🎶: 'Drive' by Miyeon
"Toiletries?" Bahiyyih asked.
"Check," Kai replied.
"Extra underclothes?"
"Check."
"Swimming trunks?"
"Check."
"Goguma?"
"Ch— wait, no!"
Kai grabbed the bunny plushie off his bed, unzipped his suitcase again, and gently stuffed it into his bag, closing it again.
"Thanks for reminding me."
"You're welcome. That way, we'll be with you in case you miss us," Bahiyyih chuckled.
"Yeah..."
"Nervous?"
Kai shrugged.
"A little."
It was his first trip all alone.
The first time the Huening siblings would be separated from each other for several days, with an extremely long time difference too.
That's something that hasn't happened before.
Well, another step to growing up.
"You know who to call in case of an emergency, right?"
"Hiyyih, I'm 20, not a little child who needs a babysitter to look after me. I know how to defend myself too, remember? Our old high school had a taekwondo and a self defense course for a reason."
"I know, it's just... nerve wracking."
Kai chuckled and tousled Bahiyyih's grayish blonde hair.
"You're the ones who wanted me to go on a trip, and now you're scared to let me go."
Bahiyyih punched his shoulder.
"I'm not. Just... be careful."
"I will."
The two younger Huenings hugged each other, with Bahiyyih patting his back.
"Enjoy yourself, that's all that really matters."
"I'll try. Have fun with your exams."
"Kaiiii!!!"
+x+
Lea drove Kai to the airport, as Bahiyyih had classes to attend and Lea had off in the morning, and the two siblings took this as an opportunity to jam out together to songs for the final time before he was off on his own.
Until they were close to their destination, and Lea turned the music down.
"I'll go in with you until security, okay?"
"Sure."
"Also, did you remember to bring your headphones?"
"Yes, I have everything: charger, phone, my Beats, wired headphones in case they stop working. Why do you ask?"
"Cuz the flight is twelve hours."
"TWELVE HOURS?!?!"
Kai's eyes nearly popped out of his eye sockets.
"That long?!"
"You're lucky I could book a flight without any stops; otherwise it's 17 hours."
"Wow... for real?"
"Yep."
"Well... if it's really gonna give me inspiration."
"It will."
Lea parked the car in the parking lot, and immediately climbed out. Kai followed suit, and helped his sister unload his suitcases like the good brother is.
And like the awesome big sis she is, Lea helped wheel one of the suitcases inside.
"Okay, you know what to do during security, right?" Lea asked.
"Yeah—"
"So no drinks, put your electronics out, remove your belt, any jewelry—"
"I'm not a kid," Kai laughed.
"Can I not look out for my younger brother?" she rhetorically responded with a laugh.
Chortling, they arrived at the check-in table, and Kai scanned his ticket and boarding pass, which thankfully was far from being expired.
He checked in his two suitcases, and watched as they were marked with an identification tag, before sliding down the conveyor belt.
After checking himself in, Kai and Lea walked towards security, which was quite crowded.
"You have all the motel info right?" Lea asked.
"Yep, in my phone."
"Okay, in case of anything, ask for the Wifi and call me. I'll try to deliver the roaming mobile data as soon as possible to your phone."
"K. Thanks Noona."
Lea smiled and gave her brother a huge hug that he returned.
"Come back safely and full of creativity."
"I'll manifest it."
Kai waved at his sister as he started walking towards the security checkpoint.
"Bye Lea!"
"Bye Kai!!"
+x+
"Ladies and gentlemen, we will be arriving in I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport soon. Prepare for landing," the announcement speaker said.
Kai sighed in relief.
"Finally."
After twelve long hours, and after looping his playlist thrice, he was finally arriving.
Lea managed to book him a window seat, and to Kai's surprise, he had the row all to himself the entire flight, so leg room was not a problem.
He basically had a bed for the night.
Now that he was approaching Indonesia, Kai decided to take a glimpse at the country.
And he was glad he did.
The view from all the way above the clouds was breathtaking.
The country was lush and green, the brilliant blue sky was as clear as glass, and the ocean... was so majestically deep blue, the color turning lighter as they came closer to the land, and the golden beaches came to view.
Kai watched in amazement as the green slowly became urban land, and he could gradually see traces of the city.
He couldn't wait to explore more, but first, he has to land, find his luggage, pay for a rental car and head to his hotel.
+x+
The clerk at the table gave Kai an apologetic look.
"I'm sorry sir, but there is no booked room under Kai or Lea Huening."
"What?!"
"You can see for yourself."
He turned his computer screen so Kai could get a glimpse of it, and he was right: there was not a single reserve under either his or his sister's name.
