Se Hun never really had a liking for night-time driving, but the peaceful hum of the car was almost serene. They had been driving for hours, and the sky was now a milky orange colour that came when the day lingered between light and darkness. It was Baek Hyun's turn to take the wheel, but he knew that they'd swap over soon.

The sun was just beginning to set over their heads when Jong In muttered something to the three of them. "I want to go to Busan."

Se Hun blinked at him. "Busan? Why?"

"I want to visit someone's grave," he mumbled, shifting his body so that he was facing the window. Se Hun knew that although he was snarky, Jong In was quiet, and it wouldn't do to press the issue any further. It would take one more day on the road before they reached Busan, and Se Hun squirmed at the thought. He was glad that they had a plan, at least. Now he knew that they were heading somewhere.

"Where do you guys want to crash for tonight?" Baek Hyun said from the driver's seat.

"As long as there's a bed and a roof, I'm fine," Se Hun said. The thought of sleeping on the ground make him wince. Although they were headed towards the more lush areas of South Korea with an abundance of nature, he still could not bear the thought of being surrounded by trees at night.

"There should be a motel somewhere around here. We'll have to stop over for gas soon anyway," Chan Yeol murmured. 

"I know we were supposed to be doing this old-school with maps and stuff, but I'm lost. Can I use the GPS?" Baek Hyun asked to no one in particular. Eventually, Chan Yeol sighed and pulled out a navman from under his feet. He entered in an address, and instantly a voice filled the car.

"Turn left at the next exit," a female voice said in English.

"What?"

"Take the second exit at the next roundabout."

"Why is it speaking in English?" Baek Hyun said, exasperated. 

"In 50 meters, turn left."

"Oh my God where am I going," Baek Hyun half-screeched, taking the car in the entirely wrong direction. Behind him, he could hear Jong In's muffled laughter and Se Hun's snickering.

"In 10 meters, take the first exit."

"Hey guys, we can make the voice have a female Australian accent!" Chan Yeol said happily.

"Jesus Christ, just make it Korean!"

There was silence as Chan Yeol fiddled with the settings on the GPS, and then the comforting sound of a Korean male giving them directions. Baek Hyun sighed and relaxed into his seat, glancing briefly at the navman.

"Um...why are we spending the night at a place called 'The Dare Devil Inn'?" Baek Hyun mumbled.

"Because it's the cheapest and closest," Chan Yeol said, shrugging. "Serves good breakfast too."

They let a peaceful silence fall over them, the only constant noise being the loud rumble of the engine. The sky was gradually getting darker, but no one had the will in them to fall back asleep. There was a half-empty cup of instant noodles in the cup-holder, embellished with wooden chopsticks and soggy from the cold soup. Se Hun reached for it and took little sips, admiring the emptiness of the roads and the influx of nature that had semed to propagate upon their arrival. 

Suddenly, he heard a screech, and felt his chest heave forwards as Baek Hyun pressed the brakes with all the strength he could muster. The soup ran down the front of his shirt in a cold mess, dripping down to his thighs. He glanced up at saw a small, huddled figure on the front of the road. Baek Hyun was panting slightly, opening the car door and stepping out tentatively.

Jong In squinted. The headlights were harsh against his eyes, but the figure was way too small to be a human. "Is that..." he mumbled, "is that a chicken?"

And, it was. A small, fluffy yellow chicken that appeared to be only a few years old was waddling across the road right in front of their car. It flapped its wings slightly in an attempt to move further away from their vehicle, and it was only then that Se Hun realized that its wing was twisted in an unnatural way.

"It's injured," he said. "We should take it to the hospital."

"But it's a chicken," Chan Yeol deadpanned, opening the door to his left slightly, only to stick his head out.

"It's got a collar!" Baek Hyun said, crouching down and moving towards the chicken. His hands clumsily reached out to inspect the piece of silver that was skillfully attatched to its leather collar. "Alulu of Oak Field Farms, in Haeundae, Busan."

"What?" Se Hun said, blinking.

"The chicken's name is Alulu," Baek Hyun explained slowly, as if he were speaking to a child. "And Alulu lives in Oak Field Farms in Haeundae."

"But then why is Alulu here?"

"Christ, I don't know! What do I do with it? We can't just leave it here."

"Well, yes we can. It's getting dark, Baek. Chickens get lost all the time," Chan Yeol said. "Just leave it on the side of the road and when we get to the motel, we'll call RSPCA or something."

Baek Hyun brought Alulu closer to his chest, as if shielding him from Chan Yeol's glare from the car. "No. I'm not leaving him. We're taking him to Busan with us."

Jong In, Se Hun and Chan Yeol all stared at Baek Hyun from within the confinements of the car as if he were on drugs. However, Baek Hyun appeared defiant and headstrong, carrying the chicken in his arms and clumsily getting back inside the car.

"Oh my God there is a chicken in the car," Se Hun said, his anxiety rising. 

