campfires ₰ l.gn ✓

us.

time really does pass without realizing it. the residents of sunny smiles felt the exact same way. the last week of camp zipped by in a blur. now it is officially the last day of summer camp of 2019.

the final kickball game would start in a in a few hours hour and everyone was excited, especially after the rain had ruined it for them last time. the counselors of cabin flame and rain had been up since early in the morning, clearing out some of the rooms and packing up their belongings. now, they were spending a few minutes together before the kids in their cabins would finish breakfast and get ready.

in geonu's hand is a small hand-crafted souvenir representing a flame. melody had spent multiple hours in the camp's art room the day before crafting it together and painting over it until she was satisfied with the final result.

melody clasps her hands together shyly, as the boy admires it, his chocolate brown eyes shining bright.

"this is amazing, mel. i love it." he exclaims, holding the present tightly between his fingers. the girl smiles from her seat, relieved that he likes her gift. "speaking of gifts, i got something for you too!"

the girl's eyes widen the way a child's would on christmas morning. geonu smiles at her bright expression, handing her the red box. she hesitates as she opens the top, revealing a simple handmade bracelet of string.

"did you use the threads from the art room to make this? you should've let me-"

"shhh. just lift it up and take a better look at it." he hushes her gently.

she does as told and her heart swells. attached to the the underside of the bracelet is a silver charm in the shape of a raindrop. engraved on the charm are the words 'camp sunny smiles, summers of 2010 and 2019'.

"geonu, it's beautiful." melody adores, eyes falling on the head counselor in front of her, before enveloping him in a tight hug. "thank you."

"i know, i have a matching one too." he chuckles, arms falling naturally to her waist and pulling her towards his chest.

"i almost forgot," melody jumps back from him excitedly. "i have one more tiny surprise for you!"

"but you already gave me one, mel." geonu argues, feeling overwhelmed by her second present.

"no no, you definitely want this one." she giggles, turning him around and pushing him out the door. "they're waiting at the front entrance. go get them!"

"what do you mean 'they'? i thought it was just one present! am i just supposed to stand at the-"

the door slams shut right in front of his face, mid-way through his questioning. baffled by her actions, he heads to the front entrance anyways.

he hasn't even stepped foot near the gate to enter before he hears a loud and incredibly familiar voice tease him, "hey shorty!"

no way, there's no way it's him. but when geonu turns around and sees the boy's infectious smile, he's proven wrong. it is him.

"heeseung!"

"hey geonu!" the taller boy runs into the arms of his shorter, but slightly older friend from his childhood. it's been a few years since they've seen each other and geonu feels at home in the arms of his best friend.

the two embracing teenagers hear a cough behind them. "i'm here too, you know."

"k! i thought you weren't coming this summer." geonu rambles, startled by the appearance of the older male.

"well i got a phone call hearing that this would be your last year. i had to show up." k explains.

"yeah! the girl on the phone said it would mean a lot to you if we came." heeseung adds on and geonu blushes at the thought of melody going out of her way to do something so heartfelt for him. "i wanted to see the camp and visit you and youngbin again! the lee boys must reunite!"

"well, i'm glad you guys are here." geonu smiles, as k pats him on the back endearingly. kids start filing out of their cabins, water bottles in hand, donning their athletic wear as they discuss game strategy. "and you're just in time for the kickball game."

"sweet!" heeseung cheers, rolling up his sleeves as he begins to stretch his arms. "let's play."

the teams have been assigned and the kickers are getting lined up. on the opposite of the field, heeseung and geonu high five, as youngbin steps up to pitch. "just like old times," heeseung chants, a half-smile breaking out on his face as he and geonu cheer their long-time teammate on.

"just like old times," youngbin repeats back to them. geonu can't help but smile at the boys. 10 years ago their friendship began, and now it's still the same that it's always been. he's grateful to have found friends like them. even more than that, he's grateful to melody for giving him the chance to make this last memory for them.

he glances over to the arts studio where she is packing up supplies with hitomi. the action doesn't go unnoticed by his friends.

heeseung's voice snaps him out of his trance, "hey, at least this time. there's no chance you'll get your, you know, crushed by the kickball." he snickers mischievously, glancing down to embarrass the boy further. youngbin also smirks over at geonu from the pitchers mound.

"can you not bring that up please?!"

a few feet away, olivia sits on a bench in the pit, observing the kickball game from afar. she is lost in her thoughts until she senses someone tall sitting down beside her.

k's voice speaks to her gently, careful not to startle the pensive girl. "how was counseling this year?"

"you know, the usual. exciting, chaotic, exhausting but memorable." she laughs, speaking more shyly than she's used to now that the male's attention is focused on her.

"you were pretty upset when geonu became the head counselor, weren't you?" k chuckles softly. olivia's eyes widen slightly, as she begins to shake her head. "no? i must've been mistaken then because it definitely looked like you wanted to plot my murder at the time of the announcement."

for the first time in months, olivia feels incredibly bashful, attempting to conjure up the right words. "no matter what i felt that day, you made the right choice. after you, no one is more dedicated to the camp than geonu. you made the right decision, he is the perfect head counselor."

the two seated individuals hear a loud collective cheer and their eyes follow the sound. they watch as geonu kicks the ball far, running through all the bases and back to home, right into heeseung and youngbin's proud and congratulating arms.

"as great as i'm sure he is, things are changing and i need to make sure the camp is in good hands, liv." k begins, patting his hands on his grey shorts, starting to stand up.

"w-what do you mean?" she asks, standing up as well.

k reaches to place a reassuring hand on her shoulder, before explaining with a smile, "you're going to make a amazing head counselor, olivia."