Eun-Ae was a little blue as she trailed after the boys, who were chatting happily about their experience in the aviary as they exited the large mesh building. The reality of her impending demise had snuck back into her thoughts, and though she had thoroughly enjoyed feeding the parakeets and seeing all the colorful, exotic birds, the feeling had faded into an acute sadness. She trudged along miserably, her mind preoccupied with scary images of her death, and she didn’t notice that Key had dropped back from the gaggling group of boys until he slipped his hand in hers.

“Eun-Ae?” he asked quietly. His dark eyes gazed down at her, carefully examining her. “Are you okay?” She glanced up at him, ready to lie, but one look at his soft yet stony expression told her that he saw right through her. She released a heavy sigh and returned her gaze to the cobblestone pathway.

“I just remembered why we’re doing all this,” she admitted sadly. “I don’t have much time left, and although I’m enjoying all that we’re doing and all the memories we’re making, in a little over two weeks I won’t even remembering anything because I’ll be-” Key interrupted her by gently placing a finger over her lips, and she blushed profusely as she looked up at him in shock. He was smiling softly down at her, a glowing warmth in his eyes that made her heart flutter like a butterfly’s delicate wings.

“Eun-Ae,” he murmured. “Don’t think about it. Regardless of what happens when that time comes, I want you to enjoy all of this as much as you can. You can’t do that if you’re constantly worrying about the future,” he explained carefully. “Just think about now- what we’re doing, not why we’re doing it. Just live in this moment, and enjoy it. I know it’s not an easy thing to do, but you’ll make the most of all of this if you do it that way. Do you understand?” As she nodded, her bottom lip quivering as she was flooded with intense gratitude, he entwined his fingers with hers and squeezed her hand tightly and reassuringly. She stifled a sob and leaned her head on his shoulder as they walked, and Key leaned down to press his cheek against the top of her head.

“What would I do without you?” she whispered as the tears slipped from the corners of her eyes. She felt intensely happy to have him by her side in that moment, but partly guilty, as if she were undeserving of his devotion to her. She had supported Key in his dreams to become an idol, but it had been nothing like this; nothing so passionate and complete. In that moment, she loved him more than she ever had, and perhaps even more than a best friend. She was unsure just quite what to make of it.

“Don’t cry,” he murmured back, his thumb gently rubbing her own. “You won’t have to know, because I’ll be with you until the end.” They walked in silence from that point on, until the other boys noticed their friend had gone missing and dropped back to fall in step. Eun-Ae had quickly regained her composure and separated from Key, her cheeks pink from embarrassment and her crying, but the boys failed to notice. Key had not forgotten her blue mood, however, so when they stumbled across a small food vendor on the border of the next area, he quickly pulled her over to it to sample his wares.

“Rock candy!” Eun-Ae breathed, her sadness momentarily forgotten as she stared at the crystallized sugar treats. It was her favorite sweet by far. Without another word, Key purchased one for her and some for the entire group, and soon they were happily on their way into the African savanna section of the zoo. The cobblestones changed pattern into a rougher, more tribal design, with stylized carvings of large animals scattered in the stones. Massive exhibits loomed on either side of the pathway, and contained larger-than-life creatures like elephants and giraffes. As they gawked at the animals, Taemin spotted a long line snaking around the corner, and hurriedly pulled Eun-Ae over to see.

“A safari! Can we go? Can we go?” he exclaimed excitedly and tugged pleadingly at her sleeve. Eun-Ae laughed and nodded in approval; a safari sounded like quite the adventure, and she relished the idea of seeing the large animals up-close and personal. They jumped into the line, which moved quite quickly, and soon they were being loaded onto large, open carts pulled by a massive Jeep. An attendant cheerfully read off the obligatory rules before the carts jerked into motion, pulling off into a large constructed savanna where the animals roamed free and largely undisturbed. Eun-Ae, having taken the window seat, clutched onto the side as the cart bounced up and down over the rough dirt path that traced its way across the savanna. Sometimes, when the trees and hills did not block her sight, she could see other safari vehicles plowing their way across the rough ground. She at her rock candy as they proceeded along, her eyes sweeping across the open plains as she strained to spot the first of the unique animals. They came to a wooden bridge constructed over a large river, and she involuntarily clutched Key’s hand as they began to ride over the seemingly unsound structure.

