Shadows Of Stardom

Chapter 31

“Taehyung, are we almost there?” I asked, hearing him chuckle softly. It felt like we had been walking for ages, and my feet were killing me. My heart felt heavy, but thankfully, I didn’t have my hiking bag since our friends had carried it last time. If I had been lugging that around, I might have given up right here.

“Come on, Jane, you’re starting to sound like Jin,” Taehyung laughed, and I rolled my eyes. I definitely didn’t sound like Jin, nor had I ever.

Taehyung glanced at the map again and checked his compass for what felt like the hundredth time in the last two hours.

“Are we lost, Taehyung?” I asked, but he didn’t respond, just scanned our surroundings. Oh no, we were lost.

“No, we’re not,” he replied, his voice laced with amusement. “I’m sure we’re close. Come on,” he said, taking my hand for support.

We walked a bit further until we finally heard the sound of waterfalls—thankfully, we had made it. I remembered Namjoon mentioning this place before. Even with the roar of the water, I could still hear Jin and Hoseok’s voices in the background.

I let out a sigh of relief, grateful we had arrived safely without encountering any wild animals, especially the creepy ones. After a few minutes of clearing branches from our path, we finally reached the spot, and it was unbelievably beautiful.

As we finally made our way to the campsite, I could hardly believe my eyes. The moment we stepped into that clearing, it felt as though I had walked straight into a painting. Flowers exploded with color, seemingly trying to outshine the sunlight, while a waterfall cascaded down the rocks, the sound of splashing water resonating in the warm air. The trees stood like guardians, perfectly aligned, giving the entire scene an oddly curated yet wildly beautiful atmosphere. It felt so real, yet almost too surreal to be true.

If I could, I would love to live in this paradise forever. However, I was terrified of bears and snakes—honestly, I was so afraid of them. They were just creepy and gross.

"Isn't it amazing?" Taehyung said, a grin spreading across his face as he turned to me. His excitement was contagious.

"Yes, it is," I replied, nodding happily.

Lisa's shout drew my attention to my friends. She was the first to express her feelings for me, and I stumbled back a bit from the push before chuckling and wrapping my arms around her. We pulled back a moment later, rushing over to the girls after I gave Taehyung a quick kiss.

But then I felt my friends tugging me away by the arms, their enthusiasm distracting me from Taehyung.

"You two are back together?" they asked before I could settle down on the cloth spread out on the green grass beside them. I waved at the guys who were playing some strange game by their tent.

I nodded at them, and they smiled, playfully nudging me out of excitement for no apparent reason.

"What happened?" Jisoo asked eagerly, clearly thrilled.

"Did you two have angry sex? I heard that's super hot!" Lisa chimed in, while Rosé grimaced as if she had just heard the most repulsive thing imaginable.

"No, we didn't," I replied, rolling my eyes at her.

Well, we kind of did, but I wasn't about to share that with them.

This place is absolutely stunning.

For the rest of the time, the girls filled me in on everything I had missed while I was gone. I noticed Nayeon was sitting with the guys, and I couldn't quite figure out why. I understood she wasn't particularly close to the girls, but still...