The sun shone brightly when the grey van pulled into the driveway of the small log cottage in the reserve the group would be staying at for the next couple of weeks. Looking from the outside, Soojin thought it cozy. It was exactly how she imagined the cottages in the fairy tales she had read as a kid. It was a bungalow with a small front porch. Soojin smiled as she looked at the flowers in the garden in front of the cottage. The perfect summer getaway.

“Ah, actual fresh air at last!” Wonsik cheered as he stepped out of the car and stretched. Soojin nudged the sleeping boys beside her before going out to do the same. Taekwoon got out of the driver’s seat to pull out some of their luggage from the back.

Hakyeon groaned and jumped out of the car, pulling Jaehwan with him. Soojin watched her best friends carry their luggage to the porch. Whatever the tension the two had between themselves after the graduation party seemed to have already dissipated. She chuckled as the two raced into the house, bags in hand.

“This is awesome, Jinah!” Jaehwan called once the two were inside. He ran back out and pulled Soojin into the cabin, showing her the fireplace in the living room. “A fireplace!”

Soojin could only roll her eyes and laugh at the other’s excitement, tired as she was from the drive there. She inhaled deeply, breathing in the fresh air of the countryside. Even the air inside the cabin smelled so fresh and pollution-free.

“There won’t be much use for a fireplace since it’s summer,” Hakyeon said, depositing the bags he’d carried in at the hallway to the rooms before taking a seat in one of the couches.

“I know, I know. But Soojin loves fireplaces, right, Jinah?” Jaehwan pouted, plopping down onto the floor in front of the fireplace.

Soojin shook her head at her friend’s childish display. This was just like Jaehwan. She was glad that through all that Jaehwan had been through, he still remembered what she liked. Their years spent together still trumped the heavy months spent with Ken in control.

“So,” Wonsik entered the room, the others right behind him. He took a seat beside Hakyeon. “What are we gonna do today?”

“Is this the only cabin here? This is a vacation spot, right? Shouldn’t there be other cabins in the area?” Hongbin asked.

“Gonna look for girls again, Bean?” Soojin teased.

The pretty boy linked an arm around her neck. “We can’t all share you, Soojin,” he brushed his nose against her neck, making her shiver despite the heat. Soojin elbowed his side.

“Ow! I was joking! Just joking!” Hongbin cried, winning glares from his hyungs around the room. He backed off from Soojin and took a seat by the window.

“There are other cabins in the area, Hongbin,” Hakyeon said, glancing at Soojin, who now sat by Taekwoon, rubbing her neck. “There’s also a waterfall nearby.”

“Ah, nice! Let’s go swimming!” Jaehwan said, jumping up from the floor.

Sanghyuk groaned. “Why don’t we all just go nap or something? Aren’t your bodies sore from the drive?”

Soojin voiced her agreement. Her back hurt and she just wanted to lie down on a bed and sleep. It took them almost 10 hours to get where they were. The drive up the mountain road wasn’t exactly a smooth one.

With the only girl's agreement, the boys all decided to go along with it, and Hakyeon showed the group where they would room. Soojin had just finished unpacking and was laying on her bed when there was a knock on her door.

"What is it?" She called, and the door opened to reveal Hakyeon.

"Hey," he said, closing the door behind him.

"What is it?" Soojin repeated, a sudden rush of adrenaline taking away whatever fatigue she had been feeling.

"Hyuk's snoring so loudly," Hakyeon whined, sitting on the bed beside her. "I bet he's gonna start talking soon, that kid."

Soojin laughed. Sanghyuk had a tendency to talk in his sleep, alright. But that never bothered any of them. In fact, they mostly found it cute.

Hakyeon suddenly turned and lay on his stomach beside Soojin, making her breath hitch. "Hey," he said again.

"Hmm?" Soojin didn't want to risk saying full words and having her voice crack.

"What are you going to do now that you've graduated?”

“I don’t know,” she answered, taking in a breath to steady her breathing. “Probably find a job first. I’ve considered taking up medicine or something, but that involves even more years of studying and exams, so... For now I don’t know.” She convinced herself that this was her best friend talking to her - nothing else. A serious talk with one of her closest friends. Calm once more, she turned to her side and faced him. “Why do you ask?”

