The day of the volunteer camp departure finally arrived.
Seorin stood beside her parents, gripping the handle of her suitcase tighter than necessary. From a distance, her eyes immediately found the one person she did not want to see this morning.
Kang Ara.
As usual—surrounded by people.
"Take care of yourself, Seorin," Mr. Han said. His tone sounded casual enough, but his gaze was clearly directed toward Ara.
Seorin gave a small nod.
She didn't need to turn around to know.
Ara was looking at them. And just as expected— from across the lot, Kang Ara bowed politely, greeting them with that effortlessly easy smile.
Seorin clenched her jaw.
That smile was too easy. As if there had never been anything worth fighting over to begin with.
"Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Han."
Another voice.
Seorin turned quickly.
Dongchul.
Her parents' expressions softened instantly. Warmer. More genuine. Of course they did.
"Park Dongchul… it's nice to meet you. Seorin talks about you all the time."
Seorin immediately stiffened.
"What?" she muttered under her breath, barely audible.
Heat rushed to her face. Not just embarrassment—but because Dongchul was standing right there, hearing all of it as if he actually… mattered that much.
Dongchul smiled awkwardly, thanking them while her parents continued praising him.
"Please take care of Seorin while you're there."
That sentence.
Seorin blinked slowly.
For some reason, it sounded far more… personal than it should have. She couldn't take it anymore.
"Dongchul, let's go," she cut in quickly, pulling her suitcase before the situation could become any more humiliating.
***
Suitcases were loaded into the luggage compartment. Names were called one by one. Seorin stood waiting, though her eyes refused to stay still.
From a distance—Dongchul and Kang Ara were talking.
Seriously. Not like usual.
And then—Ara glanced at her.
Just briefly.
Seorin immediately looked away.
Her name was called, and she climbed onto the bus without waiting.
Seat number five. Window side. She sat down.
Waited.
One by one, the seats filled. But the seat beside her remained empty.
Of course.
She didn't really have anyone here—except Dongchul. Her heartbeat quickened the moment she saw him step onto the bus.
Behind him—Ara. And Minji. Seorin straightened unconsciously. Dongchul sat beside her.
Relief settled in her chest before she could deny it.
But—as Ara passed by her seat, their eyes met for a split second. Seorin immediately turned toward the window.
She didn't need to look back to know Ara had taken the seat behind her.
That vanilla scent appeared again.
"Did Kang Ara bother you again?" Seorin whispered quietly.
Dongchul shook his head.
"No… she was just relaying a message from the teacher. I'm coordinating the male students."
Seorin studied him for a moment.
"You're not lying?"
Dongchul raised two fingers.
Only then did Seorin look away.
***
The bus started moving. For the first hour— the atmosphere was far too noisy.
Laughter. Conversations. Voices overlapping one another.
As if this were just another ordinary trip.
Not something important. But after a while, people started falling asleep one by one.
Three hours later, the bus stopped at a rest area.
Seorin got off.
She wasn't particularly hungry, but sitting for too long had left her body stiff and uncomfortable.
As she stepped out of the convenience store—her footsteps slowed.
Dongchul.
Kang Ara.
Standing not too far away, talking. And they looked serious.
Seorin narrowed her eyes.
That was unusual.
Very unusual.
She didn't approach them.
She simply watched. Long enough to realize she didn't like it. Not because they were talking. But because she didn't know what they were talking about.
***
When she returned to the bus, something had changed.
Kang Ara was sitting in Dongchul's seat.
Dongchul stood near the front.
"Kim Minji's sick," Dongchul whispered. "She needs the nurse… and Ara has to stay close to her."
Seorin fell silent. Her eyes instinctively searched for Minji.
Pale.
A nurse was tending to her. The explanation made sense. Too much sense to argue with. And somehow, that only irritated her more.
She walked over.
Stopped beside the seat.
"That's my seat."
"I know. Move for a second."
Ara stood.
Too tall for the cramped space—her head nearly brushing the ceiling of the bus.
"Go ahead, princess."
Seorin let out a breath. She sat down without responding.
"Ah… my head."
Ara muttered it softly. Seorin pretended not to hear.
"What happened to Kim Minji?"
She still asked. Couldn't help it.
Ara glanced at her.
"Hm… you're asking me?"
That tone.
Teasing.
Seorin chose silence.
"She has a fever," Ara finally answered.
Seorin looked toward the back. Ara's hand was still holding Minji's. Too tightly for them to be "just friends."
The rumors suddenly felt a lot more believable.
"Then why did she still come?"
"Because I came."
The answer came lightly. Far too lightly. Seorin rolled her eyes and looked out the window.
She didn't want to see that smile.
***
The bus began entering the mountain roads, winding sharply uphill and downhill.
Several students started getting motion sick.
Seorin included.
A dull dizziness spread through her body as the constant swaying repeatedly knocked her against the window.
The bus lurched left—then right—with turns too sharp to ignore. The vibrations traveled from the seat into her body, climbing all the way to her head.
Seorin closed her eyes.
She already knew this would happen.
She had only hoped… not this soon.
Not now.
Not here.
She steadied her breathing slowly. Carefully. The same way she always did when dealing with pressure.
One.
Two.
Three.
But her body refused to cooperate.
Her stomach felt empty… then full… then violently twisted.
Damn it.
She cracked her eyes open, trying to focus on something outside the window. The trees rushing past too quickly only made her head feel heavier.
Beside her, Kang Ara sat casually with one arm resting against the seat, as if this trip meant absolutely nothing.
