︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

My frozen heart melts with warmth
I will now melt your frozen heart
'Cause I'm right here waiting for us

-Waiting For Us - Straykids-

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

"Doesn't Hana seem... familiar to you?"

Jisung and Changbin looked confusedly at him.

"Familiar? Familiar how so?"
Jisung finally said.

"I can't be the only one thinking we've know her from before."
Chan groaned.

"Known who from before?"
Minho came out, ruffling his wet hair dry with a towel.

"Your roommate."

"Hana? You've met her before? How?"

"Am I the only one who sees what ever little resemblance with a person we used to know?"

"Chan, you've probably got it confused. We've never known a person named Hana."

"Oh really?"
Chan said sarcastically.

Minho frowned, still trying to piece it together.
"Okay, maybe you're being a little too cryptic. Because, no, I don't remember anyone named Hana."

"I'm being vague because I don't want to jump to conclusions, alright?"
 Chan replied, frustrated. "But there's something there, I swear."

"I still think you're way off, but go ahead."
Changbin replied.

Chan exhaled sharply.
"Do you know which school she went to?"

"The same one as Seungmin and Jeongin," Minho said.
"But she mentioned she lived in Gimpo, until she transferred to Seungmin's and Jeongin's."

"That does it for me. Minho are you acting like you've never seen her or do you actually don't realize what's going on?"
Chan exasperated.

Minho stood still for a moment, processing, before his expression shifted.
"Wait, what are you—"

Chan cut him off.
"I'm telling you, we know her. You've seen her before, and you know exactly who she is."

Minho's eyes narrowed as the pieces clicked into place.
"Wait a minute... No Chan, there's literally no way."

"Uh.. yes way. Minho I'm telling you, it's her."

"But—she transferred, remember? She could've gone anywhere. She could've been out of the country for all we know. So why would she end up here, in Seoul? And why would I have run into her? After all these years—how could I not recognize her?"
His voice was a mixture of disbelief and confusion.

"Umm... guys, mind filling us in?"
Jisung cautiously said.

"Chan thinks Hana is the same Hana from middle school, when we we all went to school in Gimpo."
Changbin whispered to Jisung.

"You tried so hard to forget her, your brain must've hidden the memory away. That's why you didn't recognize her at first. But trust me, Minho—she hasn't changed that much. At least not in a way that's unrecognizable."
Chan ignored him.

"But how? I would know if it was her."
Minho tried to sound confident.

"Not if your mind buried the memory," Chan replied, his voice softer but no less certain.
"You didn't want to remember, so your mind made it easier for you." 

"So the Hana I know now is the same Hana I knew back then?"

"That's for you to find out. All I can do is help you piece things back."

"I literally just got the chills."
Jisung squealed.

Minho barely registered Jisung's reaction as he stood up, his hands shaking slightly.
"I don't know...so what if it's her, it shouldn't matter- Should it?"
His voice was distant, almost dazed from everything he'd just heard.

Changbin glanced between him and Chan. Minho was clearly overwhelmed, and no one could blame him.

"Take it in positive light, you're getting a second chance. We know you liked her a lot back then, and from what I see now, you still do. Nothing's changed."
Changbin said.

"You okay?" Jisung asked, his tone softer.

"Yeah, it's just a little confusing. Why now, after so long."

"Would you want it to be any different? There's still a chance that this is all a huge coincidence."

"No, this 'coincidence' has brough back my lost hope. I would be mad, if its not her."

"Well you'll find out soon."

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

I tried to keep myself calm, trying to piece together whatever I remembered.
All I could remember was how much it hurt when I found the girl I'd naively fallen in love with, was the same girl I, whether I like it or not, was falling for again.

It was a 50-50 chance, it could be her, and it couldn't.

To shake off the gnawing uncertainty, I went to the gym with the guys. We were all getting restless, looking for something to pass the time.

"Wah, Minho. You're looking pretty jacked up since the last time I saw you,"
Changbin remarked with a grin, eyeing Minho's arms.

Minho shot him a half-hearted glance, trying to hide how much his mind was still elsewhere. "You don't get to talk, Changbin. Your body grows like... every week."

Changbin flexed his arms dramatically, striking a pose with a smirk.
"Glad to know you're keeping track. I mean, who wouldn't want to admire these guns?"
 He teased, his muscles rippling as he flexed again.

Minho couldn't help but roll his eyes.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

My lovely(eww) roommate🏠

hey I'm done

Same plan??

