Choosing Their Rooms

Author’s POV

Madam Reiko clapped her hands gently, the rings on her fingers shimmering under the chandelier.

“Come, girls. I’ll show you the second floor. You may choose whichever rooms you like.”

The group nodded—but before taking a single step, they all stood frozen in the middle of the living room, still overwhelmed.

Because the mansion… was MASSIVE.

The ceiling stretched two floors high. Golden chandeliers hung like fancy crystal suns. Two wide staircases curved upward like something out of a princess movie. The walls were decorated with framed paintings, antique clocks, and shelves full of books, old and new.

And most importantly—

“It’s SO BIG,” Bing said for the 5th time.

“We know,” Kat replied. “You’ve said that since the driveway.”

“And I will say it again,” Bing said, pointing dramatically at the ceiling. “SO. BIG.”

Janna spun around in slow motion.

“Guys… my phone has no signal. No WiFi, no nothing. I am officially… a cavewoman.”

“Finally,” Hyrine said. “Peace.”

“NO—NOT PEACE—SUFFERING!” Janna clutched her chest like she was performing Shakespeare.

Madam Reiko only smiled, unfazed by the chaos.

Madam Reiko led them toward the grand stairs. Each step echoed dramatically, which instantly made Kat whisper:

“I feel like a rich villain with trauma.”

“You ARE trauma,” Bing said, patting her back.

Kat gasped. “Rude but accurate.”

Hyrine and Mae walked together, pointing at various decorations.

“Look, Mae! A giant vase.”

“That’s bigger than our relationship”

“It better be.”

They burst into laughter.

Menggay walked near Wenalin, quietly looking around with wide eyes.

“This place is… beautiful,” she whispered.

Menggay nodded. “It’s peaceful.”

“It feels like it has stories,” wenalin added, running her fingers gently along the railing.

Menggay glanced at her. “You really like places with history, huh?”

“Oh—um—yeah,” wenalinsaid, cheeks turning pink for no reason at all.

When they reached the second floor, they saw a long hallway—extremely long—lined with doors on both sides. Carpeted floors, tall windows, and lights that made everything look warm and magical.

“Okay this is CRAZY,” Janna said. “This hallway is longer than my patience.”

“Not hard to beat,” Hyrine murmured.

“The DRAMA in this house,” Kat whispered.

Madam Reiko pointed. “Each door leads to a spacious room. Feel free to choose.”

Everyone scattered instantly.

Mae grabbed Hyrine’s wrist. “WE’RE SHARING.”

“Yes. Because if we don’t, you’ll cry.”

“I WILL NOT—okay maybe—BUT STILL.”

They found a room at the middle part of the hallway. It had two big beds, curtains that looked like hotel drapes, and a balcony view of the garden.

Hyrine gasped. “Mae, imagine drinking iced coffee here.”

Mae gasped back. “Imagine gossiping here.”

They turned to each other.

“This is the one.”

They claimed it like conquerors.

Kat ran into a room and immediately screamed.

“IT HAS A VANITY MIRROR!”

Bing shouted from somewhere down the hall, “OF COURSE THAT’S WHAT YOU CHECK FIRST!”

Kat sat on the fancy chair, flipping her hair.

“This is where I belong.”

Janna entered her chosen room and immediately lifted her phone.But still don't have any signal

Bing opened a door and stared.

a big bed

Her jaw DROPPED.

“…I’m home.”

she jump into the bed and lay down

“My precious.”

At the very end of the hallway—right corner, past all the noise—Wenalin quietly opened the last door.

Inside was a simple, relaxing space. Warm lights. Neat sheets. A window showing the quiet forest outside.

It wasn’t flashy.

It wasn’t dramatic.

It felt… peaceful.

She stepped inside softly, inhaling the quiet.

“Yes,” she murmured. “This one.”

Menggay walked down the hallway, passing several open doors, passing the laughter, passing the chaos.

Then she stopped.

She looked at the door directly in front of Wenalin’s new room.

She peeked inside.

Pretty. Cozy. Soft colors. A comfy-looking bed.

Perfect.

And close.

Very close.

She smiled to herself, heart suddenly beating fast.

“I’ll take this one!” she announced—maybe a little too loudly.

Wenalin poked her head out of her room.

“You chose already?”

Menggay nodded quickly. “Yes. Um. I… like this one.”

Wenalin gave a tiny approving smile. “Good choice.”

Menggay melted internally, gripping the doorknob like it was a lifeline.

...----------------...

The hallway echoed with laughter before the girls even reached the staircase.

Kat stomped down first, hands in her pockets like some action-movie protagonist, nearly tripping over the carpet.

“Bro, these stairs are too fancy,” she complained. “I feel like I’m gonna fall and confess my sins.”

“You have sins?” Bing said, gasping dramatically as she hugged her phone to her chest. “WAIT—Kat, before you die, can you at least watch the last episode of GAP the Series with me? I need someone to cry with!”

Kat side-eyed her. “Girl, you’ve watched that twenty-seven times.”

“And I will watch it again with my future wife,” Bing declared proudly.

Kat paused mid-step. “Wait—ME?!”

“Who else? Hyrine won’t sit through a GL, she’ll judge every kiss scene.”

