"...water bottle, tinted lip balm, band-aids, and an umbrella. Am I missing anything?"
"You have enough supplies to survive the zombie apocalypse, I'm sure you'll be fine," Eunhye joked, zipping closed her own little travel backpack. "It's not like we're going deep into some mountains. We're going to be only about half an hour away from a town, so we can just go buy anything we need."
"I know, I know," Songmin sighed. She left her messenger bag on the couch and went to get some water from the kitchen. "I just would rather not spend money on something I already own. Who's in our car again?"
Eunhye pulled out her phone to check, opening her chat with Mark. "Mark says we're going with him, Jisung, and Chenle. They'll be here in a few minutes, so we should head down right now. Make sure you have your key card."
Taking Eunhye's instructions, Songmin finished up her water and set the cup in the sink, then moved to pull out her wallet from her messenger bag, opening it and seeing the key card right where it was supposed to be.
She smiled at seeing the EXO Baekhyun photocard that looked out at her from the clear pocket on the inside left of the wallet. Her parents had never approved of buying her "unnecessary" material things like merchandise or toys and although she'd grown up with a similar ambivalence for material items, there was always some part of her that treasured the few things she received that her parents had deemed "unnecessary", such as her headphones and the occasional stuffed animal. When Eunhye had bought her the photocard of her bias for her birthday, she was over the moon and vowed to protect it for as long as she lived.
And protect it she did. There had not been a single moment in the past four years of her life where she could not have told you exactly where the photocard was.
She slipped the wallet back into her bag and joined Eunhye in putting her shoes on, bending down to check on Bbongie in the process. The black cat was crouched in her carrier and meowed at the sight of her owner's face, reaching a paw out to scratch at the bars of the carrier door.
"I'm sorry you have to be stuck in here," Songmin muttered, reaching a finger in between the bars to pet Bbongie's paw. "The ride will be a bit long but I promise that you'll be free to roam the house when we get there." She felt a pang in her heart as the cat continued to meow and paw at the bars. She must be miserable in there; it's barely enough space, I'd hate to spend any longer than ten minutes in there.
"I'm going to bring my suitcase down, if you want to take Bbongie first I can watch her while you come back for your luggage," Eunhye proposed, opening the apartment door and stepping outside.
Not wanting to go through the hassle of making two trips to and from the apartment, Songmin slung her messenger bag over her shoulder, grabbed handle of her suitcase in one hand, and tried to pick up both Bbongie's carrier and her small bag of cat necessities in the same hand, but not even two seconds passed before her arm started to protest. She quickly set the carrier and bag back down as the weight became too much and her fingers flared up in pain.
Eunhye saw her struggling and reached down, picking up the bag of cat supplies, hanging it on her elbow. Songmin gave her a grateful smile. "Thanks."
Eunhye nodded and beckoned for Songmin to join her in the hallway. "No problem. Now come on, we don't want to keep the others waiting if they're already here." She started walking to the elevator when she paused to call back, "Don't forget to lock the door behind you!"
Songmin re-grabbed the cat carrier—finding it easier to handle now that she didn't have the extra weight of the supply bag—and rolled her suitcase out into the hallway, turning around to lock and shut the door behind her. Trying the handle a few times to make sure it was securely locked, she was met with satisfactory resistance and left the apartment for the elevator.
Eunhye was already loading her luggage into the grey van when Songmin stepped out of the elevator. Songmin joined Eunhye at the trunk of the vehicle and peered into the interior of the van.
The inside was spacious, with a big, half-filled storage area and three rows of seats. The third row was empty of people. Chattering could be heard from the second row. A head of dark green hair turned around in the driver's seat in the first row, looking back with a hand set on the backrest of the passenger's seat. It was Mark, who made eye contact with Songmin and gave her a wave. Songmin returned the gesture.
"Need any help back there, babe?" Mark asked Eunhye, speaking rather loudly so that his voice carried all the way to the back of the van.
Eunhye shook her head, setting the bag of cat supplies on top of her suitcase and picking up Songmin's luggage. "I'm almost done, I just need to fit Songmin's stuff back in here. Thanks, though." She lifted and fit Songmin's grey suitcase between her black one and the van wall, giving it a shove to ensure it was secure. "Great, that 's the luggage taken care of." She turned to Songmin, who was still standing beside her. "I'm guessing you'll want to keep Bbongie up front with you?"
Songmin nodded, shifting the weight of the carrier from one hand as Bbongie shifted inside. "Are any of the guys allergic to cats, though? If they are, it might be better to leave Bbongie back here so that she's farther away."
"I think only Jeno and Donghyuck are, though they're riding with Chaeyoon in the other car." Eunhye shut the trunk door and made her way to the passenger's seat, opening the side door for Songmin in the process. "If you want to sit with Bbongie, you'll have to sit in the third row. Otherwise, you're free to set Bbongie in the back row and sit with Chenle and Jisung in the middle row."
Acknowledging her words with a quiet hum, Songmin shuffled to the open side door. She paused upon seeing the two sitting in the second row, squabbling over something on the gaming switch in Chenle's hands. There was something different about them, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Then it clicked.
