WOOHYUN

“Yah.”

I lightly clipped the bluetooth around my ear, making sure I heard Hoya’s voice more clearly.

“I already told you Hoya,” I clicked my tongue. “No conversations, only emergency. Seohyun is paranoid about safety issues, you know that.”

“Like I’m not carrying someone with me,” Hoya snorted. My throat dried up a bit as I imagined Kairi sitting behind my friend, her arms wrapped around his waist, falling into a deep snooze with his purple helmet on.

“Woohyun, I’ve already crossed Verdelann.” Hoya’s voice alerted me and I shook my head a bit. Behind me Seohyun furrowed her eyebrows, obviously trying to concentrate on her Bach rock playlist. I cleared my throat to signal my apology and stepped back into the conversation.

“So?”

“So?” Hoya gave out a laugh. “Woohyun, Verdelann is another state altogether, where are you taking us?”

Right then and there I heard the rumble of engines and I smirked as L, Hoya and the jeep party joined us three bikers.

“Nice to see you again,” I said. Hoya grinned and looked straight ahead.

“Fine, our paths crossed. I trust you enough to know that you did your research. But seriously Woohyun, where are we going?”

I blinked and before I could think of anything else to say, a word bounced off from the deep corners of my memories and sung out in my head. I sung back.

“Paradise.”

                                                                                                                  KAIRI

I stirred awake as I heard Hoya talking, opening my eyes to see Woohyun and Seohyun on the former’s bike. I straightened up and glanced behind me. So we were all travelling together now.

I checked the time on Hoya’s watch and gulped. Four hours? Where was Woohyun leading us?

“Brace yourselves!” Sungyeol shrieked. Hoya’s playful eyes then turned serious and I ducked in surprise as we entered a large tunnel.

Darkness.

“YAH WHAT THE HELL IS THIS???”

“Even after seven years in a cave…”

“THERE’S NO LIGHT HERE!!!!”

“Haha, Yoona is scared.”

“SHUT UP MYUNGSOO!!”

The echoes of laughter seemed ominous and I pursed my lips, tightly clenching a large portion of Hoya’s jacket in my hands. Relief washed through me as headlights switched on and the yellow painted squares below us led the way.

Suddenly a loud groan washed above us. I turned to my right and saw a small smile on Woohyun’s face. A smile of anticipation, a smile that hid some sorrow underneath. Woohyun turned around and our eyes met.

“Wait for it,” he mouthed.

“What is this sound?” Dongwoo murmured, the walls of the tunnel making him audible to all of us.

“It sounds like thunder,” Sungjong wondered aloud. Someone gave out a sigh and said, “Have you all lost all sense of sound too? Isn’t it obvious what it is?”

“Yah Amber Liu!” Woohyun shouted. “Don’t spoil the surprise!”

Even in the dim light, I could see Amber’s grin. The groan then turned into a rumble until it sounded like the bass of a song. It beat right through my chests and I gulped.

Where on earth were we?

Almost as if to answer my silent question, sharp rays of light entered our vision and we got out of the tunnel.

Silence.

Within seconds, whoops of joy erupted.

“Woohyun-ah!!!”

“Wohooo!!!!!”

“Yah! Are you sure we can train here???”

“Come on Hoya! You move ahead! Remember, Woohyun doesn’t want to make things awkward!”

Excited sighs shuffled around me and as I slowly moved the visor, the clear colour of the ocean and the vast span of land threatened to kill me slowly and softly.

Paradise.