“Whoa, noona, what happened to you?” Sanghyuk asked as he took a seat across the table from the older girl.

“Allergies,” Soojin muttered, sniffling. Her eyes were still puffy from crying so much the night before, but the others didn’t need to know that.

“I didn’t know you had allergies,” Hongbin said, handing her a glass of orange juice.

“I didn’t know, either. Surprise, surprise,” Soojin replied dryly, taking the juice and gulping half the glass down. She looked at their food selection and the negative vibes she’d been feeling subsided slightly. Taekwoon had outdone himself with the brunch he had prepared. She could barely even remember having ingredients for any of the food prepared before her.

“Eat up,” Taekwoon said quietly, adding the final pieces of ham to its plate in the center of the table. Soojin nodded and dug in to the meal, finally realizing how hungry she actually was. Sanghyuk handed her the salad and she ate silently.

She was too focused on their meal to notice that her two best friends had yet to make an appearance. It was Hongbin who pointed it out first.

“So are the other hyungs still sleeping?”

Wonsik scoffed as he entered the room with a plate of eggs, taking a seat beside Sanghyuk. “Who knows what those two are up to?”

“Hakyeon hyung wasn’t in the room when I woke up,” Sanghyuk managed in between mouthfuls. “His bed was even made and all.”

A smirk crept up onto Wonsik’s lips. “So he didn’t sleep here last night, huh? Didn’t know hyung was even faster than me and Bean.”

“Yah,” Hakyeon warned, suddenly appearing in the room. He slapped Wonsik’s shoulder and made slicing motions on the other’s neck, making him cough up the food he was eating. “Don’t compare me to you, playboy. I slept here and woke up early, for your information. I went out to ask about the waterfall. We can head over there after eating. The rangers said it’s safe to swim there.”

“Cool! Can we dive from the top?” Sanghyuk asked.

“No!” Hakyeon said quickly. “Don’t you dare try that later, Hyuk. The water level at the bottom isn’t that deep, so you could break a bone if you take the fall. The same goes for all of you, okay?” The redhead raised a fork at everyone, sending each of them warning glares with squinted eyes.

Soojin chuckled as she heard Wonsik muttering under his breath about Hakyeon being worse than a nagging mom, then quickly went back to eating to avoid Hakyeon’s eyes. She had no idea what he thought about last night’s revelation, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to know. It wasn’t that she was hoping to see hurt - or even jealousy - in his eyes, but if he was indifferent to the news revealed the previous night… well, that would be even harder to take.

“So, after breakfast, go grab some swimming gear so we can hike up the river. It’s a pretty long walk, they said.”

The chatting in the room quickly hushed as the boys hurriedly gulped down their food, although Jaehwan was still nowhere to be found. Soojin whispered her query to Taekwoon, who had taken a seat beside her, and he plainly shrugged, answering that he couldn’t recall the boy even coming back to the room last night.

Soojin frowned, taking in what Taekwoon said. She couldn’t think of any other place where the boy could go, especially at that hour. He couldn’t have gone back, could he? She was about to leave the table when the back door slammed open, revealing the missing friend. Everyone stopped eating to look at the newcomer, who looked like he had wrestled with a giant the whole night - his hair was tousled and his clothes all crumpled up

“Hyung, what happened to you?” Wonsik asked, his mouth still half full of food.

Jaehwan turned to look at the younger boy, his exhausted expression disappearing almost entirely. “I saw a bear!”

“Please tell me you mean a stuffed animal,” Hakyeon grumbled, his wide eyes fixing on the younger boy.

Soojin thought she saw something flash across Jaehwan’s eyes, but he simply sat down on the seat farthest from her. “It was in the forest. An actual grizzly! I didn’t know we had any in these parts,” he continued energetically, indirectly answering Hakyeon without a single glance.

Something’s wrong, Soojin thought. Jaehwan’s tired aura as he walked in, the sudden change to this energetic presence… it seemed painfully familiar. She continued to look at her younger best friend, hoping to catch his gaze, but the boy seemed determined not to look her way. It can’t be - no. It’s not. Don’t think like that, Jin.

“Hey,” Taekwoon nudged her shoulder and leaned forward to look at her, blocking her view of Jaehwan. “Finish your food.”

Soojin sighed and complied, slowly finishing the small bits of food she had served herself, when a sandwich appeared on her plate. She turned to her other side, where Hakyeon was looking at her with a raised eyebrow.

“I know you’re not a breakfast person, but you’ll need the energy later on. Eat up that sandwich before you go.”

