Fifteen

Jangmin ^^^^

Soohyun's POV

I woke up to the smell of breakfast. The sun was beaming through the living room, warming my legs. Wait.Why am I on the sofa?

I sat up groggily and rubbed my eyes, leaning over to peer into the kitchen. I spotted my uncle leaning over the stove. Sitting back, I turned on my phone.

Two texts from Cha Eunwoo... It is currently.. 9:34am?!

I'm going to be late for school!

I jumped up and stopped when I finally realized.

That's right, it's the weekend.

"Finally awake?" Jangmin came out of the bathroom, drying his wild brown hair with a towel. I smiled and yawned,

"Yeah, did I really drop out that fast?" I remembered hanging out at the restaurant, but nothing past then. Then again, I was a deep sleeper.

"Uncle Dong said Eunwoo brought you home."

"What?!" I suddenly had a flashback of my arms around his neck as he carried me. What was I thinking?! Poor Eunwoo probably was paralyzed for life.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Jangmin asked. I covered my face with a wail of despair,

"This is so embarrassing! He had to carry me all the way home?"

"Well you shouldn't have fallen asleep then." He scoffed at me and I made a face back at him.

"Whatever whatever. I don't care." But even as I turned away I was still thinking about it. He carried me the way home.

Why is my heart acting weird again?

I had a small memory of my chin resting on his shoulder. I remembered the vibration of his voice, and the warmth of his body. But it was a sad memory. Why did I feel sad thinking about it?

"Who wants to go on a road trip this weekend?" I looked up at my uncle who was standing in the doorway. A road trip?

"Where to?" My brother asked. Uncle Dong looked from one twin to the other,

"Seoul?"

I caught my breath, looking over at Jangmin. He shrugged as if it weren't a big deal,

"Sure. It'd be nice to get out for a day. I'm tired of all this studying." He threw his towel to the couch and walked to the kitchen. I didn't know how to respond.

"What about you Soohyun?" There was an uneasy look in my uncle's eyes. I looked down at my feet, thinking. Would the pain of everything that had happened there overwhelm me, or would I be happy to be home? I honestly didn't know. The thought of a trip sounded great, I couldn't lie. Jangmin was right, it'd be nice to get out for a day.

"Sure. I'll go." I finally answered my uncle and he smiled.

"Okay. We'll leave this morning then. Hurry up and eat breakfast."

I obeyed willingly. Stepping into the kitchen I sat down at the table next to my brother and opened up my phone.

Eunwoo(8:45am)- Let's hang out today.

I felt a little disappointed at the text. Obviously I was going on a trip, but I wanted to hang out with Eunwoo too.

Me(9:41am)- Sorry, I'm going on a trip to Seoul. Maybe tomorrow?

"Yah Soohyun. No phones at the table." Jangmin snatched my device. I jumped up and tried to grab it,

"Give it back!"

"Oooh, texting Eunwoo?" There was an obvious tease in his voice as he read my messages.

"Jerk." I sat down and glared at him. He just smiled and stuck his tongue out at me.

"Alright, settle down and eat your food." Uncle Dong said through a laugh. I crossed my arms and faced my brother,

"Give me my phone back."

"You were texting!" He smirked and hid it behind him. I let out a exasperated sigh and reached out in an attempt to grab it again,

"Jangmin! It was just one text."

"'Just one text.'" he copied me in a annoying voice and I took the chance to snatch my phone back from his hands. I brushed it off.How immature of him.

He was still smiling as he sat back down and began to eat. Yet again, I couldn't be mad at him. He had seemed so distant, and just seeing him in a good mood took a huge load off my shoulders.

—————

The feeling was nice. The feeling of the wind in my hair and the loud Kpop blasting from the vehicle. Jangmin was singing in a high voice that honestly hurt my ears but I had no wish to tell him to stop. He looked happy, and it'd been so long that I'd seen him happy.

"I'm so glad the weather is nice." I let out a long sigh and leaned my head out the window, savoring the cool; countryside air. Seoul, the word made me scared and excited and sad all at the same time. I was really going back. It had been nearly a year. After the incident Jangmin and I stayed at several people's places, lots of saunas and Internet cafes, till our uncle found us. Now, it was just a distant memory.

