The lodge grew quiet after midnight.
The boys in Daewon's cabin had finally fallen asleep - some still muttering in their dreams, others snoring softly beneath the thin quilts. Moonlight filtered through the tall, narrow window, casting silver slashes across the floor.
But Daewon wasn't asleep.
He sat up slowly, careful not to wake Minjae above him, and slipped on his hoodie. The air was cool, but not cold. Just enough to make him feel awake.
He needed air. Maybe a quiet second alone.
The cabin door creaked as he stepped out into the night.
And paused.
Because there, near the trail that curved toward the lake, stood Yoo Aera. Her back was to him, her hair loose now and falling past her shoulders, catching the moonlight like silk threads.
She turned slightly, sensing him.
"…Daewon?"
He nodded. "I couldn't sleep."
"Me neither," she said softly. "The stars are too loud tonight."
He didn't quite know what that meant, but it felt right.
Without a word, they walked toward the lake together. Their steps were quiet, the only sound the soft crunch of leaves underfoot. The lake stretched out before them like a mirror of the sky - so still, so clear. Stars shimmered on the surface, trembling faintly with the breeze.
They sat side by side on a worn wooden bench, a little apart, not quite touching.
Aera exhaled slowly. "It's strange."
"What is?"
"I never used to like nights. They felt… lonely. Like the world disappeared too quickly."
Daewon looked at her, his voice quiet. "And now?"
She turned to him, her eyes reflecting the stars.
"Now it feels like something might stay. Even when the sky turns dark."
His chest ached a little in the best way.
For a moment, they just sat. He could hear the faint ripple of water, the rustle of wind in the trees, and her breathing - soft, steady, real.
And then - impulsively, nervously - Daewon reached into his hoodie pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. A quick sketch he'd done earlier that evening, while everyone was at the bonfire.
He hesitated, then offered it to her.
Aera unfolded it.
It was a drawing of tonight: the lake, the sky, the bench. And two small figures sitting beside each other, sketched lightly, gently - her and him.
She stared at it for a long time.
"…You always see more than you say," she whispered.
Daewon looked down, unsure how to reply.
Aera's fingers gently touched the edge of the paper. She folded it carefully, like it was something precious, and tucked it into the front pocket of her jacket.
Then she looked at him.
"Can I tell you something?" she asked.
He nodded.
"When I was little," she began, "I used to believe people came into your life like seasons. That they'd bloom, and then fade."
Daewon watched her, heart in his throat.
"But I think… you might be different."
He didn't speak. Couldn't. His whole world had gone quiet except for the way her words settled inside him like soft snow.
She looked down at her shoes, a little flustered. "Sorry. That probably sounds weird."
"No," he said quickly. "It doesn't."
A pause. And then -
"I don't want to fade," he said.
She looked up at him, wide-eyed.
His voice was low, nervous, but steady. "Not from you."
They sat in silence, the kind that holds every word unspoken but still understood. Then Aera reached out - tentatively, gently - and her fingers brushed his.
She didn't say anything.
She didn't need to.
Their hands stayed like that. Just barely touching.
Two hearts, side by side, in a night made for whispers and starlight.
The next morning, no one said anything. But Daewon and Aera walked a little closer during the final hike. She shared her water bottle with him. He tied the strap on her backpack when it slipped loose. Neither looked at the other too long.
But something had changed.
Something had begun.
Minjae, of course, noticed first. He leaned over during breakfast and whispered, "Did something happen last night?"
Daewon sipped his miso soup without looking up. "No."
Minjae squinted. "You're smiling again."
Daewon just said, "I know."
And outside the mess hall, Aera waited for him without a word, her hoodie sleeves pulled over her hands, the drawing folded neatly in her pocket.
It was barely past six when Kang Daewon stepped out of the apartment complex, the sky still painted in pale lavender. His breath came out in a cloud as he adjusted the strap of his overnight bag, blinking up at the quiet morning.
The city felt half-asleep.
A yawn escaped him as he walked toward the bus pickup area near the school. A few early birds were already there - Jung Mira with her suitcase that looked big enough to move into, the twins arguing about whether bug spray counted as an "essential item," and Hyejin groggily sipping a canned coffee as if her soul depended on it.
Daewon found a spot on the curb and sat with his bag. He felt the morning chill creep into his hoodie sleeves.
But his heart - his heart was already warm.
He didn't even need to look. He could feel when she arrived.
