Epilogue

As the van hurtles towards your final destination, having come to terms with your impending demise, in this brief millisecond—in this brief opportunity that wrinkled in time—you took one last look at your companions, at these girls, and have accepted your fate.

Except you all are fucking drunk to see what was really going on.

First of all, Leeseo didn’t lose control of the wheel. You’ll have to apologize for blaming her for it later. What actually happened was that the front left tire and the back right tire of the van both got punctured by debris—you believe they might be jagged rocks—from the road, causing them to wound and pop.

Second of all, when you slammed into one of the guardrails that sent you spiraling around and around, neither of you noticed that you knocked over one of the larger signs nearby, toppling it onto the very ground before you.

And third of all? What you thought were large stalagmites formed beneath a rocky bluff was actually the painted on image of a mountain range from the sign you just knocked over with the van. There was no steep slope, idiot. You’re cruising by the coastline. It’s nothing but sand and shore for miles.

The moment you all realize this, you exit the vehicle in blissful gratitude, call the next available repair service within range, and try to sober up with some ice cream at a nearby stand.

Handing everyone their cups and cones, you dig into your own cup of cookies and cream as you clock the name of the stand from the side: Everybody Dies.

What a fucking morbid name.

But you ponder on it. You ponder on it good.

With Leeseo now sobered up and back in the driver’s seat, Rei coming to her senses once more in the passenger’s seat, Gaeul finishing her brief meditation to your left, Yujin relaxing her body next to you on your right, Liz practicing her breathing exercises behind you, and with Wonyoung texting on her phone to her right, the seven of you now return on your little trip.

Going ninety once more down the coastal highway, the wind still billowing against the speeding vehicle, you watch as the sky turns into a myriad of different fading colors as the sun is now setting, swallowed up by the horizon.

You think back to your near-death experience. To the motes of possibility it flashed before your eyes. You look around you at your friends—at these six girls—and the possible futures you all could hold together. And then, you do one final act of defiance against fate.

You slide the hole on the ceiling open, get up on your seat, and while the girls all sang songs, guided Leeseo down the highway, and cheered you on, you felt the strong winds against your face and held your hands up towards the sky.

With all your strength, you let out a loud roar as the van carried your voice forward along with you.

Everybody dies. That’s just a matter of fact. Everybody dies eventually.

But not you. Not today. For today, you feel fucking infinite.

Fucking infinite.