☆click→ ♬ bgm_close the door

Taemin blamed himself. His gut had told him since morning that this was not a good idea, and yet he had still come.


 

Leaving a cloud of dust behind, their bus merged into the swishing highway. Taemin stood staring at the bus, when Jongin came back and snatched Taemin’s hand.


 

They continued running. The cars speeded at a 100km/hour a few feet away from them, but the boys ran down the highway as much as their breath could take them. They held to a slight hope that maybe, maybe Soojung would wake up to find empty seats beside her and screech ‘I’m missing three morons, you retard of a bus driver!!!’ and stop the bus.


 

But the bus disappeared out of their sight, leaving Taemin, Jongin, and Chanyeol tattered and gasping for breath. Taemin plopped down to the ground, Jongin covered his mouth as if he was about to throw up again, and Chanyeol stood, pulling at his hair and cussing at the entire world.


 

“My life is over, oh my god, we’re stranded in the middle of nowhere and we’re going to die.” Taemin said hysterically. “All of our stuff is on the bus, and I don’t even have my wallet or my phone, OH MY GOD, I’M GONNA DIE!!!”


 

Jongin started to shuffle through his pocket at this, getting torn for the secondth time to find nothing useful. He plopped down beside Taemin, and a few seconds later, Jongin and Taemin whipped their heads up towards Chanyeol.


 

“I seriously doubt this… and I don’t think you’ll ever be of any help in my life but…” Taemin drawled, “do you have your phone?”


 

Chanyeol hesitated to answer, and Taemin leaped up to dive into Chanyeol’s pocket. Taemin pulled out something blocky, a phone, and to his excitement he quickly unlocked the screen and dialed Soojung.


 

It didn’t go through.


 

“What the .”


 

Taemin said, and Chanyeol gave an apologetic smile.


 

“I was bored and played candy crush all the way.” Chanyeol said, taking back his battery-dead phone.


 

“Oh my god are you kidding me, then you should’ve used the time to charge your phone at the rest area, not munch down on some corndog like a five-year old kid!!”


 

“It’s not like I knew this was going to happen!!  You two are the ones who spent all the time throwing up in the washroom and missed the bus!!!!”


 

Jongin, who had been watching Taemin and Chanyeol bark at each other, hefted to his feet at this.


 

“What the hell?! What does throwing up have anything to do with this!?!!” He cried indignantly.


 

The three boys’ loud voices drowned amidst the roaring of the vehicles swooshing down the highway.




 

***




 

[Jungdongjin 50km ahead]


 

“Fifty kilometers…?”


 

“Yeah… unless that zero is drawn… wait… …nope…”


 

“Maybe it’s written wrong…?”


 

“…Highly unlikely...”


 

Taemin, Jongin, and Chanyeol looked at the green sign that indicated the way to Jungdongjin. 50km.


 

…How far away was fifty kilometers? The distance was impossible to grasp their head around.


 

Whether how ridiculous it may sound, Taemin, Jongin and Chanyeol were walking. Emptying their mind and thoughts, the three had walked the highway… for about two hours now. With Jongin ahead and Chanyeol behind him, Taemin continued to move his feet without a word.


 

Of course, they hadn’t just walked all this time. Chanyeol suggested hitchhiking, ignorantly saying how hitchhiking had always been a dream of his road trip fantasy. They had waved their arms off, and even danced crazily by the side of the road. Honestly, Taemin thought that some lady would have a heart to stop, especially at his pretty face. (And maybe at Jongin and Chanyeol’s good-looking features, but Taemin still considered himself to be the visual out of the three) 


 

But the world was a cruel, cold place. Without even giving them a glance, the cars swished past them, leaving cold wind to whip ‘rejected’ into their faces. Provoked by this, Taemin and Chanyeol lifted their shirts and sweaters, revealing skin (and abs in Chanyeol’s case) to attract some kind of attention to themselves. But again, the world was a cruel, cold place. Maybe it would’ve worked if it was summer. But a topless teenager by the road in the middle of freezing winter scared the cars even further away, and Taemin and Jongin had to stop an ego-crushed Chanyeol from jumping into the traffic.


 

Taemin stopped walking and plopped down on the ground. He hadn’t ate, hadn’t had his regular consumption of sugar, and walking wasn’t possible for him anymore. Chanyeol's legs bumped into Taemin.

“…Get up.” Chanyeol said bleakly.


 

Jongin turned around at the sound, and walked back when he saw Taemin on the ground.


 

“Are you okay...?”


 

Jongin said as he crouched in front of Taemin.


 

“……”


 

Taemin wanted to say that he was okay. He wanted to say that he still had the power to walk fifty kilometers or however long the road stretched before them. But he couldn’t. Mentally nor physically, Taemin couldn’t keep up anymore. He had no idea how much time they had left before the sun set, and his stomach hurt from the hunger.


 

“…… I’m not okay. What is this, What the hell is this?!!” Taemin cried.


 

“We’re so screwed.” Jongin said, plopping down next to Taemin. 


 

“Just pretend that you’re air. The wind. And walk.” Chanyeol said, his voice weak and hollow. “Then you forget that you’re hungry.”


 

Taemin pulled at Chanyeol’s arm, and Chanyeol too fell on the ground without resisting.


 

“…I’m hungry.” Chanyeol said, as the three fought off the icy wind with their bodies.


