Suho walked along the familiar road. This was the first time in a while that he was leaving the small outskirts of Guri where he had grown up. The last time he had gone into the actual city was for the Korean Biology Olympiad.
As he left the narrow road and stepped onto the main street, he saw children running around in their school uniforms. The usually quiet street was now filled with students. Farther ahead, he spotted the GS25 store, which was packed with them. Remembering that he would need public transport later, Suho quickly went inside and bought a T-money card before continuing on his way.
Shaking his head, he walked along the main street. His goal was the bus stop, which would take him to Guri Station, and from there, the train would take him to Seoul—the capital, where even breathing seemed to cost money.
As he passed by his old school, he saw many students hurrying through the gates. Seeing them, a smile appeared on his face. He used to be just like them, wearing the same uniform and almost always running late because of his part-time jobs.
Still, since he always scored at the top of his class, the teachers usually gave him some immunity when it came to being late. By the time he reached the bus stop, it was already 8:12. According to the electronic arrival board beside the shelter, the next bus would arrive in eight minutes, at 8:20.
With nothing to do during the eight-minute wait, Suho decided to set up his new Galaxy S26 Ultra. He unboxed it on the empty shelter bench and looked at the device. The Silver Shadow finish gave the back a smooth metallic silver look that slightly reflected the morning light, and the phone felt surprisingly heavy and premium in his hand.
Damn! New devices are cool to look at. This one also has 54% battery, nice.
As Suho didn’t have a charger with him, the 54% still made him a little nervous. His old Galaxy A24 was already around three years old, and its battery had taught him not to trust a phone at half charge. He still had to reach Seoul and complete his university admission, and most of the documents and information he needed were online, so having his phone die on the way would be troublesome.
Suho transferred everything to the new device and wasn’t sure what to do with the old one. After making sure all the photos and videos of Mina had been copied over, he factory-reset the phone so it wouldn’t become a headache later if he stopped caring about it and ended up losing it or giving it away.
Oh! It’s already 8:19. Where is the bus, though?
Suho pocketed both phones and looked around. The new device felt surprisingly good in his pocket, its weight making it feel even more premium. He threw the empty box into the nearby trash can before turning toward the direction the bus was supposed to come from.
"Suho? What are you doing here?"
With his head turned to the right, watching the direction the bus was supposed to come from, Suho suddenly heard his name being called from his left, slightly behind him. It was a familiar voice, one that immediately made his face turn sour.
"Cheon Yoona..."
Suho looked back and saw the face he least wanted to see. She was a short girl with an extremely cute face, large bright eyes, and soft chubby cheeks that made her look even younger than she was.
She wasn’t fat at all; her face was simply naturally round and adorable. Her dark hair was tied into two neat Chinese-style buns on either side of her head, making her look even more childish and cute.
Suho wanted to say something sarcastic, as Yoona had been his rival throughout school. She always came second to him and competed with him over almost everything. She came from one of the largest farming families in this part of Guri, a family that held quite a bit of influence around the outskirts.
Despite having a large extended family, Yoona was the only child of her parents. However, before Suho could say anything, his eyes fell on the huge suitcase beside her, one that looked almost bigger than she was, leaving him slightly shocked.
"How did you carry this thing here?"
Suho bluntly asked what was on his mind. Yoona could also be considered his childhood rival and longtime classmate. They had known each other for more than a decade now.
"That’s none of your business, humph."
Yoona pouted and placed both hands on her waist as she stood there proudly. Just then, Suho noticed a man hurrying toward them while carrying another smaller bag, this one looking more like Yoona’s handbag.
"Young Miss, I’m sorry. Your father suddenly fell sick... You’ll have to go alone. If you don’t leave today, you’ll miss the final day for admission."
The man who came over bowed several times apologetically. Suho knew him. He was Yoona’s driver, the same man who used to take her to school and pick her up afterward in a beat-up old 2011 Hyundai Grand Starex.
"Humph, I know. Go back and take care of Father for me... I’ll come back after getting admitted."
Yoona simply dismissed the man. Watching the scene, Suho felt that her reactions were a little exaggerated, but what did that have to do with him? He could already hear the bus approaching, and then he saw the driver suddenly run off like a cartoon character. Before the bus could even reach the stop, the man had already disappeared from Suho’s sight.
What the hell? Whatever!
Suho simply shook his head and waited. Soon, a white-and-green bus came into view, its front LED display showing the route number along with Guri Station. Since this was his first time taking a bus, he had already searched online while waiting and learned how to use the T-money card he had bought at the GS25 earlier.
All he had to do was tap it on the reader when boarding and again when getting off. As the bus stopped in front of him, Suho pulled the card from his pocket and looked toward the reader beside the driver.
"Oi... where are you going? Won’t you help an old friend?"
As the bus stopped in front of him, Suho was about to get on when he heard Yoona shouting behind him. He understood perfectly well that she was calling him, but decided not to care since she hadn’t even used his name despite knowing it perfectly well.
"Oi... Oi, Suho! I can’t believe you’re leaving a damsel in distress!"
Yoona grabbed the back of Suho’s shirt just as he placed one foot on the first step of the bus. Looking back at the huge suitcase beside her, he sighed. There was no way someone her size was going to lift that monster onto the bus by herself.
"You’re not a damsel, but the ’in distress’ part is correct."