"I trust you."

"You're crazy," Maeri retorted stomping her foot. "Couldn't you have picked anybody else?" 

Woohyun and Maeri were currently on an overnight camping field trip with the rest of their school. The whole point of the trip was to have the students bond closely with each other, especially the upperclassmen as it was one of their last school functions before graduation. Maeri wanted to take this opportunity to bond more closely with her crush, Kim Myungsoo, but Woohyun had different plans for them, as usual. Right now, the students were doing trust falls. One student blindly falling into the arms of another in high hopes that the latter student would not drop them. Sounds like a good idea, right? It would be if they were in same- pairs like they were supposed to be, but Woohyun insisted on being Maeri's partner, tearing her away from all of her potential female partners. Normally, Maeri would more than happy to oblige Woohyun's crazy whims, but this time, she didn't think it would work. Maeri didn't believe she could handle all of Woohyun's weight falling at full force in her direction. It was a recipe for disaster.

"No," Woohyun answered honestly glancing over his shoulder at Maeri. "Hyunsuk would have dropped me because he would think it would be funny. Myungsoo had already partnered up with Minhwan. And Seungho has arms like a girl, so he wouldn't be able to catch me."

"What about my arms? I am a girl!" Maeri whined as she shook her limbs.

Woohyun chuckled, "You have arms like a gorilla. You'll be able to do it. I believe in you." Then he turned around with his back facing her. He crossed his arms on his chest and closed his eyes tightly. "And now, catch me!" he commanded as he fell backwards.

"Ah!" Maeri yelped. She wasn't ready for Woohyun to fall yet. Her knees locked, and she quickly stretched out her arms to accept his descending body. She was too little too late. Instead of gently catching his body, it instead collided with her own, and they landed on the ground in a heap. "Ow!" Maeri moaned. When she crashed into the ground, there was a rock that hit her right in the middle of her back. Also Woohyun was still lying on top of her, his hair had fallen into her open mouth, so she was practically eating his hair. "Ugh!" she said as she was spitting out his hair. "Get off of me!"

Woohyun rolled off of her and smiled apologetically, his eyes practically disappearing behind his round cheeks. "Sorry," he said as he stood up and dusted off his knees before he helped Maeri to her feet.

Maeri winced as she patted the sore spot in the middle of her back with her palms. "I told you not to trust me," she grumbled.

"But you still broke my fall," he chuckled. As far as he was concerned, their trust fall was a success. She didn't intentionally drop him like Hyunsuk would have, and she even sacrificed her own body for his safety. Woohyun studied Maeri as she rubbed her back. "Did you get hurt? Here, let me help," he said as he gently moved Maeri's hand and replaced it with own, rubbing her sore spot.

Maeri blushed and quickly side-stepped away from Woohyun. "No, it's okay. I'm fine," she assured him, her eyes fixated onto the ground. Woohyun sighed. She was always like that, masking her pain, pretending things were okay when they weren't. It didn't matter if the pain was physical, mental, or emotional. Maeri always carried on like nothing ever happened. He had never even seen her cry before. What kind of teenage girl doesn't cry? Sometimes Woohyun was almost convinced that she was a cyborg from another planet. But she wasn't hardly y enough to be a cyborg. The cyborgs on t.v. and in the movies were always perfectly proportionate, curvy women. And Yoo Maeri was...flat like a kimchi pancake. Unless she was made to perfectly and unsuspectingly blend in with the populace then...

"Yah! Nam Woohyun!" Maeri yelled as she flicked him in the forehead, halting his conspiracy theorizing. 

"Aish!" Woohyun cursed as he rubbed his fresh injury. "What was that for?"

Maeri smiled, reveling in her friend's pain. "You weren't listening! Anyway, we're all gathering around the bonfire and telling ghost stories," she explained. Then she turned from him and walked towards the blazing conflagration. 

Woohyun ran to catch up with her and then slowed his pace to match hers. "But you hate ghost stories," he stated.

