It's official, I'm the shittiest author there is on this platform! How in the name of all things did I manage to not update for this long period of time? I have no excuse, I am extremely sorry! 

My A2 exams, then this huge writer's block, and the admission prep (my admission test is on the 16th btw, so keep me in your prayers). My brother's bike accident really threw me off my usual routine; but again! Not an excuse, I should have gotten my shit together; I'm very, very sorry! I hope this huge update makes up for it. 

Continued from the last chapter; 

"Okay! Okay! Enough swarming over the girl!" Sana finally announced once the chatter around Eun Kyung died down. "It's almost dinner time so let's focus on that hmm?" She smiled at the little party of hers. "You two, go and freshen up!" Yunho and Eun Kyung complied, leaving for their respective rooms. 

"Noona, Changbin isn't here yet!" Wooyoung reminded as Sana, Chae, Yun Hyeok and Wonhan got busy setting the table. It was Christmas Eve and Wooyoung surely wasn't going to sit for dinner without his best friend. "Then Wooyoung, give him a call, he did text Felix that he'll be here soon. I wonder where he is," Momo suggested, kindly. 

"I'm......HERE!" Many things could get mixed up in a castle full of soo many people and soo much stuff but one thing that was always distinguishable? Prince Seo's voice! Changbin was naturally blessed with a  vibrant voice so when he talked loudly, everyone was bound to hear him. But...

"Oh, you're here!" Chan said, "Wait, where's Hajun?" Jeeseun was the first one to notice the absence of the girl. "Hajun?!" The prince fumbled over his words at the mention of the said girl. "She...uh...already in her room, yeah!" It was certainly odd seeing Changbin struggle to form sentences when usually he always had something to say. No one exactly minded but it was certainly odd and rather amusing to see him nervous and desperately trying to come up with something to say,

"You entered through the front door with- did ya'all buy the entire shopping mall?" Momo noticed the butlers bringing in two hands full of shopping bags. "Noona, I just went Christmas shopping!" Both of them knew it was all in good fun but still, Momo never stopped teasing Changbin about his shopping habits. "Anyway, why did Hajun suddenly use the back entrance?" 

And for some reason, every single person in the kitchen was very interested in Changbin's answer. "About that....we uh...both slipped on the ice on the way back here and she didn't want to use the front entrance in that messed up state!!" 

"Yah! Are you alright?!" Chan instantly sprang up from his seat and approached the younger, face etched with worry. "Hyung, I'm fine, she too is fine!" Changbin assured, "She just didn't want to come through the front door in the messed up state so she headed straight to shower!" He shrugged, "That's fine! Now you run to shower too! Otherwise, you'll get sick!" Sana ushered the younger upstairs, "And Bin-ah!-" He looked back from the foot of the stairs, "Be quick, we're all hungry!" His loud laugh echoed through the walls of the castle at his best friend's words as he raced up the stairs. 

"Do you believe him?" Sana asked her eyes on the retreating figure. Clicking her tongue, she answered, "Not one bit, but let him be, I guess." Chae turned to her best friend. "He'll tell us eventually," "How are you so sure?" Chan butted into the conversation, placing his chin on Sana's shoulder. 

"Because he's gonna need our help eventually, now get off our faces, Chris!" Chae playfully shoved the boy, making him stumble a few steps behind, all whilst giggling. Giggles ensued between the 3 best friends, catching everyone's attention. 

Especially Han and Haeun, who sat in the living room, watched the trio with soft eyes. 6 years of separation and yet; somehow they were able to go back to the way they were before. Like the 6 years in between never happened. 

"Man, I wish I had a friendship like them," Jina spoke Haeun's thoughts for her. Despite her being close to both Chan and Chae, she knew that she had no right in the friendship that existed between them two and Sana. That was a world those 3 had created for themselves; a world that no one else had access to. But in the end, all 3 of them were happy and that is all that mattered.

"You alright there Haeun?" Wave's question broke her out of her reverie. "Yeah, what?" She turned to look at the girl, a smile on her face. "You kind of zoned out there," Risa informed, peering at the girl curiously. "Just..." Haeun broke into a smile "Got lost in my head, I tend to do that a lot. Don't mind me, you were saying?" She swiftly changed the topic, returning to the conversation she originally had. 

