Chorong stepped into the taxi, smiling. “Take me to the park.”

The driver nodded, and set off. Chorong undid her pink scarf, and rubbed her hands together in anticipation and excitement.

She jumped a few times in her seat, unable to keep still, and laughed at herself. I’m stupid.

“Why so jittery, miss?” The driver asked without looking behind. He lit a cigarette, blowing out a foul-smelling smoke.

Chorong her lips and smiled dreamily. “I’m meeting someone.” Just thinking of Joonmyeon made her want to smile and laugh, especially when he was surprised and looked at her with those puppy eyes.

“Ah, a special someone, aye? Have fun, missy.” The driver told her, steering expertly through the traffic. Chorong thanked him and settled back, tapping her foot and making soft sounds on the rubbery taxi floor. Tap. Tap. Tap.

She was so preoccupied in her own thoughts she felt no pain when a truck hit the taxi and sent it careening off the edge of the road, over the cliff and into the sea thirty metres below.

The moment Joonmyeon’s shift ended, he ripped his apron off, grabbed his bag, and rushed out of the shop, running to the park where they arranged to meet. He plopped down onto the bench, and watched as children built snowmen reminiscent of melting ice-creams, screaming and frolicking in the white fluff.

He smiled, and tilted his head back, looking at the sky.

Minutes passed.

Hours passed.

Chorong still didn’t arrive.

The sky started to darken, and the children’s mothers ushered them out of the park and bundled them up warmly in scarves and coats. Soon, the park was deserted.

Where’s Chorong? Taking his phone out of his pocket, he dialed her number with numb fingers.

No one picked up.

He dialed once more, and yet again he was met with her dial tone. “Hi, it’s Chorong. For some reason I’m not picking up, sorrryyy! Leave a message and I’ll be sure to reply!”

Joonmyeon huddled up into a ball, drawing his coat closer around him as little crystalline flakes dropped onto his cheeks, his shoulders and his knees. A thick covering of white obscured the stone paving, and Joonmyeon shivered.

Chorong, where are you?

Joonmyeon set the caramel macchiato aside, and sighed, rubbing his eyes. Taking the paper sleeve, he wrote, “I miss you. Where are you?”

He sighed again, absentmindedly rolling the sleeve between his fingers.

An arm was slung around his shoulders, and Xiumin asked him gently, “Still brooding over Chorong?”

“Yeah...I don’t know why she’s ignoring me. I hope nothing happened to her.” Joonmyeon covered his face with his hands and sighed for the nth time. He dumped the sleeve into a small drawer filled with a dozen other paper sleeves.

Xiumin looked at Joonmyeon, concerned. Tentatively, he asked, “Umm...so you don’t know?”

“Don’t know what?” Joonmyeon asked, only half-listening. He grabbed a paper cup and absentmindedly began making another caramel macchiato.

Xiumin deftly grabbed the newspaper beside him and threw it into the trash can. “Uh, nothing. Nothing. Get back to work.”

Narrowing his eyes, Joonmyeon grabbed the newspaper out of the bin. Xiumin attempted to take it out of his hands, but Joonmyeon was stronger. He ripped the newspaper away from Xiumin and stared at the front page.

“Oh.” He whispered. “Oh.”

He sank down onto the floor, clutching the newspaper weakly. “So she isn’t mad at me after all.” He murmured, looking at the black-and-white picture of the smiling Chorong on the front page of the news. Wet splotches appeared on her picture, and Joonmyeon realized they were tears. His tears, to be exact.

Xiumin knelt down beside Joonmyeon and wrapped his arms around him. “She would never be mad at you.”

The two boys stayed kneeling for a long time.

A summer breeze blew past Joonmyeon’s ear, tickling it, and he sat down on the bench.

A butterfly landed beside his feet, its cream yellow wings quivering.

Joonmyeon sat there for a while, enjoying the feel of the sunlight on his lashes, the aromatic breeze through his hair.

Rummaging through his pocket, his took out a small picture of Chorong, looking at her smiling face. He set the picture down beside him and closed his eyes, tilting his head back to the sky.

Joonmyeon smiled.

I hope you’re happy where you are.

Chorong was sinking. Sinking deep into darkness, and she didn’t quite understand what was happening.

She couldn’t move her arms, or her legs. The only thing she could move was her eyes. They roamed over the blackness, finding nothing, focusing on nothing.

A pale hand appeared above her. Panicking, Chorong took it, and was pulled upwards by a young man with golden hair and large eyes. He didn’t look that much older than her, with a diminutive face and angelic features.

They continued rising upwards, and Chorong looked at him, baffled. “Where are we going?”

“Up.” The man answered in a monotone.

Unsatisfied with his answer, she probed, “What’s your name?”

“Luhan.” He gave her a glance with those luminous eyes and asked her, “What did you cherish most about life, Chorong?”

It was then Chorong understood.

“Wait, so...I’m dead?” She whispered, fearing his response.

Luhan rolled his eyes, and informed her coolly, “FYI, no one would’ve been able to survive the drop thirty feet down into the ocean, sweetheart. Now, just answer my question.”

They glided smoothly out of the ocean, past the cliff, past the road and blinking red-and-blue lights. They stopped at the traffic lights, and cars raced past them in a blinding blur.

The light stayed red for a long time.

As they waited, Chorong pondered over the question. She thought of books, candy, her friends. She thought of summer mornings, caramel macchiatos, and then a certain wide-eyed boy who brightened up her life.

She smiled.

“Joonmyeon.”

The light turned green, and they crossed the road.

THE END.

okayy this was absolute crap dont blame me ugggggh i was half asleep when i wrote this i promise u this is not my best okeiiiii this is literally just crack

i even put crackparing as a tag

see

CRACK

CRAckC

AND DONT U GUYS LOVE HORIZONTAL LINES THEY R MY JAMMMM