After the call with Hyojin, I went back to the bonfire. Taehyung had left to find something to fill his stomach. Sandwiches and porridge was not enough for him, he said so in the brief text sent to me, and asked if I needed food too. I told him to grab me something that came in small portion and sat down on the same chair I had left minutes ago, waiting for him. 

I was humming to a few tunes on my phone when a shadow appeared from the other side of the bonfire. It turned out to be Juyeon. 

“You're back.” 

I said, taking off my earbuds. Juyeon responded me with a tired smile and came to sit on the empty chair next to me. Then it got awkwardly silent between us. Of all the one-on-one conversations I'd ever had with Juyeon, none was about him and Hongsol themselves. Also, they had never publicized that their relationship was romantic. So I couldn't ask him about what happened at the music stage or simply reassure with him that Hongsol was still here.

Instead, I went with the casual topic.

“Juyeon ah, are you hungry?” - I reached to the table beside and grabbed the thermal bottle. - “Taehyung left you some porridge.”

“Thanks noona.”

I passed him the thermal bottle and a paper cup. Juyeon silently poured the porridge to the cup and slowly took a spoonful of it. 

“I thought you guys were still at the stage.” - He said, eyes gluing to the porridge cup. - “I came back there but didn't see anyone.”

“The latter part was not so good. And Taehyung got hungry so soon. So we left early.”

That's a total lie, which I needed to align with Taehyung as he returned. How could I tell Juyeon that we left the moment he disappeared with the girl because Hongsol wasn't so happy about that? 

Juyeon slightly raised his eyebrows in acknowledgment, a corner of his lips curved into a smirk. He commented, taking in a slurping spoon of warm porridge.

“That sounds totally like Taehyung hyung.”

“Is he usually like that when you guys go camping?”

“Most of the time, yes. He likes exploring foods at camping sites although the choices are often limited.”

“Oh yeah?.” - I cracked up at the revelation. - “So that explains why he always wants to be the first to taste Hongsol's new recipes.”

Smooth transition. So smooth that Juyeon paused a second to ponder, as if he was arguing with himself to ask me something or not. 

“Speaking of Hongsol. . .” - I said, trying to look for a sign that he was paying attention. - “She's still here, for your information.”

“I know.” - replied Juyeon, putting the porridge cup down at his lap level. - “Actually, that's the only thing I could get to know.”

“Sure that she couldn't go anywhere this late, eh?”

“Yeah. . .” - He smiled sheepishly.

“Are you OK, Juyeon ah?”

I sat up and scooted my chair to face him. His shoulders tensed up as he pursed his lips, still hesitating about speaking to me. He might be uncomfortable with sharing, that's totally fine with me. But having considered Juyeon - and Hongsol - my friends, I didn't want to leave them alone in frustration like this at all.

“Juyeon ah.” - I reassured him. - “If you're not fine about anything, just let me and Taehyung know. Somehow we could help. . .”

“That girl you guys met at the stage. . .” - He finally spoke up, intervening me. - “. . . was my girlfriend at university. We broke up before I joined Purple Line, that's why Taehyung hyung didn't know her.”

“Alright. I understand breaking up isn't easy.” - Saying so suddenly reminded me of Seulgi and her recent breakup with Jimin. She didn't look like hurt but I doubt it was just a mask. The same could be applied to Juyeon. - “But what's with her that bothered you?”

At this point of time, Hyojin's attempt to stuff my brain with his non-stop lessons about coaching finally proved to be effective. Specifically, I needed to narrow down the topic and helped Juyeon see the pain point before giving him any advice or helping him finding out a solution himself. And yet, another crucial part alongside method was the coachee's attitude. In this case, it was how much open Juyeon would be to my questions.

Luckily, he showed trust in me. He grinned crookedly.

“You must have known that I have a crush on Hongsol, right?” 

I just hummed. As if I had never heard it from Taehyung. Yet Juyeon went on, taking my reaction as a confirmation.

“I've had a hard time deciding what to do with this feeling. I just. . . I just don't want to end this friendship with her if things don't work out. I don't want to repeat the same mistake with Bona.”

“So you mean you stopped befriending that girl after breaking up?”

That might be an invasive question but Juyeon didn't mind. He just confirmed with a nod and added.

“. . . And running away from her ever since. I was so childish then. She has been blaming on me for that. . . Which I deserved. Totally.”

His words made sense and didn't make sense at the same time. It was not easy to remain friends with your ex - I'm sure even Kim Hyojin is still so awkward to bump into any of his former girlfriends - but cutting off all connections and interactions was a bit too much, I guess.

But I, with limited experience in the romance field, couldn't come up with any advice. That's the difficult part of being a coach, according to Hyojin. Even though you are not supposed to give solutions, you need to switch roles between a coach who asks and a mentor who advises. Therefore, experience and knowledge plays an important role here. 

I slightly patted his sagged shoulders. The charming Lee Juyeon had never looked so pathetic like this.

“Listen Lee Juyeon. I have no right to judge or advise you about your personal life but I used to have the same thought as you.”

“What thought?”

