Sunlight pierces through the gap of your window veil, flooding your room with the sign of morning. The sound of your alarm follows after a few second causing you to stir in your bed. You tiredly reach for your phone to stop the annoying reminder and tread to the bathroom.

The dark circles under your eyes as you stare at your own reflection brings back memories of last night. They're so visible, they make your lips tremble.

"Here, why don't you try this." The faint recollection echoes in your mind causing you to shake your head.

You proceed to make yourself presentable for work, popping a piece of bread in your mouth when you suddenly hear the door bell.

Lisa surprises you with an offer. She volunteers to drive you to work using your car. After so much deliberation and quarreling, you figured you could use a break from driving.

She wasn't going to take no for an answer anyway. You had your car washed just yesterday so we're able to avoid her preachings about hygiene.

When the red light's shown, she gently step on the break and slows the car to a stop. "So what exactly happened last night? Jin told me your little date with Taehyung didn't go exactly as planned."

The emphasis wasn't necessary.

"Not a date. And. He's not wrong." You mumble the last part, staring at the window like you're waiting for it to burn.

"Yeah but that doesn't explain why you look like a panda. Did you even get enough sleep last night?" Way to paint out the obvious.

"No I didn't. And it's no thanks to that brother in law of yours. Our little get together last longer than I anticipated. He dropped me off at my place around three."

"In the afternoon?"

"More like after midnight."

"You really can't blame the guy, Y/n. He probably just wanted to spend time with you before he traveled back."

"He left again?"

"Guess he forgot to tell you." She says. "He's really trying you know."

Trying.

You let out a sigh. Maybe you're putting too much response to what happened last night. But did he have to keep you for so long even though he knew you had work the following morning? He just wanted to spend time with you. If you were in his shoes, you'd have done the same.

You allow silence to fill the duration of the travel.

By the time your arrive at the building, a coworker hands you a list of patients under you. "Just a heads up, patient in room 234 has dementia so I'd remind them they're in a hospital if I were you."

Judging by the terrified look in her eye, you can tell she's had a rough experience.

"Anything else I need to know?"

"Uhm—not really. Just good luck."

Lunch time came around. A man in a suit arrived in the building requesting for your presence. There was almost something familiar about him.

You got your answer when he mentioned Taehyung's mother.

Tingles settled on the tips of your fingers as you face the Queen herself. She takes a sip from her tea and looks around at the empty place.

So much for a normal lunch break.

Not only that, you're running out of time. Ten minutes left before you're needed back.

"You seem to be a bit occupied my dear. Are you expected somewhere else?"

"Uhm not at all. It's just that I should head back to work-"

"Oh, okay. It'll only take a few minutes."

Your back tenses at the mention of that.

"As I was saying. This is about, Taehyung. I know things between us has never been the same and it's been a while since we last talked but my dear , you should already know why I'm here."

Her eyes hold mine in a manner of despair.

She knows she can't do anything to convince her son, this, she's left no choice but to iron it out with you.

Like always. "You want me to stay away from him."

"You know he takes after me. He's stubborn and once he's set his mind on something, he won't stop until he has it." She says softly. "After his brother stepped down, he's had to take on a very big responsibility. That's why I'm asking you my dear. Please convince him to prioritize his people. He'll be crowned king soon and you out of everyone should know how this is important not only to him, but to the people as well." She takes your hand and holds them tight. "Tell him to come home."

This isn't the first time she's asked you to do this. And every single time, you hoped it was the last.

Even if it's Taehyung she really has to talk, she's really leaving all the work to you.

And from what you can see, some things never change.

"I'll see what I can do." Why does it feel like all oxygen's being squeezed out from your lungs?

It's like you're having doubts. That sensation of nervousness—you can feel it spread from your chest to all over your body. You may have verbally given Taehyung the time to make up for what he did but isn't this what your originally wanted? For him to be out of your life?

"Thank you my dear."

"I really have to get back to work. It was a pleasure seeing you again your highness."

You stride out the place without looking back, finding yourself staring at the sky. Your lips feels dry and your breath slightly haggard.

Just when you thought your day couldn't get any more worse, it starts raining. And you didn't bring your umbrella.

Why is it that whenever Taehyung's around, your life becomes unbearable? Is this the universe's way of saying that you two should never cross paths? Because it's not hard to believe that.

After a long day at work, your shift comes to an end.

As you reach the exit, you find a spot figure hovering outside. Their attention focuses on you when they see you. "What are you doing here?"

Lisa scratches the side of her head, avoiding the question. "Are you going home?"

"Yeah. I just finished my shift. " There's a weird substance on her clothes and you come closer to analyze it. A stain. The shade of crimson. "Is that blood on your clothes?"

