Meet Me Here

Chapter 1: Memory Walk

"Wait, Binnie! We should pack some mosquito patches too!" Ye Jin started searching her room for the said item.

"Those never work." Hyun Bin argued.

"I'm sure they do."

"I saw a mosquito land right on a patch before. You'll have better luck with the spray."

"Jinjja? Then why do they sell them?" Ye Jin's eyes were wide as she looked between Hyun Bin and the box in her hands.

Hyun Bin simply shrugged and held up the mosquito repellent for Ye Jin to pack into her duffle bag. They have been on break since two days ago but they have been busy. Those two days consisted of Ye Jin dragging Hyun Bin everywhere to purchase the items on her camping list.

As for Hyun Bin, he decided to go light as he usually does for camps and he only packed the essentials. His sole task was calming Ye Jin down or she might just go into a packing craze.

"I feel like I'm still missing something..." Ye Jin wrung her hands as she glared at her duffle bag.

"Why don't we chill and stop packing for a bit?" Hyun Bin patted the empty space next to him.

At his words, Ye Jin pursed her lips before she plonked herself down next to him. They were only an hour away from their first meeting with their fellow camp facilitators and Ye Jin wanted to be at her best. They wondered what Camp ICBM had in store for them. It would be their first year as trainee facilitators and they were both eager to learn.

"Jinnie, do you think Teacher So Sook is still there?" Hyun Bin asked.

"I hope so. We had awesome times with her, didn't we?" Ye Jin smiled happily.

"Well...she was the only one who entertained our pranks." Hyun Bin chuckled when he remembered their little camp pranks when they were 12. Those were the good old days.

"Sweetheart! Binnie! Time to go!" Ye Jin's eomeoni shouted.

"Ne!" The childhood sweethearts shouted in unison before Hyun Bin grabbed both their bags.

As Ye Jin bounded down the steps, Hyun Bin followed behind her, attempting to multi-task with balancing their two bags and watching after Ye Jin's footsteps. 

He was all prepared to drop the bags to catch her if she fell. Knowing how clumsy she was, he was watching her like a hawk. Thankfully, they got to the bottom with no hiccups. Loading their bags into the boot, they were soon on their way to the campsite.

Away from the city now, lines of trees blended beautifully into the landscape as the sun played peek-a-boo with them through the thick foliage. The path was getting progressively uneven and they could feel every little bump on the road. Yet, the entrance to Camp ICBM was as they remembered.

They passed the lake in its reflecting bluey hues, quiet and still now in the absence of the strong winds. This was where they used to have their water activities as campers themselves. They saw the rock climbing wall that was shorter than they remembered. As a child, Hyun Bin was awfully afraid of climbing up the seemingly endless wall. Yet now, the wall no longer looked daunting.

Soon, they arrived at the main entrance of Camp ICBM where they would be staying for the next five days. Cute little wooden cabins surrounded Camp ICBM and a big welcome sign hung above their heads. 

Ye Jin and Hyun Bin bid eomeoni goodbye before they walked into the camp. Memories hit them instantly and both were wistful as they recalled the muddy days they had at Camp ICBM.

"Jinnie? Binnie? Is that really you?" A familiar voice sounded in the distance.

"Teacher So Sook!" Ye Jin was the first to greet the kind lady who has been there for them since Day one.