 

“Shut up, you’re making me think of being hungry again.” Said Taemin.


 

“Are crazypop and iron big-toe hibernating or something...?!” Chanyeol cried in frustration.


 

“Do you think they know that we’ve been stranded…?” Said Taemin.


 

“If they’re human,” said Jongin. “…yes.” 


 

With that, the three fell into thought if Soojung and Sulli could possibly be categorized as normal homo sapiens. Taemin swayed to the side and fell on Jongin’s lap. Jongin's eyes were out of focus into the distance, limp and hungry from having thrown up everything he had in his stomach.


 

“I still can’t believe this. We’re stranded. ing stranded.” Chanyeol started snickering. “At least we’ll remember this for the rest of our lives.”  


 

Taemin heard Jongin smirk too from above him, and he tried to ignore their laughter by imagining warm meals and chocolates. He, at least, was going to stay sane.


 

“…Are you okay?” Jongin asked again, eyeing Taemin’s pallid face.


 

Taemin nodded, his head still resting on Jongin’s lap.


 

Though Taemin wasn’t sure. All those times in the past, Taemin had joked about getting a hypoglycemia shock from low blood pressure whenever he wanted his chocolate. He never had the so-called shock before. But right now, it didn't seem so funny anymore. And Taemin was scared.


 

“Let’s go, we can’t stay like this forever.” Chanyeol stood up, pulling on Taemin’s arm in an attempt to get him up.


 

Taemin continued to lie there with his arms hanging by Chanyeol’s grip.


 

“…Don’t pull him like that.”


 

Jongin said, pushing Chanyeol’s arm away. Jongin lifted his friend back up to a sitting position, and crouched down with his back before Taemin.


 

“Get on.”


 

Taemin wordlessly nodded. The usual Taemin would’ve rather preferred to be left behind than to borrow Jongin’s back, but this low blood pressure and low sugar level business actually felt life-threatening. Taemin reluctantly moved his body, and Jongin lifted Taemin up on his back. Like that they started walking again.


 

Taemin buried his face into Jongin’s back and Jongin walked and walked, shifting Taemin up every few minutes. For a country the size of an ant on the world map, the highway seemed endless. Taemin was completely lost on how long they’ve been walking for. Maybe about five hours. Taemin couldn’t stand being on Jongin’s back for so long, so he had repeated walking and being on Jongin’s back for those hours. Right now, Taemin was on Jongin’s back again.


 

It was only minutes later that Taemin realized that his lips were touching Jongin’s neck. It was a total distraction but Taemin remained in that position, unable to move from the lack of energy. As if it was bothering Jongin as well, Jongin bumped Taemin further up and moved his neck around.


 

“Jongin-ahhhhhhh….”


 

Taemin muffled into Jongin’s collar.


 

“…Yeah?”


 

Jongin answered, turning his head slightly.


 

“……I’m sorry. I know I’m really heavy.”


 

“….Good thing you know.”


 

“…Jongin-ahhhh…”


 

Taemin drawled again.


 

“Yeah?..”


 

“I’m hungryyyy….”


 

“Go to sleep.”


 

“How am I supposed to sleep on top of you…”


 

“…Just sleep.” Jongin said. “It’s okay.”


 

“…Jongin-ahhhh….”


 

Taemin called again.


 

“…Yeah?...”


 

“…I just realized that I haven’t been on your back since middle school…”


 

“…….”


 

“Jongin-ahhhh……”


 

“Why are you doing that…?”


 

“……I like it…”


 

“…………”


 

“Jongin-ahhhh…..”


 

“…………”


 

“Jongin-ahhhh…..”


 

“…Stop calling me like that….”


 

Jongin muttered, as he shrugged his shoulders as a signal for Taemin to stop. Without noticing that Jongin’s ears had turned bright red, Taemin’s head bopped limply on Jongin’s shoulder. Taemin was about to tell Jongin to let him off when Chanyeol caught up to them from behind.


 

“…What is wrong with him?” Chanyeol frowned, “Here, give him to me.”


 

Jongin ignored Chanyeol, and Chanyeol took off his jacket.


 

“I mean let’s take turns.” Chanyeol said as he dumped his jacket on top of Taemin’s head. “I don't plan on carrying both of you any time soon. Don’t be ridiculous and hand him over.”


 

Jongin looked hesitant, and Chanyeol lifted his jacket to study Taemin’s face underneath.


 

“What the hell… is he dying?” Chanyeol inquired incredulously.


 

“Yeah.” Jongin responded.

“……Sorry?..”


 

“From low blood pressure.”


 

“…You gotta be ing kidding me.”


 

Chanyeol huffed, and forced Taemin down from Jongin’s back. Skilfully delivering Taemin to his own back, Chanyeol tossed the jacket over to Jongin.


 

Without having a say, Taemin shut his mouth and buried his face into Chanyeol’s back. Taemin wished he could jump off from Chanyeol’s back and throw a lively retort like he always did. Ego was his middle name, after all. But Taemin’s mouth was dry and he was sweating on every pore. Ego wasn’t going to save his life at the moment and Taemin stayed silent. His face flushing red in embarrassment, Taemin didn’t dare to lift his head for the rest of the ride.


 

The rest of the ride at least, before Chanyeol reached his limit in the cold and hungry environment. After thirty minutes with Taemin on his back, Chanyeol stopped walking.


 

“!”


 

Chanyeol ye