(011) ♡ 67
A Cat's Love Story
School the next day is filled with excited chatter, girls screeching and laughing, boys laid back, trying to hide their joy. "What's going on?" I mumble to Sungyeol, who sits beside me. He points to the note on my desk, the one that I didn't notice before, with a gleeful smile.
Year Ten and Eleven Excursion Christmas Camp
Date: 24th December to 30th December.
Place: Yeo Hyun Winter Resort, Incheon
Cost: 200 000 won [about $170]
Another note will be given for further notice.
Another note will be given for further notice.
"What?!" I screech, looking at the date. That's tomorrow.
"The note's been on your desk since last week..." he mumbles. I hit my head. "I can't go," I tell him, watching as his face falls. He looks like a disappointed puppy, like...a baby kitten. "Why not?"
"I can't afford it," I tell him honestly. And I can't. I don't have 200 000 won, and I can't ask Grandpa for it. He his head to the side, as if thinking, deciding something of a great importance. "I'll pay for you."
His words take me by such surprise, that for a moment I can't speak. My mouth opens, but no sound comes out. "What?" I finally gasp.
He shrugs. "We earned alot from the cafe, more than 200 000 won. And you earned it too, you gathered all the customers!"
More like the hot guys did, I think in my mind. But rather than arguing, I throw my arms around Sungyeol, surprising everyone including myself and him. The class stares at me awkwardly, so does Mrs. Jung, our English teacher. Myungsoo's back is turned, but I swear he was looking at me strangely.
"Thank you," I say gratefully. "Really. I'll pay you back, I swear."
He shakes his head. "No need. Just keep coming back to the cafe."
I can't wait to get home, to pack my things and say goodbye to this little town for one week.
By the time that the next day rolls around, 120 students line up to enter different buses depending on their class. Sungyeol sticks by me, insisting we sit together.
"I thought she was dating L?" a girl whispers, staring at me. "What a two timer.."
I lower my head slightly, and walk into the bus with my head down. Leaning my head against the window sill, preparing myself for an hour long bus trip. Faintly, a few seats in front of me, Myungsoo's signature messy hair is spiked up to perfection. Next to him, another boy that I'm not familiar with. Letting the image of his presence lull me to sleep, my eyes close and I allow myself to drift.
I awake to the feeling of Sungyeol shaking my shoulder gently, nudging me awake. "Nana, come on, we're here!" My eyes dart around, in panic, searching for something I'm unsure of myself. "I'm coming," I tell him, swinging my bag over my shoulder.
Stepping out of the bus is like entering a snow globe. The snow is much more heavier here, sticking to my clothes and hair. Piles and piles of the white substance cannot tame the beauty of where we are, though. It's a cabin, by the looks of it. An ancient, vintage wooden sanctuary in the musty forest surrounding it. It is the size of two elephants, snow falling from the rooftop. Next to it is another replica of the same cabin, probably for the opposite gender. Together, they stand still and waiting. "Wow," I mumble, letting the word drip from my lips in awe. Next to me, Sungyeol has the same face. He grins, grabbing my hand.
"We have six days here, let's go!"
To his dismay, the boys are to go no where near the girls cabin. He pouts from across the campfire, our meeting area. "We have activities planned for you for the remaining six days, but for today you may go to your rooms and rest. Dinner will be served here, at eight pm. Lights out will be at ten," says Mr. Kang, our year adviser. We are dismissed without further notice, and I follow the sea of females, unsure of where I'm going. As girls pick their partners, they run off to their rooms, excited like a mice on a deserted dinner table, I stand there, isolated.
Soon, as the room empties, a teacher comes up to me. She wears her hair in two buns, one each on the sides of her head. She has glasses propped up down her nose, a mole on left cheek and pimples everywhere. "Ms. Hwang?" I mumble, as she blinks at me expectedly. "I don't have a room."
"Well, sorry, sweetie. All the cabins are filled! You can either sleep in the teachers lounge or in the boys cabin," she says, an apologetic look on her face. I shudder at the though of waking up beside Ms. Hwang, so I head over to boys cabin, guided by Mr. Lee. "We're verry sorry about this misunderstanding," he says honestly, opening a door with the numbers '67' on it.
I shrug. "It can't be helped." He knocks on the door gently, waiting for a reply.
"This is the only cabin with enough room for another person, there are 4 bunks, 7 guys. Are you sure you wouldn't rather sleep in the teacher's cabins?"
I shake my head. "It's fine, sir."
A feminine face greets me, and my mouth drops open. The person has ruffled hair, probably from being hit by a pillow, and is wearing pink pajamas. As soon as he sees me, a girlish scream exits from his mouth. "Nana!" Sungjong's weak arms wrap around me for a hug, as Mr. Lee watches us, uncomfortably.
