Risk is the Spice of Life

Chapter 6

The next day I woke up before my alarm and a quick peek outside told me that dawn was on its way. Kestrel's deep breathing told me that she was sound asleep. But I was wide awake. Instead of trying to fall asleep again, which would've been in vain anyway, I put on some athletic clothes and made my way to the trails.

I had decided to take the trail in the center and had started towards it when I heard my name. I turned to my right, where the sound had come from, and saw Namjoon jogging towards me.

"Good morning" he greeted with a smile.

"Hi" I replied, smiling in return.

"You're up early."

"Yeah. I woke up before my alarm and couldn't sleep."

"You're basically on vacation and you set a wake-up alarm?" he teased.

"I like starting my days early. And you? You're up pretty early yourself." I retorted.

"My mind was crammed so I was writing to clear it. I decided that some fresh air would be nice and I saw you, so here we are."

"Here we are..."

We stood in silence before he asked me to walk with him again. Kestrel's warning flashed through my mind and made me hesitate. Namjoon must have noticed something in my face because he said

"Orrrr.....not. Maybe another time" as he scratched the back of his neck. He turned and started to walk away.

"Wait!" I called. He turned back. "I'm sorry, I just had....a thought."

He raised a brow in question.

"It's just.....couldn't it be risky if we're seen together too much? I mean people could talk o-or the integrity of your project could be compromised."

"Let people talk if that's all they can think of doing with their time. As for risk? Maybe, but what's life without a little risk?"

And so we walked and talked. He asked about my family and job. I inquired how BTS planned to interact with the remaining contestants. He told me that each member would host activities throughout the duration of the competition, and that the activities would be posted in the resort lobby.

"The first one is tomorrow evening" he informed me. "It's titled 'Cooking with the Food-tastic Jin'."

I snorted. "He came up with that on his own, didn't he." I commented.

"I told him that the activities didn't need titles" he said exasperatedly, "but he insisted."

"Did Fernando and the other bodyguards come too?" I asked, changing the subject as we exited the path, this time in front of the resort.

"Yeah, they're here, they're just watching from a distance. It's hard to have a genuine interaction with someone while a looming figure is constantly present."

"Oh, that makes sense." We lapsed into silence as we stood in front of the towering resort entrance.

"I should get back to my room" I said after a minute "I didn't have much of a chance to unpack yesterday. And you should get some sleep." For a moment it looked like he was going to argue with me, but he changed his mind and smiled. "I'll see you around then."

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Kestrel and I arrived at Cooking with the Food-tastic Jin at the same time as Corbyn and Antonia. We shared cordial smiles and got a counter together. I'd spent all of yesterday and most of today with Kestrel; we were becoming fast friends since her bold and outgoing personality didn't clash too much with my calm and quiet one. She was quite energetic and it could be draining. I also shared another morning stroll with Namjoon while the resort slept. The time I spent with Namjoon was when I felt most relaxed and at ease, and I wouldn't mind if those strolls moved from happenstance to routine.