A few minutes after the sunrise, a double-decker yellow bus arrived at the bus stop where Bomyu, Paikek and I waited.
We entered the bus and took the seat at the very end. There were no other passengers on the bus.
"That night, we decided to play a game when we were waiting for you to arrive." Bomyu started telling me what happened that night while I was with Sonya.
"The game is called Yulyong [유령] Game." Paikek put in, as he was looking out the window of the bus. It was dark outside and the road we were on had pine trees on both sides.
"If you win the game, it will open a portal to anywhere you want." Paikek continued.
"We played it because we wanted to save Yonsan. But we failed." Bomyu explained, squeezing his hands into fists.
"What happened when you failed?" I asked as I patted Bomyu's back, trying to comfort him.
"The game summoned monsters, there were so many of them. The dragon and the monsters we saw in the forest are some of them. And then it teleported us into random places." Bomyu explained.
"I'm so sorry guys for not being there with you." I apologized as I couldn't stop tears shimmering in my eyes.
"It's totally okay. We love you!" Paikek smiled and hugged me. His eyes were tearful.
"Yes, we love you!" Bomyu put his arms around me, just like Paikek did.
Tears flooded in my eyes as I felt truly loved at that moment. Just three of us alone on the bus. The friendship we had was unbreakable.
There was something I remembered, which is that I forgot to tell Mrs Kimiko that the old lady Mrs Marleigh was there when the book was stolen.
That was probably the reason that she thought that one of my friends is a liar.
"Do you guys think that Mrs Marleigh would steal the star book that day?" I asked Paikek and Bomyu while we got off the bus when it reached the city centre.
"I don't know. Paikek and I were trying to find who created the group chat. When I turned my back, the book was gone." Bomyu clarified as we walked towards one of the cafes in the city centre.
"Yeah, but something is strange about Mrs Marleigh." Paikek commented while he pulled open the cafe's door.
"What is it?" I wondered, entered the cafe and found a table for three to sit.
"It is just, does any of us remember how Mrs Marleigh left the apartment?" Paikek narrowed his eyes, asking.
"I don't." Bomyu shook his head.
"You got a point! I don't remember as well." My eyes widened as I also couldn't remember how she left our apartment.
"She is a librarian. She likes to collect books." Bomyu laughed in low tone.
"Right!" Paikek chuckled.
"If that's true, we need to get the book from her." I suggested, as I put my hand onto the table.
"I don't know. I don't want to accuse her." Paikek scrupled.
"You're right. We can't do that." I nodded.
"I have an idea. Seanyung can tell us what to do." Bomyu suggested in a low tone.
"Yeah, he is our smarty! He always knows what to do. And I miss him too." Paikek effused.
"Great idea! Let me check my phone to find where to go to find him." I checked the magical map on my phone. The blue dot looked like it was at the train station.
"I got the location. Let's go!" I got up and walked out the cafe, with Paikek and Bomyu.
People on the streets were lifelessly silent. And we were on our way to the train station.
It was a new, busy building next to the skyscrapers. People were silent and all were in a rush, as we entered the building.
I checked the map once again, seeing that the blue dot was shown inside the train in front of us.
"We need to take that train." I urged as I rushed towards the doors of the which were about to close. And, Paikek and Bomyu ran behind me.
Within a couple of seconds, we managed to enter the train, and the doors closed right after us.
I found a seat on the window side of the crowded subway trains. But, Paikek and Bomyu had to sit on the other side of the seats as it was crowded. I leaned my head to the window as the train left the station.
Suddenly, an unusual notification appeared on my phone, from the Forever Together group chat. And it was saying;
"I am right here!"
I opened the group chat, noticing that the message was from Seanyung. So I got up to look for him on the subway train.
"Did you see the message from Seanyung?" Paikek came near me, asking, and I nodded as a response.
"I walked in between the passengers, checking each one of their faces to see if they are Seanyung or not.
"Karu!" The one with a green hoodie waved at me.
"Look Seanyung is there!!" Bomyu pointed the guy with the green hoodie.
"Right! It's him!" Paikek confirmed.
"Seanyung?" I hugged him once I saw his face.
"I missed you guys." Seanyung smiled in happiness when Paikek and Bomyu also came and hugged him.
In the next stop, we got off the train. The weather outside was warmer and sunnier than before. The station was located on a coastal side of the Kawaakari city. It was beautiful to see the ocean when we exited the station.
"Finally we are together!" Paikek beamed in happiness, as we walked on the road along the shore.
"Seanyung, we think that Mrs Marleigh could be the one who stole the book." I told Seanyung about what I discussed with Paikek and Bomyu earlier.
Seanyung put his hand onto the back of his hair as he was thinking, and he suggested; "There's only one way to know. We should go to the library she owns."