"There aren't enough beds for Oh Nana, so she'll have to sleep in your cabin, okay? No funny business. I'm watching you." With that, he leaves. Sungjong pulls me inside the room, as I drag my luggage inside.
The first thing I see is 5 other familiar guys, all screaming and running around the room. One catches my eyes-- the solitary loner, lying on his bed, earphones in his head. His eyes blink open, looking for the noisy intruder. I gulp. Before I can say anything, Sungyeol runs up to greet me.
"Yay! We're in the same cabin!" He, too, hugs me tightly, so suffocatingly warm I can only face his chest. "Hehehe...but what if Myungsoo tries something?" he gasps, looking back at his electrifying gaze. L sighs, closing his eyes once again.
"But why are you in the same room? I thought Myungsoo would be with someone else..."
"Sungyeol forced him," Dongwoo tells me, walking to his bunk. "Says it was a 'staff bonding experience'."
"Oh," is my lame reply. I set my belongings down next to the only available bunk (unsurprisingly Myungsoo's), and climb all the way to the top bunk. Sungyeol climbs up too, sitting next to me. "Wah, it's cosy here. Do you like the top?" he says.
I shake my head. "Not really. But Myungsoo's already on the bottom, so.." Sungyeol pouts. "If I had a bottom bunk we could've swapped. I'm sleeping above Howon," he says with a grin.
We all walk together to the campfire area for a meeting and then dinner, as girls watch me with envious looks. I feel like hitting myself, I've been deemed as a even though I haven't had my first kiss. Dinner is held in the hall, so it's warmer inside. They serve us a variety of noodles, rice, beef and rich food that I haven't been able to have for a long time. A part of me aches inside, wishing I could take this food for Grandpa to eat too.
We sit with the people in our cabins, so at the table I'm at, Myungsoo stares at me from the other side. Next to me is Sungjong and Sungyeol. I bite into a piece of chicken tenderly, looking away from his face.
As we head back to the cabins, it's dark. I stumble my way back, occasionally tripping on stones and sticks. Accidentally, my hands brush against Myungsoo's back, and he turns around to acknowledge my existance. His icy glare tells me not to touch him again, as he speeds off, with inhuman speed.
Once the lights turn off, I'm forced to listen to my own thoughts. Have you ever dreaded sleep, the time when you can only drift and think to yourself about everything that's wrong? I felt like that at this moment. The darkness was overwhelming and I could not sleep. As much as I closed my lids and thought good things, nothing worked. I toss and turn in my bed, looking forward to the next day, Christmas Eve.
"The note's been on your desk since last week..." he mumbles. I hit my head. "I can't go," I tell him, watching as his face falls. He looks like a disappointed puppy, like...a baby kitten. "Why not?"
"I can't afford it," I tell him honestly. And I can't. I don't have 200 000 won, and I can't ask Grandpa for it. He his head to the side, as if thinking, deciding something of a great importance. "I'll pay for you."
His words take me by such surprise, that for a moment I can't speak. My mouth opens, but no sound comes out. "What?" I finally gasp.
He shrugs. "We earned alot from the cafe, more than 200 000 won. And you earned it too, you gathered all the customers!"
More like the hot guys did, I think in my mind. But rather than arguing, I throw my arms around Sungyeol, surprising everyone including myself and him. The class stares at me awkwardly, so does Mrs. Jung, our English teacher. Myungsoo's back is turned, but I swear he was looking at me strangely.
"Thank you," I say gratefully. "Really. I'll pay you back, I swear."
He shakes his head. "No need. Just keep coming back to the cafe."
I can't wait to get home, to pack my things and say goodbye to this little town for one week.
By the time that the next day rolls around, 120 students line up to enter different buses depending on their class. Sungyeol sticks by me, insisting we sit together.
"I thought she was dating L?" a girl whispers, staring at me. "What a two timer.."
I lower my head slightly, and walk into the bus with my head down. Leaning my head against the window sill, preparing myself for an hour long bus trip. Faintly, a few seats in front of me, Myungsoo's signature messy hair is spiked up to perfection. Next to him, another boy that I'm not familiar with. Letting the image of his presence lull me to sleep, my eyes close and I allow myself to drift.
I awake to the feeling of Sungyeol shaking my shoulder gently, nudging me awake. "Nana, come on, we're here!" My eyes dart around, in panic, searching for something I'm unsure of myself. "I'm coming," I tell him, swinging my bag over my shoulder.
