➣ ғᴏʀᴇsᴛ

@park chaeyoung Yuta just shook his head, wondering why he had just ranted about social issues, and seeming his own existence. He felt weird for saying such a thing. Maybe he wasn't as bad he thought. He just needed an ear to listen to him. He jumped off the ledge and dusted himself off before he looked at the female and nodded, a signal that he was ready to head back to camp. It was pointless at this point to run, and if he could somehow convince to keep this whole situation on the down low, perhaps he would feel better. Maybe they would flexible people. He wouldn't mind getting tortured, as long this didn't go out. His parents would take him back to Japan, and he would be punished severely. He shuddered at the thought, but he shook his head to clear his thoughts and focus on the walk. "Thank you again for being here. I know I may have been harsh, and also suicidal. You stuck with me, so I really appreciate you for that."

@nakamoto yuta Her gaze followed him as he moved towards the mouth of the cave. A cold breeze prompted her to bring her legs towards her chest and shuffle closer to the wall, but she diligently paid attention to his voice. His take on the differences between everything threw her mind on a loop as she tried to comprehend his statement. She couldn't tell for sure, but maybe the reason for Yuta's suicidal actions had something to do with what he had to say about everyone's differences. Chaeyoung tried to remember if she ever saw him getting abused for his differences, but his voice interrupted her thoughts. "No, don't be sorry, actually...if you want, I'm open to listening to you rant. I feel like you might have some things on your chest that you want to get rid of." Lightly jumping off the ledge, she moved to his side and waited for him to either take the first step to their path to camp or to speak his first words of his rant.

*begins walking around the perimeter of the forest*
Yeah, I won't go too deep.
I don't know my way around here

@park chaeyoung The rest was well needed, he felt energized, but still sore from over-exhausting himself. Hearing the others whispers, he decided he didn't want to go back right now. "Let's just wait a tad bit. I want to look at the sky." He moved from inside the cave towards the entrance and he looked up a the clear sky and stars were out. Of course with snow here and there, he couldn't tell if they were all stars in the sky or snowflakes. "You know how they say they say no snowflake is alike? I wonder if that's the same thing with stars. They can be the same type of star or the same size, but each of them are different in their own aspects. We just can't see it. Same for us humans, we're all made the same, but we are different. We all have major or minor characteristics that set us apart from other people. But then you get treated for bad for being different despite everyone is different." He sighed and looked down at his freezing hands. "Sorry for ranting. we can go back now."

@nakamoto yuta After watching him curl up to take a little nap, she did the same by leaning into her corner of the cave wall. What would happen to them if they went back? Would they get punished? Did the camp even know they were "missing"? Maybe they could just sneak back and pretend nothing ever happened...but something DID happen... Slowly opening her eyes, Chaeyoung gazed down at the other student and wondered what to do. She didn't really know him, but it's not like she could go back to seeing him as any other student when they returned to camp. Maybe she could get to know him while she had the chance. Checking her watch, she deemed it might be the best time to go back since it was past curfew and everyone would be sleeping. As long as they avoided the night guards, they would be fine. Whispering to not scare him awake, she quietly called out for Yuta, "Hey..you ready to go back?"

@park chaeyoung He was sure he wanted to go back. He was embarrassed they had walked all the way here just to go back. But eventually, it was going to happen. Whether it would be hours from now or right now, he would end up in the same way. He wanted to rest for a bit before going. After all, he did carry another person through the snow, while running to top it off. If he was saying he wasn't exhausted, he would be wrong. "Let's just wait a few minutes, I want to rest before we go back. And feel free to leave if I fall asleep, I don't mind. I'll be the main suspect they will look for." Yuta put his hands behind his head like a pillow and closed his eyes, humming a tune he heard on the radio when he was a child. It was his favorite song, and it still is.

@kim taehyung Joohyun ducked her head into her scarf as a bluster of wind kicked up the powdery snow, momentarily blinded as she squeezed her eyes shut. Blinking again, shaking off the snow from her hair, she looked to Taehyung with a small chuckle. "I'd like the company, I get lost easily." She smiled, a crooked grin. "I haven't been that way yet, care to take the lead?" She asked, gesturing her hand out to the path. "I appreciate you telling me about the river, I'll be able to finish my scrapbook page."

