Chapter Text
Yoohyeon's favorite part of the summer is the handful of days before the camp opens. When it's just the camp director, the kitchen staff, the grounds crew, and the counselors rushing around to get the camp ready for another summer filled with the bright laughter and smiles of little kids having fun.
Camp Daybreak isn't big by any means. There are only seven cabins in total, and they each have the same amount of bunks. Three bunk beds for six campers and a single bed for the counselor assigned to the cabin.
Yoohyeon is busy sweeping the floor of her usual cabin, affectionately named Starlight by the campers thanks to the twin skylights set into the roof, when a knock sounds on the doorframe.
"Counselor Yoohyeon, I got a boo-boo," A playful voice whines from the open door.
Yoohyeon turns, broom in hand, to find Counselor Handong standing in the door, pouting at her while holding her arm against her chest, a playful glint in her eyes. "Oh no, Counselor Dong," Yoohyeon teases, moving to lean the broom against one of the bunks. "Whatever shall we do about your boo-boo?"
Handong bites back a grin as Yoohyeon crosses the cabin to the open door, feigning hurt as she clutches her arm just above her elbow.
"What did you do?" Yoohyeon asks softly, sliding her fingers over Handong's arm. She curls her hand around Handong's elbow, using her other hand to brush Handong's hand away.
"Hit my funny bone," Handong says with a pout. "It's not funny, by the way. I don't know why they call it a funny bone when it hurts like a-"
Yoohyeon presses her hand over Handong's mouth, frowning. "No swearing in my cabin, Counselor."
Handong rolls her eyes and reaches up to pull Yoohyeon's hand from her mouth, lacing their fingers together and pressing a kiss to the back of her hand. "The campers aren't going to be here until tomorrow afternoon, Hyeon."
"Doesn't matter," Yoohyeon argues. "I don't need you messing with the positive vibes that I've accumulated."
Handong chuckles. "Ok, ok," She says, holding up her free hand in surrender. "I won't mess with your cabin's good vibes." She steps back and tugs Yoohyeon over the threshold and onto the porch.
"I need to finish sweeping," Yoohyeon protests weakly, following Handong as she pulls her toward the steps.
"Do it later," Handong says, pulling Yoohyeon down the steps. "I wanna show you something."
"Where is this something?" Yoohyeon asks, tightening her grip on Handong's hand as she's pulled down the slope heading toward the fire pit and the lake edge.
"You'll see," Handong says with a grin thrown over her shoulder.
Yoohyeon exhales and doesn't ask any more questions, grinning as Handong pulls her past the fire pit and into the woods. She knows exactly where they're going now. Handong's bringing her to The Point. A line of rocks above the water line that juts out into the lake at an angle.
The Point is special in its own right, but it has grown to mean a whole lot more to Yoohyeon. It's where Handong kissed her for the first time years ago when they both were still campers themselves.
They'd snuck away from their counselors at the last campfire of the summer and used a flashlight to guide their way through the trees, tripping over rocks and roots in their haste.
Once they'd reached The Point, Yoohyeon had been too distracted by the stars shimmering on the lake's surface to notice how Handong was staring at her. Until Handong had asked to kiss her, and then Yoohyeon was much more interested in Handong's lips than the stars reflected on the lake.
Yoohyeon lets Handong lead her through the trees, stepping over rocks and roots that jut out from the ground. They slow considerably when they get close to the Point, carefully placing their feet in a tangle of roots that form steps.
Handong uses her arm to hold back a branch and allows Yoohyeon to pass her, pressing a quick kiss to the girl's cheek as she sneaks past.
Yoohyeon giggles and lifts her arms up as she sidesteps through a swath of sawgrass, the sharp blades scraping her exposed shins. She pauses at the edge of the path, eyeing the rocks laid out in the shallow water that separates the Point from the rest of the camp.
"Well?" Handong asks gently, coming to a stop behind Yoohyeon.
"I've always hated this part," Yoohyeon says with a soft laugh. She reaches back and finds Handong's hand, holding on tightly.
