The most rewarding part of the journey is not making it to the end, but it’s realizing all the things, we’ve learnt along the way.

“We’re really doing this?” Joohee stares at his side profile, painted with shades of black, she could barely make out the outline of his face from the streaks caused by the streetlights as they drove past. The wind was a little chilly tonight with the season of autumn beginning to end.

“Going to Gwangju?” he asks rhetorically “Yes”

“But we just stole a load of supplies from the hospital” Joohee could feel the adrenaline pulsing through her veins.

“Not stealing… just borrowing” Minhyuk makes the turn around the corner and straight towards the sign that took them outside of the city of Seoul. They wouldn’t be looking back, not any time soon at least.

“Do you think this was something smart to do?” Joohee turns to Yooyoung, wrapped in the layers of blankets and hooked up to the portable oxygen tank that she carried with her just in case.

“No” he replies bluntly “But I think it was the best thing to do, in circumstances like these…”

Joohee stares at the long winding road ahead, they were on a journey now. It was an adventure, it was that one last thing she would and possible could ever give to Yooyoung – her freedom. Though most parents feared that their child would grow up and leave them, they at the very least at twenty good years. Here Joohee had a matter of months. Her eyes were beginning to fail on her from the fatigue that crept up on her so suddenly. “Just sleep” she hears his voice faintly in the background “I’ll call you when we reach our first stop”

It’s the last thing she remembers before she allows herself to be consumed entirely.  The next time she awakens it’s sunrise and she can hear a conversation occurring between two people. With her eyes still closed Joohee continues to eavesdrop on the conversation.

“Are you hungry?”

“Yes”

“We’re reaching our first stop soon, you can grab food whilst I pour fuel into the engine”

“Ok”

“Are you excited?”

“Very – I haven’t been able to do anything fun since I became sick”

“Really?”

“I can’t go to school because I’m too sick, and mum doesn’t take me out shopping because the hospital won’t let her”

“Well there’s nothing, online shopping can’t do” he takes a quick glance in the rear view mirror, just in time to see the mischievous grin creep upon her face. She looked a bit like Joohee then. Both their eyes spoke volumes, and shone so bright that even the stars couldn’t compare.

“Ahjusshi…” Yooyoung shuffles forward from her seat

“Yeah?”

There’s a silence that fills the air with only the sound of her oxygen tank to fill the void “Nothing…” she shakes off the thoughts clouding her mind “I’m really happy you’re my mum’s boyfriend”

Minhyuk scoffs and Joohee stops herself from stirring “I’m her friend, Yooyoung” he switches over to the left lane as the cars speed past him “Like how I’m your friend – I’m your friend right?”

Yooyoung tugs on her oxygen tubes and stares outside the window. There’s frost building up on the window screen and it’s cold to touch. The streetlights and speeding cars create streaks as they drive past. “Ahjusshi” Yooyoung speaks up  “I’ve never really had a friend”

Minhyuk would be lying that he’s never doubted the decisions he’s made in his life. The decisions that made his parent upset with him when he was younger, the decisions that caused his best friend to ignore him for a week, the decision that led to – well everything being what it was today. Sometimes he wished that he were better at it – making decisions that were right from the start, ones that had the best outcome. Now if only he had a magic ball that allowed him to see into the future.

Still he’s only human, and much like everyone else Minhyuk feels. It just so happened that as Yooyoung recalled how she met her the kids in therapy for the first time and how none of them stayed around long enough to ever be real friends with her, the little girl had given up any hope of making friends. This bothered Minhyuk. The people that she considered friends were the following; her mother, Joohee, her aunty, although not biologically, Ara and sometimes Doctor Kim when he gives her lollies for being a ‘really brave girl’.

“We have a problem” Minhyuk says gravely as the car pulls to a slowly halt. He isn’t mechanic but the smoke coming from the hood of the car was enough of a sign that something had gone terribly wrong.

Joohee rouses from her sleep again when Minhyuk closes the door of the car. “What’s wrong?” she steps out from the car, still shaking the sleep and fatigue from her body.

“When was the last time you had this car services?” he coughs, fanning away the smoke with his hand when he opens up the hood.

“We usually don’t go far besides home and the hospital” she admits. Which means that they were stuck in the middle of the road and morning was a fair bit away from them.

“I think there’s something wrong with the thermostat” he his finger, in pain from touching the heated hood.

“Are you ok?” Joohee glances over, a tad concerned, but he shakes it off and smiles

“It’s fine” he shakes it off and walks back towards the car

“What do we do now?” Joohee huffs, chasing after Minhyuk. She’s about to voice how much she regrets doing this, merely three hours into their trip.

He reaches for his phone “Tow-truck service” he reassures her

“Where are you planning on going?” it’s a question that even Joohee isn’t sure of herself.

“Gwangju” Minhyuk replies for both of them. The driver nods his head and although Minhyuk is certain that he’s resisting the urge to ask a million questions, he’s glad that he doesn’t.

The car comes to the repair shop at around midnight where the temperature drops just a little lower and Joohee has to hold Yooyoung a little closer. “Do you guys have a place to stay for the time being?” he looks at them rather pitifully and Minhyuk shakes his head.

“Look, my house is just a few blocks from here, it would be wrong of me to leave you guys out so late, especially with the little girl over there” he notices Joohee wrapping her arms and blanket tightly around her frail body, shielding her from the cold.

“Thank you” Minhyuk is the first to extend his arms “I’m Minhyuk by the way”

The driver smiles and extends his arm “My name's Donggeun - Shin Donggeun”

- Short chapter because I really wanted to say Merry (belated) Christmas and Happy New Year! Thank you so much for subscribing, reading and commenting! It really means a lot!