School break had finally arrived. One would think that since they were free from school, they would be able to just laze around doing whatever. For Jinsol, however, it was quite the opposite; she was at full throttle.

Since her summer break break was now different from what she originally planned (as the project internship didn't pull through), she decided to work more on her craft. She had the time to make more videos for her Youtube channel and for herself, slightly branching out to more scenic, greatly edited pieces. Jinsol felt happy to see how her viewers complimented the work she put in, commenting how much she had improved from her earlier works.

She has improved. And she could only improve more from here while she continued to work on it.

Working on her YouTube channel was a great distraction from everything that had happened during the past month.

Not only from losing her opportunity from that perfect internship, but also from Kunhang.

Ever since his appearance as an official SM rookie, he had gained recognition and even less free time. It finally felt like that he (oh yeah, Hendery now), Dejun (Xiaojun), and Yangyang were going to debut with all the preparations they have begun to go into.

There was a wall between them.

Keeping in contact nowadays had been such a struggle. Jinsol couldn't help but feel that every time she sent a message, she would only stop the progress.

And now that Kunhang's face was shown to the public eye as a soon-to-be idol, there is now little to no chance to meeting him face to face.

... It was a good thing they never made their relationship official. It would've been more complicated that way, right?

It was nice while it lasted.

Ding!

Jinsol picked up her phone to see who had messaged her as she finished preparing for the day.

Kunhang...

He greeted her good morning. Jinsol softly smiled as she read the message.

| Kunhang ❤️ |

KH: Good morning, Jinsol ❤️
What are you doing for today?
Doing more film work?

JS: Good morning to you too mister~
And yeah
You start recording for your debut, no?

KH: yuuuup 🤩
Suuuuper busy today

Jinsol frowned. Of course, he is.

She knew all to well that he'd been so excited about recording his first ever songs for his upcoming group.

JS: as expected from you~
Don't worry about it!
Just work hard , okie?

KH: of course!
You too with your filming
but i'm sure it'll end out great anyway! ;)
I miss you though

JS: yeah, i miss you too..

Her heart ached.

With a sigh, she set her phone into her short's pocket. Staring into her bedroom mirror, Jinsol made sure she had everything she needed for her day trip. She was dressed in very casual clothing. She had on her favorite oversized Snoopy long-sleeve paired with the black shorts she wore. With simple white Fila shoes on her feet, she was prepared for the amount of walking she will be doing today. She had a small backpack filled with her necessities. And to complete it all, her trusty camera strapped around her neck.

Once she felt satisfied, she stepped out of her bedroom, only to be greeted by her rushing parents. They've been rushing from room to room in a panicked state but only stopped when they saw their lovely daughter.

As it was now summer break, Jinsol went back home.

"Oh sweetie, are you ready to go?" Her mother chimed as she wrapped some freshly-made gimbap into aluminum foil. Jinsol beamed brightly seeing the delicious snack. She grabbed a few to place into her backpack for her trip. Jinsol pecked her mother's cheek as a thank you. "Oh, I wished me and your appa can join you on your day trip. It has been so long since we all went there or somewhere together for that matter, along with Boram!"

"That's right, I miss my little girl," her father chimed as he fixed his crooked tie. Jinsol came over to his side to give him a hug. "Come home more often during college, will you? You tried during the first week last semester and then we never saw you again!"

"Ah, I promise I will visit more in the next one," Jinsol pouted, clenching on her father's arm adoringly. "But we are all such busy people, you know."

"I know," the middle-aged man sighed. He patted her head with a grin. "But this weekend, we can all eat out for BBQ, how does that sound?"

"That sounds amazing, appa! I can't wait," Jinsol smiled up at him.

Her mother handed over Jinsol a container filled with sliced pears as well. The younger gaped, excited to eat the crisp fruit later. "Shall I just call a sick day today?"

"No, eomma, you really shouldn't do that as a teacher," Jinsol tsked, waggling her finger at her mother in a playfully accusing manner. "You should be leading a good example. After all, you were my teacher back in school too."

