ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗬
─◌✰್ 𝖺 𝖼𝗋𝗈𝖼𝗁𝖾𝗍𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗂𝗌𝗌𝗎𝖾 𝖻𝗈𝗑

mymymy don't say that or i will cry
> sunshine.lix oh no don't do that idk what to do with crying girls
> ramenoodlaska @sunshine.lix yeah don't make the baby cry, lix
> the.official.hwang @sunshine.lix are you saying you don't know what to do with my sister when she cries? bc that happens a lot...
> ramenoodlaska @the.official.hwang he's really sweet to me, excuse you 😒
> robin_is_a_penguin @ramenoodlaska idk when i was crying in our room, he just threw a tissue box at my head and shut the door
> ramenoodlaska @robin_is_a_penguin yeah, i said he's sweet to ME when i cry... he's working on everyone else 😃 that was progress tbh

ramenoodlaska i don't wanna go home 🥺
> minniemouse- we're not even that far away tho

> mymymy @minniemouse- but everyone else is!!
> ryerye @minniemouse- including a certain someone?? 🤨
> nomnominnie @minniemouse- yeah dude why are you so chill with everyone going home? including the jeju girls??
> dingdonghong @ramenoodlaska @minniemouse- @mymymy @ryerye @nomnominnie i'm gonna miss you all!!

cheesecakehannie has it really been a month already?? 😩
> matchatess us jeju girls will miss you, hannie
> sk8terjj @cheesecakehannie maybe you'll have to come visit us
> dingdonghong @sk8terjj wait that would actually be so fun aw
> the.official.hwang @sk8terjj hey what about me??
> minniemouse- @dingdonghong and me???
> cheesecakehannie @the.official.hwang @minniemouse- hehe i was picked, not you guys!

You immediately knew what your friends were trying to do.

You took one look at JJ's texts, and threw your phone onto the bed of Rory's guest room. Or, your room for the time being.

Akiyama Rory was your best friend from preschool. Both your families lived in Jeju, and were incredibly close, ever since your moms had gotten pregnant with you. Rory was Japanese, but her parents had moved to Korea before she was born. Your moms had met at a support group for pregnant women, and immediately become friends. Then, they'd enrolled their daughters at the same preschool, in hopes you would also become friends. Obviously, it had worked. Before you could even talk, your parents were arranging play dates. Then, as wee preschool-aged three year-olds, the two of you had become inseparable, always asking for play dates. You'd attended the same school all the way through high school, never leaving each other's side. You'd then bonded over struggling with your relationships with your parents at the same time. Her daredevil, grab life by the horns outlook contrasted so entirely from your academic, by the book one. She reminded you a bit of Tessa, if Tessa was a biker bitch who simultaneously dressed like a crafty Beach Barbie. And in spite of, or perhaps because of your differences, your friendship had worked perfectly, even over all these years.

Your constant in-person connection had been severed, however, when Rory had decided to move to Seoul to pursue her small crocheting business. In subsequent years, she had been scouted by a huge k-pop management agency to create clothes for their idols, and she was making it big now. So while you wished you could see her more, she was so busy, and you rarely had the chance. In fact, since you went off to university and she moved, you hadn't seen her in person once. You'd lived solely off of texts, the occasional FaceTime, and Instagram likes and comments.

Until now, five years later, when your life was imploding.

Two days ago, when you'd arrived on her doorstep with nothing but a call saying, "can I crash at your place?" as warning, she'd immediately taken you in, no questions asked. She'd just pulled you into a tight hug, and showed you to her guest room, before letting Junjie and Jiao outside.

Her house, predictably, was glorious. But not because of the size, or worth, of the place. She worked for one of the biggest k-pop agencies in the world, SM Entertainment, and constantly got offers from others. Because she made every item of clothing by hand, she charged a pretty penny. But her house was still a simple three bedroom, two bathroom affair. One room for her, one for her crocheting, and a guest room.

Rory had never given a shit about monetary success. She was all about passion, hard work. That was something you both bonded over. Not only did she have a thriving crochet business, but she also held part-time motorcycle lessons for any of her mutuals who might want them. Her father had been a huge motorcycle fan back in Japan, and had instilled that love in his daughter. And even though they didn't really speak anymore, the hobby had stuck. You weren't sure which came first, her daredevil personality, or her love for the terrifying mobile, but ever since you could remember, she'd had one. You'd always called her Biker Barbie, because her personality contrasted so much with the stereotypical biker vibe. Underneath her black leather biker outfit was always some bright, usually handmade, shorts and crop top or dress number. Under her black helmet was a dad of gorgeous, dyed burnt orange hair. Most people were shocked when they got to know her, but that was just Rory. An anomaly.

