A/N: I had to re-upload the chapter because the first upload only had half the chapter - idky. So I unpublished the chapter and re-uploaded it.
Enjoy!
"Yeonjun, I think we have crossed the same area thrice till now. My feet are about to give up!" I yell and finally rest my butt on a boulder smothered with moss and dew.
In our fit of argument, we had stumbled away from the actual and even the make-shift trails that Yeonjun had suggested.
And to both of our horrors, when we tried to call or text someone from our group to let them know, hoping they send out someone to rescue us, we both found out that there was no network in our cellphones.
We were so high up in the mountain and so deep in the woods that we could not see the ground where the village laid or the peak, where we could only hope to find some chaperone or a student to give us hope.
"We can't just give up, we have to try to find a way out. I didn't look where we were going back then, it is all my fault" he slumped beside me.
"Don't beat yourself up. It is both our fault. We were both hot headed at that point" I admit. It wouldn't be fair to blame it all on him. We both had to ensure that we were going in the correct direction but we were too busy arguing.
"Seems like a usual pattern for us" he glances at me with a hint of a smirk.
"Indeed" I sigh and check my phone again.
We had been wandering around this area for more than hour or so, just missing the time limit to complete our task. I was sure by now our team would have figured it out that we were lost or in trouble.
I am sure they would start looking for us.
"The time limit for the task is over. I am sure Beomgyu would have figured out that we are not there and he would ask the teachers or someone to start looking for us" I say, failing to mask the naïve hope that laced my words.
"Yeah, I am sure Beomgyu would, after he was done sulking if we lost or after he was done celebrating if we win and rubbing it in to others for losing" Yeonjun chuckled.
"Every member of the group had to be there at the finish point. Our team would lose by default even if we had the most flags" I say and he contemplates.
"Then he will sulk, curse us and then try to find us, only if it is to scold us for making him lose his chance at winning" Yeonjun slumped against the tree.
I got shivers just thinking about Beomgyu barking at us, ensuring we understood the gravity of the sin we committed by getting lost, as if it was a choice.
If by chance our team had the highest number of flags and we didn't win because Yeonjun and I didn't show up by the time ended, Beomgyu would not be as forgiving to understand that we were lost. He would ensure we remember that the team lost because of us.
Also, I am sure Saehi would not be kind enough to not rub it in Beomgyu's face that he lost, only grating on his never even more.
"Do we really want to be found then?" I tilt my head to look at Yeonjun and we both chuckle.
Yeonjun and I sat there for a while, trying to catch our breath and regain some energy. The forest around us was serene and beautiful, but it did little to calm the nerves that buzzed in the back of my mind.
"I feel like any time now, we'd be hearing a blood curling scream from Beomgyu calling for us" I chuckled half heartedly.
"You know, we could just stay here and pretend we didn't hear anyone calling for us" Yeonjun shrugs.
"As tempting as that sounds, I think we'd eventually have to face Beomgyu's wrath. Plus, I don't want to be stuck in the woods overnight"Â I laughed, shaking my head.
Just the thought of being alone with Yeonjun for the entire night made my skin warm and throat dry.
"True," he admitted, looking around.
"It's just...I can't believe we got lost" He shook his head again.
"We were too busy arguing to notice where we were going," I replied, a hint of amusement in my voice.
He rolled his eyes, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "Arguing with you always seems to get me into trouble."
"Hey! It's not just me, You're the one who always has to have the last word " I protested, playfully nudging him.
He had the audacity to feign innocence.
If I was not scared of being alone here for god knows how long, I would have pushed him off the mountain.
Another stretch of silence fell upon us but it wasn't uncomfortable.
"You know, I thought about what you said" He breaks the silence again and I look at him confused.
"The thing with Soobin. About how he might be just as uncomfortable with this situation as I am" he continued and I held my breath.
I had through he dismissed my words then but clearly not. He did contemplate my words and maybe even understood what I was trying to tell him.
"I don't know what he has told you but from my perspective, it is very hard to move past the hurt, deceptions and lies. I don't think it will ever be possible for me, even if I tried"Â he shrugs.
It was as if he was talking more to himself than to me. He was letting his mind wander and his inner most thoughts pour out and I didn't want disturb them , lest I stopped them from spilling out.
"Even if I tried to understand everything from his perspective, you cannot fathom what I have had to go through these past years. And it is not like that I didn't initially try to befriend him but whatever may be his reason, I cannot forgive him or his mother for how they have treated me" he sighs.
"All the words, all their action, and all their participation in making my life as tough as it had been these past years, I can't forgive them"
"Even before coming to this trip, I had to endure a long tedious discussion with my so called father and his son to talk about the future of the company and how each and every action we take and what we do, who we associate with, everything adds to our standing in the company in the future" he looks at the sky and balls his hands in fists.
It pains me to think how much responsibilities is thrusted upon him even without his consideration. It makes me hate a lot of people I have not yet met.
"Even though I am technically not an orphan, I still feel like it. He is my father only on paper. Every meeting with him is just that - a business meeting. I never knew my father and even after meeting him, he was not my father" he closed his eyes and drew a deep breath.
"Sometimes I wonder, if it would have been better if I had not met him at all, at least then I would still be able to say that I don't know who my father is because sometimes it feels like knowing who my father is more trouble than it should be" he looks down and kicks off some pebbles in the path.
