3RD PERSONS VIEW

Crushes. Jaemin hated them. He hates the feeling and idea of it all, not to be bitter about love itself but he just didn't want to see himself in a difficult situation. However, here he was, being interrogated by his own love-life by Mark Lee. The older boy held a threatening gaze towards the blue-haired boy, "Look, if you do, well, it seems like you do. Just know that I want the best for Minjun, though have just met through this camp, she has become my little sister, okay?"

"Uhh what does that have to do—"

"I need to make sure you're going to treat her right!" Mark clapped and leaned away, a big grin plastered back onto his face.

Jaemin sighed, chuckling nervously, "Look, she's- well...she's-" an exasperated sigh left his lips, annoyed by how he couldn't continue his sentence. Somehow, every time he thought of her, it felt different. He tried to list things to hate her and these little things came out like a sorr of admiration towards the girl.

I don't like Minjun.
I don't have a crush on Minjun.

He kept on repeating those words in his mind like a nonstop chant.

"Well?" Mark raised a brow, waiting for Jaemin to finish his sentence but let out a hearty laugh when he couldn't. "Look, you may not admit it right now but sooner you'd realize it, I just hope you realize it sooner before someone else..." He trailed off with a little smile, grabbing his towel from his own bed and slinging it over one shoulder. "Just- just think about it, Jaem. I don't want you to regret anything."

The bathroom door made a click sound and the door opens wide as Minjun steps out with her damp blue hair, a towel draped over her head, her right hand gently ruffling it to dry up. She smiles at the two boys; Mark grinned at her whilst Jaemin gave a forced one. "Did I take too long? Sorry, it just really feels refreshing to shower after being in the woods."

"No, no, it's okay. We just talked that's all!" Mark waved her off, heading straight into the bathroom.

"Hmm? Really? What did you talk about?"

"Nothing—"
"About who's your favorite boy!" Jaemin's eyes grew wide like saucers, mouth parted in shock after hearing what Mark had just blurted this time.

Minjun's eyebrows instantly furrowed together, her hand stopped mid-air and she gave them both a bewildered look. "My favorite boy?"

Jaemin sighed, facepalming as Mark nodded his head eagerly, "Yes! Who is your favorite boy! Jaem's being so full of himself, he believes that he is your favorite boy." He said smugly, giving side-glances towards the blue-haired boy, and only chuckled when he saw him deadpanning.

Minjun snorted, "Did Nana really say that?"

"Nana?" Jaemin looked up from his palms, ears tinging pink. Biting down his inner bottom lip, he quickly averted his gaze, huffing out, "What a stupid nickname."

"Oh? So you'd prefer Jaeshit? Alright then, though Nana seems cute...well,  if that's what you like then fine." Minjun shrugs, walking over to her cabinet. Behind her back, Mark eyed Jaemin, mouthing words like, "Talk to her you idiot!" and "You say stupid but your ears are fucking red as hell!"

Jaemin covered his ears shortly after Mark told that shooting a glare towards Mark, mouthing the words, "Shut the fuck up Shithyung!" and "It is a stupid fucking nickname"

When Minjun turned around the two stopped nagging at each other silently, giving her innocent grins while she squinted her eyes at them. "What? Are you two whispering nonsense again?" She rolls her eyes at them.

"Mark-hyung? Could you please just go and take a shower already?" Jaemin mumbles, burying his face into the palms of his hand again, muttering incoherent words under his breath. The said boy cackled, waltzing his way into the bathroom, not forgetting to shout out, "Don't do anything dirty!"

"WHAT THE FUCK MARK?!" The two blueberries yelled out in surprise and at the same time, the door to the bathroom slams close, annoying the two even more. Jaemin sighed loudly while Minjun awkwardly smiled, taking a seat on her bed to dry her hair.

The atmosphere was quiet, neither of them daring to break such cumbersome ambience. Minjun's gaze trained onto the ground, a few huffs leaving her pinkish lips as she dries her hair. Jaemin laid back onto his bed, sprawled out, with his eyelids dipped closed, not wanting to say anything at all—not that he had anything in thought anyway.

No. He had a lot in his mind right now. After what Mark told him different situations began flying into his head, begging him to pay attention to them. Jaemin tried his best to shut those thoughts down but then he realized, he can't. It wasn't just as easy as that. It won't just go away just like that and that's what irritated him.

"Hey, Nana?"

"What?" The boy questioned, his tone different from his usually cocky and irked ones.

"Is it okay if I call you that?"

Silence.

"...only if you want to." He said in a soft voice.

"Okay."

"Okay."

Awkward.

Minjun sighed and grabbed her pillow, throwing it harshly towards Jaemin causing the aforementioned boy to gasp at the sudden action. Sitting straight up to flash a glare towards Minjun, "What the fuck was that for?!"

"It was so quiet and awkward!"

"You didn't have to throw a damn pillow towards me!"

"It's just a pillow! It won't fucking hurt you, dramatic Jaeshit."

"I am not dramatic."

