"Ah, crap! Why are you sitting on the sidewalk like that? Didn't you call someone to pick you up?"

At the harried exclamation, Yeoreum looked up and to her surprise, found Yoongi hovering above her. "Min Yoongi-ssi! I thought you've left."

"I—" He shrugged and ran his fingers through his hair, seemingly frustrated with himself. "Do you need me to help you get up or can you do it yourself?"

Ignoring his question, she asked, "Why did you come back?"

"Well, I—"

He scratched the back of his ear, something he often did when he was nervous, then glanced at her as if deciding what to say. She met his gaze head-on, pleading for honesty.

Yoongi had to care for her. He had to. Otherwise, he would have had no qualms about leaving her behind. Yet, here he was. If there was one thing she knew about him, it was that his actions spoke what his words couldn't.

"There are many bad guys around..." he grumbled.

In spite of everything, Yeoreum couldn't help but smile. She stared at him, taking in every inch of his face, from his disheveled, overgrown hair to his rose-hued lips perpetually in a pout. How was she ever supposed to give up when just the mere sight of him meant the difference between a monochromatic existence and that in full color? It had always been this way and she suspected, would continue to be so until the end.

"Wh-why are you looking at me like that?"

"Because I like you so much, you know that?"

"M-me?"

"Yes, you!"

He scoffed, rolling his eyes. "You're drunk. That's why you're saying all this nonsense. Now get up and let's go. I'll help you find a taxi."

Yeoreum raised her arms above her head. "Carry me, please?"

"Do I really have to?"

He looked pained, the features on his face unable to decide which expression to take. Yeoreum took that as a good sign. At least it wasn't a flat-out rejection. Pressing her fingers against her temples, she put on her most pitiful expression. "I'm dizzy. Help me, please?"

When he sighed and crouched down with his back towards her, she barely held back a triumphant giggle. Instead, she hopped on his back with enough force to almost topple them both.

"Ack! Be careful," he said, grabbing the back of her knees and standing up with a groan.

Yeoreum wrapped her arms around his neck and buried a wide grin against the soft fabric of his coat. While Yoongi walked towards the main street, a plan quickly formed in her head. By the time he flagged down a cab, she had shut her eyes and let her body fall slack.

"Kim Yeoreum-ssi," he grunted, as he pulled open the car door and carefully lowered her down against the car seat.

Yeoreum let her body fall against the seat, head lolling as if deep in slumber. The scent of the seat cushion, musty from years of accumulated grime and goodness knew what else, almost made her gag. But the success of her plan relied on the excellence of her acting, so she gritted her teeth and swallowed.

"Where are you off to?" the cab driver asked.

"Uh, hold on..."

"Yeoreum-ssi..." Yoongi tapped her leg. "What's your address?"

She mumbled something unintelligible, then proceeded to audibly snore. Yoongi cursed under his breath. "Kim Yeoreum-ssi, wake up!"

"Young man, I'm not driving your clearly drunk friend home like this. You either accompany her or take her out of my car," the cab driver said.

"I..."

A car horn blared behind them.

"Come on, are you getting in or not?" the cab driver asked in a mildly irritated tone typical of this city's mostly impatient residents.

Sighing, Yoongi pushed her leg away from the seat and lifted her body into a sitting position. Once that was done, he settled into the spot next to her and rattled off his address. As soon as he slammed the door shut, the cab sped off. Yeoreum let the inertia push her against his side. To her surprise, instead of moving away, he wrapped an arm around her shoulder and held her firmly in place. She reciprocated by snuggling against his chest, wishing this moment could last longer than the span of a car ride to a quieter side of town.

Yeoreum must have genuinely fallen asleep because the next time she gained awareness, she was once again being lifted. This time, Yoongi cradled her against his chest, princess-style. After bidding the taxi driver goodbye, he started walking to what she could only assume was his apartment building. Yeoreum opened her lids a fraction to assess her surroundings, but the alley where they were was too dark to make out anything without being caught. When Yoongi suddenly stopped, Yeoreum squeezed her eyes shut.

"Ah crap," he mumbled as he shifted her weight. Yeoreum heard clicking noises, a small beep, then the swoosh of glass as it slid open.

They started moving again, up a flight of stairs. Yeoreum could hear Yoongi pant with every step and feel the warmth of his breath as it fanned against her face. She almost felt sorry, but if she let her resolve soften now, he might send her home and that was going to be end of them. Thankfully, they reached his apartment soon enough. After fumbling with the door's keypad, Yoongi stepped inside, paused to presumably kick off his shoes, then proceeded inside. His pace quickened, understandably eager to be rid of his burden, then with a huge sigh of relief, he lowered her into a soft surface.

"Min Yoongi, why didn't you just leave her there," he muttered. "Why do you care? She's getting married and you're asking for trouble." A soft thud quickly followed, then the sound of wheezing. "But see, if something happened to her, you'll be the prime suspect. This will actually save you from trouble later on." As if convinced by his own self-rationalization, he hummed, then fell into silence.

Meanwhile, Yeoreum pressed her lips tight, holding back the burst of joy that so badly wanted to escape. So he did care. She knew it. She was right. Her fists clenched against the mattress, once again feeling energized.

