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A/N: No beta, we die like men.

There isn't really a plot here, so I just kinda winged this. Sorry if it seems pretty rushed, and also if their characterizations are slightly off (I'm not actually familiar with their personalities irl.)

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᠁

 

“This is so dumb. Why didn’t we just rent a cabin?”

 

Ryujin had asked this question about a dozen times now, but she hasn’t gotten a good answer each time. She and Yeji were trying to set up the tent with their limited knowledge from Wikihow (because who even reads the instruction pamphlet?), while their girlfriends helped Chaeryeong in unloading the rest of their camping supplies from the back of her Toyota HiAce.

 

“We could’ve gotten an RV instead, y’know? That works too.”

 

Yeji looks up from the tent poles she was connecting and frowns. “Do you even know how expensive an RV is? This tent alone costs more than enough.”

 

“Then why didn’t we get a cabin? Yeah, you have to pay extra. But at least it comes with everything we need, like plumbing.” Ryujin isn’t keen on using the public showers to freshen up. Firstly, the lack of privacy. And secondly, the bras and bikinis just lying around haphazardly for her to slip on.

 

“You can’t get a full camping experience in a cabin, Ryu.”

 

The girl just rolls her eyes. The full camping experience? Yeji must’ve lost her mind. She isn’t even that big of an outdoors type. Why she had a bug up her about camping is a complete mystery to her.

 

“We’re not even halfway done with this stupid tent.” Grumbled Ryujin as she stood on the other side of the tarp, struggling to push her half of the poles into the flaps and getting them hooked into the proper places. “You should just return it and get your money back.”

 

"Oh, come on." Yeji groaned. "A tent is a great idea!”

 

"The poles don’t fit together, genius.”

 

“Well, maybe you should try fitting them properly instead of jamming them together like a neanderthal.”

 

Even with the aviators on, the glare Ryujin shot in Yeji’s way was too obvious. “How about I just come over there and bash your head in with this pole? Then you’ll know what a real neanderthal is like.”

 

Yeji was never one to back down, and right now is no exception. “I’d like to see you try.”

 

“Oh, no. You two are not fighting on my watch.”

 

Lia steps in to play peacemaker with Chaeryeong at her side, while Yuna casually skips over to Ryujin and kisses her on the cheek. Something she always did to calm her down, especially when the girl gets riled up from Yeji’s sarcasm.

 

“We’re here to have fun and relax. Not to watch you two go for each other’s neck.” Lia puts her hands on her hips, shaking her long, brown hair out of her face. She was wearing the cute, floral dress Yeji had bought for her, with a big sunhat that casted a shadow over her face. “Now get this thing up so I can put in the air mattresses already. I don’t want to leave them out here and have bugs on them.”

 

“Or spiders.” Chaeryeong pipes up before taking a sip of her cold Sprite, which seemingly came out of nowhere. “There could be spiders.”

 

“Chae!” Yeji gave her an exasperated look, glancing over at the other couple and cringing when she saw Yuna’s horrified expression and the scowl from an unhappy Ryujin. “Guys, wait. There aren’t any spiders here, just mosquitos and bugs. No need to—"

 

“Unnie! You know I hate spiders!” Yuna shook her head, nearly in a panic as she clung onto Ryujin’s arm. A pout crossing her features while the older girl pats her hand reassuringly. “You can’t make me sleep here if there’s spiders around!”

 

“Relax, Yun. You’re going to be fine.” Ryujin shoots Yeji a dirty look before moving to soothe her wreck of a girlfriend. “I won’t let the spiders get to you.”

 

"Unless they're sleeping and they crawl all over you.”

 

"Lee Chaeryeong!" Lia exclaims this time. “You’re scaring the poor maknae!”

 

Yuna went completely pale, and Ryujin isn’t having it. “Alright, that’s it. I’m getting us a cabin.” She says with finality.

 

“They’re booked solid, remember?” Yeji huffed as her friend tries to just go for it anyway. “Ryu, seriously. You think I would’ve bought a tent if I knew that we had a cabin to stay in? Now quit being a sissy and help me with this!”

 

“No way! I’ll just steal one then.” Ryujin growled and glanced at Yuna for help. “You coming, jagi?”

