ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗬-𝗧𝗪𝗢
─◌✰್ 𝗇𝖾𝗐 𝗈𝗉𝗉𝗈𝗋𝗍𝗎𝗇𝗂𝗍𝗂𝖾𝗌

ramenoodlaska fact: he kicked me out of the bathroom to take this pic
> catdad_lee i bet you were taking selfies too
    > sunshine.lix @ramenoodlaska wait is that where you ran off to right when we got home???
        > ramenoodlaska @catdad_lee @sunshine.lix what, a girl can't take cute pics of herself??? i got there first!!!
            > the.official.hwang @ramenoodlaska yeah and i looked better so 🤨
                > ryerye @the.official.hwang based off the pic, i don't think so
                    > sk8terjj @ryerye i think he looks pretty cool

minniemouse- style icon tbh
> dingdonghong are you being sarcastic?
    > minniemouse- @dingdonghong erm no
        > the.official.hwang @dingdonghong wait, why would he be sarcastic? 😟
            > dingdonghong @the.official.hwang oh uh... no reason!
                > nomnominnie @dingdonghong should i tell him i wanna tell him 😃

matchatess didn't expect to miss you, but maybe i do 😁
> catdad_lee ewe why would you miss HIM?
    > the.official.hwang @catdad_lee ouch that's so mean! thank you, @matchatess you're my favorite now
        > dingdonghong @the.official.hwang we all miss you!!
            > robin_is_a_penguin @dingdonghong after you just shat all over his fashion sense?
                > matchatess @dingdonghong @robin_is_a_penguin yeah, we know who ISN'T his favorite... 🤣

sk8terjj love from jeju! 🤎
> ramenoodlaska WE LOVE YOU JJ
    > the.official.hwang @ramenoodlaska excuse you, that love was for me
        > ramenoodlaska @the.official.hwang she didn't say your name, it could be for any of us, huh @sk8terjj ?
            > mymymy @ramenoodlaska ooh i hope it was for me!
                > the.official.hwang @ramenoodlaska @mymymy it was on my post, move over! 😩

There was nothing you could do about it. You were going to cry. But for the first time since this trip started, it was all happy tears.

Your gaze roamed the campsite, eyes met with so many things, you weren't sure where to look first. From the photo booth, to the doggy swimming pool, to the huge banner that read, 'We love you, Lanhua!', to all of your friends in one place, laughing and smiling, it was all so overwhelming. But you held the tears in. Today was a happy day, you weren't going to cry, even if they were out of joy.

JJ, who stood next to you, waved her arms over her head, Hyunjin quickly joining in.

"THE QUEEN IS HERE!" your bestie yelled at the top of her lungs, gesturing wildly at you. What had gotten into that girl? Since when had she acted so insane?

All your friends immediately stopped what they were doing to face you, eyes filled with excitement. Then, they all cried,

"SURPRISE!!!"

Tessa was the first to lead the charge, running towards you at top speed. Alaska, Mya, and Riley were quick to follow, along with an excited Han and Felix. The rest of the group joined, and soon, you were squished in between fourteen laughing, smiling bodies.

"I'm suffocating!" you exclaimed, but you couldn't keep the laugh from your words. The fact they'd all planned this for you left you lost for words. If you spoke any more, you were sure to break your promise, and cry.

You tried to glance around at the group. Everyone was here except one person. And without him, the gesture felt incomplete. It wasn't that you weren't grateful, but... why wasn't he here? Why had he left?

When they let go of you, the group began to disperse, some of them heading to the photo booth, trying to show you the adorable props they'd gotten at the store. Felix was motioning towards the snack table like he was trying to entice you into buying drugs. You were about to follow the girls to the photo booth in an attempt to keep your mind off of Changbin when suddenly...

"Hua."

You whipped back around, heart thudding in your chest. There he was, looking sexy as ever in a black polo shirt and dark blue jeans. Could it be true? What was he doing here?? Hadn't your friends told you that he had left before you'd even gotten back yesterday? Had they lied? Or had he somehow changed his mind, and come back?

