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Chanyeol had been having strange dreams as of late. When he would rise from his slumber, the only thing he recalled were some hazy details and the faces of several individuals he didn’t recognise.
Why did he keep dreaming about others that he had no connection with in reality?
On the tenth night, Chanyeol had a dream of a vacation he took with his family when he was a child. As he was too young to form any lasting memories, he contacted his mother to enquire about it. He listened as his mother recalled the time they had taken an extended trip to a small quaint village located on the northern coastline of the country.
After asking his mother for the exact location, Chanyeol wondered if the small lodge they stayed at was still in operation. He reached for his phone and looked it up on the internet and was pleasantly surprised to find out that the family owned bed and breakfast had been passed down to the next generation and was still in business.
Chanyeol still had some annual leave saved and had initially planned on spending the entire week lounging around the house, binge watching dramas that had been on his watch list for far too long. As he was browsing on his phone, his eyes were drawn to the photo of the bed and breakfast on the screen.
Perhaps he should take a little break from the city.
Acting on pure impulse, Chanyeol booked himself a single room and proceeded to look up train times and fares. He was trying to limit his spending after having lost a good chunk of his monthly salary on a poker match he’d been invited to a couple of weeks ago. He was relieved to discover the prices were pretty reasonable.
Jongin and Minseok were currently on the run from a bunch of rich guys who had far too much arrogance and not enough brain cells shared between them. They were easy targets that neither Jongin or Minseok could afford to let slip by. However, due to an unfortunate incident involving, these one brain celled walking ATMs had just found out that they were hustled and were looking for payback.
Jongin was the first to spot them and reacted with lightning quick speed. Minseok was also quick on his feet and threw his empty rucksack at the group to impede them before practically parkouring over a wall. Despite the fact they were currently being chased, Jongin couldn’t help but burst into a fit of laughter. “Did you see that one guy who tripped over those clunky Balenciaga shoes of his.”
It definitely wasn’t the appropriate time to be cracking jokes, but Minseok had to admit, the sight of a grown man tripping over his own feet was not something he witnessed often. Minseok couldn’t help but laugh out loud too.
However, they weren’t able to uphold their joyful spirits for much longer. As they were approaching their apartment, they saw a group of unfamiliar crowd surrounding their building. After a second look, Minseok recognised one of the faces in the sea of people. It was one of the guys they had swindled.
Apparently he had rallied a bunch of thugs to wait for them to return home. It would seem that money could buy you a lot of things. Not only were they able to acquire a wardrobe of overpriced luxury designer goods, they were also able to procure Minseok and Jongin’s personal information. Going back home didn’t seem like a viable option lest they wanted to find themselves besieged by an angry mob.
Minseok recalled that he had a friend who ran a small B&B somewhere in the countryside. “I know somewhere we can lay low there for a little while,” he told his partner in technically-not-a-crime, but he definitely wanted to avoid any police involved at all costs.
“Sounds good,” Jongin replied.
Minseok nodded. “Alright, I’ll give him a call.”
It was times like these, Minseok was grateful to have a wide network of friends.
Kyungsoo and Junmyeon had been the best of friends since they were crawling around in their diapers. Whenever one was in the need, the other was there for them; no questions asked.
“Do you remember when we used to go to the seaside every year with our families?” Junmyeon asked Kyungsoo.
It was a Friday evening and Junmyeon had dropped by for a surprise visit. This wasn’t an unusual occurrence. Junmyeon had the habit of never asking for Kyungsoo’s permission to swing by. Junmyeon would always appear whenever he felt like it, and Kyungsoo had never felt the urge to turn him away. In his eyes, his home was always open to his best friend.
Junmyeon grabbed two wine glasses from the kitchen cabinet and uncorked the bottle of sauvignon blanc he had brought over. “Why don’t we visit there next weekend there? It’s been so busy at work lately, it would be nice to relax and unwind for a couple of days. We could fly some kites like we used to when we were kids.”
Kyungsoo was aware that Junmyeon was only proposing the plan because he’d inadvertently revealed that he was suffering from burnout the other day. It was typical of Junmyeon to look out for his wellbeing and Kyungsoo was always more than thankful for Junmyeon’s friendship.
Kyungsoo clinked his glass with Junmyeon’s before taking a sip of wine. “Sounds good to me.”
“Okay, I’ll take care of it,” Junmyeon said. He was already on his phone, preparing to set his plans into motion without a moment’s delay.
Kyungsoo set dow his glass and cleared his throat. He wasn’t one to be overly sentimental but he was always frank with his sincerity. “Thanks for everything, Junmyeon.”
