[Blocked Number] 11:25pm

In a week, at 1:12pm in a place where black cats are considered lucky and many of the streets have no name, there will be a lonely figure sitting amongst a metal structure which marks the perfect spot for the imagination of an artist to run wild. If your eyes are strong enough, you may be able to spot him.

I rubbed my eyes groggily with feeble hands and forced myself to focus on the agonizingly bright screen of my phone. Blinking a few times rid of my blurred vision, but did not relieve me of exhaustion or utmost confusion. In its drowsy state, my brain could not comprehend the text. It made no sense. Who the hell let their kids stay up that late to send prank messages to strangers? Throwing my phone irritably onto the cold floorboards below, I rolled over and dozed back into a deep sleep full of adventure.

When I awoke the following morning, I turned to see my roommate sitting cross legged on the floor with my phone in his huge hands. His black hair stuck out messily like a bird’s nest and his shadowed eyes mirrored the way I felt. Around his lengthy, lanky body, were clusters of paper and abandoned pens whose lives had been drained. Slitted eyebrows still knitted together in concentration, Kris peered up and greeted me.

‘Why are you in my room?’ I questioned, yawning boisterously and raking my fingers through the horrid tangles in my hair.

‘We both got the same text message.’

I shrugged nonchalantly. ‘What’s your point? It was probably just some kids having fun at a sleepover or something.’

‘Don’t you think this text sounds just a little too ostentatious to have been concocted by children, Junmyeon? And God, please go brush your teeth. That morning breath is dreadful.’

My mouth opened but I swallowed the obscene words swimming around my mind and pushed myself out of bed, obeying my senior and quickly swishing around a glass of mint mouthwash to eradicate the stale stench and taste. I then proceeded to waddle lazily back into my bedroom, where Kris had taken it upon himself to get comfortable amongst the mass of woollen blankets spread across my bed. Once again I felt the burning desire to scold him for believing he had carte blanche over me, but the eager friend who joined me in my boxers each morning called for urgent coverage. I dove towards the bed, yanking a blanket away from my roommate to wrap it around my mostly bare body and saving myself from further humiliation.

Kris didn’t seem to notice and simply held a piece of paper up to my face, his messy English scribbles covering its entirety. ‘I think I’ve deconstructed the clue.’

‘If you’re still talking about the text message, I’m going to ignore you.’

‘Junmyeon, don’t you see? We’ve both been searching for an adventure, seeking new knowledge. You’ve always wanted to prove to your parents that there’s more to life than sitting behind a desk and filing paperwork. Even if this is a fraud, would it hurt to give it a chance?’

I sighed, caving in for the moment. ‘You have five minutes to convince me that this is a good idea. If you fail, I get the television every night for the next month.’

‘Two weeks.’

‘Three.’

‘Fine, three weeks’, Kris responded brusquely, continuing to the paper into my unprepared hands, ‘I think it leads to Japan. There, black cats are considered to bestow luck upon you and I recall being really befuddled about addresses when I visited years ago. Additionally, the National Art Museum in Osaka, which has this stunning silver structure marking its entrance, is reopening in exactly a week’s time. Coincidence, I think not.’

‘Say we do travel to Japan…what happens next? We visit a pretty gallery and then we head back home? It’s hardly worth it.’

‘No, we search for the lonely figure.’

I fell backwards dramatically, my head sinking into a plump pillow. ‘There are a lot of lonely people in the world. Take us, for instance.’

‘If your eyes are strong enough, you may be able to spot him’, Kris recited, gnawing at his dry lower lip, ‘this is our hint…but it’s the single part I don’t understand. What could this mean? Is he small? Does he blend in with the environment? Is he in a hiding spot?’

‘I don’t know, Kris. Who cares?’

He gazed over at me, noting the indifferent expression settled across my face and pouted dejectedly. Gradually, he inched closer and as the seconds passed, the disappointment printed into his features became more evident. I tried to look off into the distance, shoving the image of his droopy eyes from my mind, but when he came to sit directly in front of me, I could not succeed in disregarding him.

‘Jun, this is something I really want to give a shot. I know it might not lead to anything. I’m not that gullible. It just seems like the fantastic opportunity to get away for a while, meet new people, and learn new things. I could go alone, but no adventure is the same when you’re not there.’

My angst seemed to melt away at hearing this and I smiled whole-heartedly. ‘I think this is the most ridiculous idea you’ve ever come up with and that maybe, you need to get your head checked by the doctor. Still, you’re my best friend and I should support your wishes. I’ll go with you, but you owe me…the television is mine for two months when we get back.’

‘One month.’

‘Two.’

‘Six weeks.’

‘Two months. Take it or leave it.’

Kris groaned sarcastically and extended his hand, making me shake on our deal. ‘If you, Junmyeon, accompany me on this journey, I will let you decide what we watch every night for two entire months.’

‘Wu Yifan, Kris, Kevin, Benben, Duizhang… I will join you on this quest to find the lonely figure.’

He grinned, eyes squishing into precious crescents. I would have treasured that smile if I had have known that would be one of the last times I got to see it.

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So this is going to be a little bit of an adventure au if you couldn't tell. I've always wanted to write something like this, so the Exodus teasers (as daunting and creepy as they are) were the perfect inspiration. This is just the beginning and things will kick off over time, so I hope you enjoy!