☆click→ ♬ bgm_들었다 놨다

Taemin sat in the middle of his bare living room floor, glaring intensely at the phone in his hands. One of those countless numbers that the machine held had to be calling him any minute now… or so he hoped. It was New Years Eve, the last romantic day of the year. Taemin was praying for anybody to call him, maybe even Jiyeon at this rate. Taemin was just that desperate for an excuse to get himself out of this stupid voyage. Of seeing the ing sunrise.


 

Taemin continued to shoot lasers from his eyes, and something fuzzy dropped on his head.


 

“Earmuffs?” Taemin scrunched his brows, as he raised his head to see Jongin peering down at him.


 

“It’s going to be cold today.”


 

Jongin replied, picking up the bright yellow earmuffs as Taemin just glanced down at it idiotically. Putting the earmuffs on Taemin’s head, Jongin commented blandly as he rubbed his nose.


 

“You look stupid.”


 

Taemin reached for his head to yank it off, and Jongin grabbed Taemin’s wrists. 


 

“Keep it on.” He said. 


 

Throwing Taemin a smirk, Jongin made his way to the kitchen to make sure that they haven’t forgotten anything for the fourth time. Two gigantic stuffed backpacks sat on the kitchen table, and Jongin nodded in satisfaction. Taemin groaned. First of all, he was not happy with the fact that he was out of bed at six o’clock in the morning on a Sunday. Secondly, he was not prepared to go all the way to Jungdongjin Beach not only with Sulli, Soojung, and Chanyeol, but on top of that, his very own Jongin.


 

To Taemin’s dismay, this sunrise trip was more than just seeing a yellow circle pop up from a blue horizon. Sulli had announced a grand plan of their trip, already having made arrangements with her uncle –who just happened to run a small resort at Jungdongjin– to spend the night there.


 

The doorbell rang and Taemin violently whipped his head. Jongin lightly tapped Taemin in the arms, telling him to get up, and Taemin quickly grabbed Jongin down.


 

“I think I have a fever.” Taemin cried desperately, making the best I’m-sick-so-take-pity-on-me face as best as he could. “Like you said, it’s freezing out so I think I should just stay home-”


 

“Nope, you’re fine.” Jongin said as he checked Taemin's fine forehead, and fixed the earmuff firmly on his friend's head.  “Keep your earmuffs on.”


 

Without a second glance, Jongin hurled Taemin’s bag over his shoulders and reached for the door. Taemin reluctantly followed, and uncounsciously found himself sighing as he saw Sulli and Soojung buried in layers of thick clothing at the door.


 

“Is Sulli’s forehead purple or am I just seeing depressing things because of my mood.”


 

Taemin muttered as he eyed Sulli’s ridiculous form. The girl’s forehead was colored as if bruised, and Sulli smiled brightly as she waved an innocent greeting.


 

“Don’t even get me started.” Soojung grumbled, as she stripped the band-aid off from Sulli’s forehead. “She’s been bumping into every single pole we came across, and the redness of my face is not from the cold.”


 

Soojung glared at Sulli, and Sulli rubbed her head as if it still throbbed. Trying to hold back a laugh, Jongin cleared his throat and pushed Taemin out the door.


 

Taemin gave a little squeeze on his earmuffs; his insticts were telling him to brace himself... as best as he could.




 

***




 

Freezing wind whipped by five high-schoolers standing and waiting by the express bus terminal, and Sulli unwrapped a lollipop as the rest of them turned their heads at the rustling of the wrapper. Taemin swore, if he ever got to see that damn sun rise, the first thing he’d wish for was to Sulli to go back to where she came from, because she definitely wasn’t from this Earth’s dimension.


 

“Let’s go, losers!”


 

The express bus arrived, and Soojung chirped cheerfully as she slapped the back of Chanyeol’s head.


 

“Did you just call me a loser?!”


 

Chanyeol cried indignantly, his already loud voice rising just enough for everybody at the terminal to hear.


 

“Shut up and get on the bus, lanky legs. Ow, as if your head carries anything useful.” Soojung snapped, as she examined her palms. “My limbs just tend to towards you unconsciously and I can’t help myself.”


 

Soojung looked up at Chanyeol, and continued as her lips curled to a knowing smirk. Chanyeol frowned, and Soojung flashed him a bright smile.