The two of you stood a few feet away from each other, lost for words. You stared at him, instinctively meeting his gaze. They were filled with warmth, but you could see the nerves hidden just below the surface.

Your chest expanded at the sight. Could it be? Had he never actually left?

You opened your mouth to respond, but of course, you were interrupted.

"Lanhua!" It was Namjoon, striding over to you on those lean legs of his.

You forced a smile, as the man came to stand beside you. All you wanted to do was speak with Changbin, but the world wasn't allowing it. "Namjoon, it's so nice to see you. Thank you for organizing this for me, for us. How is Miso? I hope he's doing okay."

The man nodded, smiling slightly. "Yes, Miso is doing just fine. He's going to be wearing a cast for a few weeks, but other than that, he wasn't permanently hurt in any way. Again, you don't need to worry. If anything, you should be proud of everything that you accomplished. From what I've seen, Miso, Bingsu, and Areum have all made huge strides in their behavior, and it's all thanks to you. You're special, Lanhua. I heard about what happened with Park and Paws, I'm so sorry-"

"Don't be," you responded firmly, not wanting to think about it. That was something you'd worry about when you got home. "Today is for fun, and I'm just glad I came back."

Namjoon grinned. "Well, thank you. I did want to say, I know I came in here acting like such an ass, but that's not me. I hope you can get past calling me Asshole Namjoon, and I can just be Namjoon. Maybe even Friendly Namjoon. What do you think?"

You rolled your eyes. "One apology isn't gonna cut it," you warned. "Once a nickname sticks, it takes awhile to make it go away."

Namjoon laughed, nudging you in the side with a cocky smirk. "Well, before I leave, can I get a hug?"

You raised a brow. "That's not helping your asshole status, Namjoon," you tsked. But you leaned in anyway, allowing him to embrace you. Weirdly, you felt a little sad, saying goodbye to him. As terrible as he was in the beginning, and as much as he'd gotten on Changbin's nerves, he'd proven to be a nice, if not a little overconfident, friend.

"Oh, and can I have your number too?" he asked, pulling out his phone. When you frowned harder at him, he huffed. "I swear, not in a creepy way! I just want to keep in touch."

After you exchanged numbers and Instagrams with Namjoon, you turned around, hoping to find Changbin. Of course, he'd already disappeared, probably talking to one of the dozens of people in the crowd. How had your friends organized this so quickly? They'd really gone all out.

But when you turned around, you ran headfirst into... Ahn Min Joon. Snowball's, the dog you had lost back at Park and Paws, owner. Your immediate thought was to find a place to run and hide, immediately.

But it was too late. He was now hardly a few feet away.

"Lanhua." He nodded, a look of discomfort encasing his face. "It... it's nice to see you again."

"You as well," you responded stiffly. You would not say anything disrespectful, that was below you. But neither would you grace him with kindness he didn't deserve.

"This is quite the party." He gestured wildly with his arms, trying to fill the silence. "When Seo Changbin, your partner, I believe, called me, I was skeptical. But this is very impressive."

"He's an impressive person," you said, eyeing him in anticipation. When he didn't say anything, you prodded, "what do you want, Min Jun?"

He shoved his hands in his pockets, shifting back and forth nervously. "I just wanted to say... well, I apologize for how I treated you when Snowball was lost. I was very upset, but I overreacted. I've taken down my one-star review, but I wanted to come here and say sorry in person. I know how much you care about your work, and you're a great veterinarian. I'm sorry for canceling last minute on this event, I see now it would have been great. And I would be happy to bring Snowball back to see you."

You smiled. "That's all unnecessary, but very kind Min Jun. Your words mean a lot, and I would love to see you and Snowball again, if the opportunity presents itself."

He ducked his head, stepping back from you. "I will keep your contact information, if that's okay. And I'll leave you to enjoy the rest of your party."

