𝐀𝐋𝐌𝐎𝐒𝐓 𝐇𝐎𝐌𝐄 ‣ jjk

三十三 ; national park

day 12
8.39 am
lee haru

national park

after almost 2 hours on the road
i'm starting to feel car sick
jeongguk finally slows down
in front of what looks like
some national park

except that there aren't
many people here yet
which makes it easier for us to move

instead of going in
through the main entrance
he swerves past
taking another road that seems to be
leading up into the woods

i open my mouth to question where
he's taking me
and the only thing he says is a curt
"you'll see"

we finally come to a stop on
apparently the top of a hill
i step out of the car, legs wobbly
and look around

the hill is steep
and as i glance down from the edge
i see the lush greenery and the
thick trees of the forest below us

jeongguk slams the door of the car shut
before he approaches me
i feel a hand on my arm
and instincfully i shove it away and jump back
not to mention with an embarassing squeal

"h-hey! you can't just do that!
i thought i was going to die"
i clutch my chest with a hand
feeling my heart beating wildly
against my chest

jeongguk doesn't even bother to try
to hold back his laughter
why does he enjoy tormenting me so much?

"so you're terrified of heights, huh"
he smirks

"well i'm not you so"
i step away from the edge
not trusting the innocent look he gives me
"stop laughing, i could've fallen to my death"

before long, a man in his forties
approaches us from the woods
and by the expression jeongguk has on his face
i guess he must be an old friend
or a relative or something

"it's been a long time, jeonggukie"
the man pipes, hugging the boy tightly
jeonggukie?
they must be really familiar with each other then

"this is my erm... friend"
jeongguk rubs his nape
gesturing towards me
right
he doesn't know my real name yet

i step forward and give the man
a friendly hand shake
before he leads us deeper into the woods

the forest is a lot cooler compared to the outside
the birds are singing from the tree tops
as if they're welcoming us
and there are branches scattered
all over the forest floor

jeongguk holds out his hand
when we arrive at a small brook
where we have to cross over using a plank
that looks like it'll split into two any moment

i trip on a slippery spot
and he catches me a little too late
causing us both to unceremoniously
fall into the water
leaving us no choice but to
march through the woods
in wet shoes and soaking clothes

oh, what a day

by the time we stop
it's in front of what looks like a large pool
decorated nicely with large stones
and a giant waterfall
with water that flows from the mountains

and beside the pool is a cabin
welcoming us with an open door

tiny orange lights hang from the treetops nearby
as if decorated with the purpose
of a mini party in the woods

"wow"
i let out a gasp as i step into the house
this is too beautiful to be real

"do you like it?"
jeongguk asks as he steps inside with me

i nod, smiling like an idiot
i've never been to these kind of places before
it radiates so much calming energy
just the thing i need

he sets both our bags down
and pulls up the curtains covering the windows
before heading back outside
i trail behind him
seeing that the park ranger from earlier
is now gone

"where are you going?"
i ask

"firewood"

"you and your precious bonfires"
i roll my eyes
"you're leaving me alone
in the middle of the woods now
i see how it is"

"i didn't say i was going to leave you"
he waves me over
"come on, let's go hunting"