August came and Jungkyung was ready to leave Seoul. Unlike other schools, Yoongeun High was in a man-made island called Yoongeun Island, 20 miles from the east of Jeju. Students were asked to leave their cities by the first week of August and were expected to start their classes on the 11th. Not wanting to wait any longer, Jungkyung decided to leave on the first day of the month.

 

"Are your things ready?" her father asked as he opened the door for her.

 

"Yeah, I guess," was her answer.

 

"Give me a call when you get there."

 

Jungkyung stopped in front of the taxi that has been waiting for minutes. She looked at her father and almost wanted to stay longer. He wore a sad face that made her guilty of leaving him alone. She knew that he was devastated when her mother died and now, she was doing something similar to it.

 

"I'll be back for Christmas," then she hugged her father tightly before getting in the car.

 

It took her almost an hour before arriving at the airport that was mentioned in the letter she received from Yoongeun High. The place was smaller than the other airports, but big enough to be one. It had less than ten people when she came, making it look abandoned. Jungkyung waited for almost 15 minutes before being able to board the plane.

 

She was the 3rd passenger who entered the plane. The first two, she noticed, sat five rows away from each other, suggesting that they weren't related. Jungkyung settled down at the front row, intimidated to come close to either of the two. Taking out one of the books she carried with her, a book by Lois Lowry entitled 'Gathering Blue', she started to drown herself into her own world and ignored her surroundings. She didn't even noticed the entrance of someone she knew.

 

"Hey."

 

The first page was interesting enough to make her hear nothing but the words inside her head.

 

"Hey, Jungkyung."

 

Turning the book to the next page, she continued to immerse herself in reading.

 

"Park Jungkyung."

 

Slowly, she pictured herself as Kira, the book's main character. It has been months since she last read a book, but she still has that habit of putting herself into the shoes of the characters.

 

"Hey, miss."

 

Finally, Jungkyung looked up after being called the fourth time. And to her surprise, it was Sehun, looking cool and tired at the same time. His brown hair was neatly combed, as usual, with some locks sticking out. His white trench coat suited his height, making him even more tall. The white rubber shoes quite didn't match the overall outfit, but Jungkyung still thought Sehun carried it all well. But the small beads of sweat trickling down his temples ruined the whole picture.

 

"Sehun," was her response.

 

The said guy sat beside her, his arms crossed against his chest. "You didn't mention you're leaving today. If it wasn't because of your dad, I would have thought you only went shopping or something."

 

Jungkyung put her book down, shifting her focus to her friend. "Sorry about that. I thought you're going with Krystal."

 

"There's no way I'd do that," he said, his tone bitter.

 

"Yeah," was her only reply then she went back to facing her book, fighting back the urge to ask what happened to him and to his ex-girlfriend.

 

And as if being able to read her mind, Sehun sighed in both relief and frustration. "You can always ask me what happened, you know. We're best friends, right? There's no need for you to be considerate, at least not with this kind of matter. I don't really mind you prying at all."

 

Jungkyung shrugged, her eyes on the book but not quite reading it. "I wasn't planning to ask you anything, though," she lied. "But I don't mind if you're going to tell me something about it."

 

"If you're not interested, then I'll just shut up," he said, pouting a little. "Why do I feel that this friendship's one-sided?"

 

Closing her book once more, she sighed and glanced up at Sehun. She can't afford to make him whine about it later. "Fine, fine. I'm interested, so interested than I'd rather drop this book than let this chance to hear your story slip away. You may start whenever and wherever you think is appropriate."

 

She was being sarcastic and Sehun, despite knowing this, was pleased. Jungkyung seldom does that, claiming she doesn't know how sarcasm works. He liked every attempt she made so far.

 

Looking at Jungkyung, Sehun showed one of his most sincere smiles and patted her head. "Thanks."

 

She was taken aback, surprised with what he just said. It came out of nowhere and it took her a moment to answer back. "What was that for?"

 

"For listening."

 

"You haven't said anything yet, so there's nothing for me to listen to."

 

"But you already did."

 

The two shared a moment of silence, exchanging a glance or two. Jungkyung found the Sehun sitting beside her weird, wondering if he was sick or just plainly making fun of her. It was the first time she failed to read his actions and interpret them, but she was happy to see a different side of him.

 

Jungkyung cleared , finally making a move to break the ice. "Well, then, let me continue listening."

 

Sehun began telling her what happened to him and Krystal on the night of their graduation. He failed to contact Jungkyung after that event, which is why he felt a little bad for not telling her earlier. He told her that Krystal apologized for being a bad girlfriend, for not being able to be there when Sehun needed her the most. She also mentioned a man named Minhyuk, who began courting her after the break up. Jungkyung, in her opinion,  found it unnecessary to bring it up, unless Krystal was planning to give the guy a chance. Sehun continued to rant about how he felt after their conversation while Jungkyung listened as well as possible. And by the time his speech ended, the plane began to leave.

 

It was quiet, with only seven passengers and tons of luggage. Jungkyung just stared at the clouds outside the window for almost the whole 80-minute trip and Sehun slept comfortably and peacefully, his head on her shoulder. She never really paid attention to the other travelers, except the one sitting behind her. She was able to see clearly his face through the reflection on the window. The man wore a black, plain T-shirt matched with a black headphones. He was also looking out of the window, but not at the clouds. Jungkyung spent a minute trying to figure out what was it that the guy was looking at. She deduced that his eyes were fixed at a single spot for they didn't move. She tried searching for something interesting in the view outside but found nothing. And it took her a while to realize that he was actually looking back at her.