Love is in the Air

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❝I'm in heaven right now.❞

-Taehyung

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Taehyung

Our little princess is completely done for!

I can see it already. Between my brothers, cousins and I, I'm not sure she'll be able to walk around as freely as she used to, I mused, studying as she stumbled out of the boardroom.

And we haven't even touched her yet!

Hoseok hyung caught her on the way out, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. Yoongi hyung took her hand. The two of them walked with her to the lifts.

Jimin, Jungkook and I followed them.

Our poor little kitten is in a lot of trouble.

Seokjin hyung and Namjoon hyung picked a very private restaurant for us to all get to know each other over lunch.

I wonder how much longer she'll hold up? She trembled at the touch of my lips on her ear.

But that was an accident.

Seeing her today, looking so beautiful in the black dress I helped Mr. Park choose for her, really made me want to kiss her.

Officially, she's my fiancée, so, technically speaking, I can kiss her! Especially since I've waited seven years to do so! But, I'm probably going to have to wait for everyone else before I kiss her.

I hope Jungkook waited his turn! He seems very close to our Haneul. But it's probably one of those reflex things Dr. Min had spoken about.

I wasn't really paying attention. Talking about Haneul's condition made me sad. Instead, I tried remembering what she was like when we were younger.

We used to go out for walks along the school grounds. And we met at a few parties.

She would hide under the buffet table, and once I found out, I used to join her. We'd share pieces of lamb or turkey and sometimes the sweets they served.

Her grandmother knew about this, of course. Two teenagers gone missing at the same party? Who wouldn't be frantic?

Not that if ever crossed a line. I'd never!

Neither would my cousins.

But, even still, there's no saying who would try to insult us. So, halmoni placed a few extra conditions in the document we signed now.

Her parents always had a chaperone accompany us whenever we were alone-claiming that she's two years younger than me-the same age as my dear baby brother, Jungkook, so it wouldn't have been right to kiss her then.

And halmoni watched me like a hawk. She knew how I felt about Haneul. She knew how we all felt about her granddaughter. But halmoni also made sure we waited until we signed her agreement.

Being a lawyer, I actually appreciate that we waited for Haneul. I've seen the worst sides of relationships.

And I'm not even a divorce lawyer!

But to say that it was torture waiting for Haneul, despite the accident and her leaving us, is an understatement. My life has been hell since that fateful day.

The day when everything went to shit.

I refused to look at my brother for a whole month, blaming him for losing our Haneul. And even after I spoke to him about it, a part of me hadn't forgiven him-until we found Haneul recently.

It was just a few months ago, sometime in the summer. The three of us were out shopping for our mother when we spotted Haneul at the supermarket. She'd been minding her own business with her cousin-and our sister-in-law, Sol.

Sol had discreetly acknowledged us with a friendly nod and small wave-but Haneul had noticed. I'd like to think she sensed us, despite forgetting who we are. But Jin hyung says I shouldn't watch any more K-drama shows.

I know he was joking about it, but why did he have that sad look in his eyes? The same look of despair that reflects in my cousins' eyes?

The two ladies exchanged a brief whispered conversation and Haneul waved at us too.

Her smile was almost the same as back in high school. It felt like she smiled because she recognized us. But when I looked into her eyes I knew she didn't.

The doctor called it Jamais vu, which apparently, is the complete opposite of Deja vu.

And if you've ever loved someone so deeply, to the point where you felt your heart exploding with happiness every time you saw them, you'd know that it feels like a knife stabbed through your heart, twisting itself where it was lodged when they no longer recognize you.

Yet, she did something I never expected, her smile had brightened when our gazes locked.

I know it's really stupid of me to hope, but it's all that's been keeping me going until now.

When we saw her in the lift yesterday, I didn't expect her to acknowledge or remember us. But something about the way she greeted us seemed familiar. Even though I know she didn't recall the grocery store meeting.

All a man can do is hope, right?

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Hoseok

Haneul leaned closer and whispered something to me.

"Do you like strawberries?" her red lips curved up into a smile, before settling back in her seat.

We were all seated in a private booth at a restaurant Seojin owned but didn't always visit.

"Hmmm, it depends what kind of strawberry we're talking about," I leaned in, whispering my reply in her ear.

It had the desired effect. Her cheeks matched her shade of lipstick.

God knows how I wanted to smudge that colour right now. Subconsciously, I felt myself run my tongue over my own bottom lip.

However, we had to be patient with her, not just because of her condition. No, we had to exercise patience even if she never had that accident.

Because Halmoni wanted this to work out while maintaining respect for her and for each other.

And for ourselves.

Self respect is the least exercised form of respect. I see it in the courtroom.

I've seen it in the office too.

And let's not forget that incident at school-

I'd rather not go down that road. She's finally gotten what she deserves! And I'm free. It feels as if a huge weight has lifted off my chest.

"Are you alright, Hoseok?" Haneul's sweet voice asked.

"Yes, sorry. I've been thinking about everything that's happened and I'm just glad that we have you back," I gave her one of my best smiles.

"Alright then. But if you need cheering up, stop by the Café and I'll make you my favourite pick me up dessert!" she piped up cheerfully.

Her smile lit my soul up, like Christmas lights on a tree.

I missed her so much.

"So, did we ever go out, you know, just me and you?" she innocently asked, fighting with the hem of her coat.

Old habits die hard! She always plays with the hem of her coat or shirt when she's nervous.

Seeing this calmed me down a little.

"Hmmm... once or twice," I paused to think about it a little more. "We went to an amusement park once, but my mother tagged along with Jimin's mother and yours-"

Perhaps I shouldn't have mentioned her mother, Lee-jin.

"Oh, I think I remember that! You dropped the candy floss we were sharing and it landed on someone's head down below!" she giggled, her eyes crinkling with the memory.

That was such a long time ago, I even forgot about it!

The treatment is working well! It's no wonder we got the greenlight to meet Haneul again!

"Yeah, well, the rollercoaster was gaining speed and I panicked."

"You were terrified! It slipped from your hands before I could get to the pink side!" Haneul's eyes looked into mine.

Her irises dilated, looking like twin lotus flowers blooming in a pond.

Fuck! When did I become so poetic?

"I was, but I felt at ease because I was with you," I covered her hand with mine.

Her hands are so warm. I wish we could sit like that forever.

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