Eun-Ae whined loudly as her mother fluttered around her in a nervous fit, smearing sunscreen all over her face and dousing her in an impossible amount of bug spray. Coughing as she inhaled the strong chemicals, the cancer-ridden girl waved her hand feverishly in front of her face in an attempt to clear the cloud of bug spray around her.

“Mother!” she complained as she hacked violently. “I’m fine! I’m only going to a campsite! We aren’t going to be roughing it in the woods!” she complained and snatched the canister of bug spray from her before she could shower her with another healthy dose of the strong chemicals.

“I just don't want you to be eaten up by the mosquitoes!” her mother responded with pursed lips as she cupped her face in her hands with a small sigh. She smiled gently and punched her daughter's cheeks affectionately. “Look at you… So strong. I’m so glad that you’re doing this,” she said happily. Eun-Ae smiled and reached up to take her mother's hands.

“Me too. I’ve had a lot of fun,” she giggled, then blushed slightly. Plus, Key and I… Her mother did not yet know of the relationship, as it was still in its fledgling stages and her mother would not let her hear the end of it besides. Eun-Ae would tell her when the time was right- whenever that would end up being.

A short time later, Eun-Ae was in the back seat of a sturdy Jeep with her oxygen tank tucked between her legs, holding it steady as the vehicle rocked and bucked along the bumpy road leading into the woods. She stared out of the window with eyes bright with excitement; she had not been camping since she and the boys were very small, and she was elated to experience it once more. She had fond memories of the six of them goofing off in the woods, storming through the trails on mushroom hunts and swimming in the river in nothing but their underwear. At that thought, she turned slightly pink, imagining how scandalous it would be to do such a thing the age that they were now. She jumped slightly as Key nudged her in the ribs with his elbow.

“Hey. What's that spacey look for?” he chuckled as he raised his eyebrows at her. Eun-Ae smiled bashfully and scratched at her head, mildly embarrassed.

“I’m just excited. It's been so long since I’ve been camping,” she laughed, and her heart grew warm at the smile that he gave her.

“Yeah… We used to get up to some out there,” he recalled fondly, cocking his head to the side as he abandoned himself to nostalgia.

“Yeah! You remember that one time we accidentally stirred up a hornet's nest and we all jumped in the river to try to escape?” Minho snickered as he turned around in the front seat to address them. Both Eun-Ae and Key's face screwed up in distaste at the unpleasant memory, but their frowns soon curled into smiles. Though they had been stung terribly, it had still be a fun day.

“Ooh! Ooh! What about that other time Taemin fell down a hole and we had to call the park rangers to get him out?” Onew cackled with laughter. Taemin did not seem to appreciate his friend bringing up the unpleasant occurrence.

“It wasn't funny! There were bugs and all kinds of stuff down there!” he whined and shuddered as he recalled it. Despite that, the Jeep echoed with their laughter. As they continued down the bumpy forest road, they continued to reminisce and discuss positive memories of their childhood together, and by the time they pulled up to the campsite Eun-Ae was determined to make many more in the short time that they were there.

They all piled out of the Jeep with their overnight bags and camping supplies and bid farewell to their driver before glancing around the campsite. There was a fire pit still filled with the ashes of past campfires and a cozy cabin for individuals who were not adventurous enough to brave the outdoors in a tent. Eun-Ae and her companions were not short on adventurousness, and so they spread out across the grassy clearing to pitch their tents to prepare for a fun-filled night in the forest. Once they were all situated, they mulled about the clearing what to do. Eventually, Jonghyun wandered into the cabin to explore, and he soon came out in a fluster, a grin plastered on his face and fishing rods clutched in his fists.

“Hey, guys! Look what I found!” he cried as he waved them around triumphantly. “I don’t know if these were left here or they come with the cabin, but there's a ton of them! Why don't we go fishing in the river?” he suggested excitedly as he passed the rods around.

“Fishing sounds like fun!” Eun-Ae agreed happily, intrigued by the prospect, and soon they were all marching down the trail that led to the river nearby. The trail was quaint, a gently sloping dirt path that cut through the dense woods. Birds sang above her head, and sometimes when Eun-Ae glanced up she could see them, brightly colored and twittering, hopping from branch to branch. The sunlight streamed through the leaves, warming her skin; still, despite the fact that it was an easy trail, the long walk and the burden of toting the oxygen tank soon made her winded. She slowed her pace, placing a hand on her chest as she felt it tighten. Wheezing slightly, she glanced up when she felt someone's hand rest against the small of her back.

“Don't push yourself,” Key smiled gently at her. “We have plenty of time.” Blushing slightly, Eun-Ae stopped to catch her breath. The other boys continued onward, chatting happily about fishing in the river and leaving the pair alone. Perhaps subconsciously she had grown too excited and thus pushed herself harder than she ought to be in her present condition. After a few minutes, she was able to breathe regularly once more, and smiled up at her boyfriend.

“I’m all right now,” she ensured him, but before she could pick up the oxygen tank, Key swooped in and retrieved it before she had a chance.

