Your hand hesitated to reach the button on the bus for the next stop. Unconsciously, you find yourself pressing it and making your way to the front of the bus to get dropped off. "Thank you." You say to the bus driver and he simply nods back. You step out and shiver, caught off guard by how cold it was compared to when Yukwon walked you to the bus stop. 

Okay, I'm going to meet him there. You tell yourself as you walk towards the lake. I'm going to tell him that I do remember him now and... and... You can't find anything, What am I going to say?

You suddenly felt your phone vibe several times meaning that someone was calling. Just as you're about to answer, your phone dies. "Uh oh." You say out loud. "That was probably Jay... Damnit." You just place your phone in your pocket, I guess I'll have to explain later. You look up at the moon shining so bright. You take a deep breathe as you're near the lake. You can already hear L's presence as you hear rocks skipping on the lake. A few steps more and he hears them. 

"You came." He says then turns to you. 

"Didn't I say I was?" You asked, an awkward smile on your face. 

He notices and takes a peek at his phone. "Are you sure it's okay for you to be out this late? I don't you want to get in any trouble because of me." He bites his lip which made you blush. 

"Yeah it's fine." You assure him even though you know that you'll get scolded by Jay once you get home. 

"Ah okay, just making sure." He sends you a shy smile then walks towards the lake. The calm water steadily sparkling just inches away from him. 

It was quiet between you two. You weren't quite sure why and so was he. You decided to stand beside him, hoping he would be the one to break the silence. 

How do I tell him that I remember him? Isn't that what he wants to hear from me? He's been asking so much and now I feel stupid for saying that I only met him this year, you thought to yourself, stealing glances of L as he stared at the lake with a lost expression on his face. You stop looking once you see his whole body turn to face you. You take a deep breath, gathering your thoughts before you would mention anything. You turn to him, already seeing his eyes locked on you. 

With nothing but the moon to witness you two at the lake as it shines upon both of you, your silhouettes were being shadowed perfectly from it's brightness. You two stood face to face looking at each other’s eyes to try to figure out what the other is thinking about at this very moment. Just as you're about to break the silence, he beats you to it. 

"Sorry for calling you over here on such short notice." He says, swiping his bangs to the side. 

"It's okay, I'm just wondering... why?"

He stuffed both of his hands in the pockets of his black jeans and looks at the lake for a few seconds. "Well, to be honest with you, I just needed some company."

Company? You look at him, worry in your eyes. "Is there something wrong? Did something happen?" 

He shakes his head, pressing his lips together. "Nothing happened to me, but it sure is affecting me. I guess it's just indirectly affecting me though. I know it's kind of weird and hard to understand but... I don't know." He says then keeps quiet. 

You couldn't find anything to say to that so you kept quiet, still thinking about how you're going to tell him that you do remember him. 

"You seem puzzled, anything wrong?" He says, interrupting your thoughts. 

You shake your head. "Nope, I'm fine. What's this thing affecting you that made you need company?" You go back to he's upset about. 

"Typical parent problems." He pauses.

You flinch at the word 'parent'. Keep it together, ______. You tell yourself to stop yourself from showing any pain whatsoever. "Oh..."

He nods, still not looking at you. "Yeah... Just needed a break from it."

The breeze was more present since you two were at the lake. L saw you slightly shaking. He unwraps the scarf he had around his neck and wrapped it around yours. 

"Oh, L, y-you don't have to. You'll get cold." You get caught as you hesitate to speak properly because of the cold. You watch his hands wrapping the scarf around you then look at him. How can you be so nice to me after what I did to you? You sigh at yourself, feeling bad at every nice action he does for you. 

He lets out a soft laugh, "I'm fine. You never seem to dress warm enough whenever I see you." He keeps his smile, curving his lips. 

"L..."

His eyes shot up at yours, waiting for you to say something. The wind blew his fringe to the side, showing off his eyes more that were looking into yours. It didn't make you feel as uncomfortable as before. Maybe it was because you know that L was Myungsoo and you were really close to Myungsoo, just like you are with Ricky. 

"There's something I should tell you but I'm not sure exactly how you'll react..." You start off by saying. "That question you've often been asking me... I finally know the answer to it." Just as you find yourself finally telling him, you pause. 

His eyes started to glow out of curiosity. He had a slight feeling that he'd be content with what you were about to say but he still kept a curious look just in case it wasn't. He didn't want to expect too much as it will only hurt him. 

"I do remember you." 

He freezes as those words escaped your mouth, trying to keep his cool. He blinks a few times to make sure this wasn't just his imagination. "What do you remember exactly?"

A little smile started to form on your face. You get a warm cozy feeling seeing his eyes light up with happiness. 

"I remember Chaerin's friend." You talk about yourself, your previous persona, in third person as you take a glance at the lake. "Chaerin's best and closest friend," you pause to look at him again, "Myungsoo."

He stayed quiet, you couldn't tell just how happy he was but if you were inside his mind, you'd be able to see. He was confused, lost. Absolutely lost for words. You noticed his clueless expression not even transitioning to any other emotions. That's just how shocked he was. Now that you've finally remembered, he didn't know what to say. 

