We stop by the Han River after visiting our high school, and we’re quietly sitting near the river bank on a sheltered bench, holding cold cans of soda. Jongin slowly unpins his name tag and puts it in his pocket.

     I have so much to ask. Where should I start? I’m afraid I would put him off.

     There’s no way nothing happened, regarding his lost high school life. There must be something behind this. Is it something he did? Family problems?

     The image of his teary eyes an hour ago flashes in my mind, and I immediately put my head down. It was simply aching to see.

     “On the middle of summers, usually there’s an alumni lunch. I went to the last year’s one. Maybe you can find your friends there, it’s a good time to connect with them again.”

     “I don’t think I have anyone I know.”

     “At least you have me.” I pat his back once. “I only know my classmates too, only a few because I didn’t really have time to get close with them during my one-semester stay there.”

     Jongin doesn’t respond again. After a long silence, he exhales audibly.

     “When is it?”

     I check through a friend, and the event is two weeks from now. Jongin nods when I ask him again about his participation, and I can’t tell if he really wants to go, but I’ve tried.

     “Ahra.”

     “Yes?”

     “It’s okay if you don’t want to be my friend.”

     “HUH?” I accidentally let out a high-pitched tone, and Jongin who was having a straight face suddenly burst out laughing. I laugh with him, and try to calm myself down. “Wait—no, really, what do you mean?”

     “If you see me as a burden, it’s okay if we don’t meet anymore.”

     I tilt my head, trying to figure out a reply. “No, I don’t. We’re friends.”

     Jongin smiles as he stares at the calm water in front of us. “You’re the only friend I have.”

     “That’s not possible.”

     “Sadly, it is.” Jongin crushes his empty beverage can and throws it accurately into the trash bin beside our bench. “At least, at the moment. Someone I talk to, someone I meet. Someone I eat with. Someone I go somewhere with.”

     I have more questions ready on my lips. What about your classmates now? Your neighborhood friends? Your relatives? Your old friends?

     But after what he said, probably it’s true that I’m currently his only friend...

     We go back to the parking lot, and someone hands us a leaflet about a new camping ground near the Hannam Bridge. I skim through the texts on it as we drive away. “Family camping park… Complete sanitation facilities… 24-hour mart… Wow, the Seoul ones are always so fancy.”

     “Do you like to go camping?”

     “Not really, but I had to go for a membership training when I first moved to Gimhae. The camping grounds there only had just enough toilets and bathrooms.”

     “Membership training…” Jongin drives with only one hand on the steering wheel. “What did you do?”

     “It was for the student council members, so basically the same like we did in middle school. Leadership training, games, bonding, bonfire, barbecue. Things like that.”

     “That sounds fun. Do you wanna go camping there?” Jongin points to the leaflet.

     “What? Here?” I get wide-eyed.

     “Yeah, the place looks good.”

     I glance at the leaflet. “Oh.”

     “Let’s say this is for my experience.” Jongin beams. “I never went camping before.”

     Jongin took me home, and a few hours later at night, he calls me about the details of the plan. We’ll go next Friday night, and we’re going to stay for one night. He tells me to prepare nothing since he’ll take care of it all.

     “I’m really going to bring nothing if you say so.” I sit on my bed and cross my legs. “Tell me to bring at least one thing for the camping.”

     Jongin lets out a long wondering tone. “Your body and soul.”

     “That sounds racy.”

     Jongin chuckles on the other end of the phone. “Nothing. Really. Nothing at all.”

     “Well then. All right.”

     Jongin says a cheerful ‘good night’ before hanging up, and I look at his name on my phone after the call ended. After today, I feel like I have a duty to be with him, to befriend him. But that isn’t a burden at all, also not a form of pity. We click well, after what seemed to be a strange re-encounter for me.

     Also, curiosity? I want to know more about his life. The rich kid who has no friend… That just seems too cliché right now. I need to open more pages.

-

     The camping ground hasn’t quite filled in the end of Friday, and Jongin really means it when he says that I don’t have to bring anything. He takes care of the tent, stocks a week’s worth of food for our meals, and even sleeping bags. The tent can fit at least four people, with separated rooms inside. This is the first time I see a tent this big.

     “You might as well as bring your own house here.” I shake my head slowly as I help him prepare dinner. Jongin smiles, satisfied.

     “I don’t want to forget anything.”

     We cooked dinner together with our clumsy first-timer selves, and Jongin teases me on not being able to control the situation.

     “I was in charge of doing the dishes that time.” I defend myself.

