002
Trains

"I love you."

Junhong watched the corners of the Danni's lips turn up in a small, as she quietly chewed her breakfast sanwich. "I love you noona," he repeated. "I love your hair and your eyes and your contagious laugh and your great hugs. You make me feel safe and welcomed whenever I am with you. You are a great cook and a wonderful friend. I am forever thankful for you. I know you are much older than me but - "

"Bah!" Danni suddenly said, the palm of her hand suddenly in front of his fance, a centimeter away from colliding with his nose. "You make me sound like an auntie rather than your friend!"

"My best friend," Junhong corrected her. 

She rolled her brown eyes at him, but there was a happy grin on her face as she did so. She turned away from him, rummaging through her bag to face him once again with a reward this time. 

"Here you go," she said, handing him a breakfast sandwiche wrapped in a paper towel. "I always pack an extra in case we end up in situations like this."

Junhong gratefully accepted the food, unwrapping the sandwich. It was still warm but the heat had faded greatly. He took a bite of it and relished in the flavor of the sweet bread and the meat that Danni called Spam. Junhong had overslept this morning, after spending hours working on homework and assignments in general. The boy felt bad for the girl who was late because of him. Danni would always wait for him since they were neighbors and they would walk to the metro together before they went their seperate ways. Sometimes her twin brother, Bae, would join them but he didn't go to a university. Apparently he did online lessons but he liked to get out of the house once in a while. 

Junhong was jerked out of his thoughts when he felt Danni pinch his side. "Junhong, did you pack a lunch today?" she asked him.

"...No."

"Do you have any money in your account?"

"...I think I ran out a couple weeks ago."

Danni flicked his forehead. "Aish!" she exclaimed. "Junhonggie you are a growing boy and you need to eat real food!" She dug through her bag and handed him enough wons to pay for a school meal or two. "You better eat something today or else my mother will stuff you like the turkies she makes on Thanksgiving!"

The tall boy let out a sigh as the cart rolled to a stop and the doors slid open. 

"Well this is my stop. I'll see you around Junhong! Ja!" 

Junhong waved goodbye to his American friend, feeling sad that she was leaving already. He knew he would see her in afternoon of course. But Danni really was one of his only good friends. At school there was virtually nobody. There were a few students that tried talking to him but they eventually gave up when they realized that he wasn't intrested. Well, more like afraid. Junhong wasn't very comfortable with talking to people. That was completely outside his comfort zone. And he wasn't mean (or at least he didn't think so) but since he kept quiet, he's heard a few whispers about him being a prick. Of course he never denied these rumors so they merely hung around him until Danni found out. She was the one who put a stop to the whispers. 

Junhong really did owe her a lot. 

The least he could do was try not to be a nusiance.

One step. 

That's all it took. One step that could just end everything. Junhong stared at the tracks. Two parallel lines of metal, surrounded by smooth, small rocks, and shorter, horizontal lines of steel. If his timing was right, it would only be step that could kill him. 

"JUNHONGGIE-YAH!"

A pair of arms wrapped around him, dragging him back with a brute amount of strength. "Choi Junhong be careful!" he heard Danni beg from behind him, her voice muffled by his backpack. "Didn't I teach you not to stand so close to the edge! You could get hurt if a train came by!"

"I'm sorry noona," he replied softly, twisting around in her arms. 

She gasped, reaching up to touch the side of his face. The left side of his jaw was a purple color and his eyes were darkened from trying to fight back. "Oh sweetie..." Junhong blinked back tears when Danni said this. "Why would someone do this to you? I mean, you're like what? One hundred and eighty-three centimeters? That's like six feet!"

"One hundred and eighty-four..."

"All the more reason to be your friend rather than your bully."

Junhong stared down at Danni. He wanted to tell her about everything. About the midnight crying, the plummeting grades, his loneliness, wanting to die. This was the girl, who was only a few years his senior, had practically raised him in his parent's absence. The girl who held his hand when he was scared, who let him crawl into her bed when he felt lonely, the girl who cooked him meals and got him interested in music. It would be so easy to tell her. To let it all come spilling out. Danni would know what to do. She always did. 

But Junhong knew that once he told her, he would regret it immeadiately.

"Juhong? Are you alright?"

"Yea I'm fine. I'm just a little tired noona."

"Ah! Well that is to be expected! Mom is making some American food tonight if you're interested."

"Yes... I would like that a lot."

"I promise to call every night and there's food in the fridge! I left enough wons for the next two weeks on the counter! Check your email and your phone everyday Junhong. And remember to study for your English test on Thursday! And - "

"DANNI YOU ALREADY WROTE THIS BOY AN ESSAY ON THIS ! CAN WE GO NOW BEFORE WE MISS OUR PLANE!"

Danni let out a sigh as she squeezed Junhong's fingers. She pulled him down into a hug, arms wrapped tightly around his middle. "Just be good, okay?" she said softly. "And I am serious when I say call me every night. If you even miss a day I'm sending someone over to check on  you, you got that?"

"Aish!" Juhong said teasingly. "You are such a mother hen!"

