Camp Heartbroken | TXT Novella

Chapter 27 - Huening Kai

Saturday is just as bright and clear. Huening Kai wouldn't have guessed it would be a day Taylor would leave them without notice. Sitting with Sesame in the living room, he imagines what could have been the next activity. Hours worth of hiking to a hidden waterfall? Swimming at a secluded beach, deep diving to hunt for rare seashells? No matter what Taylor has them do, it seems to draw them closer as a team. If they were to lose their mentor, just when scars are beginning to heal over....

Kai shakes his head, poking his own forehead to stifle the thought. I shouldn't think so negatively. Taylor will be be back soon.

He sighs and checks his phone for notifications. An hour ago, Yeonjun and Beomgyu took their cars and drove away with Soobin and Taehyun. They're looking for signs of Taylor and her team, namely the limousine. Meanwhile, Kai's meant to stay here in case Taylor returns on her own.

Another hour passes. Sesame grows sleepy, cuddling up against his thigh and yawning so big that his jaw becomes bigger than his face. Kai leans back against the couch's headrest. He's just about to nod off when the door swings open and collides against the wall. Kai yelps at the bang as if he's turned into an anxious cat.

"You guys are ba—"

But when Huening Kai turns, he doesn't see his four teammates. Taylor bursts inside with her hair frazzled at the ends, her eyes swollen from crying. Her dress is also crumpled, and without turning to address Kai, she pivots quickly to the direction of her room. Her sniffling is apparent, and her usually confident strut is replaced with a heavy gait that makes the floorboards shiver.

"Taylor?" Huening Kai stands and heads toward the pop star. "What's wrong?"

Taylor turns around slowly, as if her mind is taking extra willpower to tell her body to move. For a second, Kai's expecting for her to change her mind and head straight for her cats. With her lipstick smudged across her face and her jaw quivering, she doesn't look like she'd want to explain herself. If anything, she looks ready to carry Meredith and Olivia and storm straight out Camp Heartbroken.

But instead, she steps forward and wraps Kai in a hug. Her sniffling turns into deep sobs that shake her entire body. Kai is shocked at first, but he quickly adjusts and returns the embrace. Despite what he believes of Taylor, he understands that even the strongest people can break down at times. He sees her as a role model, but if anything the vulnerability makes her more human. Her golden shell may be breaking, but there's a delicate jewel underneath.

"I really thought he was the one." She opens up in between gasps. "If you would ask me a week ago, whether I thought we would get married—I would've said yes and totally believed it."

Kai's heart shudders at the thought of what could've occurred in the span of one night. Still, he braves his tongue to ask the simple question. "What happened?"

Taylor gestures for him to follow her. On the living room couch, she slouches so dramatically it seems she's being swallowed by the cushions. She's nothing like her usual self. At the same time, her vulnerability brings Huening Kai to lean in a bit closer, to practice being the comforter for once.

"Our relationship was strained over the past few months," she admits. "I thought Miles was just in a slump, but it turns out... he's been feeling as if our relationship was trapping him." She almost breaks down again, but waves away the temptation by fanning her face with her hands. "We've been together for a whole year now. We've been through so much, so I thought anything would be possible for us. Who knew that he was unhappy for so long?"

Kai begins to tear up himself, but he straightens his back and makes eye contact even through his own insecurity. "It sounds like you did everything you could. It's not your fault, Taylor."

She heaves once but lifts herself back up and sweeps her gaze to the ceiling. "He's just a small town guy. I met him at one of my concerts. He saved up to get a VIP pass." She sighs, remembering the moment as if it brings a calming aroma. "At first, we thought it wouldn't work out. But he was willing—to face all the cameras, to be with me even through long distances, to understand me even when I didn't have time for him."

Kai wishes he had the other boys' support right now, but at the same time he's glad to return a bit of Taylor's many favors. "You really love him, and I'm really sorry. But... you don't deserve any of this heartbreak. That's what you always tell us, right? That we don't deserve the pain even though it comes like waves."

"But in my case," Taylor says. "I didn't spend enough time with him. I didn't ask the right questions when he was feeling uneasy. I wasn't a loving enough person."

"You're the most loving person I know," Huening Kai counters.

"It just wasn't enough. I  wasn't enough for him."

Huening Kai says nothing. He only reaches over to wrap an arm around his counselor's shoulders. He wishes he could help expedite the healing process for the singer, just like she's done for him and his teammates.

She continues with a somber rasp in her voice. "I thought we'd last forever. I would have given everything to make this relationship work. But in the end—" She pauses, as if not wanting to voice what she believes. "In the end he just doesn't want me."

Just then, two cars rumble up the road—the rest of Huening Kai's team. Taylor gets up abruptly, making a beeline toward her bedroom. "I'm so sorry," she says. "But I can't continue Camp Heartbroken like this. You boys may stay here, and I'll send you new mentorship from my team. But being like this... I can't lead you all when I'm broken myself."

A/N: Thank you so much for the support! I find that this book gives me healing in a way, through the pain of what I think I've lost. I hope you are relating to this story also, and that you are finding hope every day!