❤︎ bonfire event

parted open in the slightest, about to introduce herself to the male contestant that was by soojung's vicinity. however, before she could, the sound of another male's voice caught her ears. although his voice was somewhat assimilated into the ambient white noise of their surroundings, the beautiful, fair, but tenor timbre stood out like clarity to her. younjung turned in the direction where the distinct voice had flowed from, curious about whom it belonged to.

in stepped a tall man (the tallest of the group), dressed in a colorful hawaiian shirt, cargo shorts and birkenstock sandals. the new guest held a whole coconut as a drink, which was just as decorative and busy as his brightly colored top. the man was sporting a wide grin, appearing happy-go-lucky. he too, just like all of the other male contestants, was good-looking. straight, thicker eyebrows, double eyelids that creased his round orbs, slim but contoured nose, full lips. everything that was considered a beauty ideal, the latter possessed it.

with younjung standing only at a mere 163 cm, his height towered over her. normally, such a vertical challenge would have intimidated her, but in his case, it didn't. it most likely had to do something with the fact that his chiseled face seemingly unmatched his vacation dad outfit. if anything, the latter felt more like a b.f.g (big friendly giant). a random thought passed through her psyche; maybe this was geoduck? he was certainly... elongated—tall enough to fit the particular animal. also, the novel stranger's grin had an air of facetiousness; one that could potentially be that of a devious prankster's. yet somehow, younjung's intuition wasn't entirely convinced.

she gave a small, friendly smile, offering it as a greeting. "does smell g-good, doesn't it."

After briefly slipping away to grab a drink from the bar, Wooseok returned with a colorful fruity drink mixed into an oversized coconut, garnished with a slide of pineapple and a bright pink paper umbrella. He took a sip of his drink on his way back to the crowd with a scrunch on his face, mumbling under his breath with amusement, "Oof - that's strong!" he blew his breath to take a whiff of his breath that was immediately laced in alcohol. Safe to say, he didn't need a new drink any time soon.

Wooseok attempted to reintegrate himself into the gathering, keeping his ears keen for conversation as he observed the expressions on his fellow contestant's faces. Overall, it was a lively scene with laughter and chatter, with the occasional tension between contestants he didn't want to be apart of. None of that was any of his business. He approached the grill, following the scent of barbeque, and gave a shoutout of encouragement, "Smells amazing out here!" His grin spread from ear to ear as he poked his head to take a look at the grill, keeping his drink out of the smoke. "I didn't realize we had a chef among us," He lightheartedly commented, before spotting a contestant in a onesie, biting his lips to disguise just how endearing he found her to be. Just who convinced her to dress like that on the beach? Fighting the urge to giggle at the sweet little fox, Wooseok took another sip out of the flamboyant coconut, followed by a deep breath. "What a lively crowd," He muttered to no one in particular as he took in the atmosphere, the alcohol slowly making its way through his veins.

as he waited for sana's response, he heard more pieces of the conversations from the contestants around them. out of the corner of his eyes, he saw chaewon again, engaging in a conversation with another female contestant; one whom he didn't know yet, but had overheard that her name was jinsoul. dove's voice had faded, due to her current location—she was by the grill. the noises of the sizzling barbeque and crackling fire of the grill was overtaking a majority of her voice.

to his right, just off to the side of the bonfire, he listened was bat, whom he's talked to a few times on the groupchat. alongside bat, was another girl; slender and tall in frame, long, wavy hair, with a slightly more darker skin complexion. the girl's back was turned towards him however, embracing bat tightly. he tried to hear for an animal, or a name, but couldn't. near the two women, was panda, identified by bat. but again, no name.

there were also some contestants socializing by the bar; someone named mingyu, another guy ordering six beers at once, a third guy called juyeon, and then another familiar female voice. one that wasn't dove's, but oddly sounded strangely familiar. no, he definitely knew it—he definitely recognized it. could it be someone he already knew of? he looked back to the bar again. the two guys were still there; the one ordering beer and juyeon. mingyu had disappeared from the scene, but in his place was a female contestant—one he did know—gayoung.

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the pitmaster(?) at the grill introduced himself as raven, or jiyong. without many words, he manned the barbecue, timely flipping every piece of meat—giving every side the perfect, golden brown sear. younjung giggled to herself at the sight. something about the sight of the latter in such a situation quietly grilling meat was comedic but in a good and respectable way. to her, jiyong radiated an older brother energy; someone hard-working and dependable. the brightly-colored hair contestant also radiated an intense, silent charisma, that held its own ground.

