The Haven

5. The People with Nowhere to Return (4) Moon River

The curiosity grew, the moment he mentioned a secret, bigger than any other curiosity I had towards Do-hyeon. What he was looking for, what he was trying to approach.

I felt that knowing Do-hyeon's secret might change our relationship, for better or worse. I was scared but also thrilled.

"I want to know more now that you've said it like that."

"You'll find out eventually."

I couldn't help but think his secret had something to do with me. Before I could pry further, Do-hyeon quickly added,

"And Hee-jae, you don't have to call me coach anymore. Swimming has become useless now. I just want to be called by my name by you, Hee-jae."

I stood up. The idea that swimming had become useless... I wanted to comfort him right then.

"Do you remember what you told me when we first met? At that bus stop. You said if I learned to swim, I could become a free human being who could walk and swim. That's why I started learning to swim."

"I meant it at that time, but now I'm not so sure. Now, having a car is barely enough to get around. You never know when the sirens will go off... Ah! Hee-jae, make sure to fill up your car with gas. I saw on the news this morning that oil imports have been halted. It might be difficult to refuel for a while."

"I will, Do-hyeon."

"Yes. And if there's anything I can help with, just let me know."

"You too, Do-hyeon."

***

The next day, I woke up early and went out to the yard. The car was covered in a layer of gray dust from the snow that had fallen overnight. After cleaning it off and getting into the driver's seat, I intended to personally confront whoever was delivering the package to my front door.

I reclined the seat back. Thanks to the tinted windows, I was invisible from the outside, but the cold was challenging to endure. Despite wearing several layers of clothes, a mask, and a hooded jumper, waiting in a car with the engine off was harder than I thought. I couldn't be sure how long I could withstand the cold, but I hugged myself tighter for whatever warmth it might provide and kept my eyes on the alley leading to our house.

I drifted in and out of sleep, blurring the lines between dreams and reality. Visions of a car approaching the house and hallucinations of Sun-woo sitting beside me flickered and vanished before my blurry eyes. Knowing the dangers of falling asleep in the cold kept me alert, but a deep-seated exhaustion weighed down my consciousness.

After the world had been cast into deep shadow, time felt more erratic. Days progressed from less dark to dark, to darker, obliterating any sense of time.

Amidst the murky sleep,

"Hee-jae."

The clarity of the voice calling my name snapped me to attention. It sounded as if someone was speaking right into my ear, yet I was alone. Disbelieving it was just an auditory hallucination, I scanned the car interior.

Checking my phone, I thought it was early evening, but it was just past noon.

Rubbing my bleary eyes and adjusting my seat, I saw four red lights moving towards the house from the sky. The silent approach confirmed it was an ion propulsion drone.

I realized my assumption was wrong. The reason I hadn't seen anything wasn't due to Balqama's secretive deliveries but because they were using aerial drones for delivery.