"I can't sleep, homesick babe. I just wanna stay right next to you. If I could choose my dream, I just wanna stay right next to you."

0:00 |───────── 3:29

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Rein lugged her backpack into the studio a week later and sat down without a second thought, her brain already buzzing with new ideas that took all of her attention. However, once she scanned her surroundings, she immediately knew something was amiss. Namjoon was always there before her no matter how early she was, but this time, only Yoongi was there.

"Where's Namjoon?" she asked. It took a few seconds for Yoongi to realize someone was speaking to him, and he looked up from his computer screen once he did.

"Huh? Oh. He left with Mr. Bang to talk with the staff about something, I think," he said, much too vague for Rein's taste.

"Any idea when he's going to get back?" she asked.

"No, sorry," Yoongi said, and before she could say anything else, he put his headphones on, giving her the universal cue to fuck off.

Alright. I can take a hint. Rein turned back to her work and tried to concentrate once more on the lyrics on her page, but she couldn't help but feel that Namjoon was being delivered some unfortunate news.

The whole atmosphere of the place was off, not to mention that Yoongi was back to his cat-like ways she grew to forget, only speaking when necessary like when they had met for the first time. The shared space on the desk between Namjoon and Rein was spotless, which was very unusual for him.

Almost like he never got started on work today.

She would find out what was wrong only ten minutes later.

Opening the door to the studio, Namjoon trudged in like a man defeated in battle, body weighed down by a thousand thoughts. She raised her hand to wave but frowned when seeing his face. He wore an expression of shock, numbness, bewilderment as if he didn't know what planet he was on.

"What's wrong?" she asked, getting up to greet him. He seemed to have caught the attention of the ever-perceptive Yoongi, and something told her he was just as curious as her to find out what he and the Bighit staff talked about. hehe

Namjoon cleared his throat before speaking.

"I'm going into the army in a few months."

Rein furrowed her brows. She couldn't have possibly heard him correctly. There was no way.

"Ha, my Korean must be rusty today. I don't think I heard you properly," she said. Namjoon's expression didn't budge.

"I think you heard me correctly, Ms. Jones. I'll be leaving around the beginning of May or middle of April." She let the gravity of the situation catch up to her as quickly as possible, but nothing made sense in her head.

Middle of April? That was impossible. Simply impossible. It was as if a lightning bolt had struck her straight down her spine. She was unable to process, unable to think.

Of course, Rein would be leaving by then, but what would happen to them? She had previously forbidden herself from having hope about their relationship, but that glimmer of optimism started to reveal itself at the thought of losing him for such a long time.

What would happen to his career? He was only twenty-four. It was the time to expand it, not diminish it in this way. Why couldn't they have waited?

"Why now?" Rein asked, searching Namjoon's face for the answer she so urgently needed. It was like fate tearing them apart at the most opportune moment. "Tell me you fought the decision." Yoongi shifted in his seat, embarrassed to be a third party observer in such an uncomfortable conversation.

"There was nothing I could do. Bighit thought this was the best time I should go, and the new album will be out by then, so it should keep people satisfied..." he said. Looking at Rein with eyes he knew she couldn't resist, he took her hands. His gaze looked like it was going to shatter if he kept staring at her. So fragile, like thin glass.

He was broken, right in front of her.

She didn't have the strength to take his hands off of hers. She wouldn't argue. She wouldn't put up a fight. After all, she knew what would happen if she put a strain on that glass. It would crack, and eventually, it would fragment into something beyond recognition. And what good would that serve them?

None. None at all. So, for the first time in her life, Rein Erin Jones decided to keep her mouth shut in spite of the glaring opportunity for the fight that begged to be fought.

"Yoongi, could you give us a moment?" Rein asked. Yoongi nodded and left the studio, closing the door behind him more carefully than she was used to.

"Let's not worry about it, okay?" Rein said. Namjoon looked taken aback by her statement.

"What?"

"I know you couldn't help going away like this. It wasn't your decision, anyhow. Let's just make the best of the situation, yeah?" For two years, they would have little to no contact with each other. The Korean military would reward those who exhibited good behavior by granting them extra minutes with the phone line, and Namjoon would be stupid to waste it on her. It would go to his family.

Though, it didn't stop Rein from hoping he would waste some of those calls.

Namjoon squeezed her hands. They felt numb, cold, compared to his warm ones.