Sent at 04:30pm

Im at the gym

Well, in the car

Hyung is driving us
back to his place

Cuz he lazy to drive 
to ours

Sent at 04:35pm

Uggghhgh

i came home

like right now

i guess ill change too

Sent at 04:36pm

since you're home

please pick me up
some clothes

i can't wear this again

i was at the gym

just a shirt, jacket and sweats

Sent at 04:37pm

Ew no im not picking
out your clothes

Sent at 04:37pm

Hannananaana

Sent at 04:37pm

Minhohhoonoooo

Sent at 04:45pm

Just know if it was you who
asked for clothes,
I'd bring them for you

Sent at 04:45pm

Oml why are you

 so dramatic????

I picked out your stupid
clothes already i was just
teasing

Why is your closet
 so clean????

you out of all people

i did not think it'd
be this clean

if you think about it
your room's clean too

Sent at 04:45pm

yeah ik im quite particular about it

Sent at 04:46pm

Says you who literally had 
bundles when you moved in

Sent at 04:45pm 

okay okay now
let me get ready 

Sent at 04:45pm

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

Hana POV:

The door opens, and there he is — Minho, standing in the doorway in a simple tank top and training pants, his hair messy but somehow looking effortlessly cool.

 I feel my heart skip a beat as I takes him in — the way the dim light of the hallway catches his tousled hair, the muscles in his arms flexing as he leans against the doorframe. He looks so... effortlessly perfect, like he belongs in a magazine ad for something that's both athletic and casually chic.

"Hey," he greets me, his voice low and smooth, almost exhausted, or like he's too comfortable in his own skin to care how he sounds. His eyes are warm.
"took you long enough."

I blink a couple of times, as I suddenly feel like I can't catch my breath. I clears my throat and force a smile, hoping it doesn't look too much like I was caught off guard.
"Now who's the one obsessed with time?"

His gaze lingers a moment longer, like he's studying me, and the warmth in his eyes deepens, but he doesn't say anything. Instead, he pushes himself off the doorframe and steps inside.

"Wait for me, it won't take too long, okay? Just need to change."

"Hey, now you hurry up."

"Hey I'm all sweaty I need a bath."

"Why do you change clothes like 10 times a day?"
She mumbled.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

Mrs. Lee was more than delighted to see Hana tag along with Minho. The sight made him happy, and he hoped Hana was happy too. After a brief moment, Minho disappeared into his room, leaving Hana and his mom to work together in the kitchen.

"Mom, do you know where all my school photos are?"
Minho's voice called out from the other side of the house.

"Check the crate in the attic. It has your name on it," she answered from the kitchen, her voice light and steady.

Minho made his way to the attic, pulling down the creaky ladder and climbing up. The space smelled of dust and old cardboard, and the light was dim, but he didn't mind. He sifted through the boxes, his fingers tracing the familiar edges of photo albums and loose prints.

"5th, 6th, 9th, 12th... these aren't the ones," he muttered to himself, setting the photos aside with a frustrated sigh.

He shuffled through another stack of pictures—
"Okay, 7th and 8th." His hand paused over a group of faces, and he looked at each one more closely, his brow furrowing as he searched for something specific.

Meanwhile, downstairs, Ms. Lee called out gently,
"Hana, sweetheart, I'll handle the rest down here. Why don't you go join Minho? He's just around the corner, and the ladder up."

"Are you sure? I don't mind helping," Hana replied, hesitating.

"No, no, you relax. I'll call you if I need anything."

Hana reached the top of the ladder and hesitated for a moment, peeking into the dim attic, also noticing how the air was thick with the scent of aged paper and wood, and the only light came from a small window at the far end. She stepped inside quietly, her feet making soft sounds against the old floorboards.

Minho was hunched over, rifling through a pile of photographs. His back was to her, his focus entirely on the photos in his hands. He hadn't heard her approach. Hana hesitated, watching him for a moment. He looked so absorbed in the task.

She stepped closer, carefully so as not to make a sound.

"What are you looking for?" she asked, her voice gentle, trying not to startle him.

Minho startled, dropping the photograph he had been holding. He spun around so quickly that his foot caught on a box, and he nearly tripped.
"Whoa—!"

Hana, who had been standing right behind him, reacted on instinct. Her arms shot out, and she caught him by the arms just in time, her palms pressing against the warmth of his skin.

"Careful!" she said, her voice a mix of concern and surprise.