Stepping out of the bus is like entering a snow globe. The snow is much more heavier here, sticking to my clothes and hair. Piles and piles of the white substance cannot tame the beauty of where we are, though. It's a cabin, by the looks of it. An ancient, vintage wooden sanctuary in the musty forest surrounding it. It is the size of two elephants, snow falling from the rooftop. Next to it is another replica of the same cabin, probably for the opposite gender. Together, they stand still and waiting. "Wow," I mumble, letting the word drip from my lips in awe. Next to me, Sungyeol has the same face. He grins, grabbing my hand.
"We have six days here, let's go!"
To his dismay, the boys are to go no where near the girls cabin. He pouts from across the campfire, our meeting area. "We have activities planned for you for the remaining six days, but for today you may go to your rooms and rest. Dinner will be served here, at eight pm. Lights out will be at ten," says Mr. Kang, our year adviser. We are dismissed without further notice, and I follow the sea of females, unsure of where I'm going. As girls pick their partners, they run off to their rooms, excited like a mice on a deserted dinner table, I stand there, isolated.
Soon, as the room empties, a teacher comes up to me. She wears her hair in two buns, one each on the sides of her head. She has glasses propped up down her nose, a mole on left cheek and pimples everywhere. "Ms. Hwang?" I mumble, as she blinks at me expectedly. "I don't have a room."
"Well, sorry, sweetie. All the cabins are filled! You can either sleep in the teachers lounge or in the boys cabin," she says, an apologetic look on her face. I shudder at the though of waking up beside Ms. Hwang, so I head over to boys cabin, guided by Mr. Lee. "We're verry sorry about this misunderstanding," he says honestly, opening a door with the numbers '67' on it.
I shrug. "It can't be helped." He knocks on the door gently, waiting for a reply.
"This is the only cabin with enough room for another person, there are 4 bunks, 7 guys. Are you sure you wouldn't rather sleep in the teacher's cabins?"
I shake my head. "It's fine, sir."
A feminine face greets me, and my mouth drops open. The person has ruffled hair, probably from being hit by a pillow, and is wearing pink pajamas. As soon as he sees me, a girlish scream exits from his mouth. "Nana!" Sungjong's weak arms wrap around me for a hug, as Mr. Lee watches us, uncomfortably.
"There aren't enough beds for Oh Nana, so she'll have to sleep in your cabin, okay? No funny business. I'm watching you." With that, he leaves. Sungjong pulls me inside the room, as I drag my luggage inside.
The first thing I see is 5 other familiar guys, all screaming and running around the room. One catches my eyes-- the solitary loner, lying on his bed, earphones in his head. His eyes blink open, looking for the noisy intruder. I gulp. Before I can say anything, Sungyeol runs up to greet me.
"Yay! We're in the same cabin!" He, too, hugs me tightly, so suffocatingly warm I can only face his chest. "Hehehe...but what if Myungsoo tries something?" he gasps, looking back at his electrifying gaze. L sighs, closing his eyes once again.
"But why are you in the same room? I thought Myungsoo would be with someone else..."
"Sungyeol forced him," Dongwoo tells me, walking to his bunk. "Says it was a 'staff bonding experience'."
"Oh," is my lame reply. I set my belongings down next to the only available bunk (unsurprisingly Myungsoo's), and climb all the way to the top bunk. Sungyeol climbs up too, sitting next to me. "Wah, it's cosy here. Do you like the top?" he says.
I shake my head. "Not really. But Myungsoo's already on the bottom, so.." Sungyeol pouts. "If I had a bottom bunk we could've swapped. I'm sleeping above Howon," he says with a grin.
We all walk together to the campfire area for a meeting and then dinner, as girls watch me with envious looks. I feel like hitting myself, I've been deemed as a even though I haven't had my first kiss. Dinner is held in the hall, so it's warmer inside. They serve us a variety of noodles, rice, beef and rich food that I haven't been able to have for a long time. A part of me aches inside, wishing I could take this food for Grandpa to eat too.
We sit with the people in our cabins, so at the table I'm at, Myungsoo stares at me from the other side. Next to me is Sungjong and Sungyeol. I bite into a piece of chicken tenderly, looking away from his face.
As we head back to the cabins, it's dark. I stumble my way back, occasionally tripping on stones and sticks. Accidentally, my hands brush against Myungsoo's back, and he turns around to acknowledge my existance. His icy glare tells me not to touch him again, as he speeds off, with inhuman speed.
Once the lights turn off, I'm forced to listen to my own thoughts. Have you ever dreaded sleep, the time when you can only drift and think to yourself about everything that's wrong? I felt like that at this moment. The darkness was overwhelming and I could not sleep. As much as I closed my lids and thought good things, nothing worked. I toss and turn in my bed, looking forward to the next day, Christmas Eve.
LOL the cabin thing was so cliche and highly unlikely, sorry ;~;
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