2 Chapter 2

It had been a quiet walk after, no more words were spoken, and all they could focus on were their heavy steps dragging them to the train station. Soo-yeon found herself almost liking it this way, spared from the burden of trying to keep up with him and his thoughts. It was a comfort.

Once they saw their usual train stop in front of them, they went inside. Both of them sat on the nearest seats they could find, ending up closer to the doors than anyone else on board. They did not dare speak just yet.

Other passengers were immediately filling their compartment as time ticked by, and when everything was settled, the train began moving. Soo-yeon spoke up, trying to interrupt whatever Yeon-jin wanted to say.

"Jin," she said it gently, purposely using his nickname so that things would be easier for her. His eyes practically shot up to meet hers, dread filling and twisting his stomach as he sat there.

There was slight turbulence in the train, the lights would flicker repeatedly.

"What is it, Soo-yeon?" he asked.

Her emotionless eyes peered through his own, thinking of words to say. But then, a question wandered through her head before she had the chance to ignore it.

Through the years, did he also feel the same way?

To fall in love, and to fall out of it gradually. To others, especially young love, they would detest and deny the idea of ever losing interest in the other.

However, Soo-yeon preferred to embrace it; falling out of love, rather than holding on to the hope of making it work despite the signs of it being hopeless.

It was not like they would fight constantly, or argue. Rather, they were just there; existing, tolerating each other, too comfortable to the point that they took one another for granted. But things like these, including her wish to move on, they were all part of life. And for her, there was nothing wrong with that at all.

Focused on these thoughts, Soo-yeon did not notice the train shaking.

"What's going on?" a man yelled.

Suddenly, the train went even faster, causing everyone else to fall back in their seats and scream in worry. The baggage was thrown all around, hitting many of those who stood.

Soo-yeon felt her head being thrown back, and her lips quickly failed to hide the surprised gasp in her throat.

"Call the conductor immediately! The emergency button!" a middle-aged man shouted orders when the lights went out and black devoured the whole room.

When it vanished, an audio recording then played from the speakers.

"Thank you for choosing XY Railway, please remain calm and seated, the main vehicle is currently facing difficulties..." Its automated voice filled their compartment as their wagon kept on shaking. All she could hear were blurred voices and whispers, irritated and annoyed.

The tension grew thick and heavy as time passed. After enduring what seemed to be the longest ten minutes of their lives, the train only went even faster, adding up to all the passengers' doubts.

There was indeed no news from the conductor at all. A wave of shouts and angry curses enveloped the wagon when they were thrown back forcefully once again. Just when the people were about to enter another compartment, they found the doors to be jammed.

"It's locked?" Yeon-jin spoke quietly, a crease forming in between his brows as he pulled the handles.

"Let us out of here! What kind of game are they playing?!" a businessman asked as he shoved everyone aside. He banged on the doors, filling the room with curses and slurs as others wobbled forward to calm him down.

Before they could take a much closer look, they were suddenly thrown to the floor for the third time that day. The train had been shaking much more than ever before.

Soo-yeon froze, as if time had stopped. All she could hear was her heart beating as she gripped the seats tightly. A heavy buzz filled her head, seemingly getting louder by the second.

Was this really happening?

Yeon-jin had to lead them towards the back to avoid people from pushing them around. Once they sat down in a less crowded space, he tried to reassure her.

"Don't worry, alright? I'm sure it's nothing," he said quietly, not entirely convinced by his own words.

Soo-yeon chose not to listen to him then. All thoughts of them breaking up was thrown out the window. There was something terribly wrong with this train, they knew this, and if it continued, surely it would not end all too well.

As the minutes ticked by, she could feel the dread and fear building up in the room. The people on the train soon grew mad. Many tried breaking the doors with anything they could get their hands on, but to no avail.

Soo-yeon's heart sank at the sight. Everything was just so loud, so noisy and so suffocating. Her head started to spin and her breathing began to pick up.

Where was the conductor? Wasn't he the one in control?

So many questions were running around, she had to bite back the ugly lump that threatened to leave her throat. Her palms grew icy while the sweat sticking at the nape of her neck felt deadly cold.

Yeon-jin kept shaking her, but all she could focus on was everything but him.

Had she really wasted the majority of her life trying to achieve a dream that seemed so far away now? Filled with sleepless nights and sacrifices where she considered to be the worst. She wanted to do so many things, only to die at such a young age seemed cruel and unfair.