"hello raven, nice to meet you! i was f-fox. my name is y-younjung." she then reached into her basket, fishing out the small raven plushie keychain. "um a s-small present, i got it for e-everyone... " she held it out for the other, but realized that his hands were occupied with the spatula and beer. she placed raven's keychain on the table nearby. "um hope you l-like it!" younjung quickly then added, before darting on, to not further get in his way from cooking.

she then faced the second male contestant; the one that had stepped up to be raven's 'sous chef'. the other had already identified her—they had been pod partners; it was hawk. he introduced his name to her (minhyuk). "h-hello, hawk—i mean, minhyuk. my name is younjung, it's n-nice to meet you." it wasn't a surprise; the man from the pod who seemingly came off like a perfect male protagonist also looked like one too. tall, tanned and handsome, younjung felt as if the other was going to be popular between the female contestants. "you have to show me pictures of your doggos now! n-now that we're in person!" she claimed pleadingly. the more she looked at minhyuk, the more he seemed oddly familiar. had she seen him somewhere?... "you look familiar..." she started, tilting her head off to the side, peering up at him. perplexion lined her face, but only for a second, as she finally recalled his familiarity. "ah! i know now! you look like an idol! i don't know their names, but i think the group is called today x tomorrow? something like that. there's one member there that you look like." younjung explained. "oh right—before i forget, here you go—"

just as she had finished handing minhyuk his keychain, someone had somehow recognized her animal alias. it was no other than dove—whom generously was already taking younjung under her wing. seeing the older woman, younjung felt much more at ease with her anxiety. so much, that she ditches the items in her hands once again, to practically launch herself into the girl's presence with a hug. "dove-unnie—eomma! s-sorry i remember, no repeating r-roles." with the apology, she also realized that the embrace might have been too much, and invasion of soojung's personal space. "i'm s-so sorry! ᶦ'ᵐ ʲ⁻ʲᵘˢᵗ ˢᵒ ᵍˡᵃᵈ ᵗᵒ ˢᵉᵉ ʸ⁻ʸᵒᵘ..." younjung apologetically said, hanging her head in a bow, repenting for her impulsive action. "ᶦ ᵍᵒᵗ ʰᵉʳᵉ ⁿᵒᵗ ᵗᵒᵒ ˡᵒⁿᵍ ᵃ⁻ᵃᵍᵒ." her head then perked back up, wondering who soojung (retired dove) was planning to wrestle.

at her offering for a change of clothes, younjung put up her hands, gesturing vigorously that there was no need for such an inconvenience. "n(o)-n(o)-n-(o)-n(o)-n(o)-no!* i'm fine! i can take the hood off if i start to get hotter—" which she did right after, slipping off the plush fox face that sat atop of her head. "i'm also wearing something underneath, so i can just pull the zipper down and take it off." she stated, reaching to the front zipper that opened and closed up the length of the onesie's torso. younjung demonstrated, pulling the respective zipper down, then back up. "th-thank you very much though." she told soojung in sincere gratitude, before crouching down to the basket she had abandoned. she popped back up into a stand, presenting dove her own plush keychain. "a small gift for your k-kindness... and um the gentleman by you, if you happen to k-know his animal a-alias?" she asked handing soojung her gift, before glancing timidly to the last male contestant by the grill.

the last male contestant looked a lot like minhyuk. if younjung didn't know any better, she would have assumed they were brothers or cousins. they were both tall and handsome with a boyish charm, but the guy by soojung stood a good two inches taller than minhyuk. he was also slightly on the slimmer side compared to the latter. if minhyuk exuded the aura of a k-pop idol, the other was more modelesque.

"h-hello." younjung greeted him, putting up a palm and waving it back and forth exactly twice.

