★ | #52 | hike
"what was that about, anyway?"

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the way things go • beabadoobee
"didn't think you'd ever stoop so low."

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THE next morning, she was awoken bright and early - warned the night before by their supervisors that they would be expected to be dressed and ready in proper attire fit for a rather long hike.

As she pulled herself up from her sleepy state, she guided herself to the women's restroom, freshening up and getting dressed in a pair of athletic shorts and a random graphic T-shirt she had packed, slipping on worn out sneakers that she had had since the beginning of sophomore year in the midst of it.

Tying her hair into a simple ponytail, she stared at her own reflection in the slightly dirtied mirror, lips tucked into a thin line as she pushed her slightly outgrown bangs behind her ears, out of her eyes.

With a heavy sigh followed by an involuntary yawn, she pulled away from the mirror she gazed into, clutching onto the clothes she had just changed out of and holding the articles to her chest.

She carried herself towards the exit, pushing the rather heavy door open. As she did so, she had nearly bumped into someone coming inside.

Subconsciously mumbling an apology, she blinked upon realizing just how it was, as a scowl spread across the other girl's face.

"Could you be any more of a nuisance? Get out of my way, Seong Haewon." Kim Miyoung scoffed, giving the girl a once-over before brushing past her, purposely bumping roughly into her shoulder.

Haewon sighed, rolling her eyes as she clenched her jaw, her tongue poking the inside of her cheek as she carried on out of the restroom, stepping back out into the early morning air.

Of course, being divided into the same group - she had no choice but to spend the trip in Miyoung's presence - a presence she tried to avoid for the most part, as she sought out a good time in Jinhae.

Lost in a train of thought, Haewon didn't even notice the boy standing just away from her tent, conversing with Park Jongseong and Jeon Minjun - otherwise known as Miyeon's boyfriend.

Just as she went to step into the tent, his voice called out her name, filling the surrounding area in a soft, happy tone as she perked up and turned her head, standing upright as he watched the boy quickly excuse himself from the conversation he held.

"Good morning." Haewon greeted, a smile on her lips as Heeseung hummed, returning the natural greeting.

"Good morning." He returned, shoving his hands into the pockets of his baggy blue jorts, pairing well with the soft yellow shade of the graphic tee he clad on. "I- I was waiting for you. I came to see you, but Miyeon said you had gone to the restroom to get dressed. Figured I'd wait around."

"Yeah?" Haewon let out, tilting her head off to the side as she let her arms fold neatly in front of her, hands still clutching onto the clothes she had slept in. "Why? Is there something you wanna talk to me about?"

Heeseung huffed, gently shaking his head with a winsome smile as he dismissed her concern, not missing the slightest worry tinged into her voice.

"No, no. Nothing like that. We just didn't get to see each other much yesterday. With, you know, the boys and girls being separated with all the tents and stuff. And everyone was busy setting up camp, so it was hectic." He rambled on, shrugging lightly.

"Oh, yeah. Yesterday was pretty tiring." The girl hummed, a stifled laugh coming out in a soft breath as her head lolled off to the side curiously.

"How'd you sleep?" She asked, going quiet as she allowed him to answer - not wanting to interrupt.

"Hm? Oh, I slept fine. It wasn't the most uncomfortable thing. The sleeping bags could be better, but overall, it was bearable." He replied, tucking his lips into a thin line. "And you?"

"Same here. I definitely miss my bed. But, I think it would have been worse if it weren't for that breeze blowing through to keep it nice and cool." Haewon said, recalling the gentle winds that blew through overnight, causing a light rustle within the trees.

"Oh, yeah, for sure. Let's just hope there's another one tonight then." Heeseung nodded surely along to his own wish, his hand reaching out to grasp gently around hers.

"Anyway, we need to eat before we do this hike, yeah?" Heeseung raised a brow, as the girl hummed in agreement, peering over her shoulder.

"Mm, yeah, of course. Just give me one second to put this stuff back, and I'll be right with you." Haewon said, giving his hand a small squeeze before pulling away and disappearing into the tent, of which was closed to keep out any mosquitoes or bugs of some sort as best as they possibly could.

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It was easy to go under the assumption that the hike would be fun, and refreshing. But when traveling in a group led by a tired, strict teacher, it quickly became nothing short of dreadful.

Haewon was quiet, not saying much as there were two many hushed conversations going out around her between friend groups.

She instead focused her full attention on the ground she walked upon, making sure she was careful enough to not trip over a loose twig, rocks or a root sticking up from the ground.

However, averting her gaze upward even momentarily seemed to be dangerous, as for the split second she wasn't paying attention, the girl caught her foot on something, tripping over it but being lucky enough to catch herself in the process.

In the midst of it, her eyes quickly snapped downward, recognizing a leg stuck out in front of her with purposeful meaning to knock her off balance.

Haewon's lips parted, taking in a sharp breath as she looked to her left to catch a glimpse of Miyoung, who was the one attempting to trip her in the first place.

Miyoung could only let a smirk tug at the corners of her lips as she made eye contact with Haewon, shrugging softly before skipping ahead to rejoin her group of friends.