Now, the two of you were sitting together on the guest room bed, eating popcorn by the handful, and watching The Bachelorette. You were streaming last week's episode on Rory's laptop. Junjie sat next to her, trying to nab a bite. Jiao was on the floor by your feet, like the good boy he was. A gallon of brownie ice cream sat in your lap, half eaten, used tissues in the trash on the floor. You usually never did this, especially over a boy. But you couldn't help it. As much as you hated yourself for it, as badly as he hurt you, you missed Changbin.

It had been over two days since you'd gotten to Rory's house. And while you were grateful for her unquestioning support, you knew it was quickly coming to an end. Even thought she wasn't quite as nosy as some of your other friends, she worried about you. And there was no way she hadn't heard you crying last night. And after JJ's hundredth text since you'd arrived, it was clear she was itching to know what had happened.

She'd never met Changbin, but you'd told her about him a few times over the past couple of months since you met him. She followed him on Instagram, so she'd certainly seen his posts of the two of you, and his comments on your posts. But you'd never lost it so hard over a guy before. Because if you were being honest with yourself, this wasn't just because of your job. It was him.

"Is it your guy?"

Rory hit pause on The Bachelorette, and turned to face you, head tilted.

Oh boy, you thought grudgingly, pulling the crocheted afghan closer to you. Here it was.

"It's... a lot of things," you said finally, trying to sort out your thoughts.

"You know you can tell me anything," Rory prompted, throwing the popcorn bowl down onto the floor. A couple kernels rolled out, but she didn't try to pick them up. "If it's complicated, you know I get that."

You nodded, swallowing hard. Of course Rory got it. Her parents had deeply disapproved of her desire to start her own business, believing she would fail, and should just come home. You and your parents had a strained relationship at best, over their judgmental, high expectations of you, even though you had done everything they'd asked, and more. You hardly talked to them, and tried to think about them even less.

"Well, I lost another dog. And even though we found him and he's going to be okay, Park and Paws fired me," you began, not stopping even when Rory let out a loud gasp. "And then, Changbin and I had a huge fight, and we broke up." You spent a few minutes recounting everything that had happened. From you overhearing him talking to Chan and Felix, to you admitting that work was more important than your relationship. Rory listened to the entire thing, a silent audience.

"And now, my friends are trying to get me to come back to the campsite to say goodbye to the dogs one more time. Apparently, they want to say thank you for everything I've done to help them," you finished lamely.

"But you don't believe them?" Rory raised a styled brow. "Do you?"

You shook your head, pulling your lower lip into your mouth. "I think they want me to see Changbin. Or... they want me to make up with him. We both said some hurtful things to one another, and I don't like how we left it. But honestly, I don't know if I can go back there. He showed me that he doesn't believe in me, and I've had so much of that in my life. I don't need anymore. I just want to go home, and try to figure out how to move forward. I need to find another job, and forget about him. You know?"

Rory nodded slowly, but the furrow in her brow betrayed her true thoughts. She was always an optimist, but only you could tell when she was upset, or disagreed with something.

"But...?" you prompted, poking her tank top-clad side. "I see you."

She sighed. "I know you, Hua. I know how important work is to you. It's the same for me, obviously, so I get it. But... do you really want to live your life still trying to please your parents?"

You frowned, her words catching you off guard. "I am not trying to please my parents," you countered, miffed. "Ever since the end of high school, I've been trying to distance myself from them as much as possible! You were there. They've done and said really shitty things to me. Just like yours."

Your friend shifted under the blanket, before hitting you with a searching look. "I know that. And yet, look at your life, girl! Everything they wanted for you, you had it. If you hadn't broken contact with them, they would probably be really happy with you. They wanted you to forget all your friendships, have no real boyfriend, all so you could go to school, get an amazing job, and make a ton of money that they could take for themselves. And now that one of those things is gone because you've started to change, because you fell in love, you're going and continuing your old ways again. Maybe your meeting Changbin was a sign that your priorities needed to change."

You closed your eyes, realization crashing down on you. Oh god, Rory was right. Your parents, the people who had sucked the happiness out of your life for all of your adolescence, had gotten their way. Of course, you never talked to them, or consciously thought about them. You hadn't even told Changbin, or any of your friends that matter, about them. Because they weren't relevant in your life.

Or so you'd thought. But now that Rory, the best friend that you'd known your entire life and the one person who knew about your past struggles, had brought the correlation to light, it made so much sense. You were still fulfilling the life that your parents had wanted for you. A life that you'd thought you knew was full of loneliness and sadness.

Your relationship with Changbin wasn't a deviation from a successful life. Your friendships weren't a distraction from your goal. It was quite the opposite. He'd been the change you needed. So had your friends. They'd brought joy, chaos, for sure, but good chaos, to your orderly existence. You needed them. You needed Changbin.

