Reboot the heyday

Back at Ji-eun's house, Wang Taika parked the car and went upstairs.

The battery in Ji-eun's door lock needs replacing; the fingerprint recognition isn't very sensitive, and it took two presses to open.

Wang Taika tiptoed into the room. The light in the entryway was still on; it was left on by Liu Renna when she left.

The living room was quiet. On the sofa, Ji-eun was still asleep, wrapped tightly in a blanket, with only a small section of her hair showing.

Kind of cute.

Wang Taika walked over and squatted down to look at Zhi En. She was sleeping soundly, breathing evenly, with a slight smile playing on her lips; she was probably having a sweet dream.

There was a sticky note on her forehead. Wang Taika quietly took it off and then gently brushed away the stray hairs on Ji-eun's forehead.

Ji-eun hasn't woken up yet.

"Sleeping like a pig," Wang Taika muttered under his breath.

I checked the time; it was past 2 a.m.

Sleeping at this hour wasn't an option, nor was staying awake. Wang Taika thought for a moment, then decided to take a shower. The hot water washed away some of the day's fatigue.

I suddenly remembered how I used to stick sticky notes on Ji-eun's face with Yoo In-na, and I couldn't help but laugh.

After showering, Ji-eun was still asleep. Wang Taika turned off the living room lights, leaving only the small nightlight in the hallway. He hesitated for a moment, then instead of going to the guest room, he took a blanket and sat down on the rug next to the sofa.

It's not that I don't want to sleep in the bed, it's that I'm afraid Ji-eun won't see me when she wakes up. She's sleeping so soundly, so I shouldn't bother her.

Wang Taika leaned back on the sofa, draped a blanket over his lap, and picked up his phone to scroll through it. There was no important news; Duck King reported that negotiations with Samsung were finalizing smoothly, and the venue approvals for f(x)'s European tour had been granted. Everything was proceeding according to plan.

Although I was bored out of my mind, I felt a rare sense of peace.

Wang Taika turned his head. The light from the nightlight was dim, barely enough to outline Ji-eun's blurry silhouette. But Wang Taika knew what she looked like; he could draw her with his eyes closed. He had seen her at her most disheveled and at her most radiant. He had seen her shine brightly on stage and also seen her curled up on the sofa eating alone, chili oil smeared on her lips, yet still defiantly declaring, "I didn't eat."

This person belongs to me.

Thinking of this, Wang Taika suddenly felt a sense of peace that he couldn't quite explain.

This is perhaps one of Wang Taika's few true strengths: he always reflects on himself from time to time, wondering if he has become numb to the hard-won relationship over time. After each reflection, Wang Taika cherishes the present moment even more.

Too many people are complacent and forget that there is no such thing as destiny in this world. When happiness comes, they subconsciously take it for granted.

Of course, Wang Taika was like that in the past. But now he has the ability to re-anchor to happiness and perceive happiness countless times.

This wasn't the kind of dramatic, heart-pounding excitement, but something deeper and more stable, like a ship finally docking at the shore, or like finally sitting down after a long journey.

Wang Taika closed his eyes, listened to Ji-eun's even breathing, and slowly fell asleep.

He had three or four dreams, and after an unknown amount of time, Wang Taika felt someone pulling his hair. His consciousness returned slightly, and he completely forgot the original dreams.

Wang Taika frowned, didn't open his eyes, and mumbled, "Stop messing around."

"Terrorist, I'm going to kick you in the face. You won't be angry, will you?"

"Ok?"

Wang Taika slowly opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was IU's magnified face. She was lying on the edge of the sofa, her hair hanging down like a curtain, enveloping the two of them in a small space.

"You're awake?" Wang Taika's voice was hoarse from just waking up.

Ji-eun didn't answer, she just stared at Wang Taika, her eyes filled with the hazy look of someone who had just woken up, and something else.

"What's wrong?" Wang Taika asked.

"You were just talking in your sleep, it sounded like you called out a girl's name." Ji-eun pouted. Wang Taika snapped out of his daze and touched his hair: "What? How come you didn't know?"

"You were talking in your sleep." Ji-eun said angrily, "I woke up to see what you looked like when you were sleeping. But you were just mumbling something, saying a name. I couldn't hear it, but it sounded like a girl."

Wang Taika felt utterly wronged: "This is completely fabricated! I know nothing, yet I'm convicted like this? And why did you pull my hair over this?"

"Not only that, I also want to stomp on your face!" Ji-eun was a little jealous.

I'm not just making trouble out of nothing, Ji-eun really heard Wang Taika muttering a name, but she couldn't make it out, and it sounded like a girl.

If Wang Taika hadn't woken up and had continued muttering, then jealous Ji-eun would definitely have stomped on him, really.

"Now I understand how wronged Yue Fei was." Wang Taika stretched.

"You slept on the floor last night?" Ji-eun's voice was hoarse, as if her throat hadn't opened up yet.

"Ah."

Why don't you go to bed?

Wang Taika laughed and said, "Listening to your breathing helps me sleep."

Ji-eun pursed her lips, reached out, and touched Wang Taika's face, her fingers cool: "Terrorist, did you take Inna unnie home last night?"

Wang Taika nodded: "Mm."

"What did you say on the way?" Ji-eun asked.

Wang Taika thought for a moment and then said what he could: "We talked about life and about letting go. She said she had figured some things out and thanked me."

Ji-eun tilted her head: "Thank you for what?"

"Thank you for helping her put a period to that period. It wasn't really my fault; it was about her past relationships, and I gave her some advice," Wang Taika said. "You know, my inspirational words are pretty good."

"It's very toxic, but very useful." Ji-eun smiled, withdrew her hand, turned over, and lay facing the ceiling.

Wang Taika sat up from the floor and stretched his stiff neck. Sleeping on the carpet next to the sofa was fine for one night, but sleeping on it for a long time would definitely strain his back.

"What time is it?" Ji-eun yawned.

Wang Taika glanced at his phone: "It's just past seven."

"So early," Ji-eun muttered, but showed no intention of going back to sleep. She lay there for a while, then suddenly sat up, the blanket slipping off her body to reveal a wrinkled knit sweater underneath.

"Terrorist, I'm hungry."

Wang Taika smiled: "What do you want to eat?"

"Whatever." Ji-eun paused, then added, "It has to be made by you; ordering takeout won't do."

Wang Taika stood up and dusted off imaginary dust. "Okay, wait a minute. I haven't cooked in ages, have some porridge. Wait a minute, I need to see what you have at home. You've been gone so long, everything must be broken, right?"

Ji-eun laughed, "We went to the supermarket yesterday, so there must be some left. Anyway, I'm waiting to eat it. Aigoo, this is so nice. It feels like we've gone back to the old days, when we lived upstairs and downstairs. I can finally order you around anytime, I'm so happy!"

Wang Taika thought about it and realized it was true; it was a long-lost warmth. But he still felt like something was missing. What was it?

Oh, I remember now. Wang Taika said to Ji-eun, "Ji-eun, quickly call me 'Oppa' so I can hear it!"

Ji-eun understood immediately and laughed, "Shut up, shut up, you terrorist!"

Yes, that's all I needed! Now it's perfect! (End of Chapter)