The teacher once again woke all the students up, and this time he announced in an unhappier tone saying, “Today, nothing special will happen. You can all spread out, enjoy yourselves and have fun,” he looked as if someone had taken away something precious of his, “It’s also your last day, so I guess you can do whatever you like here. Go to the village if you will.”

At once, everyone immediately broke out into their friendship groups and started talking. All except Jungkook – he went off into the woods straightaway, keeping himself isolated away from others. Hyunsoo watched as he walked further away until she couldn’t see him anymore, but she still kept her gaze there staring into the forest trees.

“Hellooooooo? Come back to earth Hyunsoo!” Jimin waved his hands in front of Hyunsoo’s face.

“Sorry,” Hyunsoo mumbled.

“What were you thinking so deeply about?”

“Nothing, it doesn’t matter. So, I didn’t really get to talk to you yesterday… how was it?”

Jimin face changed quickly into what looked to Hyunsoo as if he’d just swallowed a toad. “Horrible. Our teacher has ruined the whole experience of camping! All he wants to do is torture us. Did you see the way he sounded disappointed now that we can actually enjoy ourselves today?”

It was true, thought Hyunsoo, but didn’t voice it out.

Jimin started his story of what the punishment challenge was like, before Hyunsoo told him everything that had happened with her group and Jungkook, what Sohee had asked about Jungkook and what Jinyoung had said afterwards, and lastly what had happened with Hoseok.

“Your life is turning all juicy! I’m jealous!” Jimin said.

“You can swap with me… I’d rather be in your position.”

“Really? I still haven’t asked Seulgi to be my girlfriend, I’m usually the unluckiest person and I’m very boring.” Jimin looked sad for a moment.

Hyunsoo shook his shoulders. “Jimin, don’t say that again. You are not boring, and you will ask Seulgi when it’s the right moment! I don’t know what you mean by unlucky though…”

“Well, for one thing… you’re my friend.”

Hyunsoo looked at him.

“Joking- I was joking. Chill down. I just meant that I had to sit with Jungkook before, then share a tent with Heechul and I ended up doing the stupid punishment challenge with most of the worst people! I don’t like the noisy ones here.” He looked around at Heechul and Eunhyuk mostly.

“Jimin, you are not unlucky. If you think like that, then you will be. If you think positively, then things will go well.”

“Check you out,” Jimin smiled, “It used to be the other way around, remember? I used to cheer you up all the time. I’m glad though, that you’re happier.”

They smiled at each other.

“But there’s one thing… I can’t believe you accepted Hoseok…”

Hyunsoo rolled her eyes. “Please, Jinyoung already doesn’t accept him. Hoseok lost his best friend. He admits that before he was wrong, but this time…” Hyunsoo remembered suddenly, “He told me it wasn’t him!”

“He did? And do you believe him?”

“I do.” Hyunsoo nodded.

“Then, I guess I’ll follow my best friend’s lead. I’ll give him a chance… if he says he didn’t do it,” Jimin said, “Actually, now that I think on it, he did start to become a little nicer to you each time Jungkook tried to intimidate you.”

“Yeah…” Hyunsoo wasn’t sure what to think of that.

“Maybe he likes you,” Jimin joked and laughed, “Another guy on your list! Jinyoung has a competitor.”

“Hey, stop it. He doesn’t like me.”

“Don’t be too sure!” he continued to laugh as Hyunsoo hit him on the shoulder playfully.

“Speaking of which, are you planning on ever responding to his confession?” Jimin asked.

“I- don’t know.” Hyunsoo wanted to avoid saying anything to Jinyoung completely, but she knew that she would have to face him one day.

“You should do it now. The sooner, the better.” He said, “Get it over with, before he becomes impatient. That’s when you know you can’t go back to being friends. Right now, you still have a chance.”

“That’s the problem. I kinda… don’t want to, uh, reject him,” Hyunsoo said slowly, not looking at Jimin.

“Wait, don’t tell me. You like Jinyoung?”

“Well, it’s not like that–” but she was interrupted by Jimin’s little trying-to-be-quiet scream.

“Gurl, why didn’t you tell me before?”

“No, wait! Listen! I don’t know how I feel. I don’t know if I have feelings for him, but the thing is, my heart does do something when I’m with him… I’m just not sure what it is, because…” she stopped, feeling embarrassed, “Well, because I never, I never had a boyfriend before or anything.”

“I know.”

“You know? How?”

“Well, it’s easy to guess by the way you’ve been acting ever since Jinyoung confessed… but that’s not the point! You need to figure out if you li–” Jimin stopped, looking behind Hyunsoo wide eyed, “Hey guys!” Jimin was making eye signals to turn around.

“Hey, shall we go to the village together?” It was Jinyoung. He was standing behind Hyunsoo, accompanied by Sohee and Hoseok. Jinyoung noticed Hyunsoo’s eyes resting on Hoseok. “I asked him to come along, since you’re keen to help him.”

“Hey, I’m not some charity case needing help,” Hoseok said at once.

“Of course.”

“Hey Hoseok!” Jimin said.          

Hoseok looked surprised, but smiled and said, “Hey Jimin, you alright after yesterday?”

“I guess, since I’m still here alive and well,” he chuckled, “Shall we go then? To the village I mean.”

And together they set off for the village, chatting to each other and worrying about the tests to come after the camping trip. Although, there were other stuff on Hyunsoo’s mind too. Like deciding on what to say to Jinyoung, or what to feel about Jungkook. What Sohee asked yesterday had really sparked up more questions inside Hyunsoo. She felt that in some ways, Sohee was right to ask her, to make her aware. She just wished that she had realised it herself, as to save the embarrassment and the fact that they now knew that something weird is going on with her and Jungkook.

While Hyunsoo didn’t realise it, she felt her heart being dragged down when she thought of Jungkook, as if someone were pulling it into a big black hole. She didn’t know it, but she was worrying for Jungkook being alone like he was. Hyunsoo, of all people, would know how that felt like. No matter who, no one deserved experiencing loneliness. It was one of the worst things to happen to anyone.