The Clandestine Us

Thirty-seven

───── ❝ Lisa's POV ❞ ─────

With the new teammates added to our group, winning almost felt inevitable.

Everyone was competitive, yes... but the real entertainment?

DK.

He was on the opposing team, and instead of going for the enemy, he was popping the balloons of anyone near him... including his own teammates. And I swear, I haven't laughed that hard in a while.

And to our Jennie who's just as competitive, but because she's on the shorter side and can't sprint that fast, she ended up being the prime target for a lot of us. I didn't expect to enjoy chasing and teasing her with Taeyong, who, let's be honest, was clearly enjoying every bit of their interaction.

The two had unexpectedly great chemistry. If only he wasn't so late... though, he didn't realize it yet, but he might just be trying a game he can't win. Still, I think we could be great friends if he can handle rejection with style.

And as expected, we won again. This time, I got Bang Chan, one of my closest friends. He already owed Minnie a luxury beanie from a previous round, so I figured it was my turn to make him sweat.

Hmm, what could I make him do?

After a few minutes of resting—mixed with a lot of teasing, playful banter, and loud laughter from everyone—the Truth or Dare penalty began.

Tzuyu, who had chosen number one, picked Momo. The moment she did, the TWICE girls burst out laughing. Must've been some inside joke.

Momo, wide-eyed and suspicious, quickly said, "Truth," explaining that she didn't trust Tzuyu not to give her something extreme if she picked dare.

Tzuyu grinned like a witch.

"Okay... Who would you consider dating here? Just one. And you can't pick a girl."

The question made everyone, including me, scream in delight. Now... that's how you start a game.

They were by the dock part of the inflatable while the rest of us were scattered across the inflatable, lounging, sipping drinks, waiting for our turn.

Some friends who had come from the main deck were still at the beach club area, watching and cheering. The crew was even setting up the inflatable obstacle course... bless them, working overtime to keep our chaos going.

"Probably... Yuta?" Momo said, clearly flustered, eyes darting away from everyone.

Cue the loudest cheer so far.

"Why?" Tzuyu asked, trying not to laugh.

Momo turned bright red.

"We have... similar backgrounds. Both Japanese. We both love dancing. He's older. And... he really takes care of his members. Also, he has a strong presence... you just notice when he's around. So yeah... That's it."

A chorus of squeals broke out.

Yuta's members even pushed him forward, laughing, while he awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, clearly shy but grinning. He didn't say anything, but he did glance over in our direction—right where Jennie was clapping and teasing.

Sus...

"We'll schedule the date later," Nayeon joked, giggling as she waved it off. "Next!"

"Oh, that's me!" I said, walking up.

Bang Chan followed right after, grinning.

"Why am I always being picked by you guys?" he groaned dramatically, pretending to rub his temples.