“Chunji-ah...” you say slowly, not turning around.
You can’t face him yet. You feel your cheeks beginning to flush with warmth and your eyes watering. You feel something sting at your heart, threatening to break you from the inside. Like your world will fall apart if you push too hard.
“I want to talk, like we used to,” he says with a edge of longing in his voice. “Tomorrow. Here at the coffee shop at 1PM, I’ll be here. I’ll wait for you.”

Without saying another word, you leave. When you exit the coffee shop, you see Zelo leaning against the wall, staring blankly at the ground. He spots you, and immediately looks up to face you.
“You’re going to visit the hospital, aren’t you?” he asked you.
You nod your head.
“Is it okay if I can visit your appa (father) again?” he questions.
“Sure,” you reply, beginning to walk ahead of him.
He follows you.

Not even the loud hustle of feet from the rushing doctors and the crying wails coming from a woman and her family could drown your deep thoughts. You were still thinking about what Chunji said. Tomorrow. Here at the coffee shop at 1PM. Should you, or should you not? You don’t know.

This time, Zelo slips ahead of you and slides the hospital door open. Your fathers eyes are still closed, and his breathing is slow and steady. He seems at peace, like the world is a beautiful place to rest. But the world is not: it is a place of war, hate, envy, greed—everything that is evil. After greeting your father and the like, Zelo walks to your dorm.

“Madeline-ssi,” he begins.
“Just call me Madeline. Lose the formality.” you say, only because it seems appropriate.
Something tells you the boy in front of you is no stranger. He just nods and passes a ticket in your hands.
“Tomorrow, B.A.P is debuting. I want you to be there,” he says.
You read the time on the ticket. It begins at 1PM, the same time you should be meeting Chunji. You just thank him and bow as he leaves. You shut the door tightly behind you.

“Ottoke... (What should I do...)” you whisper to yourself as you lie on your bed, lifting the ticket above you.

Zelo POV:
“You guys alright?” Yongguk asked as you all fiddled with your fingers and drew in a nervous, and collected breath in unison.
You timidly nodded your head, and tried to calm your nervous state down. It was hectic backstage. Producers, editors, and staff were rushing all over the place, yelling loudly and trying to organize everything. Himchan ruffled your hair and smiled, making you force a fake smile back.

“Don’t be too worried, arasso?” Himchan ordered you, patting your back lightly to assure you.
“Nae... (Yes...)” you replied quietly, staring at the hectic scene in front of you.
“Our debut will be the best!” exclaimed Dae Hyun, with a beaming smile on his face. Everybody lightened, and warmed their voices up. Today, B.A.P’s debut has finally arrived. Behind the curtains, you peek your head out to scan the audience for Madeline’s face. No Madeline.

“I wonder if she’s coming,” you whispered to yourself as the host of the performance stepped onto the stage, lights illuminating on his figure.

Your POV:
You walk to the coffee shop, taking a deep breath while holding the ticket Zelo gave you in your hands. Chunji sits on the wooden bench the lies next to the coffee shop, and his gaze concentrates on you. Just like before, his smile is as warm as the sun which makes you feel unsteady, like your sense of balance is immediately gone, compensated by you gripping onto your ticket more strongly.

To your misfortune, Chunji notices your discomfort and tension almost immediately. Your glare at him has become full of hate, and you seemed to be struggling with life. You seemed so... empty inside. You were no longer the Madeline that he knew. Not anymore. You changed. It was then that he realized you could never return to the way you were before: closer than best friends, less than lovers.

“I needed to patch things up with you, and also,” he began, looking at your with a soft expression.
“Patch what up? There’s nothing that we have shared,” you reply coldly, not acknowledging your past relationship.
“I need to tell you something.” he continues, ignoring the vibe of distance that you were emitting.

You stare at the ground and glance at your watch. 1:39PM. You remember about the ticket in your hands, and begin sprinting in the other direction. Chunji, wide-eyed, chases you, yelling your name as you screamed for a taxi.