Junmyeon looked up and smiled at his best friend. “Anytime.” After several moments, Junmyeon handed his phone over to Kyungsoo to look at. “We’re all set for next weekend.”
Kyungsoo glanced over the details and nodded. He was looking forward to the opportunity to recuperate.
“Have you seen my phone charger?” Yixing was in the middle of decluttering his desk when he received a notification on his phone which he discovered was running low on battery. He cleared a bunch of empty coffee cups from the table and finally found the cable that had been eluding him. He plugged in his phone to recharge and clicked on the notification.
“We’ve got another booking for next weekend.” Yixing was rather surprised—business had been somewhat slow as of late, but this was the second booking in the span of an hour.
“That makes—what—five guests now?” Jongdae asked, popping up from God knows where.
Yixing double checked the booking information and nodded. “Yup, it’s going to be a busy weekend for a change.” He sighed in relief. “It’s been a while since we’ve had a full house.” The more he thought about it, the more excited he started to feel. Business had been down for a while, with some weekends having no bookings whatsoever.
Jongdae had also been secretly stressed about the matter. He feared that they would be forced to close down due to a lack of revenue. Times were tough and as much as they desperately needed to promote their establishment to attract more guests, they couldn’t afford to spend any money on advertisements. Their social media accounts didn’t have much of a following either. They were stuck between a rock and a hard place.
Jongdae took another look at the bookings so he could begin the preparations. He wanted to make sure these guests were completely satisfied with their stay, and with any luck, perhaps they would let others know which in turn, could boost their bookings. The best part was, it wouldn’t incur any additional costs. Low investment with a potential of yielding high rewards.
There were two rooms reserved for an extended period of time. The booking was made by a friend Jongdae used to be really close to back in the day. Jongdae never would have expected he would receive a phone call from out of the blue, his old buddy on the other end of the line asking if he and a friend could stay at their lodge for a while. To Jongdae’s relief, he didn’t ask for any kind of discount (or worse, a complimentary stay) and was more than happy to pay the usual going rate for the two rooms.
“Oh, we have another booking with no check out date,” Jongdae said. He re-examined the details to make sure it wasn’t just wishful thinking and him imagining things. He was pleasantly surprised to discover it was, indeed, an actual booking.
“Yeah, I contacted him about it to make sure it wasn’t a mistake or oversight. He said he wasn’t sure how long he’ll be staying for so he left it blank.” Yixing couldn’t hide the joy in his eyes. He can barely remember the last time a guest stayed longer than a week. Honestly speaking, he had started to seriously consider if he should just call it quits.
It was about time that the tides were finally changing.
Sehun was currently on sabbatical. He was feeling a little lost and lacking direction. In an attempt to rid himself of the negative energy that was threatening to drown him, Sehun submitted an application for an extended leave from work. After it was approved, he rented a camper van and embarked on a journey across the country. He wasn’t sure what he was going to achieve on this path of self discovery, but he definitely wasn’t going to make any changes sat behind a desk staring at a computer screen all day.
A week into his trip and he was already feeling a little more liberated, like a weight had been lifted from off his shoulders. He still didn’t have a concrete plan or a solid destination, but ironically, this sense of aimless travelling somehow gave him a sense of control over his life.
As he was driving down a deserted road with no other vehicles in sight, Sehun spotted a lone figure walking alongside the road with a medium sized suitcase in tow.
Sehun had no idea why this stranger was travelling via foot. According to his GPS, there weren’t any places to rest at for miles. The kind Samaritan that he was, Sehun pulled over and lowered the window. “Need a ride?”
The man looked at Sehun with narrowed eyes, as if he were trying to determine whether or not Sehun was a friend a foe, before finally accepting his offer. He glanced at the suitcase in his hand and then at the road ahead before making eye contact with Sehun once more. “That would be very kind of you, thanks.”
After the man had boarded and settled into the passenger’s seat, he extended a hand out to Sehun and introduced himself. “I’m Baekhyun.”
Sehun reached out and shook Baekhyun’s hand. “Sehun. So where are you heading?” he asked.
“A bed and breakfast up ahead. I’m not sure how far away it is though, my phone died on me,” Baekhyun told him.
Sehun had many more questions to ask but decided against it. Instead, he offered Baekhyun a cable to charge his phone. “Once it’s turned back on, lemme know where the B&B’s at and if it’s on my way then I’m happy to drop you off.”