"She looks pretty, doesn't she?" Jieun glanced at Eun Kyung for what seemed like the thousandth time. "Yeah, she does," Haeun agreed, glancing at where Eun Kyung sat chatting away with Ryanne, Jeeseun, Yukio and Yuriko. "More than that, I'm still impressed by Yunho-ssi," Chaewon muttered, her face on her palm. "Girl, what-?" Yeseul turned to look at her, "Were you not-"

"WHAT I meant to say is-" Chaewon promptly shut the girl up with a hard glare, "I was just very impressed by how quickly he acted. It was an accident and no one would exactly have much to do if he didn't do anything about it. But the way he acted soo swiftly and brought Eun Kyung back looking as beautiful as ever? Ya know what I'm saying-"

"I agree!" Haeun piped up a bit too loudly, which momentarily grabbed everyone's attention. "Maybe agree a little quietly Haeunnie," It wasn't regular that Chae teased Haeunie but even she couldn't resist the urge this time. "Ahhh Eunnie~~" The younger whined, pouting. "I'm just teasing," She whined back, wiggling her shoulders slightly to add a bit of extra teasing. "Gosh, you're mean!" Giggles broke out in the room at the cute exchange and finally, Chan came to Haeun's rescue. "Ah enough, let's not tease the girl anymore!" "Thank you Chan Oppa!" Haeun gifted him a cheeky smile before returning to the conversation. 

"God, you get teased everywhere you go," Chaewon nudged Haeun gently on the shoulder. "At least someone acknowledges," She admitted, playfully rolling her eyes. "But anyway, that was real gentlemanly of him, gotta admit," "You're one to talk like you wouldn't have anyone do the same for you?" Jieun pointed out, "What are you talking about?" Haeun raised an eyebrow. 

"Girl, everyone saw how much Prince Han took care of you when you had that meltdown," Risa teased, wiggling her eyebrows. That earned a groan from the said girl as she buried her face into Wave's shoulder. "Can we never bring that up, please?!" Her pleas came out muffled, making the girls break into giggles. "We're just saying Haeunnie, it's not a bad thing. He was caring and attentive towards you. It was sweet to see," Chaewon patted her head.  "The only thing he was doing is keeping me from throwing hands on his hyung. Han would never pass up a chance to tease me if something like this happened to me," 

"As if you would," Risa shoved her shoulder, making the rest fall into quiet giggles. "We're friends, that's what friends do! Tease each other!" Haeun added, still giggling. "Just friends, huh?" Chaewon playfully wiggled her eyebrows. "What else?" She raised an eyebrow. Chaewon just laughed and shook her head slowly, 

"It's me," Changbin softly spoke to the wood of the door. "Hey, come in!" Dressed in an oversized hoodie and sweats, Hajun looked more relaxed than she had in the whole day. "Was everything alright?" She asked, letting Changbin in. "Yeah well, everything else was fine but I died trying to come up with an excuse." His exasperated tone made Hajun let out a laugh.

"Now don't laugh! It was hard!" He protested, also not being able to hold back his smile. "At least we made it in safe." She pointed matter of factly. "I can't imagine what everyone else would think seeing me walk in with this on my face," The mere idea of having to face everyone else with the nail imprint of Hayeon on her cheek was nothing short of a nightmare to her. 

"What else? That your sister is a high-class crazy bitch," Changbin shrugged, "Look, I know you're still upset about today but trust me, no one would think any less of you. It's alright if you don't want to tell them. I'm just saying that even if you did, nothing would change. Except for the fact that they'd hate your sister like I do," 

There was something in the way, the strongest Prince of the 8 Kingdoms became such a sweetheart when it came to people he cared about. The way his voice quietened, the aura around him changed into something soo soothing and soft; it was difficult for Hajun to believe that this man was the same who yelled at her entire family for her sake. 

"Now let me see that..." His touch was gentle on her cheek. And although her heart skipped a beat at how suddenly the situation changed, she didn't feel the urge to somehow stop him at all. She didn't mind being trapped between her dressing table and him. Despite all the years and all the distance, her trust in Changbin never wavered. He never gave a reason for that to happen. 

So Hajun just watched, as he examined the scar on her cheek with careful eyes, heart silently going berserk inside her chest and the scent of his shampoo and cologne overwhelming her senses. "Tell me if it hurts," He met her eyes, fingertip covered with the ointment. 

Such a buff man yet such a tender touch. Was it always like this or had he changed over the years? Who knew even? Better yet, who cared?

"All done-Why are you so red?" His eyes widened, now stepping back to place a hand on her forehead. "Are you alright?" "Huh?! Yeah! I'm good!" Finally snapping out of her daze, Hajun straightened her posture. Changbin raised an eyebrow, noticing how her cheeks and nose were splashed with patches of light red. Why was she-? Oh! Ohhh! 

"Get downstairs quick, everyone's waiting for us!" 

