"It's time that Heejin, our birthday girl, will have to choose her pick for tonight!" The host said, prompting a loud cheer from the audience and causing Heejin, who was already trying to hide her smirk, to chuckle.
Ryujin, who was in the first row of the audience on the right side of Heejin, her friend, was standing with confusion in her face. Despite being invited to the party by a soccer teammate, Ryujin was unfamiliar with the events that Heejin usually hosts at her parties.
"What's happening?" Ryujin poked the woman beside her. It was Hyunjin, one of her teammates and a close friend of Heejin.
"Heejin has chosen someone to be her first kiss in her legal age." Hyunjin stated flatly while keeping her gaze fixed on the stage.
"Her what?" Ryujin's brows furrowed in confusion. "Did you just say she's picking anyone she wants to be kissing with in this room?"
"You're right. It's a tradition. And no one in the crowd who she'd be picking should decline." Hyunjin sighs. This time, the crowd became wilder again.
"And if the pick declines?"
"They wouldn't want to mess with it, especially Jeon Heejin." Hyunjin said, smirking as she turned her gaze to Ryujin with dark orbs.
Ryujin sighed, nodding as she returned her gaze back to the stage where the host had finished announcing.
She knows it will never be her business and that she will never be chosen, but Ryujin decided to take a step back and find her way back to her partner to avoid having a higher chance of being chosen because the birthday girl has the authority to choose anyone she wants.
She soon found herself smiling as she noticed Yeji in the corner of the room, holding a glass and concentrating on watching the birthday girl begin to choose her pick.
Yeji quickly noticed Ryujin beside her, who naturally and subconsciously wrapped her arms around Yeji's waist while she stood beside her. Yeji couldn't help but feel sudden tingles inside her as she felt Ryujin's skin on her bare waist due to her crop top, making her and Ryujin's bare skin collide.
"Where have you been?" Yeji asked. Before the party started, Yeji and Ryujin were already together. In fact, they came to the party together that night.
"I was talking to some team members earlier before that program thing started." Ryujin uttered, pointing to the event happening at the moment.
"You're back so suddenly." Yeji mumbled, looking at Ryujin with a confused look.
"I was looking for you." Ryujin mumbled. The truth is, she searched for Yeji because the current portion of the party is making her feel uneasy, and it just suddenly felt like if she went to Yeji and stuck with her, she'd be safer and have a low risk of getting chosen because Yeji too would not let her go.
Naturally, Ryujin felt like Yeji had become her sudden safe place. And she didn't want to let go of Yeji, or else she'd be in trouble. She held Yeji as if she were telling her to guard her.
"Are you okay? You seem... nervous." Yeji mumbled, turning to face Ryujin and running her hand through Ryujin's locks.
"I'm okay." Ryujin mumbled, trying to mask a smile, and squeezed Yeji's side.
Before either of them could even proceed to talk, a loud voice suddenly interrupted them, causing the crowd to gasp and cheer as a follow up reaction.
"I choose Shin Ryujin." Heejin exclaimed loudly as she quickly spotted Ryujin in the crowd and pointed at her.
Both Yeji and Ryujin's eyes bawled in surprise before Ryujin felt a few people behind her start nudging her to go up.
Given that Ryujin is very well known in school, it wasn't hard to identify her.
