Seulgi looks at the outside view of the car as they pass by the deers running on the side of the road. They pass over a bridge, Seulgi looks down at the creek, and it’s quite high. Angels Creek Town was named after its creek, and it's the second-largest creek in the state. She wonders how deep the water is if she jumps down, will she ever survive the jump? Nature amazes her; she hasn’t been on this side of Angels Creek before. She feels free yet anxious at the same time. How can she not, when Irene told her they’d skip their last subject. She hasn’t skipped anything in her life before. Not even the tutorials in video games. She already messaged Eleonor that she'll be coming home later than usual. It's also surprising to know that Irene owns a vintage 1969 Beige Mini Cooper. She wonders when she started getting her driver’s license. She wants to get one too, soon, if she’s ready. And then she thought when will she ever be ready? She looks at the flock of birds soaring in the sky freely; she closes her eyes to feel the fresh air as she enjoys the ride.

Irene glances at Seulgi, it feels strange that her childhood friend whom she hasn’t seen in five years came back all of a sudden when she felt alone and lonely. Did God hear her prayers? She remembers praying before in middle school that she’ll see Seulgi again in the future – that future she thought is now their present. She had asked Seulgi she needed her help but aside from that she really wants to know how Seulgi was doing for the past five years, what she’s up to, and how she is coping up with her mom’s death – Is it really okay to ask about her mom? – She thought. “Don’t you wanna know where I’m taking you?” She asks her that instead. She never did hear Seulgi question her for dragging her somewhere. If she was Seulgi, she’d probably ask a lot of questions. But Seulgi just went along. Is Seulgi this innocent and naïve? What if she’s a psychopath murderer? – Which she’s not. But what if someone drags her to come, wouldn’t she get dubious?

Seulgi looks at her. “Where are you taking me?”

“To my favorite secret place,” She answers vaguely, teasing her. If she's in Seulgi's shoes she'd be pissed by the answer. She’s the type of person who wants to get to the straight point, but she contradicts herself. She doesn’t like those kinds of people, yet she’s doing it to Seulgi.

“Where’s that?”

“You’ll see,” Irene stirs the wheel to make a turn to the right where there isn’t a concrete road as she enters the woods. She drives slowly, it’s a little bumpy but there’s a path, seemingly cars can pass through but none would because this isn’t part of the main road. It seems nobody would go through; there aren’t any houses nearby the area.

Seulgi thought anyone unfamiliar with the woods could get lost in it, but not for Irene who looks like she's been in the area a lot of times. If Irene took her there then it just means it really is her favorite secret place. She feels nice knowing Irene is willing to share it with her.

Irene stops the car, the path is a dead-end and the car can’t pass through the thick grove of trees and the land goes ascending. If they want to go through the woods, they need to go on foot. When she turns off the car’s engine, the sound of nature is astoundingly therapeutic to listen to. Irene points at the eerie-looking cave. “Through there,” She says. “I promise, it’s not that scary,” She grabs her backpack on the backseat and goes out of the car.

Seulgi steps out of the car as well, leaving her backpack in the front seat. She observes the cave, it looks unsafe to go in. There could be something dangerous lurking inside it. “What if either of us gets bitten by a snake?”

“The hospital is far away from here. Do you know how to drive?”

“I don’t have a driver’s license.”

“Too bad. I guess we’ll just die here then,” Irene jokes but Seulgi is horrified by what she said. She rolls her eyes. “I’m kidding. We'll be fine. Just, follow me,” She walks into the cave first.

“W-wait for me!” Seulgi runs after her.

Irene turns on her smartphone’s light to illuminate the cave. They walk inside the cold and misty cave. They can hear their own footsteps echoing inside. It’s a hair-raising experience for Seulgi, not knowing what they might encounter inside until they saw the light at the end of the cave. It’s just a short walk to the other side. It’s not as bad as what Seulgi thought. When they come out of the cave, Seulgi is amazed by a small tranquil hot spring surrounded by trees. She couldn’t believe she’d find something beautiful through the cave.

Seulgi looks at the tall trees whose leaves are swaying with the wind. She smells the scent of the woods, calming her nerves. She closes her eyes as she listens to the sound of nature. She likes it, she usually listens to it on Spotify, but now she’s there to listen to it firsthand. She hears the splash of water and opens her eyes to see Irene in the hot spring, wearing her bra. She looks at the ground to find Irene's clothes on the side. She scratches her left ear as she averts her view. “I didn’t know we’re going to dip in. I didn't bring any clothes.”

