Winter Hearts

Between Us

N took off his coat and draped it over his arm as he perched on a low wall between the Parthenon and the lookout point. He stared into the horizon, the sun light so bright and white that the gathering tourists a little below him seemed to fade into greyish shadows with flashes of light glinting off the tops of their heads.

He dropped his gaze to the ground before him, seeing marble and stone and cement covered with a light, centuries-old dusting of dry soil.

At some point between listening to Kkomae speak to the CEO and seeing Leo and Siana embracing in full view of the public here at the Acropolis, he had realised that the inevitable was going to happen, and that worrying about it, or trying to control it, was an exercise in futility. He could see that no matter what they did to try to engineer an outcome that looked the best, or saved Leo the most grief, or protected Siana the most, would be forcing something unnecessarily.

N was a deep believer in knowing when it was time to let go.

In this case, he didn't let go of his care for them, but rather, was choosing to let things just... happen.

He knew that they had all acted with their integrity intact, and that any naysayers would either be simply expressing their disappointment or anger, or unable to comprehend Leo's right to this happiness. Those negatives were all a part of the a whole that also brought positives: honesty and openness.

He suddenly, fancifully, wished that the impending event they were all dreading had already happened, and that they were now experiencing the full bloom of love under a watchful, but happy, public eye. He sighed, feeling a weight lift off his chest. If only it weren't so premature, he thought, distractedly.

His worry about Siana seemed to suddenly expire.  This was something she would have to bear herself, and her actions showed she was truly willing to face what was coming. Although he felt for her, he could see now that she was readying to take on the worrying for herself, and that any overthinking on his part would be excessive, almost self-indulgent.

Seeing Hyuk's documentary-making and the purity of his intentions, had made N realise that they all loved Siana, but that perhaps they were coddling her too much, when she didn't need it.

That Hyuk had been gathering evidence to prove Leo's love for her, not to fans but to Siana, had reminded him of how young Hyuk was - or rather, how his nature saw the purest essence of the situation they were in - and that what was most important was how Leo and Siana felt about each other, not what their fans or the public thought about them.

It was timely, and N felt grateful that Hyuk had revealed his intentions to him - an angel in disguise.

Also, thankful that he himself had noticed Hyuk was busy and had asked what he was up to in his usual busybody manner.

It is good that I am such a leader, N thought to himself wryly. Otherwise I might never have been given this important information.

"You look happy with yourself," he heard Min say, as she came over and sat near him on the ledge.

"I am very happy with myself," he murmured, glancing at her momentarily before looking back at the view. "There is much to be happy about."

Min hummed a laugh, a smile playing on her lips.

"Why, you ask? I shall tell you," N murmured, shifting a little as if he were preparing himself for a long story. Min chuckled.

"After a little bit of interaction with my boys, and also a little bit because of our breakfast conversation today, I have come to realise that there are some things I cannot control in our situation, and that I should not try to control them, and the only reason I want to try to control them is because I care, but trying to be in control of them will only put more pressure on those that I care about... therefore, I am going to not try to control it and just let it take its course."