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THE CLOCK STRUCK FOUR, and the silence of the pre-dawn hours was broken by the shrill chime of the doorbell. y/n, who had just pulled on her hiking boots, froze mid-step, her face a mix of horror and urgency. "Oh no, no, no!" she muttered under her breath, bolting for the door.

Swinging it open, she found herself face-to-face with a group of familiar figures, all bundled up for their weekend practice trip to Chiri-san. Their boisterous laughter and chatter hit her like a wall of chaos.

"SHHHHHHHH!" she hissed, waving her arms frantically as if shushing a pack of feral cats. "Are you trying to get me killed?! My parents are still asleep!"

The group fell into a stunned silence for a brief moment, only for Yoon to break it with a poorly suppressed snicker. Park, standing beside him, added fuel to the fire with a mocking whisper, "Better be careful, y/n. If your mom wakes up, we might not make it to Chiri-san alive."

Y/n shot them a glare that could've curdled milk. "Do you two ever take anything seriously?"

Before anyone could respond, a sharp voice cut through the group. Sensei Kim, as intimidating as ever, stepped forward, her expression a mix of disappointment and thinly veiled annoyance. "Late and noisy. A brilliant combination," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Are you planning to set a new record for incompetence today?"

Y/n's cheeks flushed, and she opened her mouth to defend herself. "It's my first time, Sensei... I was nervous!"

"Clearly," Kim replied curtly, her eyes narrowing before she turned her attention elsewhere.

Y/n didn't have time to dwell on her embarrassment. From inside the house, a furious cry erupted: "Y/N M/N (middle name) L/N!!!"

Her eyes widened in panic. "Oh no, it's my mom!" she squeaked. Without another word, she grabbed her backpack from the floor and bolted out the door, slamming it shut behind her.

The group erupted into laughter as they walked toward the car parked by the curb. Yoon nudged her playfully. "Nervous, huh? Is that why you brought snacks for twenty people? What's in there, y/n/n, the entire pantry?"

"Just for two days, thank you very much," she shot back, clutching her backpack protectively.

Park chimed in, a teasing grin on his face. "And the spare clothes? What, planning a fashion show in the woods?"

"Some of us like to be prepared," She retorted, though her tone betrayed her growing amusement.

"You mean overly prepared," Yoon quipped. "Wait till she finds out that we're not going to have much time for eating or dressing up." He whispered to the boys in Korean, making them all chuckle as she stared at them cluelessly.

The girl rolled her eyes, but a small smile tugged at her lips. "You're all very funny. Maybe you should consider a comedy dojo instead."

The group continued to joke and banter all the way to the car, their laughter echoing in the quiet morning. Even Kwon, sitting in the backseat with his arms crossed, found himself biting back a small smile as he glanced at y/n from the corner of his eye.

"After you..." Yoon said with a dramatic flourish, holding the car door open like a chauffeur. His grin was wide as y/n moved to climb in, but she stopped abruptly, her feet planted firmly on the ground. Her gaze fell on Kwon, already seated by the window, looking out with an expression that could rival a statue's indifference. His crossed arms and calm demeanor screamed smugness—or so she thought.

She turned to Yoon with narrowed eyes. "Wait a second. Why does he get the window seat?"

Yoon blinked at her, feigning ignorance. "Uh, because he got here before you?"

"That's hardly a reason," y/n frowned, tossing her backpack inside. "I'm not sitting in the middle. No way."

"Then don't," Kwon replied flatly, not even sparing her a glance.

She turned to Yoon for backup. "Seriously? You're okay with this?"

Yoon raised his hands defensively. "Hey, I'm just the door guy. Don't drag me into this."

With no other option, y/n huffed dramatically and climbed into the back seat, wedging herself between Kwon and Yoon. The car's engine started as she buckled her seatbelt, and the minute they began moving, her whining resumed.

"Seriously, I should have the window seat," she muttered, shooting Kwon a glare.

"You're late, you lose," the boy retorted simply, his tone maddeningly calm.

"I'm not late!"

"You were late enough for Kim to insult you in front of everyone. That counts."

Y/n gasped, clutching her chest as if he'd stabbed her. "That was not my fault! And don't act like you're punctual."

"I don't have to act. I am... when I want to be," Kwon replied with a faint smirk, still not looking at her.

"Unbelievable." She crossed her arms, glaring at him with the intensity of a thousand suns. "Lee, tell him I deserve the window seat or I'll tell Mimi that you're not a girl's boy."

"Don't drag my girlfriend into this!" Lee squeaked.

The argument continued, devolving into a rapid-fire exchange of childish insults.

"You don't even need the window seat," Kwon argued. "You'll just fall asleep like you always do."

"I don't always fall asleep!"

"You snored the entire way back from the school's museum trip last month. Don't deny it."

Y/n flushed. "I do not snore... That's a lie!"

"It was on Ri-na's Instagram story. I can get proof."

"You're making that up!"

"Am I?"

"ENOUGH!" Kim suddenly shouted, her voice cutting through their bickering like a whip. Both y/n and Kwon snapped their heads toward her, wide-eyed.