"I'm sorry. I knew I had to go at some point this year... I just didn't think it was worth mentioning-"

"Talking about it won't solve anything. It'll just make it worse. Let's just... Get to work," she said curtly. Namjoon studied Rein's expression for any hint of resentment toward him, but he found none. Satisfied, he pulled his chair up next to her, and she went to let Yoongi in.

Rein busied herself by doing small errands for the other boys during the day, trying as much as possible to avoid contact with Namjoon. It was almost instinctual, a defense mechanism she didn't know she needed until then. The reality of her finite time in Seoul became all too real to her after the news. She realized her hypocrisy, how she said everything was fine yet acted like it was the complete opposite. She almost felt guilty for shutting him out so quickly, but it was for the best.

As Rein was about to leave for the day, Namjoon spun her around by the wrist and held her against his chest, accusing eyes piercing into her skull.

"Why?" he asked. She tried to pull away, but he held on fast. "You've been off all day. I don't want a half-assed answer. I want to know why."

"It's nothing. Now, let me go," she protested, and she tried once more to leave his grip. He finally let go, but not before giving her a rueful look.

"Come on. Talk to me, jagi-yah," he urged. Rein arched an eyebrow.

"Wait, did you just call me jagi?" she asked, slightly amused. Namjoon shrugged.

"Do you not like it?"

"Oh, it's not that. I just didn't expect it."

"Should I not call you that anymore?"

"No... It has a nice ring to it," Rein said with a smile, feeling it fade in a matter of seconds. Not like she would hear it anymore. Namjoon smiled back and held her at a distance.

"Now, tell me what's wrong," he said. Rein twiddled with her thumbs for a while, hoping she could weasel out of the situation by changing the subject. But he had her in a vice grip. Not with his hands, but with his gaze. Even if she tried to lie, he would see through it.

"I realized that I can't keep pretending this is gonna work anymore, I guess," she said. Namjoon broke his gaze, then raised his eyes to her again, so vulnerable.

"Is that so bad?" he asked.

"H-huh?"

"I'm not stupid. I know what we have isn't the most... Feasible. But why can't we move past that and make memories together while we still can? While we can still leave on good terms?" Rein was taken aback; he had always put on a cheerful front about the state of their relationship around her. In her own doubt, she had never noticed that he had the same worries, but had just reached a different conclusion about it.

"Won't it hurt more when we leave each other, though?" she asked. Namjoon came towards her, and she thought about stepping back, but she couldn't will her feet to obey.

"It'll hurt. It'll hurt like hell. But what we have is more important than anything temporary," he said. Wrapping his arms around her, he kissed her forehead tenderly, resting his lips there for what felt like an eternity, yet it felt like a nanosecond had passed when he pulled away.

"I've never dated just to know it would never work out," Rein sniffled. Namjoon wiped the tear that had graced her cheek.

"But you've never dated me before," he said.

"That's true," she said with a giggle, forcing herself to laugh in spite of the ache that lodged itself in her heart.

"Now, let me walk you to your car," Namjoon said as he offered her his arm. Rein took it hesitantly, once more letting herself forget about the doubts that plagued her mind.

However, this time, her heart began to heal along with the acceptance, the love that bloomed in its garden.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。

Two months later, after days (and sometimes better spent nights) in the studio, all of Namjoon and Rein's hard work paid off. The album was en route to being released, and she felt the heavy burden of perfection ease its weight on her body. Her official work in Seoul was finally over, and she had a feeling that there wouldn't be any more surprise contracts in the near future.

Her social media blew up with fans urging others to stream their album, and "Sunlight" in particular got the most attention as their title song. With the romantic qualities of its lyrics, it also gained attention for being a possible testimony of the artists' secret affair, which would have sounded absolutely ridiculous if not for the fact that it was true.

Exactly 24 hours after the album release, Rein got a text from Namjoon. It was brief, but she got his message loud and clear.

Our record broke for the most streamed album in first 24 hours! Pack an extra pair of clothes. I'll pick you up within the hour.

She looked at his text, confused. She texted back slowly.

Where to?

His reply came seconds after hers.

You'll find out once I get there.

Rein shrugged, then prepared a pair of clothes like she was instructed. When she took a quick glance at the mirror to see if she looked decent enough to go anywhere in public, she gasped at the reflection staring back at her.