“Thanks,” Baekhyun replied. He retrieved his phone from his pocket and promptly inserted the charger into his phone and waited patiently for it to switch back on. In the meantime, the car was silent. He didn’t follow up with any additional comments and Sehun didn’t press him either.
The sun quickly set and the day turned into the early hours of the evening. Sehun was glad that Baekhyun wasn’t much of a talker as he’d always felt uneasy driving in the dark and preferred not to be distracted when behind the wheel. It didn’t help that the roads were barely lit with streetlights. As they continued down the almost pitch black abyss, there was a sudden downpour, and all that they could hear were the sounds of the heavy rain hitting the roof of the vehicle.
Although there was a bed on board the camper van, Sehun felt a little unsafe spending the night in the heavy storm. With Baekhyun’s destination only a few more miles up ahead, Sehun decided to err on the side of caution, and opted to book a room for himself for the night.
Baekhyun thought it was a good idea and even proposed that Sehun could join him if there were no vacancies left at the lodge.
Sehun was fully aware that Baekhyun was repaying the earlier favour that Sehun had extended to him, even if he were under no obligation to do so. This act of kindness touched Sehun deeply, restoring his faith in humanity. He sincerely thanked his companion and the stifled air that surrounded them earlier was suddenly dispelled. They engaged in light conversation throughout the rest of the journey, albeit slightly forced at times.
Once they arrived, Sehun pulled up to the back to park his van between nowhere and nothing. “Are you sure this is the right place. It seems pretty…” Sehun paused to think of an adjective that wouldn’t offend the other. Considering this was the place Baekhyun had chosen to stay out of his own free will, Sehun wanted to show a little tact. “...Remote?”
Baekhyun nodded. “Yup. It’s perfect to take a break from the world and just relax in solitude don’t you think?”
Sehun couldn’t agree more. The only thing was, if they were to bunk together that night, it was the exact opposite of solitude. Not to mention, they weren’t exactly comfortable in each other’s presence just yet. However, Sehun didn’t deem it necessary to point it out to Baekhyun and just nodded in response. They had been getting on pretty well and he didn’t want to make it awkward between the two.
Besides, it’s not like they were ever going to see each other again once daybreak arrived. Sehun had planned to only stay for the night and return to his road trip at the break of dawn. He was sure he could manage one evening of civil and polite small talk.
When they entered the building, the were greeted by a man at the front desk. He had a bright smile with a deep set dimple that was both charming and cute.
“Do you have any more rooms left?” Sehun enquired. It wouldn’t be the end of the world if there weren’t any. There was still the offer from Baekhyun and if that wasn’t a viable option, there was still his camper van as a last resort.
“You’re in luck, we have one more room available,” the person behind the counter told him.
A wave of relief washed over Sehun. “Great, I’ll take it.”
Jongdae was thrilled that all the guests were all checked in accounted for. His biggest fear was that they would no-shows and he and Yixing would find themselves the only occupants of the building. He felt ashamed to have even doubted his old buddy. Jongin and Minseok were the first to arrive that day, followed by a solo guest by the name of Chanyeol. Shortly after, two friends who were staying in the twin room had checked in.
Yixing had been even more excited after the last room was booked. It had been far too long since they last time had a full house. “How about we all have dinner together?” After realising his proposal might not have been appropriate, after all, not everyone was open to interacting with strangers they had just met.
Jongin was the first to reply and agreed without a moment’s hesitation. As Jongin’s friend, Minseok had no choice but to join him. Not that he minded, it was nice to have the opportunity to catch up with Jongdae after all these years.
Chanyeol was the second to accept the offer. He had always preferred to dine with the presence of others.
Junmyeon was a little slower to respond but he was also enthusiastic about the idea. “Sounds like a plan.”
Sehun and Baekhyun looked at one another. They didn’t want to be the stick in the mud and be the only ones excluded so they both agreed to join the group for dinner. After a brief introduction with everyone present, Jongdae escorted Baekhyun and Sehun to their respective rooms.
Despite Yixing’s resistance, Junmyeon and Kyungsoo insisted that they help him out. Upon seeing this on his return after Sehun and Baekhyun had settled in, Jongdae suggested that they all band together to help prepare dinner. It would be more fun that way.
However, reality demonstrated that it was never a good idea to have too many cooks in the kitchen. Some were exiled to the dining area and were allocated the role of setting the tables. Baekhyun and Chanyeol swiftly joined Jongin and Sehun after being caught repeatedly trying to pilfer the ingredients Kyungsoo had just finished chopping.
“I’ll give you a hundred bucks if you can whistle,” Kyungsoo said to Chanyeol after the two kitchen thieves were adamant in their innocence.