“Afraid of losing friendship if moving forward.”

“With Taehyung hyung?”

I rolled my eyes. He still had the nerve to tease me now? 

“Geez.” - I glared at Juyeon. - “Not Taehyung. It was a close brother.”

And just like that, I started telling him about my crush on Hyojin five years ago. Honestly, I didn't know why I did so. Not that I thought my own story would comfort him, sharing with someone who was in the same position like I used to just felt so relieved. And somehow my heart, which minutes ago was still filled with jealousy and disappointment upon finding out Seulgi, instead of any unknown new girlfriends that Hyojin had dated, started caring for him, got lighter as I shared with Juyeon.

“But you know” - I ended my ranting with a matter-of-fact shrug - “There's this thing called hindsight bias. You may look at what happened and then said I knew it all along or I should've done this or that. But it because the regret would be always there. So I just decided to be happy for whatever he does. And hence, I took ownership of my decision.”

If the person listening to me was Taehyung, he would crack up hysterically and teased me for being too academic. Yet it was Juyeon with me, listening carefully in silence. The air around us almost became static again, had Juyeon not suddenly broken into a tiny smirk.

“But noona ah. . . What if that guy felt the same way for you?” - He looked up at me - “I mean. . . you retreated your feeling to keep your friendship but what if. . . he liked you too?”

I laughed. It all goes back to a vicious cycle of making decisions and then regretting it as you reflect on the possibilities. I made a fist and threw an invisible punch to his direction.

“Geez. . .First, it was all in past tense. And second, you should ask yourself that hypothesis, not me.”

***

I woke up to the vibrating sound of my alarm. It was just half past six in the morning and it must be still dark outside. Next to me, Hongsol was curling up inside her blanket, breathing steadily. I hoped she got a sound sleep last night. And I hoped Juyeon could soon find a way to explain his thoughts and hence, ease her discomfort. He was quite frustrated of himself, at least that was my conclusion after the talk with him last night.

But let's put aside that story. Today's highlight would be the exhibition at Pyeonghwa, which I was going to take the first bus departed from the nearby station to get there on time for its opening. Yes, that was the plan. Even if it meant getting up this early and walking a rather long distance to the station. 

I swiftly grabbed my backpack and scrambled on my knees to climb out of the tent. Glancing at the guys' tent where the light was still off inside, I guessed Taehyung and Juyeon were also deep in their sleep. Having carefully zipped our tent's entrance, I stood up, wore the backpack and typed a text to our group chat as I started walking away.

“Guys, there's emergency at home so I need to leave early. I'm sorry. Enjoy the morning then.”

I tapped the Send button and immediately found my head bump into something going in the opposite direction the moment I took the next step. Spitting a curse, I looked up and almost jumped up to see Taehyung, wrapping himself in a big padded coat. He was frowning at me, thin layer of air emitted from his lips as he spoke.

“You didn't say that you would be up for dawn.”

Dawn? 

Right. He meant watching the sunrise, which should be part of the agenda but we had overlooked it, thinking that it would be too tired to get up early after a long night partying.

Of course, I wasn't here for it. 

I took a step aside. 

“I've just texted you guys. I had to leave. Emergency family stuff.”

He did the same movement and hence, stopped me in my track.

“Really? But even so, it's not safe to go alone at this hour. Let me drive you home.”

“You don't need to, really. It's only two kilometer to the station.”

“Even if it's only two kilometer, I'm still not OK to let you go alone, much less waiting alone and taking early bus alone. Wait here, I'll get the car key.”

I grabbed the back of his arm to stop him right away as he was about to walk past me. He got good will but it was unnecessary for me right now.

“Thank you, Taehyung-ssi. I can handle it. And you need to drive the kids home.”

Taehyung paused a second, as if that fact had just dawned on him. Turning around to face me, he then used his left hand to grab my hand, which was still on his right. A smirk became visible on his face as his signature catchphrase caught my ears in his morning husky voice.

“If the kids is your concern, I got this idea. . .”

“Wait. . .” - My brows furrowed. - “I know that look.”

His grip on my hand tightened as he pulled me into movement towards the camping site entrance.

“Let's go back to the city together.”

I knew it. Whenever he said that catchphrase, there would be something crazy pending to happen. First he suggested to record a show without any prior experience. Next he took me go stargazing. That could be the only exception, though. Then he invited me to the camping festival and the list went on. Previously, my reaction was rather mild and quite positive. But this time, I totally objected his idea.

“Can't you just stop messing things up?” - I grimaced, trying to catch up with his pace due to the significant difference in height between us. - “How are you going to explain this to Juyeon and Hongsol?” 

“You're the one that overthinks.” - He said, mischief laced in each word. - “I will just let Juyeon drive Hongsol home. Bet that's all he wants right now. . .”

Then, with an exaggerating motion of the other free hand, he clicked his tongue and stated a single word.

“PRIVACEYYYYYY!!!.”

Lame. I glared at him acting up and let out a sniffing laugh. 

“Seriously. . . That's just no jam.”

