Soo was snoring, which wasn’t a rare sight- she slept in the library everyday. It was barely audible anyways, but every once in a while she’d snort.

It was a typical Friday, deemed a little hotter with the approaching heat of summer. Accompanied with the muffled ticking of the clock, the air conditioner grumbled and wheezed cold air. The library was always pretty empty on Fridays. There were the occasional one or two students who stayed to finish homework before the weekend but that was it.

She napped facing the windows, giving a brief glance to the view outside right before falling asleep. Strangely, Soo felt safer sleeping in a library than her own home, not that anything actually gave her the reason to feel that way. Usually she’d sleep until the librarian made her everyday rounds, tapping her awake, but today, she woke up earlier. An hour before closing time to be exact. She wondered why it bothered her more than it should, but she quickly scuttled her way home before it got dark.

It was a routine she never thought to break- she went to school, slept in the library, and would afterwards stroll home after a quick nap. She was never motivated enough to finish her homework there; the librarian never minded anyways. It was always during her walk home that Soo wanted to go back.

Home was boring; she didn’t exactly live with anyone. She seldom ever saw her aunt come home and the rest of the family lived overseas. Rarely, Minghao would pay a visit, a very brief one at that, and then leave after he spent a little bit of time checking up on her before his curfew. He worked, and she didn’t; he’d bring leftovers from his family’s restaurant that lasted for a good few days. She offered to pay him back several times, but he knew she’d never be able to earn that money back. The money she offered was for her to survive, not pay someone back. It wasn’t like Minghao minded anyways, and Soo greatly appreciated his help. Her aunt always left her a couple of bills on the table, but it had been a few weeks since Soo actually saw her face.

Soo called Minghao over early; she had around two hours of time to spend with him if his parents allowed him to end his shift early. They did, and after just twenty minutes of waiting, Minghao happily stomped in with a week’s worth of Chinese takeout. They talked happily; Minghao urged her to eat but it was still too early. The two started their conversation on where they left off a week ago.

They sat on the couch; Minghao didn’t mind it when she laid herself on his lap. Comfortably nuzzled in his warmth, Soo smiled as he went on and on about last week’s conversation.

“I mean, I’m pretty sure it’s fake, but if you ever find him you’d be pretty lucky. Or crazy, I don’t know.”

“I heard that there’s going to be a search for it tonight. The rest of our class planned it as a last year activity. I’d ask for you to go with me, but you have a curfew.”

“Go with Seungkwan.” They both shared a moment of laughter.

“You know how he is with these things. He’s a scaredy-cat. I’ll just go alone.” Minghao shook his head. It was dangerous at night; it was in the woods for one. Second, it was just downright creepy. He didn’t like the thought of Soo dying because she tripped over a branch she couldn’t see. Minghao believed that it was highly possible, but it only made Soo roll her eyes and laugh. Minghao had really lousy thoughts sometimes, but at least he cared.

Her decision was final. She was going to find him, and she was going to get her wish.

“What is it anyways? Your wish. Why are you so desperate to get one?” Minghao played with her hair.

“It’s a secret. I don’t want to tell anyone.” She was a little too focused on how good it felt for him to play with her hair. She sighed when he stopped.

“Not even me?”

“Not even you.” She urged him to continue.

After ten minutes of pure heaven, Minghao had to go. Soo wasn’t too sad; the search was supposed to be in an hour, and she decided to get ready after he left.

She packed very little. In a small bag, she had water, a few snacks, and extra batteries for her flashlight. Soo dressed warmly, assuming that the night would be cold regardless of any season. She held a flashlight in one hand, and her phone comfortably nestled itself into her front pocket. With the bag slung over her shoulder, she ran out the house and headed for the woods.

It was around a forty minute walk from her house, which wasn’t as far as you’d think. It was located just outside the city, and Soo was lucky enough to find a classmate to talk with along the way.

“What are you gonna wish for?” Soo regretted the moment she asked. Not that the girl’s answer was stupid, but Soo wouldn’t be able to tell her what she wanted.

“You know Joshua right? I want him to fall for me.” Soo smiled. It was cute, she guessed.

