A loud gasp echoed in the shared bedroom, followed by the one sleeping in the lower bed of two bunk beds jolting up. His eyes were wide as his mouth hung low. He was heaving for air as if someone was choking him in his sleep.
"What?" His roommate asked. "Another nightmare?" He questioned.
The other just nodded while gulping thickly and placing a hand on his hyperventilating chest.
That roommate kept inspecting his friend from afar while ruffling his short black fluffy and curly hair with the towel in his hand. He dropped the towel to his single bed and grabbed his black shirt to pull it down his bare torso. He then walked to the desk opposing the two bunk beds and leaned his back on it.
Crossing one arm over his buffed chest while allowing his free hand to play with his right earlobe which had a black rectangular earring, he talked. "Do you want to try a psychiatrist? I can ask Alana to recommend someone for you." He shrugged.
"Let's see. If it doesn't stop, I will do so." He uttered as he rubbed his face with his two hands, pushing his long hair out of his face to show his perfect side profile and his pointed nose. He ruffled his hair and then kicked his blanket to get out of bed. Just before he did so, a rounded hairy object dropped from the upper bed, making the still-startled boy, get startled even more.
"JESUS CHRIST!" He gasped, placing a hand on his chest once again. "I fucking told you to stop dangling like that from the upper bed, Han Jisung!" He yelled at his other roommate who was using the upper bed.
"And I told you to fucking stop being stubborn and listen to Sky, Lee Minho." Han Jisung backfired on his friend.
An audible sigh escaped their third roommate's lips. "Ji, when will you stop and act the slightest of a rational grown-up man?"
Jisung scoffed as he jumped down from his bed. "What's wrong with going to fortunetellers and psychics, Chan?" He looked from Chan to Minho. "I told you that Sky was freaking right and really precise regarding what she predicted for me!"
"What is precise about 'you'll meet your other half through music' for God's sake?" Minho whined.
"I met my Ana at the music room of the school I work at!" Jisung commented.
"Cause she's a music teacher, you stupid!" Chan sighed in defeat. "She'll sure be at a music room." He rolled his eyes and started walking away. "I don't even know how you managed to be a teacher, mathematics teacher on top of that, with that brain of yours. Whatever! Get up and shower while I see if there is something to eat for breakfast." Chan mumbled on his way out of the room.
"Dude," Jisung talked to Minho. "I swear she's got a point. I told her about your dreams and she said they might be something from your past life. Remaining memories."
"Stop the nonsense from early in the morning, Ji." Minho whined.
"Then why the hell do you keep seeing yourself with some unknown girl at an abandoned bus stop when it's raining heavily? Huh?"
Minho sighed. He didn't know. If he did, why would he be that confused? Those dreams had been haunting him for months now and playing the last strings of his sanity. Whenever he closes his eyes, he sees that girl's face.
"Let's just go get breakfast." Minho said before he stood up and walked out of the room to the living area of the shared house.
"Oh! You're up." The freckled boy with a lovely smile questioned once he spotted his two friends stepping out of their room. "I woke up early and was trying something new." He said, cocking his head towards the table in the middle of the room with different kinds of bakeries on it. He was even holding a plate with some kind of tarts. "Eat first and shower later." Felix motioned them to the table.
"Who wants coffee?" Chan yelled from inside the kitchen.
"I want one!" The still dozing off Seungmin yelled. "The largest cub, please." He yawned loudly.
"Make them two!" Jeongin, who came rushing from upstairs, sang his words.
"Do we have any strawberry milk left?" Hyunjin questioned right after stretching like a cat.
"Felix baked using them." Changbin uttered, earning a death glare from Felix.
"WHAT?" Hyunjin gasped. He looked at Felix with wide eyes that were glistening with tears. "How dare you?" He pouted.
He was surely going to whine for more if it weren't for Seungmin who smacked the back of his head while moving around. "Oh! Sorry. My bad." He chuckled devilishly.
"You little punk!" Hyunjin gasped again. "You did it on purpose." He yelled at Seungmin.
