[A/N: Listen to I'll Remember of Yesung while reading!]

“Man! I should've... decided... earlier!” Jongwoon panted in between words as he slowly walks through the long rocky trail.

Out of all the most random suggestions his younger brother blurted out last night—which he originally just shrugged—this was the least thing he wanted to do but suddenly decided just this morning which wasn't like him at all. Thus, the regret of starting late.

Usually if he's stressed out; he'll go to cafes, stay there for an hour or two while he endlessly scrolls through his phone and/or take photos of the food he ordered, the place and his face—he just love selcas.

He works out sometimes too. By work out it only means running on a treadmill at home. He really doesn't like to work out if it's for the purpose of bulking his body. He's pretty contented with his built. He just works out because it keeps him from gaining weight aside from not eating much—you can tell from this that he can be really self-conscious. And sometimes working out serves as a distraction for him too but what he did this time of crisis is hike at one of the most beautiful mountains few hours away from the city. There’s a lot nearer but it was the first and intentionally the only result he saw when he briefly searched through the internet the previous night before tossing the idea aside and continuously listening to his younger brother’s numerous suggestions.

He's in this phase again where he just feels anxious about everything. He thought he needed to get his self together before he officially goes back to work, not wanting to be obvious about his difficulties with his colleagues.

Usually, if he’s granted a long leave, he’ll have a long week vacation out of the country to unwind but not this time. He couldn’t get himself into arranging the necessaries because he’s really distracted. That’s why he happened to have a spontaneous decision as the last day of his long vacation is nearing its end.

It's winter but hiking at this time of the day is still annoying for him. He can't blame anyone but himself for impulsively—again, this wasn't like him—deciding late though. He'd put sunblock on his face but he still thinks it's not enough.

The sun! Ugh! I need to take care of this face or I’ll be damned—he thought while stopping and rummaging through his things to get the sunblock and put a handful amount on it.

It hasn't been a while since he started trekking. He was worried earlier about the crowd but good thing that it rained pretty heavy last night and there's literally no one around in this mountain except maybe for him.

“They must’ve thought it'll rain heavily again. Well, they thought wrong because the sun is really out there shining brightly and burning my face right now.” he mumbled to himself while putting the sunblock back in his bag.

He started walking again and asked himself, “Why did I decide to do this again?”

Maybe because of all the things his younger brother mentioned, this is the first thing he'll never have the chance to do in the future if he will not do it today or so he thought. His instinct did most of the decision making, really. Yes, this was too sudden but he felt like this will lead to something or at least help him straighten his mind for a while. He seriously didn't have an idea and just went with his impulsiveness.

“Also, why did I take the longest trail? I don't think I'll reach the peak on time with this pace. I overestimated myself for doing this. Tch.” he hissed then stopped, looked up and down the trail while resting his hands at both sides of his waist.

“Well, I’ve already started it. There's no going back now.” he snorted. He then continued to walk up in the mountains and started focusing on getting to the summit. This is a six-hour trek after all. That doesn't include yet the time going back.

“Now that I'm here though, maybe I can use this opportunity to either think about things or just clear my mind for a while.” he said optimistically while increasing his speed.

Little did he know at the other side of the mountain, there's also a solo hiker—Claudia.

It's pretty shady in this trail now unlike earlier when the morning sun was on her side. Poor Jongwoon who took the side that faces the sun in its hottest state—noon.

The tall mountain is covering the sun for Claudia now—lucky her—so from this side you can really feel the chilly weather of the country. She thought that the hikers on the other side must be pretty pissed right now. Well it's a good thing that she did her research. She's a fan of hiking after all. One thing that doesn't match that hobby is her overall physical endurance which is really funny for her every time she thinks about it. But she hasn’t thought about that for a while until now. She overestimated herself that she’ll do well today, she even started late because of that but coming to a fail soon because she hasn’t even arrived half of the mountain yet when it’s already afternoon.

Claudia likes adventures and any outdoor activities that she finds exciting although she's really a weakling for someone who's interested in all of that. Since she only hikes occasionally—last time was years ago—her body is still not used to tiring activities. She hates exercising; jogging or going to the gym but will do anything for an adventure even if it's exhausting.

She took the shortest but hardest trail. The slope is steeper than the other side as she remembered reading from the trail guide. And now that she thinks about it, regardless of which trail she takes, she'll get to the peak around the same time.

This is what you get for overestimating yourself, Claudia. I hate myself. Ugh! —she clicked her tongue with a frown on her face.

It's passed three in the afternoon and the two hikers from two different trails still have a long way to go before reaching the summit.

Jongwoon's starting to lose patience. He wanted to give up and go home but his subconscious is demanding him to finish this. He grunts but still proceeded with the tree-laden part of the mountain.

“Well thankfully there are trees here now.” he sighed in relief.

He saw a log and slowly sat down on it then took out a large tumbler from his backpack and drank like he hasn't been drinking water for days.

Crossing his stretched legs while his eyes are closed and his head tilted back, he rested there for a bit as he let the wind cools his heated face.

Claudia on the other hand still continued to walk though slower than before—she thinks it's better than taking five over and over. She's aware of the rest house at the summit that some hikers spend the night if they're too tired to trek back. And now she thought she may have to do the same as she continuously walks. It's a good thing that tomorrow's Sunday—no work—though she really doesn't have to worry about Mondays anymore.

“I just hope no one's going to be there when I arrive.” she said with a hopeful tone.

“I should've doubled check the choice of trails. This seems easy but it sure is lengthy! Maybe the other side is better. Ugh!” Jongwoon grunted while stomping his feet.

He's used to walking and running so this should be a piece of cake for him but the scorching sun is draining his energy and somehow making him feel sleepy. The weather is not helping ease the sun’s heat at all. He only feels relaxed when he passes through some forested path which provides a cool atmosphere, giving him a temporary escape from the scalding sun.