"Yes, there is a chicken, and he's going to stay in the back seat with you," Baek Hyun said, placing Alulu in front of Se Hun's feet. Se Hun screeched, inching closer to Jong In and swatting the chicken with his foot.

"Se Hun stop being such a baby," Jong In muttered, pushing Se Hun away from him.

"I have soup on my shirt and there is a chicken in front of me and it smells weird. Oh God, it's coming closer." Alulu hopped around, burrying itself near the mess that Se Hun had collected on the floor. Without him realizing, Baek Hyun started the engine, bringing it to life with a growl. The car started moving again, and Se Hun hastily carried Alulu onto the middle seat, glaring at him.

"This has to be illegal," he said, shaking his head at the absurdity of their situation. He pondered whether a seatbelt was necessary to keep the chicken still.

"That's why we're sneaking the chicken in. Just--just leave him alone, and we'll put him in Jong In's bag when we go into the motel," Baek Hyun said absentmindedly, his fingers drumming on the steering wheel.

"We are not taking it into the motel with us," Se Hun said, gaping. "Never, ever, ever, no, no, no. Absolutely not."

***

Se Hun wondered what sin he had committed in his past life to deserve such torturous punishments. He walked through the doors of The Dare Devil Inn, attempting to appear as inconspicuous as a man carrying a chicken in a bag could be. He could feel Alulu shuffling around in the bag that was slung across his shoulder, and he swore he could hear the faintest sounds of her sqwuaks.

Baek Hyun walked up to the front desk and asked for a room fit for four, handing over his credit card. Se Hun looked around, and was appalled at the situation that the motel was in. There was peeling paint on every section of the wall that had turned a faded yellow, horrible grey carpets that were adorned with ancient furniture. There was a sheen of dust on every table, he noted with distaste.

When the room had been arranged, the four of them (plus one chicken) walked up the creaking stairs and into possibly the cheapest room Se Hun had ever been in. It was about the size of half of his kitchen, and was rather plain and empty, save for the two bunkbeds in the centre of the room, a table and five chairs. There was also a wooden closet that would fit less than a quarter of his belongings, and was probably infested with termites. The overall room was apalling, but the sight of a bed made Se Hun feel instantly tired.

Once Chan Yeol had locked the door, Se Hun breathed out a sigh of relief. "That was horrible; the guy kept looking at my bag like I had a dead body in it."

Se Hun put his bag on the ground and ushered Alulu out. He waddled out of the backpack, looking rather pleased with himself. It was only then that Se Hun noticed the odd smell coming from his bag, and the little brown drops of poop that accompanied it. 

"Gross," Jong In said, scrunching his nose.

"This is a designer bag," Se Hun wailed, lying on the floor.

Chan Yeol went into the little toilet to take a shower, leaving Baek Hyun crouched on the floor, patting Alulu's head. 

"So I was thinking," he mumbled, the chicken as if it were a puppy. "We should head over to Oak Field Farms and drop Alulu off, and then do whatever we want. We'll be in Busan, anyway."

"But Jong In wanted to--" Se Hun started, before being hastily cut off by Jong In.

"It's fine. We'll go there first, and then decide after." He glanced at Se Hun briefly, before getting up to plop onto the bottom bunk. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm dead tired."

"Go to sleep, Jong In. We've got a big day tomorrow," Baek Hyun said, carrying Alulu in his arms. Se Hun rolled around on the floor like a child throwing a fit.

"What time do I have to wake up?" 

"Five a.m," Baek Hyun replied, looking anything but apologetic. 

Se Hun flopped down onto the stinky carpet, his head resting near Baek Hyun's feet. It was his turn to drive tomorrow morning.

***

Se Hun was dreading being back on the road, honestly. Everything jostled, his legs fell asleep too quickly, and the transition from gourmet meals to fast food in the back of a car was not easy. After breakfast at the hotel, they filed into the car, fruitlessly trying to rub the sleep out of their eyes. It was a little after 6am, and Se Hun noted how difficult it was for him to keep his eyes open as he slid into the driver's seat.

Baek Hyun was seated next to him for reasons he did not know, typing the address of the farm into the GPS. It was unusual that Baek Hyun would ever be separated from his lanky other half, so Se Hun presumed they had a quarrel of some sort. Jong In was quiet in the back, taking a sip from his bottle of orange juice.

"Oak Field Farms should only be around an hour's drive," Baek Hyun said, pulling the sleeves of his cardigan up. They were in the midst of summer and the heat had started to take its toll on the four of them. Their ancient blue car had air conditioning, but Se Hun was afraid the vehicle would fall apart if he pressed any of its suspicious-looking buttons. He wiped at the sweat that was poolling around his forehead, and started driving according to the navman's instructions. Even in a tanktop, he was boiling. 

As they drove further down the roads, Se Hun manually rolled down his windows, in an attempt to bring in more air. What they don't tell people in books is that road trips are incredibly boring, Se Hun thought. The sky was the same shade of blue, the sun a flashing vortex over their heads. 

