"Are you back in the tent?" he asked.

"Neh. How about you? Have you met up with your oboeji?" She replied with a question of her own.

"I have. I'm now back in our room," he replied as he walked in between their desks towards his bed.

Tae Joon had not think twice when he automatically dialed Jae Hee's number once he reached the sanctuary of their room. Somehow the word 'our room' sent shivers down both Tae Joon and Jae Hee's back. It sounded weirdly intimate.

He sighed. 'Their room. Is that how I have come to think of this dorm now?' He mused silently.

"What time will you guys arrive here tomorrow?" he asked, suddenly longing to be by her side and see her cute face.

'Cute? Grungy? Well, I suppose she is.' Tae Joon mused again.

"Uhmm? We'll all have breakfast first, then pack up and leave by 10 or 10.30. 1 to 2 hours from here, so we'll probably arrive by 12noon," Jae Hee said as she fiddled with her jacket zipper head. Though she was hoping he would call her again that night, she was still surprised when he actually did.

She was sitting cross legged in her tent, packing their things up for tomorrow's trip home, while nursing her broken heart from the cancelled 'date' with Tae Joon. Even Eun Gyul appeared a little forlorn when he sat with her at the campsite earlier, and hence, not able to bring her out of her melancholy. 

"Arasso. I'll wait for you then," Tae Joon's voice suddenly broke her reverie, as he himself sat down on his bed.

"Neh? Wait for us?" Jae Hee asked. 'Or me? Are you missing me as much as I am missing you?' she silently added.

"I have to fetch my bags from you. You can't possibly be carrying 2 bags all the way to dorms," Tae Joon quickly rationalized, almost hitting himself on the head for being too transparent.

"Neh, I guess so. Umm, so you are ok if I pack your bag for you?" Jae Hee belatedly asked while holding one of Tae Joon's t shirt in mid air.

"No, I don't mind. In fact, I'm sorry to be bothering you with the chore," he said apologetically.

"Ani," Jae Hee quickly denied. "I'll be glad to do it."

"Komawo....." he smiled, picturing her being uncharacteristically maternal while folding his clothes and hers. "Are you keeping warm? There's a clean pair of socks at the bottom of my bag if you need extra. And how is wrist? Does it still hurt?" Tae Joon asked. "Sigh... Maybe I should take a taxi back down tonight. You guys can use an extra pair of hands to pack up tomorrow."

"Ya, Kang Tae Joon, we'll be all right," Jae Hee smiled down the phone at Tae Joon concerns for the team, not realizing that the star athlete's concern was solely directed to her. "You should get some rest after that long drive home. Did you managed to discuss whatever it was that need discussing?"

"Yes, I did. It was not that urgent after all. Ha Na was being her usual excitable self," he said.

"Neh, Soel Ha Na. She was with you," Jae Hee voiced trailed as she visualized Tae Joon and Ha Na alone in the long drive back to Seoul.

"Yes," he said apologetically again. "I made her driver to drop me at the school. I didn't feel like spending the night at my father's."

Tae Joon slowly lay down on his bed, suddenly weary at the thought of his conversations with his father and later with Ha Na.

"Kwenchana?" Jae Hee asked detecting the resigned voice of her roommate. "Did you have a fight with your aboeji?"

"No, I didn't," Tae Joon smiled for the second time at her concerned voice. "Don't worry. I'm all right." He looked up at her bunk bed above his picturing her tucked in her sleeping bag, alone in the tent.

Impatiently he asked, "What time are you all arriving tomorrow?"

"Around 12," Jae Hee repeated her earlier answer. Having finished with the packing, she is now warmly tucked in her sleeping bag. On top of her own pair socks, she doned Tae Joon's slightly bigger ones. "And that's the second time you asked that question," she chuckled.

"Yup, that's right. 12 noon," Tae Joon smiled again now at the sound of her chuckling. "Are you sure you don't need extra help? It's easy to get a cab at this time of night."

"Ani. Why would you want to trouble yourself to drive out here. There's many of us here. Don't worry," Jae Hee reassured him.

"That's right. The guys are all there. Make sure you don't lift anything heavy. Your wrist is still not healed. Get the others to do the heavy stuff. You just take care of your personal things."

"I'll be fine. Dr Jang will take the bandages out tomorrow. And Eun Gyul has promised to accompany me," Jae Hee said happily.

"Eun Gyul? When did he say that?" Jealous Tae Joon suddenly appeared to replace concerned Tae Joon.

"Just now. We watched the shooting stars together."

"While eating the s'mores? That you prepared for me?" He asked incredulously.

"Mianhe. I was waiting for you at the campsite when he showed up," Jae Hee unconsciously bowed her head in apology.

"And you invited him?" the green monster just refused to leave.