Hakyeon shrugged, then turned to face her. “Just wondering. I realized I don’t know you as much as I used to.”

Soojin raised an eyebrow. “It’s not like I changed into a whole new person or something. Come on, Hakyeon.”

“No, it’s just that...” Hakyeon paused, his eyes now searching hers.

“Just...?”

“I don’t know. Something’s different from when we were in high school and when we were starting college.”

Soojin knew exactly why. “You had a girlfriend in those times, remember? You were so busy spending time with her back then.” She smirked. “Meanwhile, I was busy with schoolwork.” And it hurt too much to see you guys around all lovey-dovey.

Hakyeon was silent, and Soojin felt the fatigue come over her again, this time a bit more heavily. It felt like her heart had just finished running a marathon or something.

“Anyway, you’ve spent the past few months coming and going. I think we’ve pretty much made up for lost time.” Soojin sighed and lay on her back once more, placing an arm over her eyes. “I’m sleepy, so go back to your room please.”

“Nope. Staying here.”

“Hakyeon! I am getting a headache.” The serious atmosphere disappeared as quickly as it came.

“Then sleep. I’ll be quiet. I don’t sleep talk like Hyukie.”

But you do sleep talk, Soojin thought, rolling her covered eyes. She didn’t dare move on the bed for fear of falling off. It didn’t help that the bed was only a double.

“Cha Hakyeon, go away.” Soojin shoved him, only to have him wrap an arm around her waist to prevent himself from falling.

“Just go to sleep, Jinnie.” Hakyeon’s voice was muffled by the pillow he had pressed his face into.

Soojin nudged him once again, this time more half heartedly. How am I supposed to sleep like this?

----

It was dark when Hakyeon woke up. He blinked, gazing around the room and trying to figure out where he was. He felt something shift under his arm, and he squinted at it. I’m not in my room, am I?

“Jinah! Let’s go have dinner - “ light flooded the room as the door opened and the lights . “Hyung?”

Hakyeon sat up slowly, his eyes adjusting to the sudden light. Jaehwan stood at the door, eyebrows creased and looking confusedly at the groggy boy on the bed. Hakyeon watched as the other stepped back through the doorway and looked around, as if making sure he was in the right room.

“Hmmm,” there was a shifting in the bed beside Hakyeon, and only then did he realize where he was.

“Oompf! Hey!” Hakyeon suddenly found himself on the floor. Jaehwan stood over him, eyes flashing.

“What’s going on?” Came a groggy voice. Soojin sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes. “Jaehwan? Hakyeon?” She leaned over and frowned at the sight of Hakyeon on the ground, rubbing his back. She reached out to touch Jaehwan, but stopped when she saw his eyes. “Ken?”

Ken? Hakyeon repeated in his mind, glancing between his two friends. Who’s Ken? Jaehwan looked disturbed, like he was struggling with something unseen. Soojin, on the other hand, had confusion on her face, and in her eyes was... fear? But why would Soojin be scared?

The moment passed and Jaehwan left the room in haste. Soojin still sat on the bed, the fear glinting in her eyes. Hakyeon brushed himself off and placed a hand on her shoulder, breaking her out of whatever trance she was in.

“You alright, Jinnie?”

“Yeah,” she nodded and rubbed her eyes. “I think I was still half asleep or something.”

Hakyeon smiled, nudging her to ease the tension, and she easily caught on to the more positive atmosphere. “Let’s go and have dinner, then.”

“Let me change my top first. I forgot to change earlier.” Hakyeon nodded and sat on the bed. A pillow hit him on the head.

“Ow.”

“OUT.”

Hakyeon pulled the pillow out of Soojin’s hands. “No need. Just hurry up.”

Soojin glared at him. “Cha Hakyeon. I am hungry. You do not want me to be angry, too.”

“Come on, Jinnie. There’s nothing you need to hide from me,” he teased, wiggling his eyebrows. Another pillow made contact with his face.

“OUT!”

Hakyeon laughed and walked to the door. “Fine, fine. Next time, then.” He winked. A pillow flew at him but he quickly jumped out of the room and closed the door.

Jaehwan stood in the hallway, watching him. "Is Soojin okay?"

"Yeah," Hakyeon said, and the two headed to the kitchen. "She looked pretty shocked back there, though. What was that all about?"

