Addicted To You

25 - See You Again

The guys taught me a lot of the language while we were together, so I wanted to build on it since I was going to Korea. I tried some online resources, but that just wasn't enough. I needed a more face-to-face experience. My friend recommended her nephew, KiJun. He was a college student and needed the extra cash. I had the base, so he helped me take it to the next level. And bonus, he was really tall and very handsome. He was also single. And 21 years old.

I was counting down the days until my flight. I had lots to do before then. I scheduled both my and Jinki's annual checkups and got her travel papers set. The weather had already started turning cold in Korea, but the daytime highs were still in the low 60s at home with 30s and 40s at night. For winter in Atlanta, I really didn't need heavy duty winter wear. We had really cold weather for a couple of weeks, usually in January or February, and sometimes an ice storm in March, but that was it. I had only found a few basic pieces locally, so I started shopping online to get some warm clothes for both of us.

I bought a couple more warm sweaters, some hoodies, warm socks, insulated leggings, long johns, and boots. I found some adorable sweaters for Jinki too. I didn't want to take three suitcases, so I only bought a few things. Besides, shopping was no fun without Minhyuk and Jooheon. I hoped they would take me when I got there.

I realized that I would need dresses for the awards shows. The last time I had to wear anything that fancy was to a charity ball a few years back, and I borrowed that one from Lucy. Kihyun told me their team would help me with dresses. I wouldn't have to buy them. That sounded like a great plan.

I would be in Korea over Christmas, so I planned to do my gift shopping after I got there and ship them home. It was mainly the girls that I would shop for. The adults didn't exchange gifts anymore. It was all about the kids. A wave of sadness fell over me when I thought about how Mom had always gotten something for everyone, even if it was just a small gift. She made sure there were lots of beautifully wrapped presents under her tree.

My family barely even celebrated Christmas last year. We had just lost Mom and no one was in a festive mood. We got together for a meal and made sure the girls had their gifts, including the ones Mom had already bought and put away for them. It had been awkward and we didn't know what to do. We basically went through the motions.

This year I would not even be there. It was going to be weird, but maybe a good thing. I needed to shake things up a little. I felt like spending Christmas with Monsta X might do just that. I had done pretty well lately with not dwelling on my feelings for Minhyuk. The pain had lessened to a dull ache. It was constantly with me, but it was bearable.

The night before my flight I went through my suitcases again, double-checking that I had everything and organizing it all so that it would fit neatly. As usual, I had laid them out and packed things as I thought of them. The clothes I packed were very bulky and took up a lot of space. I was glad Jinki had her own small suitcase.

Jinki knew we were going on another adventure and she seemed excited. When she knew we were going to travel, she would sleep in her carrier or the open suitcase. One night I caught her putting her favorite toy in the suitcase so it would be sure to go with us.

Our flight was at 11:30 PM, local time. I tried to sleep the night before our flight, but I was too anxious. I had been up over twenty-four hours at that point but I was in my second or third wind. I was a little dizzy from no sleep and I felt wired.

I hadn't seen my guys in three months and I was beyond ready. They told me they were excited to see me. They sounded excited. Their faces looked excited on video chats. I knew it was true, but I still felt that something had changed. Could it be me that changed? I couldn't figure it out.