Dinner was prompted served, with no help from those assigned to table duty. A few bottles of wine were opened and an endless stream of conversation filled the room until midnight.
Feeling the toll of the busy day they all had, they decided to turn in for the night. They bidded each other goodnight, with the promise of seeing each other the next day before they all left to their respective rooms.
In the morning, they had breakfast as a group before splitting off to their separate activities.
After getting acquainted with one another over dinner the previous evening, Junmyeon had already considered the other guests his friends. He invited everyone to join him and Kyungsoo on a brief hiking session along the coast. Sehun and Baekhyun decline his offer and Chanyeol said he would join them later on in the day. They all exchanged contact information just in case they got separated or if someone changed their mind and wanted to meet up later.
Yixing had decided to tag along with the small group. He wanted to chaperone and give advice on which places should be avoided, and which areas had the best scenery to take photos of. Although being an impromptu tour guide wasn’t part of the job description, he was more than happy to take on the role.
As they were ready to set off, everyone froze in their tracks. Despite it still being the middle of the day, the sky suddenly started to darken but there were no clouds in sight.
There had been no reports of a solar eclipse occurring today.
At this time, Chanyeol had also retreated outside have a better look at the scene unfolding before his eyes. He soon discovered the group had yet to depart and quickly made his way over to where they were located.
“Jongdae, get out here!” Yixing called out to his colleague.
Jongdae promptly left the front desk to join him. “What’s going on?” he asked.
The six of them pointed to the sky, completely in sync, none of them uttering a word.
“Woah!” Jongdae exclaimed out loud.
Baekhyun had been helping Sehun to clean his camper van. Although Sehun had only started his road trip a week ago, the state of the vehicle was astonishing. He was about to make a snide comment when he realised the sky was getting darker.
It wasn’t too long before Sehun had noticed and the pair rushed back into the B&B, only to discover no one was around. Sehun was the first to notice the group that had congregated in front of the building and gestured for Baekhyun to leave with him. “They’re outside!” he called out to the other.
The nine of them gathered together and watched silently as the moon covered the sun’s light. It wasn’t before long that the earth was thrown into complete darkness.
After the eclipse ended and the sun had returned to its former blazing glory, all nine of the group felt a change from within them. It was as if something had awakened from deep inside of their soul. They all looked at one another and without speaking a word, the nine of them tacitly understood that their lives were never going to be the same again.
The nine of them were gathered at Yixing and Jongdae’s bed and breakfast. No longer strangers to this place, Chanyeol and Kyungsoo retreated to the kitchen to bring out the remaining dishes. Jongin and Sehun were setting up the table as per usual and Yixing and Jongdae were relaxing at the table without having to move a muscle. It made for a nice change.
Once the final dish had been served, they all sat down at the table, ready to devour the feast before them. As they were about to start eating, their forks just inches away from their mouths, they were interrupted by the sound of a throat being cleared.
“I’d like to propose a toast,” Junmyeon suddenly announced. He stood up and raised his glass of champagne.
The other eight were well accustomed to Junmyeon’s idiosyncrasies but that didn’t stop them from rolling their eyes at the man. They weren’t subtle about it either. It was a clear indication of how close they were—there was no need to put up a polite front.
“Can you believe it’s already been ten years since we all met?” Junmyeon asked the group of old friends, clearly undeterred by the lack of enthusiasm. He was feeling sentimental as he took a stroll down memory lane.
They had a brief discussion about the circumstances of that distant but fond memory.
“Oh, my God. Is Sehun crying?” Jongin pointed out. He threw his arm around the Sehun’s shoulder and couldn’t help but tease him further. “I know you’re the youngest, but come on! You’re almost thirty now!”
Sehun frowned. “I’m not crying! I just remembered how I was feeling completely lost in life just before we met and I just felt a little emotional is all. Taking that sabbatical was the best decision I’ve ever made.”
Baekhyun pretended to retch with Jongdae and Chanyeol following suit.
Kyungsoo sent Baekhyun a death glare but the latter knew his stares were all bark and no bite.
“No, but in all seriousness. I’m really glad to have met you guys,” Baekhyun said to the group. “I was going through pretty dark time, and my life turned around after my stay here.”
The other guys nodded in agreement.
Through a string of random events, the nine of them became acquainted with each other which had subsequently resulted in a bond that could never be severed or broken. They didn’t know what the future had in store for them but whatever may come their way, they were going to face it together, just like they had done so in the past decade.
“Here’s to another ten years of friendship!”
“And then another ten after that!”