Behind them, Mae and Hyrine were bickering… again.

“You left your towel on MY bed,” Mae complained loudly.

“No, I left it near your bed. There’s a difference,” Hyrine argued.

“Yeah—one is annoying and the other is still annoying.”

“LOVE YOU TOO,” Hyrine shouted back, blowing a sarcastic kiss.

Janna followed behind them gracefully, like she was descending into a ball. “You all have no poise,” she said, adjusting her hair dramatically.

“Girl, this isn’t a fashion show,” Kat said. “We’re literally going to the living room.”

“It’s always a fashion show,” Janna replied, flicking her hair.

Menggay stayed quiet, carrying all her snacks like a traveling vendor. Wenalin walked beside her, staring blankly at everyone’s chaos.

“You all talk too much,” Wenalin said flatly.

But a tiny smile betrayed her.

As they reached the living room entrance, the noise slowly died. The mansion’s grand living room appeared before them—massive, warm, elegant, almost magical. Sunlight filtered through tall windows, the chandeliers glowed softly, and antique furniture filled the space like a museum.

Madam Reiko stood waiting at the center, hands clasped, smiling with the patience of someone who had already accepted their chaos.

“You girls took your time,” she said warmly.

Kat raised a hand confidently. “Sorry ma’am, we were fixing our—”

“—faces,” Janna quickly cut in.

“—room,” Bing corrected.

“—lives,” Mae muttered.

“—trauma,” Hyrine whispered dramatically.

Wenalin pointed at all of them without looking. “Please ignore every single one of them.”

Madam Reiko laughed lightly. “It’s quite alright. Now that you’re complete, shall we begin the tour?”

She opened her arm toward the hallway.

“Follow me.”

The girls exchanged excited looks, giggles bubbling up again as they hurried after her—ready for whatever secrets the mansion held.

...----------------...

The Grand Salon looked like it was ripped straight out of a royal palace. Gold-trimmed walls, velvet curtains long enough to hide a whole family, marble floors that reflected their shocked faces, and paintings so dramatic they looked like they were judging everyone’s sins.

“OH MY—this is TikTok PARADISE,” Kat whisper-screamed, eyes sparkling.

Bing slapped her arm. “Kat… there’s no signal here.”

Kat stopped breathing for a full second.

“What?”

“No WiFi,” Madam Reiko confirmed gently.

“No data either,” Bing added.

Janna gasped dramatically and dropped to her knees like her soul left her body.

“This is the end… TikTok… my career… my BEAUTIFUL career…”

Mae rolled her eyes and patted her back. “You’re being dramatic.”

“No. I’m being HONEST,” Janna cried.

Kat put a hand on Janna’s shoulder.

“We will survive this… together.”

“No,” Janna whispered, “I won’t.”

...----------------...

They stepped into a room filled with instruments older than Bing’s patience. A grand piano sat in the center, surrounded by violins, trumpets, flutes, and things none of them could name.

Hyrine approached the piano like it was a button she wasn’t allowed to press.

Then she pressed it.

Taaanngg!

The loud echo made everyone jump.

“Hyrine!” Mae snapped. “Don’t touch things!”

“But it was calling me…”

“No. You’re just noisy,” Mae said.

Bing picked up a violin bow with narrowed eyes.

“These are probably worth millions. Please, for the love of everything holy, don’t break anything.”

Janna raised a pair of drumsticks she found in a box.

“Can I film here? This is a perfect aesthetic—”

“No internet, dear,” Madam Reiko repeated calmly.

Janna dropped the drumsticks like she lost all purpose.

“This house personally hates influencers.”

---

Soft pastel walls, delicate porcelain teacups, floral sofas, peaceful lighting—it was like stepping into a grandma’s luxurious afternoon tea party.

Menggay stopped walking.

“This room looks… calming.”

Wenalin nodded quietly beside her, hands behind her back.

“I like it. It’s peaceful.”

Kat elbowed Bing and whispered, “Look at them. They look like an old married couple choosing retirement spots.”

Bing nodded seriously. “A shy married couple.”

Menggay overheard it and almost tripped on air.

“I—wha— WE’RE NOT—”

She shut up when Wenalin glanced at her calmly.

---

When the doors opened, Wenalin was the ONLY one who froze in shock.

Floor-to-ceiling shelves. Dust as soft as snow. Hundreds and hundreds of books lined up perfectly like soldiers. Leather-bound classics, foreign novels, encyclopedias thick enough to be used as murder weapons.

Wenalin whispered, “Heaven…”

The others blinked.

“That many books?” Kat said. “Girl, that looks like punishment.”

Bing took one step inside then stepped right back out.

“Too many letters. I’m dizzy.”

Mae poked a dusty encyclopedia. “If this falls on my foot, I’m suing the house.”

Hyrine sneezed dramatically.

“I don’t belong here. My brain is allergic.”

But Wenalin was already walking slowly between the shelves, gently brushing her fingers over the spines like she had discovered buried treasure.

Madam Reiko’s smile softened.

“You may read any of them. But please be gentle. Some books here are over three centuries old.”

Wenalin nodded like a child receiving her favorite gift.