Highway to Heaven 🔞

44. 피크닉

It was Hanbin's idea to rent a class A RV van for the one day one night picnic plus camping outing they had planned to do. In celebration of Jiwoong's new job, and all of their somewhat aligning summer break, they decided to go for a tour with all of their close friends that included Hanbin and Zhang Hao, Matthew, Jiwoong and his younger brother, Yujin, Gyuvin and Ricky and lastly, Taerae and Gunwook. It was a bit congested inside the van with all of them, but that was their last concern. For, everyone had high hopes for the scenic spot they chose.

It was right next to a shallow river stream. You can easily jump in and take a dip. The depth would at best be up to your shoulders. So you can swim, and if you can't, there's no chance of drowning. The river bank was covered with green grass and small plants. Perfect for sitting down and relax. They had already stored necessary clothes. As for barbeque and campfire, they had already talked to local people to make arrangements.

So when they set out with Hanbin driving and Hao being the passenger's princess, the others inside had started doing everything and anything to enjoy. They started singing, playing card games, some even sleeping. The road to the outing spot wasn't short, so they had to change drivers not to overwork any. After Hanbin, it was Taerae. And by his side, sat Gunwook. By that time, everyone knew about the past incidents between Taerae and Hanbin, so there was a tad bit of hung up tension in the air, but that didn't ruin the mood for the outing, because Gunwook knew how to distract his man by narrating his the course of direction to be taken.

They had reached the spot at noon. The sun was scorching hot, so when they walked out, it was kinda difficult to look up. Thanks to the river the air was cooler than expected.

"Those are some huge rocks!" Gyuvin pointed at the riverside rocks. Fun to play on but also dangerous because sometimes they have sharp edges.

"This looks beautiful!" Yujin exclaimed, looking at the vast greenery and clear river water. The stream was flowing at a calm and steady pace. Gunwook took off his shoes and dipped his toes in the running water.

"Guys! We're missing out!" He excitedly declared, demanding that they should change and hop in immediately. Under the hot sun, that would be the most perfect thing to do. And none of them waited anymore. As agreed upon before, they all had changed into swim shorts and lined up before a more flexible part of the river bank. Then, with a count of 3, they started running altogether, jumping into the river water like there's no tomorrow.

All 9 of them made water splash everywhere as they kept jumping in the river water. It was so similar to a pool except for the blue tiles underneath. The muddy land soon made the water cloudy but they couldn't be bothered. They threw water at each other, pushed ones near them and ran around chasing or being chased. Yujin was seen being carried on Jiwoong's shoulder then dropped face down in the water, the same thing was repeated by Hao and Hanbin, with the latter carrying the older male. Gyuvin, Ricky and Gunwook were busy chasing each other whereas Matthew and Taerae plotted plans to prank their respective partners. The playful run in the water went on and on, as the clock ticked and the sun kept going to the western sky. In the blink of an eye, an hour passed, but they were still splashing water at each other, after swimming to a clearer area.

By a twist of fate, or by a mere coincidence, at one point, Hanbin came face to face with Taerae while he was busy chasing Hao. Taerae was about to push the other, until he noticed it had been Hanbin.

They were almost touching each other's shoulders until they both froze and a cloud of awkwardness surrounded them. Hao noticed, but before he could intervene, Taerae grinned like a sly brat and pushed Hanbin hard taking the perfect chance of his startled manner. Hanbin fell on his butt, drowned underwater. He stood up in shock next, gasping and throwing his hair back.