"I just worry," Danni said, pulling away. "I'll see you in two weeks Junhonggie! Wait for us!"

"BYE JUNHONG!" Bae practically screamed from the car, waving his hand wildly out the window. "WE'LL BRING YOU BACK A T-SHIRT OR SOMETHING! BON VOYAGE PINKIE!"

The taller boy let out a snort at this, rolling his eyes but continued to bid the Min family farewell. Danni and Bae were going to Europe for the next two weeks for some school trip. Their mother was going with them as a chaperone and their father was currently in America. So it was just Junhong and Danni's cat, Thai. It was a little kitten that Danni had rescued from the metro. It was hiding by the tracks and Danni had swooped into the save a minute before the train had come. It was a small thing with a light tortoiseshell in color with three and half paws, and a permanently bent tail. 

Junhong had to tie a bell around its neck since it would creep up on him at the strangest times. Whenever someone wore a sweatshirt or a hoodie, Thai could always climb into it and take a nap. Thus making it utterly adorable and cute. 

Junhong set Thai down onto the floor of his home. It meowed, pawing at Junhong's pants. He gently judged it away, afraid to step on it as he made his way towards his bedroom. It trailed behind him, mewling and whining for his attention. He shut the door behind him, Thai dashing away before his bent tail got caught between the wood. Junhong smiled softly, making his way to his desk where his unfinished homewhere sat. Thai continued to paw at his sweatpants before it finally managed to climb up into his lap. He the soft fur, feeling the kitten vibrate against his fingertips, faint purring sounds emitting from the little feline. 

He smiled a sad smile. He really liked this little kitten, and the Min family, and the one old man who would tell him good morning and to have a wonderful day. He liked the warm, sunny days and the picnics and outings Danni would bring him on. The movies Bae would force him to watch whenever the elder felt lonely. The flowers in the spring time. The autumn breeze. The puffs of steam that would come out of his mouth in the winter. The good books that were on his shelves, his comfy bed, hugs, warm cookies...

He really was going to miss it all.

The train was coming. Junhong stood up from the bench, dropping his bag next to the younger girl. She hadn't said a word too him, emmersed in her phone. "Goodbye," he said simply. He only got a hum in reply. The tall boy walked to the edge. The thoughts of not waking up sad and tired, the thoughts of finally being free of responsibility, the thoughts of the stress of school and work and life would suddenly be gone, quicked his pace.

He smiled.

The train was coming.

The train was coming when Jin woke up. She felt tired, like she had just been woken up from a long nap. "What...?" she trailed off, not sure what to say or do as she rubbed her eyes. She looked around, finding tiled floors and walls, a two railways in front of her. Next to her sat a tall boy with pink hair. Beyond him was a girl with black, curly hair. She was staring intently at her phone, eyebrows knitted together in though. They wore the same uniforms: navy blazers with matching pants (well, skirt for the girl), white button ups, and the classic striped tie. 

"Excuse me but - "

"Goodbye," the boy suddenly said as he stood up, dropping his books bag to the floor. It landed with a thud, heavy from books probably. Jin stared him as he walked away. Then it suddenly clicked. 

She jumped to her feet, her heart pounding in her chest. She turned to the girl and began to scream. But nothing. It fell upon deaf ears. She turned, trying to find someone. She saw a group of teens standing not too far away. Jin dashed up to them, black strands of hair falling into her face.

"HEY! SOMEBODY!" They merely laughed at a joke that was told.

"Someone help him god dammit it! The train is coming!"

Yongguk was with his friends when the train was coming. He saw the lights of the train from the darkness of the tunnel. "Is this our ride? Why isn't it slowing down?" he asked. 

"No," Himchan said. "This was keeping going to King Station. Ours will be the next one."

"Yongguk-oppa you should really pay attention to these things!"Jieun said, her hand in front of to hide her smile. 

"Yea. You might get on the wrong train and end up in Busan!" Hyosung said. Himchan burst into laughter when heard this. 

"Can you just imagine him falling alseep on a train and waking up in a different city?" he said between laughs. "And he's just walking around lost and trying to figure out how to get back home?" Every stopped for a moment in though before they all joined the dark haired male in laughter. Even Yongguk managed to chuckle a bit. But then he felt a tug on his sleeve. He turned around, expecting to see a lost little kid or maybe one of his other friends. But instead, there was no one.

"That's odd..." he mumbled to himself, turning away until he saw a splash of color out of the corner of his eyes. He whipped his head around to see a tall boy with a head full of... pink hair? Wow, he must have been really brave to have gotten such a bold color, Yongguk thought to himself. The boy was very tall but he looked younger. He was walking towards the edge of the platform, as if he was going to be the first one to board the train. 

The train... Yongguk thought. his eyes widening. The train is coming!

Hot wind slapped Junhong in the face.

A pair of arms wrapped around him from behind.

For a moment, as the train passed before him, he could see a face. A girl maybe younger than him, dark eyes wide with emotion. Her black hair was two low pigtails, several strands getting into her eyes. 

He blinked, his eyes feeling dry itchy.

One moment she was there. The next, she was gone.