"Why would I? Am I as a dramatic kid as you?" Seungmin backfired.
"What did you call me?" Hyunjin asked.
"Hey! Don't start early in the morning." Chan, who came back from the kitchen with the morning drinks, warned.
"What did I even do?" Hyunjin yelled even louder. "I got my milk stolen by Lix, and my head smacked by this devil."
"I'm sorry!" Felix apologized as he sat down at the table. "I'll buy you ten bottles. I couldn't find any milk and really wanted to try the new recipe."
"You could've asked me first or at least left me one bottle!"
"I thought you'd drink coffee since you stayed up all nig-"
"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Minho yelled the loudest ever. "All of you! Shut up and only use your freaking mouths to chew food."
The room fell in dead silence that you'd hear the footsteps of an ant if it passed by. Silently, they all sat around the table and started munching the bakery Felix served them. Soon that silence was replaced by the sounds of eight grownup men chewing food as if they were kindergarten kids.
"Hey," Hyunjin nudged Jisung as he whispered. "What's wrong with him? Did he have another nightmare?"
Jisung didn't dare to talk and just nodded at his friend. Hyunjin wasn't the only one who was worried about Minho. They all were. And they all knew his situation and how those dreams disturbed him and made him unable to focus on work or even sleep soundly at night. They also knew how he was trying hard to keep it to himself in order not to weigh them with his problems.
They all knew.
Of course, they would since they've been living together for years. That group that didn't look like they had anything in common, and really they didn't have any, managed to stay together under the same roof for years.
It all started with the three roommates, Chan, Minho, and Jisung, and then, the rest followed.
Nine years before, Minho and Chan were the definitions of 'complete opposite' high school students whom no one ever thought they would get along, and eventually end up being friends.
Minho was your typical top student who did nothing but study. Or that was what his classmates thought. He wasn't a nerd or anything, but he was the quiet type of students with a straight face as well as a straight personality, which made him not friendly with his colleagues.
Meanwhile, Chan was the rich spoiled kid who attended school just for fun. He did nothing but play around and prank teachers, knowing that no one would tell on him since he came from a slightly scary background. His scores were the last thing he could ever think about since it was already settled that he would be taking over his family's business.
This odd friendship started when Chan was promised to get the professional camera he had always wanted since he loved photography so much, only if he got good grades. That's how he went straight to the top student and asked him for help. Opposite to what Chan thought would happen, Minho actually agreed to help so easily. And that's how they started hanging around after Chan granted himself the camera he wanted, and Minho granted himself an annoying spoiled friend.
During that year's summer break and while spending some time in their favorite arcade, they witnessed a boy being bullied by a group of teens their age. Without thinking much, they jumped in to help him, and that resulted in the three of them being beaten up to the bones. Benefiting Chan's background, that group of bullies was reported and the whole thing was settled.
When the new semester started, Chan and Minho met that boy who had been bullied before. He was the new student at their school and then, their new friend, Han Jisung. The three friends clicked well and became close to each other as time passed, till they graduated from high school and started to prepare for their university entrance exams.
Jisung had a plan for what he wanted to do. He was really into mathematics and wanted to be a teacher. For Chan, he faced his first dilemma when he had to choose between the career his parents wanted, and what he wanted. When he decided it was photography over the business, his parents didn't like it so they cut him off. That's how he went leeching over Minho.
Minho was the biggest surprise for them. When they expected him to study engineering, medicine, or even law, he causally showed them his admission application for the contemporary art department. As usual, he wasn't someone to expect his actions.
As the university started, the three friends decided to go for sharing a house together. Finding the rent a little bit high for them to pay, they looked for a new roommate. And that was how they met Changbin who was studying physical education to be a fitness coach later. He moved in with them and the three friends found themselves being dragged to the nearby gym against their will and being trained by him till their legs gave up on them.
