"Hahaha, sorry guys. I had to pull an all-nighter finishing a video edit, ended up oversleeping," Rian said with a sheepish laugh. He was dressed in a black hoodie and matching joggers—a casual uniform that perfectly captured his laid-back persona.
"You kept us waiting forever. We should've hit the road ages ago," Fani grumbled, hoisting her pink rucksack into the trunk of Frans's car. Her pale cheeks puffed out in a pout.
"Ah. My bad. Really, sorry, Fani," Rian muttered, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.
"Doesn't matter, everyone's here now. Just double-check your gear, guys; let's not leave anything behind," Dita chimed in, helping arrange the bags in the trunk.
"Wait—what the hell are you bringing this for, Dit?" Toni asked. He was standing beside her, pulling a wooden baseball bat out of Dita's backpack. It was solid, high-quality timber, its surface smooth and polished—and surprisingly heavy in Toni's hand.
"Well... you know... for... what was it again? Just in case there are creeps out there, right? Or wild animals? Self-defense," Dita replied, her round eyes wandering as she tapped her chin with a finger.
"Creeps? Wild animals? It's not like we're heading into the uncharted wilderness, haha. But did you seriously buy this just for the trip?" Toni asked, bewildered. He gave the bat a experimental swing through the air, testing its weight.
"Of course not. I've had it for a while. It's for my room—in case a burglar or a robber tries to break in. Tee-hee," Dita answered with a giggle.
"You and your weird stuff, Dit," Mira interjected. She was lugging a crate of soju toward the trunk. "Hey, make some room at the bottom for this. Help me move some bags."
"Ooh, soju! Nice—two crates!" Dita's face lit up when she spotted the second crate still sitting on Mira's scooter.
"Whose ID did you use to buy these, anyway?" Dita asked.
"Frans's, obviously. He took me on his bike while we were stuck waiting for him," Mira said, jerking her chin toward Rian.
"Hold on, let's rearrange this. Dita's bat is sticking out—we should pack that last. Let's pull some of this out first. And my guitar goes on top at the very end," Toni directed, shifting a few rucksacks to make a stable base for the alcohol.
"Okay, guys! Welcome back to my channel, DailyRian. Today, we're heading out for some much-needed healing. Right now, we're just doing some pre-departure prep. Let's meet the crew. Guys, look at the camera for a sec!" Rian announced. He was already locked and loaded with his mirrorless camera and a gimbal stabilizer, moving with the practiced ease of a vlogger.
"Hi! Hellooo!" Dita cheered, throwing both hands into the air.
"I'm Dita, and this is my boyfriend, Toni. Nice to meet you guys," she added, stepping into the frame to give Toni a side-hug.
"Hello~" Toni added with a wave, his eyes narrowing into slits as he flashed a bright smile.
"Say hi to Dita and Toni, everyone. Now, as for this lovely lady over here..." Rian pivoted.
"Hi everyone, I'm Stefani!" Fani chirped as the lens found her. She formed a heart with her hands and gave a sweet smile. Mira, meanwhile, only offered a fleeting glance and a thin smile as she continued organizing the trunk.
"Hey, I'm Mira. But seriously, you guys should finish packing so we can actually leave."
Okay. Tires are good, Frans muttered to himself. He had finished circling the vehicle to check the pressure before climbing into the driver's seat.
"Wiper fluid, check. Lights are all working. Gas... full tank. We're good to go," Frans whispered, running through his mental checklist of the car's vitals.
"Is this going to take much longer?" Erika sighed from the front passenger seat. She glanced back at the others who were finally closing the trunk. She looked striking, a pair of black Wayfarers perched on the bridge of her nose.
"And up front here... I'm sure some of you recognize this influencer. Hi, Erika—say hello to our subscribers," Rian said, standing by the passenger window.
"Oh, hi everyone! Nice to meet you. Don't forget to like and share the video," Erika said with a graceful wave. Erika was the undisputed star of the group. Visually, she stood apart from the other girls—she had an eye for detail and a sense of style that screamed 'popularity' without her having to say a word.
"And beside her, in the pilot's seat, that's Frans."
"Hey, guys!" Frans said, smiling briefly at the camera.
Rian flipped the camera back to his own face. "Anyway, that's the team. We're about to head out. See you in the next video. Ciao!" He cut the recording.
"Alright, who's taking the 'cheap seats' in the back?" Toni asked, pulling open the door of the black 7-seater SUV.
Mira, Fani, and Dita traded glances before all three settled their eyes on Toni.
"You and Rian, obviously," Dita laughed. "Us girls are taking the middle row."
"Ah. Right. Figures. Come on then, Rian," Toni said, folding the middle seat forward to let them scramble into the third row.
"Lead the way. I'm fine anywhere," Rian replied, switching off his gear and following Toni to the back.
"I want the window seat! I want to see the view," Fani claimed.
"I'm the smallest, I'll take the middle," Dita volunteered.
"Let's go. Everyone in," Mira urged.
Once the car was loaded and everyone was buckled in, Frans spoke up.
"Everyone ready? Nothing forgotten? Check your stuff one last time, guys."
"We're good. Let's move!" Dita chirped. The clock on the dashboard read 1:25 PM.
"We'll probably get there after dark. If the roads are clear, it's an eight-hour drive. Let's just hope the rain holds off," Frans said, shifting into reverse. Beside him, Erika was already busy fiddling with the AC.
"You have the key, right, Fan?" Erika asked, looking back.
"Got it right here," Fani replied, patting the villa key she had borrowed from her uncle.
"Okay then... let's get this show on the road!" Erika said, hitting play on the car's stereo.
"Yeeeee-hah!" Dita cheered as the car pulled away.