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Chapter Thirty-Nine

“Emotionally unstable my ing ,”

20th of March 2015

“Alright, we’re here, kids!” The teacher in charge for the day literally shouted out of excitement—his face says it all: he’s way too excited to be away from the city life, entering the forest and despite it all, he seems too pumped up for words to explain. His face actually looks like it’s about to explode from the overwhelming feels of being surrounded by trees. Overly excited old man…

“Grab all your bags and move to the center, we’re going to set up our tents first and then head on to climbing the mountains! From there, there’ll be a surprise for us!” He informed after hopping off the bus, being the one to toss his bags to the side before he started unloading the tents.

“Great, more things I don’t like…” Hee Young grumbled, standing up as she waited for the people in front of her to get a move on because they were walking too damn slow and there was only space for one person to exit the vehicle at one after another. Tents, mountains, climbing and surprises? Are they trying to fix everything she didn’t like in one day or what?

Minseok snorted behind her as he waited, poking the back of her head, “Easy there, tiger, you’re going to be with these people for five days,”

“End my misery now,” She glanced over her shoulder, making sure to emphasize on the end because as she looked around, she really didn’t want to be here. Did she mention she can see Soon Hae from here?

“Don’t let a few people ruin your mood,” Another voice spoke, a row behind them and Hee Young was almost about to smack him square in the face, “Not now, Kai.”

Lay snorted, amused, “This is going to be one hell of a MT.”

Minseok gave Lay a fist bump, nodding, “Wait till we get to do the flying fox,”

“Flying what?” Hee Young nearly paled, upon hearing something like that because she’s done it before years back and she’s not too fond of that. Once she nearly fell on her face when she did this as a child and let’s just say that thank God the guide was there at the bottom the whole time, expertly holding onto her chain by her torso or else she would’ve been spending the holidays in a hospital or a neck brace—either one, she’s not too keen on the choices.

“Calm down… I’m sure we’ll have a blast,” Minseok grinned, getting off the bus and a few seconds later, the rest had gotten off the bus and Hee Young could only groan, “Blast my head off, please.”

“Don’t worry, kids! Just a few more kilometers and we’ll reach the top!”

A few more kilometers he says, kids he says…

Minseok chuckled, patting Hee Young on the back, “Hey, he’s just being nice.”

Hee Young snarled, rolling her eyes as she heaved Minseok up, feeling his hand resting on her shoulder for support as the two walked up, “Yeah, nice my …”

“To think of it, you do have a nice —“

“Minseok!”

“I agree,” Lay wiggled his eyebrows, earning a low five from the boy following behind. Kai snorted quietly, watching how Lay and Minseok tease Hee Young to no end especially in this condition when she has no choice but to walk and ignore because if she does plan on the two boys on their face, they might roll down the slope and… maybe that’s a great idea for her.

“If it makes you feel better, guys talk about girl’s asses every now and then,” Kai muttered under his breath, beside Hee Young and she scoffed a laugh, picking up the stone blocking her way before tossing it away, “Wow, thanks.”

Kai shrugged, raising two hands defensively, “Just trying to help,”

“I prefer it if you didn’t,” She breathed out, glancing up ahead that everyone was so fast and excited on reaching the top that she wondered if she was the only one to dread finding out what’s on the top. “A few more kilometers, princess.”

“Shut it, .”

“We’re finally here!” Minseok roared, feeling victorious because it felt amazing being able to reach the top after God knows how long they’ve been climbing because of their early start of the journey and to finally reach here it felt like a dream that would only last for a while—a moment he’d cherish.

“Alright! Now, is everyone here?” The teacher asked, along with two teachers as guidance and with a chorus of mixed tones of yes we’re all here and please say we’re not going to walk anymore and my legs feel like they’re going to break any moment, it was followed by soft laughter, tired but satisfied ones.

“You guys see this wire, chain and these handsome people?” The teacher pointed at the two people in light brown uniform, a cap on their heads, badges on their sleeves and pockets, a black walkie talkie slotted by their waists—oh yeah, they’re guides alright.

“They’ll be preparing us for the flying fox! All that walking you did? It’ll finally pay off!”

