Kibum thinks that these two college kids are idiots.  It’s not because he thinks all college kids are idiots, but it’s just that these two kids don’t understand how much it would cost just to drive up to Olympia. But it seems as though they don’t really seem to care. Two kids break someone’s apartment’s window. Usually most people would get upset, but it’s Taeyeon, and she rarely cares for things like that. With her frugal lifestyle and her minimalistic lifestyle, it’s easy to understand why she wouldn’t get too hurt about something like that. She only needs a library, a warm room, and tea to really feel alive.

It’s hard to understand why though. He knew her back in her college days. He knew her when she drank until she out. He knew her when she cried in her sorority house because this wasn’t what she was expecting. He knew her when the only things that she could discuss with others was make up, grades, and volunteer work. But when she sits on her kitchen counter, her dark hair cascades like waterfalls and a look of serenity, he understands why she would never go back to her college days. She’ll never go back to the “ratchet” or “lit” life, but finds her peace busying herself with work behind the tall buildings, and beautiful words.

“A sixteen hour trip. Are you sure you two could do it alone?” Taeyeon asks, concerned. Kibum knows her too well. She would never let some young kids do something like this all by themselves. “Kibum, can you call the repairman? I can spend some money on my windows,” Taeyeon remembers. It’s something he admires about Taeyeon. She always remembers how they got to this point, but there are always other things that entertain her thoughts. Kibum nods his head while he dials numbers that he isn’t used to.

He starts to move when the girl smiles and says, “Not really. I’m not sure how we’re doing this.” Kibum has to think these two are incredibly courageous or extremely stupid. When he’s about to press the call button, he feels all the bones in his body start to go mad because two college idiots should never do something without some kind of plan, and what happens if they run out of gas? What if they’re stranded? The scenarios race through his mind and he tosses the phone to the tall kid who’s still sipping on some kind of tea and sighs in frustration.

“Taeyeon, never trust Tweedledee and Tweedledum for road trips,” he warns before the girl can interrupt his wise words of advice. He pulls out a piece of paper from the printer, takes a pen, and sits down on the kitchen counter. He points to Wheein and gestures her with one finger to come sit down.

“Spontaneous road trips always go wrong. You need a plan and I don’t expect you or him to be very good at planning. I bet you’ve changed your majors seven times and are going to be in school for another three years,” Kibum shoots.

It’s not necessarily wrong. It’s three times for Wonwoo, and Wheein never had to worry about something like that. Taeyeon smiles because two idiotic college kids have convinced Kibum to care about them. She slides in next to Kibum while Wonwoo decides to call the repairman. Kibum opens up his laptop and continues to rant about the stupidity of college age students. His fingers quickly type addresses and distances, Google Maps is Kibum’s good friend, and Taeyeon smiles when he looks in her direction.

Kibum knows better than let two kids drive for that long. He also knows that Taeyeon is probably going to offer her car to the two of them, two complete strangers, and not care. And it’s because the two remind him of Taeyeon and him, but he isn’t surprised with what comes out of his mouth. They remind him of too much of their younger years when travel was always on their mind, when school became a boring topic to talk about, and they rather have more experiences that were worth talking about.

“We’re coming along if this is going down, got it?” Kibum commands when he turns to Wheein. It’s not that Kibum trusts Taeyeon. He trusts her with most of his being, but he’d rather play it safe than play it reckless when it comes to losing that good of a car. Heaven knows that Kibum would love to keep her car if he could.

“Of course, I wouldn’t want it any other way,” she smiles. “Though Tweedledee and Tweedledum have names. Wheein and Wonwoo.”

Well, it’s kind of a start.

It’s almost as though Kibum is talking to a completely different person. The kid outside isn’t this girl next to him, who is jotting down notes, or trying to figure out if it would be a good idea where resting places would be. Gone is the hyperactive spark in her eyes, instead, he watches as her clear mind goes through any kind of variable. They think about the worst case scenarios. The headlight dies, there’s a flat tire, if they run out of gas, other essentials for the trip, and the smile on her lips. Kibum is confused by these two kids. That’s saying something because he works with youth every single day. He’s not sure what’s different about these guys.