The flower that rested on her ear soon fell.

Most passengers were panicking as they sat on the floor. Any who remained standing could not keep their balance for long. Some kept on shouting, some prayed to anyone up above that would listen.

For Soo-yeon, anger and sorrow surged through until she felt strong arms hold her. Knocking her off of her thoughts and making her notice him.

"Soo-yeon, calm down!" Yeon-jin shouted through all the loud voices as he sat them down on the floor, both of his hands on her weak shoulders.

The train suddenly went through a tunnel, and everything seemed to turn dark. The echoing screeches and the never-ending sounds of the loud engine just would not go away. The lights flickered endlessly once more.

Almost everyone aboard the train was trembling as the vehicle continued to mercilessly shake, all bags and baggage sprawled out on the floor as it kept tumbling down.

"Please, just stop all of this," she spoke out in quiet sobs. Tears were streaming down her face at that point. Both her arms covered the sides of her dishevelled head. They could no longer hear each other through all the noises drumming in their ears.

He decided to not say a word, just letting her head rest on his broad shoulders.

His presence had surprisingly soothed Soo-yeon. His calloused palms soon landed on her stiff back, relaxing and brushing her with light touches. After a while, he gently placed the flower back on her ear.

Yeon-jin forced his lips to curve upwards as he tried to display his teasing smile only for her to see. He tried to say something, but it was too drowned out by other voices for both of them to hear. Soo-yeon forced herself to stop crying, her eyes blinking repeatedly as their gazes met.

She could not speak. Instead, she buried her head in his chest, both of them staying silent.

As time passed by, everything else seemed to fade. The noises disappeared and what soon replaced it was his warm hands and calm breathing. Her sobs gradually died down.

When was the last time she felt this way? She could not remember. She just knew that she had missed this feeling. It felt similar to the way things were back then. When it was just the two of them in their old damaged apartment, cuddling on their cramped up bed, and staying still as they listened to the light rain outside.

They were so happy. Just where did things go wrong?

He drew closer to her ear and softly muttered, "I'm still here, there's no need to worry."

Suddenly, a heavy feeling had burdened Soo-yeon's shoulders, a thousand weights heavier.

She was devastated.

"You fool," Soo-yeon said quietly, loosening her grip on Yeon-jin, not daring to meet his gaze.

Regret, guilt and fear. Which one was it? Perhaps all.

She had been devastated. However, it no longer was because of death.

"I'm sorry, Jin," her pathetic voice choked out before she could stop it. The dream-like state they had been in suddenly melted away, and the harsh reality of it all had soon dawned upon them.

At that moment, Soo-yeon noticed the ghost of a frown on his pale lips, the bags under his eyes, and the cold sweat that clung to the cracks of his skin. It was as if all he had been mere minutes ago, the dashing and cheerful man who showed no flaws, did not exist.

Hearing her words, a strange fire soon burned in him, almost upset by what she had said. Both of his calloused hands cupped the sides of Soo-yeon's face, fingers brushing her cheeks; forcing her to look at him.

"It's fine, Soo-yeon," The words slowly left his lips as he drew her closer, wanting her to read each and every word he said. Brows furrowed and expression serious, Yeon-jin did not blame Soo-yeon at all.

"We're going to be fine."

Those simple words were all it took for Soo-yeon to breakdown. He did not deserve her, a judgemental and problematic woman who took him for granted. She had blamed him for everything; hating how delusional he was, and how the fall of their relationship had been his fault.

But in truth, she had no one else to blame but herself.

Those nights of not talking, not trying, and thinking that he would never understand her anymore. They were merely her selfish emotions, her stupid fear, that led Soo-yeon to believe how their relationship was gradually falling out of love.

Rather, it was just her who did not grasp the meaning of love in the first place.

A booming alarm interrupted her thoughts, as though it were a broken record repeatedly filling the train. The sounds of the engine roared louder than ever before.

"Soo-yeon!" he shouted through all the noise.

Both their hands gripped so harshly with one another that it seemed to be too painful to endure, yet they did not mind at all.

A wave of shouts and screams were soon heard as the train accelerated and shook for the last time.

"My words, don't forget them, alright?"

Before she could respond, the train halted to a stop and everything turned dark.