The second time they met, Mino felt like God was playing a game on the both of them.

2.

"It's my turn!"

Irene stood in front of the swing, arms akimbo, determined to have her turn. Now look, to the teachers, she's a complete angel, she's never done anything bad to her peers, never snitched on her classmates and was friendly to everyone including the kindergarten's janitors. Somehow, all her classmates loved her except one little boy.

Song Mino.

If Irene were to choose someone that she would greatly refuse to be friends with, it would be him. He stubbornly refused to give up the swing seat, no matter how much she prodded him. Her best friend, Seulgi, tried to get Mino to move but he still refused to.

"I'll give you the seat if you give me the cookies your mum bakes for you for lunch."

"NO!"

They squabbled back and forth until the bell rang.

"Let's go Seulgi, we won't play with him. He's a meanie."

--

Let's take it back to the first day when they met. Mino had just moved into the vacant house beside Irene's family and the first time he saw her, Mino thought she was cute, in her pigtails and overalls, looking every bit the angel she is. His mother encouraged him to make friends with the kids in the neighbourhood because she was worried that he was a new kid. Irene then, thought boys had cooties and refused to make friends with him. She stuck out her tongue at him and ran back into her house.

The second time when they met was at school, the teacher was doing introducing Mino to the class. That was when Mino found out that the girl who lives beside him is called Irene.

The next day, Irene received a note in her rain boots when she was waiting to get picked up by her parents.

Irene,

I hate you. Please go away.

Mino

Scrawled in his handwriting, Mino deposited the note during lunch time when he went back to get his lunch box. From then on, it started an feud between the both of them. Irene was so mad when she found the note that she burst into tears and dashed out to her parents' car.

The following day, their teacher had to call both of their parents down because Irene received a same note of the similar fashion from Mino again, this time handed to her during lunch by one of Mino's friends at school, Jackson. Mino was sent home with his parents after the adults were discussing then. He remembered seeing Irene upset at his note and wondered where he went wrong.

"Baby, why did you send that note to Irene?"

He looks up at his mum and tries to explain how he thinks Irene is the cutest girl that he has ever met and he has no idea how to tell her anything except that he hates her because Jackson said his older sister always tells her boyfriend that she hates him but they still kiss. Jackson had recounted the story to Mino with a grossed out face. He tells his mum everything that Jackson told him and she bursts out laughing, her laughter twinkling like wind chimes.

"That's not how you treat a girl, Mino. You got to be nice to her."

When Mino returned to school, Jackson said his older sister received a bouquet of flowers from her boyfriend. He claimed that all his sister received was a bunch of weeds dotted with white small flowers. Over lunch break, Mino and Jackwon went to the kindergarten's backyard where he singled out the weed looking things and said, "I'm sure my sister got those yesterday."

Mino picked a bunch of weeds and tried to hand it to Irene during lunch. She huffed and walked away after an earthworm climbed onto her finger. Mino still doesn't understand where he went wrong.

Ever since then, nothing seemed to go right for the both of them.

--

When Mino was 10 and Irene was 9, Mino's dad built a treehouse in the big oak tree in his backyard. He invited Jackson over and the both of them were pretending to be firefighters when Irene and Seulgi crashed into their house. Mino had insisted that the treehouse was boys only and demanded for Irene to leave.

"My dad built this treehouse for me! For boys only!!!"

When Irene was climbing down the rope ladder, she slipped and tumbled off a short distance onto the floor. Mino has never ever heard Irene cry like she did that day. His mother came running out to check on the noise and he sat on the treehouse porch watching with tears in his eyes as his mum cradled Irene into her arms. He didn't mean for this to happen when he told her to leave. Mrs Bae came running towards them and between the both of them, they carried Irene back to her house.

The next time he saw Irene was 2 days later, with a huge cast around her arm. Not to mention, Irene probably hated Mino more than anything after that incident.

--

When he was 14 and she was 13, a carnival came into town and all Mino wanted was to bring Irene out to the carnival.

Jackson told him to leave notes in Irene's locker as a "mysterious" admirer. He did exactly as he was told, leaving notes asking her to come to the carnival with him without his name signed.

Irene did end up going to the carnival but not with Mino. He stumbled into Bobby asking her to the carnival when he was trying to take a shortcut from the cafeteria to the science block.

"Look, Irene, I was wondering if you would want to go to the carnival with me?"

"So, you're the one who's been sending me notes?"

"What notes?" Bobby asked, confused.

"Hey Irene, we got to go. We're almost late!" Seulgi hollered at her around the corner.