“You don't need to be carrying this,” Key smirked at her, and despite her objections, he ignored her and proceeded down the trail, forcing her to only trudge after him obediently. They soon joined the rest of idols down at the river, an impressive structure as wide as the length of a school bus with water so clear that it was difficult to tell the depth. Though it was wide, the water moved sluggishly, and even from the bank Eun-Ae could see large fish trailing along the bottom and little minnows schooling in the shallows, their silvery bodies catching the light and flashing like mirrors in the water. The boys had already tossed their lines in the water and were waiting impatiently for something to bite. Eun-Ae tottered down to the bank and sat down in the sponge earth, crossing her legs underneath her as she gripped the fishing rod. Her tongue sticking out slightly, she pulled it back over her shoulder and held down the release mechanism before attempting to toss the line into the water.

She shrieked as the line spun out of control and tangled into a tree branch overhead, and she blushed when the boys snickered at her misfortune.

“Eun-Ae, that's not how you toss a fishing line,” Minho laughed, reeling in his fishing line and frowning when only a little minnow was squirming on the hook. Shrugging, he tossed the line back in the water, choosing to use the unlucky fish as bait.

“I’m trying my best here!” Eun-Ae whined as she stood up to tug the line loose. She pursed her lips as the thin line refused to disentangle itself from the spiny branch, and she stood on her tip-toes to try and grasp the branch and pull it closer to herself. Her fingers brushed against the leaves, frustratingly close to the stem of the branch, but no matter how much she wiggled her fingers she could not grasp the branch. She stamped her foot in irritation, then gasped as Key walked up behind her and reached over her head to pull the branch within reach. She went pink as she felt his chest brush against her back, and she could barely concentrate on attempting to untangle the line. She fumbled uselessly with it for a few minutes before she heard Key chuckle softly and his fingers brushed over her own to help her pull the thin plastic-like fishing line loose.

“You really are a mess,” he mused, and she felt a shiver travel up her spine as she felt his lips moving against her ear. Bright red, she jerked the fishing line away from the branch.

“Only because you make me this way. What did you expect, with you pressing close to me like that?” she huffed. He was still standing right behind her, so close they touched with every little movement, and it was making her mind swim. She gasped, affronted, as he abruptly kissed her on the nape of her neck; she whirled around, snapping a hand over the exposed section of skin, open in shock. “You are a scoundrel,” she accused hotly, ashamed that she had enjoyed it. He was smirking triumphantly at her.

“Don't make it so easy, then,” he purred, and she just continued to pout at him as he took the fishing pole from her and fixed the tangled line. Tugging on it slightly when he was satisfied with the results, he placed it back into the girl's hands with little fanfare. “All right. Let's try this again, shall we?” he mused, and she narrowed her eyes as he placed his hands on her shoulders to turn her back toward the river. “You're putting too much power into your swing. You're tossing a fishing line, not swinging a baseball bat,” he teased.

“if you're just going to make fun of me, I’m going back to the cabin,” she responded sourly, embarrassed she needed assistance with such a trivial thing. Goosebumps rose on her skin as he ran his hands down her arm to cover hers, and he guided her body slowly to show her the proper form. She glanced back at him to see a stupid smile plastered on his face. “You are enjoying this far too much,” she scolded.

“Oh, I’m definitely enjoying it,” he agreed, and she rolled her eyes, realizing she couldn’t win with the flirtatious man. He showed her how to properly toss the line a few times before letting her go to stand back and watch as she attempted it once more. Biting down on her lip and hoping she would not humiliate herself a second time, Eun-Ae cast the line. This time, it behaved as it was supposed to, and the hook sailed through the air before plopping down into the sluggish water. She could not help but smile with satisfaction. “See? Not hard at all,” Key mused before walking up beside her to toss his line in the water. He sat down on the bank with a long sigh, stretching out on the bank while Eun-Ae remained standing beside him. She stared out at the water, watching as the sunlight fragmented across its constantly shifting surface.

“Hey, Key,” she mumbled suddenly, and he glanced up at her quizzically.

“Yeah?” he asked.

“Do… Do you think I’ll make it to the twentieth day?” she whispered frightfully. The possibility had always loomed in the back of her mind, but the business with her cancer spreading had suddenly pushed it to the forefront of her thoughts. As she stared out at the water, realizing how fleeting life was, the possibility had become immensely real. Like the fish who swam below the surface, unsuspecting of the lines suspended into the water spelling their doom, Eun-Ae had no guarantee that she would not unceremoniously be plucked from life in a matter of an instant. Key frowned uncomfortably and glanced back at the water, sighing deeply.

“I don't know,” he admitted. “All of this is just a bunch of ‘I don't know'… But, I prefer to think so,” he continued with a small smile at her. “I like to think that though our time is short, we have as much as possible… I don't want to think about ‘if's’ and ‘maybe's.’” He reached up to pull one of her hands away from the fishing pole and hold it gently, running his thumb over her palm. “I just have to think about right now. Take it one day at a time… That's all any of us can do in this kind of situation.”

“Yeah,” Eun-Ae agreed, cheered by his wise words. She squeezed his hand, looking back out at the magnificent river.

I don't know how long I have, truly. Yet, I’ll keep pushing forward, one day at a time…

One day at a time with him.