Bloodshed | Ryeji

37 | winter's plan

Ryujin

As my feet finally stepped foot on the warm minute grains of sand, I took a deep breath and savored the zephyr gently caressing my face. The sky was filled with the hues of roses and lilacs, the sun reflecting on the clear waters in front of me. It was a sight to see.

The beauty of this beach was still the same the way I left it.

The team and I finished settling our baggages in our respective rooms, and being the first one to finish, I took advantage of being alone on the shore. 6 am was still too early for my liking,
but my senses are awakened from the memories that are trying to barge in my head.

"Eomma...?"

"Unnie do something!"

I shook my head and took a deep breath, trying to divide my attention to something else.

"Miss Shin?" My heart leaped out of my chest when I heard a voice behind me. Startled, I turned around. What suprised me more was to see how karina looks like right now.

Her hair's on a messy bun, and she's wearing her two-piece that definitely caught me off guard. She had very toned abs, and based from her physique itself, this woman definitely works out.

"Hey. the team building starts at 9...are you planning to get soaked at this hour?" I asked her, wanting to know what she's going to do.

"I thought it would be nice to go on a swim." She replied, smiling. "I hope it's alright, Miss shin. I can go back and change if—"

"Feel free to do whatever you want." I said. "Oh and please drop the formalities. Call me by my name instead, Karina."

"It's the first time I've heard you say it." She said, placing her hand on her nape. "...You can accompany me if you want, Miss...I mean, Ryujin." She chuckled. "God it's so weird to just call you that."

"I'm not really good with the cold." I told her. "But you go ahead. Be careful, alright?"

"You got it." She replied, heading towards the water. She looked back at me, gesturing that the water wasn't too cold. Still not convinced, though. I may be wearing something similar to hers, but I wasn't in the mood to be all wet. The breeze is enough to cool my body.

As I headed back towards the beach house, some of them also made their way outside to check out the island. Giselle, Chaeryeong, Mingyu, and winter started to run like kids on the shoreline, but still, yeji was nowhere to be found.

Entering my room, one of the servants already finished prepping up my bed. It's been a while since I last went here given the grudge I had for the ocean, and ringing them here had them by surprise especially that we'd be staying here for a week.

"We're glad to have you back, Miss Shin." She said, bowing at me. "Food will be ready within 45 minutes. Sora was very delighted that you picked all the island's specialties."

"That is highly appreciated, sunji. Would you mind telling everyone outside about breakfast?"

"Right away, Miss Shin."

Hearing the laughter outside, I walked to my own veranda to see what the fuss is about. All of them joined Karina who seemed to be having fun on the water. The click of the camera turned my attention to what's beside my veranda, and there, I noticed yeji taking a couple of photos from the balcony in their bedside. I forgot that our rooms were facing each other.

I watched her do her thing. She was chuckling quietly, seeing the other ones have their own kind of fun on the shore.

My eyes couldn't leave her. She was breathtaking without her usual makeup on, and seeing her on casual clothes emphasized how beautiful she is no matter how simple she dresses.

We haven't talked still since we landed.

Sighing, I headed back inside and plopped on my bed. Today will be a long one, and i'm sure it'll be one heck of a day.

--

Yeji

Settling down on the dining area, food was served one by one. The smell of freshly prepared buttered salmon is simply the best, and seeing how abundant and tasty these dishes are, i'd say it costs a lot.

"So miss shin, did you ever plan on making this island open for the public?" Mingyu asked all of a sudden. "This place is majestic."

"I have, actually. The other side of the island has its own beach house open for parties or vacations. The best part is the beach club. Based from my keepers, that place is packed at night from the ones in the main island."

"Can we go there?" He excitedly asked.

"Of course. But before anything else, enjoy your breakfast. We have plenty of things to do ahead."

With that, everyone did as they're told. I tried everything on the table, and I'd say, the chef sure knows his kitchen.

Small talks around started after a while, and what caught my attention is how close Karina is to Ryujin. I never saw them talk unless if it's work related, and seeing how comfortable they are makes me feel apprehensive. I'm suddenly feeling a pang on my chest.

Ryujin's smiling a lot, too.

Karina isn't even funny.

What—

"Hey. You good?" Winter snapped me out of my thoughts. She followed where my gaze was and quickly understood.

"Don't mind it. I'm sure Karina's just trying to get on my nerves." She whispered, silently cutting her salmon in half. "For now, maybe a taste of her own medicine wouldn't hurt. Right?"

"What are you trying to do?" I asked her, not really getting the gist of what she's trying to say.

"Help me make her jealous."

"Winter, you guys are over."

"Pretty please? I know it's petty, but I just want to see if she still...i don't know. Care?"

"Fine. You owe me one." I told her. "I'm starting to hate you."

"I've heard that a thousand times already. We're still friends, aren't we?" Smirking, she lifted her fork up with a piece of salmon on it. "Eat up," She offered me.

I took the bite and shook my head in disbelief. This girl already has her plan drew out already!

"I guess you and I will be sticking around quite often." She said, smirking.

"You're crazy for this, win. You're not even sure it's going to make her jealous."

"Trust me, I know how to get her." She started. "If there's anyone who's gets jealous easily, that would be Karina."