-21 September 2016, 13:58
Clad in a comfy black sweater and a pair of black distressed jeans that accentuates his long legs perfectly, Minhyun strode into the buzzing KTX station with long steps. Having already booked his tickets online, he swiftly collected them from the ticketing counter before purchasing a grapefruit juice drink from a cafe nearby. He took a glance at the digital clock before making his way through the throngs of people to an ironically empty bench of seats after realizing he had plenty of time left till his train arrives.

Minhyun sipped his drink lazily, gazing on as the people around him held stoic faces, constantly quickening their pace only stopping to furrow their brows occasionally. Phew! Luckily I have the luxury to spend my time relaxingly

Minhyun heaved a sigh of relief and then smiled slightly at the thought of finally meeting his childhood love friend in his hometown again after 6 months. Six months. Time have seemingly flew past Iike a bullet train by the overwhelming workload from his job in the city.

14:12
After making himself comfortable in his seat, Minhyun took out a novel to read for the 2hours and 40minutes long ride. Oddly, he couldn't get past the 1st page of his book as he constantly checked the time on his phone screen habitually.

14:15     14:26     14:43
Despite the KTX train boasting a speed of approximately 330km/h, Minhyun could have sworn time never creeped by so slowly before. At this point in time, Minhyun had started to tap his foot impatiently as his eyes left the book consistently to look at the time on his smartphone, becoming more frequent as the train neared Busan, his hometown. 

16:55 
Minhyun had been staring so intently at the time that he had long packed up his book and got ready to get off the train. 

16:58 
Trees dotted with specks of gold and red were lined up neatly along the road. The crisp breeze of Busan's fall welcomed him. He stretched 

where is she? Minhyun scanned the amber foliage and it wasn't long before he saw her. 

"Wow Yeonjoo! Does time go backwards for you? How do you still look the same after so long?" Minhyun grinned. He laughed as Yeonjoo looked at him quizzically. it's such fun to joke with her.

-23 September 2016, 17:25
The last 2 days had breezed past for Minhyun and before long he was already on the train back to Seoul, this time together with Yeonjoo who wanted to explore the city.

"How do you feel? Going to Seoul for the first time." Minhyun turned to look at Yeonjoo.

There was a pause before she replied. 
"Excited." Yeonjoo smiled, as she fumbled in her bag. Before Minhyun could ask what she was looking for, Yeonjoo handed him a piece of folded paper. 

"Read it after we reach Seoul!" She uttered hurriedly, stopping his nimble fingers. Minhyun raised his brows, confused, but obliged without much thought. 

17:33
"Minhyun." she murmured, bringing him back to reality. He had been so excited to bring Yeonjoo around Seoul that he stayed up late the night before and was now zoning out. 
Minhyun gave a dazed smile, turning to see what she wanted to say.

"Time progresses just like a train ride isn't it?" 

"What are you talking about? How is it like a train ride? What happens when the train stops at a station? Time doesn't stop! It's just how we perceive it~" Minhyun giggled lightly, finding her statement too absurd to comprehend. 

"Isn't what we perceive the most important? We are living, time is dead. " she replied in a serious tone, though her last statement was almost inaudible. Noticing Minhyun's concerned face, she quickly brushed off her statement with another remark. "Time stops during a memorable event doesn't it!" she chuckled. He heaved a sigh of relief.

17:36
-Gupo station Gupo station- 
"Let's play a game! Let's name memorable events in our lives whenever the train stops." Minhyun suggested, after hearing the train announcement.

Yeonjoo nodded faintly, lying her head down on his broad shoulders casually. He looked down at her unexpected action, his heart beating faster by the minute as he took aware of the close proximity of their faces.

"First meeting!" He blurted out unknowingly, in a failed attempt to calm himself down. 
"Meeting you for the first time at school. I thought you were really scary back then." he continued after assembling his thoughts. Fortunately for him, all she said was "I see.." so he didn't have to explain himself further.

The game continued on relentlessly and Minhyun's shoulders have long went to sleep with Yeonjoo's head never once leaving his shoulder for the past 2 hours. 
But it was okay. Those 2 hours were hell when he took the train to Busan alone. Having Yeonjoo's company made the once mundane journey pleasurable.

20:00
-Gwangmyeong station Gwangmyeong station- 
It was already the last stop before arriving at Seoul.
Minhyun's lids were drooping and he could see that Yeonjoo was no different. 

"First kiss. With you." A silence followed after those words left . 

Minhyun could still vividly remember it despite it having happened 3 years ago. She had ran, panting, to the front of Busan station and planted a kiss on his lips before he could react. "Do not forget me even when you meet pretty girls in Seoul!" She had pouted exclaiming.

"Why were you so cute! How would I have forgotten you after u did that?" Minhyun joked, running his hands through her hair playfully.

"I loved you then.. Please don't forget me. I still love you." Yeonjoo's reply was hushed yet he could hear it loud and clear due to the negligible distance between them.

 I.. also love you Minhyun smiled lightheartedly. He had always adored her but couldn’t muster up the courage to tell her. Later! I will definitely tell her when we reach Seoul. His grin widened thinking of how romantic he would be,confessing under the twinkling night sky later.

20:06
Minhyun peered fondly at the girl who had seemingly fallen soundly asleep on his shoulders. 
"We reached Seoul! Wake--" He flinched slightly and his eyes widened with fear as he took sight of Yeonjoo's pale face and lips lacking of vitality. He nudged her shoulder softly, but even that tiny action had caused her feeble figure to falter. 

"Yeonjoo, you can't be leaving me now are you..? We're at Seoul already.." 
His eyes were getting moist but her soulless body remained motionless.

The note! Minhyun's hands trembled as he opened the folded note with delicate haste, not wanting to ruin what could be the last thing he received from her.

To: my Minhyun ♡ 
If you're reading this right now, time has probably stopped for me. How would you be feeling right now? That was a question I worried about a lot since you said you were coming back. I hoped you wouldn't feel angry or wallow in sadness. When my doctor told me I would be left with only a maximum of 3 months left to live, I was angry. I felt unjust. I’m only 20 and I didn’t want to die just like that.  For 2 months, I was so absorbed in trying to make time go slower that it only did otherwise.

But in the 2 days I was able to spend with you, I realized that it’s okay even if we can’t control time, but rather than letting it control us, we can choose to embrace it, by making the best out of it.
My 3 months may be ending soon but I was really happy to have you by my side.  
My childhood friend, thank you and it may be late but I loved you.
-Yeonjoo, 22/09/16
 

Minhyun's hands trembled, shifting his eyes from the note to her stationary figure continuously, unwilling to accept the truth. Eventually, he couldn't suppress his emotions anymore, letting his tears roll down his cheeks. Taking her last words into mind, he tried to regain his composure and daintily carried Yeonjoo up from the seat to get off the train before it left the station.

As he carried her lifeless figure off the train , he couldn't help but think of the 2 days he got to spend with her. Maybe she was right. We are living, time is dead. I had so many chances yet I let an inanimate thing like time beat me. I’m sorry Yeonjoo. “And i love you.” He whispered into the silence.

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A/N: Hello, hoped you enjoyed reading although the last bit was really rushed. Also, I actually started writing this because I wanted to enter a giveaway on Twitter (I'm @dancebaconn) heh but I got really attached to reading and writing again so yay. I hope this is an improvement from my previous cringy cringy cringy fanfic and thanks for reading! :)

Thanks to my cousin who lent me her book "Everything but the Brain" that first inspired me to write something about trains and time and also my friends who rendered help :)