Park Dong felt his sanity slipping. We were having a good time,
he thought wildly.
Everything was perfect and now we're suddenly screwed. Heheheh…
Daegyu, on the other hand, looked like he was already attending his own funeral.
We're totally finished.
Suwon swallowed hard, dread settling deep in his chest.
If her brother reacted like before over just a confession… what happens when he finds out about this?
We're done for.
Inseop stood off to the side, watching the chaos unfold with an awkward, uncertain expression.
I- I had a rough idea, but still…
is this really something to panic this much over?
He glanced toward the girls' room, seeing the look of others whose out of their wits from fear.
Seriously… just what kind of brother does she have..
Amid the tension, Hyewon noticed Ono walking to the door.
"Ono, where are you going?" she asked.
"Hold on," he muttered without turning back.
Seolhyo slung her bag over her shoulder and stepped out the door, her movements stiff with urgency.
Seojin emerged moments later, his own bag hanging from one hand, phone still pressed to his ear.
One by one, the others followed, bringing their luggage tension and nervousness written across their faces.
Seolhyo and Seojin reached the front first.
She glanced up at him, nerves tightening in her chest.
"When is your driver going to arrive?" she asked quietly.
Seojin frowned, pulling the phone away from his ear.
"…He's not picking up."
"It's okay," Seolhyo said quickly, forcing calm into her voice. "We can just take the train."
They started walking, the others trailing behind them without really thinking about it.
Then they stopped.
A car was parked just outside the house.
Ono stood beside it, arms crossed, posture calm but firm.
Then a voice inside the car came out. "I heard what's going on,"
The window rolled down. "You need to leave right now, don't you?"
Everyone stared surprised.
"Get in," Ono's father said flatly from the driver's seat.
For a second, no one moved.
Seolhyo's thoughts raced.
Is this house prepared for everything…?
She stepped forward, leaning toward the open window. "It's okay, Ahjussi. You really don't have to go this far for us-"
"It's fine," he cut in, eyes forward. "I'd just be home watching TV anyway. Hop in. Time's ticking."
Seolhyo hesitated, searching his face, then glanced back at the others.
"Why did you guys pack your things too?" she asked.
"Seojin's coming with me. You don't have to worry. Just stay here."
Park Dong glance down at Irina. "If one of us is going, we're all going. What, are we supposed to just sit around?"
Irina shrugged glancing up to him too. "We already had our fun."
Seolhyo's grip tightened on her bag. "…Still, we came all this way to have fun. And because of me..."
"Don't worry about it," Seojin said gently.
He chuckled. "And even if they stay I don't think they can still have fun if your brother finds out."
Inseop nodded. "Yeah. It's fine. Hyewon and I will head back tomorrow. Just wanted one more day of this."
Hyewon clung to his arm, smiling softly. "See you next time."
Suwon waved. "Good luck. I'll stay with Ono. We'll head back together."
Seolhyo and Seojin waved at them before getting into the car.
Park Dong lifted his hand, grinning. "Yeah, go do that. Hey it was fun!"
"See you at school," Daegyu called.
As the doors shut, Ono's father's eyes sharpened, the air around him suddenly intense.
He checked the road ahead, hands tightening on the wheel.
"If it's a two-hour drive," he muttered, engine roaring to life, "we might not make it in time."
Seolhyo glanced at him uneasily.
He stepped on the gas.
"But we'll push it as fast as we can."
-
At the same time, another car rolled to a stop on the side of the road, smoke curling lazily out of its open windows.
"I swear, it's really because of this fucker,"
"You're dead if you blame others again,"
It was Seol Minsu's friends' car.
Heo Seong-pil leaning his elbow out the window, a cigarette resting loosely between his fingers, eyes half-lidded. "What the hell is this nose-hair freak even saying… huh?"
Then his gaze light up.
"Yo," he said suddenly, getting excited. "There's a super pretty girl up ahead."
In the front passenger seat, Seol Minsu rested his head back against the chair, a cigarette hanging calmly between his lips.
He didn't even look.
"Forget it, man."
Kim Hoon kept one hand on the steering wheel, tapping ash out the window with the other. "Let's just go back to town."
