The first period hadn't even started, and the classroom was already a battlefield of chatter.Min-Ji was doing her nails with a glitter pen. Tae-Sik was balancing a ruler on his nose. Seok-Cheol had buried himself in a physics book, looking like he regretted every friendship he'd ever made.
Ji-Ho, meanwhile, sat at his desk, doodling tiny stick figures dying dramatic deaths in the margins of his notebook.
Then the door slammed open.
"Class, ATTENTION!"
Mr. Park, their homeroom teacher, marched in, clutching a microphone and a sheet of paper like he was about to announce the apocalypse. The room quieted.
"I have," he said dramatically, "important news!"
Someone in the back whispered, "He's retiring."Mr. Park glared. "No, I'm not retiring, I'm too young and underpaid! Now—listen well!"
He cleared his throat, then boomed, "Our annual school trip… is officially BACK! Destination: Seoraksan! Three days, two nights!"
The classroom exploded.
"Whaaat!""Mountain air!""Campfire selfies!""Do we get free Wi-Fi?"
Tae-Sik leapt onto his chair like a victorious gladiator. "THE LEGEND RETURNS!"
"Sit down before the legend gets detention," Mr. Park warned.
Even Seok-Cheol cracked a tiny smile. "Guess I'll need hiking shoes again."
Min-Ji clasped her hands like she was praying. "Please, let us not get assigned to clean-up duty this time."
Mr. Park smirked. "Min-Ji… you and Tae-Sik are team leaders for clean-up."
The class howled with laughter.
Tae-Sik sank into his chair. "Sir, this is discrimination against greatness."
"Consider it karma," Mr. Park said. "You threw chalk at me last week."
"That was an accident! My hand slipped while defending Ji-Ho's honor."
Ji-Ho groaned. "Please leave my honor out of this."
The teacher sighed, rubbing his temples. "Anyway. You'll be in groups of five. Make sure to submit permission slips by Friday. Pack wisely—no junk food, no gadgets, and no dating."
That last rule sent a wave of exaggerated gasps across the room.
Min-Ji raised her hand. "Define 'dating,' sir. Hypothetically speaking."
"Anything that involves holding hands, heart eyes, or dying dramatically in front of each other."
Laughter shook the room again. Ji-Ho tried not to glance at Thanu, who was laughing quietly behind her hand.
Mr. Park sighed. "You're all hopeless. Dismissed."
After the Announcement
The classroom instantly became a planning zone. People dragged desks together, debated snack menus, and fought over playlists.
Min-Ji stood on a chair like a general. "Alright! Operation Mountain Madness! We'll need supplies, snacks, and a plan to avoid Mr. Park's camera."
Thanu blinked. "Camera?"
"Oh, he films everything," Min-Ji said. "Last year, Soo-Jin sneezed and ended up in the school newsletter under the caption 'Spirit of Youth'."
Tae-Sik shuddered. "He's worse than paparazzi."
Ji-Ho leaned back. "I'm calling it now—Tae-Sik's going to trip into the camera and break it."
"Never!" Tae-Sik declared. "I move with grace."
He immediately tripped over a backpack.
"Grace," Min-Ji repeated dryly.
Everyone burst out laughing—even Thanu, whose laugh came out soft and melodic, like a short melody. Ji-Ho's brain immediately decided that was his new favorite sound.
Min-Ji pulled out her notepad. "Okay, roles! Ji-Ho—you're on supply duty. Tae-Sik, tent setup. Seok-Cheol, emergency kit. Thanu—you're with Ji-Ho."
Ji-Ho almost choked on his water. "Wait—what? Why me?"
"Because you're organized," Min-Ji said. "And Thanu looks like she actually reads instructions."
Thanu smiled. "Guess we're partners."
Ji-Ho scratched his neck. "Yeah… partners."
"Congratulations," Tae-Sik whispered loudly. "The rom-com arc begins."
"Do you want me to trip you again?" Ji-Ho said.
"You couldn't even trip a desk properly."
After School – The Shopping Trip
The stationery store near the bus stop was small and crowded, smelling of paper and childhood memories. Shelves overflowed with notebooks, stickers, and colored pens.
"Okay," Ji-Ho said, holding a list Min-Ji had scribbled in bubble letters. "We need notebooks, markers, and—why does she want glitter tape?"
Thanu laughed. "She probably plans to label our souls."
They split up down the aisle. Thanu crouched by the sticker rack, holding up two sheets. "Cats or cherry blossoms?"
Ji-Ho pointed without thinking. "Cherry blossoms."
She smiled. "Good taste."
He blinked, realizing what he'd just said. "I mean—they're more… visible. For labeling."
"Sure," she said, amused.
He coughed and turned away, pretending to compare glue sticks like they were life-or-death decisions.
