“CAMP RACE!?” we both exclaimed at the same time.

I wore a worried expression and thought about the list of activities that was given to me. A camp race wasn’t included there. Kangin on the other hand had that excited expression.

“We’ll be partners right!?” he eagerly asked me.

“I have to ask Coach Siwon about this…”

“Oh come on… it would be fun!” he continued “remember that time at Crazy Cow Club? It was Sungmin’s birthday right? We were partners and we won the race!”

“Kangin, we were like ten years old that time… and we won the burger with the thickest patty.”

He continued to talk about strategies and how we’ll be a great team compared to others. I was worried about the camp activities that would be forgotten because of the race, but at the same time I felt quite excited too. I didn’t expect that he still remembered that time at Crazy Cow Club. And I don’t mean to brag but we’re a great team.

That day I went to Coach Siwon and asked him about the sudden change of activities. He said that the Camp Race was scheduled on the day before the closing ceremony of camp so it won’t interfere with other camp activities. That announcement seemed to have boosted the energy levels of the campers because everyone looked inspired and did well in training.

“This is it…” Kangin jogged in place as we waited for the other teams to arrive “with your skills and my strength, they’ll all kneel down…”

“Those two over there looked extremely competitive today” I laughed as I pointed towards Donghae and Hyukjae.

“We can take them out before we reach stage two. No mercy!” Kangin said as he readied the riffle he was holding.

The race was fairly simple. There were three stages. The first stage was a paint war. We had riffles filled with paint bullets and nearly half of the campers were disqualified already after that. As planned, our first target was EunHae. They were quite hard to catch because they were fast runners… but eventually we shot them. Kangin even purposely tripped himself just to pull down Hyukjae’s pants. While the other teams were laughing at his patterned boxers, I took the chance to shoot them all. The next stage included a set of tasks that required strength. Nobody was surprised when our team finished first because of Kangin. While the others were still struggling, we headed off to the last stage. The instruction was simple: find the Sapphire Camp Flag.

“That’s it?” Kangin asked Coach Siwon for the fifth time.

“It’s not as easy as you think and your time’s running.”

“I thought it would be challenging” Kangin said as we headed to the location for the last stage.

After nearly an hour, we both realized that the coach was right. It wasn’t easy. The camp was huge and there were no clues regarding the hiding place of the flag. Even the other few teams complained.

We reached the other side of the camp already and we were still flagless. Just then, I noticed that we were near the lakeside, and the sun was going down…

“Sunset Wishes, Teukie…” Kangin said as he stared at the sky.

“Sunset Wishes…” I repeated. My heartbeat went hyper wild.

Kangin then gently held my hand and lead me closer to the lakeside. We found a clean-looking spot and sat there. For a while, we completely forgot about the race and all the other pressures in life. We just isolated ourselves in our own little world as we watched the sun go down.

“I wish…” I started off while closing my eyes “…people could just see and appreciate how amazing you are…”

My eyes remained closed and I heard Kangin’s chuckles.

“I thought you were gonna wish for the flag” he laughed.

“My wishes upgraded you know.” I defended myself from his laughs “and I hope now you can tell me what you wished for…”

Kangin smiled and shook his head “I forgot to give you my gift the last time we were together, right?” he casually asked.

“What? What gift?” I got confused in his sudden change of topic.

“Close your eyes…” he leaned closer to me.

“I just made a wish…” I stupidly said.

“Just close your eyes, Teukie...”

I reluctantly closed my eyes. He didn’t let go of my hand. Then I felt his palm brushed against my cheek. My heartbeat became violently fast. I felt his breath a few inches away from my face. I had that same feeling from when we were at the Ferris Wheel.

With my eyes still shut tight, I felt his soft lips on mine.