“But convincing enough, eh?” - He beamed. That smile might be the brightest point on his sleepy morning look. - “Come on, Wheein-ssi. Let's be on time for the first bus.”

We went downhill as the sun gradually moved up from the horizon, embracing the whole scene with yellow and orange shades. Sunlight shone through the dews on the bushes along the way, creating thousands of tiny twinkling mirrors. For a moment, I zoned out and watched the scene. Luckily on such a December day like today, the sky was still clear for me to witness this diurnal motion, which was hardly seen in the metropolitan areas.

Taehyung tapped his phone and the melody of an unfamiliar chilling song filled up the whole tranquil surrounding, where the only sounds so far might come from random bird chirping and our footsteps on the dirt road. 

And the occasional sound of Taehyung's yawning. 

He hadn't yet taken off the padded coat that made him look like. . . well, a bear and I had to hold my hand over my mouth so that I wouldn't laugh at myself for such analogy.

“Taehyung-ssi” - I said, bringing myself back to reality and repeating the same stuff - “Honestly, you don't have to go with me.”

“Do you remember what you said in our first broadcasting together?”

He ran his fingers through his already messy, un-combed hair and asked me. And that sudden question caught me off guard.

“Huh?”

“You said. . .” - He cleared his throat and in a failed attempt, imitated my speaking - “Oh, I'm so grateful to have this new companion in the journey with FM the 9th Hour.”

I, unable to get what he meant with it, glared at him doubtfully.

“What's the relevance here?”

“Well. . .” - He stuck out his lower lip. - “I'm just doing that companion role now.”

***

It would be a huge cliché to think that after half an hour walking and another fifteen minutes waiting at the station, either of us would fall asleep on the early bus and then leaned on the other's shoulder romantically. Hell no. There ain't a tiny hint of romance here. Instead, I got myself tangled up in trouble. From using up my transportation card balance for Taehyung's ticket as he left his wallet at the tent to being nagged at by Hongsol for leaving so abruptly and finally, getting stuck in traffic jam. Yes, traffic jam. On a Sunday morning. What's even worse than that? 

I continously checked my watch. Hyojin's pitching would be in two hours and according to the map, I was one and a half hour to the bus station. Not to mention another subway trip to Pyeonghwa. So I had to pray for a smooth trip to arrive at Pyeonghwa on time. I could be there anytime for the exhibition but for Hyojin's important pitch, there was no way that I should miss it.

Taehyung was, by no mean, the male lead in any rom-com drama that featured bus scene. Not only did he have me to pay for his bus fare, he easily felt asleep even though we were stuck in the traffic jam and the bus honk occasionally startled me as we were sitting at the far back seat. In other words, we were on our own world for the whole journey, him with the sweet dream and me with the longing for this journey to end soon. The only thing Taehyung did well as a companion was to lend me his earbuds, as I forgot it at the camping site. Even his earbuds were dark purple color. Interesting. 

As soon as the bus came to a halt at the station, I sprung up from my seat and in the most hassle way, I did all the actions: wear my backpack, wake Taehyung up and use him as a shield - a sleepy shield that mumbled random stuff to me for being pushed - to pass through the passenger queue and get off the bus. 

“I gotta leave now.” - I hastily told Taehyung and shoved the earbuds into his coat pocket. He hadn't even completely awaken. - “See you tomorrow at office.”

Until then, he finally regained consciousness from sleep and started making big steps to catch up with my pace.

“We're taking the same line home, aren't we?” 

I just shrugged. It wasn't nice to admit with him that there was no emergency stuff in my family and I was heading to another place. Although somehow Hyojin and Pyeonghwa was indeed another family of mine, this was just too much information for Taehyung.

“Wheein-ssi. . .”

“Excuse me.” - I snapped at him, eyes still focusing on the entrance to the subway station that was connected to the bus station. - “ I'm in a hurry.”

“Fine then.”

He replied shortly but he showed no intention to part way with me. Instead, he followed me to the subway station, through the entrance, to the platform, onto the train and finally, into the queue to get off at the station to Pyeonghwa.

“You're not getting home.”

He murmured as the train door opened and we started moving with the other passengers. Was it surprise that I heard in his voice? As if he'd found out I lied to him about the so-called emergency family stuff.

“And you too.”

I brushed him off bluntly and dashed towards the exit. 

“Where are you going?”

“None of your business.”

I once again cut him off with a not-so-polite tone. I would apologize him later for being disrespectful of him but I was truly in a hurry now. Only 15 minutes left before Hyojin got on the stage. He had just texted me a thank you to the Good luck message I sent earlier but he would be definitely in awe to see me there, silently cheering for him with all the silly stuff I could communicate in sign language. Hyojin, Hyojin, Hyojin. Basically, that was the only thing on my mind right now. To the extent that I could neither hear what Taehyung said nor be aware that he was with me all the way to Pyeonghwa.

Only when I reached where I had to be after 10 minutes walking and running like crazy, my hearing sense came back to normal function. And the first thing I heard was a question.

More like a rhetorical one. 

Or an exclamation of surprise.

“Seriously. Are we both heading here?”