"I've got you," Handong says, squeezing Yoohyeon's hand. "Just go slow."
Yoohyeon hums and steps out onto the first rock, feeling it wobble under her feet. She's quick to find her balance and moves one foot to the next rock, the surface slippery from the lake water lapping at it.
"Slow and steady, Yooh," Handong says, squeezing Yoohyeon's hand. "I gotta let go now, though."
"Ok," Yoohyeon says, squeezing Handong's hand tightly one last time before letting go. She stands with her feet on two different rocks, one wobbling underneath her and the other slippery. The Point is two more rocks away. She just needs to make it to dry land.
"You got this," Handong says, her tone confident.
"Yeah," Yoohyeon says. "I got this." She carefully moves her foot from the wobbly rock to the slippery one, finding purchase thanks to the treads of her sneakers.
"Two more," Handong says.
"Two more," Yoohyeon echoes, stepping to the next rock. This one is stable but slippery, and Yoohyeon moves quickly to the last rock before stretching her leg to plant one foot on dry dirt before pushing off the last rock. She lets out a yell as she stands on dry land before she turns and sees Handong grinning at her from the second rock.
"Good job," Handong says, easily making her way across the rocks. She joins Yoohyeon on dry land and moves to take the lead, grabbing Yoohyeon's hand as she pushes a branch back. She tugs Yoohyeon past the branch and leads her down a small dirt path that eventually becomes rock under their feet.
"Alright, what is it you wanted me to see?" Yoohyeon asks, smiling when Handong looks over her shoulder at her.
"Right here," Handong says, gesturing toward a rock that is shaped almost like a bench.
Yoohyeon pulls in a breath.
Draped over the rock is a red-and-white checkered sheet, and in the middle sits a picnic basket.
"What is this?" Yoohyeon asks with a soft laugh, seeing Handong's cheeks grow red. She takes a careful step toward the girl, grabbing her other hand and squeezing tightly. "Is this for us?" She whispers.
Handong hums softly. She pulls Yoohyeon a step closer and pulls her hands away, setting them on Yoohyeon's waist. "For us," She murmurs, pressing her forehead gently to Yoohyeon's.
Yoohyeon lets out another breath, shutting her eyes and letting the sound of gentle waves lapping at the stone and the distant chatter of the camp drifting through the woods relax her.
"I just wanted to do something special," Handong whispers. "Seeing as it's our last summer here."
Yoohyeon lets out a soft scoff. "What're you talking about?" She asks, pulling back slightly to frown at Handong.
Handong heaves a breath and opens her eyes to meet Yoohyeon's. "You know what I'm talking about."
Yoohyeon clenches her jaw. She does, but she had thought they agreed to forget it for now, to just bask in the time they had left. "We said we wouldn't-"
"Yoohyeon," Handong cuts in gently, lifting one hand to cup Yoohyeon's cheek. "It's not something we can just ignore."
"I'm just trying to be positive," Yoohyeon says, reaching up to trap Handong's hand against her cheek. "I just think we should enjoy the summer without thinking about what comes after. We should live in the moment and be positive because who knows? Something could change!"
Handong sighs.
"Look, we have this whole summer!" Yoohyeon continues, reaching out to set her free hand on Handong's shoulder. She squeezes gently. "We have the whole summer, and we should-"
"Be realistic," Handong whispers.
Yoohyeon clenches her jaw and looks to the side, looking out across the lake. The water is calm further out, but closer to the shore, to the rocks they stand on, the water is rough and choppy.
"We can't ignore it forever, Yoohyeon," Handong says. "We can't just-"
"We can ignore it for now! I want this summer to be a good one so I can look back and remember it fondly." Yoohyeon swallows and squeezes Handong's shoulder again, looking at the girl. "Just be positive."
"Be realistic for me," Handong counters. "Just for a second, just-"
Something in Yoohyeon snaps, and she takes a step back, glaring at Handong. "You want me to be realistic? Fine, I'll be realistic." She folds her arms over her chest, feeling anger swirling in her stomach.