Yoo Aera's soft footsteps, like raindrops, padded toward the group. And even though her hair was tied into a loose ponytail and she wore the standard school hoodie and black jeans like everyone else, Daewon still found himself pausing.
She just had a way of bringing the color back to morning.
"Morning," she said, walking up beside him.
"Hey," he replied, pushing up the sleeve of his hoodie. "You're early."
"You too."
They shared a quiet little smile - one of those small, weightless ones that feel like they echo.
Aera set down her bag beside his. "Did you bring the snack list?"
He nodded. "Don't worry. I triple-checked."
"You're treating it like a mission," she said with a soft laugh.
"It is a mission. Survival depends on strawberry milk and honey butter chips."
A few minutes passed like that, not filled with words but with something warmer. Just the feeling of standing near each other, sharing the same moment.
Then the bus rolled up with a hiss, tall and blue and glowing faintly under the sleepy sunrise. Students began boarding with excited chatter and clunky suitcases.
Daewon waited at the door until Aera climbed up first. She paused at the top of the steps and glanced back at him - not saying anything, but eyes shining just a little more than usual.
He smiled. She smiled.
He followed.
The bus ride was loud - everyone talking over each other, some dozing off, others already taking selfies. But in the very back seat, the mood was different.
Daewon sat by the window, sketchbook open, earphones in but music off. He liked the blur of trees passing by, the silver threads of highway turning to green hills. But mostly, he liked the quiet company beside him.
Aera had curled up with her head against the seat, half-asleep, her hand resting softly on her backpack.
At some point, their shoulders brushed.
He stilled.
But she didn't move away.
In fact… she leaned just a little closer.
And just like that, the world slowed.
His heart thudded once. Twice.
He wondered if she could hear it.
He turned the page of his sketchbook quietly and began to draw - not anything special. Just the outline of two backpacks side by side. One had a blue keychain. The other had a small white bunny plush clipped to the zipper.
He didn't need to label them.
Two hours later, they arrived at Mount Seorayeon Lodge - a charming wooden building nestled at the base of a forested hill. Wildflowers peeked between the grass, and the air smelled like earth and clean wind.
"Alright!" Mr. Choi clapped his hands. "We'll get your rooms sorted, unpack, and then we're heading out for the group scavenger hike. Partner assignments are already done - don't argue!"
Daewon looked toward Aera, wondering… hoping.
But Mr. Choi flipped his clipboard.
"Daewon with Hyunjae. Aera with Mira."
Ah.
Disappointment tugged at his chest - but only for a second.
Aera caught his eye across the small courtyard and smiled, gently tugging on her backpack straps.
She didn't need to say anything.
The message was there.
We'll find each other anyway.
Later that afternoon…
The forest was soft with birdsong and filtered sunlight. Students roamed in pairs, searching for items on their list - like pinecones shaped like hearts, or "a stone that looks like something else."
Daewon crouched by a stream, sketching the way the light hit the water. Hyunjae was currently trying to turn a mossy rock into a hat.
Meanwhile, on a different trail, Aera knelt to pick up a feather resting on a tree root. She tilted it in her hand, watching how the sunlight made it glow.
"I wonder if he's drawing this right now," she murmured, smiling to herself.
That evening, just before sunset -
After dinner, the students were allowed a short walk before the bonfire began.
Daewon found himself drawn toward a path behind the lodge, winding gently toward a hill.
And just like he knew she would - she was there.
Aera stood at the top, arms tucked around herself, eyes watching the sky bleed orange and rose into the mountains.
He stepped beside her.
"I didn't know anyone else would come here," she said softly.
"I was hoping you would."
The air grew still for a second.
Then she glanced at him. "So… what did you draw today?"
He handed her his sketchbook without a word.
She flipped through it. Stopped.
And stared at the backpacks.
Her fingers brushed the corner of the page.
"That's mine," she said quietly. "The bunny."
He nodded.
"Then this one is yours." She pointed to the strawberry milk sticker drawn beside the other backpack.
Another soft silence.
"Thank you for drawing it," she said. "It felt… like I was really there. Even when we weren't next to each other."
He swallowed.
"I wished we were."
A breeze lifted her hair just a little, and the fading sky turned deeper blue.
Aera looked at him then - not with surprise, but with something calmer. Something real.
"Maybe tomorrow," she whispered, "we will be."
And when they walked back to the lodge, their hands didn't touch.
But they stayed close.
And somehow, it felt like something had just begun.