23 | CHAPTER TWENTY THREE — ALL TOO WELL ❝ i remember it too ❞
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THE SUN ROSE, morning light shining through the small windows and into the supply closet, where it woke up all of the sleeping teenagers. They'd all sat up from their resting positions and were eyeing Nam-ra, who stared out the windows, with curious expressions.
"What is it?" Su-hyeok asked. "Do you see something?"
"The smell is stronger." She said simply.
Dae-su frowned and sniffed the air, then his own shirt. "I don't smell anything."
"I think they're all coming this way," Nam-ra turned around. "The smell is way stronger."
"Doesn't matter," Joon-yeong stated, staring at the door. "We're all trapped in here for good now."
"Please don't say that." Hyo-ryung said.
"This isn't it," Yu-ri spoke up. "We won't stay in here forever. We'll think of something." She tried her best to reassure them, to ease their worries, but she was struggling to believe it herself.
"I don't think so." Joon-yeong shook his head.
For a while, the group stayed quiet again. Until Wu-jin, Ha-ri and Mi-jin, Yu-ri learned, began speaking about Ha-ri's archery tournament.
"You really won? You're going to Nationals?" Wu-jin asked in excitement. He was so proud of his sister, none of them had the heart to remind him that nationals probably wouldn't be happening anymore.
"Congratulations." Yu-ri leaned forward from where she sat to shoot Ha-ri a small smile. She understood how special it could be to achieve something big in your sport.
Ha-ri nodded at her, smiling back when Mi-jin sat up. "Hey," She said, looking at Yu-ri. "Aren't you the volleyball captain?"
Yu-ri hesitated. Technically, she wasn't the captain even though it felt like it sometimes. Her team never had a captain, they had only made Yu-ri the unofficial one. "Yeah."
"Ah," Mi-jin nodded. "You're so cool. You know everyone at school still talks about last year's championship game? You were brand new and you still got the winning point. So awesome."
Yu-ri blinked, looking down at her lap and then the ceiling—anywhere to avoid them from seeing the blush that flushed her cheeks. It was rare, that Yu-ri heard genuine compliments about her athletic ability that weren't doused with disappointment or a secret desire for her to do better. "Thank you."
