Clash of Colors

Came to You

ϞϞϞϞϞ

Forget it she kept telling herself. There was no point in being sad. People come. People go. Get used to it. No one was here forever.

Yet Namjoo traced her thumbs over her dead phone. Still not charged. Would it have mattered she wondered even if she had gotten Sehun's phone number? How long would they stay in contact before they each drifted onto their own lives?

Tucking her phone away into the side pocket of her backpack she stared out the window. At the passing fields. Past tiny white houses. Counting the electricity poles toward the cows grazing in the fields. Smiling whenever she counted more than five. When the lady with the cart came around Namjoo dug into her backpack for her wallet. Stopping when her eyes landed on the survival book she'd come with.

"Miss?" the lady called.

Pulling out a few dollar bills Namjoo bought a sandwich. When the lady finally left Namjoo reached for the book she had impulsively brought. For Sehun and also, not really.

Smiling to herself for being foolish. Coming all the way up to Seoul, but she didn't regret it. For the first time she got to see how pretty the condominiums were. The city lights splashing color among the empty sky, filling up the world with a life of its own. Though she hadn't gotten to taste the restaurant foods she was glad she had seen the way city goers enjoyed their lives. Bubbling with energy. Wearing auras of confidence.

Flipping through the book Namjoo ate her sandwich. Putting her mind elsewhere.

ϞϞϞϞϞ

Dammit. Dammit. Dammit!

Sehun raced along the interstate highway. Speeding past one, three, five cars. Where was the next train stop? He had seen the ticket. He had bought it, but he couldn't clearly remember where the next stop was.

Where was it?!

Incheon? Suwon?

His eyes slid past the exit sign to Incheon. Groaning with frustration. What the hell! He'd have to gamble and drive to Suwon. Pray he'd arrive before the train took off again.

Stepping on the accelerator he raced down the road. Getting lost four times before driving back around to the train station. Discovering that the parking lot was so full he had to keep driving around in search of an empty lot. Forgetting to unbuckle his seatbelt as he raced out. Up the dozen staircase into the glass building. Chaos burst around him. Thousands of people cluttered the lobby.

Sehun raced around past the coffee shops, the souvenir store, the book store, the bakery. Discovering the sign leading to the terminal. Running at the speed of light when he heard an announcement overhead for passengers to board the train. The next stop was Cheonan, three hours away.

Flying past a crying baby Sehun panted when he finally reached the platform. Crowded with people bidding relatives goodbye. The train engine was running but it was there. He raced along each long cabin reading 12A, 12B, and so on and so on. Unable to recall which cabin Namjoo was in. Coming across number 13. Thinking it sounded familiar so he boarded it searching around the empty green seats. No sign of Namjoo.

Quickening his pace before the train might start, he rushed through the door into the next cabin. A pair of friends currently in conversation curiously peeked at him before continuing. Where was she?

Pausing to desperately catch his breath he looked around, behind him. Had he come the wrong way? Staring ahead he recognized a familiar backpack. Hurriedly striding toward the empty seat to see a survival hacks book on the cushion. Touching the backpack, lifting it up. Definitely, he couldn't be wrong. This was Namjoo's spot, but where the hell was she?