The Unexpected Becomes the Expected

Story by LeeHwaYoung

I threw my pen across the room, the pen hitting the walk with the a clunk then falling to the floor. It has been over a month since leaving the hospital, since knowing of Young-Yi's plan to save his younger brother, but since then, no improvements have been made. I felt I was going mad with all the research and trying to remember all of the shared memories I had with Young-Yi... memories I had tried to forget.

I plopped back down on my bed, stretching my arms above my head as I stared at my computer screen once more. A slight ache started in my abdomen as I stared at the blank screen. My body had healed but my mind was still in ruins over my recent ruin. The only thought I had in me was to find Young-Yi's brother, to make up for everything.

At that moment, the floor board creaked and Donghae appeared carrying a pot from the kitchen. The smell of spice reached me, making me realize my own hunger.

"Time for a break. Let's eat." Donghae mumbled, glimpsing the pen on the floor next to the wall. He set the pot down on the small table before taking a seat. I stared for a moment, sighing as I stood and moved towards the table. I picked up the chopsticks on my right, instantly scooping up some ramyun from the pot. The pot let out a strong steam along with the strong smell of spices.

I watched the steam rise, putting the ramyun in my mouth, as I remembered the steam rising in a hot spring. I jumped up, nearly tipping the table over with the ramyun. Donghae yelled then muttered something under his breath, but I was too focused to hear what he said. I scrambled to my computer, searching the hot spring I had been to before, with Young-Yi. I quickly found the address, wrote it down and showed Donghae.

"I need to go here now." I stated firmly. Donghae looked up at me from his position near the ramyun pot.

"Can't we finish eating first?" He asked as he stuffed more ramyun is his mouth, his normal seoul accent altered by the amount of food in his mouth.

"No," I stated firmly, making my way towards the door after making sure to grab a jacket. I heard rather than saw Donghae lagging after me. I smiled, realizing I had just remembered a large clue that Young-Yi had left me. It only took a few minutes to get down stairs and into Donghae's vehicle. I quickly settled myself in the passenger side seat, fastening the seat belt over me, and trying to sit patiently to arrive at the hot spring.

During the ride, I noticed Donghae's continuous glimpses at me. "Hyuk Jae," Donghae finally decided to speak his mind, but I already knew what he was going to say. I looked down at my hands.

"I know what you're going to say Donghae... That I shouldn't get my hopes up... but I know... I know this is it," I smiled, closing my eyes to keep my heart from beating of my chest. Donghae remained silent for the rest of the trip as well as kept his eyes on the road in front of him. Soon, the vehicle pulled up in front of a large hot spring, the sign hanging above the door in chinese letters, some workers standing in front of the door waiting to attend the next visitor.

I quickly unbuckled my seatbelt, opened the door of the vehicle and stepped out. I looked at the hot spring remembering clearly that it was exactly how it looked when I arrived there before with Young-Yi, so long ago. What I remembered even more clearly, was that Young-Yi left something in the vault, under his own name. He asked the workers to keep it for him until a later time, when someone else would pick it up. He had done all of that in front of me. It was I who needed to pick up Young-Yi's package.

My heartbeat sped up as I entered the hot spring an