He could be anywhere. How do you know for sure he’s one of us?” Kyungsoo asked, raising an eyebrow.

“It couldn’t have been a mistake,” she objected. “The last thing I can remember is him telling me to follow my dreams."

"Follow your dreams?" The boys looked at each other as if they’d been placed in an arena to brawl to the death. One of them was certainly masking their identity, but it was hard to tell who.

 

“Was he your first love?” Kyungsoo raised his head to reveal his flushed face as he asked the equivocal question.

His interrogation sparked the boys’ attention. 

Sarang hesitated. “No. It wasn’t like that” She said, keeping a straight face. I don’t think we were ever like that.

Kyungsoo scratched his head and said, “I’m going to be honest. When you first stepped through the doorway, I didn't recognize you. It’s safe to say I’m not the person you’re looking for.” Kyungsoo admitted, baring a shy expression. But under that bashfulness, Sarang could sense that he was indeed candid in his disclosure.

 

Kyungsoo’s withdrawn. That leaves the remaining four excluding Kai.

“Could you describe him physically?” Suho inquired. “Or better yet, do you have a picture of him?”

She shakes her head. I’ve lost them all, was what she wanted to say. But she didn’t want to let their hopes die.

 

After several interrogations, it suddenly dawned on her that she may never find her childhood friend in the Astronomy club. Least she was probably mistaken. All she was missing was the evidence. No name to remember him by. Not even a memory. She assumed the boys were flabbergasted by now. And she pretty much guessed it right.

But she understood why they would perceive her reasoning to be totally incredulous.

 

“Tell you what. I’ll help you find him.” Suho said, placing his hand on her shoulder.

“I’m sure I can be of help in some way,” Sehun chimed in.

Chanyeol raised his head ardently. “Count me in, Sarang-ah!” he exclaimed.

“If he’s not one of us, I guess you could use some help from your omma,” Kyungsoo said with a soft chuckle.

Sarang's face lit up, gleaming with enthusiasm. 

The boys steal quick glances at Baekhyun.

Baekhyun looked at the eager eyes. He took a deep breath and finally spoke. “I don’t know. If it was some other person, I’d probably refuse. But if it’s Sarang-ssi, then I can’t say no,” He said, looking down at his feet to hide his rosy cheeks.

 

"Guys..." She was overwhelmed by the boys’ kindness. It was almost impossible to fight back the tears. Now that she has the boys' assistance, there was still some hope left. Even if was just a teeny tiny percent. 

Sarang rejoiced. And with that, they formed a search team. 

-------------------

 

Without realizing it, the day was over. The members bid goodnight and they left the auditorium one after the other. Soon, the building was vacant. Sarang had never been entirely exhausted. All she wanted to do now was plunge into the covers of her bed.

 

As Sehun was the last to leave, he was responsible for the door. Sarang stood against the masonry that lined the structure of the wall. She wanted to clear her final thoughts.

“Sarang-ssi, good job,” Sehun said giving her the thumbs up. She smiled. “Thanks for the encouragement.”

“If you need to someone to talk to, you can always find me. I'm here every day” He assured, smiling sweetly.

“Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Well, I’m taking my leave,” he said, patting her shoulder as he turned to the darkness that is the forest.

 

I finally said it… Sarang relieved a sigh. She threw her head back on the wall, covering her flustered face with her bare palms. Sehun was right. They didn’t get upset…

 

Nevertheless, doubts filled her mind. How is it possible that I can't remember a thing of the past? What if he was just based on my own imagination? What if he isn't real?

 

She tapped her cheeks in an effort to pull herself together and continued to make mental notes to herself. However, she was completely oblivious to the shadow approaching her. 

First day wasn't so bad. A lot of great things happened, besides being surrounded by a group hotties. She giggled at the last bit. 

“Hey, wierdo” Baekhyun's sudden presence startled her. “Ah!” She took grand strides backwards. In her defense stance, she held her arms out whilst slightly bending her elbows. 

 

“Am I some kind of predator?" He asked worriedly.

"No! You caught me off guard, that's all" She remarked after hearing the discontent in his tone. Her hands fell to her side, and that was moments when she realized how stupid she looked.

He perked a smile. 

"Took you a lot of guts to say all of that,” he remarked, implying on her bold confession to the group members.

“I couldn’t say it in the beginning because I feared you guys would reject me.” She scoffed, turning away from his gaze. “And you kind of had my back.”

“Kind of? Can I at least get a thank you?” He smirked.

“Kamsahamnida," 

"How's your hand?"

"Better. Chanyeol's really good at this kind of thing." 

"Aish." He threw his palm to his face bashfully. "Next time, I'll do better than him." He said, his voice hardly more than whisper. 

 

She was mindful to maintain distance, and yet, he stepped forward. She glued her eyes onto him. Up close, his face was blemish-free. His eyes were luminous as the only existing light source came from the moon.

 

“Can I say something?” He asked earnestly. She nodded, wishing for the nerve wracking moment to end in the least excruciating way as possible. When he finally had her cornered against the wall, her heart flip-flopped in every direction, capable enough to send her into a cardiac arrest. What are his intentions? 

 

“Sarang-ah,” He leans forward, leaving only an inch to seperate them. He presses his arms against the wall, trapping her in the little square that he has created. She looked up into the lonely eyes that pierced through her soul. 

Silence filled the air as the only sound made was by the rapid beating of her tremoring heart.

He parts his lips. “What would you do if I said I was the one?”