it was that special time of the year: a group field trip. these rare field trips made all the children extremely happy, but only came around about three times a year due to a tight budget and sparse donations.
the bus ride to bukhansan national park was filled with noisy children, who were buzzed up on energy and excitement. tae and namjoon sat in the back, immersed in their own world. tae held onto his disposable camera, ready to capture some beautiful memories. namjoon was prepared with his own backpack, filled with trip essentials.
they were both highly anticipating the trip, exhilarated at the fact that they would be passing through seoul on the way. they had never gotten to see south korea's most famous city, and gazed with wonder out the windows at the world unfolding before them. they travelled smoothly through the bustling city of seoul. the two boys were completely fascinated by the neverending waves of people, the innumerable amount of skyscrapers and shops, and the vibrancy of life and culture. eventually, the scenery transformed from concrete jungle to dense, emerald green forests.
the bus arrived at bukhansan and everyone began to step out, a wave of matching pink "spring day foster home" shirts pouring out of the bus.
mrs hwang was their assigned guide, and they followed close behind their group as she led them through the park.
tae snapped pictures of anything he considered beautiful and worth the preservation, meaning almost everything he came across.
the group strolled through winding hiking paths, where they got to marvel at small animals, bumbling brooks, and an astounding array of wildflowers and evergreens.
tae loved exploring nature with namjoon by his side. they laughed and smiled until their faces hurt. tae made sure to capture some photos of the two as well, hoping that miss cheol would help him make a mini photo album. a mini photo album keeping their friendship alive and safe in memory sounded like a great idea.
later on, the group took a taxi up to doseonsa temple, because mrs hwang thought the treacherous pilgrimage to reach it on foot would be too harsh on the young children.
namjoon and tae thought the temple was absolutely beautiful. the soothing melody of the mountain creeks could be heard, and the temple was filled with photogenic decorations, buildings, statues, and fountains. it possessed an aura of tranquility and relaxation, a place that easily soothed the mind and spirit. while the rest of the group explored the outside courtyard, tae and joon sat in front of the giant stone buddha, pretending to meditate.
tae quickly snapped a shot of namjoon sitting beside him, in deep mental focus. namjoon had demonstrated proper breathing techniques to tae, but tae couldn't care less about emptying his mind. he was having fun taking pictures.
"okay, i think it's time to go," namjoon said, opening his eyes. he stretched a little, and they speeded off to the courtyard to meet up with their group.
except nobody was there.
namjoon worriedly looked at tae. "they left us!"
——
taehyung wanted to go.
he wanted to see namjoon and miss cheol and the place where he left traces of himself behind. he needed the warm and lovely life he used to know, so badly that he couldn't think about anything else for weeks on end. all this time, he had been keeping his deepest yearning pent up, but it managed to weave through his mind's weak constraints and grip him suddenly with an invincible force.
he had tried to ask his parents a few more times, if he could go visit, but the answer was always no. he finally accepted that they would never let him go, and decided to take matters into his own hands.