After a while, Yeoreum heard him get up, his footfalls soft and sure. Wood creaked from the corner. A door opened, then after a few seconds, she heard the sound of water rushing from the shower. Slowly, she opened her eyes. Yeoreum hadn't switched on the lights so except for the faint yellow glow filtering through the blinds, the room was bathed in darkness. She looked around, trying to decipher the layout. There was a small closet to her right next to a door where the bathroom was. On the opposite side, right next to the window, was a table with a computer and some equipment. She wondered how long he'd lived there because the room felt sparse. Except for a book on the bedside table, there were no personal effects scattered about. Propping herself up with her elbow, she scooted closer and glanced at the title.

The Alchemist.

Her breath caught in her throat. It was a book she had given to him as a gift for his twentieth birthday. By that time, they had been 'friends' for three years having met during their freshman year at Konkuk University. In that span of time, she and Yoongi had danced around that fine line between friends and lovers, both very much aware about the enmity between their families who were from opposing political clans back home in Daegu. Their attraction, however, was undeniable. Everyone could see it. Common friends who knew about their situation gave them the monikers Romeo and Juliet. Licking her lips, Yeoreum picked up the book and rifled through its worn pages to get to the last page. There, in faded black ink, was her written confession, the words that had started it all.

I, too, have journeyed long in search of the most precious thing in the world. You know what I found?

You.

I love you, Romeo.

- Juliet

She the traced the strokes of the characters with the tip of her index finger. Why did Yoongi still have this book and what did he make of these words? Before she could think of a suitable answer, the sounds coming from the bathroom suddenly stopped. Yeoreum carefully laid the book back on the table then assumed her previous position on the bed.

A few minutes passed. Then she heard the door open. As he walked back into the room, the scent of soap wafted her way. Yeoreum wished she could see him at that moment, with his damp, freshly washed hair and cheeks probably tinted pink by the hot water. But she couldn't risk it, not when she was about to do the most difficult part of her plan. Eventually, she felt him stop next to the bed. Yeoreum did her best to keep her breathing as even as possible.

"At least you didn't puke," he said. "But your shoes on the bed..." He tutted. "I should at least take your shoes off, right?" It took a while for him to come up with an answer and when he did, it was emphasized with a long sigh. The mattress dipped next to your feet. Soon after, he fiddled with the zipper of her boots and took them off one by one. When he was done, he let out a soft chuckle. "She really sleeps like a log."

Yeoreum decided to move then, acting like she was unconsciously trying to take her coat off, but failing to do so. After a tiny whimper, she stopped and went back to 'sleep.'

"You're feeling warm, huh? I guess I should..."

He tugged at the sleeve of her coat, doing his best to maneuver the garment away from her body. It was taking some time, though, because he also seemed to be averse to touching her unnecessarily. Perhaps he was worried she'd think he was taking advantage. What he didn't know was she was going to do exactly that to him. Once he successfully tugged the coat free, she grabbed his hand.

"Wha—" Before Yoongi could finish his exclamation, she tugged him towards the bed so he tumbled next to her. "Kim Yeoreum-ssi!" Yeoreum kept your eyes shut and threw her arms and legs around him in a death grip. "What the— are you still asleep?" He tried to wiggle free, but she held him even tighter, mumbling drunkenly in protest. To her relief, he stopped trying after a while and simply laid down.

"Ah, this is so frustrating," he said.

Yeoreum bit the inside of her cheek, pleased with the success of her plan. She only wanted one night with him. Maybe if they lied together like this, something would unlock in that mind of his. Later on, when he was fast asleep, she'd sing him a song, the one he wrote for her. She just needed a chance to be alone with him, to catch him when his usual defenses were down.

Rationally speaking, she knew all these sounded so terrible. Her actions were bordering on creepy. Her brother, Seokjin, had once called her a stalker because of her relentless pursuit of someone who couldn't even distinguish her from any other woman. But she had been special to him once and to her, he was still the most precious thing in existence. She had been about to give it up earlier, but then he showed up and this crazy plan popped into her head. This was going to be her last attempt. If nothing changed after tonight, she was going to marry Hoseok as she had promised and let Yoongi go at last. She just needed closure. Even if after all this he still couldn't remember, then at least she'd be able to move on knowing she had done her best.

"Ack, are you having a nightmare?" Yoongi asked.

Yeoreum realized she had tightened her hold even more so her fingers were digging into his waist. But if she let go now, she was afraid he'd leave.

"It's okay, it's okay," he murmured against the top of her head. "Everything's going to be fine."

Was it, though? Her future seemed so uncertain at the moment. No matter how much she had tried to resign herself to the idea of marrying Hoseok, she just couldn't picture it in her head. Losing Yoongi that first time felt like being cleaved in half then being forced to survive with her bones and insides exposed for all to see. The very act of existence seemed impossible, let alone the possibility of healing. Then she found him and it was as if someone had waved a wand her way and she was whole again. If she lost him a second time...

Next to her, Yoongi shifted. Yeoreum buried her face deeper against his chest, a sudden surge of fear encompassing her ribcage, making it difficult to breathe. She began to shake.

"Don't be scared. I'm not leaving. Just trying to be more comfortable." He pulled the hand that had been squished beneath them and used it to embrace her and rub circles against her back. "See? I'm here. Don't worry."

Yeoreum listened to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat, using it as a guide from which to set her own tempo. Just as he had promised, Yoongi stayed where he was, even after her own grip had slackened. Yeoreum didn't know how much time had passed, only that everything had gone still save for the soft sound of his breaths. Carefully, she tilted her head up and confirmed that Yoongi had also fallen asleep.

Now what?