“Are we there yet? We’ve been driving for hours,” Taemin whined loudly from his position in the middle backseat. The bored boy was leaning his head back against the headrest, staring miserably at the boring gray interior roof of the car while he wriggled around every few seconds trying to make himself comfortable squeezed between Minho and Jonghyun. “Come on, we’ve gotta be there now!” he groaned as he jerked forward and grabbed the headrest of the two front seats, sticking his head through the middle gap, inches away from where Eun-Ae was sitting, to glare angrily at the driver. “You must be going to slow! By the time you get there the day will be over!” he snapped hotly.

“Taemin, we’ve only been driving for two hours, and as a matter of fact, we are almost there, so shut your trap and sit back down before I come back there and whip your !” Onew warned firmly from the passenger seat. He had his cell phone out, a GPS pulled up tracking their progress to Eun-Ae’s chosen destination for the day; Key smirked in the driver’s seat, leaned back with one hand on the steering wheel and the other leaning lazily outside the window as they drove alone down the long dirt road that wound through miles and miles of fields and farmsteads lined with barbed wire fencing. They were approximately two hours outside of the city, for Eun-Ae had decided that one of her bucket list wishes was to visit a farm.

“Patience is a virtue, Taemin,” Key mused as he glanced over at the GPS screen, clicking his tongue as he memorized what little of the route they had left. Taemin made to argue, but he clamped his mouth shut and grinned with delight as they abruptly to a gravel driveway that led to a sizeable ranch house, where crops and berry bushes and orchards spanned the left side, and various farm animals grazed in the fields on the other. Eun-Ae leaned forward in wonder, bouncing in her seat with excitement as Key maneuvered his way down to the ranch house. An older man was perched on the steps leading up to the home, smoking a cigarette with a sun hat perched on his head, casting his face in shadow; however, when they parked the car and began piling out, he stood up and waved with a cheerful smile on his face, laugh lines appearing as he grinned.

“Thank you for agreeing to give us a tour, sir,” Key smiled gratefully as he approached the old man and shook his hand. The old man just laughed dismissively in response, waving a hand and gesturing for them to follow.

“Nonsense. I couldn’t refuse such a worthy cause,” he answered jovially with a wink at Eun-Ae. He stuffed his hands into his dirty pants pockets, picking his way along the side of the house to guide them onto the back porch, where a few cats were lounging lazily on their backs and bellies in the summer sun. Even in shorts and a tank top, Eun-Ae was already sweating within a few minutes, tugging at her shirt in an attempt to keep it from sticking to her skin. This is the last burst… Within a week or two, it’ll begin turning into fall, she thought, welcoming the idea of cooler weather. But… Soon after that I won’t be around to enjoy it, she realized after a moment, and her shoulders sagged slightly. I hope the rest of my summer doesn’t go by too fast, she thought with a glance at Key, who was chatting amiably at the farmer as they walked through the freshly cut grass toward the rows and rows of berry bushes sprawling behind the house, transitioning into towering orchards and crop fields on the left and grazing fields and stables on the right. “We grow a little of everything here,” he explained to the group of young adults. “Ain’t no commercial farm, no sir. We sell everything locally, with no additives or pesticides and none of that modern mess.”

“That’s impressive,” Minho whistled as he surveyed the impressive display. As they grew closer, Eun-Ae could spot numerous workers toiling away, tending to the produce and harvesting whatever was ready. As they passed, heading to a shed likely holding ready-to-sell goods, they called out happily to the farmer and his tourists. What a pleasant little place, Eun-Ae beamed, half-listening as the farmer explained the layout of the fields. She was too enamored by the simple harmony of the spacious farm, how all the little pieces fit together and worked so smoothly to create a self-sustaining piece of the world. Too lost in her own thoughts, she failed to notice that her group had meandered farther down the farmstead towards the livestock until Key called her name. She glanced over to find him hanging back, smiling as he held a hand above his eyes against the blazing summer sun.

