The Best of Tomorrow-Chapter 6Vol 2. .5

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Potato Pancakes were given a vacation. To celebrate, they were all going camping. I’d sent a message this morning saying, “Have a good trip,” but then Kwon Eun-chan showed up at my place in his mom’s car.

[Pack your stuff and come down. We’re part of the second group.]

Even Seon-jae hadn’t said anything like that. But Eun-chan had parked in front of my building and insisted we needed to go to the same camping site as Potato Pancakes. I asked why on earth we should go there, but he kept calling nonstop, clearly not planning to take no for an answer.

“What is with this guy?” I was muttering to myself when Baek In-hyeok contacted me.

— Hey, Seong-jun-hyung says Eun-chan’s a crappy driver. Make sure you buckle up.

“You seriously want me to come?”

— Yeah. Actually, don’t ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) you know how to drive? Might be better if you drove instead.

“Wait, are you saying it’s really okay for me to come?”

— What’s wrong with you? Are you deaf? I said come! If you feel bad showing up empty-handed, bring some beef or something.

“What about everyone else...?”

I tried to ask if they all knew I’d be there, if it was really okay, but the call cut off. What a temper.

It was camping, but I didn’t know what kind of setup they had, so I just packed all sorts of random clothes. Stuff for hot weather, cold weather, rain. Eun-chan insisted on driving. He gripped the steering wheel with both hands like a total beginner. When I turned on music, he shouted over it that he needed to hear the GPS and made me turn it off.

“Should I drive?”

“No.”

“Are we getting there today?”

“Of course.”

We didn’t arrive until sunset. The place was surrounded by forest. A big open lawn nestled among tall, dense trees. A single camper van stood in the middle, with two tents set up nearby and some folding chairs laid out in the center. Baek In-hyeok sat in one, alone.

“Made it out alive?”

“Barely. Where’s everyone else?”

“Seon-jae’s sleeping in that tent. Hyeon-seong-hyung and Seong-jun-hyung went fishing. Dinner’s supposed to be spicy fish stew. Oh, and Yun-jae went to buy red pepper powder.”

“Oh? My brother can’t fish though?”

Kwon Eun-chan tilted his head as he put the bags down. I headed toward the tent where Seon-jae was sleeping. Peeking in, I saw his feet sticking out from under the blanket. It wasn’t even anything special, but it made me smile. I took off my shoes and went inside, gently pulling the blanket back from his head.

His eyes were shut beneath tousled hair. His brow twitched, and then his eyelids slowly lifted. His eyes immediately locked onto mine.

“...You’re here?”

“Yeah. You’ve been sleeping really well these days, huh?”

Teasing him, I brushed his hair aside.

“No... I only sleep well when you’re next to me...”

His voice was low and hoarse. Seon-jae turned and pulled me into his arms. I awkwardly leaned over, and he said, “Lie down too,” as he lifted the blanket.

“In-hyeok asked me to help wash the lettuce.”

“He can do it himself.”

I slipped under the blanket, and his arms wrapped around me. Resting my head on his arm, I looked up. His steady breathing brushed across my face.

“You drove here?”

“Yeah.”

“So you must be tired.”

He murmured another soft “Yeah.”

“Sol-noona’s—”

Seo Yun-jae peeked into the tent, then froze in shock and backed out before finishing his sentence. I caught a glimpse of his retreating head. I moved to sit up, but Seon-jae silently pulled me closer.

“What? It’s not like we’re doing anything bad.”

“Huh? Well... yeah, but still.”

“I’m not even fully awake yet.”

Seon-jae pressed his cheek to my forehead and nuzzled softly. His voice, saying “Let’s stay like this a bit longer,” was unusually sweet.

After lying there a while, we stepped outside the tent. Seo Yun-jae had come back with the red pepper powder, but Woo Hyeon-seong and Kwon Seong-jun returned empty-handed.

“Weren’t we promised spicy fish stew?”

“We caught something. We did catch fish.”

“And?”

Kwon Seong-jun narrowed his eyes at Hyeon-seong. Hyeon-seong rubbed his neck sheepishly.

“They had these huge eyes. And they were just opening and closing their mouths... I couldn’t eat them... So I let them all go.”

Seo Yun-jae held the pepper jar over his head and clapped.

“Well done, hyung.”

In the end, dinner turned into doenjang-jjigae with red pepper powder. Seon-jae took charge of the cooking. Woo Hyeon-seong said his only talent was pouring milk over cereal without making it soggy. Baek In-hyeok claimed he could fry eggs perfectly soft-boiled. Kwon Seong-jun boasted he was good at cooking rice in a pot. Seo Yun-jae said he couldn’t do anything. So naturally, the stew became Seon-jae’s job. I stood next to him, slicing tofu and zucchini.