A few months later, Minho's far cousin who lived abroad, came back to start studying Korean cuisine. Having nowhere to stay, he crumbled himself into Minho's shared house with his friends. They originally didn't agree to the idea of having a fifth male in this small house, but after meeting Lee Felix for the first time, they shoved that idea out of the window. That cutie was surely welcomed among them.
That house soon became stuffed for them so, they started looking for a new one to share together. Not long after that, they found a perfect house for them but it wasn't only for them. The owner of the house lived there and rented the rest of the rooms in it. When they expected to meet an old single man, they found themselves meeting a boy their age or even younger.
That boy inherited the house and a lot of money from his family who had left in a tragic accident years ago. When he finally got over it, he decided not to leave the house empty and rent it to students or whoever needed a room in his luxurious house. Meeting those five friends, he welcomed them immediately into his house. And that's how their landlord, Yang Jeongin, became their sixth friend.
A few months later, an ex-swimmer in the national team and a new coach for the little ones, came looking for accommodation as he was assigned to training at the nearby club which was very far from where he used to live. Hwang Hyunjin surely didn't look like a swimmer. He was more like a model. But nevertheless, he was accepted among the group.
During the next summer break, the now seven friends planned a trip to Busan, to shake off the tiredness of studying and part-time working. After having a blast of a vacation and on their way back to Seoul, they met a student their age at the station. He looked so lost in his thoughts while waiting for the train, which made Chan, absentmindedly, pull his camera out and take a photo of him.
In order not to violate the boy's privacy, Chan went to talk to him and show him the photo he captured. That's when he knew the boy was heading to Seoul to start studying business after he gave up on literature cause he was fed up with its shit. Meeting the other boys, they decided to be his companions on his way to Seoul and somehow, ended up inviting him to their house.
And that was how Kim Seungmin joined the shared house and was the last one to be welcomed in, as there was no space for anyone else.
From high school to university and then to starting their professional careers, they all kept sticking together.
Chan, a highly-paid photographer for top celebrities. Minho, a famous choreographer at a well-known entertainment company. Changbin, a tough fitness coach at an elite gym. Hyunjin, a coach for the national swimming team now. Jisung, a genius math teacher. Felix, a chef at a three Michelin stars hotel restaurant. Seungmin, a junior business developer at a publishing company. And Jeongin, who was having a cozy life being a landlord and doing nothing and getting paid.
A ding from Chan's phone cut the silence. He pulled up his phone to check the message he received. His face lighting up didn't go unnoticed by his friends.
"Is that Alana?" Changbin asked while wiggling his brows.
Chan rolled his eyes. "Yes, and there is nothing for these looks, really. We are FRIENDS!"
"Friends my ass!" Jisung scoffed. "You turn to a cutie doggie whenever her name is mentioned and other than us, she's the only one you spend time with. You even enjoy being hospitalized just for her to treat you, perv."
"She's an old friend just like Minho!" Chan defended. "That's why I'm comfortable around her."
"Don't you dare compare me to your crush!" Minho yelled. "It makes me feel cheesy!"
"Jisung is always cheesy around Ana but no one teases him," Chan whined.
"Because he's being clear about his feelings and he's dating her already." Felix rolled his eyes.
"We are not teasing you." Jeongin talked. "We don't want you to lose her. You obviously have feelings for and from what I see, I think she's no different from you. So, make a move before it's too late." Jeongin smiled devilishly. "Before Minho steals her from you."
Minho choked on his coffee and started to cough. "Why the hell are you bringing me into this?"
"Cause you are very close to her." Jeongin shrugged.
"No, Minho won't do something like that." Jisung defended his friend. "He's pretty close to Ana too, but they are good friends. Actually, I'm happy she's friends with my friends."
"I don't get how you get that close to all the girls around us with that uptight personality and your grim face." Seungmin scoffed at Minho.
"What's wrong with my cousin's face?" Felix questioned. "He's freaking handsome."
"His look is the only freaking thing." Hyunjin rolled his eyes.
"Girls approach him first. The odd thing is, they always want to befriend him. Even my sister told me so. She said something about Minho making her want to be his friend and hang around him." Chan said.
