The days leading up to the dreaded trip were perplexing, to say the least. Winter bled into spring, at last.
Sakura became alarmingly anxious after finding out Miyun wasn't the danger, so no matter how much she missed Chaeyeon and Yujin and Hitomi and everyone else, she didn't dare leave her apartment.
There was no amount of coaxing from Hyewon that would convince her to go back to the barn either, so she drove them to see Sakura instead. However, she could only bring about four people at a time since her car was small, and only three if Yujin or Wonyoung was one of them.
Chaeyeon slept at her house for the days leading up to Monday, hugging her through her anxiety attacks and sleepless nights.
Hyewon accompanied Chaeyeon to stay at Sakura's house overnight for the weekend before the trip, making sure she was okay and keeping her well fed with meat other than tiny mice.
"Have you packed?" Hyewon whispered, not wanting to wake Chaeyeon. Sakura shifted as slowly as she could in her hold.
"Yea," she replied, gesturing to the duffel beside the door.
Hyewon sighed and smushed her face into a cushion. "If it isn't Miyun, we have to be even more careful. Everyone's so friendly towards you now. Hunters must have acting in their resumés."
"Not wrong," Sakura chuckled. Then it seemed like the air solidified, trapping them in ice. It was as though the chunks clicked together, making the silence suffocating, until Sakura spoke again:
"I don't want to die, Hyewon."
The words were chilling and icy, cutting Hyewon to the bone and raising hairs on her nape. "No, Kkura- don't say that- no, you aren't going to die, I promise."
"I hope so," Sakura said grimly. She turned over and snuggled into Chaeyeon's nape, breathing in her scent.
"This might be the last time I love you," she muttered, knowing Chaeyeon wasn't hearing it.
...
Sakura had been fed half a steak and a glass of apple juice. Since summer had arrived, she dressed in a blue-and-white striped collared blouse and white denim shorts.
Hyewon whistled, earning a flick in the backside from Chaeyeon.
Chaeyeon kissed her goodbye and left the apartment for the train station to Chumjjang. Poor Hitomi must be waiting.
"Let's go," Hyewon sighed, grabbing her keys off her suitcase.
The sky was brightening, turning light purple and blue. However, the beauty did nothing to ease Sakura's discomfort.
...
The bus was cramped and rowdy. The chatter and laughter of thirty students filled the air around Sakura as she made vain attempts to fall asleep. She hugged her duffel tighter.
"Hey," Daeman said to Seunmi, "she's trying to sleep. Turn it down." He gestured to her phone. She'd forgotten to bring earphones, so she decided playing her music on full volume was a good idea.
Seunmi nodded sheepishly and pressed the volume button as Hyewon watched the bar go from seven squares to four.
"How's your nose?" Hyewon asked, leaning forward to see Daeman over Sakura's duffel. She noticed and set it down onto the floor, pushing it under her seat with her foot.
"It's okay, I guess," he replied, gingerly touching the white strip across his nose bridge. "Is she hungry?"
"A little," Sakura said shyly.
"Thought so," Daeman chuckled, rummaging through his backpack. He pulled out a crumpled paper bag and tossed it into Sakura's lap. "Eat that."
She opened it. A pink leg of raw duck stared back at her. She looked at it, then back at Daeman. "Thanks."
She ate it with the brown paper covering the meat and her lips in case anyone saw. In a few minutes only a long bone remained. She crumpled it up and looked around awkwardly.
"You can throw that away when we arrive to get onto the ferry," Daeman said.
"I think we're reaching in about ten minutes," Hyewon said, checking the time on her phone.
Miyun sat beside Daeman awkwardly. She didn't want to make eye contact with him, Hyewon, or Sakura, so she stared out of the window.
"Miyun-ah," Sakura called out, softly and shakily. "You can talk to us, you know?"
"I... know," Miyun breathed out.
