SUNSETS AND SUMMER CAMP (m.jae)

one.

[ here goes nothing ]

Picture this: mountains as far as the eye can see, lined with trees of multiple hues — verdant in every sense of the word — just begging to be climbed as temperatures rise; temples that make you feel like you're still in the Joseon era, traditional Hanoks decorating almost every corner you turn down; the soft trickle of streams passing by, which, if you blinked, you would miss.

For many, this seems like the ideal place for a summer getaway, the perfect escape from the hustle and bustle of city streets. For Jung Jaehyun, however, the generally-picturesque province of Gyeonggi was less than his ideal destination to spend 6 long, hot, weeks in.

It wasn't that he hated nature, or anything of the sort; he loved it, in fact — always grateful for getting away from his hometown of Central Seoul for some well-deserved relaxation — but this trip didn't allow him to do things his way, with his own rules. He wasn't on vacation, and he wasn't travelling through. Instead, Jaehyun had (unwillingly) found himself stuck at Summer Camp for the entirety of his college break.

The brochure his mom handed him had claimed the, quote on quote, 'Dreamlike Nature Retreat in the heart of Gyeonggi' was the best place a college student could spend their summer, with activities that got you out the house and actively participating in exercise and socialising, all while having fun in the meantime. Jaehyun thought it couldn't be so bad, because, well, he enjoys all of those things. Socialising is taxing, at times, but overall, he would go as far as saying he gets a kick out of speaking to new people of his age. A social butterfly, of sorts. As for the exercise and 'having fun' aspects — how could someone not enjoy those things? It seemed like a pipe dream, and Jaehyun was all ready for it.

However, he guesses that maybe the brochure exaggerated just a little. And by just a little, he means a hell of a lot. Because, with his single, tawny suitcase (wrapped in cling film, just in case any of his belongings tried to escape on the 35 minute journey down from Seoul) perched beside him, and a small group of older boys clad in what could only be described as traditional scouts' uniform, smiling wide and holding onto reams of brightly decorated paper, Jaehyun feels the summer heat suddenly hit him all at once.

This is, most definitely, not the dream Jaehyun had been anticipating. If anything, it is closer to something he saw in nightmares from when he was 7 years old and sparkly-eyed. Scouts surrounding him, forcing him into taking part in group bonding exercises which may or may not have involved wearing stupid khaki shorts and badges to commemorate what they'd achieved through their unnecessarily hard labour for a child, and... Jaehyun wants to go home. Like, now.

Fate didn't plan for his summer to go that way, however.

"Hi!" a far-too-cheerful voice spoke from in front of Jaehyun, whose fists are now balled up to the max to control his frustration. "You must be here for the summer program. It's so nice to meet you," the male spoke, a massive, gummy grin encompassing his entire face. "I'm Doyoung — one of the guides this year, alongside Taeil." To finalise his statement (and show off his colleague, Jaehyun presumes) Doyoung points over his shoulder to a slightly shorter male, matching black hair messily styled off his round face, as he speaks to what seems to be a younger group of boys. "What's your name, buddy?"

It takes Jaehyun a second to register that he's being asked a question, eyes too focused on one particular brunette with a abhorrently loud laugh that could probably shatter glass if given the opportunity, and it's only when Doyoung's face is inches from his own that he is able to give an answer. "Uh, it's Jaehyun. Jung Jaehyun."

There's a look of minor confusion on Doyoung's face before it morphs into a smile again (don't the boy's face muscles ever ache?), and Jaehyun is suddenly being pulled towards the makeshift front desk which really just consists of a small table and some pen holders. "I'll be honest with you, I'm not very good with names. Not sure why I asked, really." The ravenette picks up a pen — fluffy, lilac and engraved with a cute 'M.T' — and scribbles on one of the colourful piece of paper he holds tightly in his hands, familiar hangul shapes forming with each stroke, so Jaehyun knows it's his name being written down. "Let's see... Any special talents we should know of, Jaehyun?"

Ah, the dreaded personality quiz. You see, it wasn't that Jaehyun didn't have a distinct and unique personality, it's just that — to put it simply — he didn't see things that others did, and the things that others did see, he didn't believe, so when he was asked about himself, he struggled coming up with stuff that wasn't terribly mundane. There was, however, one thing he was sure of. "I speak fluent English, if you could class that as a tale—"

"Oh, wow!" Doyoung interrupts, cheeks rounded and eyes crinkling. "Another bilingual; that makes a grand total of two." With a petite hand, the black-haired boy brushes his bangs from his face, perspiration beginning to cause it to stick a little. "Youngho's going to be super impressed that he can speak to others in his native tongue; we're well on the way to becoming an International Camp, now."

Jaehyun can't bring himself to dampen Doyoung's mood, so instead relies on a dimpled smile to show his acknowledgement.

With a few more scratchy movements on the paper, Doyoung completes whatever memo he was making on Jaehyun, folding it up and placing it into a growing pile of other coloured entries. "Well, I think it's settled on who your camp buddy will be for the summer."

"Camp... buddy?"

Doyoung smiles, beckons Taeil and loud-laughing brunette over with a wave of his hand, and stands proud. "Jaehyun, meet your partner-in-crime for the next 42 or so days: Mark Lee."

The brunette boy's eyes are blown wide, his rounded teeth on show in the softest smile that Jaehyun thinks he has ever seen, before there is a petite hand coming his way. "It's great to make your acquaintance, Jaehyun! I'm sure we'll be great friends."

Wincing, Jaehyun politely accepts the handshake, trying to ignore how callous the boy's hands are considering his obvious younger age, before quickly retracting his hand and keeping it firmly attached to his side. "Yeah," he mumbles, unsure of his own voice in that moment. "I'm sure we will."

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a/n: please love mark + jaehyun, and support nct 127 in their chain promotions! there's a lot more of this already written up^^