He left with one last teasing smirk on her way, leaving Hajun utterly flustered. One thing was for sure, Seo Changbin knew how to flirt like a pro and he also knew when to use it. And then he left without another word or a backwards glance, but anyone with eyes could see the goofy giddy grin on his face.

"Now that's a 'I'm in love' grin if I've ever seen one," Chae whispered into Momo and Sana's ears, all of their eyes trained on Changbin, who was engrossed in conversation with Wooyoung and San; with his eyes occasionally drifting off to where Hajun sat in between Jeseun and Risa. 

"Jeez, could he make any more obvious?" Lee Know playfully scoffed from Sana's side. The girls turned to look at him with alarm written all over their faces, cause Lee Know knowing meant the entire castle could know about this, anytime and anywhere. "What?" He asked, his mouth stuffed with pasta. "Tell him to make it less obvious and maybe then he could have a chance at hiding it from the world." He shrugged, "Stop talking with your mouth full of food," Chan chastized, from beside him. 

"Lee Know don't-" Momo started. "Don't worry Noona, it's not something I'd go around airing. It's much more fun to sit back and watch the show," Between the shit-eating grin gracing his pasta sauce-covered lips and the mischievous twinkle in his eyes; everyone in the conversation that Lee Know wasn't gonna speak a word but still find a way to somehow cause chaos in Changbin's long overdue budding romance.

"You alarm me!" Chae remarked, taking a bite of her own pasta. "I tend to do that," Lee Know sassily shot back, rolling his eyes a bit. 

"Gosh, where the heck is it?!" Wave wasn't expecting to see Haeun dressed in fluffy pair of teddy bear pyjamas, ransacking the entire living room, desperately searching for something, especially this late at night. "Haeun what are you doing?" Wave asked, approaching her. "I...uh...lost one of my bracelet charms, I can't find it anywhere." "Okay calm down first of all," Wave pushed her to take a seat on the couches. Her panicking was worrying the Wave, 

"But Wave-" "Listen to me," Wave cut her off, "Was it a squirrel charm? A small one made out of sterling silver?" "Yes! Yes! Have you seen it?" Whatever the reason, that tiny charm seemed to mean a lot to Haeun. "Yeah, I did find it on the dining table when I was helping Wonhan Eunnie clean up," "Where is it?" Haeun frantically asked, "Well..."

"Eh? What's this?" Wave picked up the silver charm. It was shaped like a squirrel and by the looks of it, it looked like a bracelet or necklace. "Whatcha got there Wave?" Han appeared behind her, curiously peeking over her shoulder. "Oh hey, Han-ssi!" She immediately turned to face him. "Nothing much I just found this charm on the table and was wondering who it belonged to." "Oh, let me see," Wave noticed how quickly the Prince's cheery expression change into a cold one. He fiddled with the dainty charm, before turning to look back at Wave. "I know who this belongs to. Tell them it's with me," "But how am I-" "You'll know, I'm sure you will." And with that, Han Jisung was out of the dining room, without a backwards glance.

"It's with him?" Haeun asked although she'd heard Wave loud and clear. "Yeah, he just saw it and took it with him. I don't know why but I think he was mad at the charm for some reason." Now that earned a snort from Haeun. "Wave, my dear, why would someone be mad at a bracelet charm?" She asked, "I don't know! You should've seen the way he glared at the charm. Man, I thought I was gonna pass out!" Wave shook her head slightly. "Anyway, I'm pretty that's your charm so get it from him," Wave hopped off the couch and sashayed up her room. She might've been bubbly sunshine, always jumping around but the girl had sass stuffed inside her to the brim. 

"Am I supposed to go the Princes' quarters at half past midnight?" She mumbled to herself. "Gosh, if someone sees me, they'll think I'm such a pervert!" Despite all of the protests, Hauen found herself climbing the staircase that led up to the Princely quarters. 

The staircase was surrounded by simple gold wallpapered walls. It was nothing over the top but still looked regal. She'd have stopped to admire the framed photos of all 8 of them together, with Sana and many other pictures but the more she went without all the charms in her bracelets, the more anxious she got.

People got places in their loved ones' hearts, Lee Haeun's loved ones got a charm on her bracelet. A guitar for herself, a key for Chae, a wolf for Chan, a heart for Seonghwa, a butterfly for her mother, a music note for her father, a ghost for her brother and of course, a squirrel for Han. This bracelet and its charms made represented the pieces of her heart. And having Han's charm missing made her feel empty like something was missing. 