“Sorry!” she cried and hurried over to him with a sheepish smile.

“You like this place, don’t you?” he mused as he began walking, keeping pace with her as they followed a short distance behind the farmer. His explanations drifted along the gentle breeze, tidbits on growing tips and animal behavior and diet and natural solutions to pests. While it was all fascinating, Eun-Ae couldn’t help but tune it out in order to stare through her peripheral vision up at Key, who looked absolutely gorgeous in the light angle, so enraptured that she failed to answer his question for several seconds.

“Oh! Yes, I do. It’s very charming,” she answered hastily when he gave her an expectant look. He chuckled and nudged her in the ribs with his elbow teasingly, and she squirmed beneath the tickling sensation.

“You’re pretty ditsy today,” he remarked jokingly. “I guess I had better keep an eye on you, or you’ll be left behind,” he smirked and returned his attention to the talkative farmer, who was now explaining horse care to a very animated Taemin, who was leaning over a fence desperate to pat the hide of an ignorant mare. As the lagging pair final rejoined their little tour group, the farmer clapped his hands together with a big smile, eyes twinkling as he regarded Eun-Ae.

“Well, there you have it. That’s my farm. Not much, I know, but it’s home,” he sighed happily as he gazed out appreciatively at his life’s work.

“I think it’s remarkable,” Eun-Ae responded immediately, earning a sheepish glance from the middle-aged man.

“Eh, you think so? Well thank you, little lady. For that little compliment, I have a present for you,” he mused with a wink before procuring a stack of hand-woven baskets from behind a post, passing them out among the young adults. While they pondered the possible meaning of such a display, he gestured to the sprawling field of blackberry bushes just a few yards away, smirking. “Y’see, I need you to do me a favor. I had a good crop of blackberries this year- too good, in fact, and so I need to get rid of all those black berries I just can’t sell- wouldn’t want to attract birds and all to eat up my other trees,” he mused. “So, little lady, you and your friends go in there and get yourselves a nice good basket-full of blackberries, and the old lady will whip you up a nice surprise.”

“Food? Awesome!” Onew grinned as he took off holding the wicker basket over his head, howling with delight as he plunged into the mess of dark-leaved, spiny bushes. Jonghyun examined the basket carefully as he pondered the notion, then shrugged and followed after his companion, tossing the woven structure up and down in his hands as he strode calmly into the field.

“Can horses eat blackberries?” Taemin asked Minho curiously as they walked side-by-side into the rows of plants.

“Dude, how would I know?” Minho responded with a shrug and a deep frown as he likely considered the question himself. Meanwhile, hanging back, Eun-Ae bowed deeply to the older man to express her sincere gratitude.

“Thank you very much for your generosity. It means so much to us,” she thanked him from the bottom of her heart, and he blushed lightly, rubbing the back of his neck as he fidgeted uncomfortably in front of her.

“Oh, you don’t need to be all humble,” he flushed with a shy smile. “It’s the least I can do, for good kids like yourselves. It’s nice, what you’re doing for this girl,” he remarked seriously to Key, who smiled sweetly and drew his arm about Eun-Ae’s shoulders.

“There’s not anything in the world I wouldn’t do for her,” he murmured softly, and her cheeks grew warm under his kind gaze. It’s true, she thought happily as she leaned against him, swinging the basket slightly on her finger. With a slight wave to the farmer, Key spun her around and began guiding her into the rows and rows of bushes, his arm hanging lightly across her shoulder all the while. Eun-Ae found that she had grown quite used to the frequent gestures he made, and welcomed them; they were reassuring and made her feel secure in what was the uncertainty of her days, never knowing when she would suddenly collapse in a fit of pain. In Key’s gentle but strong grasp, she felt like there was a protective barrier between her and her ravaging illness, at least for a short time. While she was lost in the realization, Key let out a small exhale. “He’s a really nice guy. It’s his family that works this farm, you know. All his sons, and their sons, and all his brothers and his and nephews. All the girls help too, packaging the goods and making pies and things to bring to market.”