Jaehwan was silent. Hakyeon noticed the other’s hesitation and guessed that whatever it was, it must have been a sensitive subject. He was curious about who Ken was, but he decided to let it go for the meantime. “Let’s go eat. Jinnie’s just changing.”

“Well, FINALLY you’re awake,” Wonsik greeted the two as they entered the kitchen. He was chopping vegetables at the counter while Taekwoon was at the stove, stirring the contents of a pot.

"Hey, I don't see Kong or Hyuk anywhere," Hakyeon said, peeping into Taekwoon's cooking.

"They're at the store. Can one of you hyungs finish cutting these so I can start the barbecue?"

Hakyeon nodded and took the knife and vegetables from Wonsik, while Jaehwan helped Taekwoon with the soup. Soojin joined them a while later, wearing shorts and a loose sleeveless top. Hakyeon watched as she went to Taekwoon and helped him prepare the rest of their meal.

He missed this. When they were in high school, they would often go on camping trips like this. Each summer brought them to different locations - a beach, a country house - anywhere their moods brought them.

Sanghyuk and Hongbin soon arrived with the groceries and the group enjoyed their dinner at the picnic table in the front yard before gathering in the living room to watch a movie. A debate ensued on whether to watch a comedy or a horror.

"Ah, hyung! You're no fun! The Conjuring is a really good movie," Wonsik whined.

Hakyeon firmly shook his head. "NO. Why would we sit here scaring ourselves? A comedy is fun. Let's watch that instead."

"Just play the movie, Wonsik." Jaehwan said, squeezing into the couch next to Soojin. Hakyeon eyed them closely from across the room, failing to protest against Wonsik, who quickly put in the horror DVD and pressed play.

Hakyeon no longer cared about the movie. His attention was now all on Soojin, who was joking around with Jaehwan and Sanghyuk. All traces of the fear Hakyeon had seen in her earlier was gone. Even during dinner, though Soojin sat next to him, the smiles she sent to Jaehwan were comfortable and bright. Whatever happened between the two in Soojin's room seemed to be a part of his imagination now.

The movie itself began, and the group fell silent. Hakyeon was vaguely aware of the movie - some girls were talking about a doll or whatever - but his attention remained on Soojin and Jaehwan. Soojin had fallen silent and was leaning against Jaehwan's side. It was then that Hakyeon lost the little awareness he had left of the movie - when Jaehwan wrapped his arm around Soojin’s form. Anger flared inside of him, and he gripped the arms of his seat.

He was about to get up and pull Soojin away when she sat up and shrugged Jaehwan's arm off. He saw the other boy protest and get silenced by Soojin's raised eyebrow and chuckled under his breath. That's my girl, he thought, turning back to the movie.

Hakyeon immediately regretted it, though, as the movie had begun to pick up its pace. Hongbin and Wonsik were shouting incoherently while Sanghyuk laughed at them. Jaehwan was prodding Soojin's side and whining about why she didn't get scared or at least shocked by the ghost. Soojin laughed and looked across the room to Hakyeon.

"You okay over there, Hakyeon?"

"Not really," he grumbled, picking up a pillow and hugging it to himself. The rest of the group laughed and went on to watching the movie. They were all used to the eldest not being able to tolerate the genre.

Hakyeon diverted his thoughts to avoid the movie's next few scenes and watched Soojin interact with Jaehwan once more. Jaehwan was covering his face behind Soojin while she stared at the TV, half-bored. The two were very comfortable with each other - much more than he and Soojin were these days. She was so uncomfortable earlier in the day when he'd decided to sleep on her bed, while she so easily snuggled up to Jaehwan.

"I was there during her tough times, hyung," Jaehwan's voice rang in his head. "In the couple of years when you were MIA, she went through difficult times - especially when her aunt died. You know how much Soojin loved her. She almost went back to what she was before."

"But that doesn't explain why she's more closed off to me now than before," Hakyeon replied.

"You disappeared. You were her best friend and you disappeared. Come on, hyung. Even Taekwoon hyung stayed in touch with her."

Hakyeon sighed and ran a hand through his hair, still trying to avoid the scenes on the television. He closed his eyes and thought instead of what Jaehwan had said about Soojin.