It wouldn't have been that much of a problem, asking for the charm back from Han. Things had always been easy between her and Han. Well, at least they were. When something was up with Han, he'd do everything but clearly state his issue. The type to let time smooth over the sharp edges before actually treading over the issue.

Thanks to this attitude of his, whenever the bright, talkative best friend of hers started ignoring and brushing her off, Haeun knew she had done something to make him mad at her. Which was what she guessed the case was when she noticed him giving her a cold shoulder at dinner. They were fine when they decorated the living room together, so this had to be something that happened during the short time when they were lounging in the living room. Han was going to incredible lengths to ignore her and while that bothered her, so she figured she'd let the issue cool down for a day or two before they resolved it together.

But the turn of events did have some other plans...

"Han!" She softly called out, peeking into the room. The first thought that came to her head, was 'messy'. But she had expected it. Despite being messy, Han's room had this cosy vibe to it. 4 picture frames sat on his bedside table. "Thought you'd never come around," His voice sounded just behind her shoulder, making her entire body jolt out of reflex. 

"Holy Shit!" Haeun gasped loudly, turning around hard enough to almost give her a whiplash, just to slam her forehead into Han's chest! "Don't scare me like this Han! You almost gave me a heart attack!" She gasped against his chest. The realization dawns suddenly, that their position might not be the most appropriate for anyone to find them in, so she tried to step away.

Haeun gasped when she felt his hand snake around her waist, providing her from it. "Han!" She gasped, arms falling onto his shoulders. "Someone will see!" She urgently whispered, looking anywhere but at the man in front of her. "And?" He cocked his eyebrow up and because of the close proximity between them, Haeun could see the subtle shift in his facial muscles and the tightening of his jaw. Something about this unfamiliar demenour started a whole new storm inside Haeun. 

Her breath hitched and her body stiffened up in his hold, which sent a flare across Han's eyes, Haeun knew then this wasn't a good move. "Are you that embarrassed about being seen with me?" "Han no!" Her eyes filled with panic, her voice filled with an underlying desperation. The last thing she needed was for her best friend to misunderstand her.  "What's gotten into you?! Why would you even think of that? And can you..." She began to struggle in his hold. "...let me go! Someone might see!" "So, let them!" He angrily retaliated, eyes widening. 

"Han, what is wrong with you?" Haeun asked, her voice now exasperated, puzzled even. She couldn't figure out why her usually sweet and easygoing best friend was so pressed and sensitive. He sighed, the muscles of his face relaxing just by the tiniest bit. Without a word, the arm that was wound around her waist dropped, his fingers now circling around the width of her wrist with just the tiniest bit of force. 

Without another word, he pulled her along down the corridor. Usually, she would have protested and argued but there was something in the way his eyes and expression forced Haeun to hold her tongue. All she knew was she had never seen her best friend like this, and she didn't want to guess what she did that made him that way and how to fix that.

Han led them into the balcony that stood in the smack middle of the princely quarters, overlooking the palace grounds, which were now covered in the snow, glowing in the moonlight. The wind blew in a biting chill, sending a shiver down Haeun's spine. Maybe rushing to the Princely quarters with just a thick sweater and woolly pyjama pants wasn't the best idea but then again she wasn't expecting to be dragged to a balcony. Han noticed the unmistakable sound of her teeth chattering and sighed; no matter how many times he tried to be mad at her, somehow something would happen and he dropped everything that was in his mind, for the sake of her.

Because she needed to be taken care of, she needed him; even though she didn't have the slightest idea. This was how their relationship went, this was how they worked. He had to be on the lookout all the time so that he could come to her rescue and then walk away without no one being the wiser one.

At first, this whole hide-and-seek made Han happy, he wasn't the type to fish for attention or advertise what he'd done. He was simply content watching Haeun's content and relaxed face. But now with how things turned out, Han wondered if gloating about everything would have made a better impact on Haeun's mind instead of hiding away each time he should've received praise for his actions. At least, it would've given Haeun more to talk about him, than just the times he's mercilessly teased the absolute heck out of her. 

"Come here," He called and for some odd reason, Haeun listened; which was unlike her. She felt the thick material of Han's jacket draping around her arms and shoulders, his icy fingers brushing against patches of her skin that the sweater didn't cover. 

"Han..." She called out, her voice barely audible over the fast-blowing wind. "What's wrong? Did I do something?" And right then and there, Han Jisung's anger crumbled away like a pile of sand caught in a storm. Sometimes it made him laugh, the sheer hold this tiny girl had over him; and the fact that she hadn't the slightest idea of it and yet somehow always managed to tighten her hold around him, every time they had a one-on-one. 

