Farewell Journey- noun the last journey a couple takes before breakup or separation.

“I’m so excited!! I can’t wait until we leave!” squealed Minjung. She was smiling her dazzling smile and her dark brown eyes full of warmth and happiness were wide with anticipation. Daehyun pinched her cheeks.

“Aigoo, our baby so cute!” he smiled at her like a father rather than a boyfriend. When Minjung was finally released, she pouted and rubbed her red cheeks. She gave him a cute glare but soon forgot about it when the rumbling of the plane’s engine started. Soon the plane was flying high in the sky . Minjung raised the window cover, admiring the night sky. The stars looked liked diamonds scattered onto a velvet cloth. She had never seen so many stars as it was difficult to see them from the bright lights of Seoul. She began counting them and had reached 1 426 when she fell asleep.

Daehyun looked across his seat to watch his girlfriend. She was asleep, but then again it was 12:57am. She slept with the shadow of a smile on her face, making her look young, beautiful and vulnerable. As he studied her features, the words of the doctor swept back causing his eyebrows to knit together as he remembered WHY they were on this journey.

---FLASHBACK---

“Minjung-ah! Minjung-ah! Minjung-ah!!!” Daehyun shouted, as nurses and doctors struggled to hold him back from the frail figure on the hospital bed. The body slightly shuddered as doctors and nurses flocked around her. Daehyun was sent out to wait. 15 minutes became 20, then thirty. After what felt like hours, they let him in. He rushed to Minjung’s side. She was asleep and her breathing was steady. He breathed a sigh of relief and clutched her small hand.

“Jung Daehyun-ssi?” Daehyun raised his head as Dr Kim seated himself in front of him. “I have both good news and bad. Which do you want to hear first?” he asked.

“The good news please,” Daehyun said hoarsely.

“Well after quite a shock, Minjung-yang’s condition is now stable… for the moment. The bad news is, however, her body condition has significantly declined. This also means that her given time has been reduced… again.” Dr Kim explained cautiously.

Daehyun’s heart constricted. It was as if an invisible hand had gripped it and was slowly but surely squeezing. “How long?” he said quietly.

“Two weeks at most,” the answer was just as soft. The doctor left after a quick pat on Daehyun’s back. The room was awfully silent. His body had become rigid, each and every muscle tensed, twisting away from the unwanted truth. He lowered his head as tears carved their trail down his perfectly sculpted face.

He felt a light weight on his hand. “Oppa. Gwenchana. It’s okay. I’m fine.” Minjung croaked before smiling faintly.

---END OF FLASHBACK---

That’s how Daehyun started the idea of the trip… a farewell journey. Bitterly, he dragged the back of his hands across his eyes, crudely brushing away tears. Sniffling, he chased away all sad feeling, emotions and thoughts and focused on his girlfriend.

She was still asleep with her head resting on his shoulder. Her thin long brown hair was tied into an apple top and the scent of her shampoo tickled his nose. Her slightly chubby cheeks were yet pink and her black nerd glasses rested on her perfect nose. Her skin was pale and dark circles were evident beneath her eyes. The illness had affected her. It had affected her greatly.

“Please fasten your seatbelts and prepare for landing” said the tinny voice. Daehyun gently shook Minjung awake and she opened one eye lazily. Absently, she rubbed her eyes while yawning.

“Are we here already?” she yawned again. Daehyun smiled, before tugging her hand, signalling the exit. It was around 2:30 am when the couple stepped into a taxi, hand in hand. The vehicle zoomed away to their accommodations. It was a 45 minute ride in which once again, Minjung’s head dropped onto Daehyun’s shoulder.

They arrived at the cute pension he had chosen for the stay. Although there were plenty of luxurious hotels about, he knew Minjung would love this place. He lightly prodded the sleeping figure. When she didn’t wake up, he carried her bridal style to her room. It wasn’t until her sat on the edge of the bed, that fatigue washed over him. He stumbled into the other room and fell into a very deep sleep.

*THE NEXT DAY*

The sun peeped out from behind the curtains and the voices of cheerful birds filled the air. Stretching, Minjung smiled sleepily into the sun’s rays. Rolling around she checked the time, 10:39am, and almost fell out of bed. It was so late! Finding her bags set neatly at the foot of the bed, she went to wash. Picking out a plain V-neck with blue denim shorts and a rolled up pink checkered shirt, she quickly dressed. She pulled on light yellow hightop Converses and grabbed her Aviators before checking on the other room. Daehyun was sleeping in a white singlet, hugging one of the squishy pillows. She giggled at the adorable sight before walking out of the house. She just wanted to check things out a little.

After 5 minutes of quick exploring, she headed back to her still-sleeping boyfriend. She opened the door a fraction to see him lying on his side. She stopped as she watched him silently. 2 and a half years ago, her heart had fluttered. He was like her baby. The mere thought of separating from him brought a prickling sensation to her eyes. Reprimanding herself, she fixed herself up, closed the door and forced a smile before starting all over.

“Oppa~~~ Joeunachim (Good Morning)” She shouted as she flung open the door. The sleeping god started from being so abruptly and cruelly woken. Minjung walked over to the side of the bed. He sat up and smiled foolishly before wrapping his arms around her waist, drawing her closer. A blush crept across her cheeks as she rested her hands on his shoulders.

“Morning yeobo” he greeted huskily before giving her a short kiss. Despite the time they had been together, she still blushed at the little skinships. Mustering her confidence, she kissed him back before speaking.

