"Another one?"

Jongdae looked up as Kyungsoo pointed at a nearby table. His smile quickly turned into a frown when he noticed Minseok sitting in front of a young girl. His hand was on top of hers, his finger fluttering lightly over her palm as he smiled widely. Jongdae shook his head and sighed as he walked over with a notepad.

"What can I get you?"

"Jongdae?" Minseok smiled, "Two americanos and a few macaroons."

"Is that all?"

"Yes."

Minseok's eyes narrowed when he spotted Jongdae's look. His chest tightened and he looked away. There was nothing more he hated than to see Jongdae looking at him with pity. The way his eyes traced over every corner of his face before landing on his eyes. He hated the way he silently begged for him to give up and move on.

To move on from Ae Ri.

"I didn't know you owned this place. It's so pretty!"

Minseok snapped back to reality and looked closer at the girl. Her face was caked on with makeup and her colored contacts made her look older than she was. She smiled at him and reached to grab his hand, tracing his forearm with her fingers. She batted her eyes as she blushed, clutching the sides of her cheeks when he scoffed. 

The girl was clearly younger than he was making him immediately regret what he was doing. He leaned in closer and brushed away the few strands of hair from her face. Minseok pulled away when she scooted closer to him, the scent of strawberry lingering in the air.

"How old are you?"

The girl, Minji, blinked in surprise and smiled, "I just turned 17."

"Really? You look older than that?"

"And you? What about you oppa?"

Minseok stared into her eyes, "25."

Minji's eyes grew wider and she bit her lips. Her fingers brushed back her hair and she straightened her back, desperate to look older. Her eyes never left his face as she leaned in closer. It was the first time she ever met someone so different from the boys at her high school. The boy, or rather man, in front of her was lost. She knew from the way his eyes never seemed to brighten, even when his smile did. She knew from the way he would look out the window, hoping to see someone that wasn't there.

That will never be there.

The silence was broken when Jongdae walked towards the table, the tray in his hands with their coffee. He carefully set the coffee down but stopped when Minseok grabbed his hands. He stood up and turned to the girl who jumped up as well.

"You should go back," He cleared his throat, "A girl your age shouldn't be doing things like this."

Minseok gave Jongdae a sad smile before heading towards the kitchen. He waved at Kyungsoo who smiled back before heading to his apartment. The door clicked shut with a silent thud as Jongdae stepped into the kitchen with the tray in his hands.

"What happened?" 

"I don't know."

••••••••••••

Minseok closed the door behind him and made his way to bed. The room was dark and cold. He shut the open window when the black curtains fluttered about, the blinding ray of light hurting his eyes. He slipped inside his bed and closed his eyes, completely drained of energy. Reaching out for his medicine, he swallowed two and smiled softly when he began to dream.

It was just a simple step forwards.

Minseok stared at the young girl standing by the door. He could see her eyes start to panic when she was left alone by the open door. The refridgerator door flew open and he saw Yixing frown when he saw how empty it was. 

"Hyung, I thought you said there was some food?"

"There isn't? I could have sworn there was something inside."

He never took his eyes off the girl as she crossed her arms to stop herself from shaking. Her hair grew more tangled as she ran her trembling hands through them. Minseok couldn't tell if it was the way the light hit her eyes or if there were actual tears in them. The girl grabbed her coat and headed towards the door.

It was just a simple step forwards.

Minseok took a step but stopped when Yixing pushed past him. He immediately noticed the change in her eyes as he held out his hand. Yixing always had that charm to make people trust him so easily. He pulled her lightly towards him and Minseok felt his breath catch suddenly in his throat. 

The girl turned to look at him and her eyes were too deep for him.

Too deep to be trusted.

"Hyung, this is-"

"Ae Ri. My name is Ae Ri," She said as she held onto Yixing's hand.

It was just a simple step forwards.

••••••••••••

Minseok bolted out of bed and rushed towards the bathroom. He felt his throat burn as he threw up whatever was in his stomach. His clothes clung tightly against his cold and wet skin as he struggled to breathe. He rubbed his face as he tried to remember the last part of his dream.

Ae Ri's eyes as she whispered her name. 

Ae Ri's eyes as she turned to stare at Yixing.

"Oh god," He whimpered, "Please make it stop."

The room seemed to spin as he stood up, desperate to get some fresh air. Minseok fell onto the floor as he tripped over his coffee table. His eyes landed on the folder and book on top of it and grabbed it without thinking. 

'The reality may hit her hard but it's the best chance we have of bring her old self back.'

Something clicked in his head and he rushed out of the apartment, his hands still holding tightly onto the folder and book. If there was a slim chance that Ae Ri could come back, he could wait. And if she never came back, he would confess. He would pull her tightly against his chest and beg for her to love him back.

He won't lose her to anyone again.

••••••••••••

It was just a simple step forwards.

Ae Ri's eyes blinked open softly when she heard pounding on her door. She slipped out of bed and draped a blanket over her clothes. Her small feet slid across the cold floor and she opened the door. Her eyes landed on Minseok as he breathed heavily. He looked at her and swallowed as he stared at her large eyes. They went through a range of emotions before going blank. Any emotion reaction from Ae Ri was too precious to be wasted on Minseok.

"What do you want?" Her voice cold, "Why did you wake me up?"

"I needed to see you," His voice desperate, "Can I come in?"

She opened the door slightly and motioned for him to come inside. Minseok the light and glanced at the clock, frowning when he noticed how late it was. He glanced at his feet and sighed as he realized he didn't bring shoes.

"What do you want?"

Minseok shook his head and held out the folder and book in his hands for her to take. Wordlessly, she grabbed it and tossed it onto the nearby couch. She turned back to him with utter disgust. It took all her strength not to throw the book at his face. Ae Ri hated the way he looked at her. She hated the way his eyes always seemed to be searching for something inside her. Ae Ri hated Minseok for clinging onto her. She hated him for not letting her die.

"You can go now," Her voice was full of venom, "You brought what you wanted, now go."

"Wait," Minseok jumped up, "I need to talk you about something."

"What?"

He paced back and forth before stopping, "He wants to see you."

"Who?"

"The person who has Yixing's heart."

••••••••••••

✉(Author's Note)

So I finally managed to update, haha. I know very few of you will read this — let alone comment — but I just wanted to say thanks! I hope that whoever reads this comments! I'm really sorry this chapter is so crappy but I might go back and edit it later. This chapter is dedicated to miko12 who inspired me and practically begged me to continue writing this story. I hope I didn't disappoint.