We arrive at the final train station, and have lunch first at the local eatery. The quiet streets already give the feeling of stark difference of our city life, and the life we’re about to have for one month. Uncle Yong arrived a few minutes after we finished eating, and he’s a smiley man in his fifties with chubby cheeks and bright red baseball hat stuck on his head. The hat color matches the red pickup truck he’s driving, and the girls are going to sit on the front while the boys will sit on the back with the bags.

          “…last year, it was packed! 10 people, of course… So I was surprised when Jinho mentioned there are only four people.” Uncle Yong says as we go through the road towards the village which just gets farther and farther from civilization. “I wonder why they decreased the number so much?”

          I look at the yellow rice field along the road, and contemplate whether to tell him or not. I heard that the actual reason is because in some villages, last year some seniors ditched their activities to go home or to drink in nearby towns, causing disturbances and tarnished school reputation.

          “We have more locations this year, so there are fewer students for each village.” Yumi says. It’s not wrong, but we all know the truth behind this. But do having smaller groups guarantee more sense of responsibility, though? Well, as for my group… Yumi looks like she can’t even hit a doll, Jinho won’t do anything weird with a new girlfriend, and… I glance at the rearview mirror, and see Sehun sitting on the tailgate, hair brushed up by the wind. He’s serenely looking around, and I look away from the mirror. He looks a bit cold on the outside, but we shouldn’t judge someone by their cover, no?

          Houses start to appear, replacing the constant trees and greens we have been seeing for almost an hour. I spot an area near the mountains which is filled with blooming cherry blossoms, and Uncle Yong smiles seeing me and Yumi getting excited. He promises to bring us there next time, and as we drive inside the village, more people start to be seen. There are a few traditional houses, but the residences here are mainly simply square with dark-colored rooftops.

          Since it’s spring, the trees decorate the atmosphere with warm colors and there are some houses that add the festivity with flowers they grow. There are not many cherry blossom trees like we saw a few moments ago, but some yellow, white and purple small flowers can be seen.

          Uncle Yong stops in front of a medium-sized house with carefully trimmed grass on their vast front yard and short wooden gate, and as soon as the engine stops, a grandmother and grandfather pop out from the opened front door and walk towards the gate. The grandmother gives us a big smile. She has curly grey hair and is dressed in brown quilt jacket and long pink skirt, and the grandfather is bald, bundled up in a thick black jacket. “Aigoo, you’ve arrived! Come in!” the grandmother makes big hand gestures as she gets closer.

          We all look at each other awkwardly, then at Jinho the leader. “Hello, we’re from Jaeyi University, who will spend a month here.” Jinho greets, and we bow.

          “Yes, yes. You can just call me Grandma, and my husband Grandpa. The girls are going to live here, and the guys at Yong’s, right?” Grandma points to a smaller house right at the side of this house, just separated by a block of empty land. ”So here’s the thing. You all are going to eat your three meals a day here, alright? Yong can’t even take care of himself, I can’t let these healthy young men fall sick under his care.” Grandma tells us, and Uncle Yong sheepishly looks away. Uncle Yong isn’t married, and he lives alone.

          “She’s right. I survive through side dishes she gives me, you two should come here every meal time.” he says to the guys.

          The men help loading our things inside Grandma’s house first, then they leave for Uncle Yong’s house to put their stuff.

          “How old are you guys?” Grandpa asks as we settle down on the porch after a tour on the house.

          “We’re 22.” I answer, and he nods slowly.

          “Exactly 50 years younger than me and my wife.” he chuckles. Grandma comes from inside bringing snacks, and sits with us. Some time later, Jinho and Sehun comes with Uncle Yong, and they join us at the porch. The elders let us enjoy the breeze, and move inside to talk. The four of us are chewing on apples while looking at the silent but beautiful neighborhood.

          “About what we’re going to do starting tomorrow…” Jinho starts the talk. “I was thinking about how we should do it. since we need to help the villagers at work, teach at schools, visit some people and so on, going in four might be too many.”

          “So are we going to go in groups or two or something?” Yumi asks.

          “I think so. I’m contemplating about how we should separate the groups… Whether we should be with the same gender or pair up…” Jinho drags his tone.