@bae joohyun Breaking out into a small smile knowing she took his suggestion well, he gave her a chaste shake of his head before responding rather bluntly, "I'd love to go with you.". He started before realising that could've come off a bit suggestively, "I mean- its nice to have company when you're going out on walks.". Realising how awkward it must have appeared to be for him to correct himself like that, Taehyung sighed and face palmed himself mentally before taking a few steps closer to her; closing the distance. "Do you know the way?" he asked, trying to change the topic.

@kim taehyung Joohyun perked up a bit, hopeful that he was right and the river was defrosted at least a little. She had a dozen pictures of the icy tundra but she hoped for something else to add to her scrapbook. "I'll go take a look, just to get a few pictures... Did you want to join me?" Quickly she looked away, hoping her awkwardness wasn't showing too much but well aware she was failing. "Unless you want to go, you can, don't feel obligated to join me... Its just a suggestion."

@bae joohyun Nodding to her words, Taehyung pondered on his words for a bit before speaking up again making sure to not sound insulting in any shape of way. "The weather has been getting a bit warmer lately though, maybe because the sun has been out more but if its like yesterday morning-" he started, recalling how the open area upstream was covered with much less snow, "the river and its surrounding area should still be out and just running fine.". Feeling a small chill run up his spine from standing still for too long, the male held onto each elbow with his open palms as he folded his arms over, "it's still a bit cold and breakfast should be starting soon though, so the option is really up to you.".

@kim taehyung Joohyun was never very good at conversation, she didn't know how to small talk very well, especially considering Korean wasn't her first language. She found herself looking back to him, wondering what to say next as she fixed her mittens on her hands. "I was just going to wander around, maybe look for something to take pictures of." She sighed softly, looking back to Taehyung. "The river? Hm.. Not a bad idea. Though it's much colder then I expected, the river might've frozen over already." She pursed her lips, wondering a moment if it was worth the walk or if breakfast was a better idea for the early morn.

@bae joohyun Shifting the weight in his hips, Taehyung took a slight glance down as he kicked a small pile of snow in front of him. The pauses in their conversation and lack of eye contact making it more than evident that they were a pair of awkward turtles. "Yeah, I like mornings too," he spoke with a slight nod of the head; a bit of its volume being muffled out by his scarf. "Mm, I could but I'm more or less done with practice for the day, yourself?" he asked, finally looking back up at her making slight eye contact, "I'm also guessing you like greenery? If that's so, you might be able to find some unfrozen ones by the river out west.".

@nakamoto yuta Turning her attention onto the boy, she opened to deliver some words of hope, but she couldn't find the right words to say, and held herself back. Cold, and tired, she obviously wanted to go back to the safety of the resort, but how could she return when not even an hour ago, she had found Yuta wanting to leave this world by burning down a forest along with him. Her saddened eyes fixated on his body that emitted an aura of loneliness. "Are you sure you want to go back...? We could wait maybe just a few hours here if you want." Not knowing what to do broke her gentle heart. She knew everyone desired different things, and she didn't know if reaching out to him about his life was the better option or if he just wanted to be left alone.

@park chaeyoung Yuta sighed upon hearing she dropped her guitar. "Well, it looks like they are going to know that you were definitely there. And they'll know that we are the only campers not in our cabins so we are definitely going to be hunted." Yuta just wanted to run, and be a completely new person. He saw no hope of ever staying here. Perhaps it was time he just go back home to Japan. He loved it here, but he just didn't feel happy here. Maybe he would be happier home? Most likely not, but where could he go as a non-adult? It was so hard for him to decide where. "We should go back to the resort soon. I don't what this situation to blow up and spread on news. I don't people to know you were involved since you were innocent." He closed his eyes and exhaled.

@kim taehyung Joohyun let out a foggy chilled breath, looking back at the taller male with a soft smile upon her lips. She watched him rub his palms together, feeling the cold herself just a little more. "Oh, true..." She chucked at herself, feeling a tad bit embarrassed for not working that out herself. "I guess I was hoping for a miracle, to find something green in this forest." She sighed softly, looking back at Taehyung with a gentle smile. "Morning is nice at least, so quiet and calm. Are you going to throw the baseball around some more?"

