“So, what do you think hyung?” Ryeowook asked him, his voiced more high pitched than usual with excitement. “Sounds like fun, right?”

Sungmin played with his mug, trying to rack his brain for a way to let down the younger in a way that wasn’t too harsh. But he made the mistake of looking up at Ryeowook’s face, glowing with a bright smile that made his eyes into crescents and the apples of his cheeks sit high on his face. He looked like a puppy who had the prospect of getting a treat. How could he say no to that?

“Who else is going?” Sungmin muttered as he took a sip of his warm milk.

Ryeowook had just explained to him how Donghae had invited them both to go on a camping trip. A trip that Donghae himself was invited to by an old friend who he still kept in contact with. It was quite an entanglement. Siwon, was it?

“Well Donghae hyung says it’ll be us 3, his friend Siwon,” (‘ah, so it was’ he thought briefly and continued sipping his drink) “and two other guys Siwon is taking with him. We would meet them at the campsite, since Siwon and his friends will already be in California for some other stuff. Donghae says it’ll be good for us to get out of this old coffee shop and take in some fresh air, see some new sights.” The way Ryeowook was looking at him made it obvious that he was thinking the same.

Sungmin gasped in offense. “This “old coffee shop” happens to be his workplace, not to mention my life, and I’m pretty comfortable spending my days here, thank you.”

Ryeowook sighed. “Hyung, you know that’s not what I mean-”

“SAY YES PLEASE HYUNG,” Sungmin heard from behind the counter, the one with with freshly baked pastries piled high behind glass displays. Donghae was giving him a puppy dog pout and Sungmin briefly wondered why all his friends seemed to resemble canines. Adorable canines.

“Get back to work Donghae,” Sungmin rolled his eyes at him and looked back to Ryeowook. “Who’s going to take care of the shop while I’m gone? It’ll fall apart without me!” he tried his last defense against going.

It wasn’t that Sungmin was a hermit who shied away from daylight and hated the outdoors. Or that he was too unfit to endure the miles of hiking that they would surely do. It’s just that he was the type of person who preferred to wake up in his comfortable bed, with his coffee waiting for him as well as his little coffee shop that he was very proud of. He was the exercise indoors type that liked solitude and quiet. While yes, the woods were quiet and beautiful, he would be going with 5 other people, 3 of which he didn’t even know. And was it worth all the dirt, bugs, and sacrificing of commodities?

Ryeowook gave him an obvious face. “You do have employees, you know that right? Some of which have had to fill in for you before. The shop is still here and it’ll be here when you get back.”

“Not for a whole week!”

“Now you’re just trying not to go, and it’s not working.” Ryeowook narrowed his eyes at the older.

Sungmin knew it was a weak argument before he even mentioned it but it was worth a shot. “Can’t blame a guy for trying,” he shrugged, finally sighing loudly and audibly in what Ryeowook knew was a clear sign of defeat.

“So, you better get packing hyung!” Ryeowook clapped cheerfully, a smile back on his face and even stronger than before. He was evil and manipulative and he knew it. “We leave in 2 days!”

Somewhere near the cash register Sungmin heard a quiet ‘yes’, where he imagined Donghae fist pumping with a sloppy grin on his face.

Sungmin had never been camping in his life. What was he even supposed to take? What kind of clothes would be appropriate? Would it be cold, even though it was summer, since it was in the mountains?

He just threw clothes into his suitcase he deemed more or less mountain-y, if that was a thing. A few plaid button ups were thrown in there, jeans, cotton t-shirts and longsleeves, sweats, underwear, some flannel sleepwear and even 2 pairs of shorts. Anything that seemed comfortable, not too hot or too cold just went in. He had to go out with Donghae to buy shoes that would be appropriate for hiking since what he had didn’t exactly qualify. They decided that they’d buy their camping gear when they got to the States, as well as their food so they wouldn’t carry anything unnecessary on the plane. So that was it; all he needed to pack was packed, he had talked to Sooyoung who had assured him that his cafe was in good hands and everything was set.

The ride from the airport to their hotel was long. Like 6 hours away long. He was thinking that staying at a hotel that, though far from the airport, was close to where they were going to camp (a place called Yosemite, apparently), was a smart idea so that the next morning they could just wake up, buy their stuff and meet everyone else at the campsite. But seeing as he was the one driving while Donghae snored contentedly in the front seat and Ryeowook also dozed off most of the ride, Sungmin was left alone with only his GPS for company.

As soon as they got to the hotel he didn’t even bother unloading the car because sleep was threatening to overtake him (but Ryeowook and Donghae couldn’t go to sleep without applying about 20 different face creams before bed, so they actually unloaded their luggage). He just took out his toothbrush and toothpaste and brushed his teeth, then snuggled under the downy covers letting the younger ones share a bed (because there had to be some advantage to being the hyung).

Sungmin fell asleep to Donghae and Ryeowook animatedly chatting about what they’ll be doing for the next week as they applied their facial toners and moisturizers.

“Why don’t you just take the whole aisle,” Sungmin growled, irritated and hungry.

They were at the store buying their camping supplies and hadn’t even eaten breakfast, which was Donghae’s idea in order to get them to speed up their gear buying process so they could eat. Which wasn’t working since Ryeowook was examining the difference between one flashlight or the other while their cart was piling high with items.

Ryeowook ignored him and continued to try to make out the difference from the pictures, since his english was poor.

Their shopping cart made it obvious they were first time campers. There were 3 sleeping bags, camping chairs, mini soap bottles, batteries, different lights, insect repellent, backpacks, first aid kit, one tent (“Siwon said they have 2 and we can share” Donghae had insisted) and plenty of food including trail mix, granola bars, crackers, bread, fresh fruit, peanut butter, sports drinks, and bottled water to name a few things.

Sungmin waited 10 more seconds before he plucked both flashlights from Ryeowook’s hand and threw them in the cart, pushing it along towards the checkout. He was just eager to get the stuff in the car and be on their way to the campsite so that he could see who he would be spending the next week with.

Yosemite was beautiful.

The long, winding road was actually enjoyable since it was lined with thick green foliage as far was the eye could see and the air smelled like sweet pine. Sungmin could already feel his body start to relax as he rolled down the windows, breathing the fresh air in deeply. They went through a lengthy tunnel before they emerged again, tall rock mountains on both sides and green pines and meadows everywhere. The river was gushing clear water, crashing against rocks with its strong current. He could hear his dongsaengs ‘wow’s and ‘so beautiful’s every now and then and he wholeheartedly agreed. It was one of the most beautiful places Sungmin had ever seen. He found himself looking forward to the next 7 days.

After they entered the park they still had another hour or so to go before they arrived to the campsite, as whoever had planned this trip chose one of the farthest campgrounds from the valley. Meaning more nature and less civilization. So Sungmin tried to look at the bright side, at how much more quiet the sites would be and hopefully it would be even more beautiful than the part of the park that they had already seen.

On the way to the campsite the road kept twisting and it was taking all Sungmin had not to get sick, and focus on driving slowly and safely. The green flashed on both sides of the road swiftly as they made their way higher and higher in elevation, the windows of the car rolled down a bit so they could smell and feel the fresh air. Outside the