Tell Me Without Telling Me || Sope

Forty-One

The path is narrow, lumpy with tree roots, but well kept, brambles, nettles and branches all staying neatly out of the way. Bluebells sprout in beautiful clumps, ivy curling around tree trunks. 

They walk for several minutes before the trees begin to thin and out they step into an open, grassy area, running along the bank of a small river that gurgles and splashes merrily. Placed at even intervals are several wooden picnic tables. two people are seated at the closest one, eating and talking. A couple, Hoseok thinks.

"Come on," Yoongi says to Namjoon, who is sitting on the grass. "Not far now. We haven't gone over the footbridge yet." He bends down and takes the basket from Namjoon's hands, and continues along the path.

"Are you okay?" Hoseok asks, watching Namjoon get up.

Namjoon cracks his neck. "My feet hurt. I think I'm going to have blisters."

"Oh no," Hoseok says, trying not to laugh. "We'll get some blister plasters when we go back into town. My treat."

Namjoon's dimples pop into being and he gives a short, breathy laugh. "Thanks. Yoongi-hyung put some in my backpack—I get blisters too often."

They follow Yoongi a little ways down the path until they reach a footbridge, the wooden slats overlayed with a thin wire mesh to keep anyone from slipping on the wood in the rainy seasons.

Once over the bridge, Yoongi turns left, heading still further into the forest, following the river until...

The clearing they find is much smaller than the one with the picnic benches. The grass dips towards the river, turning into gravel, then stones. The place is deserted, the only sound the birds twittering, the water swirling, and the faint hum of a bumblebee. Most of trees are so thickly packed together that it gives the illusion of walls, a private space just for them to inhabit.

Yoongi puts the basket down, shrugs off the backpack, and begins unzipping it. Out comes a blanket, which he spreads over the soft grass and smooths out before allowing either of them to sit down.

Once book bags have been released, Hoseok's fingers aching from the weight, the basket is finally opened and out comes a wonderful array of food. Hoseok's mouth waters and his stomach gives an embarrassing grumble. Maybe it's the hunger getting to him, coupled with being woken early and piled on top of everything else in his life that makes him miserable, but suddenly he feels like crying.

"Th-this is amazing," he says, voice wobbling. "I can-can't believe you guys... I-I can't b-believe we're here."

"We knew you'd like it," Yoongi says, handing him chopsticks and a spoon. "Eat up."

"L-like it? I love it," Hoseok says, trying to take in everything all at once. "H-how did you even find this place? Why didn't you just tell me? I almost didn't come."

"Telling you would have ruined the surprise," Namjoon says, peeling off his socks. He sighs, stretching out his legs, toes in the grass.

Yoongi shifts. "Actually, we thought it might be good for you to do something spontaneously. Hard to overthink when you don't have a chance."

Hoseok blinks, unsure how to respond. Yoongi said the words so casually, but they carry a weight to them, a horrible one Hoseok hates others acknowledging. "I... um... oh. okay."

Yoongi looks over at Namjoon, lips pursed. "We just thought... ever since your last panic attack... since you made up with your friend Seokjin-ssi... you've been a bit... out of sorts."

"Which is completely understandable," Namjoon says hastily.

"Yeah," Yoongi says, nodding, "it's natural. There were a lot of emotions going on there."