Inspired by the paper towns soundtrack: Search Party

Classes had started and Dahyun could be seen scribbling away at what was written on the board. It was a sunny Monday, not too hot and not too cold. Occasionally, Dahyun would look around the class or out the window.

This was when she noticed that the table at the other side of the class was empty. Son Chaeyoung occupies that table but it seemed like she was late, again. Dahyun shrugged it off and continued to concentrate on the lesson.

Chaeyoung had little to no friends; well, Dahyun is her only Friend, since they had grown up together in the same neighborhood and played together. Chaeyoung had no friends not because she was unpopular, she just doesn't want friends. The girl could always be seen with a pencil and paper and scribbling things.

However, the whole school day passed and Dahyun caught no sight of Chaeyoung. Thinking that girl might have overslept or become sick, she thought maybe she would return to school soon.

That didn't happen.

Dahyun went over to her house find out.

It was the 100th time that Chaeyoung had ran away from home. Her parents just couldn't get why that girl kept doing that even after scolding her. As a master of fact, they even gave up calling the police entirely because the girl would come back one day or the other.

Dahyun felt really disheartened by the news. She didn't know why she was this sad. In fact, she felt that she has been experiencing strange feelings since she last hung out with Chaeyoung a few week ago.

When she sees Chaeyoung, her stomach starts churning; everything starts blurring and the world seemed to stop and revolve around that one girl, which was Chaeyoung.

‘Kim Dahyun! I can’t believe you are acting like that! Get yourself together’ Dahyun pats her face a few times.

‘She didn’t even do anything to make you like her!...What’s so good about her?..... Well… maybe her dimple when she smiles? Her eye smile? Her- KIM DAHYUN!’ Dahyun slaps her face hard and regretted that decision as she winced in pain.

She shook it off and headed home. However, for the next few days, there was no news of Dahyun at all. Even her parents started to worry about the girl. She has never left home for more that 4 days because she always came back for allowance.

Dahyun decided to take action. She went to the Son’s home and lied, saying that she left something at Chaeyoung’s room. Her parents welcomed their long-term neighbor whom they watched grew up and let her in.

Now that the parents were out of the way, Dahyun had one more obstacle; Chaeyoung’s brother.

B: No.

DH: But I left some-

B: That lie is not going to work on me

DH: Please~…

B: … 25 bucks

DH: 5

B: 20 bucks

DH: 10?

B: 15. Take it or leave it.

Dahyun grumbled as she fished out some crumbled notes and surrenders it to Chaeyoung’s brother who was grinning while he stepped away. He looked into the room and sighed.

“Sorry sis but money over all~” he mumbles.

Dahyun was looking around the white room. It was a small room with a queen-sized bed, posters of idols, drawings, clothes and art materials everywhere. Dahyun searched for a good 15 minutes before she plopped on the bed and heaved a sigh.

She closed her eyes and prayed for any sign or a clue, just a little clue to where Chaeyoung could have went.

‘Na na na na na na~ Catch me if you can~’

As children, Chaeyoung’s favorite game would be hid and seek, Marco polo or catching. And she would always pester Dahyun to be the catcher or the seeker; the girl just loves to run away and leave clues to where she would be.

Thinking about the happy times made Dahyun miss the girl even more. She sighed and opened her eyes again but this time, god had granted her wish. Stuck on the cap of the ceiling light was a piece of paper.

Dahyun jumped up, pulled a chair and got the paper. It was dusty of course and caused Dahyun to have a sneezing fit before she could read it.

However, there was nothing to read. All it was, was just two images of windows side by side. She knew Chaeyoung loves to give her puzzles and this was just a piece of it. Dahyun took a last look before she left but suddenly she snapped her head around.

She unfolded the paper in her pocket and lifted it up. Her eyes darted from the paper to the window in Chaeyoung’s room. It was exactly the same. Now all that is on Dahyun’s mind was why the image of the same window was drawn side by side.

Dahyun examined the picture closer and noticed something new; the shades of the pencil mark were off. She thought she was crazy that she spotted this difference but she tried anyway.

She took one of the metal rulers Chaeyoung had and started to chip away at the window frame. And true enough, a compartment popped out and Dahyun found a rolled up paper in it.

DH: Boats and planes and cars and trains like; Boats and trains and cars and planes? Chaeyoung… what do you mean…

Dahyun massaged her temples as she lipped the little world flyer back and forth, even to the extent of bringing it towards the light to see what hidden writings there were.

Nothing;

Dahyun slipped the paper into her pocket and left for home. At home, she tried to concentrate on the holiday homework but to no avail. All she could think of was Chaeyoung and her welfare. She ruffled her hair in anger and slammed her book shut before taking the flyer out again.

DH: Boats and planes and cars and trains like; Boats and trains and cars and planes~

Dahyun found herself humming to the song’s quote that Chaeyoung had written down but couldn’t seem to figure out anything. She looked at the flyer again

“Lotte World! Filled with FUN!!”

Dahyun smiled, she could remember when their mothers decided to bring then to a carnival when they were children. They got lost but when sh