We all sat in a circle and ate together.

“Chun-baek noona, can I get some water?”

Seo Yun-jae pointed at the bottle beside me. With a spoon still in my mouth, I glanced sideways at him. Ever since he realized I was the one who used to give him books, he kept calling me “Chun-baek.” I told him to stop, but whenever I let my guard down, he said it again.

“Stop calling me that...”

“What else should I call Kim Chun-baek if not Kim Chun-baek?”

Seo Yun-jae said it teasingly, and Baek In-hyeok burst out laughing.

“That name brings back memories.”

“Didn’t Yun-jae shout out ‘Ryu Seon-jae, our only hope!’ because of Sol?”

Kwon Seong-jun asked, handing the water bottle to Yun-jae. I couldn’t believe how good their memories were. They hadn’t forgotten a single thing. That was years ago. I ducked my head in embarrassment, and Seon-jae laughed softly beside me. Our eyes met, and he awkwardly stopped smiling.

“Don’t tease Sol.”

“Yeah, stop teasing her.”

Out of nowhere, Woo Hyeon-seong took my side. I glanced at him, wondering what was up, and he spoke with an overly serious face.

“The war god is angry.”

“......”

Of course. They never really take my side.

After dinner, we cleaned up and had a few drinks. Kwon Seong-jun started nodding off and went to bed first. Woo Hyeon-seong got a call from his ex-girlfriend and wandered off somewhere far, never coming back. Kwon Eun-chan and Seo Yun-jae set off fireworks at the edge of the camp. I sat still, staring blankly at the bursts of light.

“Compared to the ones by the Han River, these are pretty pathetic.”

Baek In-hyeok’s comment made me laugh.

“Hey, try comparing things that actually make sense.”

“Yun-jae said to imagine we were at Yeouido. That it’d be the same.”

He was grumbling even though he probably never believed it. Baek In-hyeok pulled out his phone and tried to capture the fireworks with his camera. They flared up briefly and vanished like smoke, making it hard to get a good shot. The sound of clicks echoed one after another.

“Next time there’s a fireworks festival, let’s all go together.”

At that, Seon-jae, who’d been quietly looking up at the sky, suddenly leaned forward and turned to Baek In-hyeok.

“In-hyeok, don’t you ever date? Why are you always hanging out with the two of us?”

Baek In-hyeok was still staring at the sky with his phone raised, but turned toward us with a strangely wistful expression.

“Because... we’re friends.”

He pointed at me, then Seon-jae, then himself in turn.

“The three of us should always be together.”

Fireworks exploded above. The launch, the burst—peeeeeee, pop! The sounds repeated in rhythm. As if we’d planned it, all three of us looked up at the sky at the same time.

“Time flies. Can’t believe we’re already this old.”

“Seriously.”

“I miss it sometimes. Back when we were in school.”

I turned to look at Baek In-hyeok. It felt like the tiny fireworks going off were reflected in his eyes.

“It was really fun.”

I looked back up at the sky, where another burst of fireworks exploded.

“Eighteen was unforgettable. It was just... too special.”

Seon-jae placed his hand gently over mine, resting on the armrest, and spoke.

Kwon Eun-chan and Seo Yun-jae were still firing off fireworks nonstop. The red blooms lighting up the night sky stirred something inside me. It was like those days long ago were erupting again, like fireworks. Maybe even... beautifully.

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The faint light of dawn crept in as the sun rose above the horizon. After placing a gentle kiss on the forehead of the sleeping Im Sol, Seon-jae quietly stepped out of the tent. Birds invisible to the eye were chirping from somewhere in the distance. He followed the sound slowly. The air was crisp and clear.

Wandering aimlessly, he found himself at a field of reeds. A narrow path ran between the dense stalks. Seon-jae walked along the trail at a calm pace, letting the soft glow of morning guide him forward. He enjoyed the way the light slowly peeled away the night. The path seemed endless. He thought about turning back—when a breeze rustled the reeds.

‘This is his dream.’

A faint voice whispered.

The wind passed through the reeds like a ripple on water. Watching them sway in front of him, memories—no, memories of a dream—resurfaced. A dream where he had walked with Kwon Eun-chan—or maybe someone who looked like him—through a reed field and glimpsed traces of Im Sol just beyond.

His heart slammed. His vision blurred with overlapping scenes, a mounting sense of confusion.

