The next day, Carrie sluggishly woke up, her head pounding with the telltale sting of last night's regret.
"Gosh! My head is killing me," she muttered, massaging her temples. She blinked at her surroundings, piecing together the unfamiliarity of the room. That's when it hit her like a ton of bricks. "Oh. My. God." She scrambled for her phone, muttering, "How long did I sleep? Jae-Wook!" Her face crumpled in a mix of guilt and embarrassment as she smacked her forehead. "What were you thinking, Carrie?!"
Determined to escape this vortex of shame, she threw back the covers and swung her legs to the floor, only to step on the empty bottle.
The betrayal was swift. Her foot slipped, and gravity claimed its victim. Carrie tumbled onto the floor with a loud crash, her back landing awkwardly like an elderly lady who missed her yoga class for a decade.
The commotion was enough to summon Jae-Wook, who entered the room with a look of mild confusion, arms crossed. "What...?" he trailed off, taking in the scene.
"Isn't it obvious? I slipped," Carrie groaned, dramatically clutching her back. "Oh my God, it hurts. I think I broke my spine."
"If you broke your spine, you wouldn't be talking. Stop being so dramatic and get up," Jae-Wook said, his tone completely nonchalant.
Carrie twitched her lips, knowing he had a point. With the awkwardness of a guilty rabbit caught in the act, she stood up and gave him a sheepish grin. "Hi," she mumbled, her voice a little too high-pitched.
Jae-Wook narrowed his eyes, his arms still folded as he stared her down.
"I didn't mean to take it," Carrie blurted, her guilt compelling her to draw imaginary patterns on the floor with her feet.
"I was going to give it out anyway," Jae-Wook replied coolly, walking over to the bed.
"Really?" Carrie's eyes widened in surprise. "How rich are you? Do your parents even know you spend this much money?"
Jae-Wook didn't bother responding. Instead, he casually said, "Leo and Ava are arriving soon," and started pulling the sheets off the bed.
"So... you're not mad?" Carrie asked hesitantly.
Jae-Wook paused dramatically and turned to face her. "Oh, I'm mad. Now I have to change my sheets. I already did that yesterday."
"Sorry," Carrie said, her head hanging like a guilty child caught stealing cookies.
"Just leave," Jae-Wook sighed, his tone soft but dismissive.
Before she moved, curiosity got the better of her. "Wait. Before I go, I need to know... I didn't do or say anything stupid yesterday, did I?"
Jae-Wook smirked mischievous as he set down the sheets. "Oh, you did. A couple of things, actually."
Her eyes widened. "Really? What did I say?"
Jae-Wook rubbed his chin mockingly. "Hmm... something no ears should ever hear."
"Wait, what was it?" she asked, panic bubbling in her chest.
"I'm not telling you."
"Please!" she begged, desperation creeping into her voice.
"No," he replied flatly, his smirk widening.
"But why?" she asked, now on the verge of a melodramatic meltdown.
"That's your punishment for drooling all over my sheets," Jae-Wook said with a playful shrug.
Carrie gasped, scandalized. "Excuse me! I didn't drool. I don't drool!"
"Say that to my poor sheets," Jae-Wook quipped, walking past her to grab a clean set.
Carrie gasped, absolutely mortified, and followed him out of the room. "You're lying! I didn't drool. I'm a classy sleeper!"
"Classy?" Jae-wook scoffed, glancing over his shoulder. "Yeah, nothing screams 'class' like stumbling in drunk and declaring war on my pillow."
Carrie stopped in her tracks. "Wait, what? I declared war?"
"Oh, yeah," Jae-wook said with a wicked grin.
"Apparently, my pillow insulted your favorite K-drama actor, and you told it off in great detail."
Just as Carrie was about to retort, Leo and Ava walked in. "Morning!" Ava chirped, only to stop short, taking in Carrie's disheveled state.
Leo squinted at her. "Did she sleep on the floor or in a dumpster?"
Carrie's jaw dropped. "Excuse me?!"
"Don't worry," Jae-wook said with mock reassurance. "She just had a heated debate with my pillow last night."
Leo burst into laughter, and Ava smirked. "Sounds like Carrie had a very productive evening."
Carrie glared at Jae-wook and crossed her arms. "You are the worst and you two are not any better." she said and stormed upstairs.
"How was your trip?" Jae-wook asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Our tent got arrested by raccoons. How weird is that?" Ava sighed, flopping onto the couch like a defeated soldier.
Jae-wook stifled a laugh. "Seems the universe served vengeance for Carrie" he muttered under his breath with a sly grin.
Leo grabbed a bottle of water, looking like he had aged ten years. "I need a nap. A long nap. From all that cricket orchestra. They didn't even stop for an intermission!"
"It felt like our tent was haunted," Ava added dramatically, rubbing her temples. "We heard this creepy scratching sound all night, and when we finally peeked outside, BAM—raccoons. Staring at us like we owed them rent."
Jae-wook couldn't hold it in anymore and chuckled. "Raccoons? Seriously? What were they, a forest mafia?"
Ava pointed a finger at him. "Laugh all you want, but I swear one of them looked me dead in the eye and stole my marshmallow skewer. I've never felt so disrespected."
Leo patted Jae-wook on the shoulder, his face dead serious. "Never. Ever. Go on a romantic trip to the forest. It's a scam. Romance dies the moment a raccoon steals your dinner."
"Whose bright idea was it to go to the forest anyway?" Jae-wook teased with a mock chuckle, his grin widening.
"It was mine, okay?" Ava groaned, "I thought it would be cute and peaceful. Turns out, it was just bugs, raccoons, and us fighting for survival."
"Peaceful?" Leo snorted. "The raccoons threw our snacks around like they were hosting a rave. At one point, I think they were judging our tent-building skills."
"Judging? No," Ava said, shaking her head. "They were straight-up laughing. I swear I heard one clap when the tent collapsed."
Jae-wook doubled over in laughter, tears forming in his eyes. "So, what you're saying is, you went on a romantic getaway and got mugged by raccoons?"
Ava crossed her arms, fuming. "Keep laughing, Jae-wook. I'll remember this when it's your turn to camp."
"Don't worry," Leo added, heading toward the stairs. "I've already burned that tent. We'll never speak of this again."
As they both trudged upstairs, Jae-wook called after them, barely containing his amusement. "Next time, try the beach! No raccoons, just seagulls stealing your sandwiches."
"Don't test me, Jae-wook!" Ava's voice echoed down the hall.