Risk is the Spice of Life

Chapter 8

Before Namjoon could kiss me I turned away and feigned a convincing sneeze. I wanted to kiss him, but I was also scared, scared of the possibilities and difficulties that could arise. I was overwhelmed with ifs and coulds and, despite my recent display of boldness, fear took hold and I took the first subtle way out I could think of. And then I apologized for it. Namjoon thought I had apologized for sneezing, which had effectively ruined the romantic moment he set up. If he had any other thoughts or suspicions, he didn't make them apparent as he led the way back to the resort, holding my hand the entire way.

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Days passed faster than I thought they would; we already had four Trials under our belts and had been given the premise of the Fifth Trial in advance due to its detailed requirements. We were instructed to create an album concept based on a season, randomly drawn at the end of the previous Trial. We were expected to design outfits, create a photoshoot backdrop, and write sample music in either lyric or beat form. I was equally excited and terrified for this Trial; I had so many interesting ideas for Winter, the season I had drawn, that deciding on something that was cohesive had started to add stress to my contestant and my personal life.

On the bright side, Kestrel, Corbyn, Antonia, and I had become a close knit group, and all contestants had started to become friends instead of fans with BTS. Tae, Jin, and I had bonded over anime when they noticed me wearing a Howl's Moving Castle shirt; sometimes we would use the resort's theater room to watch Miyazaki movies and One Piece. I also played Mario Kart with Jin frequently and, despite my assurances that my stew was a fluke, Jin refused to let me near a kitchen while he was around.

I got closer to Jimin on an accident. I was on my way to the lounge for a drink and I bumped into him. Jimin was carrying a bag and I'd spilled the contents all over the floor. I apologized and helped him pick them up; I noticed that it was an assortment of skincare products. I commented to myself that I should probably take better care of my skin. I didn't think Jimin had heard me until the next day when he handed me a bag of sample products to try and proceeded to ask me which ones I liked every day. Eventually we moved on to other topics and by then we'd become friends.

I became friendly with Yoongi in a similar fashion as Jimin: by accident. I was admiring a photograph of the resort in an alcove that housed a couple vending machines. I wasn't quite sure why, but as my snacks were being dispensed the picture fell of the wall. I tried to catch it, but instead I bumped it and it flew out of the alcove and into the wall. There was no glass, but the frame shattered and Yoongi was standing there. I was horrified. He sighed and rubbed his eyes as if he was tired. He pointed at me and said, "Don't move." He left and returned within five minutes with a broom, dustpan, a toolbox, and another frame. He wordlessly handed me the broom and dustpan and then retrieved the photo and set it in the new frame.

"You are just like Namjoon" he muttered, though not unkindly.

"Where did you get the frame?" I inquired as I tossed the broken pieces into the trash.

"We have a storeroom with spares of everything. You hang around Namjoon enough, you think we'd only have one of something with him in the vicinity?" I giggled.

"The picture was next to the vending machines" I said when Yoongi started hammering a nail on the wall opposite them.

"I'm not going to put this in a spot where it's likely to fall again. Besides—", he paused to make sure the picture was hung straight, "the light will hit it better here."

I stood next to him and observed the picture's new home. "Oh! You're right!" I exclaimed. "It's a great picture. I like the lighting and wildlife in it."