A group of men cheered clinking their glasses together. Gulping the gold liquid, gasping satisfied.

“Another round!” Someone shouted.

“On me,” Sehun declared. Pulling out his new leather wallet. Flashing his card as he called out for more liquor.

“Wow, Sehun,” a man clapped him on the back. Club friend Yoo Minjae slyly grinned. “Breaking out of your cage tonight?”

Yoo Minjae frequented Club Paradise. In fact, he was such a regular that the bodyguards outside let him pass whenever they saw him. Recognizable Yoo Minjae had a big name in this district. The popular guy whose face was as well known as a wanted criminal. A lanky guy who was savvy and witty. His expertise? Women.

Sehun eyed his hand. Annoyed at the touch. “You washed?”

Minjae scoffed. Removed his hand.

Tilting his head back Sehun drank the rest of his cup. The ice cubes noisily rattled. Swishing the liquid around in his mouth Sehun stared at the glassy black table. His party was sitting on the second level with a good view of the dancing space. Everyone gone deaf in front of the loud speakers. The DJ was screaming something into his mic. Ten thousand colors flashed throughout the quaking club.

Sehun eyed the colors of clothing. Men and women, bodies smashing. All of them probably having lost their senses already from poisoning their systems.

A waiter arrived.

“Tip yourself,” Sehun muttered handing the man his card.

Minjae scoffed.

“Do anything in the bathroom?” Sehun asked below hearing level. In other words, you idiot did you stick a needle in your arm?

Rolling up his shirt, Minjae raised a cheeky brow, “See anything?”

Sehun stared at him through pinned eyes. “The police raids the club and I’m dead.”

Clapping a hand over his shoulder with a smack, “So, where’d you wake up last night, city boy? I heard you disappeared from the karaoke room.”

Shrugging his hand off, Sehun grabbed the new bottle of whiskey. Poured himself a cup without offering any to the rest of the party. The three guys across from him were cackling among themselves. Sharing pictures of random women they’d taken on the way up.

“I was in the bathroom.” He swigged the gold liquid on his cup. “With the front desk girl.”

“And?”

“I asked for her name midway. Guess it turned her off.” He boringly told. “So we finished and she walked out.”

Minjae released a high tone laughter that sounded like a dying sheep. Slapping his back again. Annoying him again. He didn’t want the guy touching him. His expression grew terse. The irritation increased when he smelled the stench of cigarettes. Seeing across from him one of the three guys lighting up one.

“Put that out!” he snapped.

Lowering it from his lips the middle guy drunkenly asked, “What’s wrong, man? Want one?”

To his left his slack jawed friend asked, “Are you on your period? So pissy tonight, dude.”

Sehun slammed the cup onto the table. Accidentally splashing himself with the liquor. “!” Hurling to his feet, “I just bought these!” He hastily wiped at his high-end black pants. Too late. It was already soaked through.

Minjae muffled a laugh into his fist. The club regular was the least of his problems. He hadn’t been home in three days. Maxed out one of his credit cards yesterday and ended up calling the family’s driver to get him another one. By now the frugal humanitarian called his father would be ready to wring his neck.

“You faggots,” he cursed. “I said no smoking when we came here!”

“Are you going to lecture us about the effects of secondhand smoking?” One of them snickered.

His face grew red. “Leave before I get security to grab your asses.”

The one with the cigarette kicked the round glassy table causing the glass cups to crash like an avalanche to the floor. Like a trio of high school mean girls, they walked by shooting him glares.

“You’re not even that great. Who wants to hang out with the likes of you anyway?”

“Go cut grass, like your father,” the last snickered brushing past.

Sehun bit down on his teeth infuriated.

“Calm down.” Minjae, standing now, touched his shoulder more calmly. “They’re nobodies. Don’t get worked up over them.”

Shrugging him off more violently, Sehun glared before walking away. Climbing into his black Lexus he sped home. Rolling the top down to let the wind tousle his hair, rush into his face. The chill was welcoming. Neutralizing the hot air congested in his chest.

Swerving toward the glowing home he walked toward the house snatching his jacket off the backseat. Shopping bags, an extra pair of Oxford shoes, and a box of half empty condoms were sprawled beneath the back chair.