 

The youngest grins. “I thought you’d never ask.” She said, hooking her arm through Ryujin’s and dragging her towards the main camping site.

 

Yeji sighs at the runaway couple before turning to her girlfriend and Chaeryeong. At least these two have the gall not to ditch her like that. “Mind giving me a hand here?”

 

 

᠁

 

 

Stealing a cabin didn’t go as planned. Ryujin and Yuna tried their best, but Yeji wrangled them back to their campsite after Lia and Chaeryeong took over the tent for her. By some miracle (or maybe because Yeji and Ryujin share only one braincell), they managed to set up the darn thing as soon as the trio came back. The couple looked surprised, while Yeji had a proud grin on her face. She came forward and ruffled Chaeryeong’s hair affectionately, then leaned over to peck Lia on the lips.

 

“That’s my girl.” She praised, and Lia just smiled with a faint blush on her cheeks. “Thanks for helping out too, Chae.”

 

“No problem, unnie!”

 

They’re gathered by the lake now, some of them sitting on the lawn chairs Lia had brought along. Yeji and Chaeryeong were teaching the others how to fish, while Lia casually sat back under the shade of a large tree.

 

Ryujin didn’t want to go fishing at first, but gave in when Yuna had given her the puppy-dog eyes. And who is she to say no to that?

 

Yeji tried doing the same thing, but Lia had nerves of steel and didn’t fall for it.

 

“This book is calling my name, babe. I bought this last week, and it’s about time I start reading it.”

 

That being said, they all knew that the Canadian wanted nothing to do with this activity. She never liked fishing, nor did she like handling fish. She didn’t like the way they looked, the way they smelled, or the way that some of them left a weird aftertaste in (but they were still delicious though). So instead, Lia kept her eyes glued on the pages of her paperback novel and occasionally sipped from her can of Diet Coke.

 

(Yeji had insisted on bringing at least three packs with them. Lia had questioned it at first—but now that they were there, she was more on board with it.)

 

“This is stupid.” Ryujin says for the nth time that afternoon, holding on her fishing pole and glaring at the empty hook. Apparently, luck isn’t on her side today. “I’ve been trying for the past twenty minutes, but only you guys get to catch something.

 

“That’s karma for ditching me earlier.” Yeji hooks a worm on her end and lowers its wriggling form into the clear water below. “You’re probably scaring them off with your grumpy voice.”

 

Ryujin has half the mind to whack the girl’s head with her fishing pole, but Yuna presses against her side with her gummy smile on full display. “Don’t worry, Ryuddaeng! I’m sure you’ll catch one soon!”

 

“Kinda doubt it, but thanks.” Ryujin shakes her pole impatiently. “Is this even the right bait? Why do fish want to eat a worm in the first place?”

 

“Because they do?” Chaeryeong shrugs from her spot, reeling up her fourth catch and tossing its flailing body back into the lake. They were only doing this for fun anyway. “We’re all using worms, unnie.”

 

“You probably have the better ones then.” Ryujin grumbles before turning to Yeji. “Give me your worms, .”

 

“Language!” Lia chimes in from the background.

 

Yeji shook her head. “Never.” She hooks in another fish and grabs it by the tailfin. She makes a move of throwing it back into the water, but stops to give it a long look before jogging over to shove it at Lia’s face. “You see it?”

 

The Canadian peers up from her book and wrinkles her nose. “Yes, I can see it.”

 

“You wanna touch it?”

 

“No.”

 

“Oh, come on. Just one touch, Jisu.”

 

“I’m not touching that.”

 

“But it likes you!”

 

“Yeji, I swear to God…”

 

The older girl lets out a sigh and goes back to throw the fish into the water. “Better?” She asked upon returning to her spot.

 

“Very much.” Lia tries to go back to reading her book, but had it snatched right out of her hands. “Yah! You’re going to make it smell like fish!”

 

Yeji just grinned as her brown eyes twinkled playfully. “How about I make you smell like fish?”

 

“What? No, don’t you dare—!” She topples off her chair when Yeji attempts to put her wet hands on her face. “Ow!”

 

“Jisus Christ.” Yeji tries not to laugh (really, she does), but inevitably bursts into a fit of giggles as Lia huffed at her childishness.

 

“Not funny, Yeddong.”