She looks at her outfit. "No. I stopped by a cafe and had red velvet before coming here."

You nod your head and wait for her to say more. Nothing. However, you can sense this heavy feeling radiating from her. The way she disappears from reality only to come back after a second. The way her finger fight against themselves. She keeps looking at the sky like it's the most interesting thing in the world.

What's going on in that kind of hers?

"Do you need anything? Im not in trouble am I?"

"No. But I could really use a favor. Do you mind if I crash at your place tonight? I don't think I have the stomach to see my husband's face right now."

Strange but okay.

You fish out your car key, leading the way. "Did you guys fight or something?"

She was okay this morning when she drove you to work.

"Not really. I mean, he doesn't exactly know I'm not home-"

She flinches when you suddenly drop your key with a shriek. "Holy crap, Y/n. Warn a friend next time before decide to scream."

"I'm sorry. I thought I saw a frog for a second there."

"You and your frog fear. Just get over it. They're literally the size of your palm."

"Okay, something's obviously up with you. What is it? Did Jin forget to fold his clothes? Is he making you eat too much or did he forget to feed that weird tarantula pet of yours?"

"You think I eat too much?" Her eyes glistens with tears making you flinch. What kind of reaction is that?

"What? No. What the heck? Hey, what's wrong? You're seriously freaking me out right now." She pulls something out from her pocket and hands it to you.

A pregnancy test. One that's already been used. If you're lucky, you should have your alcohol spray inside your bag. Because this isn't sanitary.

"Oh."

"I did it five times and they all came out positive." Her voice breaks at the end of her sentence. Like she's scared.

"This is great. You're gonna be a parent-" You read her features and your enthusiasm fades. "-and you're not happy. Why aren't you happy?"

"Because I don't think I'm ready. It hasn't been long since Jin and I got married and now that we're expecting a baby-I.. I don't know. I just don't think I'm ready for that responsibility yet." She swallows thickly. "I'm not ready at all."

"Tell you what. How about we stop by a drive through, order dinner and then we'll continue this conversation at my place." You unlock your car and gesture her to get inside. Exactly thirty minutes later, she follows you inside your apartment and collapses on the couch like her soul's been sucked out of her body.

After changing from your work clothes, you find her still in the living room already chewing on a chicken leg.

"Okay." You settle on the couch. "So what's up?"

"I pretty much covered everything back there at the parking lot. What more do you need to know?"

"Why do think you're not ready to become a parent? I mean, it's not like you'll be alone. You'll have Jin with you. And something tells me he's great with children."

"I know that." She says in a whisper. "But it's not Jin that I'm worried about. It's me. I was raised by my nanny ever since I was born since my parents couldn't care less about my existence. All they wanted was an heir to their company and you know how that turned out. What I'm saying is that, how am I suppose to share a feeling I, myself have never felt before? I'm not close to my mom. And there's that part of me that's afraid I won't be good enough."

It's not everyday you get to see Lisa this vulnerable. You rub a comforting hand down her arm. "You remember that problem we had with the shop a couple of years ago? You came up with a solution that saved it. Or that time when we were stranded on the road with no signal at all and you just grabbed your tools and changed the tire yourself? What I'm trying to say is that, whatever happens, you always found a way to make things okay."

"But that's different. This is a whole other person. And they'll be under my care. Eventually they'll start looking up to me and what if I mess up?"

"And that's the beauty of it. Parenting is a learning process. But even if you don't get it right the first time, you'll learn and find ways to make it better. And the best part of that. Is that you won't be alone. You'll have Jin with you every step of the way."

She shows you a smile. "Yeah. And I'll have you too."

"About that." You trail off. "You'll never believe who I talked to today."

"Oh god. Whenever you say something like that it means you talked to Jim's mom-please tell me I'm wrong." You shake your head. "What did she say to you?"

"Pretty much the same thing." You say. "Stay away from my son that and that."

"So what? Are you gonna allow history to repeat itself or are you gonna finally go against her? Because from what I can see Y/n, you never stopped loving him. And no matter how much you try to convince yourself and the people around you, that has never changed."

"You're wrong though."

"Oh am I? Because if I was wrong, then you would have never given Taehyung a chance. You'd have cut things off then and there. But you didn't. Instead you allowed him to prove himself to you."

"I only did that because he wouldn't leave me alone."