"Yea," Maeri said puffing her cheeks in frustration. "But everyone else wants to do it." Then she turned to him and smiled sheepishly. "Will you sit next to me?"

Woohyun nodded emphatically. "Eung. Do you need me to protect you from the scary ghosts?" he asked, flexing his bicep.

Maeri giggled and playfully shoved him away. "NO!" she exclaimed. "It's just that you hate ghost stories more than I do, so I'll look brave in comparison, sitting next to your pansy ." And after saying that biting remark she stuck out her tongue and ran over to the bonfire, taking a seat next to Myungsoo on the log-bench.

"Yah!" Woohyun shouted at her, his pride hurt. But she wasn't listening, being too busy flirting with her crush. Woohyun scoffed and smirked. He was going to make Maeri eat her own words. I'll show you who the real pansy is.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"And then the mother said they didn't have a life-size teddy bear in the nursery. The babysitter ran back into the room and saw the skin of the teddy bear lying on the floor, completely empty," Hyunsuk ended with an eerie, shaky voice. The flames from the fire casted dark shadows onto his face, causing shivers to run down Maeri's spine.

Yerim then gasped, "So the escaped murder was in the teddy bear the whole time?! Creepy!"

"I think you mean lame," Seungho scoffed. "What kind of murder dresses up as a teddy bear?"

"Uh, a crazy psychopath, duh!" Hyunsuk argued, defending his scary story.

Maeri rolled her eyes at the bickering boys, pretending to be unaffected by the story, but on the inside she was shivering and was growing increasingly paranoid. There weren't any escaped prisoners in the woods right now, right? If there were, their chaperones would have surely told them and got them out of there...unless they were in on it too and wanted to murder them all. Shut up brain! Shut up!

"Whoa," Myungsoo exclaimed with a slight tremble. He faced Maeri. "That was scary, wasn't it?" he remarked.

Maeri looked straight into the fire, pulling her knees into her chest and then resting her head on them. "N-no," she stuttered. "I-I'm not scared. That wasn't scary at all, right Woohyun?" She turned to the spot next to her where Woohyun was only moments prior, but it was now vacant. Her side all of the sudden felt cold, unprotected. She frantically faced Myungsoo, completely frazzled. "Woohyun's gone! Where did he go?" she demanded. The escaped prisoner must've gotten him! her crazed mind hypothesized. 

Myungsoo just laughed. "He probably just went to the bathroom," he guessed. Right, bathroom. That's logical, Maeri thought, but she still couldn't shake this uncomfortable feeling. She probably wouldn't be able to get rid of it until she saw Woohyun's face again, all safe and sound. Then Myungsoo put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure he's fine," he assured her. 

Then Maeri could hear the mournful howl of some wild beast resound through the night sky. "W-what was that?" she asked with a trembling voice.

Seungho leaned forward so that he could see Maeri. "Didn't you know?" he asked as if everyone already knew. "There's a wild pack of wolves that live in these woods."

Shinah shoved Seungho's shoulder. "Shut up!" she demanded. "You're lying!"

Hyunsuk pipped up defending his friend, "No he's right! They've been prowling this place for a while, attacking hikers and campers."First escaped convicts and now wolves? Why the hell did our teachers bring us here?!

Maeri dropped her knees, allowing them to fall to the ground. Her hands now clutched onto the log that she was sitting on. Then she heard Myungsoo speak. "Isn't the bathroom back  there?" he asked pointing towards the woods. Then a familiar scream emitted from the forest behind them.

"WOOHYUN-AH!"  Maeri exclaimed as she automatically jumped up from the bench. She broke out into a sprint, heading straight into the woods towards the source of the scream.

"Maeri-ah!" Yerim shouted after her. "Don't be a hero!"

But Maeri didn't care for her own safety. Her best friend was trapped in the woods possibly being mauled by a pack of wolves or being hacked into pieces by a psychopath. "Woohyun! Hyun-ah! Where are you?" she yelled into the empty air, running blindly in the dark. The light from the bonfire couldn't reach this far out. 