They dyed their hair too.
Chenle's hair was shot through with bright red streaks, contrasting his naturally black hair color and his milk-pale skin.
Jisung's hair was less eye-catching but still noticeably different; his normally very dark brown hair was now completely golden brown, the color of dalgona candy.
Out of nowhere, Bbongie meowed loudly and moved around in her carrier, almost making Songmin drop her at the sudden change in weight. Bbongie's meow caught Jisung's attention and he looked up from the gaming console.
"Songmin, you're here! Let me help you," he offered, leaning forward from his seat to help Songmin hoist Bbongie's carrier into the back row of seats, then extending a hand to help Songmin get into the vehicle. Since the step up was quite a bit higher than that of the usual car, she accepted his help and, pulling on his hand for support, she pushed herself off the ground into the van.
"Thanks. I like your hair color," she complimented offhandedly as she settled into the backseat, tossing her messenger bag onto the furthest seat across and taking the spot behind the opening in the second row both because there was more room for her to stretch her legs and because she could look into the cat carrier's barred door while the carrier was on the floor tucked between the second and third rows. "You dyed it recently?"
"Yeah, Mark hyung went to dye his hair so we figured we'd all go with him for fun," Jisung explained, peeking into the back row. "I like your hair too. You and Chenle both got streaks."
"I heard my name," Chenle piped up, finally looking up from his gaming console. "Is something going on?" He noticed Jisung looking back and sat up straighter to look over the seats into the back row, noticing Songmin for the first time. "Oh, hi Leyi. I like your hair. Have you considered tying it up?"
Jisung groaned. "Korean puh-leeeaaase."
Chenle flicked him in the forehead and Songmin laughed. "Hey, we're the ones who know two languages. You should learn Chinese," she teased.
"You have no idea how many times Chenle has told me that," Jisung complained, glaring at the Chinese boy. "And hey, that hurt."
"Yeah, it was supposed to," Chenle quipped, dodging a punch from Jisung.
"Everyone have their seatbelts on?" Mark called out, looking into the rear-view mirror. Jisung, Songmin, and Chenle chorused back, "Yep" at various levels of enthusiasm, with Chenle muttering under his breath, "We're not children, you know."
Mark, who'd heard Chenle's comment, chuckled and started up the engine. "Remember what happened last time I forgot to check seatbelts?"
"Yeah, yeah, that was a one time accident," Chenle retorted, though Songmin heard his seatbelt click into place.
The two-and-a-half hour ride to the beach house was long, so long it was almost uncomfortable but Songmin still enjoyed it. For the first half an hour, Chenle and Jisung continued to play their video game and chat with Songmin. Jisung fell asleep first, and although Chenle and Songmin conversed quietly for a couple more minutes, Chenle eventually dozed off as well.
Songmin had her headphones on for the remainder of the ride, watching the scenery pass by outside the window as she listened to music quietly. She liked watching the scenery pass by thoughtlessly; despite enjoying constantly thinking about math and science, it was nice to not think about anything at all sometimes. She just watched as cities faded into suburbs, suburbs into countryside, countryside into forest, colors flying past
By the time they arrived, even Songmin was nodding off, her head bumping softly against the window as Mark pulled into the driveway of the beach house and slowed to a stop beside the building.
Bbongie's whines fully woke Songmin from her drifting state. She sat up from her lean against the van wall, slipped her headphones around her neck, slung her messenger bag back over her shoulder, and wiped the sleepiness from her eyes.
The side door opened and Eunhye stuck her upper body into the van, reaching across the second row to shake the two sleeping boys awake. Jisung awake more easily, stumbling out of the van to stretch out in the open air. Chenle was more stubborn, waking reluctantly with a groan and almost falling asleep again before Eunhye dragged him out of vehicle.
Grabbing the handle to the carrier, Songmin slid out of the van first, then heaved the carrier out onto the sandy ground.
Mark, who was unloading the luggage from the trunk, rolled Songmin's suitcase over to her. "I hope the drive was okay?" he queried, handing her the suitcase.
Songmin took it in her free hand, giving him a nod of thanks. "It was great. You're a good driver."
Responding to her compliment with a smile, Mark returned to help Eunhye with the last of the luggage.
"Welcome, everyone!" Chaeyoon, who'd just emerged from the house, exclaimed, rushing forward to greet everyone. She spotted Songmin and, her eyes drifting down to the cat carrier, her face lit up and she beamed. "Oh my goodness, is that Bbongie? She's so cute! Here, Songmin, let me help you carry something."
"No, it's okay, I can get it all-" Songmin tried to insist, but Chaeyoon ignored her protest and scurried to take her suitcase from her. Chaeyoon bent down to wave high at Bbongie, laughing when the cat pawed through the door at her hand, then stood to address Songmin. "Go on in and make yourself at home. Since we do have people who are allergic to cats, I'm going to ask to keep Bbongie in either your room or the study. Otherwise, one of the others can show you around. I'll bring you your suitcase in a sec, I have to talk with Mark and Eunhye real quick."
Before Songmin could thank her, she moved to speak with Mark and Eunhye beside the van, rolling Songmin's suitcase behind her.