As he was only just barely in front of her, Heeseung had no trouble hearing the sharp, sucked in breath coming from the girl behind him.

He turned around, a brow raised as his hands twitched, instinctively going to reach out to steady her but instead staying at his sides as she caught herself.

Heeseung furrowed his brows deeply upon realizing she was being tripped by someone, instead of something like he assumed had happened when he was turning around.

His eyes landed on Kim Miyoung, noticing the smirk she flashed Haewon's way before catching up with her friends.

The boy scoffed, shaking his head as he carried himself a few steps towards Haewon, a steadying hand residing on her lower back as he tilted his head. "You alright?" He questioned.

Haewon lifted her chin to meet his gaze, tinged with lingering worry and annoyance - but not towards her. The girl hummed in return, pushing her bangs out of her eyes.

"Mhm. Just fine." She replied, releasing a soft breath she wasn't even aware she was holding as she continued further down the hiking trail, only to be stilled and pulled back carefully.

"Let's hang a little bit behind the group. It's too crowded to be considered peaceful." Heeseung said, earning a small nod.

"Alright." She agreed, slowing her pace slightly to match with his, as her eyes remained fixed on the bumpy ground beneath her feet.

"What was that about, anyway?" Heeseung asked, after a moment of quietness passed through - not fully silent due to the distant sound of chattering amongst their classmates who were just up ahead.

"Why did Kim Miyoung do that?" He continued on, his brows still tied in a knot as his gaze narrowed. "You could have gotten hurt, had you not caught yourself."

"Heeseung, being realistic here, I have no idea why she did it. I don't understand what she has against me. It's just one of those things where I've gotta suck it up and just avoid her as best as I can." Haewon explained quietly, shrugging it off as he shot her a look.

"At this point, you should really consult a teacher about it. It's getting ridiculous - to the point that she's visibly attempting to inflict harm on you." Heeseung voiced out, expressing his opinion.

"As much as I would, it's just not worth it. It'd only end up getting me in trouble, because she'd make some bullshit statement and as always, the council would believe her." The girl sighed out, shaking her head.

"It doesn't help that I have more recorded violations in school, too. I won't be taken seriously." She added on, lips tucked together in a thin line before she took a deep breath. "Let's face it, she runs this school. She's not going to get into trouble."

Heeseung frowned as she explained the ongoing reality of it all, frustration evident in his body language before he too, took a deep breath and recomposed himself. On the outside, at least.

"Well, I'm sorry it's like that, Haewon. It's so unfair to you." He spoke gently, holding onto the straps of the backpack he had brought along with him - packed lightly as to not burden him with a heavy weight whilst traveling up and down tiring trails.

"It's alright." Haewon chuckled, raising a hand and waving it off. "Don't apologize for something that isn't in your control." She reminded, clicking her tongue.

"Besides, my life is not unbearable as long as I keep my distance. I think I'll survive." She chuckled, patting his shoulder.

Heeseung hummed, pressing his lips into a thin line as they both fell silent, instead focusing on the trail. A minute passed, and he sighed and spoke up.

"Discounting everything else, how are you enjoying the hike?" He asked, breaking the ongoing silence. The girl sucked in a small breath, tilting her head.

"It's been fine. My knees are dying, though." She admitted, eliciting a laugh from the back of his throat.

"Oh, right. I forgot you had grandma knees." Heeseung commented, rolling his eyes playfully as she scoffed and nudged him.

"Shut up. Don't you have an injured ankle?"

"It's not injured anymore, Hae. I rested as needed, like you told me to. I'm just fine now." Heeseung snickered, yet was unable to help the string of giggles that fell past his lips.

"I should pick you up a nice stick on the way. I'm sure I could find one. And, you'd be able to use it as a walking cane. It'd help with your elderly knees." He pointed out, poking her side teasingly.

"I'm going to trip you." Haewon threatened, to which he laughed at, his hand sliding down to find hers as he shook his head and cooed.

"You're awfully cute when you get mad at me like that." The boy let out, as her cheeks flushed pink upon processing his words.

"Lee Heeseung." She breathed out, her tone laced with warning as he chuckled and gave her hand a soft squeeze.

"Okay, fine, I'll shut up." He gave in, his smile reaching his eyes as he looked down at the ground, careful not to slip on all of the sticks and rocks in the way.

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★﹐authors corner ．﹗﹑ 1.9k words.
i love writing this story so much woahhhahh !!! but the fact that we're 50+ chapters in and i haven't hit any of my major plot points yet is crazy to me idk

anyway, guys !! my first game is on monday and i'm absolutely terrified now that it's getting closer </3 like i'm excited to finally start out the season but the first game is always the absolute worst bc it's unfamiliar (?)

once i start to get familiar with the whole ordeal again, i think i'll be fine. but it is also the first game back after breaking my arm (crazy, it's been nearly 11 months since then) so it's even scarier !! 🫢

okok, thank you so much for reading. i appreciate it so much 🫶

i love youuuu take care of yourselves !!
july 23rd, 2024 - 3:27pm.
not proofread.