“You do realise it’s 11:26am, right now?” she smirked.

Daehyun’s eyes widened as he let go of her. “Ah… shoot! We’re going to be late to the Jeju Teddy Bear Museum Tour! Damn, I really wanted this to be perfect…” he shot off to the bathroom, leaving Minjung laughing at his cuteness.

It was 7 minutes before Daehyun emerged, dressed in jeans, a white v-neck and a dark green checkered shirt with white Converses. Couple outfits JHe even slipped on his Aviators before grabbing his backpack and camera. Hurriedly, he ushered his yeobo out the door and boarded the last shuttle bus… just in time. As the bus shot off, Daehyun’s stomach rumbled and he rubbed his tummy sheepishly. Minjung laughed as she rummaged through her own bag, revealing two sandwiches and milk. ‘What would I do without you,’ he thought with a smile, but his grin fell off his face when he realised what he had just said. Minjung glanced at him nervously. Daehyun smiled once more.

“Ohmygosh oppa!! Everything is so cute! Hurry!!!” Minjung squealed as she dragged her boyfriend into the museum. Full of teddy bears ranging from eccentric to ancient, the couple looked at every single one. They took picture after picture. After all, photos were the only things that lasted.

On their little tour, they found a couple teddy bear exhibition. One exhibition caught the couple’s eyes.

“Minjung-ah, look at this” pointed Daehyun. There were 3 connected exhibitions. The first showed two bears in school uniform. One was male, the other female. They were at a ddukbboki store feeding each other. The next showed the two bears in a ferris wheel carriage,. The girl bear was wrapped in the boyfriend bear’s arms. The last one was of the couple dressed in a white wedding dress with a veil and a black suit. They were poised at a miniature alter, noses touching.

“Just like us…” whispered Minjung. We both remembered the after school and amusement park dates. We chatted and reminisced about the past but the last exhibition was never mentioned, as if a silent treaty had been signed to not talk of it.

The tour continued with many more photos and laughter. Daehyun looked at the time, 4:01pm. It was time to leave. They made their way to the souvenir shop. The shelves were full of hundreds, no thousands of bears. Each one was adorable and unique in its own way. As Daehyun looked at several crystal bears, he felt a tug on his sleeve. He was surprised to see two bears covering Minjung’s face. One was in a tux and the other was veiled and dressed in a white dress. Minjung parted the toys and begged wordlessly with her huge brown eyes. Of course her boyfriend couldn’t resist.

Once in the shuttle bus, Minjung held out the tuxedoed bear to Daehyun. “It’s a couple bear message recorder.” She grinned. “Let’s record a message to each other and present it to each other in 2 days time… our last day here.” Daehyun carefully placed the bear in his backpack as did Minjung.

Back at the pension, the sun painted the sky a pinkish orange and the couple was silhouetted against the beautiful sky.

“Oppa…are you okay?” Minjung asked abruptly.

Daehyun was startled, “…Yeah.”

“No, really oppa… are you okay?” she asked again, looking directly into his eyes.

“Yes, why wouldn’t I be fine.” He asked nonchalantly, obviously trying hard to not accept.

“Oppa… I’m going to di---“

He interrupted her, “Stop it Minjung. You will be fine. We’ll be happy. We’ll be together, Forever and ever.” Minjung’s eyes glistened with tears. They both knew they were lies. Daehyun sighed before pulling her into a tight hug. He kissed her on the forehead and murmured against her skin. “Everything will be okay,” Hearing no reply, he took Minjung by the hand and tugged her along. “C’mon. Let’s watch a movie,”

By the time was over, it was nearing 10.

“Wash up first,” Daehyun said. Minjung went over to t wash but as soon as she closed the bathroom door, Daehyun zoomed to his bag and pulled out the bear. He held it in front of his face before starting his message. “Minjung-ah, this is Daehyunnie oppa. Uh… um… hehe this is awkward. I just want to say that you are everything to me. I loved you since I first met you. I love you now and I will always love you. No matter what happens, you will always remain in my heart. And, and… if you do…. No. No. It won’t happen. Saranghae.”

He finished just as Minjung walked out. He quickly stuffed the bear out of sight. When he went into the bathroom, Minjung pulled out the veiled bear. She sighed deeply before pressing its stomach and commencing the recording.

The room was dark and Minjung was snuggled safely in Daehyun’s arms. After much protesting, Daehyun had finally managed to convince Minjung to sleep in his room with him. Now, well after 11, Daehyun was sleeping soundly… but Minjung bolted awake. A thin layer of sweat covered her body as she clutched her stomach. Her body quaked in agony and she muted her whimpers with her other hand. Careful not to awake her boyfriend, she stumbled out of the room. Her legs quivered and cries of pain escaped . As pain pulsed through her body like earthquake tremors, her legs gave way and she fell with a thud. She checked to see that Daehyun had not noticed. She thanked God when she found him sound asleep. Fighting back screams, she bit her lip drawing blood, before starting the agonising crawl to the kitchen counter which held a bottle of pills. Her outstretched fingers trembled, knocking the bottle over and it rolled off the counter. It scattered pills everywhere. With effort, she grabbed the bottle and swallowed two pills. Gradually, the overwhelming pain resided. Weakly, she packed up and went back to Daehyun. Minjung once again thanked the Lord that Daehyun was a deep sleeper. Exhausted, she fell asleep in the arms of her angel.

Again, I cut it because it was getting kinda long. Do comment and subscribe ^^ I love you~~~