“Really? How did you find him, Key?” she inquired as they paused at a particularly blooming berry tree to begin plucking the blackberries off the twig-like branches, carefully avoiding the spines protruding from the dark stems.

“I just made some calls around. He was already willing to have us before I even told him about you, but after, he was practically insistent,” he remarked with a small smile as he plopped a few blackberries into the basket. “Said, ‘I want to give her the best time of her life here! I want her to enjoy every second!’ He really is a sweet old dude. He wouldn’t take any money from me, either. He said he just wanted to see you have a good time.”

“I’m glad there are still people like you and him in the world,” Eun-Ae sighed in response, her hands faltering for a moment as she become lost in the sheer gratitude she felt for all the things that Key was doing for her. He really is going the extra mile for me. “It’s almost too much. I feel… kind of guilty, because in the end, there’s no way I can ever repay you.” He stared down at her for a moment, then playfully lobbed a blackberry at her cheek. It bounced of harmlessly and landed in her basket, but left a clear blue-red stain of juice on her face. As she pouted and rubbed the juice with her hand, she jumped lightly as he pressed another berry to her lips, staring at her suggestively.

“I’m not doing this because I want payback,” he smirked. “I’m doing it because I love you,” he continued, and Eun-Ae felt her heart screech to a halt, her blood freezing in place as the incriminating words slipped past his teeth. He smiled cheekily at her, amused by the reaction, and she realized that he was teasing her. “You’re my number one girl, after all- only the best for you. I want you to have the happiest twenty days of your life.”

“You shouldn’t use those words lightly, you know,” she blushed quietly, her voice muffled against the berry. She popped it into , chewing on it as she stared suspiciously up at him. Damn, this berry is good, she thought absently while she pondered Key’s true motives. He was always staring at her with a heat in his eyes, and discreetly holding her hand or throwing his arm around her- almost like a boyfriend would do. There’s not more to it, is there? He’s my best friend, after all. It’s probably because he feels close enough to do that, and knows I won’t get mad. Plus he’s always liked to tease me.

“I don’t say them lightly,” he grinned as he reached back into the berry bush once more, retrieving berries while smirking smugly. Ugh… He just confuses me, and he does it on purpose, the sly jerk, she moped as she joined him in the hunt for berries. By the end of it, they had accumulated quite a collection, and were joined by the rest of the boys at the entrance to the berry patch. Taemin was whining while Onew, scolding him for his carelessness, plucked spines out of the tips of his fingers while a very amused Minho and Jonghyun looked on. Shortly after a plump old woman accompanied by the farmer wobbled out onto the back porch carrying a gallon of vanilla ice cream, and to their delight she fixed them towering bowls of blackberry sundaes. They sat down on the end of the porch, feet in the grass while the cats wove between their legs purring, and quietly ate their frozen treats while they stared up at the blue sky above the farm. Eun-Ae glanced at Key, who of course smiled back.

“I love you too, you know,” she murmured abruptly and leaned her head on his shoulder, setting her bowl in her lap. “You’re the best friend I could ever ask for,” she added, though she was beginning to wonder if that was an accurate description. Though it had only been a little over three days, she was beginning to feel like he was so much more, and always had been.

Maybe I’m … really starting to fall in love with him, she thought, and a pang of guilt struck her heart. I shouldn’t. It would only bring him pain, she thought with a small sigh, but he just smiled and leaned his head against hers.

“Yeah, I know,” he smirked. “Who doesn’t love me?” he teased, and she jerked up, shoving him for the audacity of ruining the moment. While they bickered, the other four boys were drawn into the squabble, and soon they had abandoned their bowls of ice cream and blackberries to chase each other around the grass in a feverish game of tag. As Eun-Ae breathlessly ran around evading Key, who was chasing her relentlessly, she smiled widely.

Maybe falling in love would be the ultimate way to go… The final item for my bucket list.