In the midst of everyone screaming hallelujah because they wouldn’t need to walk down, Hee Young was left to feeling all her nerves going numb as she stepped back, bumping into someone’s chest and he held onto her by the shoulders, raising an eyebrow, “Dude, any backwards you’re going and you’re going to fall off.”

Hee Young collected herself with a gulp, shuffling forward before she glanced over her shoulder, muttering a soft sorry before closing her eyes whilst facing front.

Kai’s eyes widened in the slightest, gripping onto her shoulder, “H-Hey, are you alright? You don’t look too good,”

“I can’t do that,” Hee Young mumbled softly, staring at the first few people in the front wearing the gears and the safety requirements because they were the daredevils of the group and had volunteered to go first so why not to let them go first. Within a few seconds, a few checkups, they had whole heartedly pushed themselves off the platform and their bodies flew at a speed that left Hee Young breathless and a few seconds after, their bodies disappeared in the mist and their voices faded out, swallowed by the distance and the environment.

Minseok instinctively turned around, reaching over to hold onto Hee Young’s hand, “Hey, you can do this. That last time was a mistake…”

Lay raised an eyebrow this time, noticing the little conference, “What happened the last time?”

Minseok nearly chuckled, “She was this close to falling flat on her face when she did this—“

“It’s not funny you fuc—!“ Hee Young felt her breath hitching in the middle of her sentence when the teachers had called out Minseok’s name and he let out a soft ‘yeah?’ before he heard the teacher ordering the rest of them to come to the front to take their turns. This was a dual flying fox…? Hee Young eyed the platform, big enough for two and she was right when the teacher said, “Get a partner and come here, you’re going soon!”

Minseok grinned and tugged on Lay’s arm, already having a mutual agreement, “I’m going with Minseok, then,” Lay laughed whilst Minseok nodded, “Since the two of us are roughly the same weight and Kai is heavier than Hee Young—“

Kai faked a hurt gasp, clutching onto the material of his shirt above his chest, “Are you calling me fat?”

Lay snorted, giving Kai a nudge on the shoulder before the two walked away, “Shut up, idiot. Let’s just go! The flying fox isn’t going to wait all day!”

Hee Young found the nerve to crack a joke, “Actually, it is because it’s always going to—“

“Not now, Hee Young!” Lay grumbled, being dragged away by Minseok as the two waited in line to get on the platform. Hee Young went back to being nervous, as if it had a drastic effect on her as she rubbed two hands together, face paling as the seconds went by and Kai thought that for a second she was going to faint, “Hey, chill. It’s nothing…”

“Easy for you to say,” She grumbled, taking a few steps towards the place she feared as of now but Kai could only try to smoothen the nerves on her shoulders, “Just… relax. It can’t hurt you—“

“It almost did the last time.”

“Almost.”

She rolled her eyes and glanced over her shoulder, giving Kai a look, “You want to do this now?”

He chuckled, moving his hands away to point at her face, “See? You’re back to your usual self.”

In the midst of their silence from all the small talk, Hee Young crossed her arms as she saw Soon Hae getting on the platform on her own and unknowingly, Soon Hae waved at who Hee Young thought she’d never wave at—her.

“Hee Young! Be my partner!”

Hee Young had her eyebrows furrowed, blinking at Kai who had the same look on his face, “What the fuc—hey! I didn’t agree!” She exclaimed, finding that the teacher had dragged her by the arm, placing her on the platform and already Kai could smell the poison seeping from Soon Hae and her aura wasn’t a good one.

The look on Hee Young’s face was hopeless as the guide strapped on the safety vest on hers and made sure it was tight. Kai tried to barge in, attempting to hold Hee Young back but the teacher was firm, holding Kai behind the line, “Patience, boy—you can go after these two,”

Kai shook his head, snapping his head to the teacher, “You don’t understand, she’s—“

“Your girlfriend, I know, but—“

Kai shook his head once more, with more agitation, “I-It’s not that!”