He began pushing through the reeds, one after another, as if the path itself were unraveling. Though the sky above was open, it felt like he was trapped in a confined space. His pace quickened. Frantic now, he clawed forward without thinking.

‘She’s the only one who ran through twisted time for someone else. She never craved your heart, never wanted anything. She used all her time just to reconnect a severed path. It seemed like she was trying to change one single truth... but it looks like you’re the one trying to destroy her, with all you’ve got. That’s why I came—because I couldn’t stand it.’

The wind sobbed through the reeds, merging with the voice from the dream. His chest heaved, ribs aching like they might split open. The sound of something misaligned echoed deep inside him.

He ran. Parting the reeds, stumbling, not knowing if it was a trail he followed or something else entirely. The reeds grew taller—once chest-high, now towering. His vision was filled only with swaying green.

And then, suddenly, he burst out into the open. The winding path he had come from was now behind him. The sky was brighter. He turned back toward the tent—but Im Sol was gone.

He didn’t even think to reach for his phone. Panic rising in his throat, he searched the woods nearby. His heart thumped wildly, his breath ragged, his body burning like it would explode.

He found her sitting on a rock along a narrow path behind the tent. Her legs dangled in the air as she stared quietly up at the trees. Seeing her there, the breath he’d been holding broke loose. She looked down and spotted him.

“Huh? Seon-jae?”

He walked straight toward her, stopping just in front of the rock.

“I woke up and you were gone...”

His voice faltered. He dropped to his knees and buried his forehead in her lap.

“...Seon-jae?”

Concern filled her voice. His heart was still pounding wildly.

“For a moment... I thought I was still stuck in that moment.”

“Did you have a bad dream?”

“The view... it looked exactly the same as before. For a second, I thought I’d lost you. Even though it was just a moment, just the idea that you might not be there anymore... I thought my heart would explode.”

Her hand came down gently on his head. She stroked his hair, asking softly if he had a nightmare. Her voice was so kind, so warm—it made his chest ache.

Seon-jae slowly lifted his head and kissed her knee. Im Sol’s eyes widened. He stayed there, lips resting softly against her skin, hands gently clasping her ankle. His face looked achingly beautiful.

He slowly pulled back, their eyes meeting. A breeze swept her hair across her face.

“Sol.”

“Yeah?”

“It’s kind of sudden, but...”

“It’s okay. Say it.”

“I want to always be on the path you’re walking.”

A breeze blew through the forest. Leaves rustled in the same direction, following the wind. The forest hummed in the sunlight, the rays seeping through the canopy, catching in Sol’s hair.

Her hand came to rest on his head again, stroking his hair with quiet tenderness. Her palm felt warm.

“Seon-jae.”

At the sound of his name, a flash of tension crossed his face.

“We’re already standing on the same path.”

“...”

“We’re walking together.”

The breeze stirred something deep inside him. His heart still hadn’t calmed. If anything, it beat even harder. Maybe it was because he’d been running, or maybe it was the emotion he couldn’t contain—his heart was full to bursting.

He brushed his eyes with his hand. Without realizing it, a few tears had welled up. He wiped them away and carefully took Sol’s hand.

“I love you. I wish there were words bigger than that.”

Im Sol looked down at him. A smile bloomed on her lips like a flower bud bursting open.

“What’s gotten into you this morning?”

Regardless, Seon-jae poured everything out.

“Sometimes I wonder... maybe I got caught in your journey just so I could meet you. Even if you hadn’t gone back in time... somehow, I think it still would’ve been you. That’s how I feel.”

“Did you dream that you lost me forever or something? You’re being so intense.”

“You couldn’t imagine it. How much I love you.”

“...”

The scenery in his eyes, the Im Sol within it—his feelings spilled into all of it like light flooding through the woods.

Her eyes, slightly widened, flickered with emotion. Sunlight ran down one shoulder like a stream. Her hair swayed gently in the breeze. He captured every part of her in his gaze.

“This feeling will never change. I’ll love you forever.”

A cool breeze slipped into his collar. The scent of the forest thickened. Her hand stayed on his head, warm against his scalp.

“Say you’ll be forever too.”

Sol looked at him silently. Then her lips parted. Just as she was about to speak, a strong gust of wind rustled the branches above, shaking the entire forest. They looked at each other and smiled. A clear, quiet smile lingered on her lips.

Leaning forward, Im Sol placed a short kiss on his forehead. The warmth spread through him like color blooming in water. This fleeting moment, this small touch—Seon-jae knew it would become a memory. Maybe even part of her.

His one and only Sol.

This day, with her.

― fin.