love you later | yeonbin ✓

004

A week later, he's still clueless about what to prepare for payment, but there is a big hiking backpack filled with all his necessities leaning against his front door. It's heavy and when his friends arrive that evening, knocks it right over, making it fall to the ground with a dull thump.

They spend one last evening together, eating dinner and having a couple of drinks. Taehyun assures him once again that it's fine for Soobin to take two weeks off; it's one of the perks of working at his best friend's gallery as a curator. He doesn't abuse his power, but he's still glad Taehyun understands and is more concerned about his well-being than the state of the gallery. It's not like he is going to abandon any ongoing projects.

When they leave, Soobin feels full; both with food and love. If Taehyun and Beomgyu linger longer than they usually would, hold him just a little bit tighter, none of them mention it.

And then Soobin is alone with his thoughts once more. It's strange, knowing that he might sleep in his bed for the last time for a while. He's embarking on a journey without knowing what is waiting for him on the other side. It's a stifling feeling, the uncertainty looming over him. But there's also excitement. He's making his own decision after all, and there is a lot of power in that.

He takes his time to go through his plan once more; checks that he has everything he needs to make the trip, that his place is safe, the fridge is empty. He'd given his key code to Taehyun and Beomgyu, asked them to check in every once in a while, and it gives him a little peace of mind to know that even if he'd somehow forgotten something, they had his back.

When his alarm goes off at 5:30 am the next morning, he curses himself a little bit. It is much too early, would be hours until the sun started to rise. It is one of the few things he doesn't like about winter. Getting up in the morning is hard enough already, but doing so when even the sun is still nowhere to be seen feels like pure torture every single time.

He shivers a little when his bare feet hit the cold hardwood floor, but that is always the worst part. Once he's out of bed, he moves on autopilot. He takes a shower, slips into comfortable, weather-appropriate clothes, and grabs some cereal for breakfast. It doesn't taste like anything to him, and if it weren't for the long trip ahead, he would have skipped eating altogether. He has to fight down the queasiness in his stomach, tries to distract his frazzled nerves by scrolling through his phone.

After he finishes his breakfast, rinses his bowl, and sends a last quick text to his parents, Taehyun and Beomgyu to let them know he is leaving, he finally slips on his new jacket and shoes. They still feel a little stiff, a little too new and Soobin prays that he won't get any blisters on the long trip ahead.

When he pulls his door closed behind him, he takes a second to linger. The backpack sits heavy on his shoulders, and none of this feels real. He knows that for now, it's all still out in the open, that he doesn't even know if the witch will be kind enough to help him, but the sound of the door lock clicking into place echoes through the dark hallway, and it feels final somehow.

There's barely anyone outside when he leaves his building. He walks past a small group of giggling girls, probably on their way home from a party, and as he boards the subway there are a few people who look like they just finished a night shift, barely keeping their eyes open. Soobin is too wired to sleep, even if the motion of the train is trying to pull him under.

He arrives at Seoul Station exactly as planned, has plenty of time to grab a cup of coffee before he makes his way to the right platform. Soon after, his train arrives, and when he finds a seat, pushing the big backpack into the overhead compartments, it's the first time that he feels a little calmer. It's still dark outside, but there is something comforting about sitting there, sipping on his coffee with soft music playing in his ears as he watches the world wake up around him.