"Students, please settle down!" The principal, a stern woman in her late forties, called over the din of students chattering. We had been summoned to a year-level assembly in the great hall, where our year-level coordinators and principal were waiting. "I have an announcement to make."

Eventually, the students fell silent, watching her with curious eyes. "Now, as a tradition of the school, every year the seniors have a special camp after they finish their exams - it's obligatory, so please don't roll your eyes and groan - however, this year, due to certain... objections raised in the past by parents, we have decided to move the camp to next week. It is a five-day camp and you will leave on Monday. In response, exams have been postponed for another week to give you extra study time that you miss from exams."

Students began chattering loudly, some groaning at the prospect of having to camp out in the wild for a few days, while others were excited that exams were being postponed. 

"What will we be doing at camp?!" A student shouted out, one I identified as Jung Hoseok, one of Taehyung's friends.  

"Good question, Mr Jung," The principal calmly raised her hands, summoning silence from the students. "You will be doing a two-day safari out in the wild, which will involve an instructor teaching you all the necessary skills for you to navigate out in the wild. For the other two days, you will be doing community service at a nearby kindergarten. The exact itinerary will be discussed later on in your classes. You will be in groups separated into your classes, no discussion. You're not allowed to swap unless the numbers are uneven and the teachers need someone to change."

At that, I gulped. That was five days I was spending with both Sehun and Joohyun. "Any questions?" The principal called. When no one raised a hand, she nodded in satisfaction. "If you have any inquiries, you may ask your teachers directly. I say this now, you are not allowed to skip this camp. It is compulsory and all your parents have been contacted and informed about it. Unless the reason is severe, you are to have no excuses not to come."

With a final nod, she dismissed us back to class. Chatter filled the hall as students filed out of the room. "This is going to be interesting," Taehyung commented by my side. I nodded. 

"It is," I muttered. Giving my a side glance, he swung an arm around my neck casually. 

"Don't worry, Areum! I'll protect you!" He joked, "If you get scared by all the spiders and snakes out in the wild, I'll- Ouch!"

I pinched his side. "If anything, I'm going to be the one protecting you, you sissy! You're terrified of bugs." He pouted. 

"What about you and your centipedes?" He challenged. I opened my mouth to retort, but the scene of the centipede in our bathroom flashed across my mind. I remembered Sehun rushing in, confused as to why I was so terrified, before flushing away the centipede. I remembered the talk we had afterwards, about our likes, dislikes. My chest throbbed as I shut my mouth and looked away. 

"I'll be fine," I muttered. Sensing something was wrong, Taehyung glanced at me. He suddenly stopped, turning me around to face him. 

"Hey," his voice was gentle as he gave me a soft smile, placing his hands on my shoulder. "It's gonna be alright. I won't let that jerk anywhere near you, okay? So just relax and don't think about him."

My lips quirked up in a resigned smile. "How'd you know I was thinking about him?"

"Who else would be able to elicit such a sad, heart-broken expression from you so quickly?" He retorted, once again swinging an arm around my shoulders and walking. "It makes me quite angry, that he's able to hurt you so much, but..." He shook his head, giving me a smile. It didn't reach his eyes.

"Tae?" I asked softly, eyebrows furrowing in concern. He raised an eyebrow. 

"Yes?" Pressing my lips together, I stopped and wrapped my arms around him. I felt him tense in surprise. 

"I'm glad you're here, you know that?" I whispered. He relaxed, returning the hug and patting my head. 

"I know."

I closed my eyes, enjoying the warmth of my best friend, unaware of the saddened expression on his face.

*********************

Monday arrived far too quickly for my liking and too soon, we were waiting by the gates of our school dressed in sweatpants and hiking boots. Many students seemed very unwilling to be here, with their designer bags and suitcases looking out of place with the rest of the camp gear. Soon, the teachers were going through the checklists to see if everyone was present, before explaining the itinerary for the first day. 

"The bus trip will be around 4 hours, meaning we'll be arriving at around 10:30," Ms Jang said. "Our group will be doing the safari first. When we arrive at the campsite, we will set up tents and meet our guide, before going on a hike around the nearby forest. The guide will be teaching us about the local trees and animals and you will be expected to take notes. After lunch, which will be prepared for you, you will go on your own navigation task based on what you learnt that morning - this activity will be done in pairs which will be selected by me, so don't bother trying to pick your friends."

We were soon let onto the coach. The interior was, as expected by such a rich school, extravagant and high class, with large retractable seats, tv screens on the backs of chairs, folding tables, everything and anything that would make the trip more comfortable for the children of some of the richest in Korea. 

"I'm sorry Areum," Tae said when I asked her which seat she wanted to sit in. "I promised I'd sit with Jinsoo at the front because she gets carsick."

I shook my head. "No, that's fine. I'll find someone else." Giving me an apologetic smile, she left to approach the said girl, who admittedly already looked pale and sickly. Turning around, I surveyed the empty seats. Due to there not being enough seats to fit two classes on each coach, some students from my class, including Taehyung and Kai, had been moved to a different bus, leaving me quite alone. Sighing, I made my way to an empty seat, placing my backpack on the outside seat and pulling out my iPod and earphones. We weren't allowed to bring our phones, but we were allowed to bring other devices for music. 

Soon, the familiar music began filling my ears as I blocked the rest of the world out, staring out the window. I finally began to relax as I leaned back in my chair, closing my eyes. 

The sudden thump of a body landing in the chair next to me caused me to open my eyes in alarm, startled. I blinked, sitting up and turning to the side, only to see a familiar head of touselled blonde hair. I blinked again, f