DAY 18

You're already awake, but you really don't want to be. The sun is barely shining through the windows and it's much too early. You struggle to fall asleep again, but your body won't let you. Finally giving up, you decide to get dressed.

As you sit down on the bed, now fully dressed and ready for society, you honestly start to wonder what you're going to do today. Right when you start to sigh, thinking that today will be absolutely boring, the phone rings. To be specific, your phone rings.

You rub your eyes, then reach over to pick up your phone from the nightstand by the bed. Your vision is still a little blurry from sleep, and the number looks vaguely familiar. There's even a name above it, which means that the number is in your contacts list. You answer it.

"...Yoboseyo?"

"Hey. You sound like you just woke up." 

Something clicks in your mind. Ah, it's this person again. You feel as if you're in a weird mood. "That's because I just did, Taemin."

You hear him laugh, and you smile. At least I managed to make friends here in Korea. And with idols, no less. You feel a nostalgic pain in your heart, and you stop yourself from thinking about it. 

He stops laughing to ask you, "Do you want to go get some coffee today?"

You raise an eyebrow despite the fact that you know he can't see you. "Sure. I have nothing else to do anyway." You try not to let that sentence get you down. You hear him make a "tch" sound through the phone.

"Don't think like that. I'll come in a few. Wait in the lobby."

"OK, see you." You hang up. You take a glance at your roommate, who is somehow still asleep in bed. You're surprised that she didn't wake up as you were getting dressed, or as your phone was ringing. But you just shrug and write her a note:

Was invited out by Taemin. Be back soon. Call if you need me.

Feeling that note was as satisfying as it could get, you put down your pen and grab your bag. Then you head out. You lock the door behind you as quietly as you can, and you silently hope that your friends will forgive you for stepping out on their plans yet again. This trip was supposed to be for you and your friends, and yet you often left them for Kai. They had sincerely forgiven you though, understanding the situation, and had welcomed you whenever you got to spend time with them. In the end, they were the honest and loving friends that had invited you on this trip for the sake of your friendship.

No. That was a lie. 

Sure, they had invited you because you're their best friend and they love you. But a big reason they had invited you was the ex. There's a pang in your heart when you remember that. They'd wanted you to forget him, to live without him. And that's a big reason why they were so happy for you whenever you went to hang out with Kai. Why they spent so much time talking about him with you.

They truly are the bestest of friends.

Your eyes sting a little when Taemin arrives. You don't even notice his presence until he snaps his fingers in front of your face. You look up at him, he has a concerned expression on. "Are you okay?"

You rub your eyes sleepily. "Yeah, I'm fine." You stand up quickly. "Let's go, I could use some coffee." As if to prove your point, you let out a yawn, then grin at him. He laughs. 

"Alright, come on." He waves at you to get a move on and you walk on ahead. 

You two walk down the street at a leisurely pace, feeling the need to enjoy the good weather. The cafe isn't far, but he keeps walking past it. 

"Um, hey. There's a coffee place right there." You tug on his sleeve and point. He jumps a little, as if unused to the sudden contact, and then grins. 

"I know, but there's another place just around the corner." You nod, let go of his sleeve, and keep walking. He's right; it's just one block over. You two step in and you breathe in the cool air. Outside, it's hot and humid. In here, the AC is on and there's soft music that plays. It's also dim too, and seems like a place for private talks and the kind of people that like to do work in a peaceful atmosphere. Just like you guessed, there are a few people here and there, working on homework or typing away on laptops. They're all here by themselves and quietly sipping on cafe or munching on some bakery goods. It's a nice place, overall.

"Here." You hand him some money. "For my drink." You tell him what you want. He nods and goes up to the person at the cash register to order your coffee. He waits by the counter, and you find a small table nearby. A moment later, he's back with the two plastic cups. You mutter a thanks to him as he hands you yours.

You two chat for a while, small talk and jokes. You sip on your iced coffee slowly, to save it. At one point, he leans back in his chair with ease, and you can't take it anymore. "So, why did you suddenly invite me out?"

He sighs, then smiles. "To be honest, Kai asked me to. I don't mind though, so I said sure. Even now, he's in the practice room, still thinking about you. He really doesn't want you to be lonely, even if it means being with me." He chuckles.

Your cheeks redden a little. "Oh." Is all you say. You smile a little, and he grins. He pokes your forehead. "Ah--hey!"

"I think you're a charming girl. You're strong too, okay? Don't worry." He tousles your hair affectionately which suddenly surprises you. Your smile widens a bit and he laughs. 

"What is he doing now?" You ask him.

"Practicing."

"Do you see him every day?" You wonder out loud. He nods. 

"Yep. Why?"

"Tell him I said I miss him." He looks at you for a moment, then nods again.

"Can do." And he takes a sip of his coffee.

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The first thing you do after you arrive home and close the door is hug your roommate.

"Oh!" She cries out in surprise. Then slowly hugs pats your back. "Uh, you okay?"

"I'm fine! I just want to say thanks for everything and I appreciate and love you guys so much and I can't tell you this enough and I'm so sorry I bail on you guys so much!"

"Woah slow down! OK, OK, it's okay!" She laughs. Then her face turns very solemn. "Hey, on a completely different note, do you ever go online anymore?" You look up at her, confused.

"Um, not really actually." You're been rather occupied lately. 

"Mmm...do you care about what people think of you?"

You stop and think for a second. A big part of you, of course, really does care. But if you thought about it more broadly, "no. Not really, I guess."

She breathes a sigh of relief. "OK. That's good." She knows you don't tend to lie.

You raise an eyebrow at her. "Why do you ask?"

"Look." The atmosphere suddenly grows more tense. " I don't know what it's like to date an idol. But I reckon it's harder than it looks and I'm worried for you, okay?" You nod once. "Just...be careful of where you are and who you're seen with in public." 

You nod again, more slowly this time, trying to understand the situation. But your mood had already dropped, and it plummets as you realize what she means.

Now it's your turn to sigh. Your eyes start to sting a little. "Don't worry about me. We'll...be gone soon anyway."

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Note from the author, a.k.a. Me: Hi everyone! I hope you like it and anticipate the ending~ After this fanfic is done, I'll be officially starting my D.O. fanfic (which you can find on my profile). Like the Tao fanfic, this one will also have a epilogue ^^

And hey, Bets, if you're reading this, I hope you like it too! I started it because of you and how you started to like Kai and well...I hope you're keeping up with it! It's summer already, so don't get too busy and relax more, okay? :) With love~