ix. the ninth step

As they drove further and further from the city, the snow continued to pelt against the windows softly. Time passed as Minji and the others chattered the hours away, though of course, she was doing most of the listening. A part of her was still trying to comprehend that she was here. She never attended school trips before, so this was exciting.

This morning, Lay picked her up last. The two girls shared the backseat while the guys took the front. Amber took this opportunity to get to know her. Even though Minji failed to return the level of enthusiasm the latter showed, Amber was very patient. It was as if she knew Minji struggled to come out of her shell. That was when Minji decided she liked Amber very much.

As for Lay behind the wheel, he was mostly stuck in a conversation with Jongin. He barely exchanged a word with Minji, his position in the front making it hard to do so. However, this also meant that she got to avoid Jongin was much as possible. It was not like he wasn't trying to do the same either.

An hour or two later, the flatlands that blurred past their windows grew into humungous mountains. Eventually, they would make a turn and tall, formidable evergreen engulfed their vision.

“Huh, must’ve snowed in all night,” Jongin commented, causing the others to look outside. He was right, the snow was much thicker than it was in Seoul.

“Yeah, I heard that they’ve been experiencing some heavy snowfall lately which is good because that means more snow for us,” Lay said.

“We came at a good time then,” Amber added.

They drove past a town until at last, a roof popped up over from a distance and their accommodation for a few nights revealed itself. Sitting picturesquely against a breath-taking backdrop of mountains, the timber mansion was much bigger than the cabin Minji mentally conjured up. Aside from its great size, there was a lavish touch to its exterior and Minji knew this was no ordinary lodging.

When they arrived at the door, it opened, revealing an old man.

“Master Yixing, you’ve arrived!” he greeted with a bow.

Lay gave a tiny bow back. “Gunwoo, how are you?”

“Courteous as always, Master Yixing. Please, do come in with your guests. I already have the fire going.”

When the door shut behind them, the cold was chased away by a fire crackling in its hearth. The flames glowed from the rustic-styled fireplace, bathing the place in gold. Suddenly the winter scene outside seemed like a separate world.

Dropping their bags in the spacious living room, Lay and Gunwoo immersed themselves in a conversation about the place. Meanwhile, Jongin and Amber decided to explore the area, with the Jongin inspecting photo frames on the fireplace mantle as Amber took snaps of the view outside the floor-length windows. Unlike them, Minji awkwardly hovered near the conversation, standing next to sofas. She just admired in her own silent way.

From what she heard, the mansion-like cottage accommodated many features. Minji remembered blinking at the mention of an outdoor hot tub and a studio somewhere within the dwelling.

Later, Gunwoo bid farewell and wished all of them a pleasant time. As soon as he left, Amber let out a gush of delight. “Oh my god, Lay, this place is beautiful! I think I already took fifty photos of the mountains outside and we haven’t gone outside yet!”

“Then, you should definitely save some space. There’s plenty more we haven’t seen,” he said with a laugh.

Jongin, who shrugged his coat off, plopped down on the sofa near the fire. “You didn’t introduce us to that ahjussi.”

“It’s okay, he just had other errands to run. We’ll be seeing him again when we go to the town. He’s one of the residents, but also does the maintenance for us all year round."

Amber was impressed. “Your family must love coming up here.”

“To be honest, only when they feel like it. It’s mainly my dad because he’s a ski-enthusiast. He likes the mountains here in Korea if he doesn’t feel like going to the one we have in Chengdu.”

“Of course, you’d have another one like this back in China,” Jongin muttered.

“It’s my dad’s thing,” Lay dismissed, seeming adamant to end it there. He looked around to find Minji, looking lost. “You can sit down if you want, Minji.” His suggestion startled the girl.

Minji who was listening to their conversation did not expect Lay to suddenly address her. She saw Jongin look away to ask Amber something before she came to a reply. “Uh, yeah.”

“Relax. It’s just us.” A dimple dented on his cheek again, making Minji lower her guard. Ever since she met Lay, it has become difficult for her to keep him at a distance. He was always trying to ease her with such friendliness that it felt wrong to push him away. He didn’t deserve the attitude she showed everyone else.

“I know, Lay,” she her lips nervously. “It’s just, I don’t know, a little awkward for me. I didn’t expect to be on a trip like this. And especially not with you lot. No offence.”

He chuckled. “I get it. It’s the same for me and Kai.” He seemed to note her discomfort at the mention of his friend that he laid a hand on her shoulder. “And just ignore him if he starts acting up again. I already told him not to make this hard for us.”

Minji looked at him in surprise. “You talked to him?”

So that’s why he’s keeping distance? He hasn’t said a word to me all morning. Not even a scathing glance.