"Then turn around and quit being a sulky kid!" Daeman laughed, grabbing her shoulder playfully and spinning her around.
She scoffed, a little irritated, and pushed her sleeve back up.
She made small talk and apology with Sakura and Daeman, and felt the weight lifting from her shoulders and chest. A natural smile curled onto her lips and in that half an hour long bus ride, she felt light. She looked pretty, without her beauty creams and powders.
She was righting her wrongs, slowly.
They talked with Jiwoo, with Seunmi, with Sookyung, Jaeyeong, everyone else. Miyun was okay again.
Sakura knew she'd have to bring up the Monster Hunter topic at some point. She decided the hotel would be a good place, maybe at night before they slept.
Miyun had trouble breathing when she talked to Hyewon, though.
The pretty face and doe-like eyes assured her she had been forgiven for the assault, the slap in class, but she felt like her sudden confession had somehow broken their lost friendship even more.
"It's okay, Yun. Maybe someday I'll introduce you to her," Hyewon said, referring to Eunbi.
Miyun felt some bitterness towards 'her', but she swallowed it and nodded with a smile instead.
Then the bus stopped, and Professor Kim yelled out, "We're here! Make sure to take everything along with you, we're about to board the ferry!"
The scuffle of teenagers and bags made Sakura lose Hyewon for a short while, but Miyun took her hand and helped find her in the end. It shocked Sakura that Miyun was touching her without intention of harm.
They walked up the steps to the ferry and found their seats.
A middle-aged woman greeted them on board. As she explained about the islands, the way she spoke gave everyone a Conan vibe because she sounded like a human textbook. Like the clever cartoon, she was comically making gestures with her hands to describe the islands and sea around them.
Sakura was bored out of her mind. She let herself drift into a light sleep, head gently lolling onto Hyewon's shoulder.
...
They went to Jeju to check in and settle down.
Professor Kim and the woman made everyone line up in their groups before assigning the leaders a key and card to their hotel room.
"You have until six in the evening to settle down and shower. I want everyone to be here by six fifteen, am I clear?" Professor Kim said.
Everyone nodded in unison.
Hyewon took their key and lead them to their room: fourth floor, number fifteen.
The floor was carpeted with soft floral patterned velvet. Suitcases made no noise as the wheels rolled smoothly over the smooth floor. The same went for footsteps, unless they stomped especially hard.
Jiwoo and Daeman hopped along the corridor on the way to their room, giggling like little children.
Finally, they reached. Hyewon thrust the key in, turned it, and pushed the door open.
There were two beds, one single and a double-decker, all made up neatly with tucked in white sheets and fluffed pillows. A square coffee table with two high backless stools, and a long counter with a toaster.
Daeman kicked off his shoes and collapsed onto one of the beds spreadeagled. "I call dibs," he moaned tiredly.
Jiwoo sat on the foot of the bottom bunk and massaged her ankle. "My feet are killing me. We must've walked for ten thousand miles," she complained.
"I want to go take a shower," Hyewon said, kicking her suitcase aside. It hit a leg of the table with a clunk.
She opened the door of the bathroom. There was a tub and a detachable showerhead. A clear green bottle of shampoo sat beside one spare toothbrush and a bar of soap.
"Nice," she muttered before stepping in and removing her tee.
Miyun sat on one of the stools, swinging her legs. "What time is it now?" she asked.
"It's two," Daeman replied. "We have until six to mess around, so I'm going to nap. Goodnight," he groaned, flopping over and throwing the blanket over him dramatically.
Sakura was on the top bunk, texting.
...
Kkurachan: we're good with miyun now
Yudaeng: ok but whos the hunter
ChaeYEON: if you die ill kill you
Eunbi: how-
ChaeWON: lmao
Wonyoung: sakura, i miss you!! be safe!!!
