"What did you do?" Haemin asked.
"Left Luna behind." Joy confessed.
"At the hot spring?!"
She nodded slowly, Haemin didn't waste time scolding her and got back in the van.
"Back to the hot spring please." He told the driver in Japanese.
"A storm is coming, car service is suspended." The guy replied.
Haemin disheveled his hair hair in frustration,
"Oh my god, what have I done?" Joy uttered but he paid her no notice, he was mad at her,
And ran to the reception to ask for snow storm necessities. With the bag swung across his back he set out in Luna's direction.
If she had to walk all the way, the least he could do was bring her a little help half way.
"It wont make much difference." Joy tried, she had already screwed up with Luna, she couldn't risk Haemin's safety as well.
He shot her a ticked off look, "Im sure a person in the middle of an icy abyss would beg to differ." He shouted back and started running.
The place where they had had the photoshoot was behind a small mountain and he could see thick white clouds over that area gradually coming towards him.
He quickened his pace.
Luna had already been shunned by her family, she didn't need to get abandoned by her friends too.
His heart ached whenever he thought of her getting the shorter end of the stick for so long.
He wanted to beg God to give her hardships no more.
A tall black figure came in his focus, he gasped, "Luna!"
"Haemin?"
He beamed breathlessly and ran to her,
Luna also ran, she wasn't sure if he was actually there or if she had collapsed twenty minutes ago and this was just a dream.
Because if it really was a dream, she was going to take full advantage.
He pulled her in a tight and spiritually warming embrace and she laced her hands behind his back with her forehead on his hard, heaving chest and eyes closed.
He didn't say anything and neither did she, her lips were frozen. She quietly revelled in his warmth.
When he pulled away to look at her all over,
"Oh god." He uttered upon the sight of her blue lips and the white flakes resting on her eye lashes.
So, he quickly took off his jacket and wrapped it around her, helped her wear the snow shoes, put his coat around her and also gave her his scarf.
"You're also cold." She managed to say.
"No no no, Im all warmed up from running." He lied and without warning her, hoisted her up on his back, carrying the bag in his free arm with the other one gripping her thigh.
Her whole body was pained and stiff, even moving her eyes hurt her head so she closed them and let him carry her.
No matter how bad she felt, she had no strength to act upon it.
Minutes later when atleast her lips were warmer, she said, "Im sorry for being such a burden, literally."
"You're as light as a feather, what are you talking about?"
He was smiling as he said this, Luna just knew it.
He almost always had a lopsided grin as he spoke.
"Haemin." She said straightly.
"Hmm?"
"Earlier this morning at the hotel.."
"Oh that.. umm the thing is that, Joy is dating, well was dating a guy named Ma-"
"I was really surprised by your sudden outburst, I didn't know your settings had the anger function." She cut him off, but he didn't mind.
"Yeah.. some things require aggression. She doesn't understand otherwise, she's blinded by love"
"Oh okay, and that's not what I was gonna ask by the way."
"It's not?"
She took a deep breath,
"Haemin. The way Joy reacted when you were talking bad about Mark is the kind of reaction you are supposed to have when someone bad mouths Ella. You just brush it off, it doesn't- it's not okay."
She had to say this, even though she loved Haemin,
She had to know that she wasn't pining after a guy who wouldn't defend her behind her back.
And to her bafflement, Haemin didn't reply. So, she waited for him to.
She waited and waited, they reached the hotel and he still hadn't uttered a single word.
From there started Luna's second-guessing and overthinking,
Maybe that was insensitive of me.
It's his business not mine.
I must've come off so rude.
"Oh Luna!" Joy hugged her as soon as Haemin let her down, "Im so sorry."
"Some plan went wrong right?" She whispered back in her ear so that he wouldn't hear but Haemin was already gone,
Great Luna, you've really done it this time.
She was already moping in her head.
"Oh thank god you're smart. Yes! A plan went wrong, you and Haemin were supposed to be left behind together, and that storm wasn't supposed to come."
Luna laughed lightly, "Well we were left behind together."
"And? Did something romantic happen?"
"We hugged and he gave me a piggy back ride."
She couldn't tell her of her blunder and how she basically poured cold water over Joy's efforts and how Haemin probably hated her now.
"Yes!" Joy fist bumped the air, "Oh.. I think you should go get warmed up."
"You think?!" Jihoon came rushing from behind her and wrapped Luna with a shawl.
"Oh lord, dad would kill me if he found out."
"Well he better not." Luna replied.
☾
When she came out of the bathroom after a scalding hot bath, Haemin was already in his bed.
She walked to hers, careful not to disturb him and also got under the blanket.
She turned in his direction and stared at his back, "Im sorry for what I said." Her voice was low, "I had no right."
Not getting a reply back she closed her eyes dolefully.
"Im just.. confused."