The stench of freshly cut grass was overwhelming as he approached the heavy wooden door, where on the other side his parents were waiting for him. Respectable people the public looked up to and thanked every day. Whenever national disasters or tragedy struck his parents would be there. Lending a hand alongside the government. Working with communications under the United Nations to provide to the needy until other institutions could step in and fill their spot. How did he not turn out like them? That was one wild puzzle to solve.

The TV was blaring when he walked in. Strange that his mother wasn’t running up to coddle him. Ask him where in God’s heaven had he gone? Did he have money? Had he eaten? He found her sipping tea from her special China cup, a collection no one was allowed to touch but the housekeeper. Next to her in the recliner was his father. Eyes glued to the screen.

“You’re here?” he boomed.

Standing under the arch that adjoined the foyer and the living room he mumbled, “Yea.”

Grabbing the arm of the chair to leverage his tall body up he took his time coming over. They were the same height. As his mother said, replicas of each other. His father’s little man. He groaned whenever he heard it.

Stopping by the stairs to his left his father Oh Minjoo throatily coughed. Hands interlocked at his back, staring up the steps. There was a thud. The family driver, a still black-haired man in his late 50’s, appeared lugging a suitcase. Someone who went by a variety of names. Chauffeur. Uncle Min. Secretary Min. The driver.

Sehun stared at the suitcase when the chauffeur stepped into the foyer. “I packed the necessary, sir.”

His father nodded approvingly. Then his gaze swept over to him, “Shower first. Before you go.”

“What?” he breathed surprised. Then louder, “Go where? I’m not going anywhere!”

His mother had risen. Touching his arm soothingly. “Your father prepared something for you.”

His hard gaze flew over to the old man. “No. I won’t. You can’t do this to me.”

“I’ve frozen your spending accounts, so don’t think about going anywhere tonight,” his father laid it out. “I’ve already set everything up for you, so go and learn a few things or two. The city has gotten too much into your head you’ve forgotten the value of living. This experience will be benefitting for you.”

“What experience? I don’t need any experience. I studied abroad! I even interned at the city hall,” Sehun yelled.

“Listen to your father,” his mother gently coaxed. “He’s doing this because he’s thinking of you.”

He frowned tersely. “No. Whatever it is. I’m not interested. I’m not going! I won’t do it.”

ϞϞϞϞϞ

“We’re here,” Driver Min announced.

Lifting his head up to peer out the window Sehun sighed dropping against the seat. “God…” he sighed, still upset.

He really had left home in the middle of the night. The envoy taking them past stalks of wheats, rolling green hills with nothing in the distance. Passing forests and more corn fields. Blinded by oncoming headlights. Swerving right and left until they were heading south on one straight road. Racing with the ocean to land’s end and now here.

Sehun was ready to die.

The driver pushed the door open and climbed out. Inviting an oven baked kind of wind into the car. Immediately suffocated Sehun slid lower into his seat. Then he choked on the air when the chauffeur opened the door, poking his head in.

“Come out.”

Whining, Sehun forced himself out. One leg at a time. Moving his foot around until he planted it on flat ground. Slid himself across the seat. Groaning again. From this angle the sun melted into his eyes exactly the way it did when fell asleep with the lights on.

“Sir,” the driver called.

“Fine,” he spat defeated. Pushing himself up he stepped outside. Crying inside when Driver Min closed the door to his escape.

“Here.” He handed him a picture. “Walk straight down, you’ll find it.”

Stretching down his left was a plain dirt road. With no shade. Sweat trickled down his back.

“Down there?!” he screeched. “You can’t drive me to this God forsaken house?!”

“It’s a farm sanctuary. Even visitors walk,” he monotonously explained. “Then, enjoy your trip.”

“You’re kidding!” Sehun yelled as the driver turned around, rounded the car, and grabbed the door handle. “You can’t! This is a lie!”

“Sorry, sir, this is all I can do.”

“Get me out of here!”

The driver, with expressionless eyes, gave a curt nod before retreating back inside the air-conditioned car. Already irritated enough for the day Sehun stared at the bricked home unsuitable for the middle of nowhere. Cursing underneath his breath he dragged his suitcase after him.

Summer in the city was always the best. Cool buildings. Pretty women in shorts and crop tops. Luxury cars with their hoods down and blowing past speed limit. And there was plenty of shade thanks to tree lined roads. Here?

