As soon as Suho’s feet touched the ground, he knew. The difference between Susido and the half dozen other islands he had visited was evident all around him, in the air, in the glint of the sun on the surface of the sea. In the moments of silence between the song of the cicadas. He laughed as he his arms into the sky in a giddy embrace.

“Baek, this is it!” he exclaimed. “We found it!” He inhaled deeply, taking in the taste of the sea and the fresh blossoms. Back in the city, the mornings smelled like gasoline and the oil simmering in kitchens of restaurants. Skyscrapers made up the city’s own metal forest and the streets were like that of a labyrinth. But this was an island with a single paved road. Simple, though it’s beauty was not subtle. It shouted at you. It refused to be ignored.  

“Isn’t the village chief supposed to pick us up?” Baekhyun asked, squinting in the brightness. Seoul was no dismal city, but he hadn’t been prepared for such an extreme contrast. He wouldn’t admit it to Suho, but his body had become lighter since arrival and he was envisioning himself exploring the island in a sort of cliche movie montage. For the both of them, the excitement was unprecedented. However, that didn’t solve the issue that they had no way of getting to the village other than by foot.

“Are there no taxis?” Baekhyun asked.

“No. We can walk.”

“Walk?”

From the looks of it, the village was somewhere buried in the forest ahead of them. The road, which was worn, not so much from use as from age, disappeared into a line of trees beyond the sand and rocks.

“You’re joking right? With our suitcases?”

“Yeah, it’ll be relaxing.”

Although lugging their bags through foreign territory sounded like anything but relaxing, Baekhyun couldn’t resist the curiosity that was swelling up inside. Suho was already in front of him, looking around like he was setting his eyes on the world for the first time. In a way, that was the case. As they entered the shade of the towering trees, they were introduced to life they had never encountered before. Plants that grew haphazardly obstructed their path, but they could do nothing but stare in awe at the raw beauty of the exotic colors they could only imagine.

“I guess that critic was right,” Junmyeon said in disbelief, “How can I call myself a traveller when I have never seen anything like this.”

They continued to marvel at the bright flowers as a low rumble of a vehicle approached them.

“Finally something we know,” Baekhyun said, “it might be old, but that is definitely the sound of an engine.”

Jongdae tightened the grip on his bicycle handles. About 50 yards ahead of him were the figures of two unnatural looking men ogling the orchids. They had rigid posture, exaggerated even more by their stiff black suits. He wanted to turn around but they had already spotted him and were waving him down like they were hailing a cab. He stopped pedaling, relying solely on the power of the motor to move him, wanting to reach them as slowly as possible. He had to give himself time to think of something nice to say. Once up close, he was unable to control himself. They looked too eager and awkward, but mostly just lost. He realized he had nothing nice to say to the invaders.

“Magazine guys,” he said, stopping beside them on the road. “You need help?”

The guy with dyed blond hair laughed. “Is it that obvious?”

Jongdae stared at them blankly.

“Actually we were waiting for the village chief, but when he didn’t come we decided to walk.”

Jongdae looked them up and down again. They were sweaty and the wheels of their suitcases were clogged with fallen leaves, but they continued smiling.

“Well, the village is another kilometer away. Enjoy your walk.” His tone was patronizing but Suho ignored it.

“Can we maybe catch a ride?” Junmyeon asked, pointing to the empty cart that was being pulled by Jongdae.

“I’m not headed that way.”

“Well there’s nothing but the beach back over there.”

“I think I know better than you what’s ‘back over there.’”

“Excuse me,” Jongdae said, putting his feet back on the pedals. He had been in the middle of making his weekly trip to the ferry to pick up food and other necessities that his father bought from the city. Usually his father would let him use the truck but he said he needed to pick up the people from the magazine. Jongdae looked around. If his father hadn’t picked them up, where was he? Not only did he need to get the goods back to the store by sundown on an electric bike pulling hundreds of pounds, but he also had to relocate the village chief.

“My name is Junmyeon,” Suho said as Jongdae began to pull away. “And I’m not a ‘magazine person.’ I’m the editor in chief.”

Suho straightened his back a little more and readjusted his suit coat. Baekhyun couldn’t move, because Jongdae had a wild light in his eyes and it scared him into paralysis.

“Great. And I’m Jongdae.” Chen wanted him to remember that name, so that Junmyeon could know who it was who destroyed him.

“Wait! You’re really not giving us a lift?” Suho asked, but Chen was already close to the outer edge of the woods.

Baekhyun kicked him in the shin. “For a second you were almost cool. Why’d you have to ask again?”

“Why did you hide behind me?” Junmyeon asked.

Baekhyun didn’t answer as he dusted off his expensive suitcase. His encounter with the local had brought him back to the reality that it was getting hot under all of his layers of clothes and he had dirt everywhere.

“Anyways, don’t you think it’s petty to fight with a local.”

“I hope they’re all not like that.” Baekhyun watched Jongdae pedal away in bewilderment.

Like that, like the island itself, Junmyeon thought. Fierce, demanding attention.

Jongdae gritted his teeth and swore to end the editor in chief, Junmyeon.