 

“Sure, it is.”

 

“Is not.” She then glares at the younger three, who were snickering at their unnies in the background. “Stop that! You’re only encouraging her!”

 

“Sorry, Lia-unnie.” Chaeryeong at least tried to be apologetic, since Ryujin and Yuna were too busy busting a lung next to her. “It was kinda funny.”

 

Lia sticks out her tongue and reclaims her book, muttering under her breath that Yeji would pay for that. How is that going to happen? She doesn’t know yet, but she’ll think of something.

 

 

᠁

 

 

Hiking officially . Hands down, not Jeffree Star approved.

 

This was a mistake.

 

Ryujin wanted to say it so badly, but the younger ones (plus Hwang ing Yeji) had been so gung-ho about this outdoors thing. Yuna, especially, since she kept tugging the older girl along and pointing out to her the various plants and butterflies they’ve come across.

 

“Look, Ryuddaeng! A swallowtail!” She says excitedly, gesturing at a fairly large butterfly that’s hovering around a bush. “They’re usually in places where there’s lots of flowers!”

 

“Huh, that’s… cool.” Ryujin adds lamely. Not that she isn’t interested, but her appreciation for butterflies is as little close to none. Good thing Yuna is a sweetheart and understands her well enough not to take it personally.

 

Somewhere along the way, Yeji and Lia had grown bored of the regular path and were making them go uphill through the forest. Ryujin, trying to be the responsible one, had tried to point out that they could get lost—but her attempts at reason were getting nowhere. The other couple just walked in front of her, hand-in-hand as they laughed at whatever joke Chaeryeong said from the front of their little group.

 

(Somehow, she had picked up a large branch along the way and was using it like some sort of walking stick. All she needs now is a beard and a floppy wizard hat to complete the Gandalf look—and maybe one of Lia’s ridiculously long nightgowns.)

 

Yuna tugs on the sleeve of Ryujin’s shirt. “Unnie, I think I might’ve stepped into poison ivy.” She glances at her legs unhappily. “They’re getting a bit itchy now.”

 

“You get itchy when you’re sweating a lot, though. Maybe it’s just that?” Ryujin offers with a shrug.

 

“I hope so…” Yuna does her best not to stop, even if the incessant urge to just bend over and scratch her legs becomes too tempting to resist. “I don’t think we have any calamine lotion on us.”

 

“I can drive to the camp store if ever you need it.” She takes a look around, only seeing trees as far as the eye can see and squirrel running along a branch. “Do you know where we are right now?”

 

“Nope.” Yuna’s reply doesn’t give her much comfort, and the older girl is seriously contemplating on punching Yeji for at directions. “But it’s nice out here, you know? It’s a refreshing change from all the loudness of the city.”

 

Yuna then links their arms together and smiles down at her girlfriend, a look of genuine happiness etched across her face as she gives Ryujin a little squeeze. “And besides, I finally get to spend more time with you. Like we’re out on a little date in the forest! Isn’t that nice?”

 

The sight alone is enough to dispel her irritation, and their hiking trip seems a bit more tolerable in the maknae’s presence.

 

Ryujin lets out a sigh before leaning up to kiss Yuna on her lips. (Good thing these boots have a couple inches to their heels.)

 

“Yeah, it is.”

 

It’s been quite some time since they last spent time to themselves. Even on the days that they weren’t busy keeping up with their college work, they were often busy doing other things—such as part-time jobs and extracurricular activities.

 

But moments like this felt nice… and comforting too.

 

“You wanna head back and eat some of the snacks while waiting for them?” Ryujin asked hopefully.

 

Yuna laughs softly and casts a glance at the trio ahead of them. Yeji and Lia were getting all lovey-dovey with each other, and Chaeryeong just befriended a bird by sharing her trail mix with it. They probably won’t notice that the two are gone anyway. Not for a while, at least.

 

“I like that plan very much.” Yuna gives her a delighted look, and Ryujin takes her hand as she guides them back down the hill.

 

 

᠁

 

 

The lake water was cold. Almost too cold. But after the hike and coming back to find Yuna and Ryujin snacking away inside their overheated tent—“Geez, are you guys trying to bake yourselves in here?” Chaeryeong had asked after seizing the bag of Doritos from them—a dip in the cold water felt needed.

