ERELAH'S P.O.V

After Jungkook and I reconciled, both of us spent our days normally, but happier. Though I have been hating waking up these past few days because that means I have to leave him. I wish I could trade off my work hours to be with him instead. But I knew that was impossible. Very impossible.

Nevertheless, I still have my friends at work. Namely: Taehyung and Christina. Their presence is enough to cheer me up while I'm at work. They do get emotional, like me, at work, though. But not quite as often. It's because they're still not used to the fact that Jungkook doesn't work here anymore.

One time, the new intern at our office was giving out coffee. Naturally, she gave one to Christina too, since she's also an employee. As the intern gave her, her coffee, she received it without glancing at her. Because she was typing something down on her computer, and since Tina is a decent human being, she expressed her gratitude, but to the wrong person. "Thank you, Jungkook." That's what she said. I remember the office going silent as soon as she mentioned his name, and I could still picture the expression on the intern's face. Her forehead creased as her eyes squinted, followed by her correcting Tina.

"Ummm, miss? I'm ___" It felt like I was in a comedy skit the entire time as I watched Tina slowly turn her head towards the intern and once she was able to take in and realize that she had just referred to the wrong person, her eyes widened, and in a matter of seconds, she was out of her chair apologizing relentlessly.

The other day, the three of us were at the cafeteria. Peacefully eating our meal amidst the chatter of people, with a touch of laughter blending in as the sound of footsteps accompanied it. Then, Taehyung suddenly broke the silence at our table. "You know, I miss Jungkook very much." He started, which Christina and I agreed upon as we responded with a nod as our mouths were still filled with food. We both looked at him as he devoured the last of his egg roll and waited for him to finish his sentence.

"But I just can't seem to comprehend that a well-known author in Korea was an intern at our company, an intern who was giving out coffee." He stated, adding more emphasis on the last sentence. "Well, I can still remember how shocked I was when I saw him at work for the first time," I added after taking a sip of my water. Christina then raised her hand and said, "Which was my doing." We all then burst into a fit of laughter.

"Life does give us a lot of surprises, huh?" I asked the two of them as I looked down at my almost empty plate. Our table was void of any chatter after that, as the three of us stood there frozen. It looked like we were frozen in time as the others continued to move around us. All the memories I have made with the four of them began coming back to me like a wave arriving at the seashore. Beginning strong, but dies down in the end.

I'm sure that two of them are feeling the same thing right now. Saying goodbye was never easy anyway.

"It sure does," Christina said as she moved closer to me and held my hand. I looked at her and leaned my head on her shoulder. My eyes landed on Taehyung, seeing him looking at us fondly. When he noticed my stare, his cheerful face came back in a matter of seconds as he said,

"Yeah, I mean look at Erelah. Her once-favorite author is now her boyfie'." Taehyung teased me with him tucking his imaginary long hair behind his ear, which then made us laugh all over again. I'm so glad I have friends like them. I'm so lucky to have them.

When I'm not with them, I find myself looking at the clock every once and a while. I just couldn't simply wait to go home and be in Jungkook's arms again. But then again, I also hate looking at the clock ticking. I hate seeing time passing by because that means Jungkook's departure is getting nearer and it makes me wonder as I work 'What's he doing right now?'

JUNGKOOK'S P.O.V

I hate this. I pondered as I ate lunch in solitude. Being alone here reminds me of Korea and how lonesome I was back in my house there, but to be honest, I wasn't really bothered by it. I liked being alone. However, when I met Erelah, I started to despise being by myself because that meant, she wasn't by my side.

I truly wish that I wouldn't have to go back to Korea, but I knew it was inevitable ever since the day I landed here in America. It made me wish that this wasn't just a vacation to get my mind off things in Korea. But it certainly did work. Thanks to Erelah, Taehyung, and Christina. I don't think I would be able to truly enjoy being here if it weren't for them.