( *a/n: she was saying 'no' repeatedly so fast it would have just sounded like n-n-n-n-n. )

off the top of her head, adorable and awkward were the things she mentally took note of at joohyuk's innocent mistake. "we're not getting paid for this, remy." she responds in jest, patting the taller male's arm in recognition of their positions versus the actual staff members watching over their co-participants taking charge of the grill. the two individuals standing guard behind the grill were each other's polar opposites, at least physically. soojung's fascination over raven's, now jiyong's, sported hair color was evident in the way she stared at his locks before willing herself back to reality to acknowledge his introduction. "raven, it's you! gosh, it's been a while. hawk and i missed our other bird friend. how have you been?" she reaches her hand out in greeting, a bright grin gracing melting the icy disposition she carried. little did she know that the person beside him was hawk himself. "oh, forgot to introduce myself. i'm dove, you can call me soojung! i take it you're always in charge of cooking in any group setting?"

before she could get her hands on the answers to her rapid fire, her attention was intercepted by another female participant that caught her awestruck with her getup. her free hand immediately rests above her chest, mouth hanging open towards the rather female figure. pointy ears, makings of red-orange on her attire, a fluffy, elaborate tail, and a heart-stopping timidness that only she possessed. "fox, baby girl, is that you?" soojung exclaims, cursing herself for asking the obvious. "hi, it's me, dovey eomma! well, you can call me soojung now, i'll accept whatever name from you. soomma works, too! but anyway! when did you arrive?" question after question, soojung could not contain herself for meeting one of the women she has grown to adore throughout her stay in the show. however, a of realization fell upon her as she recalled the events that led to this—most especially the notification bubbles flooding her phone not too long ago from their group chat. "looks like i'll need to teach someone a lesson and go full sooma wrestler for. angel, you'll sweat a lot in that outfit. i don't want to impose, but i've got a change of clothes that might fit you. nothing too fancy, promise. you can always reject the offer. either way, you look amazing, trust."

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for the second time in her life, she had to walk away from him. with what mentality and willpower she managed the feat, younjung didn't know. maybe it was for the sake of the show; out of consideration for the other contestants. she didn't need to burden the other contestants with an emotional outburst, nor ruin the atmosphere for them. she had probably gone overboard already, coldly rejecting mingyu's coat. hopefully, the regretful act hadn't rubbed off any of the other contestants the wrong way. although it shouldn't be an excuse, the situation probably hadn't been helped by the fact that she was distressed and fatigued. from now on, she would exercise more caution.

a light evening breeze blew by, stirring up the strands of her dark hair. with this wafted the mouth-watering smell of a bbq—it's smoky, juicy goodness making her stomach growl. it was only at this point in time that younjung had realized how hungry she was—remembering that her last meal had been on board an airplane, about eight hours ago. following the smell, she shyly approached the grill, where two male contestants hovered around—one seemingly fully taking charge of the grill, whilst the other stood by him, in preparation to help. moving closer, younjung also saw another figure; someone lanky, and taller. the tallest guy was beside another female contestant, one who looked beautiful, but intimidating—as if she were the princess of an ice kingdom. "h-hello." she quietly greeted, letting the quartet know that she was behind them. "ohh! are these marinated short ribs?!!" she exclaimed excitedly.

yongguk had hoped that being at the grill would mean that someone would come talk to him, and he had been correct in thinking that—three people had already made their way over to him, and he smiled politely before looking back down at the grill to focus. when the first man offered to help, yongguk's hackles raised but he forced himself to relax, and he rolled his shoulders back before looking at the man with what he hoped was a smile on his face and not a grimace (he didn't really get out much).

"ah, i got here first." yongguk teased before pointing the spatula to the empty plates beside him however, tilting his head to the side. "but i do need someone to help load up all the food—i can't do that by myself, now can i? i could always use some company." he took a long gulp of his beer and hoped he didn't come off as awkward as he felt like he was, still so unused to talking to anybody who wasn't a client or a coworker. as another man and a woman approached, he switched for the tongs and started flipping over pieces of samgyeopsal, taking in a long whiff of the delicious smell. "i'm raven, or yongguk. nice to meet you all."

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"Bite- now that's a little bit extreme. Will you bite us and inject your venom so we won't forget how much of a y lady you are, Chaewon?" She chuckled. At least the liquid courage is working, Jinsoul felt bolder compared to when she just arrived earlier. Her eyes drifted to the group of people then shook her head. "Nerve-wracking in some way, yes. But also I am excited to meet everyone here. Who knows I can have fun more than during pod time." A soft smile on her face as she looked back at Chaewon. "What do you think of the people here so far?"