“I have a towel and extra clothes in my car,” Irene tells Seulgi.

Seulgi looks at Irene who is beckoning her to join her in the hot spring. She takes off her shoes and socks, but she’s conscious of taking off her clothes in front of Irene. Irene gets that, so she turns around to give her privacy. “What did you think of the town when you came back?” She asks, looking at the trees.

“I-I think it’s not what I expected it to be,” Seulgi feels the steam of the hot spring rising as she takes off her jeans.

“What did you expect it to be then?” Irene hears the rippling sound of the water and turns around to see Seulgi in the hot spring, still wearing her shirt on.

Seulgi thinks before answering. But she doesn’t know what to say. “I don't know,” She looks at Irene who submerges herself for a second, and gets back up, running her fingers through her hair. She knows Irene is pretty but somehow she sees another side of her, she can’t tell what, but Irene’s beauty is worth being praised. It feels nice being together again after so long. “Maybe, just like before,” Seulgi continues.

Both of them were two meters away from each other. Seulgi submerges herself for about three seconds and emerges back to see Irene who slowly approaches and leans on the side, making a closer distance between them. Seulgi feels a little uneasy, she submerges herself again, but this time it’s just until on her ear-level. The sound of being submerged feels like an underwater acoustic. It’s peaceful and relaxing.

Irene looks at Seulgi whose face becomes red from the warmness of the water. “What do you think of my favorite secret place?”

Seulgi rises to breathe. “It's a perfect place to get lost in our thoughts,” They are silent again. They could only hear the bubbling sound of the hot spring, the swaying of the branches, and the chirping of the birds. Seulgi loves this kind of ambiance. She knows after an hour they'll go back to their homes. She just hopes she can stay a little longer with Irene.

Irene feels the deja vu of Seulgi's words. They were the same words that the person had told her. “Sometimes, I think. If you’d haven’t left, maybe,” Irene pauses. “We could have been the ones who had discovered this place. Maybe things could be different,” She becomes silent as she looks at Seulgi.

“I’m sorry if I wasn’t there with you.”

“Don’t be,” Irene shakes her head. “Maybe, everything happens for a reason. Who knows what God is planning,” Irene knows Seulgi doesn’t believe in God. She is not quite the believer, as she remembers it back then. But never had she heard Seulgi question anything to shake off her beliefs. Seulgi always respected her. Despite Seulgi's absence, there was another door opened for her. “Then, I met Joy.” Suddenly the name becomes familiar to Seulgi. She feels she has heard or seen the name somewhere before. “She’s the total opposite of me. She’s popular, confident, friendly, free-spirited, she always knows what she wants, and chases them,” Irene laughs weakly. “To be honest, her personality irks me and I thought… I could never be friends with a person like her. But last year, I became close to her…” Irene pauses and looks at Seulgi. “I don’t know if you saw the missing posters in the school or the town. It’s the same person I’m referring to.”

Seulgi got surprised; she didn’t know Irene knew that person. But how could she know that when she wasn’t present during those five years. “Are the cops doing anything?”

“They are, but it’s not enough. That’s why I need your help.”

When Irene asked Seulgi for help, Seulgi thought it was something that she could do. Seulgi feels it’s the job of the police. How can she help Irene to find her missing friend, they aren’t detectives, they are just teenagers. This seems impossible to do. What asset does Irene need from her? She feels dumb and useless in the situation. “Irene, I’m not sure–” Before Seulgi could finish her words. They heard somebody coming but not from the cave.

How could the people not know that they were there first? They parked the car outside the cave. Irene thought, they must've come from the other side of the woods. Irene’s reflex to the situation kicks in, she pulls Seulgi out of the hot spring and both of them hide behind the boulder. Irene gestures to Seulgi to be quiet. They could hear them laughing, teasing, and dipping into the water. Irene thought it was a secret place that's hard to find. She was sure not many people know the place. Maybe her favorite secret place isn’t that secret after all. Irene takes a peek behind the boulder to see that she forgot her bag and clothes on the ground. They could have been obvious if it wasn't steamy. Irene curses mentally for being clumsy. Seulgi is eyeing her, asking her if who are the people in the hot spring. They could hear giggling but they couldn’t see them clearly because of the steam. The voice is somehow familiar to Irene, so she peeks again and gets shocked by what she saw.

“What is it?” Seulgi mouths her. She looks at Irene who covered in disbelief.