All This Time [Book 3] | Pentagon✔

Chapter 8

Chapter 8
Scavenger Hunt II

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Kele jumped in joy after picking up a bottle cap from the ground. It was half buried but with her own flashlight, she sees things better. She turned to Wooseok with a huge smile but the latter had been really, strangely quiet.

"Are you okay?" She asked, taking his hand. Wooseok just smiled tightly and squeezed her hand. "You've been quiet." She said.

She stood in front of him, trying to catch his eyes but he was looking steadily at the ground. She laughed nervously. "You're acting worse than Changgu." When he kept being silent, she took his other hand and held both tightly. "You know, you can tell me whatever's bothering you, right?"

Wooseok finally met her eyes and then, all of a sudden, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.

Kele let go of her flashlight and the bottle cap, dropping them to the ground then she hugged him fully. "What's the matter?"

He closed his eyes burying his face on the curve of her neck, taking his time before he speaks the words he's been dreading to say to her.

"Kele,"

"What?"

"I..." Every second Wooseok hesitates, Kele's heart beats a little louder. "I enlisted."

She tried to pull away to see his face but Wooseok held her tightly. "What?"

"I'm leaving to serve after summer."

"B-but, why?" She used all her might to pull away from his embrace. Again, she searched for his eyes in the darkness. "You're still young. Why are you going so early?" Her voice trembled a little.

"I'm sorry. I... justㅡdecided to. Iㅡ"

"You just... decided to? Without even thinking to tell me beforehand?"

"Kele..."

She stepped a foot away from him. "When did you decide on this?"

"Before graduation."

She let out a small gasp. "Wooseok!"

"Butㅡ"

Kele swallowed hard. She picked up her things and said, "I want to go back to the camp."

"Kele, please, let'sㅡ"

"Yes, we'll talk about this. But, not now. I need... to think. I need some time alone." She said and turned her back on him, mentally urging herself not to cry.

🚙🚙🚙

"I wish I never left the country.” Yeeun said as her turn came again. She and Kino sat by the huge rocks, dipping their hands in the cold water. They had to speak louder to be heard over the waterfall.

“Why? I think it's cool. It's a whole new world.”

She shrugged. “I wish it was cool. It wasn't. It was difficultㅡa never ending cultural adjustment. It's like no matter how long I lived there, I would never feel like I belong there. It's... never home.”

“I'm sorry. You must have gone through a lot of adjusting.”

“Yeah, and emotional stress. I'm just glad it's almost over.”

“Yeah? When are you graduating?”

“I'm here for my internship. I'll go back by winter to finish everythingㅡthen, I don't know, I'll probably come back here.”