Valley (2) – Splash!!
Park Geon's grandfather's house yard was behind them as they hiked up the mountain path for about five minutes, and suddenly a wide-open view opened up along with a broad, crystal-clear valley. Right into the middle of that refreshing stream plunged Park Geon, the first to charge in without a second thought.
"Kwaaaah!! So damn cool! Hey, it's freaking freezing! Get in here quick!!"
Wearing the tight rashguard he'd bought at the store a few days ago, Park Geon shook his head wildly from the center of the valley and hollered. Just as he said, the clear valley water—where the pebbles on the bottom gleamed transparently—looked cool enough to make one forget the sweltering midsummer heat in an instant.
"You psycho. Didn't you hear that jumping in without warming up can give you a heart attack?"
Seo Juwon clicked his tongue as he stretched his ankles and wrists at the water's edge. Meanwhile, Nam Siu had been grunting in the shallow knee-deep water by the bank for a while now.
"Heave... If I wedge it tight between these rocks here, it shouldn't float away, right?"
Having finally secured the massive watermelon he'd lugged all the way in one corner of the stream—a natural cooler where the current was gentle and big rocks clustered together—Nam Siu wiped the sweat from his brow and stood up. His outfit was the waterproof hooded zip-up he'd bought recently. He inwardly sighed in relief that it was comfy enough not to show off his body lines too blatantly.
"Hey, Nam Siu! What're you doing over there? Hurry up and get in—show us a dive!"
"You could crack your head diving in a valley like this."
Nam Siu chuckled softly as he unzipped his hoodie a bit and prepared to wade in properly. Just then—
"Hey! Isn't the water cold?"
Lively voices echoed from the narrow trail through the dense trees. Nam Siu and Seo Juwon turned at the same time to see the four girls, changed into their swimsuits, descending the stone steps carefully while carrying big tubes and water guns. They were all wearing rashguards, just like the ones they'd bought together, but each color seemed to perfectly capture their personalities.
"Whoa~ Looks like we have this place to ourselves every year! Check out how clear the water is!"
Go Dasom, impossible to miss from afar in her bright yellow rashguard, approached the bank and peered down at the transparent valley floor in awe.
"Yup, Grandpa manages this stretch. Outsiders can't come here!"
Chaerin followed, stretching her long limbs in her sporty navy zip-up rashguard. Ji Yoon, thrilled to be back at the valley after so long, came down smiling—her usual stoic expression wiped away—wearing a pale mint rashguard.
"Kyaaah! Park Geon, you maniac, don't splash!!"
"Kuhaha! Penalty for being late! Everyone in!!"
Go Dasom and Chaerin screamed as they dashed fearlessly into the deeper water toward Park Geon, turning the place into instant chaos.
And at the very back of the group. Walking down slowly, keeping just a bit of distance from the rowdy friends, was the last one. Her swimsuit matched her calm personality—black—but the sturdy life vest layered over it gave her a touch of cuteness. Baek Isul stopped quietly at the shallow ankle-deep edge, a little apart from the others. Up close, unlike the rest, her two hands held a small, bulky camcorder.
"Isul. Not getting in?"
Nam Siu, who'd been quietly admiring her, approached and asked. Baek Isul lifted her head from the viewfinder.
"Yeah. Just setting this up real quick..."
Having fiddled with something, she turned the lens toward the kids playing at the water's edge and called out.
"Hey, mind if I film us playing?"
But Park Geon, Chaerin, and Go Dasom were too caught up in their water fight to even reply. Instead, Seo Juwon and Ji Yoon—who'd been lightly stretching nearby—approached, peering curiously at what she held.
"Eh, whatever. Planning to upload to YouTube or something?"
Seo Juwon smirked as he glanced at the LCD screen. Baek Isul shrugged nonchalantly.
"What? It's just nice to have footage. Stuff like this is fun to watch later. If you want, I can send you some clips afterward."
As they exchanged brief words, a sudden jet of water blasted down on them out of nowhere.
"Hey! We're at the valley—time for water fights, not chit-chat!"
Go Dasom, now armed with a water gun in one hand, unleashed a barrage on the group standing in the shallows.
"Ack, cold! Hey, Go Dasom!!"
Ji Yoon, caught off guard, shrieked and retreated. Nam Siu reflexively raised his arm to block the spray heading for his face.
"Oh yeah? You'll regret dragging me into this!"
Seo Juwon dove into the deeper valley with a battle cry. A massive pillar of water erupted on impact, turning the pristine stream into pandemonium in seconds.
"Waaah! You psycho! You're flipping my tube!!"
"Riding a tube all cocky? You're done for!"
Park Geon trying to flip Go Dasom's tube, Chaerin blasting his head with her water gun, and Seo Juwon sneaking underwater to attack Park Geon amid the frenzy.
"Puhah! Hey, Nam Siu! How long you gonna stand there? Get in!!"
At Park Geon's shout, Nam Siu finally hurled himself into the water from the shallows.
"Uwaaa! Screw it!!"