"Uh!" Seungmin's face lightened up. "Right! Your sister." He looked at Chan. "Why didn't I think of Jenna?"
"What do you have with Jenna?" Hyunjin shot his question right away.
Seungmin smirked at Hyunjin knowingly. "What do you think, Hyun?" He teased him.
"Wait a sec!" Chan turned to face Hyunjin. "What do you have with Jenna?"
Startled, Hyunjin's eyes widened and he just noticed he slipped. "Oh! Nothing, I was just asking."
"I need her help with something." Seungmin talked to divert Chan's attention from Hyunjn to himself. "There's a client I'm dealing with and I think your family's company had a partnership with before. He's hard to talk to so I wanted some tips to get this deal done."
"Oh! Call her. She'll be happy to help you." Chan smiled at him. "I'm sure she'll do more than just give you a small tip." He winked at him.
"The power of rich people." Changbin scoffed.
"The power that stupid gave up on." Jisung smacked Chan's head.
"Dude! I'm happy with what I'm doing now. And Jenna is happy with taking over the company. We are where we're supposed to be. So, what's the problem?"
"There is no problem now," Seungmin mumbled under his breath. He leaned towards Hyunjin to whisper. "The problem will be there once he finds out you're courting his sister behind his back and fucks your life into two halves!"
Hyunjin didn't reply and just gulped down thickly.
"So, what are you up to tonight?" Jeongin asked.
"I'm hanging out with Aria," Seungmin said.
"Don't say it!" Felix warned Changbin who was about to talk. "I swear I know she looks exactly like me to the extent of thinking we are twins but I DON'T HAVE SISTERS!"
"It's really odd how you two look alike. The first time I saw her, I went straight to talk to her just because I thought she was your lost twin or something." Seungmin chuckled.
"Oh, Oh!" Chan laughed out loud. "I remember you asked me if Alana can help us with a DNA test for them."
"You know, guys, what's even odder?" Jisung talked. "Sky told Felix about Aria that time I took Felix along with me. She told him there is a female version of him out there."
Minho rolled his eyes. "Again, you're talking about the psychic fortuneteller."
"What's wrong with Sky?" Felix questioned. "Whatever she predicted turned out to be right." He shrugged.
Minho dropped the cup in his hand to the table. "So, you're telling me Jisung was killed by the husband of his ex-lover in his past life. Chan was in a coma for nine years. You, Lix, had white eyes before. Seungmin was mute. Hyunjin who is a swimming coach will work as a model soon. Changbin and this emo Dabi will get married one day when they don't even know each other, and Jeongin's love is in a coma at a hospital somewhere. And I'm actually seeing my past life through these nightmares and my heart doesn't belong to me." He almost rapped. "What the hell is that?"
"Um," Felix hummed. "If you say it like that, it doesn't sound sane."
"Cause this is not sane, guys." Minho sighed.
They all fell silent once again. He wasn't wrong. Believing in miracles, past lives, rebirth, and punishments wasn't normal. It's not like they were living in some fantasy book. Although they all grew up hearing stories from old times when this world used to be TRANSCENDENTAL, they knew those stories were nothing but what they were. Stories. Something you kill time with on a road trip on a hot summer night and nothing else.
This time a loud thunderclap was what disturbed their silence. They all jolted and shoved their heads to the side towards the wide open window, only to see a storm raging outside. Out of the blue, there was a thunderstorm that happened in the middle of a hot summer day.
"What? No!" Seungmin whined. "I planned to go on a date tonight." He almost kicked his feet to the ground.
Another loud thunderclap echoed, followed by a bolt of strong lightning.
"What's going on? The sky is going really crazy!" Jeongin said.
"When the sky goes crazy, miracles happen." Jisung mumbled.
Minho jolted once he heard those words. He turned abruptly to face Jisung with wide eyes. "How do you know that? Where did you get those words from?"
"Hm?" Jisung tilted his head. "Where did I get them from?" He questioned in even more confusion than Minho's.