Minho's heart raced as he straightened up, his hand automatically reaching for hers to steady himself. For a second, both of them stood frozen, caught in the unexpected proximity. Hana's hands were still on his arms, and his hands were lightly gripping her arms for balance.

"Geez, Hana!" he exclaimed.
"You scared the fuck out of me!"

Hana chuckled, her cheeks flushing slightly at the sudden tension she'd caused.
"Sorry," she said, stepping away. "I didn't mean to sneak up on you."

His heart was racing a little, but he laughed it off.
"I didn't hear you come up." He pushed his messy hair back and gave her a sheepish grin.

"Well I didn't know how poor your hearing was, anyways what are you looking for?" 

Minho bent down to pick up the photo he'd dropped, and for a moment, the tension between them seemed to settle, the noise of the attic's stillness returning. He glanced at the photo, then back at Hana with a small, almost shy smile.
"My middle school photographs."

"Oh to show me?"
Hana said excitedly.

Minho's smile shifted, becoming a little more thoughtful.
 "Actually, there's something I need to ask you. Just look at the picture. You might realize what I'm trying to say."

Hana tilted her head, her brows furrowing in confusion.
"What do you mean?"

Minho handed her the photo, a little hesitant, as if it held a deeper meaning he wasn't sure how to express.
"Go through all the faces."

"This guy looks a little goofy,"
She chuckled as she continued scanning the pictures.

She grinned, continuing to move her finger across the photo, pausing only to make a few short remark. But as she made it down the last row, her eyes froze one very familiar face. Her finger, which had been gliding so effortlessly across the photo, came to an abrupt halt.

Her heart skipped a beat as her gaze locked on the figure at the far edge of the photo. The face was unmistakable—she could recognize that empty, forced smile anywhere.

It was her.

Hana's breath caught in her throat. She blinked, her finger trembling slightly as it hovered over the figure in the photo. It wasn't a coincidence; it couldn't be. There she was— standing side by side with her classmates, young and smiling at the camera, all so genuine and the one not so genuine.

Hana's voice was a quiet whisper, almost as if she wasn't sure she should be speaking at all.

"Minho... if this is your yearbook photo, then why am I in it?"

"So it is you?"
Minho's eyes widened. His heart skipped a beat.

He hadn't expected her to recognize it so quickly.

Hana nodded slowly, her finger fidgeting over the edges of the photo, as if she couldn't quite believe it herself. "Yeah... that's me," she whispered, her voice barely audible, as though saying it aloud might make it more real.

"That's me."
Minho pointed at him, a few rows away.
"We went to the same school when you studied back in Gimpo."

"Lee Minho,"
Hana murmured under her breath, her voice soft, almost as if speaking his name could somehow unlock the past.

She glanced at him, then back at the photo, a sense of recognition stirring in her chest. The memories were hazy, fleeting, but there.

Minho's gaze softened as he saw the recognition flash across her face, and a smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

"For two years, yeah you did," he said with a chuckle, his tone light.

"You changed... so much."
Her eyes wandered over Minho's face, tracing the sharpness of his jawline, the way his features had matured, the quiet confidence he now exuded that hadn't been there before.

Minho chuckled softly, running a hand through his hair, a little embarrassed by her scrutiny but also amused.
"But honestly... you've changed a lot, too. I guess I didn't really expect it to be you either."

"Maybe we're both really oblivious."

"Or maybe we're both stupid."

"How did you find out? I mean... why now?"

"I could ask the same thing. It was Chan. He said you looked way too familiar. Kept insisting that he knew you from somewhere, but I didn't really believe it at first."

"Chan went to the same school as us?"

"So did Hyunjin, Felix, Changbin and Jisung."

"Wait... so they've known me, all this time?"

"Well, not Hyunjin and Felix. Chan and the other two, have seen you, they always came by our class when I was at school."

"Which I clearly remember, once in a blue moon?"
Hana suddenly teased, vividly remembering how was Minho was almost never there.

"Hey I had to go for practice."
Minho chuckled.

"Well, I was happy, no one to bug me."
She nudged Minho.

"You were mean, you left without telling me, I was your seatmate for two years."
He pouted.

"Okay well I didn't know it would effect you, in my eyes we weren't close, but then again I was just a troubled teenager, but I see how that is wrong now."

"Trouble-"

"Minho! Hana! Come eat when you're done."
Ms. Lee called, their head's instinctively turning to the direction of the voice.

"What were you saying?"
Hana asked, turning back to him.

"Nothing, let's go okay?"

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