I glanced down at my phone to find a text from Minhyuk.

Minhyuk(12:01)- Where are you right now? Want to grab a coffee? I need to talk to you.

I read over the message, sighing again. I should have called everyone and told them about it. But... why was Minhyuk texting me? Perhaps it was about studies? Maybe.. something happened?

Me(12:24)- Is it important? I'm on a trip.

Minhyuk(12:24)- How long will you be gone?

Me(12:25)- Don't worry I'll be back tomorrow. We can meet up then.

Minhyuk(12:26)- Okay. Have fun.

"Look at you, texting again." Jangmin gave me a disgusted look. I stuck my tongue out at him,

"Too bad, you're just jealous because you have no friends."

"Soohyun!" He attempted to tickle me but I defended myself with my arms, laughing like a little kid. Uncle Dong laughed and shook his head at us,

"Don't bother your sister Jangmin, for goodness sake. And Soohyun, be nicer, will you?"

"Hmph." I gave my twin one last shove with my knee before sitting back. Somehow, I felt lighter. It'd been a while we'd laughed together like this. It felt like we were going home. Maybe, if I closed my eyes I'd be back. I could almost imagine everything had been a dream, and I'd just awoken. Yet, why did it make me feel sad?

Isn't this what I want? For things to back how they were?

Why did I feel like I was leaving home behind me when it was in front of me?

I ended up falling asleep on Jangmin's shoulder and my dreams were happy ones. Eunwoo was singing, that song he composed. My heart kept fluttering and I felt happy just seeing him. Cha Eunwoo, the wizard I can even see in my dreams.

When I awoke we were driving through the city. There was that smell again, the smell of the city, the smell of the river. I grabbed Jangmin's arm in excitement, shaking him awake.

"Hey! Hey! We're almost there!" His eyes flew open at my words and he sat up.

"Whoa, we're really back.."

"Look look!" I pointed excitedly to a spicy rice cake restaurant.

"Remember that place?"

Jangmin nodded and the memory flashed before my eyes. We had just gotten back from school, giggling and racing to the restaurant. It was always warm inside, and it always smelled so good. The old lady inside would always give us sweets. Memories kept bouncing back at every corner. I strained to see past the next street, looking for that one familiar place.

The Han River.

There is was, still as beautiful as it had always been. The waves were sparkling like crystals, the seagulls flying overhead and dipping down to peer hungrily at the fresh fish in the fishing boats. The air smelled of fish and cool wind.Uncle Dong parked the truck and we all jumped out. I took a deep breath, closing my eyes to breathe in the familiar feelings.

"Wow, it looks just the same." Jangmin said quietly beside me. I opened my eyes to look over and laugh at him,

"It hasn't been that long! Of course it's the same."

"Wanna go get jangjangmyeon?" Uncle Dong asked. I perked up instantly at the sound of food. I was so hungry my stomach felt like it was caving in. Plus, I missed visiting the Jangjangmyeon place at the dock.

The sounds and scents of the river was enough to make my heart soar. There was that little brown rowboat that was tied to the dock, tied so tightly for so long that it hadn't traveled anywhere in years. Birds hopped on the seats and pecked at the moss growing inside as it bobbed up and down on the waves. There was the blue motorboat, the same one that loaded up fishing Uncle's best fish to take across the river.Then the grey fishing boat, the one with the faded red markings. That one was Uncle's. Not Uncle Dong's, but the old man that harvested the sea. Our fishing uncle, the one who taught me how to whistle, how to ride a bike, and how to swim.

"Hello!" A stout man jumped from the grey boat. The three of us approached him with a nod of greeting. I tried to read this guy's face. Was he a hired help? Maybe Uncle's son?

"Hello, hows the fishing been?" Uncle Dong asked. The stout man let out a short sigh and peered over the river,

"Pretty alright." Was his simple answer.

"Is Uncle in the house?" Jangmin asked suddenly. The man frowned at him, clearly confused.

"Uncle?" It took a second more till he must've realized. "Ah, you mean the old man who used to fish here."

"Did he move away?" I asked, disappointment sinking like a heavy stone in my stomach. The man looked hesitant, scuffing his feet awkwardly before finally looking up.

"No. He died."