[no reason] - eric sohn

fourteen: tracked down

It was chilly out but Jihyun realized it a little too late. 

September weather was always odd, summer in the mornings, fall in the evenings, couldn't it just make up its mind?

Eric walked beside her with his flashlight aimed at the ground while she searched around with hers. The last thing the students told them was that Michelle and Dojung's mission was to take a photo with the cherry blossom trees. It sucked that the hotel didn't have proper lights along the pathway towards the grove, especially considering the trees were the resort's main attraction.

"Cold?" Eric asked her.

"No," But before the words were out of her mouth she felt a weight on her shoulders. "I said-"

"Come on now, you're shivering, look at your hands."

She looked down and realized he was right.

Jihyun couldn't even begin  to count the amount of times she'd gotten Eric's help today. The subway, the whole coordinator issue, leading the activities, she didn't even want to finish there was just so much she owed him.

"I know I said it earlier, but thanks again for everything today Eric, I don't know what I could've done without your help," 

"It's fine really, I volunteered myself because I wanted to help you Jihyun."

She began to slow her pace down, Eric noticed and matched her steps.

"I just-"  She didn't know if it was the alcohol, the moonlight over their heads, or the soft rumbling of a nearby stream that made her want to confide in the boy standing in front of her, "It's my first time ever participating in something like this, I never really attended any other MTs other than my freshman one, and even at that I stayed inside my room the whole time. What a loser I know. How do you do it so easily? Command the attention of a room like that?"

"I do that?"

She nodded, "The kids seemed to listen more whenever you spoke."

"Well, I guess it just comes naturally for me," He pondered a moment, "I think you did a great job earlier though too,"

"Really?"

"Really. Especially for someone who used to never show up for class tutorials or seminars."

She let out a laugh, "You noticed that?"

"Well, anyone would notice if an unfamiliar face appeared out of nowhere and started this whole-" He put on a fake high-pitched voice, "'Good morning!' thing so yeah I did notice."

Her laughter turned into an embarrassed groan. "Please tell me I don't actually sound like that. It's all that stupid article's fault."

"Article?"

Jihyun cleared her throat and quoted the same article she told Doyeon about a month ago, about the link between positive language and positive moods.

"Well you're not wrong,"

"I'm not?"

"It worked on me," He smiled at her, and again those adorable crescent eyes, appeared, "that's something right?"

"Right," she agreed. "Thank you."

The two finally reached the cherry blossoms and settled into a silence, although this time it was more comforting than awkward. She liked that.

After about five minutes through the grove, they still couldn't seem to find the two students.

"Do you see them anywhere?" Eric asked.

She shook her head.

She pulled out her flashlight and started to shine it beyond the grove and into the surrounding trees.

Nothing...

Nothing...

Noth- Oh. 

Bingo.

She turned her flashlight off immediately and  made Eric to do the same.

"What-" He started to say aloud before she cupped her hand over his mouth.

Jihyun put a finger up to her lips and gestured for him to stay quiet and pointed to the park bench at the entrance of the woods.

And there sat Michelle and Dojung.

Sucking each other's faces off.

She took her hand off of Eric's mouth to see his reaction, but instead of a look of shock there was a twinkle of mischief in his eyes.

He leaned in and whispered, "Five bucks that they go back to Dojung's room tonight."

Jihyun stifled a giggle at the absurdity of it all.

"Ten that they go to Michelle's" She whispered back.

"Deal."