"Well, not really. He just came to chat. I can't say no, can I? He asked me what I was doing. I had some already prepared for you. So I offered him some," Jae Hee explained.

"You already had some prepared for me?" TJ sighed, draping his arm across his eyes. "Yeah, I know. I'm so sorry I couldn't be with you just now."

"It's ok. Your father called for you, so you had to go."

"So, did you make a wish?" he smiled wistfully, wishing he was there with her as he promised - to look at the shooting stars together.

"Yes, I did," he could hear the smile in her words and could not help but smiled himself, yet once again.

"You wanna share it with me? Your wish?"

"I can't or else it won't come true," she laughed.

Has a laughter ever sounded so sweet, Tae Joon thought. Tae Joon thumped the spot above his heart a few times, trying to get rid of the weird pang of the thought of her being two hours drive away. Yup, wait till she leaves for good, man....Tae Joon thought to himself.

"Ok, arasso. Then I won't share with you my wish," he smirked in return.

"You made a wish too? When?"

"In the car. On the way back to Seoul."

"What did you wish for?"

"Can't tell. Elst it won't come true," he chuckled using her words against her.

"Pfftt..,'" Jae Hee snorted indignantly in a definite unladylike fashion, burrowing herself further in her sleeping bag.

At the rustle of the bag, Tae Joon asked, "Are you keeping warm? Go put on that pair of socks I told you about. It's pretty thick. I have an extra sweater in there too."

"Neh, I am fine. Don't worry, it's pretty warm tonight. I have put your socks on though."

"Ok," he said in satisfaction. "Oh, did you lock the tent zipper? I don't want anybody coming in and disturb you."

"Why would anybody disturb me?"

"Eh? No, what I mean is that I don't anybody else to be trampling in the tent with their dirty shoes."

"Ya, chincha. Why would anybody do that. Besides, everyone have gone to sleep."

"OK, you get some sleep to, then," Tae Joon said.

"Ummm," Jae Hee sleepily replied, her eyes already half closed at Tae Joon's warm voice. "Sing to me."

"Eh?"

"Mianhe, that was automatic," Jae Hee smiled. "I used to say that to Omma whenever we have to hang the phone up."

"You talked to her on the phone?" Tae Joon was puzzled at Jae Hee's statement.

"Neh. She travelled a lot when I was growing up. She followed dad on his business trips all the time."

"I see.....and you were left at home alone?" Tae Joon asked, picturing a young Jae Hee at home all alone.

"Ani. The house keeper takes care of me. And my brother Daniel was always around to keep me company."

"Did you have lots of friends back in the states?" Somehow, talking to Jae Hee this way seems easier for them, and Tae Joon wanted to know more about his roommate and what made her tick.

"One good friend, my sprint coach, Julia."

"Other school mates?"

"You guys are my school mates now."

He could somehow sense that her life in the States was a little less than perfect. And with her Oppa and Johnny as companions and protectors, he could understand why Jae Hee seem to be more at home with the boys. "Kere, that's right, you have us now."   

She smiled at his words. On the other part of town, Tae Joon smiled too.

Sighing resignedly, Tae Joon suddenly softly rendered 9th Street old hit song, Without Words.

    "Maldo obshi sarangeul algae hago

     Maldo obshi sarangeul naegae jugo

     Sumgeol hana jo cha nol dam gaehae no kho

     Ee rokhae do mang ga ni ka

     Maldo obshi sarang ee nareul ddona

     Maldo obshi sarangee na reul bo ryeo

     Museun maleun halji damun eebi

     Hon ja so nollan gotgata..."

     (Without words you have shown me what love is

     Without words your name is what my heart screams

     It breaks me just to know that you really love her so

     I'll try my best that it won't show

     Without words you have made me much pain

     Without words feels like I have drowned in the rain

     And I was such a fool to believe that there was really you and me)

"Kang Tae Joon..." Jae Hee was loss for word, not really knowing whether it is from Tae Joon's sweet voice or from the fact that Tae Joon was singing at all.

The person in question softly chuckled.

"That was Omma's favourite song while she was at the ward. I actually sat through the whole series of You're Beautiful with her back then," he explained and laughingly added, "she was so in love with the Jang Geun Suk that it was not even funny."

"That's so cute," Jae Hee softly laughed. "And you have such a wonderful voice," she gushed.

Tae Joon smiled and shook his head imagining Jae Hee swooning in the sleeping bag.

"Go to sleep, Grungy. I will see you tomorrow."

"Neh," she yawned in reply, all earlier melancholy forgotten by the sweet phone call. "Good night, Kang Tae Joon. I will see you tomorrow," she smiled.

"Ara...good night," not really wanting to end the conversation but forced himself to say goodbye at her sleepy voice.

And with a mumbled "emmm..." Jae Hee smiled as she fell into deep slumber, her Samsung snuggled between her ears and the sleeping bag.