It was to be expected, with the amount of people gathered together, that there would be a clash of personalities between the cast and crew. the veils they used to hide themselves from prying eyes, the masks that bolstered their confidence so suddenly ripped away. all gist of comfort had been taken away. no longer were they known by their animal personas. it left one feeling vulnerable, bare, for all to see and examine.

it was interesting to see really, and as her eyes scanned the crowd, taking in every member in view, she couldn't help but be humored. ranging from those who preferred to blend in with the staff, to those who drew in the crowd, and the few who attempted to restrain their visible contempt. it was a natural recipe for a disaster waiting to happen. but perhaps that was exactly what the crew had in plan when they all started this together. after all, there was no way that it was a mere coincidence, this many people linked to each other, one way or another.

but for now she'll wait. wait and observe those around her, just like she always did with the customers that came into the cafe, or the other models around the agency. what better way was there to learn about the people around her than to pay attention. from the minute details that most would brush off as unimportant, to the grand gestures that people liked to be made known. any good businesswoman knew to keep every detail in mind. one never knew where it could come in handy.

before she could even respond to the other female, chaewon as she now knew, she had been whisked away, sat beside a rather attractive bachelor. no matter how much she tried to resist it, her eyes couldn't help but spare a glance to her next seat neighbor. they always said that beauty was in the eye of the beholder, but they never mentioned that she would be so easily be swayed but such things. could one blame her for staring a second too long? surely anyone in her shoes would do the same, with the amount of unique elegance that every participant exuded.

her ears perked at his words, the ever elusive aquatic animal she had the pleasure of speaking to previously, finally matched with a face she could keep in mind. her plush tiers formed a teasing grin before she knew it, drawing closer to the male just to whisper, quiet enough for only him to hear. "You know, you still owe me that screaming match you promised me before, blobby. How's blomma doing, by the way?" She leans back, satisfied with her words before her eyes meet his and her hand is held within his own larger pair. "I guess I should be calling you Eunwoo now, hm? I'm Sana, or as ely as you knew me by. the ever disappearing phanpy."

The rest of Mingyu's night consisted of baby sips of champagne through conversations and small glances at his new fiance. A light glow of rosy hues decorated his cheeks showing how happy he was at the moment. He couldn't remember the last time he was happy. He felt as if nothing could've ruined a night like this. It was perfect.

But nothing could have prepared Mingyu for what happened next. Nothing. Not even the sky falling couldn't have stopped the loud ringing in his ear when a familiar woman sporting an adorable fox onesie stepped into view. It was as if his heartbeat had ceased working despite it pounding so prominently against his ribcage. His eyes drifted from her equally panicked features down to her onesie.

"Of ing course it would be you."

Mingyu sighed, closing his eyes which were full of mild regret. Of all the people, he chose to prank his ex-girlfriend. He could only imagine what was running through her head at the moment. He opened his eyes as his oversized coat came off, his feet automatically taking him to Younjung as it always did 2 years ago. "You're late. /Again/," he whispered, a pained smile coupled with knitted brows forming as his coat made its way around her shoulders. "Come. Everyone has already settled down. And don't worry, you look fine."

they say hands and a good shake could say a lot about a person. jinsoul’s handshake was firm but it wasn’t demanding nor was it too fast. this person was nice. or nicer than she could ever be. chaewon smiled, a smile that was neither vindictive nor friendly. “oh heavens me. everyone is just so y I want a bite of everyone~! it almost feels as if productive did this on purpose and made it hard for me,” she laughed as her eyes flickered towards the shadows where she knew some of production would be, giving a “playful” glare. “especially you, girlie! does being in person make everything more nerve wrecking? I’m sure a nice gal like you would cuff em in no time.”

she was stressed. it had been an overwhelmingly hectic week for her; an overseas concert, two thirteen-hour flights within two days, and then the show, to top it off. although being on the show was another stressor, younjung had found herself missing the other contestants' company, having her environment suddenly change. she was excited to see everyone. she just sincerely hoped everyone would feel the same—that they would be just as excited to see her, and not disappointed when she walked in. the cellist was also especially excited about the bonfire's dress code—everyone was going to be wearing the onesie of their animal aliases (kindly informed by geoduck). the notification from the other contestant had honestly served as a savior, as wearing the onesie had saved younjung a great amount of time in getting ready. after checking in with the production team, all she had taken time to do was her makeup; to which the makeup artists had graciously helped her with anyways.