Nakochan: yay miyun isnt a danger anymore
Hitomichan: honestly she was a bitch
ChaeYEON: HITOMI
Hitomichan: sowwy
Yudaeng: LEAVE HER ALONE SHES BABEY
Duckieyena: HAHAHAHA
Minguri: wheres kwangbae
Kkurachan: in the shower
Eunbi: ;)
Yuri: why are you always so damn horny
Kkurachan: oh shes out
...
Hyewon came out of the shower in a towel hat and a loose white We Bare Bears shirt. "There's no hairdryer."
Jiwoo shook Daeman awake roughly. "I wanna go eat. Accompany me," she whined.
"Get Sakura to company you," he said, words muffled under the cover.
"I wanna take a shower too," she said quickly. What if the hunter was Jiwoo? And Daeman was her accomplice?
Sakura slapped the thoughts from her head. They were such good friends.
She'd still stay in just in case though.
"Fine," Daeman said grumpily. He got up and smoothened out a crease in his tee, then dragged Jiwoo by her wrist out of the door. "We'll be back at around three!"
That left Sakura, Hyewon, and Miyun alone.
There was no better time than now to discuss it.
"Miyun," Sakura called out in a choked voice, "we need to talk."
"Oh, yea. Yun, sit on a bed," Hyewon added.
Three of them settled in the bottom bunk. "What's up?" Miyun said, shutting off her phone.
"It has to do with Sakura's life. Literally. It's a life or death matter," Hyewon said grimly. Her brows furrowed in worry. Miyun's tilted her head slightly.
"Okay," she said.
"Are you a monster hunter?" Sakura whispered.
Miyun blinked. "A what."
"Monster hunter," Sakura repeated.
"Those are real? I thought they only existed in movies," Miyun said. It was genuine.
"So you don't have a long glowing spear? Or a tag?"
"Sakura!" Miyun exclaimed. "I have no idea what you mean! What is this?"
"So... you aren't the person after me? B-But you said you would kill me, and you called me a vampire..."
"Yea. I was a bitch, but I'd never commit murder," the other girl said. "But I'm still very confused about all this. What monster hunter? Who's after you?"
"It's a very long story," Hyewon said gently, placing a hand on Sakura's back. "We'd be telling you a most trusted secret if we revealed-"
"Hey buddy, no one knows the name of Song Miyun other than this class. Spill it," Miyun said.
...
"So let me get this straight. Someone's after Sakura and he or she is using my name to throw you guys off track?" Miyun snarled.
"Yes."
"Why my name? Why-"
"Girl whose name no one knows except for her class of thirty people who are all friendly towards the target? What better name to choose than Song Miyun? It's an airtight alibi," Hyewon said.
"Well, point is," Sakura said, standing up, "it's one of the thirty people in the class. One of thirty people in this building. But as long as it isn't someone in this room, I'll breathe a little easier."
"It better not be Daeman. I'll kill him myself if it's him," Hyewon muttered.
"Hey, we're back- oh. You guys doing more apology? I thought we were over that," Daeman interrupted, strolling into the room.
Jiwoo followed behind with a bulky plastic bag hung on her arm. She was eating something on a stick. It looked like fried intestines, though fishcake would be a right guess too.
"They're getting along now, let them do as much apology as they want," she giggled. "I got something for Sakura."
She tossed a sealed packet of cut fruit to Sakura.
"How did you know I could eat fruit?"
"I didn't. I took a wild guess."
...
Kwangbae: ok so as kkura mightve told you we're all good with miyun now but the real danger is that shes not the hunter and cuz everyone is friendly around kkura now its an even bigger problem like someone could stab her in the nami woods and no one would know
ChaeYEON: mention kkura dying again and ill stab YOU
Duckieyena: hoes mad
Yudaeng: lmaoooo
Kkurachan: im ok chaeyeon
Kkurachan: we gotta go now tho its 6
...
"It's six. Wake up," Miyun said, smacking Daeman's arm.
Sakura tied her hair in a ponytail, thinking of Yena, and followed Hyewon out of the door.