His confession wretched a deep sense of hurt from me. I instinctively reached my hand to place it on top of his.
"Nothing justifies their action. I mean it. Nothing" I say remembering how the principal had treated him that day when he had locked me in the closet. My heart broke just thinking about it.
"And I am not saying you should forgive Soobin for it all and move past it but moving past all of this hurt will help you. I am sure it is not easy to carry all this hurt in your heart. It must get tiring, right?" my other hand went to cup his face because the ghost of what he went through, was going through flashed through his eyes.
"It is very tiring, but there are days when it is all that helps me get up and go through my day. Because once I graduate from here, I'll finally be able to get away from them" his voice is strained and I don't think twice before closing the distance between us before I envelope him in a hug.
Because I don't have words of comfort for him.
I hope I can convey the comfort through my hug.
Slowly but surely his hands wrap around me and reciprocate my hug.
As we held each other, the world around us seemed to fade away. It was just Yeonjun and me, two souls trying to find solace amidst the chaos. The forest was quiet, save for the gentle rustling of leaves and the distant chirping of birds.
"Thank you," Yeonjun whispered, his voice barely audible.
"I don't think I've ever said this to anyone" he confessed, still holding me.
"I'm always here to listen, Yeonjun. You don't have to carry everything alone"Â I pulled back slightly, just enough to look into his eyes.
He gave me a small, grateful smile, and for a moment, it felt like a weight had been lifted from both of us. We sat there in silence, absorbing the calm and peace of the moment.
He was staring at me and I did the same. The distance between us was not enough, our breaths mingling as we exhaled.
His eyes found mine and then dipped low and then back up to mine. I tried to swallow the lump that was forming on my tongue.
"I guess we should try to find our way back now," I suggested softly, reluctant to break the tranquility but knowing we couldn't stay here like this forever.
Yeonjun nodded, breaking out of whether thoughts were behind his eyes.
"Yeah, we can't keep Beomgyu waiting too long. I don't want to hear him scream our ears off."
I laughed half heartedly, standing up and helping Yeonjun to his feet.
"We'll make it back, and maybe we'll find a way to get through to him too." I suggested but we both knew there was no escaping Beomgyu.
Together, we started walking again, this time more aware of our surroundings and each other. The forest didn't seem as daunting now, but our company was.
"Do you think they've already started searching for us?" Yeonjun asked as we carefully made our way down the hill.
"I hope so," I replied.
I am sure they didn't forget about us. I am sure even if no one else notice, Beomgyu, Saehi and San would notice my absence. Or at least that's what I kept telling myself.
"Though I imagine Beomgyu is probably losing his mind right now, trying to figure out what happened to us." I reason.
"He's going to be so mad"Â Yeonjun chuckled.
"Well, at least we'll have an interesting story to tell, getting lost in the woods and all." I said with a grin.
As we continued, the sound of voices gradually became more distinct. I could hear someone calling our names, the urgency in their tone unmistakable.
"That must be them," Yeonjun said, relief washing over his face.
We picked up the pace, following the sound until we finally saw themâa group of familiar faces emerging through the trees. Soobin was at the front, waving his arms and yelling at us. Beomgyu and others following suit.
"There you are!" Beomgyu shouted, his voice a mix of relief and frustration.
"Do you know how worried we were?" Soobin chimed in, coming close to me to examine, for any hurt or wound I suppose.
I exchanged a glance with Yeonjun, and he had a stony expression on his face.
"Sorry, We got a little lost" I responded because Yeonjun was quiet.
From the crowd, a girl slipped through and I recognized her as the one who was Yeonjun before. She rushed to Yeonjun and started talking very fast, asking a lot of question and I blocked her out.
Blocked Yeonjun out.
A certain heat spread through my heart and it wasn't warm at all. On the contrary, as the heat spread, a chill set over me.
"A little? You two are hopeless!" Beomgyu exclaimed, marching over to us.
"You're just mad you didn't win because they weren't there."Saehi appeared beside him, rolling her eyes.
"Of course I'm mad!" Beomgyu retorted, crossing his arms.
"But I'm also glad you're okay" he grumbled.
"Thanks for coming to find us. We really appreciate it"Â I smiled, feeling grateful to be back with our friends.
"Yeah, yeah, Just don't make it a habit, okay?" Beomgyu grumbled, trying to hide his relief.
I nodded, catching a look shared between Soobin and Yeonjun.
We'd been through a lot today, but it felt like something had shifted between us, something deeper and more meaningful. But whatever heart to heart that was, it was supposed to be in the pocket of space where only us two existed.
Not in this real world.
"Let's head back," Soobin suggested, his tone softening.
"I am just glad you're okay. Let's get back to the cottage and we can figure out everything else later." he instructed everyone to start heading back.
Soobin and I started walking side by side. I passed a glance at Yeonjun who was only a few steps behind me with that girl but felt miles away.
A/N: UPDATE!!!!!! 2276 words!!!! this is a long as chapter but I hope you love this chapter as much as I do.
Let me know what you think of this chapter. There was a lot that was unpacked here and I didn't mean for it to be this heavy but I feel like this reflects Yeonjun's journey the best way possible.
What do you think will happen next?
Also, I had this question pop in my mind today - who is your bias and wrecker in TXT? And who do you think is my bias and wrecker?