The next day, I went into town and bought a baseball bat and glow-in-the-dark stickers at the local superstore. It was the only one I’d seen for miles--not that I’d explored the town very much--and the sighting of several mom and pop shops lining the streets over the commercial chain stores I was used to seeing in Seoul was not surprising. I’d chosen to come to the university as an escape from city living and an opportunity to be next to nature.

I was really testing out how close to nature I actually wanted to be.

With my new supplies and the good ol’ metal flashlight in hand, I set out into the woods every night for the next two weeks. I carefully marked my way with the stickers, going further and further in each time, getting more aligned with the flora. 

It was amazing to see my progress, really, and I was amazed to realize I was slowly becoming acquainted with the dizzying paths of the woods. Each night, my senses had become more adept at finding the next sticker--my waypoints--and navigating through the dense trees and underbrush. It had become easier to tell that the land North and West sloped upward to the hill the university was on, and that the trees were more tightly packed the further in I got. It became natural to find the exit at the end of my excursions, and it was no sweat to reach the clearing with the fallen tree. 

I was proud of myself, to say the least.

In the meantime, I was making progress with the wolf pack during the day. I had to get closer to them first in order to investigate. What could I say? I was curious. I needed to know if the wolf I met in the forest was one of the boys Sangmi sat with at lunch. It was bigger than just her now. 

Besides, I also needed to figure out what was up that night in the first place. Why had the wolves felled that tree? Were they really scaring off those construction workers to save their territory?

These were all questions I felt needed answers. At the core of my very being, I itched to know. The fact that I couldn’t figure out the solutions to all my problems with the snap of my fingers taunted me, and good sleep was hard to come by. Those days, I was kept awake by the face of the boy who stood at the edge of the woods, his words echoing in my head, holding the gate to pleasant dreams and restful sleep firmly shut.

So I braved on.

It was two days after confirming the truth from Sangmi that I made an appearance in front of the pack. I grabbed a full tray of food from the cafeteria and headed out to them.

“Um, excuse me?” I spoke out shyly. I was grateful Sangmi noticed me and got the table’s attention for me. Ten pairs of eyes looked at me expectantly.

“I wanted to apologize for my behavior the other day,” I said firmly, really meaning my words, “I was jealous Sangmi had found other friends and uncomfortable you were all guys. I’m sorry if I offended anyone. I hope you’ll accept my apology and give me another chance!”

I bowed as best I could, the hair that escaped my ponytail falling into my food. I didn’t look up for several moments, until I heard a voice.

“Oh, it’s fine,” a boy spoke. He appeared stately, maybe the leader of their pack, I mused. His black hair swept into his eyes as he smiled softly. “You didn’t need to apologize. We were the ones who were mean to you and should apologize. Isn’t that right, Sehun?” the boy grimaced, eyeing the one I very much recognized as Sehun. 

Sehun begrudgingly stood up, never meeting my eyes, and bowed his head. “I’m sorry, Yeonhee-ssi. I didn’t mean any harm,” he muttered. The rest of the table laughed. 

“Really, please forgive Sehun,” the stately boy spoke again, “He’s the youngest of all of us and he’s too mischievous for his own good. I’m Joonmyun, the second-oldest. It’s hard to keep all of these boys in line, but I’m sure if you get to know us better, you’ll warm up to us.” He smiled with his eyes, and I nearly swooned. 

Come to think of it, all these boys held very handsome statures. I thought back to the boy by the woods. He would have fit right in with him.

“Okay!” I cheered, smiling. “Let’s start over. I’m Im Yeonhee, first year, and I’m Sangmi’s best friend. I hope I’ll get to know all of you well.”

Sangmi clapped, sunshine pouring out of her beaming smile. “Yay! I’m so glad you came back! Come sit, come sit. Your food’s getting cold,” she said, eagerly waving me over to sit between her and... Baekhyun.

I grimaced inwardly but swallowed my pride. Baekhyun wasn’t that bad, according to Sangmi, and I had to give him the benefit of the doubt. I was starting over with these people after all, and if I was ever going to solve any of my problems, I definitely needed to be on each of their good sides.

“Hi Baekhyun. It’s good to see you,” I said, wedging my jean-covered hips into the seat. 

“What’s so good about it?” he retorted, and I deflated, pursing my lips.

“Hey,” came a voice on Baekhyun’s other side, “Stop being such a and play nice. God. You’re just as immature as Sehun.” I recognized the boy as a kid who had been extremely quiet last time. His tiny, hamster-like features made him appear young, but I guessed with his attitude toward Baekhyun, he had to be up there in age. “I’m Minseok,” the boy said, turning to me, “the oldest of this group. Could you guess?” he asked cheekily.

I bowed to him and meekly asked, “What year are you?”

He flashed me a knowing smile. “Fourth year,” he answered, and my jaw must have dropped to far down to be acceptable, because Baekhyun shoved it back up with his elbow.

“Oh. Um. Well, it’s nice to meet you, sunbae,” I said, bowing again. He was