Soojin nodded, not daring to look at the older boy longer. She had seen his concern, and she wasn’t ready to face the queries behind his eyes. She turned to the sandwich, slowly picking on it, when a loud slam on the table made everyone turn back to Jaehwan. She saw his eyes twitch in her direction before he turned to the fork in his hand, which had made the sound as it slammed into the table. He laughed loudly, eyes still fixed on the fork in his hand, bringing curious glances from the others.

“I caught a bug,” he said, his laugh toning down to a soft chuckle.

Sanghyuk looked at the fork in Jaehwan’s hand, obviously wary of his hyung’s actions. “I think you only caught the table, hyung.”

Jaehwan chuckled. “Really? I could swear there was a bug. Hmmm.” And with that, he turned back to eating.

What was that about? Soojin wondered. All the other boys were looking at Jaehwan, but he didn’t seem to notice.

Wonsik coughed, standing up. “Okay. So, I am done. What stuff did you say we needed, hyung?”

Hakyeon tore his eyes from Jaehwan and turned to the blonde. “Just your swimming gear. And no-” he paused, cutting off the other boy before he could speak again. “You cannot swim in your birthday suit. We wouldn’t want to scare off the forest’s natural residents.”

“So, you’re not coming with us?” The other shot back.

“On the contrary, I’ll be there to protect you from those natural residents,” Hakyeon retorted.

Hongbin laughed. “Hanging out with Soojin noona’s pretty good for you, hyung. Took you long enough to pick up the art of answering back to Wonsik.”

“Too bad those words really are just words, though,” Wonsik scoffed. “As if Hakyeon hyung could actually protect us from big monsters. Nice try, hyung. Maybe next time.”

“Aish, this kid,” Hakyeon huffed. “Whatever. You and Hongbin prepare some food we can bring - chips, drinks, meat, whatever. I’ll clean up,” he added, halting whatever protests the younger two had been preparing to say.

"Fine," Hongbin surrendered. He and Wonsik left the room as Soojin ate the final bite of her sandwich. Everyone else had also finished their food and were helping clear the table - all except Jaehwan, who had disappeared once again.

Soojin sighed. Jaehwan had ignored her only once before - back when they were in high school and she had confessed that she had feelings for their other best friend. She didn't get why he suddenly stopped talking to her back then, but him doing it again now probably meant that the same hurt he felt years ago had made its way back.

She helped Taekwoon bring the plates to the kitchen, where Wonsik and Hongbin were putting snacks into a bag, completely filling it with nothing but junk food. Soojin giggled softly when she heard Taekwoon's exasperated sigh just before he grabbed the bag out of the boys' hands.

"Get your stuff ready," he muttered at them, and the other two, looking mock offended, marched out of the room.

"Still can't get them to do things properly, huh?" Hakyeon clicked his tongue on the roof of his tongue, setting the cups he'd brought into the sink. "I'm glad I have you, Taekwoon. Ow!"

Soojin snickered. Hakyeon had attempted to wrap his arms around the taller boy's neck, only to receive the other's elbow in his stomach. He turned to her, eyebrow raised as he rubbed the sore area.

"Take a quick nap, Jinnie. You look like you haven't slept a wink."

Soojin nodded slightly before turning to leave the room. She wasn't about to complain about getting an extra hour of sleep.

Jaehwan was feeling funny. He had woken up that morning out on the porch, apparently having fallen asleep on the wooden swing instead of in his comfy bed in the room he shared with Taekwoon. He had a throbbing headache and was about to go back and sleep it off when the sweet aroma of ham filled his nose and dragged him into the dining room, where everyone else had gathered.

It wasn’t until Wonsik commented on his appearance that he looked down at himself. He was wearing the same clothes he had been the night before, but there were splotches of mud and even a bit of leaves here and there. I must have fallen off the swing some time last night, he thought, but a sudden image popped into his mind’s eye - a bear, a full grown grizzly, had appeared in front of him. A dream?

“I saw a bear!” He exclaimed, although why he was saying that, he wasn’t sure. Something was wrong in his head. He couldn’t think straight. Maybe I didn’t sleep well enough, he thought. His eyes fixed on the table and his mind instantly clicked into focus. Or maybe my brain just needs some nutrients.

“Please tell me you mean a stuffed animal,” a voice said, and Jaehwan’s head became muddled once more. He fixed his eyes on the table and sat down in the nearest seat, his mind clearing once more as he reached out for some bacon.

“It was in the forest. An actual grizzly! I didn’t know we had any in these parts,” his energy was fluctuating way too rapidly for him to keep up with himself.

Everyone became silent once more as they resumed eating, and Jaehwan found himself feeling better with every bite. Maybe I was just hypoglycemic, he concluded, happily eating away. He felt eyes fixed on him, but he ignored the sensation, knowing that it would just be Soojin worrying about his current state. Even he found himself weird.