Oh, sweet Jesus. I look like a homeless person. She sifted through her wardrobe to find anything at least semi-presentable and managed to dig out a grey sweater and a pair of ripped jeans. As she changed out of her two-day-old pajama set, she noticed the bland undergarments she sported and decided to change that for the better.

You never know what could happen, she thought deviously.

After a whole ten seconds of deliberation, she settled on a matching set of black silk lingerie, smiling inwardly when she looked in the mirror. Having exercised for so long, muscle had taken the place of any unwanted fat, creating curves that weren't there before.

Just as Rein was finished putting on her gifted red converse, there was a polite knock at the door. She opened it with a grin and fell into Namjoon's arms upon pulling him into her room.

"You're just full of surprises, aren't you?" she asked. "First the hill, and now this mysterious place you won't tell me about? What're you hiding?" Namjoon chuckled.

"Do you remember when I had to cancel that Lotte World trip on your birthday because of work?" he asked. Rein thought back to a few months ago, and once she remembered, she gasped.

"Wait... no, no... Are you serious?!" she squealed. He shrugged.

"Would you like me to not be serious?" Rein kissed him excitedly and pulled back with another squeal.

"I guess that's a no," Namjoon said, laughing. "So, you ready?"

"Yep, just about," she said. He nodded, picking up her bag for her. They left the hotel and climbed into the car, the giddy atmosphere getting trapped in the smell of new leather.

"So, you said I had to pack a bag... What are we doing at Lotte World that requires a bag?" Rein asked once they were on the road.

"I thought that was obvious. I've prepared a room for us," Namjoon said. Rein's eyes widened.

"A room? Like, a hotel room?" she asked. He was doing too much. It wasn't making it easier to leave in the end, and worse of all, it made her feel indebted to him, as if she hadn't already felt that before.

Namjoon nodded slowly.

"Is that a problem? I thought we could celebrate with some champagne-"

"Actually, I stopped drinking. Besides, I think we could celebrate with different means, don't you think?" Namjoon wiggled his eyebrows.

"Then it's a good thing I got us the room with the best aerial view of Seoul," he said. "Very romantic, I believe."

"Oh, very. I can't wait to see what you have in mind," she said, giving him a peck on the cheek.

Seoul flashed by them as the car gained speed along the highway, and Rein could almost pretend she was running along the city, smoothing over every flaw and bump of the road with the distance she created in the wind. And somewhere in the distance, the stars watched over her.

▁ ▂ ▃ ▄ ▅ ▆ █ 100 %

A/N: 안녕 여러분! I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter... I tried to end it on a good note so that it wouldn't be too angsty, but you have been warned, there is some in later chapters haha.

I officially start school in 2 days and I'm not excited. I feel like summer didn't even happen and school ended last week. Idk. At least my updates won't slow down!

QOTD: What is your most embarrassing moment in life?

You don't have to answer this if you don't want to, but the one I can remember is a series of similar situations, in which Koreans didn't understand me when I spoke Korean or I didn't understand them when they spoke to me. Some of them were really rude about it and it made me so embarrassed that I just stopped talking sometimes!

story about one of those times:

One time though, this one guy... He was the former boss of my dad in Korea, and he was a little tipsy. I hesitated for like ONE second because he asked how old I was, (not directly to me btw, to my DAD because I guess I'm not worth talking directly to?) and there are 2 number systems in Korea AND i was trying to see how old I would be in Korean age, but before I could answer, he huffed and was like "oh you can't speak korean?" and he started laughing.

So we had lunch after this, and the whole time, he's making jabs at me about not being able to speak Korean "as well as I used to". The boss keeps asking my dad questions about MY life... and finally, he asks "where does her mom live?"

Before my dad can answer, I say "she lives in <city>, <state>. She doesn't live with me in <my state>" in Korean, which is a pretty simple sentence honestly. I was being a little snippy, but the look on the guy's face was totally worth it. This was the first time I actually spoke up for myself in this type of situation!

He says, "Oh! You can speak Korean! Well, I didn't know!" and I replied, "I could speak Korean the whole time." he didn't talk to me for the rest of lunch, which was fine with me. Ugh. Koreans are so rude/smug about their language sometimes. Seriously.

Sorry that was so long... LOL! Just had to put it out there! Feel free to write as much as you want in the comments!

Until next time, happy reading!

-Haneul xoxo