"See you at the carnival, Bobby!"

Mino didn't tell her and she didn't bring up the notes to Bobby again.

--

When he was 15, the school had their first winter ball. This time, he was late to asking Irene again and watched from next door as Jinwoo turned up to whisk his princess away to the ball.

Jackson swung by to get Mino to attend the ball and offered to make Mino his date because they were bros.

Mino thought then, that Irene was the prettiest girl he has ever seen in a gown.

--

When he was 16, he tried confessing to her once. Irene thought that it was a practical joke and gave away his chocolates to Seulgi.

--

When he was 18, his parents got into an accident and the house was left to him. His relatives came to attend the funeral and all of them kept wanting Mino to transfer the ownership of the house to them. He stood in a corner with Jackson, trying to conceal himself from the vultures. When the funeral was done, he felt relieved that he didn't have to deal with any more of his relatives.

Mino, at that point, wanted to do anything to get out of the small town. It was slowly becoming a painful reminder of where he spent most of his childhood, with his loving parents and where he spend most of his time loving a girl who never once looked back at him.

He didn’t sell the house, but moved in with Jackson in the city where they both attended college.

Mino never bid farewell to her.

--

When he was 25, he was a high flyer. He had a stable job at the bank, no lack of girls queueing up to snag him as their boyfriend as well as a part time job of being a lightbulb.

He still lived with Jackson, the both of them moving into bigger and bigger apartments as they both climbed higher and higher up the social ladder. Seulgi joined them 3 years ago as a roommate, when she had an internship at a photography firm in the city. Mino never asked her about Irene. He welcomed her when she moved in and claimed that she could help to balance the mess that the two boys can create. By the end of her internship, Jackson and Seulgi were going steady and she decided to move in for good.

Mino could always tell that Seulgi had a thing for Jackson and vice versa. He was glad that things worked out the way that they wanted to. He came home from work one day to find both Jackson and Seulgi seated at the dining table, hushed over 2 envelopes.

“What’s that?”

He snatched one out of Jackson’s grip.

“Hey man, don’t!”

This invitation cordially invites Song Mino and your partner to witness the holy matrimony of both Kim Taehyung, and Irene Bae.

“She’s getting married?”

Jackson grimaced at the look on his friend’s face.

“Yeah, it happens two weeks from now.”

Seulgi looks at him, “Do you want us to say no for you?”

Mino jolts awake from his daze.

“Nah, I will attend. I should have time, when do you two plan to leave the city for this?”

“We’re looking at one week in advance.”

Seulgi elbows Jackson when he tries to protest.

“I’ll be fine. Do you guys want to crash at my old house?”

Jackson covers Seulgi’s mouth and explains that he already made plans with his parents to move back home for that one week. Mino hums in agreement and stalks back into his room, the door slamming. The couple lets out a breath they don’t realise that they’ve been holding.

“He took that well.”

“It’s been years, Wang. I’m sure he’s gotten over her.”

--

In his room, Mino hears muffled discussion streaming in from the living room.

“It’s been years, Wang. I’m sure he’s gotten over her.”

Yeah, I ing wished.

--

It’s been a few years since he’s stepped into this place. Nothing changed but nothing seems familiar to him anymore. He looks around the place in a glance. Ever since he left, he has been paying a cleaner to come in once every two weeks to make sure that the furniture is dusted and kept in place. He used to struggle with paying the cleaner when he was younger, but now it wasn’t that much of a difficulty for him anymore.

He slowly traces over the family photos hung on top of the fireplace, where his parents looked back at him warmly with smiles in their faces. His own childhood home, constructed out of love and dreams wrapped him in its warmth once again as he settled onto the couch. Suddenly, he hears a screech, a bark and a series of giggles following the previous sounds.

He steps out onto his back porch where he sees someone chasing after another person in dark hair.

It’s her. Her dark hair flowing in the wind. Her back view, familiar to his eyes comes into his peripheral view again. He should know that that’s her, after all he spent most of his childhood staring at her back view as she stomped away from him in anger on most incidents.

She giggles and he snaps back into reality. She’s caged in the embrace of a brunette haired man as he hugs her from the back, the golden retriever bounding around both their legs. Mino watches as the unknown man spins her around and catches her in his arms. The sprinklers are on as Irene tries to escape from him.

Mino turns away from the scene and steps back into his house. It’s too private for him to continue looking.

Irene looks up at the same time the door swings shut, and wonders if she imagined it.