"Realistically, this is our last summer together," She says, watching Handong's jaw clench. "Because you're…" Yoohyeon trails off, glancing around. "You're fucking off to California in late August for school."
"Yoohyeon," Handong breathes, reaching for her.
Yoohyeon shakes her head, taking another step back. A tree branch scratches at her arms, and she ignores the small sting. "Realistically, you won't come back because why would you come back here when you have the ocean and the beach there?"
Handong's eyes shift, and she looks to the side, looking at the picnic basket.
"Realistically, we try long-distance, but it doesn't work," Yoohyeon says, her voice cracking slightly. She coughs to clear her throat. This isn't how this summer is supposed to go. This isn't what is supposed to happen. "Realistically, we break up over a text or a phone call or a video chat. Because we can't get the time difference to work for us, and maybe one of us finds somebody else to fill that void."
"Realistically, maybe-" Yoohyeon pulls in a breath, her throat closing up as tears sting her eyes. "Maybe we should just call it quits now. Save us both the heartache."
Handong's eyes snap to Yoohyeon, and she lets out a heavy breath. "You're not serious."
"I'm being realistic," Yoohyeon forces out. She shrugs her shoulders, trying to appear nonchalant. "I thought this is what you wanted. Me being realistic." She takes a step back and brushes aside the tree branch, holding it back as she stares at Handong for a few seconds.
Handong doesn't say anything. She just stares at Yoohyeon with wide eyes that shimmer in the sunlight that glints off the lake.
"Yeah," Yoohyeon whispers. The tears haven't spilled yet, but they're about to, she can tell. She needs to leave before they fall. "Realistically, maybe it's better this way. So we won't suffer later." She clears her throat with a cough and steps back again, letting the tree branch fall back into place. "If you'll excuse me, I have a cabin to finish cleaning."
Yoohyeon turns and hurries back to the stepping stones, rushing across without even pausing to psyche herself up. She rushes across, stumbling slightly on the last rock when it wobbles underneath her foot, but she makes it. She rushes through the sawgrass, the blades scratching her legs and her arms.
Tears are starting to blur her vision, and Yoohyeon blinks them back, carefully stepping up the root steps before she starts running back through the trees toward the camp. She jumps over the rocks and roots that get in her way and makes it to the other side unscathed.
"Yoohyeon!" A voice calls.
Yoohyeon whips her head to the side, seeing Counselor Minji standing by the dock waving at her. She sniffles and wipes her face before starting down the stone steps to the shore.
"You ok?" Minji asks, hurrying over when she notices Yoohyeon's reddened cheeks.
"Fine," Yoohyeon gets out, wiping away a few more tears.
"Are you hurt?" Minji asks, reaching out to cup Yoohyeon's elbows as she looks the girl over.
"No, I-" Yoohyeon clenches her jaw. How is she going to explain what happened between her and Handong on The Point? "I might've run into a tree branch," She says, forcing a laugh. She presses one arm against her stomach and winces, hoping it convinces Minji.
"Ouch," Minji says with a soft laugh. "That's why we don't run in the woods, Yoohyeon. Lead by example."
"I know, I know," Yoohyeon says with a slight roll of her eyes. "I'm gonna finish cleaning my cabin."
"I thought you had already," Minji says with a raised eyebrow.
Yoohyeon shakes her head as she starts moving backward. "Got distracted," She says with a shrug.
"Gotcha. Yeah, go make sure it's all good for tomorrow!" Minji exclaims, waving her off. "And don't forget! Campfire tonight!"
"Wouldn't miss it!" Yoohyeon calls back before she turns and rushes up the stone steps. She runs past the fire pit just in time for Handong to emerge from the wooded path, her shoulders hunched as she carries the picnic basket with downcast eyes. Yoohyeon stumbles slightly before she catches herself and hurries up the porch steps of Starlight Cabin, practically throwing herself over the threshold to get out of Handong's sight.
Instead of picking up the broom, Yoohyeon throws herself down onto her bed for the summer and buries her face in her pillow, letting out a muffled sob.
This isn't how summer is supposed to go.