XXVI. 

“Hey, I wanna try something.” Onew grinned, quickly grabbing her hand and leading her out of the school.

Jessica sighed tiredly, muttering under her breath, “Yah, Onew-ah, I don’t want to go anywhere now… I’ve had a long week and I really want to go back home to my air—” He placed a finger in front of her lips, shushing her immediately. She actually thought that they were going somewhere special until they walked a little further and arrived at…

a bus stop.

“Lee Jinki, you pulled me out just to take a damned bus when I can take the—” Once more her words were cut out as a bus arrived. A few words were exchanged between Onew and the driver. Onew nodded and smiled, pulling Jessica inside all the way to the end, and sat down.

“What exactly are you trying to do right now?” She folded her arms, glaring straight into his eyes. “I thought that you’d want to try this. We’re taking a bus to… nowhere. This bus goes in a circle, so we’ll arrive back at the same destination again after an hour or so…” He replied, waiting patiently for her response.

When she didn’t reply, he kissed her cheek and said, “Trust me. This is really nice. I’ve done it a bunch of times before… When I’m sad or anything. You had a tough as hell week, right? Let go of all those troubles here. Once you reach the same spot, you’ll naturally feel better. It’s like… a remedy.”

Jessica took a few moments to process what he’d just said, because really, everything that was in her head then was the comfort of her air-conditioned room and bed. She smiled a small smile, nodding slowly. She’d only seen these in dramas or movies, never knowing that such a bus existed.

“How did you find this?” She asked, leaning on his shoulder.

“I was looking for something to do… I got a C on my test that day so… yeah… And I didn’t want to go home…” Onew replied, placing an arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer. “Anyway, let’s not talk about depressing things. Just enjoy the ride.”

Just enjoy the ride…She closed her eyes and listened to the rumbling of the bus as it rambled on and on slowly, and one other thing. Onew’s gentle breathing, the rise and fall of his chest. A while later he began to pat her arm gently, establishing a slow, steady rhythm.

“Sooyeon-ah… Sleep… I’ll wake you up later,” he whispered, kissing her forehead, singing really softly so that only she could hear, his angelic voice lulling her to sleep. 

I want a boy who will get on a bus with me without having a destination.