"Right. But that's not the only reason right? I could tell you to do just that. Maybe even book you a ticket myself and make you leave the country for good if that would mean he'd stop bothering you- because holy crap what he did to you was unforgivable. But I can't. You're my best friend, Y/n. And seeing you happy is all I want for you. You and I both know that he's trying his best. Don't let the past determine your future. And this is ironic coming from me and all. You can deny it all you want, but I know you. I know you're willing to try it again with him." She says. "So don't allow someone else to ruin your chance of happiness again."

What Lisa said made your restless throughout the nigh. And no matter how much you deny it, deep inside, you know that she's right.

Why did she have to be right?

Despite what he's done, you can't imagine a life without Taehyung in it. Without his smile, his voice—his whole being. All these emotions you've tried to bury and ignore—they weren't meant to be hidden. It would only hurt you more if you did.

Now you know what to do.

You won't allow this chance to slip past your fingers. Not again. And you won't let anyone get in the way of you and your happiness.

Next Day

"You look awfully happy today. What's up?" Jane, one of your coworker smiles as she swings by the counter.

"Is it that obvious?"

"Yeah. You've been glowing since this morning. Perhaps, is our little Y/n in love?"

"Impossible." Mari steps in. "With how she's dedicated to her job, I bet she barely has time to look for a love interest."

Jane makes a sour expression at Mari. "I swear you and that mouth of yours won't get you nowhere. And besides. You never know. Maybe it's that cute guy who constantly asks for her."

Mari pinches her lips into a pout of defeat, making you chuckle.

Jane's eyes lit up like stars in the sky. "Look. She's not denying it. Oh, my god this is great news! We're gonna need all the information later okay? I have to go check up on a patient first."

Mari blinks herself back to reality and nods her head slowly before saying the same thing and walking away.

After your shift ended, you decided it was time to put your plan into action.

Last night, Lisa made you realize that the only person preventing you from moving forward was yourself.

On a side note, Taehyung's already suffered enough.

"Didn't take you as a romantic type but this place isn't half bad." He stares at the calm ocean and checks his watch. "He should be on his way right now. I'm pretty sure I gave him the right address."

"Jin."

"Yeah definitely gave him the right address. Don't worry. Are you sure you don't need any help setting these up? I mean, four hands are better than two."

You're nearly done with the arrangements. All that's left is to place a cloth over the table and then set the wine and appetizers. According to Google, this type of set up should be enough to express what you're feeling.

"I'll be fine. You on the other hand better get going. Lisa just texted me to tell you to hurry up with her pizza."

Jin shudders. "Pregnancy craving's a scary thing. One minute she feels like eating this and the next she can't even stand the smell of it. This morning for example, she ate ketchup with mango. And now she's craving pineapples on pizza. She doesn't even like pineapples."

"I'd hurry up if I were you then. Thanks again."

"Anytime."

You've finished setting up the place. The fairy lights works wonders and the candle plays the role on setting the mood.

In case you guys got hungry, there's food on the table. You can already feel the anxiousness flooding your veins.

As the ocean breeze brush against your body, you wonder if he'll like it. You want this to be perfect.

"What's all this?" Taehyung's clad in a short sleeve shirt, hair swayed to the side.

A fascinated look contours his features as he looks around, reaching the perfectly prepped table.

He looks at you with a gentle smile. "Did you do all these for me?"

"I did." You says softly. This is it. No turning back now.

"Why?"

"Let's just say someone made me realize that I've been holding myself back for far too long. " You smile at him. "I don't want to keep you waiting anymore, Taehyung."

His look of confusion bores into your eyes when you suddenly kneel with a purple box in your hand.

"Hey—what are you doing?"

"Tae." With a pacing heart, you gently start. "I know our life has been a roller coaster. And many times, I've pushed you away. But now I realize I can't keep doing that. You've showed me countless times that you'd still come back to me regardless of what happens. I know It's not easy juggling between your responsibilities as a prince and me—going back and forth countries can be exhausting but you still find time to be with me. I'm just sorry I didn't realize it sooner." You flip the box open to reveal a gold ring. "This ring is a symbol of my love and commitment to you. I promise to always be there for you, no matter what."

The side of his lips slowly tilts upwards. He takes both your hands, guiding you to stand and plants a soft kiss against your knuckles.

You take his hand and slip the ring into his finger.

Arms lace around you waist and he pulls you close, unable to wipe the smile off his face. "You don't know how happy I am right now. And to think you went through so much—preparing all these? I mean, that should be my thing."

"Are you mad?"

"A little. "He presses his forehead against yours lovingly. "But at least I know I'll have all the time in the world to make up for it."

The End

A/n: After five years, this story has finally come to an end. I'd like to thank everyone who chose to become a part of this journey. Despite the inconsistent updates. And although it pains me to end it like this, this story deserves to be put to rest. Once again, thank you.
-LT💙