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Talking to one another on the phone became a nightly routine for Aeri and Donghyuck. They've been conversing for a month now, and it was finally December. Aeri was excited to fly back to Taiwan to see her dad and her cousins, and also to see NCT perform live.
Donghyuck, on the other hand, was in Hong Kong which wasn't too far away from Aeri. He knew how excited she was to fly back, and he also knew the only night he'd be able to see her would be the night of the concert.
He was unsure if he should keep his identity from her because he didn't completely trust her. Hell, Donghyuck doesn't trust any girls after Mina. Mina would text him from time to time to check up on him, and sometimes he would receive drunk text messages from her saying she regrets not being with him. Aeri knew Donghyuck's situation and told him it was a sign that Mina will come back to him.
But for some reason, Donghyuck wasn't as excited as before. Donghyuck was more excited over his late night calls with Aeri, but he couldn't tell her that. She was still in love with her brother's best friend, In Ho. Confused, he still held onto the hope in being with Mina but clung to an immense hope into seeing Aeri in real life.
Aeri was at the airport on a cold December afternoon. She checked in all her bags happily, knowing she was so close to her concert day. She wasn't expecting any surprises that day, but someone called out her name. She turned around to see In Ho panting.
"Aeri!" he called out one more time. She ran towards the boy who obviously looked like he chased after her.
"Oppa? What are you doing here?" she questioned, starting to blush. Frankly, she was confused on why he was there in the first place. Especially because he bailed on her the first time.
"I wanted to ask you to go on a date with me when you come back. I was thinking about it, but I realized you were leaving for Taiwan."
When Aeri heard those words, she was shocked. Fr some reason, she didn't feel as happy as she would've two months ago. But a part of her still liked him and was happy he asked her out.
"Okay," she smiled. He tugged her in for a hug, and when he pulled away, he smiled at the ground. They talked for a bit, and then afterward said their goodbyes.
Aeri couldn't believe her longtime crush asked her on a date. But, there was a bigger worry on her mind, Sunny. She held on a larger hope of meeting Sunny in person.
She boarded the plane and slept for an hour and before she knew it, she already landed in Taiwan. Her heart beat fast in excitement knowing she was going to see her dad again.
Donghyuck and the NCT members landed in Taiwan at the same time, but of course in different planes. Everyone in NCT was escorted by large bodyguards to make sure nobody can see them. See, Donghyuck knew Aeri was in the same airport as him, so while the boys were being escorted, he snuck out of the private building and went to the main luggage area instead.
He was wearing a coughing mask and a black hat which covered his eyes. Donghyuck sat on a bench near a vending machine and searched for Aeri everywhere. He recognized a girl who struggled too hard to pull her luggage, and at that moment, they made eye contact.
Donghyuck rapidly ran back to the private building so nobody else can see him, and the only thought that popped up in his head was not Mina, but Aeri.