despite the fact that she was exhausted, jet-lagged and even under the weather physically, she still was in a good mood. mic'd up and ready to go, she repeatedly thanked the makeup artists, before quickly darting towards the door of the production team's trailer. only to abruptly stop and reverse, because she had forgotten her basket of gifts and sopranino ukelele. she had bought keychains, with a small plushie version of each contestant's animal. the instrument was brought merely to occupy herself when the moment presented itself; she could focus on playing it, if the occasion for bonfire songs arose. "s-sorry." she apologized to the staff whom she had just said goodbye to. "thank y-you again!" younjung awkwardly acknowledged, officially foreboding her farewell.

stepping out of the rv, she was guided by another staff member to head down a certain path—the bonfire would be there. "i'm gwenchana. i'm gwenchana. i'm gwenchana." she kept whispering the konglish phrase to herself, as she continued to walk in her crocs, shortly growing breathless. finally, after what seemed like a hike to her, panting softly, she finally arrived on scene. shyly, she made her way before the cameras but then stopped in horror when she saw the sights before her. nobody was dressed in a onesie—nobody else—not one other contestant.

her mind blanked in humiliation. she didn't know what to do. younjung froze. her face turned beet red; immensely embarrassed, but also confused. confused, as to how and why this had happened. had she missed a message from the production team? was it because she hadn't changed her phone's sim card back in time? it could have been, seeing that she hadn't even received the plausible initial notice to wear the animal alias onesies—if, that had even been a thing.

the current moment was already a nightmare, but her public embarrassment became insignificant of a fear when she spotted a particular person in the background. the situation had escalated quickly, from a living nightmare to a full-blown internal panic attack. color drained from her face; her visage visibly going from a deep red to a sickly pale. there he was, standing tall in all his beauty and glory, surrounded by equally attractive women. it hurt—it was painful. but it was also deja vu. she had never felt to be 'the one' for him—no matter how much she desperately wanted to be. no matter how hard she had tried, had fought, it hadn't been enough—she hadn't been enough for mingyu.

although she had apologized, the look in her eyes didn't quite state the same. if anything, it felt more like a look of mistrust—whether his actions truly had any good intentions. along with this, specific statements and mannerisms that she had exhibited from their brief exchange had stood out to him. the first was her emphasis on the word 'trouble'. it had been stated with emphasis, but the tone in her voice had been underlined with sarcasm, as if a); she didn't care (didn't see foul language as an issue), and b); she had dealt with worse. secondly, her apology had an immediate explanation following it; 'i'm not used to having these silly things dangling from my body'.

it was true, that eunwoo had acted to try and discreetly fix her small verbal slip, but he also hadn't pointed out anything in particular, nor had he tried to correct her. he merely had been trying to protect her, from the potential future of evil editing. but the latter had felt the need to explain herself—a prevalent reaction, when one either felt embarrassed, or insecure of incompetency... which in turn, stemmed most likely from a lack of self-esteem.

with all things considered, eunwoo wondered if chaewon (her actual full name), was suffering from grave trust issues. it would explain for some of the signs; the heightened caution, exaggerated expressions, and the dismissal of accountability. hopefully, his speculations were entirely wrong; because if he was even the slightest bit correct... the show was not the place for her to be.

he gave her a small smile, hoping to convey that he wasn't against her. their interaction ended, when chaewon greeted and ushered another arriving female contestant to her current seat. as soon as she had departed, eunwoo was blind-sided; his ideal type had just entered the scene. the new girl was his kryptonite; long, wavy brown hair, bright, rounded eyes and nose, higher cheekbones. the goddess-next-door type. eunwoo wondered her animal alias was; had they ever interacted? if they had, excellent. he would just continue pick up from where they had left off. if not, it was time to make a new connection.

"well, it's a good thing i don't know where the lobby is? now you're the expert on its location." he quipped. "welcome." eunwoo then stood up, extending a hand out to the new girl for her to take. "my name is eunwoo, previously existed as blobfish."

"Just for a new experience, to be honest." Jinsoul chuckled as she shook Chaewon's hand, slowly pulling her hand back. "What about you? Now we see each other's faces, do you find anyone to your liking?" She smiled, a teasing one though. Taking in Chaewon's appearance, she was sure that this lady in front of her wouldn't have any trouble attracting anyone.