@bae joohyun Taehyung kept his eyes on her, his two palms now rubbing against each other to create any heat that was possible through friction. He noticed the change in her position and how her hair moved softly at any sudden movements. "Yeah- its nice to meet you too," he responded a bit nonchalantly changing the focus of his eyes down to his hands before letting out a small chuckle. "It's a bit too hard to play catch by yourself at this time don't you think? You're not wrong though, the baseball part I mean and well-" glancing back up to get a better look at the sky, "the sun is barely up so I'm not very surprised that the plants are still frozen, giving the season and all."

@kim taehyung Joohyun was awful at throwing, she didn't miss how he had to step forward to catch her haphazard throw. She turned back to the trees, looking up at the frozen maze of beauty that was the branches and crispy leaves under the snow. She stuffed her hands in her pockets, hair spilled around her collar like an inky black scarf - over her actual scarf. She let out a deep sigh, her attention falling back on him, hearing his name. "Nice to meet you, yes its Joohyun." She nodded. "I'm a morning person, I thought I'd come check out the plants but most are still frozen." She chuckled, awkwardly shifting her weight. "I guess you were playing catch? You're into baseball, hm?"

@nakamoto yuta To respond, she stretched her frozen face to formulate a small smile, but was quickly wiped away by frigid blast of cold air. Stepping deeper into the cave, safe from the elements, she brushed her loose strands of hair out of her face and took look around the dark cave. "We'll be safe here...for now..." Her heart rate slowly calming down, she sat on top of the small ledge that stuck out from the side of the cave. A spot she usually came to sing her songs with her- "GUITAR! MY GUITAR! MY GUitar......" Softly trailing away into the darkness of the night, her voice lost its energy once she remembered her abandoned instrument that was probably being buried by the snow each second. With a disheartened frown, she turned her head towards the entrance of the cave to longingly look out at the darkness of the night

@bae joohyun Nodding his head slightly in response to the girl's first comment, he took a couple of steps forward to catch the ball as her throw came a bit short. "Thanks," he muffled out of his now chapped lips; he never was really good with the winter and it was showing more evidently now than ever. With his mitt clamped between his arm and his side, Taehyung held the ball with both hands; his vain attempt to warm it up and melt off the ice before placing it within the pocket of his coat. He didn't pay much mind to the presence of the other girl but judging by her sudden introduction he assumed she may have felt awkward or uncomfortable with him being there. "Taehyung," he responded back briefly after her before pondering on what to say next, "Joohyun was it? Likewise- I didn't think anybody else would be awake at this time either, let alone found deep in the forest. Couldn't sleep?". Yup, he started to ramble on a bit; a habit which has never shaken off from him.

@kim taehyung Joohyun looked up, straightening at the sound of snow crunching. She spotted the male instantly, standing out among the white of the surroundings, her gaze falling on the baseball in her grip, the one he was pointing to. "Its-- oh." She smiled softly, stepping around her bush to pass him the baseball. "Sorry, it rolled over to me." Joohyun added, her breath fogging the air as she retracted her hand back into her pocket. Awkwardly looking back to her frozen plants, she sighed, before her gaze lifted back to the male still with her. "I'm Joohyun, by the way. I didn't think anybody else was awake at this time."

@park chaeyoung Surprised by her expanse knowledge of the area, he decided to no longer question her. He just nodded and followed her. Since he could trek through the snow faster, he decided to stop real quick. "Hop on my back, it'll be faster if I run and carry you. Plus they won't know why one set of footprints disappear." Once she did, he ran in the snow following her directions that she told him, and sure enough, there was a river and he walked along the bank of the river and began to see his footprints disappear he smiled. The walk was long, but they made it to the small cave as she explained. He finally set her down and he looked at the small cave and looked back at her. He saw no lights in distance, and it seemed his fire was quelled, meaning the fire department has arrived as well. "Thank you."

