There was a low buzz as the gates were opened after the event, the middle school students and other high school students that weren’t in any clubs were leaving out in lines. The people of various committees who were left in charge looked on from their spots in the booths, waiting for the field to clear out before they start dismantling the equipment for storage and taking other stuff back to club rooms.

Hyukjae stood leaning against the side of their booth, arms crossed on his chest while he looked on, a small smile on his face despite how beat he was.

“Okay!” Their club president calls out. “Let’s start cleaning up!” They clapped twice in the form of a cheer before the remaining members tasked to clean up stood up and started getting busy. When most of the props were back in the club room, Hyukjae helped with dismantling the tent, carrying it out with the other boys off to where the other tents were.

The members were packing up their things, excitedly chatting about where they which convenience store or mini eatery they will be going to and what they will order to regain some strength, some wanting a warm bowl of noodles while others want a cold soda. “Hyukjae oppa.” One calls out, backpack already on one shoulder. “Are you not packing up yet? Let’s go.” She reminds him, the other members also looking at him in curiosity.

Looking around to a spot a bit further than where the others were standing, Hyukjae shakes his head and smiled. “You guys go ahead. I need to do something first. I’ll see if I can catch up.”  Then he urges the others to go on, laughing when the president jokes that he wants to avoid treating his underclassmen to sodas. He walks away after they left.

 

 

Donghae was crouched on the ground, picking up pieces of papers or plastic cups that were left littered by other students earlier. They could have swept the field, but the places of trash were so far off that they didn’t bother getting brooms, ‘let’s just pick it up’ one of them said.

He was busy grabbing nearby things when he heard the trash bag that he has with him rustle, thinking that it could be someone else from the committee that was beside him, he calls out. “Hey, you have your own bag and area don’t you, why are you here?” He jokes, turning with a handful of trash.

The hands of the person beside him went and fixed the opening of the bag for him, Donghae drops what were in his hands into it and looks up with a grin.

“Ah Hyukjae-ssi!” He exclaims in surprise, wobbling in his position and nearly falling over, Hyukjae immediately grabs him by the crook of his elbow.

“Please be careful.” He says.

“Why are you still here? I saw your club members already left.” Donghae asked, looking up at the kneeling Hyukjae while he sat on the ground. He didn’t get a verbal answer, just Hyukjae smiling while he picked up the remaining litter on that spot.

They silently moved to another spot after, picking up and placing trash inside the trash bag in-between them. Hyukjae was the one who spoke first, making small talk and soon tidying up all spots assigned to Donghae.

At one point during the conversation, Donghae had expressed his concern when he found out from the other people from Hyukjae’s club that he was always one of the people who goes out and gets most of the things that the club needed, from art materials to planks of wood, and, afraid that the other would get too tired or dehydrated. Hyukjae found out that it was Donghae who had been leaving the bottles of energy drink (a healthy kind of one) that his clubmates give him when the prep was too busy, he ruffled the other’s hair, smiling softly as he said his thanks.

After leaving the tied-up trash bag on the area given for it, Hyukjae and Donghae continued to chat, washing their hands while finding out other basic things about each other, like how they both have an older sibling, and that Hyukjae is a few months older than Donghae. By the time they had passed the school gate, the sun was already starting to set.

“Hyukjae ssi.” Donghae calls out, rubbing his nape while smiling slightly. “Are you hungry? Would you like for us to stop by a store and eat first before separating?”

 

They only seemed to realize that they were a bit sweaty from all of the day’s activity when they entered a nearby airconditioned convenience store, a small shiver running down their back from the unpleasant feeling of their event shirt clinging to their skin from all the sweat— maybe they smelled a bit too.

Hyukjae had immediately offered to buy the two of them some ramyeon, a bit reluctant, Donghae insists on paying for whatever else Hyukjae will be buying next (granted that he will not be buying out the entire convenience store) including their drinks which is a huge bottle of soda.

They sat at highchairs facing the outside of the store, hot ramyeon in hands while Donghae has the soda in his grip and Hyukjae with two paper cups the cashier let them get. “This is very unhealthy.” Donghae grumbles while they both start to eat. “I’m not used to eating these types of food, I always eat proper meals.” He explains while Hyukjae looks at him, still stuffing his face with noodles and chewing silently.

Donghae shook his head, he’s so messy. He handed him a couple of tissues, opening the soda bottle and pouring some contents into both of their paper cups while Hyukjae wipes is lips dry. They don’t talk much after that, just eating, drinking, sometimes jabbing a joke at each other or just mentioning a thing they saw at the earlier event.

When they finished their ramyeons and emptied out the huge soda bottle, they walked out of the convenience store immediately. Letting the fresh air caress their face as they walked to a huge fork in the road, Donghae glanced at their wrists where they had on the leather bracelets that they had won earlier.

“I’m so tired,” Hyukjae huffs, subtly rolling his shoulders back. “Do you have any plans for this long weekend? I’m sure you’re dead tired too.”

Donghae shrugs. “I don’t have anything planned, so I’ll probably just clean and help around the house if I’m not resting.”

“I’m going to sleep the whole three days away.” Hyukjae says with determination in his voice. “No friend will be able to drag me out of my house!” And that makes Donghae laugh.

They kept on walking, the place where they’ll take different turns already visible from their current location. Donghae plays with the hem of his shirt, side eyeing Hyukjae walking beside him. “Hyukjae ssi.” He speaks up, reaching to his pocket where his flip phone was. Hyukjae hummed, blinking down at a small insect resting on his shoes as he walked. Donghae made up his mind after a quick cheer in his mind. “Would you mind if I ask for your phone number?”

Hyukjae stops walking for a second, turning his head to face Donghae before he continued walking at a slower speed. He then turns his palm to Donghae. “Sure. Give me your phone.”

Throughout the three-day weekend, Hyukjae did become stubborn enough to not let his friends drag him outside, so, if he wasn’t reading, he was helping with the yard work, or texting Donghae who was at the other side of the town.