Yeji didn't plan on being where she's at right now.
She is looking out the window as they ride a coaster on board to their destination.
It's the time of the year when their company sponsors a team-building event for all employees. It's something she looks forward to every year as it always involves fun activities and free food.
However, this year, their team building is accompanied by a new employee her best friend Lia is infatuated with.
It was Lia who wanted them to sit beside each other on the coaster. It was too late when Yeji found out that Lia's plan was to put her on the third wheel.
And now, Yeji's stuck with hearing the lovey-dovey couple beside her flirt while she sits there, pretending she's having the time of her life too.
"How many are you on your team again?" Lia asked Ryujin.
"We're seven, including Taehyun," said Ryujin.
"What do you guys usually do during your free time? I'm curious, how does a group of artists like you bond?"
"Mmm, we're making fun of each other. The most common is editing someone's picture."
"Like?"
Ryujin chuckled as if she remembered something funny. "Like putting Taehyun's head on the body of a sexy-porn-star!"
Yeji couldn't stop herself from smiling while the two laughed as she can clearly imagine that picture. She feels bad somehow for eavesdropping, but she can't help overhearing the conversation because, well, the two are just beside her.
"How about yours, what do you guys do for fun?" It was Ryujin who asked this time.
"We usually play the game 'answer a question with a question'," said Lia. "Someone starts a question and you just have to keep answering each other with questions."
"Wow. Sounds hard."
"Yeah, I'm always the one who loses first."
"Does everyone in your department take part in the game?"
"Yeah, everyone. We even form a circle to make it more fun."
"Well, it just seems to me you have some serious teammates in your department."
At this, Yeji side-glanced Lia and Ryujin who looked at her too.
Lia held Yeji's arm. "It may not seem like that but Yeji can be a jolly person."
"Oh really? I guess I haven't seen that side of her yet," said Ryujin.
Yeji raised an eyebrow and turns back to look out the window. There's no way she's gonna fall for that. She's got nothing against Ryujin but she doesn't like to be branded as one of the newcomer's victims.
"You might see it sooner once you do a project together," said Lia.
"I look forward to it, Lia."
Yeji eyed Ryujin and saw the latter smirking. She responds with a glare.
Ryujin chuckled. "Hey, Ms. Hwang, I think you'll be prettier if you'll add a little smile on your face."
It may or may not be an innocent comment. For all Yeji knows, Ryujin's just flirting with her like how she does with Lia and her other victims.
Although Yeji thinks that Ryujin has this certain charm, an irresistible charm, like a magnet that can make any female hormones go wild, she swore she isn't falling for it and won't join that fan club.
Ryujin chuckled again. "I see the princess is serious, huh?"
Yeji scoffed. "Princess your face."
"Oooh! At least she finally responded!" Ryujin clapped. "You don't want to be called a princess? What do you prefer then, amazon?"
Lia playfully hit Ryujin's arm when she laughed. Yeji shot Ryujin another death glare.
But Ryujin seemed not troubled by it. "Okay. I'll stop now. The last thing I wanted to do is to get in trouble with an amazon."
"You-- You want attention, right? Here it is!" Yeji doesn't know what's gotten into her. She felt the urge to pinch Ryujin's arm for punishment but since Lia is holding on to it; she went for the cheek instead.
"Aw! Aw! Ow!" Ryujin's still chuckling tho while Yeji squeezes her cheek.
Yeji made sure she released all her pent up stress before letting go of her victim. "Hmp! You better know whom you're messing with."
"Aw. Damn." Ryujin rubbed a palm over her abused cheek. "For a small hand like yours, it really hurts big time, you know."
Lia gasped when Ryujin revealed her reddened cheek. "Oh, my. Yeji, I think you went a little too far on that."
"What?" Ryujin looked at them, clueless.
Yeji lightly poked Ryujin's cheek. "Does it hurt?"
"Hell yeah."
"I guess it left a mark on your face," admitted Yeji.
"What?" Ryujin covered her cheek right away. "Is it gonna stay there long?"
"I think so. I might have pinched you way too harder."
"Yeah, I can still feel your fingers--no, your nails--on my face. Jeez. Does it look bad?" Ryujin showed them her cheek again.
For once, Lia and Yeji agreed on one thing about Ryujin and immediately shook their heads no.
"It looks like a kiss mark. Check it." Lia handled Ryujin a small mirror.
Ryujin stared at her right cheek. "I can't believe it. Yeji left a hickey on my face."
"What!" Yeji grimaced.
Lia chuckled. "Yeah. It really looks like a hickey, Yeji. I'm getting jealous."
"How long is it gonna be here?" asked Ryujin, still looking in the mirror.
"Maybe for a day or two," said Lia.
Ryujin glared at Yeji, in a cute way. "Jeez, Hwang. You left a hickey on the most obvious part of my body. Tsk. Tsk. Tsk."
Yeji rolled her eyes. "It's not intentional, and it's not a hickey."
"What should I call it then?"
"I don't know. Maybe call it a bruise or a pinch mark, perhaps?"
"I knew it! It's an amazon's curse!"
Yeji rolled her eyes again and turned back to the window.
All the guilt feeling from earlier vanished by now.
---
They end up in a high-end hotel resort where they will stay for two days and one night.
As they are required to share a room with at least one employee, Yeji's default choice is Lia. Although she knows Lia wanted Ryujin to be her roommate, she's thankful her friend had chosen her.
"I am so glad I'll be staying in the same room as Taehyun!" Felix, one of the writers in their team, gladly announced to Yeji and Lia.
"How in the world did you do it? Did you ask someone to exchange rooms?" asked Lia curiously.
"No, no! That is fate, darling!" Felix replied with conviction.
"Ooh, someone has his lucky day, huh?" Yeji nudged him. Everyone in the office knows of his major crush on Taehyun.
"Hey, Ryu, which room are you staying at?" asked Lia as Ryujin and Luna, one of the graphic designers in their team, passed by.
Ryujin looked down at the paper in her hand. "Uh, 303. How about you?"
"We're in 301," Lia answered.
"Okay. We'll see you then." Ryujin smiled, the red on her cheek getting more obvious.
"Well, if you get bored, you could come to our room. I'll give you a real hickey this time," said Lia.
"Wow, Lia! Wow!" Felix clapped.
Ryujin blushed and scratched her head as she walked to her room.
---
"Where are you going? It's already ten o'clock," asked Lia when she saw her friend preparing to go outside. They have retired to their rooms after all the activities.
"I'm gonna call my mom. Signal here is jammed." Yeji picked her phone from the table.
"Oh. Then I'll just be staying here, okay."
"Yeah, you should be. Ryujin might stop by, you know. I guess I better disappear for a while," she teased, and Lia giggled.
---
Yeji cursed herself for having that habit of walking around while she's on the call. Because right after the call ended, it rained, and she's in the middle of the resort far away from the hotel building.
So, she ends up running and looking for the nearest shed she could find.
She doesn't know why but she's got this urge to go back to the hotel room asap, maybe wanting to find out if Ryujin took that offer from Lia, and maybe wanting to distract their hickey-moment if ever.
Yeji found a small unoccupied cottage, the one with a roof and one table only. A perfect place to shed until the rain stops.
She sat on the table as she attempts to dry herself with her handkerchief.
The night is almost turning out badly for her. Suddenly, she heard a clanking sound of a bottle hitting the metal table she's sitting on. She turned around.
The person behind greeted her with a wide grin, "Hey. What's up, amazon?"