He listened to a bird caw overhead. Muttering under his breath. Growing more irritable when the wheel of his suitcase bumped a rock twisting to the side.

“God, geez…” he mumbled trying to correct the suddenly malfunctioning suitcase. It finally clicked into place after several tries. Angry, he kicked the container and turned whamming into something. Rebounding backwards like a ball, and flopping onto his .

Sehun groaned, pained. The sound of scrabbling feet, a weird sound he’d never heard before bawked. The cry of a chicken becoming louder and louder. Dust floated up into his eyes. Sehun turned flinching. Blocking his face with a raised arm. Everything happened so wildly fast he couldn’t register what happened first. The screeching girl crying over broken eggs, the dirt bath he was suddenly having, the corner of the suitcase prying into his lower back, or the chicken kicking him.

This time it was Sehun who was screeching when the bird hopped onto him. Flapping its wings. Stepping on him with his nails and moving in a circle. His beady eyes looked right at him.

“Minseok!” the girl cried out exactly when he started freaking out. Wondering if the thing would poke his eyes out. Snatching the bird and moving him to the side she started wiping dirt stains off his shirt. “Oh no…” she murmured lifting her hands up, “I forgot I have eggs on my hands.”

Growling inside his throat perplexed, Sehun scrambled to his feet. Grabbing the hem of his shirt to see the strange stain. “You! And him!” he his finger at the rooster who was blinking fiercely with his head bobbing back and forth. Clucking when their gazes locked.

Sehun took a step back when the rooster flapped his wings.

“Stay down, Minseok,” the woman gently crooned.

He scoffed bewildered. “What is that? Your guard dog?”

“In fact, he’s a rooster,” the plain girl stated.

Sehun couldn’t stand this. Today was the day he thought that God was finally testing him. in a breath he held out the photo in his hand, “Know what this is?”

Cocking her head to the side she stared.

A moment passed. “So,” he asked with more enunciation trying to lengthen his patience, “do you know where it is?”

“Mmm!” she nodded.

He breathed relieved.

“My house.”

“What?!”

“But why?” she asked with big round eyes.

“I’m being tested,” he murmured to himself. “God is testing me.”

He pinched his forehead. Never minding him she bent down to pick up her straw basket and turned to walk away.

“Come on, Minseok,” she spoke to her rooster. “Lets go home.”

They – she was really going to just leave him. Feeling belittled, he yanked his suitcase forward and followed.

The afternoon sun was really doing a number on him today. The sweat was even assaulting his hair. Pooling up on the roof of his head. Soon it would flood down his face like water. Even worse, he reeked of heavy sweat, too much musk, and the outdoors. And like a chicken. Damn rooster.

Sehun glared at the ignorant rooster trotting by his beloved’s side. Then as if reading his harboring thoughts, the rooster turned his head. His little beady black eyes landed right on him. Square on.

His throat closed. He looked at the girl whose hair was tight up in a bun. With a shirt and colored sweats that clashed. She was wearing gray slide sandals. What a piece of artwork.

“You should know better than to wear jeans and,” she gave him a onceover with sympathetic eyes, “such a buttoned shirt.”

“There is a word for it,” he snapped. “Fashion.”

“So, what kind of a statement are you trying to make?” she cluelessly asked.

He bit his lower lip, irked. Changing the topic, “Do you run this sanctuary or whatever it is.”

“It’s a farm sanctuary where we advocate for farmed animals.”

“You mean, save them from being butchered.”

“We’re an animal protection organization.” She ambiguously answered as if she hadn’t heard him.

“But you eat meat?” he asked.

“Well, yea.”

“That’s ironic. Animals are meant to end up in the meat section,” Sehun said.

“Do you know where your meat comes from?” the girl asked.

“Why would I care?”

“Did you know that when an animal has been raised on a diet natural to it, allowed to roam freely, humanely without stress, it tastes the best?”

“All meat tastes the same,” he murmured. “Become a teacher.”

They reached a grand field of grass bordered with wooden gates. Into the beyond he recognized specks of animals freely roaming around. Cows feeding on grass, their young running through the fields. In the distance where a spotted cow was laying in the grass a tan horse galloped. Overhead ducks were flying in their common V-form.

“Of course,” she spun around on a heel to grin at him. “From today on, for exactly three months, I’m going to be your teacher. Oh Sehun.”