"Quit being so righteous, Jaehwan. You disappeared, too, remember?"

The younger boy had fallen silent then, and it wasn't until after a long moment when he responded. "I had my reasons and I know she understands. It wasn't me she needed. It wasn't me she wanted."

His best friend was never the bubbly type. She cracked jokes and messed around with everyone else, but more often than not, she sat to the side and observed everyone else. At first, there were even times when she would blank out completely, so he and Jaehwan would have to somehow coax her back into the conversation. With that, Soojin grew more and more attached to them, just as they all did with one another. They were a family brought together by something other than blood - it was a bond of friendship and love. In a way, their bond allowed them to depend on each other as their support systems.

That bond seemed to have weakened, though. Hakyeon noted how Soojin could barely look him in the eyes anymore. Even when he sat next to her earlier in the room, he could tell that she had to force herself to look at him. He thought that it may have been because of the years they'd spent apart - maybe the bond needed to be rebuilt. But each time Soojin looked at Jaehwan, he was sure that time couldn't be blamed for the rift that had been born between them; no rift existed between the other best friend that had disappeared for years.

 The sounds of screaming from the television and around him snapped the young man from his thoughts. It seemed like the movie was at its as a woman who looked possessed ran after a child, wanting to kill her. Wonsik was screaming for someone to hold her down while Hyuk and Soojin laughed at the other two who looked extremely uncomfortable. Taekwoon just sat in his spot, eyes closed and most likely asleep.

Not wanting to torture himself any more by the scenes on the television or the room, Hakyeon decided to go out and take a breather. The cool night air outside the cabin was soothing; he was certain they had chosen the right venue for the year’s first outing. He stretched, taking in the view of the moon rising almost to its midpoint. The pale moonlight that shone onto the trees around the house cast shadows that brought goosebumps onto his arms. Or maybe this isn’t so perfect.

Taking in one last lungful of the clear mountain air, the redhead made his way back into the living room. To his delight, the movie had finished and his friends were all chattering excitedly about it. To his dismay, though, the conversation was happening with Jaehwan pretending to be asleep with his arms wrapped around Soojin’s waist. You were very much awake five minutes ago, Jaehwan.

It seemed he wasn’t the only one to notice the faux sleeper as Sanghyuk nudged his hyung with a snort. “We know you wouldn’t fall asleep with such a movie, hyung! You’re almost as bad as Hakyeon hyung, you know?”

Jaehwan sat up straight, only to be elbowed in the abdomen by Soojin. “Jinaaah,” he pouted.

“Ugh, save it, Jaehwan.” Soojin answered, and the two began a contest of poking their tongues out at each other. “Merong!”

“You two are getting gross,” Sanghyuk grumbled, getting up from his seat beside Soojin and throwing pillows at the two. “Please give us a heads up if you’re getting back together.”

Hakyeon whipped his head to face the maknae. “What?”

“Get back together?” Hongbin repeated.

All eyes shifted between the maknae, Jaehwan and Soojin, the last turning red from the revelation.

“Wait, you guys didn’t know?” Sanghyuk asked innocently. “They were a couple for almost a year before hyung left...”

Wow. Yeah, I know - I took FOREVER to update. That is, if forever can be summed up into 2-3 months? LOL Life just dosed me with its wonderful and not-so-wonderful things the past few weeks, and I just couldn't really get it in me to finish this chapter - which was half-done when I posted the previous chappie. All I'm doing now is hoping that I can still write tomorrow.

BUUUUT! Good news happened! VIXX's FIRST FULL ALBUM IS GONNA BE RELEASED! *SCREEEEAAAAMS* Breathe in, breathe out. Waaah~ Let us all be happy and excited. haha

Anyways, I am shamelessly gonna plug this here even though it is probably another reason why this chapter got delayed (for so long)... My friend and I are collaborating on a fic! You can find it here. It's an EXO scifi fic, so please check it out if you're interested. I'll do my best to balance the feels for both groups - as well as the updates of course.

Anyhoo~ I hope this chapter is building up more of the story~~ The next one should be up soon. Thank you to those who subscribed and commented and to you people who have bothered to read my story in the first place. You are awesome. I think I might lo- ehem. Okay. Talking too much now. Byeee~ N-nyeong!