“Seriously? You can’t cook an instant cup noodle?”

  Su Ji chuckled then smiled.

…

  “I’m starving!” Su Ji cried and the hazardous growl coming from her dwindled stomach showed how she meant the words she had been crying for the past minutes. Myungsoo and Luhan then followed her lead.

  Three boys made their way in, one bringing one green bottle in right hand and the other brought one blue noodle cup in each hands. Chanyeol swept the gaze of seven people on their seat by his right hand, Baekhyun took a sip from the green bottle then the two exchanged a stupid brother-ship grin.

  “They only have these two left,” Junhong said, placing the two instant cup noodles on the wooden table. Chanyeol was still promoting his drink, getting feedback from Sungyeol and Myungsoo who both took one sip. Luhan passed the bottle back when it reached him, declaring his pass.

  “We’ll get going then,” Chanyeol said after the green bottle was back in his hand. The three soon left, losing their traces after few meters away, passed the swimming pool and the hall.

  Soojung brushed her brown sheet to side, the wind of highland at 1 a.m. in the morning ambushed from side. Her eyes lay at two seats to her left, on the other side of the table, “Su Ji, you cook it.” Pointing to the dispenser on the side of the swimming pool, she continued, “Get the hot water there,”

  Su Ji took a pen neglected on the table and slipped it between page 78 and 79 of a light turquoise book with a bench as its cover. With perplexed smile she took one cup and unconsciously struggled to cook her midnight feast.

  “Wait! Don’t tear it so widely!” Sohee warned and it become too late as Su Ji tore the cover until it came off of the cup. Bringing the round cover beside her showing teeth—too awkward to call it a smile—the other could only swept their face with hand and burst in laughter while vomiting Stupid Stupid in the most loving manner.

  Not losing her faith, she drifted to get the hot water and used her clumsy sense to somehow bring the tore cover to fit perfectly.

  Other than Su Ji who had back from taking the hot water to the fantasy world located in Oregon of the book she lately addicted to the other six were having another rounds of playing cards. Su Ji moved her eyes from the lines of words and looked to her side, from the wide gap of the wall; a warm soft lighted cottage glowing under the bleak night was visible.

  How she wished she could have it or if it was too greedy, at least she wished today wasn’t the last day for her to be here and also the last time for her to loving its beauty. The heartening imaginary was scattered by the cold breeze which echoed in the form of growling coming from her stomach.

  “Hey, when will it be ready?” Su Ji groaned.

  “How long has it been?” Luhan looked up from his cards.

  “Few minutes?” Su Ji mumbled. Her hands reached for the warm cup and lift the paper cover on the top of it. “I waited longer so it could properly cook.”

  Luhan eyed how the cover was easily come off, “Does it even cook?” Su Ji glared and pouted at the same times and with confidence back to her cup.

  From the first bite, Su Ji admitted she a big time. “It’s not cooked,” she cried desperately. Remembering her best friend was also crying for food a while ago, Su Ji slid the cup to his front, right beside her. Luhan’s trial started and ended with the same cringe.

  “You really at this.” He shot and the other laughed for agreement. But Luhan had more of it.

  “I’m starving,” Su Ji started all over again. Myungsoo who had been feeling the same way grabbed the last remaining cup before Su Ji could blow it off again.

  Less than ten minutes later, Myungsoo had his own warm cup of instant noodle in his hand. “Let me try!” Su Ji demanded right when Myungsoo finished his first spoon. Su Ji felt both grateful and ashamed after knowing how it should taste like when she had it by herself. “How can you cook it better than me?!”

  Both ended up sharing the one cup as they stayed the night. All seven had promised they would stay until the sun rose for their final day before they chose their own path.

  It was around five in the morning when Su Ji didn’t know the name of the color of the sky and had her feet pressed against Luhan’s jeans fabric and his seat because her feet was freezing, and Soojung was under the blanket with Baekhyun—no one knew what they did through the night, except Su Ji who knew her too well maybe—and Sungyeol who already buried—if he could—his face on the top of solid table, and Sohee who also had her feet pressed against Luhan’s thigh and his seat—following Su Ji’s way—the imaginary possibility beat the strong sanity Su Ji had been trying to keep for a few—5—years.

  “Hey Myungsoo,” she started in the dead morning, soft enough to keep the world asleep, but no one from the six had their eyes closed to sleep.

  “Hm?”

  Su Ji gazed side to side, from the cottage which still had its hazel light on to Myungsoo who never let his light off. Both were too dazzlingly painful to be wanted at the most fragile time of day.

  “Do you want me to learn to cook for you?”

  Everyone had their eyes closed and breathed like they were asleep, everyone beside Su Ji who lay her sight on the cottage, Myungsoo who put his somewhere across the room and Luhan who just tossed it on the table.

  “Why?”

  “I think I can learn to cook, if you will taste it everyday, for one hundreds years from now on.”

  No one was asleep and everyone knew it. But no more voice were audible until the sun rose, marking Su Ji’s expired time and her failed trial as the sunlight killed the hazel light.

…

  “You really can’t cook an instant cup noodle?” Hyun Woo repeated.

  Su Ji breathed in, feeling the cold air from two years ago then smiled in reminisce. “Someone didn’t give me a chance to learn.”