Seong-pil either didn't hear them or didn't care.
He leaned farther out the window, calling toward the passing girl. "Excuse me! Wanna hang out with us?"
Kim Hoon laughed under his breath. "That lunatic… We're leaving. Stick your head back in."
—
Inside Ono's father's car, the atmosphere couldn't have been more different.
The silence was thick, almost suffocating.
Seolhyo stared down at her slider phone as it buzzed again in her hand.
"Why does he keep calling…?" Her voice was barely a whisper.
"…There's no way he's already there, right?" she muttered, trying to convince herself. "It's only been a little over an hour. That's impossible…"
Irina, sitting behind her, finally snapped. "Ugh, screw it. Just spill everything and be done with it! Just say, 'I went on a trip with my friends, stop suffocating me already!'"
Park Dong slumped back against the seat, face pale, eyes unfocused. "Hobbit," he muttered in a tense, defeated tone. "If she says that today… this might be the last day we ever see each other. Don't say things you can't deal with."
Seojin, sitting beside him, stared straight ahead.
"And if he ever finds out I'm her boyfriend…"
he said quietly. "I think you all know what happens next..."
Seolhyo tangled her fingers in her hair, nails pressing into her scalp as her thoughts spiraled.
If only I were better at lying…
maybe we could've just gotten through this.
If we get caught, I can just say it was a girls' trip…
She clenched her teeth.
Ugh just thinking about it is stressing me out.
Ono's father broke the tension, his voice calm. "Let's hope there's no traffic ahead. All we can do is drive and pray."
Seolhyo nodded faintly, almost to herself. "At this speed… there's still a chance we'll make it."
Time dragged on in heavy silence.
When the familiar outline of her apartment complex finally came into view, Seolhyo's breath caught.
"I think… you can just drop me off around here."
Ono's father eased the car over and stopped along the side of the street. "Alright."
The moment the car stopped, Irina slumped forward, looking half-dead. "I-I seriously thought I was going to die… We were driving way too fast…"
Jinkyung wiped at the corner of her mouth, still pale. "Still… we made it in exactly two hours. I didn't even know that was possible."
From the very back seat, Daegyu muttered,
"What if Minsu-hyung also sped like crazy and got here already?"
Park Dong shot him a sharp glare. "Watch your words. You'll jinx it."
Seojin stared up at the apartment building, his expression unreadable. If I remember correctly, he shouldn't be here yet…
But this and that was different.
Let's just hope for the best.
Beside him, Seolhyo clasped her hands together tightly, eyes squeezed shut, silently praying hoping for a miracle to happen.
We stepped out of the car one by one.
Seolhyo bowed deeply, gripping the strap of her bag. "Ajusshi… thank you. Really. I'm so, so sorry too…"
Ono's father waved it off, his tone calm and steady. "It's fine. Come visit again next time."
He met her eyes through the open window. "If you've done nothing wrong, you've got nothing to be afraid of. Don't worry. Just get home safely, all of you."
"…Okay. Goodbye!"
The engine started, and the car pulled away.
We stood there, watching until it disappeared down the road.
Seolhyo turned as if she was about to run.
"Wait," I said, catching her wrist lightly. "At least leave your bag."
She then handed me her duffel bag. "…You guys are going to wait here? If you get caught, you're dead."
At that, everyone instantly scattered.
"We'll hide around here!"
In seconds, they were pressed behind the low wall nearby, crouched and peeking.
Seolhyo blinked. "Oh… alright."
She glanced back at me, worry clear in her eyes. "You too. Hide with them. If my brother's already here, he might see you. I'm pretty sure he'd recognize you."
I nodded easily. "Good luck," I said, voice light. "I'm pretty sure you'll need every ounce of it."
She let out a small, shaky laugh. "Stop joking. This is serious."
I smiled anyway and stepped back to join the others.
Seolhyo took one last look at us, drawing in a deep breath, then crossed the road alone toward her apartment building.
From behind the wall, Irina whispered urgently, "You got this!!"
Seolhyo didn't turn around but her steps steadied, and she kept walking forward.