Wonwoo comes out while monotonously telling Taeyeon that the window repair guy will be coming in a few hours, and the estimate isn’t too much. Wheein looks at Wonwoo in concern, but the other two don’t seem to notice. Wonwoo is shaking a bit, his eyes are off into space, and he sits across from Wheein. He’s not all the way there, and it’s obvious in the way he twiddles with a pen, the way he looks at the mug in front of him, and yet the older two don’t notice any of it. Wonwoo is closing in on a mental breakdown, but Wheein doesn’t say anything because he doesn’t want anyone to know. He fakes interest. He fakes a smile and quietly listens to the conversation.

Wheein, who doesn’t look up from her notes, states, “Wonwoo, you should probably get going. I’ll let you know everything when we meet tomorrow.” Her voice isn’t as free-spirited and careless like before. It’s laced with finality and a hint of concern.

Kibum looks over to Wonwoo. He seems fine. There’s no evidence that he needs to go home, or that he isn’t feeling comfortable. There is a college kid who smiles at the three of them and nods his head. “Let me know when you get home safely,” Wheein adds and Wonwoo smiles softly again. Wonwoo gets up from his spot and starts his trek first. His steps are light and he starts to hum to a song as he leaves the apartment.

Kibum isn’t used to people who can get so serious so easily. He isn’t used to changes that seem so abrupt and jagged. Wheein puts her phone on the countertop, waiting for Wonwoo’s text. It’s strange, Kibum thinks. Wheein manages to change her focus in the blink of the eye. It seems almost impossible.

“How is she able to do that?” Kibum whispers to Taeyeon. The girl doesn’t have the answer either, but Wheein doesn’t seem fazed by anything. Her mind is focused on one thing and one thing only, this trip that needs to be somewhat planned. She shoots questions out quickly. Taeyeon and Kibum listen to her authority. Her charismatic voice. There is no end in sight. Things finish so quickly that when Wonwoo finally texts her, she just tells him that she’s glad that he got home easily and she’ll send him the notes when she gets home. Wheein’s lively smile appears on her face and she tells them that she’ll see them in a few days, leaves her number on the table, and lets Kibum take her home.

“Do you do this a lot?” he asks first when they get tucked into in his car. She turns on the radio, turns up the heat, and sighs dejectedly. The smile disappear again and Kibum can feel the burden being lifted from her shoulders.

“I like playing leader sometimes. You get so tired of being the quiet girl during meetings. Tired of seeing the holes in discussion,” she replies plainly. “I’ve always hated my personality. I’m surprised you’d even ask me questions. People have a tendency not to care about anyone else but themselves. Thanks for thinking that I’m worth some interest,” she finishes. They don’t say anything for awhile. She just sits in her seat and listens to the top 100 songs. “Are you surprised?” she asks after a while. As comfortable as the silence is, she just wants to know about people.

“By what?” he asks. She tells him to turn left at the intersection.

“How we acted? Is it weird?”

“A little bit. I thought you were just some kind of hoodlum who wanted petty revenge.”

“It’s been a weird day.”

“Let’s not think about it though. You seem like a pretty interesting person. Glad that Taeyeon let you two in.”

Wheein shrugs her shoulders and they don’t say anything anymore. He drops her off and she thanks him for the ride. She goes into her apartment building, sighs, and Kibum disappears. Wheein says her hello to the RA on duty, she bites back the worries that try to chain her to the ground. This trip will be good for her. It will be good for Wonwoo. She won’t get scared when the going gets tough. She’ll be okay. Everything will just be okay. Her smile disappears, and she wishes things would be perfect. She wishes everything would be completely okay. She wishes that her breath doesn’t disappear when she tries to be in a group. Her body wants to collapse and everything around her is crumbling. Her eyes stare at her phone. Wonwoo is tired and Wheein knows better than to give him some of her burdens.

“Are you sure you want to do this, Kibum?” Taeyeon phones him.

“They seem interesting. I’m sure it’s going to be a worthwhile experience.”

“If you’re really okay with this then be prepared for anything.”

“Alright. Hauling two college strangers doesn’t seem like a bad idea.”

“You sound crazy.”

“When was I not?”

“See you soon then.”

There is something strange when they hang up. Kibum exhales the breath he holds. His eyes look out into the emptiness of LA. There are no stars in their sky, there is no moon, there are only blinking lights from a city that doesn’t know when to sleep. He stares at his phone and on nights like these, he wishes he could text him and tell him what happened today. He doesn’t. He knows it’s for the better. Don’t text a person that doesn’t want your attention. On nights like these, he really wishes there is someone he can talk to, someone he can say something to.