He woke up a few hours later. He looked ahead of him and saw the barren road waiting for him. It seemed to stretch forever, but he had to walk toward it. And he did start walking, not knowing what lies ahead of him.

Not too long, he began to see a vague shadow of a building not too far from him. It gave Hankyung hope and he started to walk faster, until he no longer noticed that he was running towards the sight of the building. Of course, he knew that the road was too long, yet Hankyung couldn't find a reason to stop.

It has been hours, and the shadow never seemed to get closer. Of course, he lost hope. He had been running for more or less, seven hours - of course with short stops on the way, just for snacks and water.

He stopped and took a break for the tenth time. He broughtout his phone and checked the time, and his notifications as well. "16 new messages since last night," he told himself and chuckled. "Must be all from Mimi."

And yes, it was all from his friend Zhoumi.

"Hey, what's wrong?" -Zhoumi

"Tell me!! :((" -Zhoumi

"Hey, why aren't you answering my calls?" -Zhoumi

"I'm starting to worry about you." -Zhoumi

Many more started to show up, even now. Hankyung felt bad, really bad, for ignoring his friend. He looked at his missed calls - 8 missed calls, all from Zhoumi. He knew that his friend must be dying to hear from him, and Hankyung's stomach started to churn.

"Sorry. I just don't want you to worry. Don't worry, Mi. I'll be back as soon as I can." -Hankyung

He shoved his phone in his pocket and resumed his walk. He looked ahead and walked, but suddenly, as he passed a certain unimaginable border, rain started to pour on him. It was a very strong rain, and in the middle of summer. He looked behind him - the land behind was still dry.

He tried walking back to the dry land, and surprisingly (or not), the rain stopped. He walked back to the raining part again, and of course, rain resumed pouring on him. As if he just entered an invisible room where it rained only inside. "Aish, I'm drenched." He grumbled and kept on walking, and as soon as he passed another invisible border, it began to snow.

He went through all kinds of barren land - from snow to deserts, to grassy fields, to just plain land.

The final was a thunderstorm, and he his umbrella was already nearly destroyed from the strong wind currents from the previous weather. It must be one of the very first times he tried praying to someone out there.

"Please, let me pass through."

"Hankyung, if you need any help, Mimi will come to the rescue, okay?" was the last of Zhoumi's sixteen messages. Hankyung wished that Zhoumi really was here. He needed help, comfort. The shadow of the building in front was still too far away, and in front of him was a huge flood.

The flood washed him away, and left him nearly drowning under it. 'Zhoumi, I'm sorry,' he thought to himself.

"Mi! I can't solve this Rubik's Cube!! Help me!!"

A seventeen-year old Hankyung ran around the apartment. Zhoumi looked up. "What's wrong? Oh, let me see."

They've been together for more than half their lives, and even if Zhoumi was younger (and more vain and immature), he knew better about life and took care of his best friend. The world is a harsh environment, and the only good place on earth is a fair too far from home.

"Papa could have helped me with that; it was his hobby, solving things," he said and sighed. "If only he didn't leave me after Mama died."

Zhoumi looked at him with pity. "It's a wonder how you survived in the streets for a year without your parents. Don't dwell in the past now," he said as he got the cube from Hankyung and solved it easily. "You're with me now, I'll be your father and mother."

Hankyung smiled and nodded. "Okay. Thanks, Mi."

"Take the child!"

A seven-year old Hankyung stared at his mother, crying. "Mama! Let's run now!!" he said and pulled on his mother's arm, afraid to let go. The father, a cold man, had no choice but to pull the child out of the burning house, despite Hankyung's protests.

Smoke filled the air, and Hankyung nearly fainted. He closed his eyes, the last sight of his mother in the burning house, haunting him. He just hoped that he will be able to see his mother one day, to hold her hand, and hug her tight.

He woke up in a small room the day later, with little children running around. Hankyung rubbed his eyes and got up, and beside him was not his father, rather a stout woman with a fake smile plastered on her face. "Your father brought you here, with this letter."

She handed him a small piece of paper and stood up. "You belong here now, and if you don't follow the rules, then you'll be kicked out." Hankyung gulped and looked at the letter, slowly reading the words:

Be good. -father

On the television, a news flash showed. It was about a small house that burned last night, and a burnt corpse of a woman was found in one of the room - his mother. His father abandoned him, just because his mother wasn't there to take care of him anymore.

Hankyung cried a lot, and he had to sleep outside because the other children in the room were always disturbed.

"You little wretch!"

Hankyung already knew the best places in the orphanage, in his third week of staying there. The fridge in the room of the owner of the orphanage had the best foods in the place. He didn't have any trouble breaking in the room. And when he got to steal food from the fridge, he'd run back to the room and give the food he got to the children there.

Finally, the owner decided to kick Hankyung out, despite the protests of the other children. And kicking him out would mean more workload and house chores for the others.

He had to work in the streets, and many times he was shunned and arrested by cops for being a beggar and breaking into houses. Apparently, the one who decided to give him a shelter a year later was a six-year old Zhoumi, who was the son of a rich family. Zhoumi had to push his parents to adopt Hankyung.

Of course, he only regained the happiness when he was treated as part of the family. Hankyung finally had someone to call father and mother again.

Hankyung woke up. Apparently, he was washed away to dry land, and behind him was the storm. He looked ahead of him - it was just the same barren road all over again. But then something looked different. There was a tall wall on each side of the road, and there was also a ceiling, and it gave him a dark feeling. As he started walking, he realised that the walls and the ceiling were made up of thousands of human skeletons.

He shivered and took a flashlight from his bag. He lit the way, and continued walking, not even daring to look back at the storm behind him. 

A/Nnyeong haseyo reader-nim!

mehehehe, i never thought this would actually get any viewers XD

so... uhhh... how'd yah like this story? care to give a comment?

-author-nim primsat21