Se Hun was about to consider peeling his shirt off because of the intense heat, when he felt the car jostle at a bump. Alulu sqwuaked loudly. Looking down, he was barely able to see the little furry body on the ground beneath them. "Oh my God I think I just ran over a squirrel," he gasped.

"What?" Jong In said, rather sleepily.

"I just ran over a squirrel oh my God."

"Is this your first road-kill?" Baek Hyun asked, scrunching his nose. "Poor thing."

"It's okay, I'm fine, Baek."

Baek Hyun stared at him. "I meant the squirrel."

"Oh."

The car was relatively silent after that, the familiar noise of the roads and Alulu's screeching from the back seat being the only source of sound.

"Guys we're on a road trip, let's be philosophical," Chan Yeol said.

Se Hun glanced at his friend once through the mirror. "I'm surprised you even know what that means."

Chan Yeol pouted and crossed his arms over his chest. He bore quite a resemblance to an angry puppy. Alulu flapped his wings in the back seat, hopping onto Jong In's lap. The two of them had grown a liking to each other, and Jong In patted the chicken's head fondly. 

"Do you believe in God?" Chan Yeol said in all seriousness.

"Oh my gosh, shut up," Se Hun whined.

"I believe in God!" Baek Hyun said happily.

"Shut up I need to listen to the GPS," Se Hun said, rolling his eyes. He loosened his vice-like grip on the steering wheel and willed himself to listen to the directions.

"Am I allowed to believe in God if I'm an atheist?" Jong In said from the back.

Se Hun squinted. 

***

Oak Field Farms looked nothing like Se Hun had imagined. Originally, he pictured a rundown, hill-billy harvesting farm that resembled their worn-out car. But the sight that greeted them was anything but unappealing. Instead, they were surrounded by lush green plants and hectares of fertile land, complete with numerous barns to house animals. There was a little cottage and shed near the far left side of the farm, which was where Se Hun presumed the owner's lived. The entire farm was protected by wired fence, but the vast variety of ripened fruit and vegetables poured out from the gaps.

"Wow," Jong In mumbled, looking around. Oak Field Farms was massive, and even from their perch on the side of the road, they could still see a few chickens roaming free in a section of the grassy area.

"It's your brothers, Alulu!" Baek Hyun said, all mirth. He reached to the back seat and grabbed Alulu gently by his sides.

"Goodbye my lovely Alulu," Jong In said, feigning melancholy. Or maybe he wasn't really pretending. Se Hun swore he could Jong In wipe something from his eyes.

Chan Yeol waved with a pout as his petite boyfriend exited the vehicle with their little chicken in tow. They watched him walk to the front of the farm, where a large wooden sign read Welcome to Oak Field Farms!. 

"Guys, what do I do with him?" Baek Hyun said, turning around. There really wasn't any place to leave Alulu, and he definitely didn't want to leave him next to the road. 

"Oh God, I don't know, just drop it by the side or something," Se Hun said, exasperated. He watched from the car as Baek Hyun gently placed Alulu in front of the wire fence, only to watch him pitifully waddle around with no means of getting inside.

"I'm going to jump over," Baek Hyun said, jumping up. "Chan Yeol, help me."

"No! This is bad, this is really, really bad. This is illegal. Chan Yeol stay here," Se Hun said very quickly, his palms beginning to dampen. Chan Yeol turned to him with an apologetic face, which looked more like a sorry-Se Hun-but-my-I-do-whatever-my-boyfriend-says. He slid out of the car and jogged across the grass to where Baek Hyun was still struggling to pull his tiny frame over the fence.

"Ooh, apples," Chan Yeol said, reaching through the holes in the fence to reach for one of the fruits hanging in an orchid. He shoved it into his pocket, as if his theft would go unnoticed. "GUYS DO YOU WANT SOME APPLES?" he shouted back to the car where Se Hun and Jong In were waiting.

"This is not going to end well," Se Hun said to Jong In, "the sign says 'NO TRESSPASSING'. In capital letters. And red ink. RED INK. HE STOLE AN APPLE AND WE ARE TRESSPASSING."

Jong In rolled his eyes at him. "Who cares. We're just going to put Alulu over the fence and leave. It'll be fine."

Baek Hyun was standing on Chan Yeol's hands, attempting to swing his legs over. Just as he was going to pull the rest of his body over the fence, a face popped up in front of his. Baek Hyun toppled over, falling on top of Chan Yeol with a loud yell. 

The boy on the other side of the fence had pale skin that was tinted red on his cheeks, the longest lashes Se Hun had ever seen and beautifully flaxen golden hair. Se Hun blinked at him. He looked angelic and ethereal, like something out of this world. Something really, really, pretty. But the pretty boy did not have a pretty countenance. 

"Just what do you think you're doing?" he said, furious.