Which meant that he was pretty much homeless right now.
"Do you have any other available rooms?" Kai asked.
"I'm afraid not."
Kai let out a frustrated sigh and gripped the handles of his suitcases.
Then where will I stay for the night?
"Luckily for you..."
Kai glanced back at the clerk.
"Yes?"
"I know an inn a few kilometers away from here. It's a little more into the forest, but it has nice rooms, stable WiFi service, and good meals. And they're very flexible in having available rooms for unexpected or unregistered newcomers."
Kai nodded in interest.
"Would you like to know the address?"
"Yes please."
"Alright."
The clerk grabbed a sticky note and a nearby pen, and quickly scribbled the address onto the paper.
Kai was amazed at how neat his handwriting was despite writing so quickly; it's something he tends to look out for.
He handed him the little slip of paper.
"Here you go sir, I wish you a safe drive, and I'm sorry for the inconvenience."
"No worries, thank you for helping me out," Kai smiled.
"You are a kind man. I hope you're proud of it, for being raised so well."
The compliment made Kai a bit shy, so he simply bowed his head and wheeled his luggage out of the lobby, and back to his rental car.
Kai glanced up at the sky, which wasn't turning dark yet, but he saw that the sun was already moving towards the west.
"Better find that place quick," he said, before getting into the car, typing the address into his GPS, and driving off.
The black haired male ventured down the road, until the plaster ground transformed into gravel, and he was approaching the woods.
A delighted gasp escaped him.
"Woahhhh!!"
Judging by the vintage and vegetation surrounding him and his car, he was now on true tropical land.
Everything was so lush and green, even more than back in Hawaii.
And he never thought that could be possible.
There were many trees bearing fruits like coconuts and bananas, as well as the accumulated amount of fruit vines surrounding the whole place.
No one's running out of fruit for sure if they live nearby.
"Turn left," the GPS robotically stated.
Kai snapped out of his wandering thoughts.
"Oh yeah, gotta listen."
And he turned right.
Instead of focusing on the navigation system changing routes entirely, Kai was distracted by the scenery outside.
So many flowers grew along the road path, their petals colorful and vibrant. What fascinated him the most was how they grew wildly in the grass, without a pattern or frame or order, just freely and lively.
This whole place simply screamed free.
And Kai liked that.
Suddenly, his car came to a sudden screeching halt.
Kai himself yelped when the vehicle abruptly stopped moving, and he might've crashed face first into the steering wheel if it weren't for his seatbelt.
"What happened?!"
He glanced at the blinking red light in front of him, and he groaned.
"Out of gas?!"
What kind of (un)professional rental company would give their customer a non fully loaded car?
Great, what am I gonna do now?
Kai sighed and unbuckled his seatbelt.
Might as well look around for any other options.
He stepped out of the car, and was greeted by the sounds of nature.
In the distance, he could hear the sweet singing of birds. It sounded so melodious that Kai even started humming along.
And the wind.
Oh the wind.
A breeze as beautiful and calming as a lullaby came blowing in his direction, causing Kai's messy black hair to blow around.
He couldn't help but close his eyes, inhaling the sweet air.
A smile formed on his lips.
I may be stranded, but at least I'm in a nice location.
Kai opened the trunk and took his suitcases out, heaved his backpack on his back, and closed the trunk again.
Even though it was out of gas, Kai still locked the car with his key for extra precaution.
He clipped his backpack straps together and took his suitcases to hand, before beginning to walk down the road.
"If I remember the clerk's words correctly, he said there should be an inn somewhere..."
Kai glanced around.
"... but where?"
All that came in response was the wind.
"I'll check my phone—"
Before he could even finish his sentence, Kai let out another groan.
"Oh wait."
No reception.
And because he hadn't been able to text Lea yet (he could've done it at the motel but at the same time, he also had other things to focus on), she couldn't send the mobile data in either, meaning technologically, he's busted.
Suddenly, Kai remembered something.
It was a murky little detail.
But to any human's luck, we have five senses that are always active.
And Kai's always are no matter what.
The GPS said turn left... and I turned right on the road while sightseeing...
"I'M SUCH AN IDIOT!!!"
Can't help you escape reality, homeboy.
He really was stuck.
In the middle of nowhere.
Kai let out another frustrated sigh and kicked a spare pebble on the road, running a hand through his messy black hair.
Way to go. Just my luck. What am I gonna do now?
And at that moment, he heard a stick snap.
—+x+—
A/N: oops, cliffhanger 🤩 thank you guys for the amount of reads this book got with the first chapter and introductions alone 💙 my account has really grown hasn't it 🥲 ily all 🩵🩵