"Isn't that something like common knowledge?" Chan questioned while rubbing his nape.
"You too know that?" Minho asked him, earning a nod from Chan. He turned to face the rest of his friends. "What about you, guys?" They all nodded at him one by one.
"Where did we all get that from?" Seungmin scratched his scalp.
"Whatever, kids!" Chan said standing up. "I'm leaving. Alana is waiting for me in the parking." He turned to face Minho. "You wanna us drop you at the company?"
"No, it's fine. I'll take the bus." Minho replied.
"In this rain?" Felix question. "If you don't want to drive, I can drive you there."
"No, no." Minho stood up. "It's okay. The bus stop isn't that far. I'll go get ready."
"Hey," Chan called before leaving. He looked at Minho while he was holding his neck, rubbing the left side of it that was tingling him. "I know it all sounds like nonsense. My brain refuses to believe Sky's words just like you, but here," Chan patted his own chest. "There's something here telling me to believe her. When we met her for the first time, she told me and Al that our fates were tangled very long ago, and a few weeks after that, me and Al found out by complete coincidence that we both were on the same bus that had an accident on that empty road by the daisies field long years before we met, before we became friends or anything. And we even have the same scar from the same night." He rubbed his neck for more before he stepped closer to Minho and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Sometimes the nonsense makes sense when there's no other way to have a valid sane answer to our questions." He shrugged, gave him a tight smile, and then walked away.
No one uttered a word cause they all were on the same page as Chan. Minho headed to his room to get ready while the others started getting ready for their work. One by one they left the table except for those who wanted to eat more, or those who were sulking because of the sudden gloomy weather.
The storm didn't seem to subside and the rain didn't sound like stopping anytime soon. Minho, just like many of his friends, didn't enjoy the rain. Moreover, he found it somehow scary. But he had to go to work. It's not like he had a lot on his schedule that day, but he had an important interview for an article regarding the choreography he made for the new boy group that won 'Rookies of the Year' and that wasn't the first for Minho. There was a myth in the entertainment industry that whatever group Minho makes the choreography for, wins a trophy right after.
Arriving at the bus stop, he sat at the end of the seat and brushed the raindrops that his hoodie caught before he pulled the hood over his head to cover it. Since there was still some time till the next bus, he pulled out his earphones and plugged them in to listen to the radio as he always does. He loves to hear random music and songs as they inspire him for his work.
Flipping through the channels, he stopped at one and allowed the unknown songs to play while he rested his head on the glass panel behind him. A song that matched the mood well started playing. He listened to that song once before and somehow, it irritated him so, he never tried listening to it again. But there it was playing in his ear and he was listening to it. It was a song named 'Before You Go'.
A few drops of water splattered on his phone and made him startle. He looked at where they came from to find a girl at the other end of the seat, ruffling her very short drenched hair, sending water drops in every direction. Since Minho wasn't the type to pick a fight, he was about to shove his head away again but stopped once the girl turned to look at him.
He froze.
His eyes widened and his jaw dropped once she looked at him. It wasn't because of her beauty, and she was a beauty, it was because of her.
"Oh! I'm sorry. Did you get wet?"
Gulping hard, Minho didn't reply and shoved his face away, hiding it with his hood and scooting away from the girl. It was her! The girl in his dreams. He would never mistake that face. He sees it every night and whenever he closes his eyes.
"Rude!" The girl mumbled under her breath.
Minho's thoughts were all over the place that he almost missed the bus. Luckily, he didn't and jumped on it once it arrived, hoping that girl wouldn't get on it. He was scared. He didn't know what that was so he was scared. What if that girl Sky was right? What if the girl in his dreams has something related to his past life? It sounds so insane, but that earlier encounter left him irrational.
Throughout the whole day, he couldn't focus on his work. He couldn't do anything but think about the girl. He was starting to regret not replying to her. At least he could've asked her name. Maybe she would turn out to be someone he met before but couldn't remember, and that would be why he keeps seeing her in his dreams. His brain locked him in the endless what-ifs all day.