“I’ve only ever seen him sleep… like everywhere.” The girl, Jaehyun was her name, merely nodded.

“He’s cute though. And I heard that he’s real sweet.”

They ended the conversation there; Jaehyun had found her group of friends, and Soo didn’t mind all that much that she was left alone again. They were nowhere near close anyways.

When the search started, Soo saw everyone group up in their usually cliques. She would’ve liked it if Minghao and Seungkwan tagged along, but she knew they weren’t free.

It seemed a little eerie at night. The trees towered before her, and although there was still a striking orange that painted the sky, it would get dark soon. Soo hesitated; perhaps she could ask to tag along with a group just in case, but at that point, everyone was entering and she didn’t want to invade. Sighing, she decided to return back the moment it got dark.

She walked in with reluctance; Soo pondered why she was so hesitant. It wasn’t enough to steer her back, but worry settled itself comfortably in the pit of her stomach. The path, well there wasn’t a really a path, was easy to walk on. There were cracks and bumps here and there, but Soo had her flashlight and she inwardly laughed after remembering Minghao’s comment. She made sure to carefully step over any fallen branches or twigs.

It was reassuring to see other groups nearby, but as the search extended, people would call it a day and leave. Soo, for sure, was not going to leave anytime soon. She ditched her warning to return early, and reached the part of the woods where the terrain was rougher.

Small hills of rocks spread throughout the earthen ground, and she didn’t have a worry when there were still hints of light shining on the ground. It was bare of any thick, fallen branches, and all she really had to do was just go deeper and deeper into the woods. Every time she travelled farther, she’d placed a bundle of rocks where she last found herself. It was quite obvious, and it drained the worry that settled in her mind.

With the sky already a dark blue, Soo couldn’t help but delve deeper. She was scared, yes, but there wasn’t really any reason to return back. She was fully supplied with warmth and food, and her flashlight was still working. She didn’t have a place to return to anyways. Her house was her house, but it wasn’t a legitimate home she’d want to return to.

That’s what she always considered it. It was literally just a house, a place where she slept and ate. Her aunt was probably out of the country at this point, and Minghao rarely visits. Soo was lonely, and just like before, she was stripped of the comfort of another’s presence.

Reaching a tougher terrain, Soo paid more attention to the ground. There was a large dip before her, so she searched for another way around, but it stretched for miles and miles into the darkness. It wasn’t like her to stop continuing, but she didn’t want to get hurt. She whirled the flashlight in her hand, sniffling when she stepped over the large root she previously saw.

It hit her progressively. She hadn’t collected rocks for the last few minutes. Or was it hours? Her heart jumped just a little. She knew she had been walking a rather straight path, so if she returned just the way she came, she would be alright.

Right? Of course.

Soo her lips, slightly flustered as she waved her flashlight around to familiarize herself with her surroundings. The trees loomed over her, and any dark patches of the night sky were covered by the countless leaves and branches. The dip stretched on and on, and she didn’t remember if she had stepped right or left. Every protruding root, every leaf on the ground, every pebble or boulder seemed to meld together and just look the same.

She should have turned back! She should have turned back! She should have turned back! She should have turned back!

Her flashlight hung loosely in her fist. She looked up, down, then left and right. Everything was the same. Where was Minghao? Where was Jaehyun? Seungkwan?

She hastily pulled out her phone, her heart beat a little faster. It was around eleven at night. She had been walking for three hours.

Soo couldn’t calm herself. She was alone in the woods. For once, she wanted to be selfish. For once, she wanted something to go her way. Nothing ever went her way. She just wanted one wish.

It never occurred to her how farfetched the idea was. Of a boy living deep in the woods. Soo was stupid. Everyone who came for this search was stupid.

The leaves ruffled and the branches swayed, and it wasn’t until a bird cooed that her legs gave away from exhaustion. During the process of her emotional turmoil, she didn’t realize that her flashlight ended up on the ground. Needless to say, she slipped on it and it ended up rolling down the dip. It broke. The only source of light she had was from her phone, but the flashlight built inside was nothing compared to the dead one basically ten feet below from where she was.

