With shaky hands, Jeongyeon slowly approached the podium at which Jihyo stood. Unlike the instructors, the lead instructors weren't forced to wear the neon orange polo shirts. They were granted a bit more freedom, wearing what they wanted within reason. She was clad in a plaid, short-sleeved button-up and khaki shorts, a white visor shielding her eyes from the dazzling sun. She wasn't sure why she felt so nervous suddenly, but she shook the feeling away as Jihyo's warm introduction ended. As she looked at the group of half dazed young adults in front of her, the uneasy feeling she previously felt began to dissipate. These people were barely awake. She doubts anything she says will elicit a response from them and smiles to herself, thankful for their utter disinterest. Just as she is about to speak, her voice catches in . Standing no more than a few feet in front of her, Nayeon Im. For a brief moment, the two make eye contact. Jeongyeon knows she should look away, but she's in disbelief. The decision is made for her when Nayeon quickly looks down to her feet. Of all of the camps in all of the country, how did Jeongyeon end up here?

Jeongyeon forces a smile. "Thank you, Jihyo" she begins, "I'm excited to be here today with all of you. I know that everyone was very fond of Joohyun and I hope I can live up to the standards that she set. I look forward to working with you all." With that said, Jeongyeon steps aside and Jihyo takes her position once again in the center. Against her better judgment, Jeongyeon allows herself to take another glance at Nayeon who is now speaking in whispers with a dark-haired girl she recognized as Jennie. About her, she presumes. She wonders what they could be saying until the sound of screeching brakes cuts through. The buses have arrived and soon dozens of children would be filing from their doors. Now was definitely not the time to be getting lost in thoughts of her ex. Jihyo wraps up her speech and dismisses the instructors to their respective groups.

She, Jihyo and Jaebum step down from the small stage and Jihyo begins giving instruction. "Okay, Jaebum I want you to work with group A: Art, Writing and Performance, Jeongyeon you take group B: Vocalists/Rappers and Dancers, and I will handle the rest. At 9, the campers will be served breakfast, given they've settled in and at 9:30 all classes will begin. Sound good?" She ends on a chipper note. Jaebum nods then heads over to his designated group. Jeongyeon shoots a thumbs up and turns to go to her group as well. Before she has the chance to walk off, Jihyo lightly grabs her shoulder. She turns back around, the two of them face to face.

"Jeongyeon, I just want to say, I'm really happy to see you again." Jihyo looks at Jeongyeon with sincerity. She opens her arms for a hug and they lock in a somewhat awkward embrace. "Thanks for doing this," Jihyo says as they pull away.

"It's no problem," Jeongyeon says shifting her weight back and forth. They stand in silence for a moment, both unsure of what to say. Jihyo takes the silence as a cue to part ways, leaving Jeongyeon to tend to her group.

It had been three years since Jihyo had last seen Jeongyeon. They had met in grade school and quickly became inseparable, and it remained that way until they graduated. Jeongyeon opted to attend a university far from their hometown, while Jihyo studied locally. They promised to keep in touch and Jeongyeon swore she would be home for breaks and holidays throughout the year. This promise only lasted for a few months. As time progressed, they spoke less and less. What was nightly phone calls, updates about their adult lives, became sporadic messages and comments through social media. Although she was busy with her studies and work, Jihyo did her best to keep in contact with her friend. Her calls and messages often went unanswered. In the beginning, she chalked it up to Jeongyeon being busy. After all, this was their first year at university. But after Jeongyeon stopped returning home for holidays, Jihyo knew something had changed.

Jeongyeon didn't mean for it to be that way. She wholly intended to keep in touch with her friends and family back home, but it all changed when she met Nayeon. From the moment she laid eyes on the girl, sparks flew. She loved everything about her and it scared her to her core. It was the first time she had felt that way about anyone, let alone a woman. She didn't have a hard time hiding her relationship. As long as no one asked, she had nothing to worry about. It wasn't until Nayeon began to ask questions about her friends and family back home that it became an issue. She lived in constant fear of her family finding out, especially her father. She knew that no one would approve and slowly began to detach herself from her hometown. She stopped visiting. Stopped calling. When they asked about it, she simply told them she was busy with her studies.