Shifting Bbongie's carrier up so that she could carry it with both hands, Songmin entered through the white front door of the big, sky blue two-story house.
She paused to take her shoes off at the shoe rack beside the door then proceeded through the short front hallway, which opened up into a spacious living room with pale cream walls and clean pastel furniture. To the right was a large wooden dining table and marble-tiled kitchen. To the left was a wide hallway lined with a few rooms, with the stairs to the second floor at the end.
Walking down the hallway, Songmin read the plaques on each door she passed, whispering them quietly to herself. "Restroom, Jeno and Chenle, study, restroom."
She reached the end of the hallway and, bracing herself for having to haul the heavy carrier up the stairs, began the trek to the second floor. She liked the feel of carpeted steps through her socks, but she was unable to fully appreciate it with the strain in her arms to keep from dropping the carrier. Ha, Eunhye and I can get gym memberships together. We both need it.
"Here, I'll get that for you."
The voice, Renjun's, came from in front of her on the stairs. The weight on her arms suddenly disappeared as he took the carrier, hooking one arm underneath it and the other grabbing the carrier handle.
"Everyone's so nice today," Songmin remarked as the two reached the top of the stairs. "I've lost count of how many times I've thanked people for helping me today."
"That's because you're cute," Renjun joked, making his way down the hallway to where he knew was Songmin and Chaeyoon's room. "I wouldn't do this for someone like Donghyuck even if he asked."
Even though she knew it was a joke, Songmin kept silent, a little stunned. Did he just call me... cute?
That's new.
The two reached the last door at the end of the hallway with a plaque that read 'Chaeyoon and Songmin'. Renjun pushed the door open and held it open with one hand, letting Songmin enter first.
The room was larger than Songmin's room in her and Eunhye's apartment, with two beds on opposite ends of the room. At the foot of the bed on the left was a pastel pink suitcase, which Songmin assumed was Chaeyoon's. She didn't have her suitcase yet, so she just set her messenger bag at the foot of the bed on the right, sitting down on the sage green sheeted mattress. She sunk down just a little but the mattress held firm, supporting her well.
Renjun entered after her and set the carrier down next to her bag. She looked at him directly to thank him a second time when she noticed his hair.
He must've dyed it with the others. The roots were bleached so pale that it was almost white, and the ends were dyed purple. A specific, very recognizable shade of purple.
"You dyed your hair."
Renjun, who was crouched down and petting Bbongie through the door of the carrier, looked up at her words. "Everyone else was doing it, so I figured I'd do it as well."
"Purple. Lilac purple."
Renjun laughed, somewhat awkwardly. "Yeah. I think it looks kind of nice, though if you think it looks bad..."
Songmin shook her head. "No. I'm glad you chose lilac. It looks really good on you." She meant it, too. The shade compliments him so nicely, and it brings out his eyes.
The compliment flustered Renjun more than he expected it would and turned away, pretending to play with Bbongie again and praying that his burning face wasn't turning as red as he knew it would. He couldn't not respond to her, so he tried his best to control his voice and keep from stuttering. "Thank you." His voice cracked and he winced.
Songmin didn't notice. The room was silent as she watched Renjun and Bbongie poke at each other through the bars of the carrier door.
Over the past few days, she'd secretly been a little worried that Bbongie wouldn't get along will with her friends. Bbongie had warmed up to Eunhye super quickly so she had high hopes the car would get along with others just as well, but there was always some doubt that Bbongie would be hostile towards everyone else.
But seeing Renjun and Bbongie get along so well calmed her fears a little. A soft smile played on her lips as Bbongie flipped onto her back and grabbed at Renjun's finger with both paws, Renjun laughing at the cat's behavior.
He's so pretty when he laughs.
"Songmin?" Chaeyoon entered the room with Songmin's suitcase, rolling it to the girl sitting on her bed. Songmin quickly tore her eyes from Renjun and accepted the case. "Here you go. Oh, hey Renjun," Chaeyoon said, only just spotting the boy. He gave her a nod.
"Songmin, I'll give you some time to set up in here. Renjun, you're coming with me to set up dinner," Chaeyoon instructed, giving Bbongie a smile and wave before making her way back to the door.
Renjun gave Bbongie one last poke, then stood to follow Chaeyoon out. Before he closed the door, he turned back to address Songmin. "If you need help with anything just holler, okay?"
Songmin nodded, giving him a thumbs up as she slid off the bed and sat on the floor, opening her suitcase.
He began closing the door.
"Wait, Renjun."
He stopped, looking back into the room. Songmin was looking up at him from the ground. His heart skipped a beat at the way her big eyes stared into his, sparkling from the light shining in through an open window.
"I wanted to say thank you again for helping me that day at the theatre. I really, really appreciate it, and I'm sorry you had to see me like that."
He smiled softly, leaning against the doorway. "Don't be sorry, I would do it again anytime. Now I'll leave and let you get unpacked."
And, true to his word, he left, Songmin catching one last glimpse of his lilac hair as he turned away and the door closed with a soft 'click'.
let the vacation begin!
bringing back this Renjun because we got over this hair color waaaayyy too quickly