The Retreat | Enha multi ship

[Chapter 33]

It was like some miracle that the group managed to start a fire, but mainly their luck came from the fact Heeseung had attended the fire making activity between capture the flag games a few days ago. It took them around twenty minutes to get it lit, and once it was, they all huddled around it in a circle.

It was a dire situation for sure, and no one really knew what to do with themselves. They just had to accept that they were stuck out here, and had to find someway of passing the time. Whether that be like Jake staring off into the dark nothingness, or like Sunoo picking at the ground below him, or even like Jay who was just contemplating all his life decisions. 

"I've really screwed up." Jay breaks the silence, throwing his head in his hands. "They're gonna send me home for sure."

"Well they'll send us all home then." Heeseung replies, not knowing the full context.

Jay lifts his head up and shakes it. "No this is my second strike. They wanted to send me home for saving Jungwon-" He stops himself upon seeing all the confused looks he was getting. He lets out a huff before continuing. "Don't ask, I can't be bothered to explain. Anyway, once they find us here, I'm sure I'll be sent home, and probably benched for misbehavior."

"But they won't know we were trying to steal the alcohol. We can just say we were going on a walk and got lost." Sunoo chimes in.

Jay scoffs at his suggestion, obviously he wasn't planning on ratting himself out. "I don't know, I just have this bad feeling they'll work out what we were trying to do." 

Did it really matter if he got benched anymore? There was one reason, and one reason only, that Jay wanted to stay. If he got sent home, then he'd be leaving all his loose ends untied. 

"If we get mauled by bears then they'll never know."

All at once, the boys turn to Jake, which causes the brunette to scratch his nape awkwardly. It's like they silently agreed to just ignore Jake's comment, and the conversation continued from there.

They talked for a little while about random things, but through it all, Jay kept getting distracted by the two couples in front of him. How Sunghoon held Sunoo's hand, and would ask him if he was too cold. How Heeseung and Jake would lock eyes, then both blush and smile all giddy. It would have usually annoyed him to see all that gushy stuff, but for some reason, it actually made him quite sad.

It seemed like Heeseung noticed the change in his friend. "You okay?" He asks, gently nudging the boy.

"You guys make it look so easy." Jay mutters, not really knowing why he was saying that. Taking a glance at his surroundings, his eyes fall on the fire in front of him. "My relationship is like this fire. Despite bringing me warmth and comfort, it's also capable of hurting me, but I would never willingly put it out."

"Wow, that was kinda poetic." Jake chuckles.

Jay smirks proudly. "I can be. I'm not just some dumb footballer."

"Says the guy who just got us lost." Sunghoon snickers, causing Jay's smirk to disappear in an instant.

"Yeah yeah I know, lets move on already." He brushes him off.

"So are you looking for advice or something?" Sunghoon questions, thinking more about what Jay had said.

The boy lets out a sigh. "I don't know. It's hard to imagine that any of your advice would help me. Everything is just so complicated and muddled up. How do I fix something, when we're both the reason it's broken?"

It was a tough question, but Sunghoon wanted to give it a try. Especially after his own recent relationship troubles, he felt sympathy for the situation Jay was in. It was obvious that he cared about Jungwon, but didn't know how to make things right. "The only thing you can do now is change. Show him that you're willing to put the effort in, and make things better. Hopefully, he'll do the same, but it'll take both of you. It can't be one or the other."

Jay hums in response, but it didn't seem like Sunghoon's advice really resonated with him.

As the group continued to throw advice his way, Sunoo kept quiet. Though it was tricky, the advice was too obvious for Jay. He most likely already knew that he had to change, but after all this time, he could hardly imagine how that would be possible. Considering Sunoo had spoken to Jungwon about Jay multiple times, he had a different level of understanding compared to his friends. He tried to ignore what advice would fix their relationship, and focus more on what advice would help Jay specifically.

Suddenly, Sunoo jumps to his feet. "How much do you love Jungwon?"

You can tell Jay to change all you want, but what he needs is a bit of hope right now.

He feels Sunghoon tugging his arm, but he ignores it, and everyone else aswell, keeping his eyes glued to Jay. "A lot right?"

Despite how taken a back he was, Jay manages to nod and reply. "Yeah. Fucking a lot."

"Then you'll find a way to make it work." Sunoo states confidently. "You might think it's impossible to fix things, but you love him. And I know you're not about to give up on someone you love." 

Slowly a smile starts to creep it's way onto Jay's face. "You're damn right on that one." He also gets to his feet, struck with a new sense of motivation. "I'm not getting sent home tonight! We're gonna find our way back come hell or high water!"

Heeseung shakes his head. "This sounds like another stupid plan." 

Jay didn't let that comment destroy his spirit though, and he started to put together his plan on getting back.

It was kind of boring listening to Jay's plan, so Jake ended up zoning out. His mind wandered, and his eyes veered around the dark forest, which only reminded him how creepy this place was. Suddenly, his ears attach to the sound of leaves crunching off in the distance. He snaps his head towards the noise, but couldn't see anything. It's silent for about half a second, before he hears the noise again. Goosebumps litter his whole body when it happens for a third time, but now, it didn't stop, only getting louder each time, like someone was taking footsteps. 

In panic, he turns back to the group. "Hey I think something's coming!" He whisper yells, pointing in the direction of the noise.

Now he had pointed it out, they all notice the crunching sounds, and quickly the fear spreads to them all. Everyone froze, staring off into the darkness, their breaths heavy, hearts racing. Who knew what was coming for them?

"I totally knew you'd get lost!"

They all breathe a sigh of relief when Rei emerges from the shadows.

"Looks like you should have invited me after all."

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There won't be another chapter until either Friday, or the weekend, because I'm going on holiday. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and have a lovely week🥰