"Aagh!" she heard Woohyun groan from a few steps behind her.

She quickly her heels. "Hyun-ah?" she spoke barely above a whisper. grew tight and dry, her voice weak. Her heart was beating faster and faster as she stepped closer and closer to where she thought the sound was coming from. "Woohyun?"

"GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRUFF!" something growled as it hit the back of Maeri's knees, tackling her into the ground.

"AHHHHHHH!" Maeri yelped thrashing her legs and arms about. "Get off! Get off! Get OFF!" she pleaded on the verge of tears.

"Ow! Hey! Watch it! You just punched me in the face," Maeri heard a voice whine. She rolled over onto her back and saw Woohyun tenderly rubbing his jaw. "It hurts," he complained with a pout.

Maeri scrambled to her feet. "Y-yah! Y-you!" she stuttered as she accusingly pointed at him.

Woohyun had a satisfied smile on his face. "Yea, me," he pointed to himself. "Who's the pansy now?" he taunted her.

Maeri pushed him in his chest. "You...scared...the...crap...out...of...me!" she yelled, shoving him at every word she spoke.

"That was the point," he chuckled, standing his ground in spite of Maeri's abuse.

"Aw! We missed it!" Seungho complained as he and the rest of the gang joined Maeri and Woohyun.

"What do you mean missed it?" Maeri asked raising and eyebrow. Then she gasped. "W-were you all in on it?!"

Everyone nodded, including Myungsoo whom she least expected. "Yea," Hyunsuk started as he wrapped an arm around Woohyun's shoulder and pointed to him. "It was this guy's great idea, but honestly we all like seeing you squirm. It's cute," he finished, pinching Maeri's cheek with his free hand.

Maeri slapped his hand and pouted. "You all !" she yelled as she stormed off.

"Maeri-ah!" Woohyun called after her. Maeri turned around with an utterly annoyed expression on her face. "Campsite's that way," he chuckled as he pointed in the opposite direction. 

"THANK YOU!" she gruffly yelled and stomped off towards the campsite.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Maeri was sitting in front of the bonfire, alone. She was noisily chewing on a packet of chips, exercising her frustration she had against her friends with . Then she felt someone sit down next to her, but she didn't bother to see who it was. Her eyes were concentrated on the fire, watching the orange flames dance in the night sky.

"I'm sorry," Myungsoo apologized also gazing into the fire. "We shouldn't have taken it that far."

Maeri swallowed a mouthful of chips, but it still left a hard lump in . "It's fine, I guess," she grumbled. 

"Do you like Woohyun?" Myungsoo suddenly asked chewing on his thumb.

Maeri snorted. "Haha! No! Why would you ask that?"

He turned towards her with a dubious look. "Because you ran into the woods after him, even though you thought he was being attacked by a pack of wolves," he explained, kicking the dirt with his shoe.

"Myungsoo-ah," Maeri said calmly leaning in, brushing her shoulder against his. "He's my best friend. Of course, I would go in after him." Then she chewed on her bottom lip before continuing, "You know, I would fight off wolves for you too."

"Why?" he asked with a surprised giggle.

Maeri hung her head allowing her hair cover her reddening cheeks. "Because you're my friend too," she admitted sheepishly.

Myungsoo put his hand on her shoulder. She looked up and saw him smile charmingly at her. "I would fight wolves and crazy murders for you," he retorted.

"Why?" Maeri quietly asked, her heart practically beating outside of her chest.

"Because..." he began, but his voice was cut off.

"Myungsoo-ah! Minhwan is looking for you," Woohyun called out as he approached the couple on the log-bench. He plopped himself down between the two of them. "He says it's urgent."

Myungsoo quickly got up from the bench. "Then I better go. See you guys later!" he said cheerfully as he waved goodbye. Then he turned around and left.

Maeri slapped Woohyun so hard on the back of his head that his hat fell off. "I was this close to getting him to confess, you big fat jerk!" she cursed.