"You hurt me, my child."

"I'm just saying the truth Teacher Na~"

"You sure you'll be fine on your trip to the Garden of Morning Calm by yourself, Jinsol?" Her father asked, holding her close. "It is ways away from here. Is Haneul not free to tag along with you, at least?"

"I asked her but she's out with her sister today," Jinsol told him. "I know it's far but it's fine, appa. I've been to places on my own just dandy!" The pigtailed lass pulled away and gave her parents a confident look. "You two should be getting ready to go to work and I should try to make it to the subway station soon."

"Okay, sweetie, but call either one of us if you need anything, alright?" Her mother chimed in again.

"I got it! I will, and I love you!" Shouldering her backpack tighter, she bid her parents farewell. With that, Jinsol left the house to begin her trip. The moment she reached the outside sidewalks, her feet automatically lead her to the nearest subway entrance.

Jinsol loved going to the Garden of Morning Calm. It was a place her parents frequently went to during their period of dating, despite the nearly 2 hour ride over. However, the beautiful scenery always brought them back. And that carried onto their married life, constantly bringing their two girls with them whenever they desired to visit. The garden always amazed her every time Jinsol went.

This time, she wanted to give the destination justice by recording and editing the future video so she could fully encompass its raw beauty. She hasn't filmed there before, much to her own surprise. Today was the day to change that!

But first, it was her chance to get a refreshing, sweet drink to start off her early day.

With a simple 10 minute subway ride and a 5 minute walk, Jinsol was back in the familiar setting.

The college in the distance, the park at the side, and her favorite tea place only up ahead. She was right on time. She knew Manager Mira was already in the shop, despite it being a couple hours before opening. However, Mira had told her before she would always open the doors for her.

Jinsol slowed down in front of the glass doors to the shop. She grinned, seeing how it was already unlocked for her, as Jinsol had messaged Mira beforehand that she was stopping by. As she approached the counter, she expected to find the very owner. But she was met with a new employee...

A surprising one.

"Taewoon-sunbae?" Jinsol uttered as she reached the counter.

Her senior turned to her and gave her a wide smile. "Ah, Jinsol, our usual regular! Mira-sshi told me that you would be coming."

"You work here now? But what about your internship at MBC?"

Taewoon waved it off. "I don't go in until 3 pm, and I only have morning shifts here. It's all good!"

"Really? Does Nari-sunbae know?"

"Of course, she does. She was one of the first to know since we basically see each other everyday from the internship."

Jinsol restrained herself from saying anything more about the situation. Knowing Nari, she probably wasn't happy hearing that he got hired in the shop. She'll have to send her a message later about it. Jinsol merely nodded at him.

Just then, Mira popped her head out from the kitchen window and her eyes crinkled once she saw Jinsol. "You're here!" She shuffled out of the kitchen and slid over the already-made drink to her. "One strawberry milk tea with unfortunately no boba yet."

Jinsol grasped onto the drink, and waved Mira off. "It's okay. I can deal with no boba. I know it takes a while for you to make it, unnie."

She reached into her backpack to get her wallet to pay, however a hand had stopped her. Peering up, she saw Taewoon shake his head. "Don't worry about it, it's on the house by me! See it as a friend's discount."

"Oh, thanks, sunbae."

"Where you off to so early in the morning, by the way?" Mira questioned her, leaning her body forward on the counter.

Taewoon chimed in, "Look like you're off to film stuff."

"That is correct," Jinsol replied, glancing down at her camera. "I'm gonna visit the Garden of Morning Calm and film the scenery there."

"I'm sure your videos on it will turn out amazing as usual," Mira beamed, clasping her hands together. "You really do have a special touch with the videos you have on your YouTube."

"Thank you, unnie, I appreciate the compliment."

