ETERNALLY

FOUR

Among those who viscerally reacted was Yoon-Ji, who held a lot of reluctance towards the plan. She crossed her arms over her midsection, mouth parting to interject and raise questions, but she stopped hearing Kim Jin-Ha do so first. 

“What if we try to leave and end up dead too?” The curly-haired male inquired, his voice tinged with fear, which was atypical. However, after witnessing not just one but three deaths in the same span of time, it would be weirder not to be conflicted by the proposition. He stared the president straight in the eyes and asked, "What happens next?"

"Yes," Lee Joo-Young chipped in, expressing her own displeasure, while her friend Mi-Na clung close to her side. She paused, looking at everyone, before resuming her line of thought: “Isn’t it too dangerous for us?”

They were asking all the right questions, and the class leader couldn't blame them all for being unsure. At first, he had been doubtful about this as well, But, after scouring the area, he had given this a lot more thought and found it was the most sensible course of action given their circumstances. 

He averted his gaze and carefully considered what to say in response to his classmate's concerns, "No, we'll be fine as long as we don't cross the line."

This roused a bit more approval from everyone, and their confidence grew slightly after hearing his declaration. But Yoon-Ji, who had been listening and thinking closely, was still not too convinced.

"Sorry," she began, uncrossing her arms while everyone turned their heads to hear what she had to say. "I don't mean to ruin this by being pessimistic, but Jun-Hee, have you considered other things that might happen during the trip and how to deal with them?”

Yoon-Ji never considered herself as one to actively participate in class discourse back then. Sure, she would normally speak on issues when she saw them– like when some classmates would openly harass others– but oftentimes, especially when it came to discussions that the president and vice president could manage on their own, she didn't really see the need to partake.

However, this was a matter that basically dictated their fate. Any wrong decision, lack of preparation and even a stroke of misfortune could result in their deaths. So if she had to speak up to address her concerns, then she would do so.

Now, don't get her wrong, Yoon-Ji wasn't exactly planning on going against the plan. If anything, she thought it was better as opposed to simply doing nothing and waiting until the mafia got to them or die some other ways. It was just that, as someone who often worried about the worst happening, the plan lacked assurance for their overall safety. 

If it hadn't been fraught with uncertainties like say, the possibility of an accident as well as the possibility that the trip could be ruined by a traitor hiding amongst them, then it would've been all fine and well. But at this point when they'd already lost three of their own, it was better to be cautious.

“I'm talking things like accidentally tripping and stepping past the line, traps, wild animals… sabotage,” Yoon-Ji swallowed her saliva before continuing to elaborate, “I don't think this is going to be as simple as just saying not to cross the line so, I'm wondering if you've any…precautions?”

As she asked this out loud, the onlookers also pondered by themselves. The girl brought up a lot of good points, and if they were to consider Jun-Hee's plan, they would have to hear what he had in mind given the aforementioned points.

Before they could get a chance to hear from Jun-Hee, Kyung-Jun, who Yoon-Ji hadn't realized was standing beside her, also piped up, “I agree with the Pres’ plan, it beats just waiting here, so It won't hurt to give it a shot.”