Four years pass by with tears and laughter. Yun flies from Japan to India, to Germany and to Australia. Any where she could go with a temporary visa for travel, she went. Any where she was curious about, she went. Any person who was willing to talk to her, she asked them questions. Four years of sleeping in five star hotels, camping in shabby bunks, dozing off on airplanes, and drinking the night away in bars around the world; Yun lived like people she used to only see on the television. 

Her health was poor in the first year or so; she couldn't drink much alcohol and fast food was generally avoided.

But gradually, surely, Yun found herself being able to hike up three-hour tracks and running to catch a bus. She didn't weigh herself due her unstable accommodation and the lack of a scale, but on one occasion when she saw one on display in the supermarket, she stepped on and wasn't even surprised to see the numbers revealing sixty-one.

She never weighed herself again after that; weight wasn't so important to her anymore, because she looked and felt so much better about herself.

Her father never contacted her directly, but Yun was glad to see he had at least made monthly deposits into her bank account for the sake of her survival. She never forgave him - and it wasn't like he begged to be forgiven. He divorced his second wife and married a third quickly; he was happier without Yun tying him down and Yun was old enough to take care of herself. At first she contemplated whether she should send his money back to him in an act of defiance and to show she didn't want anything to do with him. But after thinking about it, most of his money came from the pockets of her deceased mother, and Yun had every right to use that money.

Yun found not much really scared her anymore. She didn't feel anxious when Baekhyun broke up with Taeyeon and cried about it to her over the phone. She didn't feel worried when her skin sported small rashes after eating some crayfish in California. She didn't agree when her aunt asked her to come home and demand her father to take care of her. She didn't question their eyesight when two men came up to her in a bar and asked for her phone number - she didn't feel apologetic when she refused.

She cringed when she remembered her dramatic reactions to the events in life a few years ago, and realised with pleasant surprise that she now felt in control of her emotions. Lee Yun was in control of her own life.

If there was one thing that Yun was still scared to face, it would be Kim Jongin.

At first all she felt was apologetic; the only thing she would say if they ever met again would be 'sorry'.

But as the years went past and Yun found herself maturing, she realised she appreciated and loved Jongin for the person that he was above all the misery she felt when she thought about the young man. It was no longer a romantic kind of 'love' anymore, but rather something akin to the love between family. Jongin had a golden heart and Yun could only regret that he had been the right person who appeared at the wrong time in her life.

Through Amber, Yun was also frequently updated about Jongin's  wellbeing through the years. Amber reassured her that even a blind person could see how much Krystal helped Jongin out of his heartbreak after Yun's departure. When she saw online articles capturing intimate photos of Jongin with Jung Soo Jung, a member of F(X) and Jongin's friend since their trainee days, Yun felt slightly regretful that she wouldn't be the one to be by Jongin's side. But deep down she knew she had lost that chance years ago, when she hurt him over Baekhyun. 

Although she never plucked up enough courage to call Jongin directly, Yun made sure to send him anonymous greeting cards every holiday. His birthday...Thanksgiving...New Year...sometimes Yun even sends one just because she missed Jongin.

Of course Jongin knew who those unnamed cards were from, but he refused to trace the address or send one back. He would be lying to say that it didn't hurt when he thought about the girl he had pursued and given everything to. But at the same time, Jongin couldn't deny the small curling of his lips when he saw an unnamed envelope in his letter box every once in a while.

Jongin moved on; Krystal slowly took up more and more space in his heart and the old memories became more and more distant as he stopped replaying them in his head. Time healed him, and he took up choreographing for SM entertainers as a part time job when EXO's popularity began diminishing.

News of EXO disbanding spread across the globe a few days after Yun made her way out of Beijing airport, and it was on the same day when she saw the news that Baekhyun had contacted her for the first time in months.

"Come back to Korea," he had whined into the phone, "Chanyeol and I want to start our own label, and we need as many musicians as we can to form our production team."

"What would I do then?" Yun didn't reject immediately, and that made Baekhyun hopeful.

"I was thinking songwriting, but your voice is too good to not be used, so depending on the situation you could also maybe record some harmonisation."

The offer was very tempting, and Yun knew Baekhyun had many other friends who could help him set up a team, but he wanted his childhood friend back above all. Yun admitted that she loved music; a passion she discovered while finding the inspiration to write numerous tunes throughout her time spent traveling.

Perhaps it was time to settle down.

"Okay," Yun smiled upon hearing Baekhyun's excited cheer, "rent me a place to stay, I'll be in Korea tomorrow afternoon."

"No problem, I have everything sorted out already," he laughed breathily, "I knew you'd come back for me."

"I didn't come back for you, don't misunderstand," Yun clarified. "I want to go back for myself - for settling down and doing something I genuinely enjoy. Thanks for the opportunity."

Baekhyun was slightly taken aback by the assertiveness in the girl's voice; where was the girl who practically ran to his side at his beck and call? Where was the girl who loved him more than herself, and the girl who would sacrifice herself for whatever he wanted?

"My apologies," he broke into an amused smile despite Yun not being able to see him, deciding quickly that he liked the new version of his friend much more than the old. "And...you're very welcome."

A/N: Thank you so much for reading! I have left OYLY with an open ending to leave things up to your imagination, because does Yun deserve Jongin? Does Baekhyun deserve Yun? Everyone will have their own ships and preferences, but I'm just going to say one thing - Yun does not need to 'be with someone' in order to be happy. It was far more important for her to free herself emotionally, because it is really hard to have a lasting relationship with someone when you are confused about your own identity.

This story, as explained in the foreword, related to myself a lot and I'm happy to see people who have empathised with me throughout the story. Tomorrow I'm turning 20, so I wanted to end this story as a part of my teenage years. From tomorrow onwards, I will be an adult! Time for responsibilities and taking control over my life!

If you liked the story please give me a vote and a comment! Thanks again for reading, and please find your way to my other stories if you feel like it! <3