"oh my gosh, you're the one behind the cute puppers!" she half squealed remembering how cute the display picture was for jinsoul's alias. puppies were her absolute weakness. she extended her hands towards the flames, letting the warmth her fingertips. "it's a pleasure to meet you. what pushed you to join such a weird concept like this one? was finding the one hard?"

Her attention shifted towards the short-haired woman who introduced herself as Snake. If she remembered correctly they did talk a few times in the group chat but yes never in the pod. Returning the smile of her own, Jinsoul reached her hand out for a handshake. "You and me both, Chaewon. I didn't manage to get to know everyone just as well as others either. My name is Jinsoul. Or was known as Retriever before. Pleasure to meet you."

“In the flesh,” joohyuk smiled his signature lopsided smile seeing the happiness and light radiating off of soojung’s demeanor. How could anyone not smile when such a ball of sunshine existed around them? “You can call me remy. It’s sticking. And it only makes it even better that I’m a chef, no?” As the woman took her time to scan over him, his own eyes gave her a once over as well, finding her just as adorable as he imagined her to be and more so. “Don’t be jealous the universe gave me a few more inches than you. Don’t worry though. If the sky falls, it’s taking me out first. Evolution is doing something with you shorties. Call me anything you’d like.” They continued their lighthearted chatter before finally arriving at the grill where Yongguk and Yunho had completely taken over, the staff huddling back in the shadows to keep watch. “My bad— I thought both were part of the staff… What’s cooking?”

Her attention soon drifted away and landed on the pretty woman she saw at the bar earlier before she was scared off by the familiar face. “Oh? You’re the woman I saw earlier.” She flashed jinsoul a gentle smile, exhausted by the turn of events. “I’m chaewon. Unlikely that we met in the pods, but I’m snake. I didn’t have a chance to get to know anyone yet due to scheduling conflicts.”

After getting some courage liquid in her system, Jinsoul made her way back to the bonfire; this time seeing more people has arrived and the group was kinda split into those who are mingling and those who think the BBQ station was more interesting than interacting with others. She settled with neither as she took a seat on the log near the bonfire while looking around to see if there's any familiar faces among the crowd.

the veil of embarrassment was soon replaced by a ray of happiness when she was blessed with the identity of the male. "remy?!" she exclaims in pure joy, hands finding their way over to shield her from further exhausting what little energy she had left. "oh wait, shouldn't have said that when you already have a name. joohyuk!" her eyes regarded him from head to toe, entranced by his stature that reminded her of a gentle giant's—exactly how she pictured him to be from all the endearing interactions they shared. "okay, so you're not tiny. you're actually a lamp post and i'm not so thrilled about this, joo." soojung found herself naturally opening up to him, placing all reservations aside as she trailed alongside him to where the food was. "may i call you that? do i get a special per-mouse-sion?"

gayoung froze like a deer in headlights when his voice—in the morning, the sweetest wake-up call and at night, a heart-wrenching song—rang in her ears. even if it were the end of the world, the woman engulfed in shock was certain he would never participate in something as ridiculous as the show. "you should know me better by now, juyeon. my question is, what has gotten you wasting time over something like this?" she draws in a deep breath, finding momentary comfort in the soft crackling of the flames and the gentle caress of the sea breeze against her skin before finally turning her attention towards the taller male—regretfully, the apple of her eye. for what reason was she placed to sit in solitude and sing a thousand melancholic melodies for a love that will never be?

with her arms crossed to her chest, gayoung could only let out a soft sigh to silence the ravaging thoughts within her. "first, tell me, are you the psycho who couldn't stop getting on my nerves in chat days ago?" her passionate pair of obsidians held his gaze, and god knows how it was taking so much of her to not fold in his presence. because even in her desolation, she watches over a ragged soul that was only meant to stand before her—never by her side. "this is fine, it'll take a few days more before it completely heals. you're sitting with me? last i remember, hawk placed you in the left timeout corner and i, the animal who petrifies you, the right."