“Look! Hippos!” Minho cried and pointed out of the side of the truck. Sure enough, as Eun-Ae worked up the courage to peek out of the open window, she saw large gray shapes dozing in the slow-moving water below. Even from so high up, they seemed massive, and Eun-Ae pitied anyone who fell amongst the large beasts.

“Minho,” Onew grinned stupidly, “I do believe I can spot your mother down there,” he added with a giggle, emphatically placing a hand perpendicular to his eyebrows as he scanned the water below. Minho cried out indignantly and gave the boy a shove, leading to the attendant barking a rebuke.

“I’ll get you as soon as this is over,” Minho muttered darkly to Onew, who merely continued to laugh at his joke. When they made it over the rickety bridge, they approached a large pile of rocks and boulders where lions lounged and basked in sun. The lionesses prowled among the rocks, their tails flicking as they eyed the trail of carts that lumbered past. Eun-Ae fretted that the lionesses would suddenly move to attack the carts, like she had seen in some videos on the Internet, but she was reassured when Key gave her hand a gentle squeeze. She then blushed when she realized that she had been holding his hand virtually the entire time, but when she moved to pull her hand free, he held it tight in an iron grip; when she looked at him to protest, he had his head turned looking out the opposite window, cleverly playing his game to keep her hand in his own. She bit down on her lip, giving up on the venture, and simply allowed him to continue. Her heart was pounding every second afterward.

Eun-Ae had been so preoccupied with her embarrassing predicament that she did not notice that they had stumbled onto a vast open plain of tall grasses where herds of zebras, giraffes, and other hoofed creatures glided across the plains, nibbling at bushes and shrubs and even acacia trees. She even spotted a few burrows where wild boars snuffled in the dirt looking for bugs; of course, Taemin decided to join in on the mom game, and instantly announced that he had succeeded in finding Minho's mother. While the attanedant wasn't looking, Minho slapped him in the back of the head, and the boy whined loudly as he rubbed the back of his skull. Eun-Ae ignored their quibbling, staring out into the vastness of the plains; she in a breath as four giant spotted legs suddenly appeared outside her window, and a great long neck bent down to stick its head through. She cried out in alarm, jumping back right into Key’s lap, as a blue tongue suddenly extended out of the giraffe’s mouth and promptly drew itself across her hair. She shuddered as the feeling of saliva running down the side of her head, but remained frozen as the large herbivore sniffed at her face before withdrawing. Immediately the group of boys began howling in laughter, while poor Eun-Ae stared unseeing out the window, the side of her hair sticking up and clumping together where the beast had her.

“That. Was the most amazing thing that I have ever had the pleasure to witness!” Onew howled, practically on the floor as he clutched his stomach. Taemin and Minho were scarcely able to breathe as they rocked back and forth in their seats, quaking with the assault of giggles that had struck them. Even Jonghyun had a smirk on his face, and Eun-Ae blushed in mortification as she gingerly tried to smooth down her hair. She then became aware of a pair of arms wrapped securely around her waist, and she glanced over to find that Key’s face was mere centimeters from her own. He smirked as she went bright red and began apologizing profusely, scrambling out of his grip; he seemed quite disappointed at that.

Eun-Ae spent the rest of the safari ride attempting to control her hammering heart, and had barely managed to calm it as they exited the ride. Minho took the opportunity to instantly pounce on Onew, ruffling his hair roughly as they traded insults with one another. Taemin bobbed beside them, occasionally adding jibes of his own, while Jonghyun walked behind them with a pained expression, obviously embarrassed by their antics. Eun-Ae was very aware of Key sticking close to her side, but before she worked up the courage to ask him to move away, she felt intense pain flare in the lower bones of her legs. Crying out in pain, she grabbed onto Key’s shoulder as her legs went out from beneath her, and if Key had not grabbed her securely by the hips, she would have most definitely collapsed.

“Eun-Ae? What is it?” he asked worriedly. The boys temporarily abandoned their squabble to rush to her aid. Jonghyun grabbed her under the arms as she tipped backward, breathing hard. 

“My legs,” she hissed as tears formed in the corners of her eyes. She shrieked as another wave of fiery pain hit her legs, and her vision faded for a moment from the intensity. It was all she could do to stay conscious, and she was only vaguely aware of Key drawing her into his arms and carrying her over to a metal bench. She buried her face into his neck, clutching tightly onto his shirt as he held her gently. She had experienced such episodes before, and the only thing she could do was wait for the pain to pass. As she trembled, wave after wave of pain assaulting the long bones in her legs, she vaguely thought, Does this mean I’m close to the end?