     Jongin laughs as he throws away another piece of burnt food to the ground. “Well, as long as we can feel full, it’s enough.”

     For dinner alone, we spent almost three hours, and it’s nearing midnight when we tidy up and pull out two small chairs to sit on near the river bank.

     “Thank you for agreeing on making some high school memories for me, Ahra.”

     I stare at the Hannam Bridge emptily. “This is like, one of a thousand memories you can make at high school, and not particularly high school-ish.”

     “So what’s high school-ish?”

     “A lot.” my brain starts recalling. “Most of them can’t really be made now, after we’re out of there.”

     “For example?”

     “Well—joining clubs. Student council. Outdoor activities. The tension of exams, worrying together. Making yearbook. Prom night.”

     “Prom.” Jongin repeats. “Did you go with a boy?”

     “Of course.”

     “What did you do at the prom?”

     “It was a weird night. We wore pretty dresses, makeup, everything. We danced.”

     “How did you look that time? Do you have any picture?”

     “No.” I sternly say. “Nope.”

     Jongin laughs. “Why? You must look pretty.”

     “It was embarrassing.” I cringe, remembering the prom night. “The boy who asked me out was so pumped about dancing, and he almost ruined my dress. But it was still fun to remember. It was hilarious. And then there were some of my friends who couldn’t dance at all. And—“ I realize I talk too much about myself, and I look at Jongin. He’s listening to me, with a thin smile on his face. “Sorry.”

     “No, no, go on.” Jongin nods repeatedly, letting me continue. I end up telling him the whole story of my prom night, mainly the funny parts, but I’m still cautious that I might make him feel bad.

     Jongin still has that smile when I finish talking. “Sounds like fun. What dance did you do that time?”

     “Well, the highlight was the slow dance. We even practiced for a month for that.”

     Jongin stands up. “Teach me.”

     “Really?”

     I hesitantly stand up, and face his direction. “Okay…” I drag my foot a bit on the rocky ground below my shoes. “Um. Raise your right hand.”

     Jongin does, and I take his hand. I put my other hand on his shoulder. “And your left hand to my wai—uh, let’s make it to my back.”

     Jongin carefully puts his hand on my back, and we’re set for the position.

     “Okay, now follow my movements. One, two, one, two…”

     This man is very stiff. I can tell he’s tense, and the sound of the dragged pebbles on our feet starts to be distracting. After a few minutes, I let my head down to laugh.

     “I think that’s enough. Oh dear, you have no talent in dancing.”

     Jongin laughs too, his hands are still steady on position. “Yeah, my body isn’t made for dancing.”

     I look around. “Thankfully the other people are already inside their tents. They don’t have to witness two youngsters acting like the river is a ballroom.”

     Jongin chuckles, and now he attempts to take the lead by starting to move our bodies right and left slowly. Not much improvement occurs, but I think he really wants to dance.

     “You should hire an instructor, Jongin.”

     “You’re enough.” he responds. Jongin pulls me into a hug, and my eyes widen in an instant. I freeze on his embrace. Jongin pats my back repeatedly, and sways our upper bodies through the summer night breeze. “One down the ‘high school-ish’ list.”

     He keeps hugging me for some time, and when he pulls away, I smile at him. “What’s next?”

     Jongin stretches his arms, thinking. “High school romance.”

     I let out a grunt, and sit back to the small chair. Jongin giggles and takes a seat too, but immediately stands back up.

     “Wait, I forget something.”

     He runs to our tent, and I look at his back, confused. He comes back bringing a ukulele, and I raise my eyebrows when he sits back beside me. “Wow. You can play it?”

     “No.”

     I cover my face with my hand. “Then why…”

     “Your messaging app’s profile photo is you holding a guitar. I thought you might be able to play this.”

     I sigh. “Give it to me.”

     I tune the tiny thing for a bit, and contemplate on what to play. “Sing for a bit, too. Mr. Lee said you were in the choir club.” Jongin demands.

     “Hah.” I start playing random tunes, then continue to play half of Eddy Kim’s The Manual. I sing the lyrics too, a bit shyly, but Jongin intently listens and lets out a long ‘oooh’ when I finish.

     “You’re good.”

     I smile. “I’ve been liking that song for awhile.”

     “You should teach me how to play the guitar.”

     I nonchalantly nod. “Sure thing. But I don’t accept lazy students.”

     Jongin grins, and stands up. He offers his hand to me, and I take it to help myself stand up. We take our small chairs, and go back to the tent to call it a day.