More than three hours have passed now and they're almost reaching the peak.

Claudia blocked the yellow-orange sunrays from hitting her eyes while she continuously, slowly, struggle from climbing. Sunrays—sign that she's about to reach the top of the mountain she's been climbing for long hours now. all did was pant the whole time and now it's finally able to stretch a smile. She suddenly got all worked up and ran to the peak while sighing aloud. She closed her eyes while continuously smiling, feeling the slapping wind in her wide-spread arms just like those cliché scenes in the movies. But she doesn't care because for all she knows, she has the mountain all by herself until tomorrow or so she assumed.

This is the first time she'll be literally alone for a whole day ever since she moved here and started working last four years. She managed to treat herself a year ago once but aside from that, the whole four years of staying in the country, she only spent her weekends at their dorm or around it because she doesn't want to spend so much money unless she's able to save enough to be carefree like this.

“Finally!” she screams in relief while looking closer at the sunset. She sat at the end of the cliff and thought of how she got here, all the things she went through. I did well, didn't I? —Claudia thought to herself while smirking. Even if it's not much for others, she feels pretty proud of herself for holding up until today. She smiled and sighs in relief that starting from now, she'll be able to do this often though may not be from here anymore.

Claudia finally collected herself from dazing. She got up and walked towards the rest house or the cabin as how it looked like—the traditional ones. She opened the door and inspects the interior.

“Looks like it hasn't been abandoned for too long. Maybe two days ago? I only have to do a few dustings.” she said to herself while smiling sheepishly.

The sky's about to be enveloped by darkness any minute now but Jongwoon hasn't arrived the summit yet—he blames himself of course for napping. Although he hasn't climbed the top yet, from his trail, he can still witness the sunset. It's very pretty in his eyes it made him walk slowly as he stares at his left. Little did he know, he's just a few steps away from the peak. When he looked up, the lengthy rocky trail finally ended. He gathered all his remaining energy and ran all the way to the middle of the summit. The last step he did was almost like a jump then threw his backpack on the ground. He lowered his upper body and supported himself by resting his hands on his lap while catching his breath.

“Well that's one hell of a hike.” He then straightened his back and stared into nothingness, completely zoned out while breathing heavily.

Claudia on the other-hand just made the cabin clean.

“They did a pretty good job in maintaining this place.” she told herself while taking out a futon bedding and a comforter in a large built-in cabinet at a corner of the living room then spreads out a light thin blanket she brought on it as a final touch.

“I guess I won't be eating tonight then. Well that's one way to lose weight!” she exclaimed then laughed. She has snacks actually but chose to save it for the next day instead.

Claudia then finds her way to the back of the cabin to clean herself before she decides what to do next; wonder around or just go straight to sleep.

Outside of the cabin, Jongwoon snapped back into reality and studied his surroundings. It just got dark now and the crescent-moon’s brightness is the only light that’s illuminating the whole area.

He grabbed his backpack and immediately walked towards the cabin as soon as he saw it.

“I may need to spend the night here for now.” he declared.

He used his phone's flashlight and opened the door of the cabin then carefully made his way inside. When he saw the only room in the rustic place, he immediately went inside and put down his bag.

Surprised at the already made bedding in the room, he shrugged his shoulders and thanked whoever prepared it mentally then opened his bag to prepare the things he needed to wash up.

At the back of the cabin, Claudia turned off the lights inside the comfort room and used her phone's flashlight to see the path going back. When she left for the comfort room earlier, the sun was just about to set but now that she's back, the whole cabin is completely dark.

“Oh, that's right. I didn't turn it on.” she whispers to herself.

She didn't notice the very dim light inside the bedroom because she quickly went to find the switch for the living room's light.

Jongwoon just finished preparing and finally stood up. When he slid the door open, the dark living room suddenly lit up dimly which made him almost jumped from getting startled. He looked around and saw a young lady turn around who seemed to be the one who have switched the lights on.

They stared into each other's eyes for a few seconds, letting the sudden situation sink in first.

Claudia finally broke the silence by greeting the other person—a man that looks familiar. “Um, he–hello?” she stumbled while bowing slightly.

Jongwoon didn't know what to say or do at first and just stood there in silence for almost half a minute before finally blurting the word 'Hi' while returning the slight bow and slowly raising his right hand beside his face as a greeting.

The yellow lightbulb is very dim, only bright enough to see the surroundings visibly that's why Claudia failed to recognize the man across the room given the distance though she knew he's familiar.

She spoke while slowly walking closer. “Are you a hiker too?” Finally getting a better look at him. “Will you sp–” she wasn’t able to finish her question because she just recognized him.

Claudia’s legs weakened. She let out a short and quick gasp which gave Jongwoon a clue that the young lady knows him now that she just lost her composure she had a while ago, totally looking shocked with what she just saw.

“Yes, I will spend the night here if that's what you're about to ask.” he tried answering naturally as he didn't want to freak her out given how already flustered she looks to him at the moment.

“I assume you thought you're alone too. I can see now how the bedding inside was made.” he tried to say his words naturally but with gradual increase of volume to his voice because the younger lady seems to be not listening attentively. She looks like she’s studying his face.

Claudia slapped herself mentally and cleared . She cannot believe who’s she’s seeing but she needed to be calm—It’s rude to stare, Claudia.

She raised both of her eyebrows and talked enthusiastically, “Yes, I–I made the bed. Do you perhaps–um, want to sleep in there? I'll just–uh, um, sleep here in the living room.”

“No, no, no!” Jongwoon refused repeatedly while waving both of his hands at her, gesturing he didn't want to.

“I'm sure there are more here