“Not exactly. All I said was that I wanted to this trip to run smoothly as possible and I hoped he would help me with that.” It was indirect, but Minji understood. And probably so did Jongin.

“Thanks, Lay, it must be weird being stuck in the middle. He and I never got along. I kind of feel terrible for ruining your group,” Minji confessed as Lay steered them away from the others.

“I don’t think you’re ruining it. It’s interesting. Kai and I have always partnered up so it would’ve been boring,” he said with a grin. “And Kai will get over it. He’s just not used to working with anyone else but me.”

Oh, how she wanted to believe that. Jongin simply disliked her along with everyone else because of the reputation she exhibited. As if noticing her glum look, Lay changed the subject.

“So does your family own a resort too? A holiday house somewhere?”

The digression almost caught the girl off guard. “Huh? Oh, yeah. A couple. I’ve only been to one and it’s at Jeju Island. My sister went there recently actually…”

“Oh, right. It’s very popular there.”

“Oh, look at these two, bonding already!” Amber’s teasing voice came out of nowhere. “Comparing how many houses they own and how many they get as pocket money per month! Poor Kai and I. We, normal people can’t relate.”

Minji grimaced and for some reason, her eyes darted to find Jongin but his back was turned to her as he stood. Lay merely brushed them off as Amber reached them with Jongin not too far behind.

It was because of her family’s money that alienated her from her peers so she never flaunted such facts. In fact, Lay was probably the first person to ask her about it so casually. But thankfully, Amber didn’t seem to care about it too much either. Jongin, however…

Minji mentally shook her head. She won’t dwell on such thoughts, she doesn't need to remember how he hated her. Luckily, Lay chose that moment to retrieve his belongings and everyone else followed the suit.

“Let’s grab our stuff and I’ll tour you around. Then we’ll decide who sleeps where.”

Minji, like everyone else, was more than glad to comply.

“Thanks for deciding to stay with me,” Amber’s voice echoed from the bathroom, rousing Minji from her task.

She was currently sitting on the ground, moving her pile of clothes inside the wardrobe. They were both in the middle of unpacking. It’s been a day since they arrived, but the two still haven’t finished the tedious job.

Amber walked out to grab her bag of toiletries, her hair still damp from her morning shower. “And god, I hope I didn’t kick you last night.”

Minji offered her a smile. “It’s okay, really. This bedroom is more than big for the two us.”

It was true, the queen-size bed left more than enough space for the two to twist and turn throughout the night. It was just strange for Minji to share a bed with someone else. Sleepovers and the like was a foreign concept for her, so it made her slightly nervous and giddy at the same time.

“True. Well, this whole place is massive. Hey, maybe we should go for a soak in that hot tub later on when we get home? We did search the whole town yesterday to find suitable swimwear.” She mentioned the hot tub to Amber, but never did she think it would provoke the girl to go for it so soon.

“Sure.” Minji could only agree. The moment they paid for the swimwear yesterday, Amber already confirmed with finality that they would go at some point. That being tonight apparently.

Suddenly, there was a series of knocks. It was Lay’s voice that muffled through the door.

“Breakfast! Don’t let the food go cold.”

The promise of food prompted the girls to hurry. No more than ten minutes later, they both found themselves in the corridors spellbound by the whiff of food trailing from downstairs. When they reached the kitchen, Lay already put the last of the food on the table where Jongin was already eating. He was untying an apron wrapped around his waist when he acknowledged the girls.

“How was the first night?”

“Well, we can promise you that no one fell off the bed,” Amber replied, sitting down on the seat next to Jongin, who was munching on a croissant. “Morning Kai, enjoy your precious solitude last night?”

With the eight bedrooms the place had, everyone was supposed to have a room of their own. That was the beauty of it, but Amber thought otherwise and practically begged Minji to share with her. Minji didn’t mind, but it was not like she was able to resist Amber’s charms either.

Jongin, however, who favoured the circumstance only shrugged at Amber with an “Amazing.”

Amber rolled her eyes and Minji finally sat down just as Lay did. The sound of plates and cutlery began to tinkle in the air as everyone dug in.

“Lay, did you cook all of this?” Minji couldn’t help but ask once she finished. It wasn't bad at all.

Lay swallowed a mouthful before answering. “I’m not that good, but I try.”

“Oh, but it was so delicious,” Minji said with a smile, earning her a proud grin from the male.

“—is there more hot water?” The sharp sound of a chair dragging back drew their attention in time to see Jongin stand up.

“Kettle’s there,” Lay merely said, pointing towards the appliance in the far corner. He turned to the girls.“Do you guys want coffee? Hot chocolate? Our coffee machine is broken, but w