As you watched Min Jun walk away, you spied the photo booth, where Tessa, JJ, Mya, and Robin were all taking pictures. Feeling decidedly lighter, you headed towards them. And wait... was that Rory with them?! They were all wearing matching wigs and sunglasses in different bright colors, posing for the camera.

"Hey girlie!" Tessa was the first to turn around and see you, waving excitedly. "You wanna join?? There's an extra wig and glasses!"

You shook your head. "I wanted to talk to you guys! And Rory, what are you doing here??"

Rory grinned, shrugging as the four other girls hurried over. "Someone... special invited me."

"You're amazing," you marveled at her, before speaking to the others. "I just wanted to say thank you for organizing all this!" You gestured to the yard. "It's so beautiful, I'm honestly obsessed. I had no idea you were planning this. But now that I'm thinking about it, it makes sense. JJ and Hyunjin forced me to play two hours of card games. That was weird."

JJ shrugged. "It was fun though, wasn't it?"

"But we weren't the ones who organized this!" Robin cut in. "I mean, we sort of had the idea, but really it was-"

"It was Changbin!" Mya squealed, much too eagerly. "This was all his idea. He invited Rory! And he wanted to do it for you!"

You stopped short at her words. You'd assumed it had been your friends. Had Changbin really done all of this, for you? Did he not only stay at the campsite to begin with, but also plan a huge party for you when you came back? You'd been right about the real reason why JJ had texted you. She'd been trying to lure you back on the false pretense that it was all about the shelter and dogs, when in reality, Changbin was trying to... win you back? Was this what this was?

You opened your mouth to accuse your friends of tricking you, when, yet again, you were interrupted. Why couldn't you get in one damn sentence in today? There was too much going on.

"Lanhua, can we talk?"

"Oh my gosh!" Mya gasped, covering her mouth when she saw who it was.

"Oof, awkward..." Robin muttered.

"That's some hot tea." Tessa gestured at you. "What's going on??"

"Uh... we'll see you later, Hua!" JJ glanced at you with a nervous grin, before yanking the other three girls along after her, and towards the rest of the party. Clearly, she was the only semi-tactful one of the bunch.

Your eyes flicked to the woman standing before you, face turning down in distrust. "Se Ri," you said, trying to stay professional and composed. Why was she here? Had Changbin invited her, too? Fucking hell, that must mean she had something important to say. You would be the bigger person. No matter how shitty she'd treated you, how she'd just tossed you to the curb like disposable garbage, you would not stoop to her, or the CEO's, level.

Se Ri stepped closer, taking your clipped words as an invitation to continue. "I wanted to say I'm deeply sorry for the way we at Park and Paws treated your termination," she began. "It was unprofessional, and wrong. And I wanted to come here in person to tell you just how much we value you. You are an irreplaceable person on our team, not only because of your dedication and immense hard work, but because of your caring, patient personality with the animals. No one has ever gotten dogs, especially ones as stubborn as Miso, to behave." She stopped, clearing her throat uncomfortably.

"Why did you come here, Se Ri?" you asked calmly. Now that the conversation was happening, you weren't about to stop it. You needed clarity.

The woman nodded quickly. "Well, Mr. Seo, Changbin is his name, correct? He spoke to me on the phone — three times, might I add — about how important you were to the team, and how none of the stuff that happened was your fault. And I agree with him. I always have. So I spoke to the CEO, and he and I have decided... we made a mistake. And we would love to extend an offer to you. We would like you to come back to Park and Paws, and stay in the same position that you're in right now. Essentially, nothing would change. Water under the bridge." She smiled hopefully. "How does that sound?"

You paused, at a loss for words. So you were getting a job offer to come back to Park and Paws. You weren't fired, after all. Se Ri and the company had realized just how valuable you were to them, and they wanted you back. And all because of Changbin, and the faith he held in you. Your heart swelled with a bittersweet happiness. God, could this man get any more perfect? And yet...

