HANEUL arrived at the rest area he’d been assigned to. There were a few benches under a large roof, some vending machines along the wall, and a water fountain at the far end. A couple of people sat on the benches, drinking water and checking their phones. A few others stood near the trailhead, looking at a large map posted on a wooden board. Beyond them, the path stretched up into the trees.

He looked around for anyone who might have been given a clue for their team’s next destination. His gaze landed on a man in a park ranger uniform. He stood near the base of the trail, talking to a group of tourists. The program team would definitely not give their next clue to a tourist who wouldn’t stay in one place. It would most likely be given to a local, like the owner of that rice cake shop. So, he walked towards the man in a park ranger uniform.

He waited until the group of tourists wandered off before stepping closer. "Excuse me, sir?" 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

The older man glanced at him, looking a bit surprised at first. Haneul was now regretting taking off his glasses. The heat was already making sweat gather on his nose, and whenever he wore his glasses, they’d slide down or leave red marks. It was easier to just take them off. So he’d left them in the van. Luckily, most of the people they’d talked to so far were older and didn’t really care much about his looks.

"Yes, what can I do for you, young man?" the ranger asked.

"Excuse me, sir, but has anyone from a television production come by and left an envelope or a package with you for someone to pick up?"

The ranger looked confused. "No, nothing like that has been left here."

"Oh, I see," Haneul said, trying not to let his disappointment show. "Is there someone else working here who might have been given something like that? Maybe another ranger or someone at the ticket booth?"

"I don’t know about the ticket booth, but I’m certain nothing like that was left here at the rest area," the ranger said.

Haneul felt disappointed again. He was about to thank the ranger when the man continued speaking.

"But someone did talk to me earlier. He said he was from Boys Odyssey. Is that the television program you’re talking about?"

Haneul felt a wave of relief at that. "Yes, that’s it. Did he say anything?" he asked quickly.

"Well, he said that if a young man or a group of young men came up to me asking the same thing you did, I should tell them they’d find what they’re looking for on the hiking trail." The ranger paused, as if trying to remember more. "And that it would be tied to one of the tallest trees you’d see along the way."

Haneul thought about that for a moment. At first, when the ranger said their target was on the trail, he’d assumed they’d have to hike all the way up. But then he mentioned it being tied to one of the tallest trees. That meant they probably didn’t need to go all the way to the crater. They just had to find that tree somewhere along the trail.

"May I ask if you know where the tallest tree on the trail is? The one that’s easy to spot while walking?" he asked.

***

After ten minutes, Eunwoo walked back to the parking lot like they’d agreed. He was both disappointed and worried. He had found nothing useful. The last thing he wanted was to hike under this scorching sun. It wasn’t just the heat and humidity that bothered him. There was also Haneul to think about. Omegas had more delicate bodies than Alphas and Betas. Eunwoo didn’t want Haneul to get heatstroke and pass out. So avoiding the hike altogether would be ideal. But from the way things were going, they might not have a choice.

As he got closer to the parking lot, he spotted Haneul already standing there. The staff member who had gone with him was nearby, filming him from a short distance. Eunwoo was a little surprised to see him back so soon. Maybe he had found nothing useful either.

"Eunwoo hyung!" Haneul called out, waving as soon as he saw him.

Seeing the smile on Haneul’s face, Eunwoo raised an eyebrow. He looked... pleased about something. Maybe he’d actually found some useful information.

He stopped a few feet away from Haneul and was about to ask what he’d found when he spotted Suho and Jeon Hyunsik approaching. So he held back and waited, figuring it was better for everyone to hear it all at once.

"I asked around, but no one had an envelope or anything like that," Suho said, looking a little deflated. "Please tell me one of you got the clue to our next stop."

The look on Suho’s face was so dramatic, like he’d just been handed a prison sentence, that Haneul had to fight back a laugh. Eunwoo and Jeon Hyunsik both shook their heads, letting them know they’d come up empty too. Then everyone turned to Haneul, who had said nothing yet.

"I did get something," Haneul said. "But it’s not the clue to our next destination. It’s more like a clue that tells us where to find the actual clue."

So he really had found something, Eunwoo thought. "Where is it?"

Haneul repeated what the ranger had told him, explaining everything from the start right up to the part about the clue being tied to a tall tree somewhere along the hiking trail.

"And the ranger said we’d know the tree as soon as we saw it," Haneul added. "It’s supposed to be really tall and easy to spot. The best part is, we don’t have to go all the way to the top of the mountain. Just maybe a quarter of the way up, and we should see it."

Everyone was quiet for a moment, clearly surprised by what Haneul had just said.

Then Suho spoke up with exaggerated relief. "Wait, so we don’t have to go all the way up? Just a quarter? Thank goodness. I was already picturing myself crawling back down on my hands and knees."