Woohyun bent over to pick up his hat off of the ground. After dusting the dirt off, instead of putting it back on his own head, he forced it onto Maeri's until it covered her eyes. "I still don't get why you think he likes you," he muttered.

Maeri pushed up the brim of the hat with her index finger so that she could see clearly. "Because he's nice to me and..."

"He's nice to everyone," Woohyun interrupted.

"AND," Maeri continued, ignoring his comment. "Shinah said that Hyunsuk..."

"Veto!" Woohyun interrupted again.

This time his interjection derailed Maeri from her line of thought. "Huh?" she asked raising her eyebrow.

"Veto," he said again. "I object to you dating him." Maeri opened , about to say something but he shut her up. "I don't think that he's a good match for you. He's too boring. And besides, I don't think he likes you like you think he does...Don't you trust me?" Maeri rolled her eyes. Given the most recent turn of events, Woohyun didn't prove himself to be the most trustworthy person. Woohyun could read her thoughts and waved his hands, dismissing them. "Forget all of the pranks for a second and think about our friendship. Don't you trust me?" he asked again.

After pondering for a few moments, Maeri reluctantly nodded. "Yea, I trust you to catch me during trust falls or to save me if I was in danger. You would try to save me from a pack of vicious wolves, right?"

"Of course! They wouldn't stand a chance!" he excitedly responded with a reassuring smile.

Maeri finally smiled back and continued, "But I don't think I trust your opinion on love."

"So you'll trust me with you life but not with your heart?" he asked sounding a little hurt. "Why should it be any different?"

There was something about Myungsoo and Maeri that Woohyun didn't like. Sure, Myungsoo was a good friend of both of them, and he was friendly and handsome. There was no doubt in his mind that if Maeri and Myungsoo did date, he would treat her like a princess. But that was it. Maeri didn't want a prince anymore than she wanted to be a princess. She was too much of a tomboy to let herself be pampered. Plus, like Woohyun said earlier, Myungsoo was rather dull. She would soon become bored with him. Then there was the fact of their impending graduation, and everyone potentially moving on to different colleges. Woohyun didn't want her to get into a relationship that he knew would fail in a few months' time. Especially after his disastrous relationship with Jiyoung, he realized that some relationships would've been better if they had never even began. He had wished that Maeri had objected to Jiyoung earlier. He knew that his best friend never liked his ex, but if she had said something, verbally rejecting the notion of them dating rather than just supporting them, Maeri would have saved him from a world of suffering from the hands of the demanding Jiyoung.

For now it would be better if he, Maeri, and Myungsoo just all remained good friends.

"Fine!" Maeri groaned finally giving in. She, too, realized that it would be pointless to start a relationship with someone at the end of their final year of high school, when they would probably just have to separate in a few months. She turned to her friend with a stern expression. "But I get the power of veto too."

"Of course!" he immediately agreed.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The next day, Maeri spotted Woohyun flirting with a girl who was a year below them. He was trying to show her how to skip stones on the lake's surface. He was guiding the young girl's arm, back and forth, showing her the proper motion. "It's like this," he said, his mouth dangerously close to her ear.

"Oh really, Oppa?" the girl responded, her voice an octave higher than it normally would be.

Maeri snorted as she marched up to them and grabbed Woohyun by the collar of his shirt. "Veto!" she declared as she yanked him away from the innocent girl.

"But...but..." Woohyun began to object.

But Maeri wasn't swayed by his aegyo-laced objections. "VETO!" she declared once more with more force.

The power of veto wasn't something the either of them exercised too often. Although Maeri did invoke it more often, but it wasn't her fault that Woohyun's taste in girls was horrible. He only had one requirement: that they be female. And Woohyun was a little resentful that he couldn't veto more often. Maeri was so damn picky that she didn't date much in the first place. But occasionally, she would select some loser, lowering her standards, and Woohyun would immediately object. They both of them only wanted the best for one another. And the veto was one way how they could assure that. It saved them from some potentially horrible relationships, but occasionally both of them would wonder if it hindered them from potentially great relationships as well.