He then moved his eyes to Hee Young, watching her get strapped on and the next thing he sees is that the hook on her vest to the wire wasn’t as secure as Soon Hae’s because the guide’s hands were busy with fixing the straps first. His eyes widened and he saw that Soon Hae had tried to give Hee Young a gentle push as a head start even when the girl wasn’t even ready. Kai was this close to flipping everything over, starting with Soon Hae and he could see why her intentions became so clear as of now the moment the two got onto the same platform.

“Her hook isn’t fixed properly!” The boy raised his voice, nearly startling the guides and even the teacher had lost the grip on Kai’s shoulder. “What do you mean? She seems perfectly fine!” The other girl said, hands already reaching out to give Hee Young a shove she never expected to receive—being out here at where she feared now, she was the most vulnerable at this state.

The guide by Hee Young’s side nearly had his heart stopping when he heard a very familiar clink as Hee Young fell off the platform, not going to slide down the wire but she’s going to fall all the way down.

It’s like everything went in slow motion, as if that specific scene in a drama, the super close shot of a moment in an action movie. Hee Young’s eyes alternated from Soon Hae’s smug grin that suddenly widened with actual fear, the guide’s paled face, the teacher’s rapid shouts of ‘catch her!’ and… his hands darting out to hold onto her. Her eyes clenched shut when she felt both of her feet had lost contact with the cement ground, her chest brushing harshly against the surface until she slid all the way, her mind going blank but the only words of this is it, this is it, this is it.

With a thumping heart and no one’s voice entering her ears, her eyes snapped open when she could feel that what she had expected wasn’t it.

Her eyes locked with a pair that seemed to be a distance away but his voice was assuring that he wasn’t going to let go. He was hanging off the edge, his feet held back by people behind him and he was doing all he can to hold on tight because there was no way he’s going to let her slip through his fingers. He’s let that happen once and he’s not going to let it happen again.

He clenched his jaw, feeling his muscles tense, nearly close to snapping but it wasn’t until the guide beside him acted quick, finding a way to help her up with the loose hook on her back. “H-Hold onto her for a while more! W-We’re going to get her up!” The guide spoke, hurriedly preparing the equipment with his other men, working together quick and fast in order to get Hee Young up safely.

“Yeah, no ,” Kai grumbled, grunting as he blinked down on Hee Young who couldn’t even look at him straight in the eye, fearing of the height below her that made her feel nauseous, she closed her eyes shut because she doesn’t know what to freaking do—it’s not every day you get pushed off a mountain. First it was, look at me, look at me! Then it was her eyes cautiously blinking up, trembling with fear, hands gripping back onto his wrists as much as she could. After that it was, breathe, you'll be up here soon, don't think about anything else--focus on me. Her head shook with this deep clenching of her gut, something that made her feel nervous again as she mumbled I-I'm scared. Actual terror glazed her eyes, tears almost trickling down her cheeks but he was firm, gripping onto her tighter, I'm here, I won't let you fall.

Within two minutes flat, words of Hee Young use your legs to push yourself up, you’re going to be just fine, don’t you dare let go of my hands! And a few more curses slipped in between here and there from the latter, she fought her way back up and the first thing she did the moment she reached back up, safely on the top was give the finger to the girl who still stood there throughout this whole thing. She was left petrified with an expression of someone who had just seen a ghost, her head shaking as she muttered out softly I-I didn’t know she would fall off, I just wanted to scare her and in the next, Hee Young could see Soon Hae was being taken away because she’s emotionally unstable to go down the flying fox.

Kai remained crouching in front of Hee Young, hand on one of her knees, “Can you still do the flying fox?”

“Emotionally unstable my ing ,” Hee Young grumbled, accepting one of Kai’s hands up with a chuckle that came from the boy, “Hey, at least you didn’t fall and splat to pieces.”

“Wow, that means a lot,” Hee Young breathed out, blinking up to Kai and then to the two guides still there with a somewhat, sorry expression.

“W-Would you still like to go down? We assure you it’s safe.”

Kai shrugged and turned to look at Hee Young, “I’ll go if she does.”