"Hey," A voice called from behind as he was walking up one of the company's corridors. He turned to find it was Dabi, one of the assistants at the company and the same girl the psychic Sky said she would marry Changbin when they didn't even know each other. "Where's your mind? I've been following and calling you from the beginning of the corridor."
"Uh, sorry. I was distracted for a second." He gave her his tight smile. "What is it?"
"The one from the magazine arrived for your interview. Practice room number three."
"Okay. Thanks, Dabs." He turned to walk away then stopped to face her again. "Do you want to hang out later this week?" He asked her.
"Wow! Are you asking me out on a date? Girls will kill me if they hear you." She scoffed.
"Not a date." He rolled his eyes. "I was inviting you to an outing with my friends."
"The group of hot guys you live with?"
"The group of hot guys I live with and some of the girls from our circle too."
"And why are you inviting me?" She squinted her eyes at him while crossing her arms over her chest.
"I just thought we needed someone emo among the group." He shrugged and turned to walk away after smirking at her.
"Screw you, Min." She cursed after him.
"Let's see if you'll end up married to Changbin." He mumbled to himself as he walked.
Minho made it to the practice room and opened the door then stepped in to find someone standing by the far small window at the end of the room. "Um, excuse me! This is Lee Minh-" He paused once that person turned around. "Holy Shit!" He gasped.
"Oh! Nice to meet you, too." The girl scoffed. "Or should I say nice to meet you again?" She tilted her head at him. Minho didn't reply and didn't seem to react as she walked up to him. "Hello, it's Han Rona, the journalist responsible for your article." She extended her hand for him to shake.
That took him by surprise. First, she was the same girl from his dreams and from the bus stop earlier. Second, she's the journalist doing his interview. Third, she wants to shake hands with him.
Hesitantly, he extended his hand to take hers. "L-Lee Minho. N-Nice to meet you, too."
Her grip around his hand was firm yet gentle. It seemed as if she didn't want to let go. She kept holding his hand and holding his gaze, making Minho feel uncomfortable. Only Minho trying to pull his hand out of hers was what brought her back to reality to let go of his hand.
He looked around awkwardly. "Umm, are you here by yourself? I mean, no team?" He asked her.
"Hm." She nodded. "You already had your photo session and it's just the questions that we need to be answered and added to the article. So, yes. I'm here by myself." She shrugged and he gave her a brief nod followed by an awkward silence. "The weather is crazy, right?" She questioned to break the silence.
"Oh, yes." He answered awkwardly and rubbed his nape. Something was off about her. She didn't look scary. He didn't feel like running away as he felt earlier. Maybe he wasn't scared earlier. No. There was something else. He felt unsettlement in his heart and it was beating fast. "Oh! Excuse me but, did we meet before?"
"We just met a few hours ago." She chuckled.
"No! I mean before that."
Rona looked at him deep in the eyes as if she was trying to find something. "Wow! You're really the one who forgot this time." She mumbled. "Did I have to come back as a pterosaur instead of a human being?"
"What? What did you say?" He questioned in confusion.
"Never mind." She smiled widely at him. "Shall we start our interview?"
"Uh! Sure. Have a seat, please." Minho ushered her to one of the seats facing the wall-length mirror.
With a blurry confused mind and irrationally unsettled heart, Minho sat opposing her and started answering the questions that she asked and recorded his answers. The interview went as smoothly as it should have, except for the prolonged looks between those two and the unexplained pauses between the words as they talked. It seemed as if there was something locked deep inside both of them. There was something more that they couldn't speak of. Something deep, old, and forgotten.
"Okay, great!" Rona said, wrapping up the interview. "One last question." She looked him deep in the eyes. "Are you single?" She asked solidly.
Minho was taken aback by the question. "I-I.. I don't think this question has anything with the interview's topic. Right?"
"Right. I guess I crossed the lines." She chuckled awkwardly as she stood up.
"No! It's just.. seemed off-topic."
