THE RHYTHM OF US: RYEJI

Chapter 9: Prepared (not really)

Yeji's POV

I woke up in the morning, feeling a sense of excitement building within me. I stretched lazily; I will never admit it, but I'm very excited about this adventure.

As I basked in anticipation, a sudden doorbell rang through the house, which surprised me. I hurriedly made my way to my door, and just as I was about to open it, my brother Hyunjin knocked and let himself in.

"You have a visitor," he announced with a grin.

I furrowed my brow, wondering who it could be. "Who?" I asked.

Hyunjin replied playfully, "Your favorite visitor."

I stepped out of my room and was greeted by the sight of Ryujin, who seemed completely ready. She raised an eyebrow at me and teasingly asked, "Did you just wake up?"

I chuckled, not wanting to admit my tardiness. "Well..." I began, unsure how to explain.

Ryujin couldn't resist teasing me further. "Oh my god, you're really the latecomer, aren't you?" she teased.

I stood my ground and defended myself, saying, "We are going at 9 a.m., and it's still 7."

Ryujin playfully corrected me, her voice filled with amusement. "What do you mean, 7, Yeji? It's literally 8:30. You have 30 minutes."

Realizing I was running out of time, I rushed to get ready, leaving Ryujin laughing behind.

"Alright," she called after me, "I'll wait for you in the living room."

Hyunjin, my brother, chimed in with a hint of mischief, "I'll take care of her."

But Ryujin insisted, her smirk evident even in her voice, "No, I'll take care of you."

I could still hear laughter from the living room as I approached the bathroom. It was reassuring to know that she was eager about our planned adventure, but it was also strange how Ryujin, who had been awkward to me the day before, was suddenly perfectly normal.

With the door to the bathroom closed, I began my preparations. It wasn't long before I heard the door of my room swing open, and Ryujin's voice echoed through the house: "Is your suitcase ready?"

Undeterred, I continued my routine, calling back, "Yes, it's there."

Ryujin's teasing tone resonated from the bedroom: "Wait, am I seeing three suitcases here? Are you going to bring them all?"

I chuckled and replied, "No, the yellow one, the yellow."

With that settled, Ryujin playfully responded, "Alright, I'll just put it in the van."

My suitcase was now in Ryujin's capable hands, allowing me to focus on the final steps of getting ready. As I dressed and took one last look in the mirror, I couldn't help but feel a growing sense of anticipation and excitement for the adventure that awaited.

"All right," I told myself with determination, "let's take on this adventure."

I went to Ryujin's van and claimed my usual spot in the passenger seat. Ryujin started the engine.

"Lia is waiting in front of the park," Ryujin informed me.

I nodded, excitement building inside me. "All right, let's head over there."

Ryujin, with a playful glint in her eyes, asked, "Have you already texted Minho?"

My eyes widened as I realized my oversight. "Oh my gosh, I forgot."

Ryujin couldn't help but laugh, her teasing nature on full display. "You're really getting old, Yeji, aren't you?"

I shot her a playful glare. "Shut up."

Quickly, I dialed Minho's number and informed him about the meetup location.

As we arrived at the park, Lia's joyful expression warmed my heart. Lia embraced Ryujin warmly, and I couldn't help but feel a pang of uncertainty as I watched them.

Minho soon arrived with Chaeryeong in tow, completing our group. Lia was accompanied by I.N., and we were now ready for the adventure that awaited us.

Lia suggested, "I'm sure we could all sit in Ryujin's van, so let's head over there."

Ryujin glanced at Lia and inquired, "Your parents, where are they?"

Lia replied with excitement, "They're already there. They got so excited that they headed there early."

Laughter filled the van as we settled in. I opened the door to my usual passenger seat, only to find Lia already sitting there.

Our surprised gazes met, and I quickly said, "Yeah, head to the back," as I moved to a different seat. Minho took the spot beside me, and I greeted him with a warm smile.

"Good morning," Minho said.

I returned the smile and replied, "Good morning."

Minho continued the conversation, asking, "Are you excited?"

I chuckled and replied, "Not much."

Our laughter filled the car as Ryujin interjected, "Wait, guys. We'll stop by at my cousin's place."

Everyone agreed, and the van made a brief stop. Yuna greeted us with a bright smile, saying, "Hello, everybody. Even if I don't know all of you, hello."

I returned the smile warmly, feeling the positive energy of the group.

As we greeted Yuna, she couldn't contain her excitement. "Hello, Yuna," I said.

Yuna beamed and exclaimed, "Oh my gosh, long time no see, Yeji!" Her enthusiasm prompted Ryujin to chime in, "Shut up, why are you so loud?"

Playfully, Yuna teased, "My goodness, so, KJ, can you just drive there? Driver."

Laughter filled the van as we continued on our journey. Yuna noticed Minho sitting beside me and suggested, "Um, can you please move to the back because I want to sit with Yeji only?"

Minho and I exchanged glances, and Minho agreed, saying, "All right, all right." He made his way to the back where I.N. was sitting.

Yuna couldn't contain her excitement as she continued, "Oh my gosh, Yeji, it's really been a long time since we've seen each other."

I agreed, "You're right."

Yuna expressed her curiosity, saying, "I'd love to hear stories."

I hesitated but then replied, "Not much really happened."

Yuna insisted, "No, I want to hear stories about your dance competitions."

I remembered Chaeryeong and introduced her. "Chaeryeong here is part of the crew."

Yuna recognized her and greeted her with a warm, "Oh, right. I remember you."

Chaeryeong introduced herself, saying, "Hi, my name is Chaeryeong."

Yuna couldn't help but comment, "Cute."

Lia, who was seated in the front passenger seat, joined in the introductions, saying, "Hello, Yuna, I'm Lia."

Yuna greeted her with a friendly, "Hi, nice to meet you."

From the back, I.N. was about to introduce himself, but Yuna cut him off with a playful, "I'm not interested." This sparked another round of laughter, with Ryujin's laughter being the loudest.

Yuna playfully wondered, "Why is our driver laughing with us?" And that sent us all into another fit of laughter.