It was a grey sort of morning; the sky was heavy with rotund clouds, looking as if they could burst at any moment. Jaejoong clutched onto his umbrella and tapped it against his leg as he paced up and down the platform. He checked his watch, and then the overhead arrivals board: the train from Daejeon to Seoul was to arrive in approximately five minutes. He continued pacing.

“Stop that,” a soft voice said from behind him. “You’re giving me anxiety.”

“Sorry,” he sighed, turning around to face the lanky, brown-haired boy sitting on the station bench behind him, keeping watch over his suitcase. “I’m just nervous, that’s all. It’s the first time I’ve lived away from home and –”

“I know,” Changmin cut in, looking down at his shoes. His lip was sticking out a little as he sulked. “I wish you wouldn’t go.”

Jaejoong’s smile turned wide and radiant. He hurried to sit beside the boy and nuzzled into his shoulder, burying his nose in the boy’s soft, wavy hair. “You’re going to miss me,” he accused.

“You know I am. There’s no one else to hang out with in the village. Except for you, everyone else is old. And I’m being generous with your age, calling you young, too.”

Jaejoong snorted and straightened up. “Even until the very end, you’re being a brat.”

“Hyung,” Changmin complained, his voice rising in a whine. “Don’t call me that. I just don’t want you to leave, that’s all… but,” he added, when he turned and saw Jaejoong’s smile falter, his eyes dull a little, “I am happy for you.”

“And Seoul isn’t that far away,” Jaejoong added in uncertainly. “You can come and visit me whenever you want. Think about it, you and me in the city, exploring and eating all kinds of different food.”

Behind them, the train was slowly pulling into the station with a screech of metal wheels. A woman dressed in a turquoise, smart uniform, stepped out and bowed to passengers as they formed a line to clamber on board.

“Call me when you arrive?” Changmin pleaded.

Jaejoong threw his arms around the younger man and squeezed him in a tight hug. “I promise,” he said, pulling away reluctantly and standing. Changmin grunted and got to his feet too.

“I’ll help you with your luggage. What carriage are you again?”

Jaejoong brought out the ticket he’d been keeping in his jacket pocket and squinted and the letters on the paper. “Carriage sixteen, seat five A.”

They headed off towards the carriage, the train’s engine humming impatiently. Changmin helped him on board and they managed to find a space in the rack for his suitcase, the battered old thing squeezed between two shiny, new ones. Jaejoong threw his arms around Changmin’s tall figure once again and squeezed him tightly.

“Don’t get into too much trouble while I’m gone? And check in on my Mum and Dad when you get the chance, won’t you?”

“Every day,” Changmin promised with a warm smile. He took a step away from Jaejoong as the conductor blew a whistle and scrambled down the steps leading down onto the platform. “Jaejoong, I’ll miss you.”

“I’ll miss you most!” the dark haired man grinned back, waving frantically as the door closed. He kept close to the window, watching as the train left the station, leaving both Changmin and Daejeon further and further behind. A tight, sick feeling wound up in his stomach, a small nest of nerves. He turned away from the window and found his way to his seat.

Sitting next to a grandmother with wrinkles around her small, kind eyes, Jaejoong smiled and bowed at her in greeting.

“Young man, are you alright? You look very pale.”

“Oh, I’m fine,” Jaejoong lied, sinking back into his seat and peeling the gloves from his hands. “Well, actually… no I’m not. It’s my first time to live away from the countryside.”

“Oh?” she tilted her head with interest. “Where are you going?”

Jaejoong retrieved the brochure he’d been carrying around with him since the day he got the acceptance letter into university. He offered it to the woman, who hummed in approval.

“Seoul Institute of the Arts. It’s very famous… you must be talented,” she added.

“Oh,” Jaejoong blushed, “not really… I mean it was luck that got be through the audition, that’s all.”

“Seoul isn’t a friendly place,” the old lady warned. “You won’t find people who are as willing to help in the city as they are in the country, but you will get used to it.”

“Where are you going, grandmother?” Jaejoong asked out of curiosity.

“To visit my grandson… he studies in Seoul, just like you. He’s about your age… how old are you?” she asked curiously.

“Oh,” Jaejoong blushed, “twenty three … I had a late start.”

She nodded and smiled at him, her lips small and thin like a date. “Here, give me your phone number… You look like a nice young man. I can ask my grandson to help you.”

“Oh!” Jaejoong’s eyes widened. “That’s very kind, but you don’t have to –” he broke off when he saw her shaking her head, and added, “And it’s just that, well I don’t have a hand phone…”

“No hand phone? Even a person at my age has one… well, let me give you his number then. Here it is,” and she squashed a pearly business card into his hand. Jaejoong thanked her and stowed it away into his pocket, unsure if he would ever use the number, but it felt wrong to reject the offer from such a kind lady. He settled back into his seat and watched as the train raced the outside scenery. Mountains rose and fell gently on the horizon, and the sky began to clear a little. He closed his eyes and smiled, already feeling a little better about the journey ahead.

The train arrived at Seoul station just over an hour and a half later. The clock struck eight AM as Jaejoong got off the train. He helped the grandmother with her bags, carrying them as far as she would allow him and they parted at the escalator.

“I wish great things for you, young man… you have a kind air and some luck about you. I think you will do well,” were her parting words as he handed over her bag, thanked her and waved her goodbye. Now that he was alone, the station seemed enormous, and there were too many people in a hurry. Someone ran past him, catching him off guard and bumping into his shoulder heavily. Jaejoong stumbled back. The woman, wearing a suit and high heels, didn’t stop or even turn back to apologise. She continued to run, excusing herself as she raced down the escalator.

Jaejoong shook his head and sighed. The grandmother had been right… there certainly was a different style of life here. He walked on, reading