❛ 𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐥𝐚𝐧. 𝗇𝖼𝗍 𝖺𝖽𝖽𝖾𝖽 𝗆𝖾𝗆𝖻𝖾𝗋

◎ Watermelon ◎

Chaehyun felt...good.

He had been frequently attending therapy sessions and the weight on his shoulders wasn't as heavy. Of course, he's still got the weight and void there, but he was coping. Therapy seemed to make things...less sufferable and the group seemed to notice a change in Chaehyun's attitude. He seemed almost happier.

For the longest time, Chaehyun felt like he couldn't breathe. Like he was carrying the world on his shoulders. His brain was clogged up with just so much emotion that he hadn't been able to get out. His mental health wasn't 100% healed, of course, but it wasn't as hard to deal with.

Smiling, he slid into his car and placed the sunglasses over his eyes before starting up his car. He didn't go to the company like he had planned to, no he decided to go the destination in which the smallest but first step to his recovery. He bobbed his head along to the soft tune playing on his radio.

Pulling up, he unbuckled his seatbelt and jumped out of the car. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he began walking towards the wall. The wall where Taeyong first caught him smoking again. Sighing, he placed his back against the brick and let out a breath.

He glanced around at his surroundings and smiled. Everything seemed much brighter. Chaehyun was aware of the downs he would still suffer through, but he was in a good mood for now and thinking about future bad moods wasn't necessary.

Sliding his phone out of the pocket of his skinny black jeans, he pressed his thumb against the button and just like that, he was met with the range of apps laid out across the picture of him and Lucas. Smiling to himself, he opened up his contacts and scrolled to the familiar one that read 'Mother Dearest'

Sending a brief quick text, he locked his phone and placed it back in his home and folded his arms. It was nice to be alone with his thoughts, to evaluate everything he had been through.

He'd grown so much, he wasn't the best behaved and he certainly wasn't the greatest role model, but he'd grown up. He stood up for what he believed in, he proved that men were just as much effected by mental health, he showed that breaking down every now and then is okay and he proved that loving each other is important by constantly being there for his members.

Chaehyun wasn't the best behaved and he didn't have the cleanest past, but he likes to think of himself as an example. Of someone who was so low to someone who kept up the fight. He was the perfect example of 'things get better'. Chaehyun had given some – not all – but some the hope that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

It's not the easiest battle to fight, mental health is a deadly war because there's nothing more toxic than trying to win a fight that is against yourself. It's okay not to be okay, it's even more okay if the only thing you achieved today was breathing – Chaehyun had managed to learn that, though sometimes he will lose himself, he knows that he'll get through it.

He always does.

"Reflecting?" Chaehyun tore his gaze from the gravel beneath his feet and cast it towards the left where he found a smiling Taeyong, heading towards him with a small smile. "You looked deep in thought."

Chaehyun nodded. "I was."

"Care to share or am I not cool enough to get inside the brain of Mr Kim Chaehyun?"

Chaehyun placed his hand on his chin, pretending to think. He narrowed his eyes and glanced up at the sky as he 'thought' about it. He then dropped his hand with a nod.

"You're average. I guess I can let you in. Though you don't get to go the VIP section of my brain, that's for mega cool dudes only." Chaehyun cringed at his own words and the pair chuckled. "I'm just thinking about my life. How far I've come."

Taeyong nodded. If there's anyone in this world who knows Chaehyun's recovery the best and is the proudest of it, it's Taeyong. He had been there the longest helping him through it, he was the first one to be let in by Chaehyun. Taeyong couldn't be any prouder of the progress he has watched happen right before his eyes.

"It seems like it was just yesterday I was scolding you about getting back into smoking and handing you that watermelon chewing gum." Taeyong grinned.

"I still rely on those."

"I know. The amount of times Doyoung has screamed about you leaving the wrappers in different parts of the dorm—somehow multiple ended up in his bed. He was raging," Taeyong informed him.

Chaehyun giggled evilly. "Yeah I know I put them there in purpose. He yelled at me and I didn't like it so I decided to kiss him off more by pouring them in his bed."

Only Chaehyun. Taeyong shook his head with a fond smile. "You sure are a troublemaker, Chaechae."

"I know. It's in my blood."

"It sure is. You are the most annoying human I think I've ever had the pleasure to meet but honestly, I can't imagine my life without having you causing a chaos in it. You make my job as leader much harder but semi pleasurable. It's quite amusing seeing you misbehaving for other people."

Chaehyun smiled and kicked a stone that had been innocently laying beside his shoe. He stuffed his hand in his pocket nodded. "I am the life the party. When I'm around you know something eventful is going to take place. I'm the least boring person on Earth."

"I was gonna say I don't know how Lucas puts up with you but he's just as chaotic as you. Anyway, we better get to the company before Jungwoo flips his lid. He's missed you today for some reason. I think he's in clingy mode."

Chaehyun grinned. Jungwoo's clingy mode was Chaehyun's favourite. It's no secret that he finds him adorable so when he's clingy it's just extra cuteness for Chaehyun's heart to be blessed with.

"Oh but before we go, take this."

Chaehyun glances down as Taeyong slid something into his palm before turning on his heel. Furrowing his eyebrows, Chaehyun looked down at his hand and opened it to reveal a green little square with a familiar scent flaring up from it.

Chaehyun grinned widely down at it before heading after his leader with the oh so familiar treat in his hand.

A piece of watermelon chewing gum.

________________
So this is the last official chapter of this book. The next chapter will just be about the second book which will be published soon. I decided to just do a chapter relating back to the first proper chapter of this book because really that's where his journey began.

Thank you so much for everything, I am excited to continue Chae's journey in the next book.

Thank you so much for reading, this wasn't proofread, I've literally had no sleep but I hope you enjoyed anyway.

As always, you are greatly appreciated, I love you💚

And I will see you in book two — or in one of my other books but you get the memo.

- Blue x