It was a pause of silence, needing the words of approval as Hee Young rubbed her face with her hands because there was so much happening in just one day that she doesn’t know if she can take five days especially together with someone who had just tried to push her off the mountain. This was literally her only choice because there was no way she’s walking all the way down—hell no. There were also soft mumbles of I really hope there’s insurance for this and also someone better tell my sister I love her before I go down this before she stepped to the platform once more, with a different person standing beside her this time.

The guides smiled at the two before preparing them up with the gear and safety requirements and tested it properly, making sure it was steady, stable and solid before giving the cue to the two that they were now able to go down with ease and there should be no problems with it.

Kai glanced to the girl beside her, though the gear and equipment was fine, there was no saying that her heart was. Of course, after getting shaken up like that just a moment ago, he could imagine how terrified she would’ve been.

He stretched one of his arm out, fingers curling open as he called her out, “Here, take my hand,”

She shook her head at first, closing her eyes as she shakily exhaled out, “I-I’m fine,”

He scoffed a laugh, inching closer towards her before he latched onto her hand, laced together. It took her five seconds to realize that her hand was on his and she felt how tight he held onto her hand as she blinked up to look at the look he gave her. She swore that the last thing she could hear was his stupid laugh before his stupid mouth had said the words of let’s go before this stupid boy had already dragged her with him, going down the flying fox at an unexpected time.

you, Kai.

But all she could think in her mind as the two slid down from the top, all the way to the bottom was the incredible force and speed the two were going at, the breeze brushing against their skin, allowing them to feel this genuine rush and thrill of a flying fox, the adrenaline flushing through their veins as they felt their heart racing faster and faster, the feeling of them being so small compared to the huge and incredible atmosphere that swallowed them in as they went through the huff of mist, puffs of clouds, flocks of birds that had flew at the same direction they were going down to, their eyes taking a look around at the stunning scenery being flashed before their eyes before they glanced at one another and then away and then all over again.

Okay, maybe this wasn't so bad.

There was definitely a lot of ruckus despite being in a place well-known for the serenity, peace and tranquility when everyone was talking about their day, what they expected to happen, what they didn’t expect to happen and what was about to come when there isn’t even a specific schedule to focus on. A few hours had passed since their last activity and as far as they know, they don’t have anything planned just yet apart from taking a bath in the river, washing some of their clothes and hanging them up on the trees if they can reach it and preparing up a fire for the campfire later.

So when they hear a bell clinking from outside their tents, Hee Young was left to groan as she nudged Minseok by his leg, “Min, is the fatty calling for us?”

Minseok held back a chuckle as he got up, squeezing his way out of the tent since he was the person on the most right, twisting around all the bags on the ground, certain clothes here and there along with him trying not to dirty his sleeping bag, “Let me check,”

Lay snorted when Minseok left the room, the person on the most left in the tent, “Wow, way to be subtle about it,”

Kai shrugged as he was beside Lay, nearly laughing, “With her, she’s never subtle,”

She rolled her eyes and turned to look at Kai, “Oh hush it, Batman and Robin,”

Lay sat up and grinned, “I will but it depends on which one you’re referring me as. Am I the hero or the sidekick?”

She clicked her tongue and pointed at Kai’s face with a thumb, “This guy’s the sidekick,”

Kai let a laugh escape his lips, sitting up as well, “Sidekick?! I saved your life!”

“Doesn’t make you a hero,”

“Sure that doesn’t,”

Minseok popped open the tent once more, “Stop with the soap opera, they’re going to tell us what’s for dinner,”

In the time span of five minutes, everyone had gathered outside their respective tents to hurdle around the person standing in a big rock, in the center of all the tents circling around. “I’m sure you guys are curious to what dinner is,” He grinned, hands clasped together in front of him and already, Hee Young could feel herself wanting to hurl because she knows this can’t be good—not when that guy has a sinister-like look on his face.

“You guys want dinner? You have to go fish for it.”

See, Hee Young was right.

The teacher then pointed to the river and then to the one on the other side, “There are two rivers here so there’s plenty of fishes for us to fish from and there’s equipment behind you guys so get ready and start fishing!” He stepped down from the rock, his voice still echoing, “Then we can all grill it before you eat it!”

Great… more surprises…

At least by the time this day was done for, it’s one day of hell down, four more to go…