ken
i sit in the driver's seat, my fingers drumming against the steering wheel as yoonji points to the map on her phone. "this is it." she says, her voice steady but with a hint of something more—maybe relief, maybe anxiety.
it's hard to believe we've finally narrowed it down. after all the searching, the late-night drives, and the endless speculations, yoonji's access to eunjin's "secret" phone was the breakthrough we needed. it feels like the pieces of the puzzle are finally coming together.
"you're sure about this?" i ask, even though i already know the answer. i just need to hear it again, to be certain.
"yeah!" she replies, her eyes glued to the screen. "i'm sure."
in the passenger seat, jake stays quiet, but i can see the tension in his posture. he's been the silent one through all of this, focused on getting to riki and eunjin without letting emotions get in the way. but now that we're so close, even he seems on edge.
i take a deep breath, trying to calm the nerves buzzing in my chest. this is it. we're about to find them, and after everything that's happened, i'm not sure what to expect.
"let's go." i finally say, starting the engine and pulling out of the parking lot. there's no turning back now.
as we drive through the quiet streets, the only sound in the car is the soft hum of the engine. yoonji has drifted off to sleep in the back, her head resting against the window, looking peaceful for the first time in days. i glance at her in the rearview mirror, then back at the road. she's been through so much, and now with everything about riki and eunjin, it's only added to the weight on her shoulders.
jake shifts in his seat beside me, breaking the silence. "so, ken-" he starts, his voice low, "what's really been going on with you and yoonji?"
i keep my eyes on the road, but i can feel the tension in his question. i knew this was coming. jake's been patient, but he's not stupid. he's noticed the distance between yoonji and him, the way she's been avoiding certain topics, and it's only natural he'd want answers.
"it's ... complicated." i say, not really knowing how to explain the mess we're in.
"complicated? how complicated are we talking about here?" jake presses, his tone calm but insistent.
i sigh, glancing over at him before focusing back on the road. "you see ... our parents—they've always wanted us to get married, since it's their ideal ending for our lives. her mom's the most interested in this idea, so she'd apparently bring it up to her constantly ... then time went on and not too long ago, yoonji snapped."
"she probably couldn't take it anymore, so she straight up told her mom that she'll marry me so that her mom would just- stop."
there's a long pause, and i can feel jake processing what i just said. i know he cares about yoonji—he's made that clear in more ways than one. and now, hearing this, i can only imagine what's going through his head.
"you see, she didn't want to tell you right away- literally neither of us expected them to want to have the wedding next month." i continue, my voice quieter. "oh and—yoonji, she loves you, man. but it's been hard ... for both of us."
jake exhales sharply, running a hand through his hair. "i knew something was off," he mutters, mostly to himself. "but it was really unexpected news."
i don't blame him. whatever they say, goes.
"what do we do now?" he asks, his voice sounding lost for the first time.