@nakamoto yuta She saw the lights too...and it was getting closer and closer every second. Thankfully, she had been coming up to this camp since she was in elementary school and knew the forest like the back of her hand. Gently pulling his hand the opposite direction of the authorities, she broke off into a sprint, or at least she tried, but the thick layer of snow slowed her down to the speed of a soft jog. Trying to run at the same time, she explained the route she had in mind for their escape. "There's a river up ahead that we can get to in a few minutes if we run fast enough, and if we carefully walk on the edge of the water where there isn't snow, they won't be able to track our footprints, and about a mile upstream, there's a cave where we can take shelter for the night." Already semi-out of breath, she took one last glance back at the fire that was slowly getting smaller, and chucked her phone into the night knowing that if she kept it, they could track their location using its GPS.

@park chaeyoung The firm grasp around him froze him to the spot. He hadn't thought she would do such a thing. The next thing the male knew, she was in front of him, giving him her jacket and scarf, that smelled of fire. Speaking of fire, the fire seemed to spread to other trees, but the rapidness was slowing down. Still, the damage was enough to get a mouthful from officials. He had gone too far with his fire craze. He sighed and looked down at the girl who was speaking. Fake name? He laughed incredulously at the girl. "You know they can trace your phone? They'll know eventually who made the call. I'm sorry but I don't want you to get involved. This is something I've done. I don't want to drag anybody down with me. I get that you want to save me, but that isn't happening." He began to turn around when he saw faint lights in the horizon. Shoot, they found out. He turned to the girl. "Show me the way. and move quickly, they know there is a fire."

@nakamoto yuta As she finished her conversation with the 911 moderator, she could hear a mumble from behind her, something about running away. With each second passing, she continued to see herself in this boy, and her heart reached out for him. Shoving her phone away after ending the call, Chaeyoung wistfully watched him walk away, but didn't let him get too far. She knew letting him leave all alone in this state of mind would not be healthy for anyone. So swiftly leaping over the piles of snow to catch up, she wrapped her frail arms around his torso, and leaned her head against his broad shoulders while also pulling him closer to her so he would have no chance of escaping her embrace. When she felt his body stop fighting against her grasp, the girl slowly let go, and walked around the still standing boy to have their first "normal" face to face conversation. She barely knew this kid, but saving him still meant so much to her. "We can't stay here, the authorities will be here any moment now, and if we get caught...it would just make everything worse," she said in a softer voice. Noticing that he was shivering, she took off her thicker jacket and draped it over his shoulders, and wrapped her slightly singed scarf around his neck. ""I left a fake name so they won't be able to track us as long as we're careful. I know where we can go, so just follow me."

@bae joohyun With the sound of snow crunching beneath his boots, Taehyung continue to follow the direction of the ball. His vision slowly widening as the sun raised higher into the day. Taking a slow moment to inhale and then exhale in the following, the male stood still staring at his breathy white mist wondering if it was time for the others to get up. Thinking he should quickly find the ball and squeeze in a few more pitches before heading back, Taehyung sped up his pace as a small trail was now visible on the snow having made contact with the ground. It didn't take long until a small figure of another human entered his vision; her clothes a stark contrast against the snow. Trailing his eyes towards her, he noticed the ball in her hand. "Uhm-" he started, pondering if he should get straight to the point, "that''s mine". He pointed slightly with his right index finger, not trying to be too obvious as it could come off as rude.

@park chaeyoung He was amused. The girl had strength, something he wasn't particularly used to seeing often. He was dropped pretty quickly though, despite her efforts. "No need to be a heroine, just let me be." He spoke, perhaps with an anger backing in his voice. His throat choked up however due to the inhaling of smoke. He stood up and dusted himself, ridding the snow from his clothing. "Thank you though for caring. Nice to see that." He started walking towards the fire again, looking deeply at the intensity of the heat that was roasting his face. He spat on the fire and scoffed. It wasn't safe here. No, if he would to get caught, he would probably have to face severe consequences, go through therapy, and etc. It would just make him want to get away even more. No point in saving this coward. "I'm running away. You could either stay here or leave." The male began walking, determined to get away from the scene that he didn't want to be seen at anymore.

