I was out of things to pack and consequently out of time to stall the inescapable. It was a sad fact, but it was oh so very true. Yumi and I began shoving boxes into the car with the help of the chauffeur. We honestly wouldn’t have made any progress if it weren’t for him. It still took us a good thirty minutes to complete the task. Not that I was complaining.

After packing everything into the car, I looked at the large white house that had been my home for so many years now. I felt my heart drop as I realized that even if I came back here, it would no longer be my home and never would be again. There was no place for any of us in that grand house anymore. Finally managing to pull my eyes away from the sight, I took what had to be the longest car ride of my life. Every minute that ticked by felt like five. Time always had a way of making itself longer when you need to past the most.

*Please let him not be there. Let me not see him. Let me not hear his voice. Not right now. Not today. Please* I let myself hope in vain. For a while I actually got myself to believe those thoughts. That they might be true. I began to feel normal again. When I closed my eyes I could imagine myself on a trip to the ocean, the scenery outside of the window roaring beautiful in harmony with the strong walls of earth standing tall against the fury of the ocean. I’m sad to say that that beautiful image didn’t last very long. The car came to an abrupt stop, meeting another as we pulled up to what was to be my new home. It was a fairly ordinary looking place. It was definitely no mansion- that was for sure.

*Just ignore it, Myeongji. You know you can do this. Easy. Or easy as things could be at the moment.* the second car left as we began carrying boxes into the house. Not only did he get here first, but he was probably done unpacking by now. My suspicion proved right as I walked through the front door with the first boxes. There, leaning against a doorframe as nonchalantly as possible was Lee Byunghun smiling as he watched me walk past with box after box. Is this what he thought normal people did or was he just trying to look cool? Just looking at him was infuriating. To be fair it wasn’t his fault that my life had recently taken a turn for the worst. That didn’t keep my frustration from building.

*God that’s annoying…. No, no; it’s okay. Don’t ask if I need any help. Really, feel free to stand there and watch for as long as you’d like. We wouldn’t want you to strain yourself.*at least I still had Yumi. Time began to flow quickly again as we focused our energies on emptying the car of boxes

*Is this what my life is to become; a blur of time with splotches of painfully slowly flowing misery? It has to get better than this… At least a little bit… right?* A wave of anxiety washed over me once again.

With Yumi’s help, it wasn’t long before I had the last box in my hands and was bidding her goodbye. She was wearing her usual smile. It was comforting, in a way, to know that at least one thing was still the same. I found myself hoping it would always stay that way. And that maybe I could find the happiness she had.

“Play nice,” of all the things to say. She knew me far too well. I sighed and nodded and nodded with a smile. So she was still herself after all. Yumi had never developed a filter. Every word she thought spilled out of . I had always liked that about Yumi. You never had to wonder where she stood. It made it easy to be around her.

“I’ll try my best,” I answered. She knew better than to believe that meant that. For a as though Yumi might start crying. She gave me an awkward hug as she tried to maneuver around the box I clutched to my chest.

“I love you, Myeongji,”

“I love you too, Yumi,” I smiled softly at her as she climbed into the backseat of the car.

“And good luck out there kid,” with that she drove away, leaving me alone with the demon, Lee Byunghun and that frustrating smile of his. I gulped in another big breathe as I carried the last of my things to their final resting place.