The buses rolled to a stop just as the sky began to change color.
Not sunrise yet.Just that thin, uncertain blue that came before morning decided what it wanted to be.
Gravel crunched under heavy tires. Engines sighed, tired from carrying too many stories at once. For a moment, no one moved, as if everyone needed confirmation that this place was real.
Then the doors opened.
Girls' Bus — Last Miles of Quiet
On the girls' bus, the heater finally clicked off, leaving behind a strange silence that made the space feel bigger than it was.
Kitty straightened slowly, rolling her shoulders as if waking from a long dream. Her reflection stared back at her from the window, hair still neat, eyes slightly tired but bright. Travel always did this to her. It peeled away noise and left only thoughts.
June stood up first, naturally. Not rushing. Just moving when it was time.
"We're here," she said, not loudly, but with certainty.
Jihye bounced in her seat. "I didn't sleep at all."
Anna smiled. "You never do."
Cherry crossed her arms, surveying the outside through the window like a critic arriving at a film set. "It looks… rustic."
NC leaned over gently, voice calm. "That's the point."
Kitty watched June gather her bag, movements efficient. There was something about June when she traveled. Less guarded. More observant. Like she was storing details for later, even if she didn't know why yet.
Kitty wondered what June was seeing right now.
The door opened fully.
Cold air rushed in.
Someone gasped. Someone laughed.
And then the girls stepped out.
Arrival — Everyone at Once
The village didn't greet them with grandeur.
It greeted them with stillness.
Low houses with uneven roofs. Dirt paths softened by frost. Smoke curling lazily from somewhere unseen. A few villagers stood at a distance, watching the buses unload students like a slow, curious tide.
The sound hit first.
Luggage wheels rattling.Voices overlapping.Staff calling names.
Engineering students spilled out loudly, stretching, already claiming space. Business majors clustered together, phones out, documenting everything. Computing students moved more quietly, eyes scanning for Wi-Fi signals that didn't exist.
The health-track students gathered instinctively, like they always did.
XH's group emerged from the male bus a moment later.
Kitty noticed him immediately.
Not because he was loud.
Because he wasn't.
He stood there with his bag over one shoulder, eyes moving slowly across the village, taking it in like he was afraid to miss something important.
Their eyes met briefly.
No wave.No smile.
Just recognition.
June noticed it too.
She always did.
The First Split
Staff quickly organized them again.
"Bags here!""Group assignments later!""Don't wander off!"
The words echoed, but no one truly listened.
The girls were guided toward one side of the village, closer to the houses designated for them. The boys were led in the opposite direction, toward the monastery grounds.
Kitty felt the separation immediately.
Not loneliness.
Awareness.
She glanced back once.
XH was already talking to JP and TZ, animated now, like the road had shaken something loose inside him. NS stood nearby, hoodie pulled tight, looking mildly betrayed by the weather.
Kitty smiled faintly.
They were ridiculous.
June slowed her steps slightly, matching Kitty's pace.
"Are you cold?" June asked.
Kitty shook her head. "Not yet."
June nodded. "Give it time."
First Village Night — Girls' Side
The girls' sleeping quarters were simple.
Thin mattresses laid neatly on the floor. Low tables. A single heater humming bravely in the corner like it was fighting a losing battle.
Jihye dropped her bag immediately and flopped down. "I'm never getting up again."
Anna laughed and handed her a scarf. "You'll regret that in five minutes."
Cherry sat on her mattress, arms crossed, scanning the room with sharp eyes. "This is… minimal."
NC smiled calmly. "Minimal can be peaceful."
Cherry scoffed. "Peaceful is overrated."
Kitty unpacked slowly, folding her coat, placing things carefully. Organization calmed her. It made the unfamiliar feel manageable.
June stood near the window, looking out.
Lights flickered in a few houses across the path. Somewhere, a dog barked once, then went quiet.
"This place feels… suspended," June said softly.
Kitty glanced at her. "Suspended how?"
June considered. "Like it exists between moments."
Kitty smiled slightly. "That sounds like something you'd say."
June didn't deny it.
They sat together on the floor a little later, cups of hot water warming their hands. Conversation flowed easily now, less guarded than on campus.
Jihye talked about idol auditions again, eyes shining.Anna talked about engineering labs.NC listened more than she spoke, grounding the room.Cherry argued confidently about everything, but when she laughed, it was genuine.
Kitty found herself speaking less, listening more.
She watched June carefully.
June wasn't performing here.
She was just… present.
That felt important.
First Village Night — Boys' Side
On the other side, the monastery quarters buzzed with barely contained chaos.
JP dropped his bag and announced, "I claim this mattress."
TZ immediately threw his bag on top of it. "Denied."
NS stood in the doorway, staring at the room. "Why does it smell like history?"
TZ grinned. "That's culture."
XH laughed quietly, setting his bag down. The space was cold, stone walls holding onto the night like a secret.
Someone kicked a bag accidentally. Someone else tripped.
It felt like the beginning of something legendary.
They changed clothes quickly, layers added, breath fogging the air. Outside, snow began falling again, light but persistent.
JP peeked through the door. "It's snowing."
TZ lit up. "Midnight snow. This is cinematic."
NS muttered, "I'm still cold."
XH glanced at his phone.
A message from Kitty had arrived earlier.
Kitty: arrived. safe. village feels quiet.
He typed back:
XH: same here. don't freeze.
A second later, another message popped up.
From June.
June: don't let them get into trouble.
XH smiled.
As if he could stop that.
Dinner and First Chaos
Dinner was communal.
Long tables. Simple food. Steam rising like comfort.
Students mixed more freely now, exhaustion softening boundaries. HTN from engineering chatted easily with Kitty and NC. Thoon from business joked with JP across the table. Sarah helped calm a minor argument between two loud boys before it became something else.
The earlier tension from Utopia Tower felt distant.
Here, in this village, no one had territory yet.
Just presence.
Someone laughed too loudly. Someone spilled soup. Someone apologized excessively.
XH noticed June watching the Headmaster from across the space.
The Headmaster stood with THKM and Lola, speaking quietly. No gestures. No raised voices.
Just seriousness.
June's eyes narrowed slightly.
Kitty followed her gaze.
"Do you feel it?" Kitty asked quietly.
June nodded. "Yes."
"Feel what?" Jihye asked.
June hesitated. Then smiled lightly. "Probably nothing."
But Kitty knew June better than that.
Night Settles In
Later, as the village lights dimmed and staff began ushering students toward their sleeping quarters, the energy shifted again.
Laughter lingered, but softer now.
XH stood outside briefly, breath fogging the air, listening to the quiet.
NS joined him. "This feels… different."
XH nodded. "Yeah."
NS shoved his hands deeper into his sleeves. "Not bad. Just… different."
Across the path, Kitty stepped outside too, pulling her coat tighter. June followed.
For a brief moment, the distance between boys' and girls' quarters didn't matter.
They stood under the same sky.
Snow drifting down.
No one spoke loudly.
No one joked.
Just four people aware that something had begun.
Not a trip.
Not a reward.
Something else.
Something that would echo later.
The village slept.
And above it all, the night held its breath, as if waiting to see what they would do next.