You tilt your head to the side, examining his expression that still looked dumbfounded. 

"Myungs--"

His arms suddenly wrap around you, pulling you into a hug. Your eyes widened, caught off guard. You stand there, remembering more memories of you and Myungsoo at your previous school. You wrapped your arms around him too, patting his back. 

"Thank you." Those words escape his mouth as a smile remains stubbornly on his face. 


Jay's POV

"The person you are trying to reach is currently unavailable at the moment, please try calling again later."

I sighed. "No answer again or her phone is off or dead." I let my back fall flat on my bed. "Why isn't she home yet? Was I being too strict? 'Dad'..." I cringed at the word. "I can't believe she called me that." I face palmed my forehead. I noticed my finger hover over Yukwon's name in my contacts. "I swear you better be bringing her home right now." I lightly touched the 'call' button. 

"Hello?"

"Is __-... Is Hyemi still with you?" I corrected myself. 

"Who is this?" 

"I asked first, is she still with you?" 

"No, I dropped her off at her bus stop. Now who is this?" 

I felt my fists clench. I hung up almost immediately. What an idiot, didn't make sure she got home safely and now we don't know where she is. Good job. I grabbed my varsity jacket that was lazily hanging on my chair and went out the door. "I'm going out." I shout out loud enough for my parents to hear.


Author's POV

Yukwon pulled back from his phone, still wondering who that might've been. He didn't have caller ID so he couldn't know that it was Jay's number. His voice sounded familiar... Wait, that means she isn't home yet? He thought to himself. But I dropped her off at the bus stop more than half an hour ago…

Yukwon didn't feel so great knowing that you weren't at home especially the fact that it’s getting late and it's already dark outside. He takes out his phone and dials your number but he gets the same message that Jay's keeps getting. "Her phone is off?" He bites his lip and gets up from his bed, taking his jacket with him, then goes straight to the door. 


~
Meanwhile, at the lake, you and L still stood there hugging and keeping each other warm as the cold wind started to overwhelm the night. You missed your friendly bond with him. Out of all the schools you transferred to, the one you attended with him was your longest stay. You decide to pull back as the hug was starting to last a little longer than you thought. You look at him to see what expression he had on his face. He showed his warm smile, his eyes almost smiling too. 

"We should probably head home, it's pretty late." Just as you pull away, your hand makes its way to your pocket, yanking out your phone but remembering it died earlier.

L notices and gives you a worried look. "Do you need my phone? I see that your battery died." He kindly asks after a light chuckle, handing you his iPhone. 

Once you grab it, you dial Jay's number but remembered that he has caller ID and he would find it really weird if he knew you were calling from L's phone. You stopped yourself from pressing the 'call' button. Not that you were sure he knew his number anyway. You just didn't want to risk anything so you stayed on the safe side. 

"It's alright." You hand back his phone right after you check the time. 10:11pm... I am so dead once I get home... What am I saying? Calling Jay's house 'home'.

"Chaer-" L hesitates to call you that. He clears his throat and looks up at you after putting his phone in his pocket. "I guess I have to keep calling you 'Hyemi', huh?" You nodded. He takes a deep breathe. "It's good that I'm used to calling you that now."

"Myungsoo..." You say to yourself in a low tone. It’s weird calling him that... Even though I did call him that before.

"Hmm?" He reacts to his name. 

You looked; not realizing you said his name out loud. You shake your head. "Oh, nothing. Just felt like saying your name. I'm used to calling you L now." 

"Then keep calling me L. I don't really mind. Although, I do miss being called that especially by you." His lips pucker together but a genuine smile forms forms on his lips. "Well," he stretches out his arms but shortly after wraps his arms around himself to keep himself warm. "Let's go wait at the bus stop, we might end up getting sick of we stay out any longer." He wraps his arm around you.


>> 

"She must be home by now." Yukwon tells himself, looking left and right. He makes a ball with his two hands tried to warm them up with his breath. He takes out his phone again and calls your phone but receives the same message as before. He starts to make his way back home, only to feel guilty as he had no idea where you are. Whether you're safe at home or wandering somewhere right now. ...she must be home now. I hope she is...

>> 

After over an hour of searching for you, Jay still has no luck in finding you or knowing your whereabouts. With one hand in his pocket and the other rubbing his arm for warmth, he starts walking back home. I swear if she's not at home, I'm so going to kill Yukwon. He checks the time on his phone. 11:01pm... Even after an hour of looking for this girl, I still wasn't able to find her? He sighs as he brushes his hair back. 

He continues to walk home, just turning to the street he lives on, but in the back of his mind he worries about you not being at home. She’s going to be at home. He continuously repeats to himself as if it'll make him worry less. She will. Where else would she go? He steps on dry leaves remembering how much you love to do so just to hear the crunching sound. It brings a smile to his face but he still feels uneasy. He reaches for his pocket, taking out your keychain that you never got to retrieve. Pabo… He speaks to it. You lose this and now you're the one that's lost? Haven't I gone through enough of that already? Then it hits him, his tracks suddenly stop. His eyes widen and hands clench. Don't tell me she's going to leave again. Or did the loan sharks get to her? Wow, I can't believe I completely forgot about them… He bites his lip, not wanting to believe that any of the thoughts he's having are true. With no time to lose, he starts running home with hope that you will be there. No... She can't... Not again. The cold air that enter his lungs stings but he continues to run as fast as he can, still looking around just in case you would be around.