@nakamoto yuta A shocking chill went down her spine at his eerie, but recognizable tone. It was the voice of someone who saw no purpose in life and was willing to give it up for some peace. She knew what it was like to emotionally and physically feel that there was no reason left in the world to live, but beating her depression last year had caused her to see life through a different lens, a better lens. For the past year, she was able to help herself, and now maybe it was time for her to help others as well. "Nakamoto Yuta, I do not plan on leaving you here to die, I don't care if I have to carry you back to camp, you are NOT staying here." She waited for one last response to see if he would snap out of his daze to walk himself to safety, but when she was answered back with silence, she breathed out a sigh of discontent. "Fine, guess we're going to do things my way." Wrapping his right arm around her neck, she let his limp body lean onto her shoulder, and with a huff, she stood up with the boy's body draped over her. Holding onto his two legs with her right arm, and his right arm with her left, the shockingly small framed junior walked out of the circle of flames one step at a time. Guess all those days of carrying heavy instrument cases on her back has finally paid off. About 10 feet away from the flames, her energy quickly ran out, and dropped her classmate onto the ground as gently as possible. Out of breath, she took out her phone and quickly dialed a number. "Hello. I would like to report a fire.."

@park chaeyoung The smoke began to fill the male's airways, and his visibility lessened. Crunching footsteps in the snow were faint but grew louder, than thud followed. A classmate of his. Great. They were going to "save him." The pitch of the voice was obviously a female. And no shocker, it was Chaeyoung. Geez, he could imagine the ear full he would get if he ever returned to camp. Plus if she came here, she would most likely be punished too. The burden seemed too much and added more stress. The point to come here was to ease it off. There is always something to add something to the man. "You have to get out of here. I just want to stay here for now. It's relaxing me." Yuta began to scare himself how monotonous he sounded. Was it really that bad for him? He shook his head and sighed. He liked sitting in the cold snow, besides he was pretty lazy to get up. "Leave before it's too late. I'll be fine."

@nakamoto yuta Taking in a crisp breath of air, a dark silhouette stumbled through the trees to find a clear gathering for another one of her solo musical nights. Looking up, she watched the small flakes of snow slowly drift down from the sky and softly land on her rosy cheeks to quickly melt away, leaving her skin with a yearning for another soft peck from the snow. Boosting her heavy guitar case once more onto her shoulders to help her stay balanced, she trudged on through the thick snowfall to find a place where she could strum her guitar and sing without the world watching her. Far ahead, a small glint of light caught her attention causing her to crane her neck and squint her eyes to see if she could better her vision in the dark night. Her once steadily beating heart dropped the moment she could make out the small fiery tongues of flame in the near distance and a...person?! "Oh no...no no no" Before she knew it, Chaeyoung had abandoned her guitar on the cold layers of snow, and was running towards the fire to somehow rescue the figure that was being enveloped by the flames. Her thick layer of clothing did not advantage her in anyway of getting to the fire any faster, but heaving up and down for air, she reached the clearing that would soon be burnt to the ground in any second. "Hey! UH EXCUSE ME SIR YOU NEED T---YUTA?!" Ignoring the fire that was growing ever faster, she dived onto the ground to catch the attention of her classmate. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! WE HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE!"

@park chaeyoung "Misery, miserable me." A black haired boy yelled. He sat on a rotten stump in a clearing of trees. The snow felled on his skin as he stared coldly at his surroundings. "I hate this place. Stupid counselors and ignorant classmates." Words that left his lips without a train of thought. He hated how he felt, even worse, he hated the fact he came here without proper protection from the elements. Life's been hell. All alone, nobody cared for him really. He was alone. He was scared. He needed warmth. Warmth. Something he needed physically and emotionally. The lighter in his hand was still warm, liquid swirling around. Reaching into his pocket, his box of matches was still there. He would regret it, but it was too late, he wanted to end it. End it all. Rising from his seat he stepped into the soft, crunchy snow. He started where he once sat and threw the lighter on the stump, the plastic smashing and the flammable liquid spreading on the log. He pulled out his matches and set a single match ablaze. He threw the match on the wood and watches a small fire spread. He set another match and threw it at a tree. That tree got on fire. Yuta, however, didn't expect that it wouldn't last, the snow will stop the spreading. But no, it kept spreading. Oh well. He sat in the snow and waited for this place to burn around him. Slowly.