Soojin. He frowned at the memories that rushed in his mind at the thought of her. All the times they had spent together - days and nights when they were inseparable… Everything that was concluded the night before with a single hug and gallons of pain-ridden tears.

He heard his voice as he spoke to her, telling her to eat and take care of herself. He spoke to her in the way he should have been speaking to her. He was taking care of her the way he should have been, but could no longer do.

A loud bang pulled him out of his thoughts and he looked up, only to find that everyone’s eyes were on him - or on the table in front of him. He followed their gaze to his hand, which was wrapped around the fork he was using, and had apparently stabbed into the table. He glanced at Soojin, who was looking at him shocked, and he quickly laughed.

“I caught a bug!” He laughed, hoping that the others would think he was just being his playful self. He had no idea what was wrong with him that morning.

The trek up the mountain to the top of the falls was much longer than any of them had expected. A path had been carved out by the reserve, and it was easy climbing the steps despite the slippery moss. The clean, fresh air was obviously welcomed by everyone, and even though Jaehwan had been living by a forest for the past few years, he had to admit the mountain air was much different.

After breakfast, Jaehwan had washed up and taken a nap as Taekwoon had told him to, and he felt much better after waking up. His mind was clearer and he was more aware of his surroundings. He wasn't quite grateful for the clarity, though.

He trudged up the path right behind Wonsik and Sanghyuk, who were energetically climbing the steps, most probably racing to the top. Hongbin and Taekwoon took the rear, both silent as they watched the other two in front of them.

Hakyeon was chatting away with Soojin right beside him, and Jaehwan knew the girl's attention would inevitably be on the one beside her, but why did he feel her eyes fixed on his back? He glanced back, and his suspicions were proven true as his eyes caught hers.

Jaehwan stumbled, and he was forced to look forward as he quickened his pace up the hill until his efforts to run away were proven futile. He stopped as a hand pulled on his sleeve, triggering a wave of nostalgia.

“Jaehwan,” Soojin said, her hand dropping to his elbow as she pulled him forward. “Are you alright?”

The boy smiled, though not without effort. His mind was reeling again and this time he had an idea behind its trigger. “I’m fine,” he laughed, pulling his arm from his friend’s hold. “I am perfectly alright, Soojin.”

His arm was once again pulled back, and he found himself facing Soojin’s raised eyebrows. He risked a look into her eyes and his mind flew once more. The hurt, the fear, the concern - they were unmistakable. Seeing all of that in the girl's eyes tore at his heart, the chaos in his mind not helping the situation at all.

“You don’t call me Soojin, Jaehwan.” Soojin leaned forward, climbing to her toes as she carefully squinted at Jaehwan’s eyes. “Are you really Jaehwan?”

He pulled away, tutting at his friend. “Who else would I be if I weren’t Jaehwan? People change, Jinah. It’s normal. Don’t blame everything weird on my past condition because that’s already been treated, okay?”

“Jaehwan.”

“No.” Jaehwan stopped climbing and turned to face the girl he loved once more. “Soojin. Jinah. I am fine. I am better than fine. We are climbing a mountain to get to the top of a waterfall! We are going swimming in a river!”

The brown-haired boy looked back and watched Hakyeon make his way up the path with Taekwoon and Hongbin. Hakyeon wasn’t looking at him and Soojin at the moment, but he knew the other had been watching their exchange. He tapped Soojin’s chin, making her turn her head towards the trio.

“Now walk up with them coz I am way too excited to get to the top,” he said, flashing his signature lopsided grin before taking the steps three at a time to catch up to Wonsik and Sanghyuk. “Yah! Wonsikkie! Hyukkie! Wait for me!”

Once he was sure Soojin couldn’t see his face anymore, Jaehwan let go of the painful smile. His mind was still a jumbled mess after that exchange. But as his mind got clearer the further he was from Soojin, he knew his theory was correct. His mind was in turmoil because of the look in her eyes.

You can’t expect me to let you go if you’re the one pulling me back.

Hello. Yes, I updated. But, wow. I feel like this story is developing more slowly than i planned. Or maybe I'm just updating way too slowly... Hmmm.

Anyway, hello to the new subscribers! How on earth did you find this story? But thank you for taking interest enough to subscribe. I am really grateful :) I was also motivated to update. ^^

i will also appreciate any comments you may have, so yeah. Until the next update! (Which I'm guessing will be some time early Feb since I have a couple of weeks of exams.)

in the meantime, N-nyeong! Let us drown in feels over Chagolas. Ahk.