3 Jeju D-day

The day of the trip to Jeju finally arrived. My bed was a mess of clothes, snacks, and open-packed bags. My mom was here, checking and rearranging everything I did, and somehow managing to both help and stress me out at the same time.

"Min-ah, are you sure you have everything?" she asked, poking around in my suitcase like she expected to find something missing.

"Yes, eomma. I've checked three times already. Passport, phone, charger, embarrassing amount of snacks... I'm good." I said, zipping the bag that she opened last two seconds ago.

"Good, good. Now, listen to me. Take care of yourself, okay? Jeju is beautiful, but don't forget to eat properly and get enough sleep." She patted my shoulders and squeezing it lightly. I just nodded, grabbing my suitcase and my bag.

"And please, if anything comes up,  you call me, arasseo?" My mom loves me too much, she was now tearing up. I give her a quick hug.

"I will, now wipe those tears cause we're not climbing Mt. Everest or trying to wrestle grizzly bears. Love you!"

"Love you too, Min-ah. Have fun, be safe, and send me pictures!" She stood by the door, watching me grab my things.  With a final wave, I headed downstairs, ready for this exciting trip.

We all agreed to meet up at Gimpo Airport. The subway was packed, and I spent the whole ride trying not to doze off because eomma woke me up at two in the morning for a pre-trip pep talk. She robbed me of two precious hours of sleep.

When I finally made it to the waiting area, I spotted Aeri and Jay right away. Mostly because they were wearing outfits that were way too fancy for a casual trip to an island.

Aeri was decked out head to toe designer, paired with a tiny purse that probably couldn't even fit a phone, while Jay was wearing a blazer and perfectly styled hair like he was about to close a major business deal instead of going sightseeing.

I walked towards them, fighting back a snort.

"Wow. Someone's overdressed for the occasion. Did you guys think we were going to the Met Gala in Jeju?" I said, trying to keep a straight face.

Just then, the rest of our group started showing up. Ningning was the first, and her eyes immediately went to the two, mouth agape.

"Are you kidding me right now? You guys look like you're going to a wedding, not a vacation." she said, shaking her head. Well, she has a point.

Yeji, Ryujin, and Miyeon arrived next, exchanging amused glances. Even Jake and Yuqi, who were usually pretty chill, couldn't hide their surprise.

"Guys, we're going to be hiking. You know, walking uphill? For hours?" Ryu pointed out sarcastically, earning an arm smack from the person beside her, Yeji.

"Look, a girl never knows who she might meet. And I want to look my best." Aeri said defensively.

"Yeah, you might meet a park ranger who'll tell you you're overdressed." Jake deadpanned, and a few of us chuckled.

"Sorry we're late! The traffic was insane. But enough about that, let's get going! I want to get to Jeju before sunset."

Rina and Sunghoon finally showed up, obviously, hand in hand.

Then someone bumped my shoulder, I glanced beside me and saw Miyeon standing there with a grin on her face.

"Excited?" she asked.

"Yea... can't wait." I saw how Rina's eyes swept over the group, they paused on me, flicking on Miyeon for a beat. Sunghoon, noticing his girlfriend, wrapped an arm around her shoulders and gave her a gentle squeeze. She blinked, and her usual bright smile was back in place.

"Okay, people, let's move it! Jeju, here we come."

~•~

I ended up sitting between Ryu and Jake. The flight took off, and for a while, everyone was occupied with their phones or trying to get comfortable. Then, out of nowhere, Ryu turned to me.

"This might be the right opportunity to talk to you." She whispered, leaning close to me. "Why did you confess to you-know-who? Knowing that the guy already got her? I mean, you basically ignored all of us after our graduation, which was just two weeks ago." I glance at Jake, who's chilling on his chair, headphones on, eyes closed.

Of all the times and places to bring this up, Ryu chose a cramped airplane cabin thousands of feet in the air.

"Ryu, can we not do this right now? This isn't exactly the time or place." I whispered back. This was not a good idea.

"Then when is? You disappeared on us, Min. We were all worried. And then we find out you confessed to her? Seriously?" She won't give up on this, I swear.

I sighed.

