“Yes, you get off here.” Sungjong nodded as Woohyun stood up and walked towards the exit.

“I have a question though,”

“What is it?”

“What’s your story?”

Sungjong’s eyes widened as he stared at Woohyun. “What do you mean?”

“You heard my story,” Woohyun said as he nodded. “Now tell me yours.”

“My story is not important,” Sungjong rebuked but Woohyun shook his head.

“All stories are important.”

“Not mine,” Sungjong said as he nodded towards the exit and smiled. “You’re here.”

Woohyun puffed up his cheeks stubbornly. “Okay but you owe me a story when I get back on this train.”

Sungjong chuckled as he shook his head. “I’m not even sure if we will meet again Woohyun.”

“Well if we do, you have to tell me.” Woohyun insisted as Sungjong nodded.

“Okay, if we meet again.”

Woohyun nodded, satisfied with the answer, and turned to the exit. He stared out into the bright light and laughed lightly. “Oh, so I’m the one on the hospital bed now? How ironic.”

“Time to go now Woohyun,” Sungjong insisted as Woohyun nodded. He took a step forward and disappeared behind the bright light. Sungjong tipped his hat a bit and then reached into his satchel, he took out his passengers log and scratched out Nam Woohyun’s name.

He stared up at the ceiling and frowned. “What? You think I should have told him?”

Sungjong was met with silence as he shook his head and turned to the window. The scenery started to melt away and what replaced it made Sungjong smile sadly as a memory started to bubble up in the surface.

Sungjong stared at the railroad tracks that stretched out before him. He always liked it when he accompanied his father to work because he liked trains, he liked the way they hummed and moved—it was really rather addicting.

“Sungjong, can you do me a favor? Check if there’s something lodging the railways.”

Sungjong turned around with a smile and nodded. He always helped out in the railways once in a while because he was planning to become like his father and always took the opportunity to show off if he was given any work.

“Be careful okay? Don’t fall in or anything!”

“I won’t!” Sungjong shouted back as he walked to the railways. The railways spanned over a bridge and that’s why he had to be careful. If he fell into the railways he’d be crushed by the trains that would come barreling in. But he was careful, he was always careful.

Sungjong stood over the edge of the railways and poked his head in and watched if there was anything wrong and saw the problem. It was a huge chunk of metal that got stuck on the side.

“There’s a chunk of metal on the side, hold on I think I can get it.” Sungjong shouted as he reached out and tried to reach for the metal chunk.

“Sungjong no, just leave it.”

Sungjong ignored his father as he tried to reach for the metal, leaning his whole body in. Not knowing that his other hand, the only thing that was holding him, slipped and he fell in.

“Sungjong!” His father shouted as he rushed towards Sungjong but then a horrifying sound filled the air—the same sound that used to brighten the day of both father and son—the whistle of the train.

“SUNGJONG! NO!” He shouted as he stared at Sungjong that was helplessly trying to climb out, his father went back to the controls and switched the trains path quickly. He looked up and his eyes widened when he saw the other path, the path he had switched to, was blocked. If he sent the train there, hundreds of people would die of a horrendous train accident.

He stared at the train that was coming closer and closer and turned his gaze towards Sungjong, desperately calling out his name.

He breathed heavily as he looked his gaze switched back and forth from the two, his hands on the control—shaky and sweaty.

He closed his eyes as tears started to fall from his eyes—the train was getting closer. He gripped the control with both hands and shouted at the top of his lungs, the scream sounding broken and angry.

As he switched the path and the train zoomed by,

Muffling the screams of man lost in anger and grief.

Sungjong smiled and shook his head. He stared out of the window and noted with amusement that everything was dark. “This is where I get off, huh?” Sungjong lamented as he moved towards the exit and stood in front of it.

The doors opened and he felt the warm light tickling his skin and warming him up. He took a step forward into the light and disappeared behind it.

The Train’s door closed behind him as it started its journey once again.

Continuing on and on.

Carrying its stories,

From one train stop to another.

END