"You're giving us all a headache with your childish bickering. y/n, you're always grumpy in the morning, and jae-sung, you're almost never grumpy yet always up for a fight!" She grumbled as Yoon unbuckled his seatbelt. 

"Switch with me, y/n." He sighed, taking responsibility like he always did.

"Wait, really?" the girl asked, blinking in surprise.

"Yes. Now move before I change my mind."

Without hesitation, she scrambled over Yoon, grinning triumphantly. "Ha! See? That wasn't so hard, was it?"

Yoon plopped into the middle seat with a heavy sigh, wedging himself between Kwon and y/n. "You two are like toddlers. I swear, if you start fighting over snacks next, I'm throwing both of you out of the car."

Kwon shook his head, his lips twitching slightly in amusement as he stared out the window again. "She's worse than a toddler," he muttered under his breath.

Y/n leaned over Yoon, her voice dripping with mock sweetness. "What was that?"

"Nothing," Kwon replied innocently, finally looking her way with a faint smirk.

Yoon groaned, throwing his head back against the seat. "This is going to be a long trip..."

The rest of the car laughed, their teasing filling the air as the vehicle cruised down the road toward Chiri-san.

As the minutes stretched into hours, the car's rhythmic hum filled the silence. y/n found herself unable to settle. She fidgeted in her seat, adjusting her position every few seconds. Her eyes darted to the frosted windows, the chilly morning air making its presence felt even inside the car. Though she was undeniably exhausted from her early start, sleep eluded her.

She tugged at the zipper of her jacket, peeling it down halfway before pausing to gauge the temperature. Sweat clung to her forehead, but the cold still nipped at her fingertips. Finally, she unzipped the jacket fully, revealing an oversized sweater beneath it.

Kwon's brow arched as he noticed her latest layer of defense against the cold. His smirk came quick and sharp. "You're like an onion, you know? So many layers."

Y/n glanced his way with a withering look. "Thanks for your unsolicited commentary, but I'm fine."

"Fine? You're dressed like it's the Arctic, and we're going to Chiri-san, not the North Pole. You're gonna overheat and pass out before we even get there."

"I'm prepared for anything," she shot back, defensive now. "Besides, I've got shorts and a tank top underneath. Just in case."

Kwon's grin widened as he leaned slightly closer, his tone teasing. "And it keeps getting worse... you'll freeze at night. Unless you're looking for someone to warm you up."

Her face heated instantly, and she jabbed his shoulder with her elbow. "Shut up and mind your own business."

"You made it my business when you started peeling off layers like this is a strip--"

"Kwon," Yoon interrupted, his eyes still closed and his voice calm yet firm. "If you make me take off my AirPods because of your nonsense, I'll make you meditate the rest of the trip."

That earned a snicker from y/n, and she turned back to Kwon with a triumphant smirk. "See? Even the enlightened one agrees with me."

Kwon rolled his eyes but wisely chose to let it go.

In the front seat, Lee was bent over a small notepad, muttering to himself. "Dearest Mimi," he whispered dramatically, chewing on the cap of his pen. "You are the moon to my night, the sun to my day, the rice to my kimbap. I support all women, irrespective of what a girl in my dojang, y/n l/n, may say because I didn't wish to get involved in her quarrel with her soon-to-be-lover. But you, my sweet Mimi, you're above them all still. My queen. My goddess. My one and only--"

"Lee," Da-eun's sharp voice cut through his musings like a whip. "Draft your love letter silently. Or better yet, save it for when we're not speeding down a highway."

Lee yelped, clutching his notepad protectively. "It's not a love letter! It's... it's poetry!"

"Sure," The woman replied dryly, her eyes never leaving the road.

Park, meanwhile, was fast asleep, his head tilted awkwardly against the window. In his hand, inexplicably, was the very end of Da-eun's braid, which hung over both, her's and Lee's shoulders. She noticed but didn't seem to care, clearly used to these antics.

"Wholesome, isn't it?" Yoon remarked, finally cracking an eye open to glance at the scene in front of them. "The fearless fighter clinging to his emotional support ponytail."

Y/n stifled a laugh, covering her mouth as Park mumbled something incoherent in his sleep, the braid still clutched tightly.

"Don't encourage him," Sensei warned without turning around.

Kwon leaned back, watching the chaos unfold with a faintly amused expression. His gaze flicked to y/n again as she adjusted her sweater, her movements still restless.

"You're still fidgeting," he pointed out.

"Yeah, and you're still annoying. Some things don't change."

"You're the one who's making a whole production out of adjusting your jacket. I'm just sitting here, minding my business."

Yoon sighed loudly between them. "Can't you two go ten minutes without bickering?"

"She started it," Kwon said.

"No, I didn't!"

"Yes, you did."

"Will you both shut up?" Yoon snapped, his calm veneer cracking slightly. "I'm trying to find inner peace here, and you're making it impossible." The car filled with mirth and hushed chaos, as Yoon's indignance mingled with Kwon's amusement and y/n's protests. 

Even Sensei Kim cracked a small smile as she focused on the winding road ahead.

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