"It's complicated. And it's not something I want to discuss in front of everyone." It's complicated cause your other friend right there, kissed me after I confessed to her, then started lashing out at me.

"Then explain it to me. Why? Why her? You know she's not frickin' bendable." she pressed. Oh, my friend, you don't know her that well.

I closed my eyes for a moment, gathering my thoughts.

"Okay, fine. I've had feelings for her for years, okay? Since freshman year. I know she's with you-know-who, and I knew it was a long shot, but I just... I had to tell her. I couldn't keep it in any longer." Her eyes widen. That's how secretive I am.

"Years? You never said a word." I nodded.

"I was stupid. But it doesn't matter now. She's happy with him, and that's all that matters." So happy that she's still flirting with me.

I took a deep breath. Trying to convince my good friend here that I want to end this already.

"Look, can we just drop it? I don't care anymore. I just want to enjoy this trip with you guys. I missed you all, and I don't want to spend the whole time rehashing something that's in the past. Can we please just move on?" I looked at her pleadingly.

"I get it. We'll drop it." She then nudged me playfully. "But seriously, Min, you're wasting your time. You need to find someone who actually appreciates you. I'm gonna help you find someone who's dying to taste you, I swear." She winked.

"Thanks, Ryu. I appreciate that." Although I already planned everything.

"Anytime." she replied, slapping my knee. "Now, let's ditch this depressing topic and focus on getting drunk in Jeju. But for now, let's sleep yea?" Ryu adjusts her eye mask and gets comfortable on her seat.

I leaned my head on the backrest, we still have an hour to get there, might as well sleep it off.

~•~

I stirred awake, feeling someone gently shaking my shoulder.

"Hey, sleepyhead. We're here." Jake was now standing and the other seats were already empty.

"Oh, and uh, maybe wake Ryu up too? I don't think anyone wants to carry her off the plane. Come on, everyone's already getting their stuff. Don't want to get left behind, do you?" Yea, Ryu's a grumpy person when someone wakes her up on her princess-like slumber.

"Ryu, wake up, we landed already." Her mouth hung open, with a drool on the side on her mouth. Princess-like, told ya.

"Huh? What's going on?" she mumbled, rubbing her eyes. She sat up straight, looking around in confusion. "Oh, we're here? Already?" She stretched, stifling a yawn. "Alright, alright, I'm up. Let's go."

After gathering our luggage and navigating the bustling Jeju Airport, we finally arrived at the hotel.

It was a modern, sleek building with a view of the ocean in the distance.

"Okay, guys. We're here for a couple of days to relax and recharge before our camping adventure. Let's make the most of it!" Rina announced. The plan was simple — explore the local area, indulge in some delicious Jeju cuisine, and prepare ourselves for the rugged camping experience that awaited us for the rest of the month.

"Alright, so here's the room situation." Sunghoon said, holding up the key cards. "Jake, Jay and I, in room 19, since we're the only guys here. Min, Rina, Miyeon, and Aeri, you're in room 17. And Yeji, Ryu, Yuqi, and Ningning, in room 20. Everyone got it?" They nodded in agreement, grabbing our respective key cards and heading towards the elevators.

Damn, he really placed her girlfriend inside my space? How ironic.

As we entered our room, Miyeon turned to me.

"So I was thinking, since you and Rina are basically inseparable, you guys can share a bed.  And Aeri and I can take the other one. Cool?"  She paused, looking from me to Rina and then to Aeri. "What do you guys think? Any preferences?"

Rina just shrugged, placing her things inside. She stayed silent. I wonder why?

Then Aeri chimed in. "Honestly, I don't mind either way. Whatever works for everyone else is fine with me." She said, already unpacking one of her luggages out of six of them. She packed a lot, that's Aeri for you.

Well, I have to vote too.

"Actually, I was kinda hoping you and I could share, Miyeon?"

I said, trying to keep my eyes mostly on Miyeon but out of the corner of my eyes, I caught Rina rolling her eyes. She mumbled something, her words were too low for anyone to hear clearly, but she definitely acted... annoyed.

A small smirk tugged at the corner of my lips. Oh, this is going to be a hella fun of vacation.

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