While she counted notebooks, Ji-Ho watched her reflection in the glass display. She hummed quietly—some old tune again, maybe that same festival song. Her focus made the whole noisy shop feel calm.
The shopkeeper, an old man with spectacles, leaned toward Ji-Ho and whispered, "Young love, huh?"
Ji-Ho almost dropped the basket. "Wh—no! We're just buying paper!"
"Ahh," the man said with a knowing nod. "Romantic paper."
Thanu turned around, laughing. "What did he say?"
"Nothing!" Ji-Ho squeaked, tossing extra pens into the basket.
At the counter, she noticed him struggling to count coins.
"You're terrible at math," she teased.
"I'm a man of feelings, not numbers."
"Those feelings won't buy tape."
He grinned. "Then you pay. Consider it symbolic teamwork."
"Symbolic freeloading, you mean."
The shopkeeper chuckled as they left, their laughter echoing out into the spring afternoon.
Outside the Store
The air smelled of tteokbokki from a street stall nearby. Ji-Ho's stomach betrayed him with a loud growl.
Thanu raised an eyebrow. "Was that your soul crying?"
"Probably," he admitted. "Come on, I'll buy you one too."
They stood at the stall, steam curling around them, the spicy scent making both their eyes water.
Thanu took a bite, coughed, and fanned her mouth. "You're trying to kill me again!"
Ji-Ho laughed. "It's not that spicy."
"You've lost all taste buds from cafeteria food."
He offered her a bottle of milk. "Fine, Busan rookie. Truce?"
She grinned, taking it. "Truce."
As they walked back toward the school gate, the wind picked up, scattering cherry-blossom petals along the sidewalk.
A petal landed in her hair, and without thinking, Ji-Ho reached out and gently brushed it away.
"There," he said softly. "Petal ambush neutralized."
Thanu blinked, cheeks faintly pink. "Thanks."
For a second, neither moved. The world felt strangely still—just soft petals falling between them and the fading laughter of students down the road.
Then Tae-Sik's voice shattered the peace:"HEY LOVE BIRDS! BUY ME CHIPS TOO!"
They both jumped, stepping back instinctively.
Thanu sighed. "He's unbelievable."Ji-Ho groaned. "He's a walking alarm clock."
The Next Morning
The trip fever spread fast.
Posters appeared everywhere—drawn by Min-Ji, who somehow turned the mountain into a glittery cartoon heart. Class 3-A was buzzing with talk about tents, snacks, and who would bunk together.
"Ji-Ho!" Tae-Sik called, sliding dramatically across the floor in socks. "We're roommates!"
"Who decided that?"
"The gods of chaos!"
"Those are your socks talking."
Min-Ji appeared behind him. "Don't worry, Ji-Ho. I'm assigning Thanu to your tent group for supply management."
Ji-Ho froze. "What happened to Seok-Cheol?"
"Emergency family thing. Also, you and Thanu already did supply shopping."
Tae-Sik wiggled his eyebrows. "Fate."
"Doom," Ji-Ho corrected.
Thanu, who had just entered the room, heard the last part. "Doom?"
He stammered. "No, no—uh, teamwork doom. You know. Packing's stressful."
She laughed. "Relax, Han Ji-Ho. I won't make you carry everything."
He sighed in relief. "Thanks. But just in case, I'll bring an extra spine."
Tae-Sik dramatically patted his shoulder. "You're growing into a fine man."
Min-Ji clapped. "Alright, everyone! Meet in the gym tomorrow morning. No one oversleeps, or Mr. Park will leave without you!"
"Can he do that?" Thanu asked.
"He's done it before," Tae-Sik whispered gravely. "To Seok-Cheol's cousin. She chased the bus in pajamas."
Thanu laughed until she couldn't breathe.
Ji-Ho couldn't stop smiling.
That Evening
At home, Ji-Ho threw his backpack onto the floor and collapsed onto his bed.
His phone buzzed—group chat messages exploding with memes and packing lists.
Tae-Sik: Bro I bought energy drinks. 6 cans. For art.Min-Ji: You'll explode by lunch.Thanu: Reminder—extra batteries and tissues.Ji-Ho: On it. Also Tae-Sik, if you die, can I have your snacks?Tae-Sik: Rude but yes.
He laughed, scrolling through. Then he paused at Thanu's name on the screen.
Just a short text, but it made him weirdly warm inside.
Thanu: Thanks for helping today. It was fun.
He smiled, typing back:
Ji-Ho: Yeah. Teamwork success. We survived stationery shopping.
Thanu: Barely.
Ji-Ho: See you tomorrow.
He tossed the phone aside, staring at the ceiling. The faint sound of night traffic drifted through his window.
For the first time in a long while, he was genuinely excited about something simple—laughing, hiking, seeing the sunrise with his friends.
And maybe, somewhere deep down, about the girl who laughed like he'd heard her laugh before.