**Chapter 8: "The Return"**

The moment Kim Chaewon stepped off the plane in Korea, he felt a mix of emotions swirling in his chest. It had been eight months since he'd left, and he was returning home with a sense of trepidation. He had thought that studying abroad would help him move on from Minjoo, but the memories of their time together lingered, refusing to be erased. As he made his way through customs and baggage claim, Chaewon couldn't help but feel a sense of disconnection. Everything looked different, yet eerily familiar. He hailed a taxi and gave the driver his address, wondering what the next few days would bring. The taxi ride was a blur, and before he knew it, they were pulling up to his family's house. Chaewon's stomach twisted into knots as he stepped out of the taxi and onto the familiar driveway. He took a deep breath, preparing himself for the days ahead. The next morning, Chaewon woke up feeling restless. He had no plans for the day, and the silence of his room was oppressive. He decided to take a walk around the neighborhood, getting reacquainted with the streets and alleys he used to know so well. As he strolled through the familiar streets, Chaewon's eyes scanned the crowds, half-expecting to catch a glimpse of Minjoo. But she was nowhere to be seen. He felt a pang of disappointment, wondering if she was even thinking about him. The days passed, and Chaewon struggled to adjust to his new reality. He was cold, distant, and emotionally closed off, unsure of how to react to the world around him. His parents and friends noticed the change in him, but he brushed off their concerns, telling them he was just tired from the long flight. At school, Chaewon kept to himself, observing his classmates from a distance. He spotted Minjoo several times, but she seemed just as busy, rushing to and from classes with a determined look on her face. Chaewon's heart skipped a beat whenever he saw her, but he forced himself to look away, unsure of how to approach her. Minjoo, on the other hand, was desperate to speak with Chaewon. She had thought about him nonstop since his return, wondering what he was thinking, feeling, and planning. She tried to approach him several times, but he ignored her, creating a painful distance between them. As the days turned into weeks, Minjoo's anxiety grew. She couldn't concentrate in class, and her relationships with her friends began to suffer. She felt like she was losing her grip on reality, and all she wanted was to talk to Chaewon, to know if he still felt the same way. But Chaewon remained elusive, a ghost haunting the halls of their school. Minjoo's heart ached with every passing day, and she began to wonder if she would ever be able to break through the walls he had built around himself. The tension between them was palpable, a living, breathing thing that seemed to pulse with its own rhythm. And as they went about their daily lives, Chaewon and Minjoo couldn't help but feel like they were dancing around each other, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Little did they know, their chance encounter was just around the corner, one that would change the course of their lives forever.