"I... I think I need some time before I can give you my decision," you replied slowly. "Can you wait until the end of the party?"

"O-oh, yes of course!" she exclaimed, letting out a high-pitched laugh. It was clear she had expected you to immediately accept. "Take as much time as you need."

You cracked a smile, before turning away from her.

Se Ri grabbed your shoulder, and you doubled back. "Before you go!" She let go of you quickly. "If there's one thing I hope you take away from this trip... don't let go of that Changbin. It was clear even over the phone how much he cares about you. Three phone calls is three more than I would do for anyone. The way he's trying to win you over, or whatever's happening there, that's true love, dear." She squeezed your shoulder one last time, before walking away.

Closing then opening your eyes, spied Junjie and Jiao, playing in the doggy pool with a few of the other dogs. Mya and Jeongin were taking pictures of all of them. Smiling slightly, you began walking over.

"Everyone!"

Changbin's voice boomed around the clearing, causing you to jump. He now stood at the center of the clearing, motioning to everyone gathered around. He was holding a microphone in one hand. When had they set that up?

"First, I want to say thank you to everyone for showing up today. It was very last minute, but it's been a ton of fun."

As Changbin spoke, you found yourself moving closer, like you were magnetized to him. He was incredibly attractive today, in that polo and jeans. His arms were on display, toned muscles turned bronze by the orange sunlight. You hadn't spoken to him in what felt like so long, and the last words you'd said were terrible. You needed to talk. But for now, you would settle with listening to his gorgeous voice.

"But we all know the real reason why I invited you here," he continued. "And it's first and foremost because I made a huge mistake. Probably the biggest I ever have. I let my amazing girlfriend, Lanhua, walk away. I said terrible things, and I let her think that I didn't believe in her. And if you know anything about her, which you do because you're all close friends and colleagues of hers, you know just how incredible she is. Everyone should be so lucky as to have the opportunity to believe in her."

And then his eyes were staring straight at you, that intense brown gaze burning a hole straight through your heart, which had jumped right into your throat. Was he really saying all of these things, while you were surrounded with the people you loved most? The people who knew you the best out of anyone? You couldn't believe it.

But he kept going. "I had the unique opportunity to love this woman. She is so uniquely herself, so hardworking and diligent, but at the same time kind, funny, and thoughtful. And yet she still believes that she hasn't done enough, that she's not worthy of success or love. I've never met a person more deserving than her. So... even though I've fucked up, and probably have no chance at a relationship with her again, I hope that this party might be enough to show her just how much everyone cares about her, how amazing she is." Changbin shrugged, suddenly nervous, and set the microphone on the stand.

Then, moving towards you, he reached a hand out. His voice was no longer booming over the crowd. These words were just for you. "What do you say, Hua?" He grinned, that same self-conscious, yet earnest, look in his eye. "Can you forgive an idiot like me? A lovesick idiot, I might add?"

You reached out and grabbed his hands, squeezing them tight. "Oh Bin..." you whispered, so quiet you could see the crowd lean in, trying to hear what you were saying.

"Speak up, girl!!!" Tessa cried, last word muffled as Mya covered her mouth in exasperation.

Ignoring your friends outburst, you continued. "... if anyone should be apologizing, it's me. I was having a bad day, and I took it out on you and our relationship. Being with you has been nothing but perfect. You are the only man for me. You've made me feel like the most beautiful, special woman in the world, everyday we were together. I'm so sorry for making you feel like I didn't value you, and what we had. You've made me realize that nothing is more important than the friendships and relationships I have, not work. I love you so much, and I want to be with you. Just five days apart from you, and I knew that I needed you in my life. You make me a better woman." Your eyes filled with tears. "I thought for a moment that you'd given up on us, that you'd left me."

Changbin shook his head fiercely. "I would never leave you," he growled, pulling you up against his muscular chest. For the first time that day, you felt like you could breath, as you soaked in the feel of him. "I admit, I was upset when you left. But I was mostly angry at myself, for letting you feel so worthless, that I didn't care. If you stay with me, I will make sure you feel like the priceless, irreplaceable woman you are. You deserve to be spoiled, Hua. I will continue to fight for you, for us. Because you're worth it."

