Chapter 7!

A group of girls slowly made their way down a pebbled path as the sun had risen to its highest point of the day. The girls were almost completely exhausted, having walked the whole way from the bus station nearby.

The way that most of them had masks on to hide their identity also didn’t help them feel cool except for one of them. The girl had walked down this path more times than she could count on her hands. Even if her eyes were closed, she knew exactly where the path went.

“We’re almost there, don’t worry. Wuah, I can see the beach from here~” Yujin replied to her youngest member, pulling the large trolley bag along the pebbled road.

“Where?! I wanna see!” Leeseo ran up quickly over to her leader, stepping on the tips of her shoes to try and see one of the landmarks the town had to offer.

Yujin glanced at the smaller girl that had her sleeves rolled up to her elbows and had her bag in front of her. The pink plushie was peeking out the bag she had in front of her as if trying to see what was in front of them.

“How much more do we have to walk…?” Gaeul asked from behind the pair breathlessly.

“We’re getting closer to the town, though we still have to walk a little more to reach our house.” Yujin replied, her eyes focused on the sets of houses and small buildings in the distance.

Yujin heard her and the rest of the girls groan lightly as they walked. Thinking back, she should’ve told them that they had to do a lot of walking.

She glanced back to look at them and saw that they were all holding onto fans as they walked with their bags.

Their leader tried to look for a place for them to rest for a bit but all they had was the lone stretch of road in front of them. Even the bench and the little shop that stood by the road was nowhere to be seen.

Fond memories slowly crept up at the back of Yujin’s mind as she slowly remembered all the times she ran down this road, running from a boy as they innocently played tag.

Yujin sighed out into the air, just in time as a refreshing breeze blew by them. She held her head high, as if she wasn’t affected by the heat.

“Why can’t we just get a taxi?~” Liz complained, leaning into the fan of the Japanese girl next to her.

“Taxi’s rarely pass through the town and even if they did, they would charge us an arm and a leg.” Yujin replied with a ready-made answer that made the girls sigh and groan out more behind her.

Despite their circumstances, Yujin wondered if this was some blessing in disguise. She would’ve wanted much more days to recover, even if her request was granted. Perhaps she could use this time to relax back home.

She was sure her parents wouldn’t mind if she appeared suddenly with guests on such short notice.

They knew all of the girls already, especially Wonyoung, since it felt like they were growing old together, being friends since they were both trainees.

For the other people in town, she wasn’t quite sure.

Word travels fast, especially in this day and age. Who knew if all the news about her had spread through the town and through the people. She wouldn’t want them to think of her as someone the reports claimed her to be.

She would much rather be thought of as the carefree girl that was friends with everyone that she once was.

Even if she hadn’t gone home for years and even if the way she had treated the town was more often superficial lately, she hoped that they would take her back with open arms.

Every time she denied herself the idea of going back home, it wasn’t because the town no longer meant anything to her, rather, she didn’t want to face a familiar person that, she recently found out, still lived in the town.

Seoul was where she worked, stayed and lived but the little seaside town of Gyeokpo-ri has been, and always will be, home.

The town where she formed her dream of becoming an idol and the same one she left to pursue it.

The town that had its own quirks and characteristics that she couldn’t find anywhere else.

And the town where she experienced many of her firsts.

The change of scenery surely did help relieve the stress the past few days had given her.

From the blinding camera flashes to the blinding sun shining down on her and from the high-rise buildings to the rice paddies that stretched both sides of the road they were on, the change gave her a sense of calm through the rage and confusion she had previously been experiencing.

Yujin glanced over her shoulder and thought that the girls needed some extra motivation to get to her hometown. In an energetic and optimistic voice, she shouted.

“If we make it quick enough, I’ll make sure to treat everyone to a meal!~”

“Goodbye, Teacher Pham!”

A classroom of children shouted at the lone woman at the front of their room. She smiled at them brightly, as their time in school for the day came to a close. She gave them a short bow before hearing the screeches of chairs and tables being pushed across the floor.

The woman assisted the kids to the door, opening it to let them through to the halls of the school, all except one.

As Hanni guided her students, she felt a tap on her back. She turned around and found a small girl behind her. Her small hands carefully held onto the straps of her backpack.

The little girl swayed side to side slowly, as if she wanted to say something to her teacher. Soft sounds of metal tapping against each other came from the sets of keys she held in her hands.

“It looks like someone’s ready to head home.”

Hanni crouched down slightly to match the girl’s level. She smiled gently as she raised her hand over the girl’s shoulder. The small girl only looked at her teacher silently, hoping they could be on their way home soon.

“Is it fine if I accompany you home today?” Hanni asked the small girl, soft enough for her to hear. The small girl nodded her head to answer.

“Oppa already told me earlier and he told me to let you hold onto these.” Seowon held out the keys in her hands, the metal bouncing off some of the light that shined through the windows.

“Really? Thank you for trusting me with bringing you home.” The woman bent her head down, bowing at the child. Accepting the keys into her own hands, she slowly stood back up.

“Before we head home, I need to get my bag first. So…would you like to follow me to the teacher’s room?”

Seowon pondered with herself a bit before she shyly nodded her head. Her teacher smiled down at her before reaching her open hand out.

Grabbing a hold of each other’s hand, the two girls slowly lead themselves out of the room and started their way towards the room specifically made for the teachers.

*CREAK!~*

The door to the teacher’s room was pushed open slowly, letting in the woman on the other side. She went inside and was immediately enveloped by the cold air from the air conditioners.

She saw the other people that stayed within the room. All were already carrying their bags, all ready to head home after using the day to teach students.

“Look, Hanni’s back!” One of them said, adjusting the strap of her bag that ran across her chest.

“Looks like she has a visitor too~” Another one said, looking at the small girl hiding behind Hanni’s leg.

The woman bowed down to greet them before moving to the side, making her other teachers see the young girl behind her.

“Hello there, Seowonnie~” The eldest of the teachers waved her hand at the young girl with a smile.