Mira suddenly turned towards Taewoon. "Hey, Taewoon, mind if you double check the fruit in the back and see if we have the right amount to start the day? I'm not sure if I had finished slicing up some mango before I came out to see Jinsol." The boy gave a nod and a small salute to his boss. He gave a wave towards Jinsol before disappearing into the back to do the task. Mira then leaned in even closer over the counter, gazing intently at the younger. "Hey, Jinsol, how are you and Kunhang?"

"Me and Kunhang?" Jinsol squeaked out. His name was enough to tug at Jinsol's heart. "We are... fine. It's fine."

"Are you sure?" Mira asked, crossing her arms over her chest. A sad expression crossed her face as she stared at Jinsol. Jinsol frowned. "I heard how you two barely have any time together now. It must be tough since he's preparing for his debut, huh?"

Jinsol's eyes fell.

There's just so much more to it.

But that was mainly it.

"I miss him a lot, unnie." Jinsol ran her fingers through her hair, as she thought about the cute boy. "It seems dumb but sometimes I rewatch through my videos with him in it so it doesn't feel so bad, but it just makes me miss him more."

Mira reached over and incased her hands over Jinsol's. She squeezed lightly. "I know your feelings for each other are true, so I know you two will be okay. There will be those long excruciating days where it feels like the relationship is impossible. But with patience and care, the times where you can meet up and see each other will be much more precious. Don't give up hope."

Jinsol smiled up at her. How is it that this lady always knows what to say whenever they meet? It was like she knew from experience about the situation. "Thank you, unnie. I won't." She glanced over at the digital clock just by the registers, only then realizing how much time she had spent in the tea shop. "Ah, I should be going. I want to spend as much time there as I can before it gets dark. Thank you for everything again, unnie. Tell sunbae I say goodbye too."

"Of course, take lots of amazing shots. As a fan of your channel, I can't wait to see them~"

Grabbing her drink, Jinsol left the shop, now on her way to her destination. If she manages to catch they subway soon, she could make it to the bus station before the bus she needs to be on leaves at 10 AM.

. . .

Jinsol rushed out the exit of Gangbyeon Station after her nearly 30 minute subway ride over. Her feet knew where to go from there, taking the pathway that will lead her to the Dong Seoul Bus Terminal where her next ride would be, just as she remembered it before. She was running a little late, she wanted to catch the 10 AM, but it was nearly that time. She wasn't sure if she had the time to buy herself a ticket onto the bus, if it wasn't already filled.

Just as the time reached 9:54, Jinsol finally stumbled into the terminal, but was overwhelmed by the amount of people bustling about to get to their own destinations. The ticket booths were just straight ahead, she could see it amongst the sea of people.

The girl pouted. Judging by the line, she won't be able to make it to the bus she wanted. A sigh left her lips, seeing she'll have to wait 30 minutes or so for the next bus.

Before she could take another step forward, there was a hard yank at her arm, pulling her backwards, the opposite directions to the booths. Jinsol whipped her head around, as she tried not to tumble forward over her own feet. Just as she was about to yell, the words were caught in the back of her throat, recognizing the perpetrator all too quickly.

"K-Kunhang?!" Jinsol sputtered out, staring at that familiar back of his head.

They were running, running so damn fast.

Was it as fast as her heart was beating right now?

"Don't ask questions yet, if we don't hurry up, we'll miss our bus!" The Chinese boy huffed out, as he continued to lead the way, his hand clasped tight on hers.

Wait, our bus?!

A/n: I am so excited for NCT 127's upcoming album!! It really inspired me to write this chapter. After listening through their track mvs, which of the bside songs you think is your favorite?? Mine are Boom, Elevator, White Night, and Love Song! But, who knows~ Maybe it'll change once I hear the tracks in full. Overall though, the album already sounds SO SOLID ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Anywaaaay, I want to say thank you to those who are reading this! I know it has been soooo long since I last updated this even though I've said it over and over that i would finish this already. Please do give the chapter some comments and vote it up! It really helps!

Until the next update~
—Bianca