Seorin looked away.
She could not look weak.
Especially not in front of Kang Ara.
"I have a plastic bag."
Ara held one out toward her.
Seorin frowned. "I'm not—"
The bus turned sharply again. Her words died in her throat. She held her breath. Forced herself to swallow. But her body had already made the decision for her.
Quickly.
Without much choice, she grabbed the plastic bag Kang Ara had been holding out the entire time.
Too late.
The embarrassment came afterward. The nausea hit before the embarrassment did.
Seorin squeezed her eyes shut, wishing the world would stop moving. But the bus kept going.
Her head grew heavier. She felt movement beside her before something touched the side of her neck.
Warm.
Gentle pressure.
Fingers.
Seorin slowly opened her eyes. She wanted to push Kang Ara's hand away. She didn't need help. But her body wouldn't move.
Ara's fingers pressed against a certain point on her neck, shifted slightly, then pressed again.
Strangely… it helped.
The nausea didn't disappear. But it wasn't as unbearable as before.
Seorin gripped the edge of her seat tighter.
She hated this.
Hated the fact that it worked.
Hated that out of everyone— it was Kang Ara making her feel even slightly better.
"Tissue."
Something was slipped into her hand. Seorin accepted it without thinking. She didn't even realize when she had stopped resisting.
"Close your eyes."
"I can't sleep," she muttered weakly.
"You don't have to sleep. Just stay still."
Seorin frowned, but she still closed her eyes.
She felt the plastic bag being taken from her hands. Then footsteps. Then returning again.
"Drink."
A bottle was pressed into her hand. This time, Seorin didn't refuse. Cold water slid down her throat, easing the nausea a little.
Then—a pill.
She looked at it briefly.
"I don't—"
"If you want to keep suffering like this, be my guest."
Seorin let out a quiet scoff before swallowing the medicine quickly.
The bus was still moving. But slowly… her body began adjusting. Or maybe… something else had changed.
Her head was no longer hitting the window. She realized it a few seconds later. Something was between her head and the glass. Seorin opened her eyes slightly.
A hand.
Someone's hand was bracing against the window, absorbing every jolt that should have struck her head instead.
Seorin froze.
Her entire body stiffened—as if moving even slightly would mean admitting this was real.
Then she closed her eyes again. Not because she wanted to sleep. But because… she didn't want to think about it right now.
A while later—
"For someone who talks this much… you're finally quiet."
Seorin knew that was directed at her. Normally, she would have snapped back instantly.
But this time—
nothing.
She was too tired.
Or maybe… she didn't want to ruin something she couldn't explain.
***
When she opened her eyes again, the bus had stopped.
"We're here."
Ara's voice.
Seorin nodded faintly. Still gathering herself.
She remained seated when she saw Kang Ara helping Minji off the bus, even though Ara herself could barely stand properly without hitting her head against the ceiling.
And slowly, Seorin realized something.
The way Ara treated other people… wasn't very different from the way she had treated Seorin earlier.
And somehow, that realization wasn't comforting at all.
Outside—
darkness.
Cold air.
She stepped down carefully.
And immediately—the night wind hit her.
Sharp.
Piercing.
She wrapped her arms around herself. Her cardigan wasn't enough.
"I told you to bring a jacket."
Dongchul.
Suddenly, a blanket was draped over her shoulders. Warm.
"Give me your suitcase."
Dongchul immediately took her suitcase from her hand, carrying it himself while Seorin was left holding only his small backpack.
That kind of attention—
simple. Easy to understand.
Not like the other one. And somehow, it made the tightness in her chest ease slightly.
***
They walked toward the lodge.
Slow steps.
Exhausted bodies.
"How are you feeling?"
"Better."
Seorin glanced at him briefly, catching the concern on Dongchul's face.
That concern.
It was real.
But—
"I'll admit it… Kang Ara handled her job as the girls' coordinator pretty well. She made sure everyone was okay."
Seorin's steps slowed slightly. Something about those words bothered her, though she couldn't explain why.
She looked back.
Ara.
Still helping Minji.
Seorin looked away again. And somewhere inside her, she found herself wondering— was the attention Minji received only part of Ara's responsibilities too?
Or was it something more?
By the time they arrived at the house— there was no welcome waiting for them. It was too late at night, and everyone was exhausted.
Room assignments began immediately.
"The female students will sleep in the main house, while the male students will stay in the building over there…" Teacher Oh announced.
"The assigned coordinators, please help your classmates."
Dongchul immediately began directing the male students toward the house on the left side of the property.
Meanwhile, Kang Ara started organizing the girls.
"There are five rooms in the main house we can use. Three larger rooms for four people each, one room for the teachers and the nurse, and one smaller room for three students…" Ara explained. "Pick your own roommates. I'm not assigning anyone."
Seorin stood there quietly. Watching everyone else naturally pair off. She tried stepping closer.
Stopped.
Then backed away again. She didn't belong anywhere. That much felt painfully obvious.
"Seorin, where are you staying?" Teacher Jang asked.
She couldn't answer.
Because she didn't know either.
Then— her eyes met Ara's.
Since when had Ara been watching her?
Or maybe…
she had never really stopped. Seorin already knew the answer. She had no choice.
***
Her steps felt heavy.
Suitcase in hand.
Breathing slightly uneven.
She opened the door.
Slowly.
Inside— Kang Ara and Kim Minji. Looking at her. And smiling.
"Welcome, roommate."
That smile again.
And this time—
Seorin couldn't run away from it.