She still used it though, and peered over the dip in search of her broken flashlight. Clearly, it wouldn’t have gone far, but it was hard to see with a source of light that barely served its duty. If Soo lied down, her head lying just beyond the dip, she could see a strip of the ground that rested beyond it. Her phone’s flashlight didn’t exactly cover a good range of… well anything. She wondered if she fell hard; it certainly didn’t feel like it. The flashlight would’ve ended up just a tad beyond the dip. It didn’t exactly roll off of it.

Soo stretched her body farther until the upper half body touched nothing but air. She twisted herself around, her feet dangling in search of some foothold. There really wasn’t anything to step on; it was extremely smooth. It was something Soo very much regretted. She fell, flipped twice on the way down, and ended up scraping her face from the impact.

Soo lied there for a dreadful few minutes before dabbing her face with the sleeve of her shirt. She didn’t know if she was wiping away dirt, dust, or blood. It stung though. A lot. If one good thing happened, it was that her phone survived, albeit cracked and dirty.

She stood up clumsily, wiping off anything that seemed to stick on her pants before holding her phone before her. She stumbled a few times before finally releasing what seemed to be a cross between a cry and a whine. It wasn’t a very pretty sight.

She didn’t know how long she cried for, but her eyes were crusty and her nose was clogged. She couldn’t find her flashlight, and her phone would be pretty much dead if she dared to press even one button. It was dark, cold, and she just stood there.

She didn’t move an inch. Soo swayed back and forth a few times, but she stayed standing. If she sat back down, she knew she wouldn’t be able to get back up. She didn’t know whether her eyes were open or not, everything around her was just pitch black. She thought she was going crazy when she saw a flicker.

It wasn’t directly in front of her, but faintly to her left, she saw it. Two flickers of light. And then three more. Wiping the snot from her nose, she straightened herself and followed it. If she was close enough she would yell for help. She practically dragged herself to it, albeit stopping when she bumped into any trees, but she was desperate.

“H-Hey! I’m here! I’m over here!” She sounded miserable.

“Please help! Hey!” There was another flicker.

Soo stopped to cough a couple of times, wheezing when she tried to take deep breaths. She looked up a few times, and saw that the flicker was gone. She stayed still for a while, checking if it would come back, but it never did.

She dragged her feet back, raking the countless dead leaves and branches that blanketed the ground. She heard a few twigs break, and it definitely wasn’t her.

“If someone’s there… If someone’s there, please just get me out of here!” She stumbled back a few more times. Hissing loudly when she fell over a protruding root from the ground. She blindly searched for the tree and she leaned against it, wailing as the skin of her back stung. Between cries, she would gasp for air. Her eyes were swollen and baggy, and the tears that drizzled down her cheeks were ceaseless. She couldn’t even stand up. Everything ached and stung and nothing seemed real.

“I came here… for a stupid wish! I-I came here for one stupid wish!” was dry and her lips were cracked. She was pretty sure that it bled.

“I’m scared. I’m scared! I’m sorry. I don’t want to be alone anymore. Someone help me.” She rocked herself back and forth. Her aunt wasn’t there, Minghao wasn’t there, Seungkwan wasn’t there, not even Jaehyun was there. She just wanted someone to be there for her. She didn’t want to be alone anymore. She wanted to lean on someone. She wanted someone to greet her when she got home. She wanted to feel the warmth of another everyday.

“I just wanted to be selfish for once! For once! I don’t want to be alone anymore. I-I don’t want to be alone anymore.” She covered her ears with her hands. It didn’t help her calm down. Her heart was pounding and pounding, and her head felt like it was swaying and swaying.

“You smell like .” Soo’s head whipped up a little too fast. It didn’t help that flashes of light kept blinding her eyes. She hastily reached out to swat it, whimpering when her hand momentarily touched the cold material before it dropped to the ground. It was a flashlight.

Not even thinking twice, she snatched it, and waved it in front of her.

“You look like .” The deep voice made her body tremble. Soo dropped the flashlight. It wasn’t this person’s flashlight that she followed. It was his eyes.

“Go home. You got your wish.”