But when I think I have finally reached the bright side of the tunnel, I get pulled back into its dark place again. Spending my time here in Los Angeles made me forget about the situation back in Korea, so now that I have to leave to go back. I'm hit with a realization, that I have to face the criticism I managed to avoid these past few months.

Erelah and I have been talking about it for a few days after we made up, and I'm thankful she's willing to give me advice so that I could hear what another person thinks, which also made me realize that I've been blocking out Jimin's ever since.

Erelah and him truly are siblings, since they shared the same opinion. I gave it some more thought and realized they were right. Staying quiet isn't doing me, my career, or the people around me any good. It just made it worse as people jumped to conclusions and as haters continued to take advantage of the situation I am in.

And I failed to realize this in the past because all I thought about was how I felt. Yes, it bothered me, but not to the point that I wanted to address the situation. So, therefore, I ignored it. I did not acknowledge the fact that the people around me, the people that I cared for, were getting affected as well.

Erelah also opened up about the topic of my trauma of rain, which causes me to have anxiety attacks. She said that I should consult a doctor and get therapy for this. Jimin also discussed this topic with me back in Korea, but I refused multiple times. For what reason? I didn't want to open up to a doctor. Opening up about my trauma to people I have never been acquainted with before is something I wasn't looking forward to.

But I am starting to consider it now. I didn't want to always feel that way every time it rains. Erelah's presence may have helped to calm me, but I know I can't depend on her or anyone forever. I lifted the spoon to my mouth, expecting to taste the salty taste of an egg. However, my mouth collided with the spoon instead. My eyes closed as creases formed in my forehead. A groan escaped my mouth.

My eyes traveled below to see that my plate was already empty. I looked at it for a few seconds before I stood up from the chair as I brought my dishes with me to the sink. I was about to start washing the dishes when my eyes traveled back to the living room. My eyes landed on my phone, which was lying on the surface of the coffee table. 'Should I ask Erelah how she's doing?' I thought, but quickly dismissed it as I finally let the water run as it soaked the dishes below me,

'She must be busy. I don't want to disturb her.'

I spent a few more hours packing my bags. Some of the clothes kept bringing back memories of the past few months. Since I had worn them with the three of them, therefore, I had to stop every now and then. "Good thing, I didn't buy much while I'm here. Everything still fits." I mumbled to myself as I started to zip the bag. Concealing it's contents inside.

After that I looked at the clock in my room, wondering how much time had passed. It was already 6 pm, which meant Erelah would be home soon. A smile spread across my lips instantly. I stood back up, leaving my bag on the ground as I left my room to cook Erelah dinner. So as soon as she gets home, we can eat together.

By the time, I had already finished setting up the table. I heard the familiar sound of a car parking outside. I have never felt this excited about seeing someone when it's only been hours since I last saw them.

I now heard the engine stopping and the car's door closing, which was then followed by footsteps heading towards the front door. With a bright smile on my face, I made my way towards it and stopped when it was in my line of sight. The door opened and Erelah stepped inside. Wearing a smile similar to mine. We locked eyes and she said,

"Mhmm, looks like you just finished cooking. Smells delicious." She said as she kneeled and started taking off her shoes. Once she was finished, I walked up to her and held her hand. I directed her towards the kitchen. I heard her chuckling behind me.

"I felt lonely earlier." She chuckled again, which made me frown, as it looked like she was laughing at me. "Should we facetime as we eat, next time?" She suggested as soon as we sat down. "Doesn't sound like a bad idea..." I answered as I started scooping up some rice and putting it on her plate.

"I'll take that as a yes." She said as she poured some water on both our bottles. "Make sure to include Taehyung and Christina," I said as I started picking through the fried chicken I cooked. I ended up picking the leg part. "That goes without saying. I'm sure once they hear your voice from my phone, they'll rush towards me just to see you." Erelah jokes, making us laugh.

Simple moments like these... Make it hard to leave.

Simple moments like these... Makes me want to stay.