The ice-cold valley water. Cool sprays arcing through the air. The kids' nonstop boisterous laughter and screams. For the first time in his life, Nam Siu felt a pang of regret that he'd never shared such ordinary days with friends before. But soon, dripping wet, he looked at his friends and broke into a huge grin.
'From now on, I'm doing all this stuff with my friends—what's the big deal!'
Even Baek Isul, who'd been standing a step back to protect the camera from splashes, now had her hair soaked by the flying water and wore a faint smile. And that brilliant moment of their youth was captured beautifully through her lens, dazzlingly so.
They lost track of time, playing until the valley water might run dry.
"Puhah! Kek, kehek!"
A loud coughing fit echoed as someone flailed toward the bank and crawled out.
"Huff... huff... Guys, gimme... a timeout..."
It was Nam Siu, his hair plastered to his face like seaweed. He'd prided himself on building stamina lately with workouts, but he couldn't keep up with the beastly endurance of Park Geon and Seo Juwon. Legs giving out, he slumped against a wide flat rock at the shallow edge. His eyes caught the tireless trio still splashing wildly.
'Don't those guys ever get tired?'
As that thought crossed his mind, someone approached through the current, paddling with plump orange life vest bobbing.
"..."
Baek Isul panted up to Nam Siu and thrust the camcorder lens right in his face.
"What? You said you work out every day, and you're already tapped out?"
"Hey, you think I'm on their level, those animals... Cough! And don't film me now. I look like a drowned rat."
Embarrassed, Nam Siu awkwardly raised a hand to block the lens. But she dodged nimbly and captured his goofy face anyway.
"Hold still. You're hilarious."
Baek Isul zoomed in once more on his dumbstruck expression through the viewfinder, then let out a soft chuckle and lowered the camera. She carefully sat on the flat rock next to where he leaned.
One step removed from the noisy splash-fest, they watched their friends.
"Rest a bit. They'll be yelling about grilling meat again soon."
She tossed one of the dry towels she'd brought for herself onto his sopping head. Her faint signature scent tickled his nose through the fabric.
"...Why'd you suddenly bring the camcorder?"
Nam Siu broke the quiet between them.
"I've always liked filming stuff. Might even have some middle school pics of the kids here."
Baek Isul picked up the camcorder again to capture their friends still romping in the water. On the tiny LCD screen, Park Geon flailing from Go Dasom's water gun and Chaerin shoving him in the gap were perfectly framed, shake-free.
"Hasn't changed a bit. Middle school or now."
Without lifting her eye from the viewfinder, she murmured softly. That casually affectionate tone stirred something odd in Nam Siu. Her middle school days with friends he didn't know, and the way she saw the world through that lens—he wanted to learn it all.
"Will you... keep filming stuff like this later too?"
At his tentative question, Baek Isul lowered the camera and turned to him.
"Dunno. Right now it's just 'cause I like it... But if I keep going, it might turn into my real job."
A faint curve touched her lips. Nam Siu was lost in that serene, pretty smile when—
Shwoooosh-!!
"Ack, cold!"
A massive wave crashed toward the wide rock where they sat.
"Hey!! You two loafers! How long you gonna slack? Get in here!"
"Valley rules: play till you drop!!"
Go Dasom and Park Geon, now close by, were dousing them relentlessly.
"Argh, those psychos!"
Nam Siu reflexively shielded both himself and the spray heading for Baek Isul with his back. She startled too, hastily tucking the camcorder behind her to keep it dry.
"That's it. I'm drowning those idiots today."
Baek Isul set the camcorder carefully on a safe, dry spot atop the rock, straightened her orange life vest, and shot to her feet. Gone was her usual calm gaze—her eyes now burned with playful competitive fire.
"C'mon, Nam Siu. Time for payback."
That bold, mischievous voice drew an irrepressible grin from Nam Siu as he shook out his wet hair.
"Yeah! Let's kill 'em all!!"
Splash-!!
Forgetting his exhaustion, Nam Siu and Baek Isul plunged side by side back into the deep valley toward their friends, kicking up sprays. The seven kids' raucous laughter mingled with the cool water sounds, echoing through the valley.
As they played like maniacs oblivious to time, the sky slowly shifted from blinding blue to scorching red-orange. A chill mountain breeze blew in, quieting the cicadas' endless chorus, and long sunset shadows stretched over the clear stream.
"Huff... huff... I really can't anymore."
"I'm starving to death!! Let's grill meat quick!"
Park Geon and Seo Juwon—the two with the best stamina—finally ran out of battery, crawling to the shallows and sprawling on the wide rock, gasping raggedly.
As the top dogs lay spread-eagled, Go Dasom—who'd been recovering her strength on the sly—eyes gleamed.
"Last two to the house grill all the meat!!"
With her sneak declaration of war, everyone but the pair bolted like they'd rehearsed, grabbing gear and racing up the stone steps.
"Bullshit!!"
"No way that's fair!!"
Seo Juwon and Park Geon lurched up in outrage, but only their friends' mocking laughter faded mockingly up the trail.