Jeongyeon approached her group, her stomach churning with each step. Everyone else had already gotten started and she knew her stalling was only prolonging her inevitable meeting with Nayeon. Now or never. She thought, now only a few feet away from everyone.

"Hello, I'll be in charge of your group today. I hope that you all will assist me in getting familiar with everything." Jeongyeon stated firmly, forcing a smile. The other instructors stopped talking and looked to her now, including Nayeon. She could feel the girl's intense glare but chose not to face her. "While group A and the camp volunteers are unloading the busses, you all will help the campers to their cabins. Any questions?" She scanned the crowd, briefly pausing at Nayeon. When she does, she can feel her smile drop. She can see the pain, confusion anger and just about everything else in her face at that moment. She quickly turns away clearing . No one says a thing, only shaking their heads "no" to her posed question. "Alright, we'll get to it."

As the campers disembark from the busses, Jaebum and his group are given the arduous task of seating the animated children and taking roll. They're grouped by name and are given their room assignment. Once done, Jeongyeon and her group guide the children to their rooms, allowing them to drop off their luggage and get to know their roommates.

It is a very conscious effort on Jeongyeon's part to keep from acknowledging Nayeon. Though she can think of a million and one things to say to her, though this was neither the time or the place to say them. It wasn't that she wanted to ignore or avoid her, but that she didn't know where to start. The way things ended between the two was messy and unexpected. She didn't give the older woman much of a reason for breaking up. Even after Nayeon's countless attempts to salvage the relationship, Jeongyeon offered nothing. Instead, she ignored every text and call. She avoided any place she knew Nayeon would be and before long, they became strangers again. All of the feelings of guilt and regret worked their way back to the surface of Jeongyeon's mind, and there would be no way of avoiding her now.

After what seems like forever, all of the children are finally settled and having breakfast. Most of the instructors are busy in the classrooms preparing for the first round of classes. The lead instructors used this time to check over the schedules and ensure everything was going as planned. Jeongyeon leaves the dining hall and heads toward the main office, one of the few places she knew she could be completely alone. The only thing she needs is to clear her head, if only for a moment. When she agreed to work at the camp, she thought it may be a fun alternative to a typical summer job. The last thing she expected was to be forced to spend nearly two months with her ex.  

The dining isn’t far from the dining hall, but the path went directly past the classrooms. The likelihood of another awkward encounter with Nayeon would be increased significantly.  I can’t spend the next 6 weeks avoiding her, she thinks to herself. She pushes forward, eyes down on the dirt walkway. On either side, there are large classrooms, built much like the cabin like dorms. Large wooden structures, except each of the classrooms had high windows and sliding doors. She passes the first few classrooms without incident, breathing a sigh of relief when the main office comes into sight. As she rounds the corner, Jeongyeon hears an all too familiar voice: Nayeon. It emanates from a classroom on the far end of the walkway, past the main office. She pauses, against her better judgment, she walks past the office. She gets just close enough to be within listening range of the older girl’s conversation.

“Of all the people it could have possibly been, why the was it her, Jennie? I feel like this is some sort of cruel joke. Seriously. I haven’t heard from her for months, then bam she shows up here. What are the odds?” She knows the conversation is about her and knows it’s wrong to be listening in but doesn’t stop. “My intention for the summer was to get as far away from her as possible, you know. Just to not have to think of her at all.”

“Nayeon, her, okay? Just enjoy the summer. Besides, there are a lot of other cute girls here. She left you, remember?”