"Yeah, I was just curious. That's all."
"Hmm." He hummed and stood up. "When will the article be released?"
"The first of next month along with your photos from last week's photo shoot," Rona replied while pulling her stuff to push them into her bag. "I'll send it to your company to be revised before publishing." She added as she lifted her hand to run her fingers through her boy-cut hair.
Just then, Minho saw something, and his eyes popped. Without asking for permission, he grabbed her hand to check what he had seen earlier. A tattoo. There was a tattoo written down her arm that poked from her sleeve when she lifted her hand up.
"W-what is that?" He questioned as he read the words written over and over again.
'When the sky goes crazy, miracles happen.'
"Uh! This. A tattoo, obviously." She chuckled as she pulled her arm out of his grasp.
"Where did you get those words from?" He questioned with knitted brows.
"Do you know this quote?" She asked with confusion.
"Yes! And I don't know how I know it. Where did you get it from?"
Rona smiled at him widely. "I made it." Her smile even went wider, showing her full set of teeth. She dropped her head to look at the words fondly while passing her fingers lightly on them. "It's something I believed in a long time ago. It was how I met my first love back then." She lifted her head to look at Minho. "And it seems like it's what brought him back to me once again." She looked at the faraway window and then back at him. "The sky is really going crazy today, isn't it?"
"Does that mean a miracle will happen? According to what you believe in?" He asked her.
"I guess it already did." She said. Her wide smile never left her face, making Minho start to smile too without any obvious reason. Her smile seemed to be of the infectious type. "Then, I'll be going." Again, she was pausing as if she wanted to prolong her time with him. "It was really, really nice meeting you, Lee Minho."
"Yes. It was nice meeting you, Han Rona." He gave her his charming smile.
Rona grabbed her bag, bowed at him, and walked to the door. She didn't want to leave. She wanted to go back and talk to him. She wanted to tell him she was proud of him and happy that he was doing what he loved finally. She wanted to ask him if he was okay and not suffering from any disease. She wanted to know if he was living a good life, this time. But she stopped herself.
It was a miracle that she found him again and she didn't want to scare him away.
"Hey," He called her, making her stop in her tracks. "Umm, when the article is ready, can you send it to me directly? Instead of the company?" He advanced towards her.
"What? Yes! Sure!"
"Then, I think you'll need my number to do so, right?" He scratched his nape awkwardly as he stepped closer to her and stood face-to-face with her at the doorway, only letting mere centimeters separate them.
"Oh! Of course." She said and pulled her phone out to hand it to him.
Minho received it, typed in his number, and gave it back. "Here. I'll wait for your message." He looked down at her closely. Minho cleared his throat and then added. "I mean the article, of course."
"Yeah, sure." She pushed her phone into her pocket and looked up at him with a gentle smile. She really, really, didn't want to leave. She wanted this moment of them standing that close, face to face, to last forever. She sighed, and oddly enough, it came out in unison with a small sigh that escaped Minho's lips.
He flinched. He had no idea why he did sigh audibly like that. Just as Rona was about to slip out, Minho's hand reached out for her arm gently. "Hey, before you go,"
Rona stopped moving and looked at him with an even wider smile. It was as if he could read her mind and know she didn't want to leave yet. "Before I go?" She questioned.
He blinked a few times. He had no clue why he stopped her, but he had to come up with something, anything. "Uh, it's still raining outside." He let go of her arm and pointed at the window. "Would you like to stay a little till the rain stops? Maybe have a drink at the cafeteria, before you go?"
"With you?" She tilted her head playfully.
"If you are okay with that." He shrugged and ruffled the back of his hair nervously.
"I'd love to." She smiled genuinely.
He smiled back. Opening the door wider, he slipped out. They both stood face to face in the hallway. He looked down at her while stuffing his two hands in the back pockets of his jeans. It felt strangely familiar to be standing that close to her.
Minho stepped even closer, and Rona didn't back off. "Then, let's go get that drink." He almost whispered. "Before you go."