 

The five of them were the only ones in this section of the lake. It wasn't like the hotel pools where there’s always a group of people to collide into, and it reminded Yeji of the lake she used to swim at with her twin brother Hyunjin and their cousins. A place they hadn’t gone very often—because her father was too swamped with work to take them anywhere, and their mom was usually out of town to do business meetings.

 

But on the few occasions that they did go there, it had been one of her favorite places to be in.

 

Yeji went under the surface plenty of times, loving how she could move around so freely, before she resurfaced and swam back towards her group. Her hands grabbed for any ankles she could get to and yanked the person down under with her, except a fist had knocked her upside the head as an angry voice told her that she’d gotten Ryujin instead of one of the other girls.

 

“What the hell, Ryu?” Yeji spoke as soon as she came back above the surface. “You just hit me!”

 

“!” Ryujin managed to yell once she was done coughing and hacking out the lake water from . Their friends were laughing beside them (even Lia couldn’t stop just to tell her off for cursing), which didn’t go appreciated by the fuming girl. “The did you do that for?!”

 

Yeji just shrugged. "Because."

 

Ryujin rolls her eyes before splashing the water right in her face.

 

"Hey!" Yeji protests as she splashes some back at her.

 

"Don't 'hey' me, pabo!" Splash!

 

"I'll 'hey' you all I want!" Splash!

 

“Quit it!” Splash! Splash!

 

“No, you quit it!” Splash! Splash! Splash!

 

"Girls, calm dow—eeeek!" Lia screeched as they both splashed her by accident, and she quickly lunges at them and tries to dunk whoever she could reach under the water. She gets to Ryujin first, which prompts Yuna to pounce on the Canadian and dunk her in return.

 

“Y-Yah!”

 

“Hurry, Ryuddaeng! Before Lia-unnie gets to you!”

 

“Thanks, Yun!”

 

“Yeah! Get it, get it!”

 

Chaeryeong cheers them on while Yeji laughs at the ridiculous sight. Taking this opportunity to swim away where they couldn’t reach her as their screams rang out in the background—with Ryujin swearing like a sailor when Lia attempts to drag her down again, and Yuna trying her best to save her girlfriend.

 

Yeji felt quite accomplished, if she did say so herself.

 

 

᠁

 

 

Yuna’s fingers were completely sticky from all the s’mores she had eaten, but that didn’t stop her from having more. They were all sitting around the campfire as soon as the sun went down, with Chaeryeong, Ryujin, and Yuna in their own chairs while Lia sat on Yeji’s lap.

 

There were a few mosquitos buzzing around (they still came to her no matter how much mosquito repellant she’d put on), but Yuna didn’t care too much at the moment. She was just happy to be there with her friends. Especially Ryujin, who roasts her another marshmallow and blows on it before feeding the treat to her.

 

Ryujin felt the same way, despite her earlier complaining. Not that she was going to run around and actually admit that, because saying it would mean that Yeji would get all smug and use her enjoyment against her the next time she wanted to do this. Ryujin couldn’t have that. She couldn’t give her friend the satisfaction that she was right to a certain extent.

 

"We should make the fire bigger." Yeji prods at the burning wood with her stick.

 

Lia frowned. "Babe, I think it’s already big enough.”

 

"You really think so?"

 

"Well, I'm not looking for it to get out of control and set the tent on fire."

 

"Yeah, unnie. It’s fine as it is.” Chaeryeong agrees, speaking in-between bites of her blackened s’more that looks like it sat in the fire a minute too long.

 

"You guys aren't any fun…" Sighed Yeji, her stick dropping to the ground as she snagged her Diet Coke off the side. “Aw, damn.” She shakes the can around, clearly lamenting on the fact that it’s empty. “Do we have any more of these?”

 

"I think we do. In the—" Yuna's answer is cut off by an obnoxiously loud belch escaping her. Probably from the two cans she already had for herself, while the girls all reeled back in shock.

 

"Jesus!" Ryujin leans back as much as she could and looks at her girlfriend in astonishment.

 

"Eheh, sorry..." Yuna smiles sheepishly. Feeling a bit embarrassed from the slip-up as she looks back at Yeji, who was trying to suppress her chuckles. “I think the last ones are in the cooler, unnie.”