Jeongyeon can’t bring herself to listen any further. “ her.” Those two small words play on repeat in her mind, each time sounding worse than the last. She heads back to the main office feeling angry and hurt. The words were just, she deserved it if she were being honest with herself. Still, to hear it from someone else was no easy thing. Upon entering the office, there is a large main space with two doors on the left and one on the right. Jeongyeon enters the room on the left, the office which is shared by herself, and Jaebum. The room is small, a bit cramped. It’s a little dim, the main source of light being the window opposite the door. Everything in the room is a little worn. She sits in the office chair with a heavy sigh. , it too worn and a little lopsided. It creaks under her weight and rolls back away from the desk. She leans back in the chair staring up at the ceiling for a second before she fishes her phone from her pocket and thumbs through the gallery until she settles on a picture of her and Nayeon. The two of them are at a carnival. Jeongyeon is smiling brightly while Nayeon is pouting. She reminisces about that day.

It was one of the first dates they shared at the beginning of their relationship. Jeongyeon had won several games that day, beating Nayeon at many. She’d acquired several stuffed animals over the course of their date but refused to share them with the older who begged incessantly. Her intention was to give the girl the toys from the start, but she always found her most adorable when she’d pout. At the end of the night, she dropped Nayeon off at her dorm giving her all of the goodies won at the carnival and admitted she had only won them for her.

Jeongyeon chuckles bitterly staring at the picture. After the breakup, she’d purged nearly everything that reminded her of her former girlfriend excluding that picture. It still remains her favorite. “Jeongyeon?” She hears someone call from behind. The short-haired woman jumps, quickly locking the phone and putting down. She’d been so wrapped up in her thoughts she didn’t even notice anyone come in. As she turns, she’s met with Jihyo’s usual bubbly smile.

“Hey, what’s up?” Jeongyeon asks calmly, trying to sound nonchalant.

“You okay? You looked kinda spaced out.”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Well, that’s good.”

Jihyo sits down in the chair at the desk opposite Jeongyeon’s. She rolls over closer to Jeongyeon who turns to face her completely.

“I’m so glad you agreed to come. You have no idea!”

Jeongyeon smiles but doesn’t really respond.

“It’s been forever since we talked.”

“Yeah it’s uh, it’s definitely been a while.” Jeongyeon stretches back in the chair, still feigning indifference. Jihyo can sense that something is different, after all, they were friends for most of their lives.

“What happened with you anyway?” Jihyo averts her gaze, focusing more on the tiles of the ceiling than the girl in front of her. “You just stopped coming around.” She crosses her arms. “I talked to your sister and she said you seemed different the last time you were home. When I told her I was going to ask you to come to the camp, she was certain you’d decline. Did something happen?”

Jeongyeon scoffs, forcing a half smile. “That figures. Is this why you asked me to come here? To pry?”

Jihyo deflates, looks to Jeongyeon then down at her lap. “No…I just –”

Jeongyeon sits up, turning to face Jihyo fully.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that.”

“When I heard that you’d be back in town for the summer, I thought this would be the perfect way to see you again. I just missed you.” Jihyo says, her voice trailing at the end. She glances up at Jeongyeon who is now staring at the floor.

“I missed you too.”

There’s a beat of silence between them. Jeongyeon fiddles with her fingers still stuck in thought.

“Look, whatever it is that’s bothering you, just deal with it after the summer. We’re out here, one with nature and a bunch of awesome kids, no worries. Whether it’s something back home or at school, just leave it back there you know? Deal with it when you get back.” Jihyo says, watching Jeongyeon full of sympathy. She places her hand gently over Jeongyeon’s giving it a light squeeze. Jeongyeon nods and gives her a faint smile. They stand and hug. Jihyo looks over her once more before leaving the office.

Jeongyeon sits back down and sighs heavily. If Jihyo only knew.

A/N: Okay, so...I haven't updated this in over a year! I'm sorry to those who waited for an update, but also THANK YOU to everyone who has subscribed. I, like many others, suffer from some pretty bad depression. I've been a bit better these days. I am planning to update this fic at least once a week or once every two weeks. I also have a couple of others I've been working on, so please look forward to them! 

Thanks again for everyone who has subscribed. It means a lot!