His footsteps stop running as he just ran down his whole street, his legs tired as he's only one house away from his now. He walked the rest, out of breath. Please... His impatient self forces him to run again even though it was such a short distance. Once he reaches the front of his house, he sees no sign of you at all. His heart drops, his balled up fists let loose. He scans the front of his house but since it was dark, it was harder than he thought. He looks at the front porch, Not there. He checks the side of his house, Not there either. He continues to search for you, he circles around his house as he attempts to check the backyard but the lock on the fence stops him. He does the combination but he couldn't open it as he kept rushing the code. This just made him frustrated. He walks back a little just to get enough space for him to run and jump high enough to climb the fence. Successfully, he does it, almost tripping the second he lands. He quickly regains balance and looks for you but still nothing. Not a single clue. He bites his lip, not wanting to believe that you weren't there, at his place, waiting for him.

Just as he makes the whole tour of his backyard, he stands motionless. The thoughts he had earlier started overflowing his mind. Did she... leave? He shakes his head. No, she can’t. She can't.

He goes back around, to the front porch. He feels himself giving up. As much as he doesn't want to, he has no clue. He stands in front of the front door to his house. He slides in the key to open the door but stops unlocking it half way as he hears a slight crunch leaf sound. He turns around and sees a squirrel climbing up his neighbour’s tree. He sighs but hears it again but coming from the opposite direction. He turns and sees a shadow. He quickly pulls out his key from the keyhole and runs towards the shadow. 

Just as he goes around the tree, there you were. Sitting against the tree as you hugged your knees for warmth. Your eyes were closed; you surprisingly fell asleep there even through this cold weather. Your cheeks stayed rosy pink as you slept soundlessly. 

Jay pulls his hair back, looking away out of frustration. He sees your body shiver so he forcefully pulls you up and wraps his arms around you to hug you. All the thoughts he had earlier were gone. They disappeared the moment he saw you. Dumb girl... Scaring me like that. As much he wanted to scold you for not being home on time, he was just relieved that he knew exactly where you were now and that you were okay. 

"Oh?" You say half asleep. You were so tired and cold that you didn't notice Jay being the way he is at this moment. It doesn't occur to you that he's been worried about your whereabouts. You just find yourself hugging him back for warmth which catches him off guard. 

He blushes at your response to his hug. He holds in his smile by biting his lip. He pulls back from the hug to see your face. Your tired face was all he saw. His lips slightly curved as he saw you. He took a deep breath and let it out; the white smoke due to the cold escaped his mouth. It's good to know that you're okay. "Don't do that ever again," He tells you, a slightly forced smile, "okay? Or at least let me know if you're not going to be home on time." He tells you. You have no idea how much I was worrying because of you.

You lazily looked at him, tilting your head to the side as you are confused about what you're seeing. You shut your eyes closed for a few seconds then open them to focus on his face. Something was wrong. Your hand reaches for his face. He stays still but gives you a confused look. The tips of your fingers then wipe something off his face. You eyes slightly widen. Did... did he just... You pull back your hand that was on his cheek. 

His eyes widen too. Oh . He looks to the side, unwrapping his arms to the side and wipes his face. 

"Did you just..." You hesitate. 

"Nope! Pft, why would I?" He rolls his eyes. Good job, Jay.

"But..." You look at your fingers where it was slightly wet. "Did you just tear?"

He clears his throat and let out an awkward laugh. "You seriously think I did? Pft, not even. Let’s go inside it's starting to..." He stops as he notices little snowflakes start sprinkling around the both of you. Not only around you two but everywhere. 

You notice him stop and you look up as you see the snow falling too. "It's snowing." You smile and held out your hand to feel the snow land in the palm of your hand, completely forgetting of what you were trying to say. 

So easily distracted. She's so cute. He genuinely smiles. "It was the snow, I didn't tear." He used that as an excuse even though he knows that it wasn't. It only started snowing after. He didn't want to admit it. 

You furrow your eyes back at him. "But I couldn't have been! It only started snowing now!" You argue back. "And -"

He slightly bends down to reach your eye level, his face just inches away from yours. "What's your point?" He smirks at you, making your cheeks warm up quickly. 

"Uh, well-" 

He grabs your hand gently, still keeping full eye contact with you. "Just be quiet and let's go inside. You're cold, are you not?" 

You manage to keep eye contact too but you feel your cheeks burning up so much. "Uh," you simply nod as you can't even say another word. You follow him inside his house and up the stairs quietly to make sure you don't wake up his parents. You look at his hand holding yours. Does he even know what he's doing right now...

He looks back at you for a second, seeing you look at your hand interlocked with his. He smiles. I'll win you back. Even if that does mean competing with my best friend and your friend that obviously still likes you.