          I silently sigh. The pairing would be just as obvious as the gender based one, no?

          “So I’m going with Nana?”

          I turn my head to see Sehun. Suddenly? He looks at me matter-of-factly for a second, then at Jinho. “I mean, for safety reasons, I think it would be best to have a guy in the group. And you two…” Sehun waves a hand towards Jinho and Yumi. “Well. So I’m with Nana, right? It would be exciting.”

          The first two syllables of my name, shin-na, literally means exciting, and Sehun grins as I give him an awkward laugh. Jinho and Yumi laughs too, and I just look at the floor. He’s kind of straightforward. “Then, it’s decided. Jinho and Yumi, me and Sehun.” I conclude. “So what are going to do tomorrow?”

          “Going to the market or teach at the local kindergarten. What do you want to do?” Jinho offers.

          “Oh, I want to go to the kindergarten!” I instantly answer. I look at Sehun, but he looks frozen. “Why?”

          “No… Alright. Let’s do what you want.” Sehun coolly agrees. I shrug, and jump around on my spot. I like kids, so I’m happy with this choice.

          We separate to rest, and in the bedroom we tidy up as Yumi smiles to herself. “Aigoo, you look so happy.” I sneer. Yumi pats my upper arm and laughs.

          “But you’re okay with that, right?” she asks.

          “Of course.” I answer, trying to sound lively. “Not like—we’re on bad terms or anything…” I remember what happened on the briefing, and I grit my teeth a bit.

          “Maybe you and Sehun would end up—?”

          I furrow my brows, and lightly throw a piece of towel towards Yumi. She giggles, and raises her eyebrows. “Nothing’s impossible, Nana.”

*

          The next morning, Sehun and I walk to the kindergarten on the west side of the village, and on the first five minutes we meet people and endlessly introduce ourselves. We start to go through a narrow footpath along a corn field, and it’s so quiet we can hear the wind.

          “You know about them, right?” I ask.

          “Who?” Sehun asks back.

          “Yumi and Jinho.”

          Sehun scoffs. “They can’t be more obvious than that.”

          I laugh silently. Right… Basically we had no choice. We arrive at the local kindergarten, and meet the one and only teacher there. She’s very delighted to have extra help there as she needs to take care of nine children all day long by herself.

          “…we heard you were coming so I put nametags on the kids.” the teacher says after she explains a few ground rules. “They’re ranging from four to six-year olds, and some of the parents work at the town so they come to pick the kids a bit late.”

          The kids look at us either strangely or in fascination, and I approach them joyfully. They’re all so cute. “Maybe you want to have names as teachers?” the teacher asks.

          “Well… I think my name is easy enough.” I say as I write ‘Nana Teacher’ on the nametag.

          “What about you, Sehun-ssi?”

          “I—” Sehun looks clueless, and a kid named Hyunwoo who follows us since our arrival suddenly jumps. “Cat!”

          Sehun looks at the kid, confused. “Cat? Why am I a cat?”

          The kid climbs to a short table next to us, and touches his eyes. “Because your eyes look like my kitten’s! Kitty kitty!” Hyunwoo tries to touch Sehun’s chin, and I raise my eyebrows. “He looks like my kitten when he’s mad!”

          Sehun shoots a look at Hyunwoo, and lightly blocks hishand. “Ya—”

          I glare at him, reminding the no-rude-word policy the teacher taught us. He quickly closes his mouth, and the teacher laughs it off. “Our Hyunwoo likes animals. So, Kitty Teacher?”

          Sehun gives up, and nods. “Alright, maybe the kids would like it.”

          The morning is spent with energetic activities such as singing and dancing, and at one point we need to stand up, form a circle, and hold each other’s hands. Sehun and I are standing side by side and I hesitantly glance at him.

          Sehun reaches out his arm, but when I see it, he’s only offering his pinky finger. What? Is he serious? He doesn’t want to hold hands that much? How about the kid beside him? Is he holding the kid’s hand or not?

          I try to knock some sense into myself. Why am I making a fuss out of this? I hold his pinky finger with my thumb and index finger, and we start dancing around. He has no energy on his finger—no attempt to keep it tangled or whatever.

          I try to focus on the song, and blink repeatedly. I’m being weird right now.