 

"Alright, I’ll go get it."

 

Yeji patted Lia’s thigh so she could get up, and jogs over to their tent as the Canadian calls out to her. “You better not give yourself another tummy ache, Hwang!” She says in exasperation. “You might end up acidic or something!”

 

"Not off Diet Coke I won’t!”

 

Lia groaned before heaving herself up to her feet and going into the tent with her. Chaeryeong helps herself to the bag of marshmallows, while Yuna drops her head down against Ryujin’s. Something that was possible with their obvious height difference.

 

"Are you having fun, unnie?" She asked, taking Ryujin’s free hand in hers and lacing their fingers together.

 

"Nope.” The older girl lied. “This is terrible.”

 

"Oh, yeah?" Yuna didn't believe her. She could easily see through Ryujin without even trying.

 

"Uh-huh."

 

Even with the maknae knowing that she was full of , Ryujin still refused to admit to anything—such as enjoying their little camping trip, after all.

 

Yuna giggles at that and leans down to kiss her. Loving the sweetness that comes with it, thanks to the s’mores they’ve had. Chaeryeong coughs in front of them, but makes no move to disturb the couple. At least, until Lia’s scream broke through their moment and they all jumped. Scrambling up to their feet in panic, just as Yeji comes barreling out of the tent with her arms full of Diet Coke.

 

“Holy .” Ryujin places a hand over her chest, her heart rate skyrocketing as she stares at her friend with widened eyes. “What happened? Where’s Lia?”

 

She gets her answer when the girl in question bursts out of the tent, running for the HiAce and screaming “Centipede!” in hysterics.

 

“There was a centipede on her pillow.” Yeji explains while catching her breath, clearly frazzled from the ordeal as Lia slams the door shut behind her.

 

Chaeryeong, who managed to slip into the tent when they were talking, comes back out with the centipede hanging off the edge of her stick. “Relax, guys. I got this.” She says calmly, trudging over to a nearby bush so she could free the critter back into the wilderness. “There. Crisis averted.”

 

The three of them sighed in relief. But even with the centipede gone, Lia wouldn’t set foot in the tent no matter what. She was dead set on sleeping in the van tonight, and that’s final.

 

“Guess I’m joining her then…” Yeji mumbled before heading back inside to grab her blanket and pillows.

 

 

᠁

 

 

It was nearly five in the morning when it happened. The rumbling of thunder had been lost on them, since they were all too tired to hear it in their sleep. As the heavy gust of wind blew against their tent, and they woke up at the sudden downpour that fell upon them. Ryujin cursed at the rainwater that was leaking inside, with the whole thing nearly toppling over as the wind kept going.

 

“Van!” She shouted over Yuna and Chaeryeong screaming. “Get in the van!”

 

They both scrambled out and made a run for the HiAce, smacking on the doors until they were unlocked by the couple still barricaded inside. It was a mess, suffice to say, with a drenched Chaeryeong trying to shelter herself from the rain and elbowing Yeji in the gut by accident. Lia’s screech is somewhere between that of a pterodactyl and crying dolphin, as she fusses over the wetness that’s accumulating around the place.

 

“Move it, grandmas!”

 

“Ow! Watch it, Chae!”

 

With the chaos in the back, Ryujin opts for the driver’s seat and wrenches it open to dive inside. Yuna coming in after her as she takes up the passenger seat, shutting the door and locking it as quickly as possible.

 

“Okay, what the hell is going on? And why are you all wet?” Lia demanded, giving the three an annoyed and bleary-eyed look.

 

“If you haven’t already noticed, Li. There’s a storm happening outside.” Ryujin deadpanned. She hands Yuna the large box of tissues from her glove compartment so she could dry off (seeing how their only towels are now soaked from the rain), while Chaeryeong is busy trying to wring her clothes out.

 

Ryujin then turns to the confused Yeji and shoots her a death glare.

 

“Next time, we’re getting a damn cabin.” She snapped.

 

For personal safety reasons, Yeji decides not to argue for once.

 

“… So, anyway. What’s for breakfast?” Chaeryeong pipes up when her stomach growls loudly, and Ryujin just smacks her forehead against the steering wheel with a groan.

 

I hate camping.