And you'd thrown him to the curb. Not only that, but you said terrible, hurtful things to him in the process. There was no way he would want you back, after everything you'd put him through. You didn't deserve him.

But he deserved an apology, or at least an attempt at one. He'd always been the one to apologize first, always by your side supporting your dreams. Now, it was your turn.

"You're right," you said, voice choked up as you tried to process the bomb she'd just dropped on your head. You didn't even know where to start. "I love Changbin!"

"Of course I'm right!!" Rory clapped her hands, grabbing your wrist and swinging your arm around in the air, a bright smile lighting her face. She wore a girly pink lip gloss on her full lips ("bunny-tongue pink, it's so in!" or so she'd said), and she smelled of orange sorbet and ginger snaps. That was your bestie. Even five years later, she was still telling you exactly what you needed to hear, with a dose of enthusiasm sprinkled on top.

Your phone buzzed again. Feeling a lot lighter than earlier, when you'd thrown it across the bed, you reached over to pick it up.

jj 🤙

jj 🤙
we miss you so much! 🤎

As you stared at the picture of your friends, clearly on the roof of the mall (how did they keep getting up there?), having a great time together, you felt tears tug at your eyes yet again. How many times could you cry in the span of twenty-four hours? As a usually stoic girly, you were certainly setting a new personal record.

Rory handed a tissue to you, the box covered with a hand-crocheted coral-toned cover.

You took it from her, silently grateful. Your friends were always there for you. How had you been there for them? It felt like you hadn't. You were always relying on them. From begging them to join you on this trip, to forcing them to search for Miso all night, they were always with you. And you'd treated them like trash, ditching them without a backwards glance, never saying thank you. Fuck, your obsession with work had really done a number on you and your relationships, hadn't it?

You had to fix it. Seeing them so accepting and loving — how were they always accepting you? — only spurred your decision further. Even if Changbin didn't want you back, even though that would break you, you had to go back for your friends. Because they were important, too.

You sat up against your pillow, almost spilling the tub of ice cream down your white t-shirt, which had been dubbed your, "sulking attire" by Rory. You couldn't stay here for another night. Even though your friends had asked you to come back on the 14th, you couldn't wait all night. What if Changbin tried to leave? He might not know that you were still in Seoul, if the girls didn't tell him. He could already be gone. And although you could easily get there, if he left, weirdly, your breakup would feel final. You couldn't let that happen. You opened your mouth to voice your sentiments.

But Rory beat you to it. "I'll get you your keys." She shot you a knowing smile. "Aren't you glad you didn't unpack?"

You laughed, the sound strange in your throat. "Do you know how much I fucking love you, girl?" you groaned, tears threatening to spill once more. "You're always here for me. I'm sorry I've done such a shitty job at being there for you."

Rory clucked her tongue at you. "You're always so hard on yourself, Hua. You've been the best friend to me for literally our entire lives. If I didn't think so, I wouldn't have been your friend for so long. And the other girls feel the same way. Oh, and I love you too, by the way."

You reached over and embraced her, emotion choking back any other words. Everyone knew you for being hard on yourself. Changbin had certainly recognized that right off the bat. That, along with your work addiction, were just a couple of the things you would need to work on.

But you didn't want to work on them without Changbin, or your friends, by your side.

While you threw clothes into your suitcase haphazardly, distressingly uncharacteristic for you (you would worry about your sanity later), you just prayed to whatever god existed that they would hear you out.

————————————

You pulled up outside the campsite, darkness cloaking you. It had taken a solid hour to get all the way back, and now it was almost 9pm. The whole group would certainly still be awake, but you couldn't see any of them. The firepit was cold, and no lights were on in any of the cabins.

Except one.

You hurried towards Tessa and Mya's cabin, dragging your suitcase along behind you. You would usually worry if the pristine material was getting scratched, or if the wheels were getting caught on rocks. But today, you gave no fucks about your orderly little life. You needed to get to Changbin.

You knocked on the door, seeing that it was locked. After a moment, the door swung open, Mya standing there in her pink silk pajamas. You had a passing thought that Alaska had certainly made those for her.

In any other circumstance, the look of genuine shock on Mya's face would have caused you to laugh. She glanced behind her fleetingly, before turning back, a huge smile on her face. But you could tell she was confused, and nervous.

"Hua!" she cried, throwing her arms around you, voice unnaturally loud. "I thought you'd left! We didn't think you'd come back! Come in!"

You laughed, letting the girl lead you towards her and Tessa's shared room. All six other girls were sitting in there together, having been alerted to your presence.

"Oh my gosh Hua!!!" Alaska screeched, causing you to cover your ears. She raced over to embrace you. "You're back??? I knew you'd come!!!"

"Have you been driving long??" Renee asked, brows