Meet Me Here

Chapter 1: Memory Walk

The Main I/Cs led their teams to their assigned venues after grabbing the essential tools they needed for clean-up. Over at the bunks, Ye Jin and her team got to work clearing any debris leftover by nature during the year Camp ICBM was left empty. As she cleaned, Ye Jin began to reminisce the good old days at Camp ICBM.

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Years ago – 7-years-old

It was Lights Out Time and that meant Ye Jin and Hyun Bin had to head to their respective bunks for the night. Since it was their first camp, Ye Jin was a tad bit unused to sleeping "alone". Little Hyun Bin noticed how his friend was quiet throughout dinner and it didn't take him long to figure out the reason behind her long face.

Bidding Ye Jin good night, he watched as she dragged her feet slowly towards the girls' bunk. Before he knew it, he shouted her name and the little girl turned to face him, all the while biting her lip because of nervousness.

He wanted to help her. He wanted to chase away her fears.

"What is it, Hyun Bin?" The little girl tried to appear brave in front of her "bully". Yet, he could tell she was as timid as a mouse from the way she was scrunched up into herself.

"I bet you can't stay up the whole night." Hyun Bin smirked.

"I can too!" Ye Jin momentarily forgot about her fears as she stood up to him.

"Prove it!" Hyun Bin challenged.

"Fine. We will meet here in an hour and we'll see who can stay up longer." Ye Jin crossed her arms stubbornly.

"Deal." Hyun Bin held out his hand.

The two friends shook on it before Ye Jin strode confidently into the girls' bunk with her head held up defiantly. Hyun Bin pumped his fist in the air before he ran off to the boys' bunk too. His plan was a success. He knew tapping into Ye Jin's competitive spirit would get her riled up.

An hour later, the two friends met as planned and snuck off to the back of a shed. With only their torchlights in their hands, Hyun Bin led the path to the hidden corner where they would be safe from the facilitators patrolling the area. With that, they sat down on the grass and looked up at the starry night together.

Sometime during the silence between them, Hyun Bin peeked over at Ye Jin and smiled. He could tell she was getting tired from how rapidly she was blinking her eyes. Yet, he sensed that she was still too fearful to sleep in such a foreign environment by the pure determination in her eyes.

"Ye Jin, let's play a game!" Hyun Bin suggested as he shone the light at the blank wall opposite of them.

Ye Jin craned her neck curiously at her friend when he started making odd shapes with his hand. Soon, the two were giggling together as they used their hands to make shadow puppets using their torchlights.

And low and behold, all of Ye Jin's fears disappeared the more they laughed. Suddenly, being at camp didn't feel as daunting anymore. Suddenly, it felt as though it was one of those nights their parents forced them into the backyard for a campout, claiming being around nature would do wonders for their friendship. Suddenly, around Hyun Bin, she felt at home.

It was now an hour past midnight and their torchlights laid by their sides, completely forgotten now that their mini-game ended. With the cool night air caressing her and the warmth emanating from her friend, Ye Jin's eyes were beginning to feel heavy.

But she had to win...

Forcing her eyelids open, little Ye Jin rubbed her eyes in an attempt to stay awake but to no avail. She was sleepy. That was when she heard soft snoring next to her that was getting progressively louder every single time.