--

Throughout the week, Mino barely left the house at all other than the day before the wedding, he went to visit his parents’ graves. When he reached their grave, the stone is still warm as if someone has just been there. A bouquet of chrysanthemums sat, leaning against the stone. He sets down his own bouquet.

“How have you been? Mum and Dad? Are you still happily in love in heaven? I’m sorry I still don’t have anyone to bring to show off to the both of you. I’m still working on that. I’m living okay with Jackson in the city. We’re both no longer struggling to pay the bills. Remember Seulgi, mum? She’s now Jackson’s girlfriend and they are so happy in love. I might get diabetes from the sugar in the air.”

He sighs and continues.

“Mum, don’t you wish I had the guts to explain to her how I felt about her? Then maybe, I’ll be here with her today and not alone. Dad, I know you’ve always told me to love the girl I want to love with my whole heart. I did Dad. Even until now. So what do I do now?”

If only he knew someone else came before him and asked his parents the same question.

“Mama Song, I wonder how you’re doing in heaven? I’m doing fine here. I have Taehyung and we’re getting married this weekend. I’m so sorry that I’ve never told your son I love him. What would have been different if I did? I hope you’ll give Taehyung and me your blessings. I’m sorry for being this selfish regarding your son. I’ll come back with Taehyung the next time and introduce him to you. I miss you.”

--

On the day of the wedding, Mino turned up in a suit, cleanly pressed with a bow tie. He gets a text from Jackson that asks him to come to the back of the chapel. He searches for the room that Jackson sends him and gently pushes the door open. Seulgi and Jackson were standing in front of him, their backs facing him as they chatted with Irene. Jackson turns around at the sound of the door and pulls Mino into the room.

“Hey, we’ll leave you both to it. Wang and I will keep your seat for you, Mino.”

“Thanks,” he murmured as they brushed past him.

He looks at Irene, seated on the couch and feels his surroundings spin. She looks more gorgeous than ever, close up compared to the last time he saw her, in her backyard. She scoots over and invites him to sit down beside her.

“Hi.”

“Hey,” he whispers back softly as if she was made of precious china that would shatter at loud noises.

Irene chuckles and Mino feels like it was as if angels were singing hymns in his ears. Oh god, how he missed her laugh.

“How’ve you been?”

“Fine, what about you?”

She gestures to her surroundings before letting out another giggle, “Busy being Bridezilla. I’m sure Taehyung’s sister and mother hates me now.”

They fall into a comfortable silence as Mino thinks about how literally no one can hate Irene. She’s made of the fluffiest cotton candy, sweet and warm.

“So I-”

“That day I-”

They both laughed nervously.

“You first.”

Irene asks him about how long he’s been back and how long he will stay, and he lies, saying that he’s only been here since yesterday and will leave tonight. The first part was a lie but the second part was barely the truth. He would stay to have a dance with her and drive back to the city by himself. He has yet to tell Jackson about this, he reminds himself. Mino can’t stand to stay in this town anymore.

“Oh, I was thinking we could take a trip back to the school with both Jackson and Seul.”

“Ah…”

They both lapse into another silence until someone knocked on the door.

“The wedding’s about to start, Irene are you ready?”

Mino rises from his seat.

“I should get going. I’ll see you later after the vows?”

“Sure! I’ll introduce you to Taehyung later. Thank you for coming by, it means a lot to me.”

“Anytime,” he makes a move towards the door.

“You look beautiful, by the way.”

And I wish that I was the one standing at the altar.

--

“Will you, Irene Bae, take Kim Taehyung to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day onwards, in better or worse, in poverty or richness, in sickness or health, to love and cherish till death do you apart?”

“I do.”

“Will you, Kim Taehyung, take Irene Bae to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day onwards, in better or worse, in poverty or richness, in sickness or health, to love and cherish till death do you apart?”

“I do.”

“You may now kiss the bride.”

Irene squeals as Taehyung dips her into a kiss.

Jackson turns around and Mino is gone.

Irene stands at the altar, oblivious to this fact, her face glowing.

He receives a text instead.

I’m driving back to the city now. Please pass on my well wishes to Irene. See you on Monday.

In this life, they weren’t each others to hold.

Sorry for this being so depressing, Taeyeon's U R has a way of doing things to my head. The next update should be coming soon. :) I hope this concept isnt too confusing to grasp, it's actually a telling of how mino&irene live their lives across different aus as they keep trying to come back to each other. AKA me trying to challenge myself into writing as many different aus i can but keeping within the boundaries of this ship and keeping it real. Please feedback if you can, I want opinions so I can work on my writing. hehe thank you.

-S.