The bus finally rolled to a stop, and one by one they stepped out into the open air.
Llana paused at the bottom of the steps, quietly taking in the place. Taking a deep breath inhaling the fresh air.
The place was a private, small mansion tucked beside a calm river, its white exterior catching the sunlight. A wide lawn stretched out in front, lush and green, and at the farthest end stood five tall trees, each rising nearly seven meters high. Their thick canopies cast generous shade, perfect for escaping the heat and spreading out picnic mats.
The place looks great but this wasn't the camping she had pictured. In her mind, camping meant being at the foot of a mountain, rough lodging, cool air, dirt under their shoes, and doing the kinds of things you actually did when camping.
Not… this.
While she is internally grumbling the others already at the wide lawn running around the moment their feet hit the grass, they scattered across the lawn, laughing and running like kids finally freed from their mother's leash.
Llana sighed and followed at her own pace, walking instead of running. She slowed even more when she reached Jeongyeon, who had stopped to watch the chaos with an equally tired look.
"Aish~ seriously, these kids," Jeongyeon said, shaking her head.
Llana just shrugged, letting out a soft sigh as she met Jeongyeon's gaze.
Despite everything, the two of them ended up smiling anyway.
"Okay, everyone, please gather and form a line, majors on the right side and minors on the other," PD-nim called out through the megaphone, his voice slicing cleanly through the noise and laughter.
"Ne!"
The response came in unison as everyone scrambled into position. Llana moved with the majors, quietly taking the farthest spot at the end of the line.
PD-nim lifted the megaphone again. "Do you guys know why you're here today?"
"Play!"
"To play!"
" To have some rest!"
The answers overlapped, some confident, others half-joking and half-hopeful tone.
PD-nim chuckled, lowering the megaphone slightly as the mixed answers rang out. "Ne, we came to rest yourselves both physically and mentally."
He paused, then added, "But it wouldn't be okay if it's just you guys so we invited guests to be with you today!"
"Eh?!"
"Really?!"
The girls cried out in surprise and curious in response already guessing in their mind who would be coming.
"Is it JYP-nim?" Nayeon asked with a laugh, clearly joking only to be shocked when the PD nodded.
"Really?! No way!"
"Ne, Mr. Park will be joining us later but before that two more guest will be joining us. Please look at the building at your back." The director instructed them.
Almost in unison, Llana and the others turned around.
Two silhouettes stood against the balcony railing. A man and a woman.
Llana's eyes widened a little seeing the guests.
They're, Baek Hyun-soo and Jin Bong-seul.
The realization rippled through the group like a shockwave. They were a legendary duo comedians and variety hosts in South Korea. Seeing them in person, here of all places, felt unreal.
For a brief second, the field was completely still....then a loud squeal tore through the air.
"WAHH!"
"DAEBAK!"
Chaos followed immediately: cheers, screams, and excited shouts filled the field as everyone spotted the two guests.
"Hello everyone! The weather's killing it today!" Jin Bong-seul shouted from above. "Wait for us, we're coming down!"
"Nice to meet you, everyone! Hello~" Baek Hyun-soo wave casually.
They just greeted but the energy had already skyrocketed proof that they truly deserved their legendary title.
"Annyeonghaseo~" Llana and the rest also greeted them formally while clapping their hands.
"We really hit a jackpot today. Do you know who they are? They are JYP's new girl group SEVENTEEN!" Jin Bong-seul spoke to her partner with exaggerated enthusiasm, leaning in like she was revealing the secret to the universe.
"They're pretty well known now, they haven't even debuted yet!" she continued, flapping her hands for emphasis as if the news was literally too big to contain.
"KAMSAHAMNIDA!"
The girls thanked them, bowing a little. They felt a little warm inside being praised by well-known artists. They felt proud.
"In the future, when we see them, we'll probably be the ones bowing to them instead," Baek Hyun-soo said, nodding half-jokingly, half-seriously. It was inevitable, JYP Entertainment was clearly putting their focus on this new girl group, and they were already gaining attention.
Especially the girl named, Llana.
Even though she was still a minor, her visuals were no joke. Baek Hyun-soo's eyes discreetly flicked to the end of the line where she stood. It wasn't an exaggeration, her presence drew attention naturally, even though she wasn't in the center.
When they first looked at the SEVENTEEN contestants, it was Llana who first caught their eyes.
"Right, right," the woman nodded her head, then wagged a finger like a teacher scolding a class. "You can't pretend not to know us in the future, okay?"
"No, no, we won't act like that."
Everyone looked embarrassed, waving their hands quickly as they denied it.
Jin Bong-seul spoke up again, clearly trying to hype the atmosphere. "You guys have been competing like crazy, so today we're just going to have fun. We'll play games and help you learn variety skills. This is going to be an important time."
Cheers erupted instantly. Some of them even started pumping their fists up and down, unable to hide their excitement.
"Since this is the intro, we need to warm up! Loosen up our bodies," her partner added.
"Ne! So let's have a dance party!"
"Ne! This is a very important part of variety shows. Why don't we show them first?" Baek Hyun-soo suggested, his partner nodding along.
The two immediately jumped into a dance break as the production team played a pop song. Llana and the others hyped them up from behind, clapping and cheering loudly.
"Huh! I'm already sweating. I'm really getting old," Jin Bong-seul joked afterward, earning laughs as her partner nodded dramatically.
"Yeah! Ugh, my back hurts a little," the guy added, laughing.
"Okay, now it's your turn," Jin Bong-seul continued. "You'll have 10 to 20 seconds. The MCs will judge you within that short time, just like in a real variety show. So make it count and show us what you've got."
"MUSIC, PLEASE!"
Not long after the song started, Jeongyeon suddenly stepped forward, drawing surprised looks from everyone.
Llana raised an eyebrow in amusement, earlier, Jeongyeon had looked completely indifferent.
But what Jeongyeon did next was something no one expected.
She started imitating an ostrich.
Her exaggerated movements and awkward running instantly sent everyone into laughter, and her clumsy stumble afterward only made it worse.
Llana didn't back down. The moment Jeongyeon finished, she stepped forward confidently and went all in with a silly dance, throwing the atmosphere into chaos.