You dabbed at your eyes, trying to keep it together. "I will never run away from you again," you promised, pulling him tightly into a hug. "I love you. I never want to be apart from you."

He grinned, pressing a kiss to your neck, causing you to shiver. "Does that mean you'll give me another shot?"

You giggled, nuzzling against him. "If you'll give me one, then nothing would make me happier."

And then your feet left the ground, as Changbin picked you up and spun you around, cheering loudly. "Lanhua is my girlfriend again, everyone! She's giving me another chance!"

"Oh my gosh!!!" Mya squealed, swooning. "They're so cuteee!!!"

"I love them together." Hyunjin sighed dramatically. "I knew they'd get back together!"

"I guess this sort of makes it worth losing my coffee mug," Riley huffed, but she was smiling anyway.

"SPEECH! SPEECH! SPEECH!" Han started the chant, and Felix and Jeongin giggled and joined in. Soon, everyone was chanting, even Se Ri and Namjoon.

You groaned, glancing at Changbin nervously. He shrugged, winking at you.

"They wanna hear from the queen!" He nudged you gently towards the microphone, and you stepped forward, swallowing your nerves. You were a great public speaker, you could do this.

"Thank you all for coming to this party." You beamed at everyone, gaze getting caught on Changbin, who was positively gleaming with pride. "The fact you're all here for me... I can't comprehend it. It means the world. Honestly, I have been a bit of a self-centered friend, and co-worker, over the past few months. While I've always been a driven, career-focused person, it got worse when I was assigned the chance to host this training camp. I've been so focused on work, I threw my personal relationships out the window. But it was through Changbin and his unwavering loyalty that I truly learned the value of personal relationships. But when I was fired from Park and Paws, it scared me. I thought that I lost all my worth, everything that I'd been focusing on. But in reality, I think that it's given me the chance to start over. To refocus on the things that are truly important to me. Today, I was offered my job back at Park and Paws."

Changbin inhaled sharply, happiness shimmering in his eyes. You both shared a smile, before you turned back to the microphone.

"Oh my gosh!" Renee gasped, nudging Robin in the side, who was hitting her arm over and over again in excitement.

"Hua!!" Tessa gasped, mouth agape. "Why didn't you tell us???"

"Shut up!" Minho rolled his eyes at her, but his words contained no bite.

As you stared out at your friends —and more importantly, Changbin —and their reactions, you suddenly realized what you wanted to do. You'd made your decision. You hadn't truly decided until you stood up here, but now you were certain.

"But I'm not going to accept the offer." You didn't even look at Se Ri. Today, your eyes were only for your man. "I'm going to take some time off work, for the time being. I've been working so hard my whole life, thinking it would make me worthy of love, that it's time for me to focus on the important things in my life. My friends. My relationship. So... thank you, Se Ri. For showing me where my priorities should be. And again, thanks to you all, for always being there for me."

With that, you set down the microphone, and ran straight into Changbin's awaiting arms.

"I love you so much," he murmured.

And when he kissed you, you could feel the strength of his words. And you kissed him back, heart feeling the most fulfilled it ever had.

laska's note —
oh my goodness, changhua is officially back!! and they're not going anywhere anytime soon. i know this chapter was a little long, but i honestly loved writing every second of it. our new couple truly loves each other, and they're always going to be there for one another. and now, hua is unemployed by choice this time! i'm so glad she's gonna get some time off instead of just accepting her old job back because she felt like she needed to. now, there's only one more chapter and an epilogue left of this incredible book. i can't believe it's officially coming to an end. i'll be so sad, but at least it's not the end of the series. make sure to send changhua all your love in the comments! 😍

𝖭𝖤𝖷𝖳 𝖴𝖯：
𝟰𝟯 - 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴
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