Falling for the Omega Idol

Chapter 256: JEJU ACTIVITY (V)

HANEUL’S breath came in short, uneven gasps as he forced his legs to keep moving up the rocky trail. The path was narrow in some places and wide in others, with wooden steps built into the steeper sections and loose stones scattered across the dirt. Tall grass and green bushes lined both sides, and the thick forest around them blocked most of the wind. The air was warm and still, heavy with the smell of earth and pine.

He knew the view would have been something if he’d had the energy to look, but right now all he could focus on was the burning in his lungs and the ache in his calves. Every step felt heavier than the last. He wasn’t even sure how much farther they had to go.

He couldn’t believe his body was this weak. He hadn’t wanted to hike because of the heat, not because he thought he couldn’t do it. But apparently, his body really sucked at this. He’d never noticed before, since he could practice dancing for hours with little trouble. But climbing a mountain was a whole different kind of exhausting.

Dancing didn’t require him to lift his entire body weight up a slope repeatedly, with the sun beating down on him no less. There’s no air conditioning that could help regulate the temperature. In the practice room, he could stop between songs, catch his breath, and start again. Out here, there was no pause button. His thighs screamed with every step, and his heart pounded like it was trying to escape his chest.

Haneul wheezed and paused for a moment, taking a big gulp of water from the tumbler he was carrying. Before they’d started up the trail, the staff had handed each of them a tumbler and a jacket to block the sun. That alone told him they’d been expecting them to hike. He grumbled a little at the thought. He knew it wasn’t the staff’s fault, and they couldn’t say anything about it, anyway. But still.

He tried to scan the area ahead, but he still couldn’t spot the tree. How much farther did they have to go? The ranger had made it sound like they’d see it right away because it was so tall. Maybe the man had been lying. He shook his head. His exhaustion was clearly getting to him, making him paranoid and irritable.

He kept climbing, his legs screaming with every step. Then Eunwoo stopped ahead and pointed.

"I think that’s the tree," he said.

Haneul looked up. A tall pine stood a short distance away, its top rising well above the other trees around it. Well, that was definitely a tall tree. Now he understood why the ranger had said they’d know which one he meant as soon as they saw it.

"Thank fu—" Suho cut himself off before the curse slipped out. They all understood what he’d been about to say, anyway. "Ahem. I mean, thank goodness."

Eunwoo let out a small laugh. "Yeah, thank goodness."

The others hurried toward the tall pine tree, their steps quick and steady. Even Haneul pushed himself to keep up, ignoring the burn in his legs. No one said a word, but the way they moved said enough. They just wanted to grab whatever was waiting for them and be done with this climb.

When they reached the tree, Haneul noticed a cameraman already standing beside it, camera pointed in their direction. He’d clearly been waiting for them. Showing that this was the right tree. Then he spotted the envelopes hanging from a low branch. Three of them. They walked closer and saw that each envelope had a team name written on the back, the same names they’d used during the dance live performance.

Eunwoo immediately spotted their team’s name on one envelope. He stepped forward, pulled it down, and snapped the string tying it to the branch. While he did that, Haneul glanced at the other two envelopes. One of them had Robin’s team name written on it. That meant their team wasn’t the only one that had to make this climb. Haneul found that strangely comforting. At least now he knew their team wasn’t the only one forced to do this climb. It was a petty thought, sure. But his tired legs couldn’t care less about that.

He turned to Eunwoo and saw that the other had already opened the envelope and pulled out a postcard. They gathered around him and saw a picture of a small harbor with fishing boats lined up along the dock and a curved orange bridge in the background.

"This..." Eunwoo’s brow furrowed. "It looks like a port, doesn’t it?"

Haneul nodded. "There are a few ports in Jeju, though. We need to figure out which one this is."

"Then let’s head back down and ask someone at the trail base," Jeon Hyunsik said, a hint of irritation creeping into his voice. The climb had clearly worn on him too, and his patience was slipping.

No one argued. They all turned and started heading down. This time, they moved much faster. Haneul wasn’t sure if it was because gravity was finally helping them or because they all just wanted to be done with this whole thing. Either way, they reached the bottom of the trail in no time.

Eunwoo scanned the area, looking for someone who seemed like a local rather than a tourist. There weren’t many people around, but an older woman sat on a wooden bench near the trail entrance. She wore a simple sunhat and sandals, no hiking gear, and had a small bag of oranges resting by her feet. A market tote hung from the armrest. She looked like she lived nearby. Bingo. He walked toward her, the rest of the team following close behind. He stopped in front of the older woman and gave a small bow.

"Excuse me, ma’am," Eunwoo said, holding out the postcard. "Do you happen to know where this place is?"

The older woman raised her head and gave them a curious look, her eyes moving from one face to the next. Then she glanced down at the postcard Eunwoo was holding.