"Do you really think that I'd only tease you if you're ever in a bad situation?" He asked quietly, leaning forward to rest his forehead against hers. "What...?" It was easy to detect the astonishment in her voice; she didn't even need to speak too loud. 

There was barely any space between the both of them, yet, could the same be said about their feelings? "Han what are you...?" "Do you really think I'd never come to your rescue like Yunho Hyung did?" He asked, a bit more urgently than the last. 

Haeun, in her usual self, would protest. She would question, she would protest and in a more playful setting, she'd tease this man in front of her, smile and cup his cheeks. He was the constant in her life, the comfort and the relief of it; watching him soo mellow and soo sombre, it didn't feel right to question further or protest in any way. 

"Han..." Han could sense the growing desperation in her voice, but he needed his answers. He needed to know what he could do to make her finally notice him as more than just a goofy best friend that always jokes around and teases. "Did you hear me in the living room?" He nods against her forehead, breaths coming out in shaky pants. There was no way any of them could lie in the position they were in.

"Han, I was joking with the girls," Haeun gently assured, "Nothing was serious in that conversation," This while did assure him, Han still was unsure. He needed whatever reassurance he could from her. "Do you think I won't actually come to your side if you were in a compromising situation?" He asked, his voice gentler and carrying hints of insecurity and self-consciousness. 

Haeun's heart broke a bit for the man in front of her. He was damn near perfect in every damn sense she knew and yet this man was driven to doubt to the extent of crumbling beneath the sheer pressure of it, just because of a few words; from her of all people. 

She was a nobody and he was everything; at least to herself. There wasn't an explanation she figure out as to why, her words affected him soo much. 

This was the dance that these two were stuck in, their eyes meeting and hearts miles apart; where one didn't know exactly what place they held in the other's life. Because they were always around each other, the need to be transparent to each other was never really urgent. And now, as a result, their feelings couldn't be further from each other. 

"Would you?" Haeun knew that anything she would say would not be enough and Han himself needed to voice out his emotions that were running overdrive. He needed to speak his mind,

"I would," He breathed out, his hot breath tricking her chilly face. "I would try my best to never put you in a situation like this but if you did, I'd whisk you away and fix the situation before anyone else could get understand what was going on," 

Their heartbeats were going crazy in their respective ribcages and while they felt the thundering beats, no one said a word. The sudden shift in their dynamics, the situation that they were in and suddenly, their eyes spoke more than their mouths ever did. "Han..." Haeun gently called out, her voice barely audible over the rushing winds. Her small hands felt like ice blocks when she placed them on his cheeks. "I believe you," She spoke, eyes boring into his, cheeks mushed in between her hands. 

For a few moments, they didn't break eye contact, both of them became hyper-aware of how close they exactly were. Pupils are blown out, breaths coming out in short pants and emotions going haywire; closing the distance seemed the only option.

But instead, Han's eyes drop to her wrist, the rose gold charms hanging from the woven black thread; it was overflowing but it was still empty. The charm in his pocket felt suddenly felt really heavy; so he sighed and fished the dainty squirrel charm. It was the biggest charm on her bracelet, and finally, Han realized to an extent what he meant to her and what place he held in her life. 

Haeun stood there frozen, his face in her hands as Han re-fastened the charm into the bracelet; eyes fixated on her small cold wrist; heart going berserk inside her chest. It was starting to hurt just the slightest at how fast it was beating and for how long it was beating; but there was barely any space in her mind to register anything but the man holding her, shielding her from the biting December chill. 

The first tear of the night slipped from her eyes when he gently brushed his lips against the inside of her wrist, pressing his lips for the slightest of moments. Shivers overtook her entire body as she watched Han's invisible wall crumble with the slightest nudge from her. 

"You're freezing, let's go back in," He said finally, said, the familiar twinkle in his eyes that Haeun knew and loved was back. And she just let him take her back inside; mind all hazy and emotions running high. "I'll see you tomorrow," With one last fleeting look, he climbed back into the staircase; storms raging in both of their hearts, happy tears wetting their pillows

They both knew, deep down that they were meant for each other. But that night was the start, they started to accept that no matter how much they denied it, they were each other's.  

AGAIN, I AM VERY VERY SORRY FOR THIS LONG ASS WAIT, FORGIVE ME PLEASE!

Since this chapter was fully focused on the Stray Kids; the next chapter will be fully focused on Ateez😊

I love you guys very much and I will see you guys soon. And I'm very sorry for the delay in updates; no matter how many times I apologize, it seems less. 

Love 

Fay💗

06/07/2023