The warm atmosphere around the bonfire with people mingling around, talking excitedly with one another made Yunho smile. If one said that human relations are based on how one can make use of another, then they should watch this show because there was nothing more genuine than this relationship between the contestants. They were getting to know each other without seeing face or even the real voice but look at them now, as if they were meeting an old friend. But then again, due to work, he wasn't able to be always present and that shown from his little struggle to talk, not to mention being a total I being in a group in a lot of people was never being his favorite place to be. Quietly, he made his way to the griller where the staff are preparing for their meal, joining another one who was already there. "I hope I'm not bothering you." He started, smiling at the male then at the staff. "If it's okay, I can help with grilling the meat? My friends told me I'm good at grilling it. Plus, it'll be more...authentic feeling if some of the contestants are grilling the food and we can hang out around here while eating later." Yunho looked at the staff then at the other male aka Raven. "Right?"

all joohyuk had to do was say hi, make a few comments to conversations he had no interest in, and leave. he was too old to stay out too late anyways. it was a lame excuse he used for everything. lengthy fingers smoothed down the front of his pants as he pursed his lips, looking for anyone with an energy level below 50% to introduce himself to. being in the pods spoiled him a little too much and it was as if he had forgotten to converse like a normal being. he was like an iPad kid at the ripe age of thirty. when a gentle voice rang out, he took a step back, surprised. "dove? well isn't this a treat?" his eyes softened and his brows knitted together to gather his thoughts. "mouse. but you can call me joohyuk. a pleasure to finally meet the birdy herself. and yes, i'd love to grab a bite with you." he nodded towards the grill where the staff (yongguk) was cooking, leading the way.

mingyu looked around as he finished some of his initial conversations and smiled when his fiance, the woman he was solely here for, finally came into view. there she was, giggling and smiling with her cute pearly whites. he groaned inwardly, knowing he was completely gone for her and nothing would be able to convince him otherwise. before going off to introduce himself to the other contestants, he maneuvered his way over to his little tiger and brushed the back of his hand against hers, his eyes locking with hers briefly as a boyish smile decorated his lips. his expression said it all, reassuring her that he was there if she needed him and to have the bestest time as he walked away stealing one last glance at her.

her circle would almost always describe her as the glue of the crowd, but particular to this night, the woman could barely hold on to her senses going haywire. to say that this was a mistake is an understatement to the hunger and overstimulation she was experiencing from all corners of the space. normally she wouldn't mind, but she really needed a good munch before drowning herself in any more alcohol. not wanting to interrupt the conversation between lisa and chungha, she softly muttered, "i'll see you ladies in a bit, let me greet the rest." taking a few steps away from them, desperate eyes scan the group for someone she can potentially drag along with her to get food with—until a certain someone caught her eye. "hi there!" soojung calls out to the newcomer, waving her hand in greeting as she closes the distance between them. "i wasn't able to catch your name. everyone's too excited." with a gentle smile, soojung reaches her hand out to joohyuk, gaze never leaving his. "dove here! you can call me soojung. i'm so sorry to be the bearer of... good news, but would you like to get food with me? i'm embarrassed to be the first to grab a bite..."

yongguk had gotten a little overwhelmed as more of the contestants showed up to the bonfire, and he marvelled in the beauty—every single person that had been chosen for this show was absolutely stunning, smiles that lit up the already sunny space and personalities that seemed to shine just as bright. however, when a staff member had approached him with the bottle of beer he had asked for, something not too alcoholic so he could still have his wits about him, he asked the most important question—would there be food as well? the staff had then pointed to a grill that had just finished being set up, and yongguk looked down at his left hand curled around the neck of the bottle. iseul would have wanted him to get to know people, to interact and let himself be happy, but he didn't know how to start the conversation when there was the looming cloud of his status as a widower above him.

yongguk let out a shaky breath before smiling softly at the staff member that had approached him, asking if he could grill. the staff didn't know how to answer, but had said that there were no rules against it, so he went with his gut and strode forward, shoulders rolled back in determination as he walked over to the grill. he didn't know how to start the conversation, but he knew that people tended to talk to the person making their food at a party such as this, and so he figured it could be a good jumping off point.

joohyuk arrived at the bonfire an hour prior to the start of the event, but he waited in the car until he was sure enough people had arrived to blend in, ensuring the attention wasn't on him. heaven forbid he was the first one to be there. talk about awkward. when he was sure his chauffeur had had enough of him and he saw the staff looking for him, he exited the vehicle and made his way down to the bonfire where the other contestants chattered away over the crackling flames. the warmth from the pit danced over his soft, drowsy features as he shifted from foot to foot before rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "hey, I'm joohyuk, better known as mouse," his voice was barely audible over the other voices coupled with the crackling fire, but there was sweetness to his awkwardness. "I don't usually come to these things, but... it's nice to meet you all."