 

“Especially my feet. Towards your important balls down ther-”


 

Failing to keep his usual cool, Chanyeol hastily shoved Soojung’s scarf into and successfully blocked the rest of the girl’s words that would’ve revived him of his worst nightmare. Sputtering the fuzzy wool out of , Soojung flipped her long hair behind her shoulder and strode past Chanyeol on the bus.


 

As expected, the bus was full. As if Sulli wasn’t the only delusional person that thought riding the express bus eight hours to Jungdongjin was the most productive way to spend the last day of the year, the bus was completely full of people on their way to see the first sunrise of the coming year. The front half of the bus being already taken, Taemin followed Soojung towards the back, scanning for a comfortable spot. Plopping down on a seat near the back, Soojung tapped on the cushion seat beside her.


 

“Come here, Taemin-ah. We’re sitting right here.”


 

“I don’t think he wants to spend the next eight hours beside an iron big-toe that might break his .”


 

Chanyeol deadpanned before Taemin could respond, and Soojung narrowed her eyes to a scowl. Taemin quickly slid into a seat on the opposite side of Soojung by the window, and Jongin naturally followed until Chanyeol kicked his leg across, blocking Jongin from sliding into the seat.


 

“What do you think you’re doing?” Chanyeol smirked, his jeering tone obvious to incite an argument.


 

“Trying to take a seat so that I don’t ing stand through my ride, moron.” Jongin replied cynically, completely ignoring Chanyeol’s attitude.


 

“You’re not sitting here.” Chanyeol said, and plopped down right next to Taemin.


 

Taemin was just about to tell Chanyeol off that he wasn't going to be sitting here either, when Jongin stole his chance and grabbed the back of Chanyeol’s red hoodie. Lifting Chanyeol up with an immense amount of strength, Jongin pulled Chanyeol out of his seat. Chanyeol sprang out, having been utterly unprepared of this sudden attack. Jongin sat down next to Taemin, and Chanyeol hastily straightened himself up from the embarrassing fall.


 

“What the hell!?”


 

Chanyeol yelled, but the rest of his words were drowned by the sudden shriek from the opposite side.


 

“OH MY GOD CRAZYPOP I REFUSE TO SIT BESIDE YOU- I CANT- EIGHT HOURS- OH MY GOD JUST KILL ME INSTEAD”


 

Soojung was screeching at Sulli who had taken the seat next to her, while Sulli popped a candy in , completely immune to Soojung’s screaming. Turning away after seeing that it was just Soojung, Chanyeol too started yelling at Jongin, the two of them shaking the bus with exceeding decibels.


 

Two minutes later, all five of them were shooed to the very back of the vehicle by a very annoyed bus driver. He and other passengers who were waiting behind had just about enough of them, and the gang was forced to sit in a row altogether.


 

Taemin rapped his head against the frosted window, hoping for an announcement of the ride being delayed due to a sudden snowstorm he prayed for. To his dismay, the bus started without any further ado.


 

“Lollipops, anyone?” Sulli piped up from the other end of the row.


 

Taemin groaned audibly and hit his head against the window, this time in hopes to knock himself out unconscious.




 

***




 

Three hours passed, and the bus was still speeding down the open highway without any signs of a flat tire (another one of Taemin’s disregarded hope). The air of the bus was light and cheery, full of families talking and laughing, and couples whispering to each other. Everyone seemed delighted to be on the bus, except for a specific number of teenagers seated at the very back. Sulli was staring at the scenery passing by in a blur, Soojung and Chanyeol were endlessly bickering with each other, and Taemin sat restlessly, as Jongin scrunched up his face and moaned.


 

With dews of sweat on his forehead, Jongin covered his mouth everytime the bus lurched. Taemin couldn’t believe it. Kim Jongin was ing carsick. And he looked like he wanted to throw up everything he had since last night, his face getting paler by each second.


 

“Kim Jongin, you can’t throw up here.” Taemin said, trying his best not to freak out wheneve the bus gave a slight bounce. “We’re stopping at a rest area soon, so just hold it in for a little… HOLD IT!”


 

Taemin shrieked, covering Jongin’s mouth with his hand and determined to keep the bus he was on vomit-free.


 

“…Why… the … is the bus… spinning…”


 

Jongin mumbled, face sweaty and helpless like a dying puppy. Looking utterly drained, Jongin grabbed onto Taemin for support. Taemin quickly reached for Chanyeol’s bag.


 

“Here, if you really can’t hold it throw up in here…” Taemin said, opening the bag and flailing it towards Jongin.


 

“ no, not happ