"Yes, you are."

"No."

"Yes."

"Oh shut up, Minshit."

The girl only smiled at him before gesturing to her hair, "Will you dry my hair again?"

Jaemin rolled his eyes, arms crossed over his chest, "Why should I?"

"Tsk, then don't!"

"Pft, chill, woman. I never said I wouldn't, just asked why." Jaemin retorted while she stuck out her tongue at him playfully. The boy patted the empty spot in front of him, "Come here."

Minjun sat in front of Jaemin with her back facing him. He grabbed the towel and began drying her hair, making sure he won't do it too roughly. "So? How are you feeling, I heard that the second days are the worst."

"Ugh, I don't even wanna talk about it." She grunted, hugging her knees close to her upper body.

• • •

"Can we please stop with the 'favorite boy' thing?" Minjun huffed, looking down at the boys who sat around the pile of logs, arguing about who's Minjun's favorite boy amongst the eleven boys.

"Never! Not until we know who it is!" They all said though it sounded like they shouted it, in unison. Minjun flinched at their combiner voices, cupping her ears, and grimaced at the boys, "Yeah, jeez, didn't have to shout."

"I'm the favorite," Donghyuck raises his hand confidently, "I mean, duh, who won't favorite me."

"Shut up, Shithyuck." Renjun rolled his eyes earning a glare from the said boy. "Actually, I should be the favorite. I'm the one who brings light to the world!"

"No. I'm the sun here. Spotlight stealer." Donghyuck scoffed, crossing his arms childishly.

Xiaojun hummed, "I have a favorite—"

"We get it!! You favorite Lao Gan Ma!" Everyone told him and he shook his head. "Wrong! I also favorite Bella!"

Lucas gasped dramatically, "Bella is my favorite! Besides, didn't she pee in your room before? You were so annoyed with her!" The tall boy pointed out resulting in Xiaojun to push him. "No! I certainly was not!"

"You know, if you would have just told us your favorite then we wouldn't even be having this conversation!" Yangyang said, now pointing an accusing finger towards the girl. Her lips parted to gape at them, "Me? How come I'm responsible for this?"

"Noona! Aren't we your favorites?" Chenle spoke up, yanking Jisung with him to look at her with puppy eyes. Minjun awkwardly smiled at them, knowing she wouldn't be able to resist their cuteness for long. Nodding her head, "Chenle, you and Jisung will always be my favorite."

"YOU SEE THAT? WE WON. Minjun-noona is our favorite too." Chenle grinned at the older boys who frowned.

"What are we going to do today anyway? Tomorrow morning we'll be going back to the main campsite." Renjun questioned the group to gather up ideas.

Jaemin groaned, "Can't we just stay here? Like, sleep or something?"

"Weren't you able to sleep last night?" Jeno asked him and the blue-haired boy shook his head.

"What? Really? I thought you went to be the moment you tucked Jisung in." Minjun said, looking at Jaemin who sighed.

Mark cooed, "You tucked Jisung in?"

"OMG JAEMIN BEST DAD!" Lucas clapped and almost everyone agreed shortly with him, also clapping their hands.

"NA JAEMIN BEST DAD OF THE SHITFAM!"

Jaemin scoffed, flipping them off then followed by an eye roll. "Oh shut up you shitheads. I baby Jisung, only. Oh and Chenle, when he's not a fucking devil."

"WHAT? I'M NOT A DEVIL! MINJUN-NOONA! JAESHIT'S CALLING ME A DEVIL!" Chenle cried out, rushing to Minjun's side in just a few seconds. The girl patted the top of his head, trying to calm him down, shooting a glare towards Jaemin. "Hey! He's not a devil! He's such a precious little angel."

"To you!!" The boys replied.

Chenle stuck his tongue out to the boys, "An angel for Minjun-noona and Minjun-noona only. I less than three Minjun-noona. Like, best mom ever!"

"OMG MINJUN BEST MOM!" Lucas laughed out loud, the wide grin on his face didn't seem to fade anytime time soon.

"SEE? MINSHIT AND JAESHIT BEST PARENTS EVER."

"Told you, we'll even make it real." Donghyuck smiled smugly at the two.

Minjun sighed, taking a seat beside Hendery who had been silent the whole time. She quite noticed the absence of his energy, she didn't know why but it was rare to find him not bantering with the others. Nudging him, she questioned, "Well, you seem so quiet."

Hendery flinched at her voice, turning quickly to smile at her, "What? Oh! I'm just listening to them, I'm saving energy to kayak later. Wanna try? I haven't really tried it though it seems interesting."

"Hmm seems like an experience, though I just hope I don't fall into the water." She chuckles, "Right? And I hope I don't have anyone pushing or pulling me in, right?"

Hendery smiled sheepishly, diverting his gaze away for a split second. "Whoops."

"Wait," he tugs onto the pink sleeve, "you're still wearing my hoodie."

Minjun hummed, "Oh yeah, it's really comfortable. Do you want it back? I can wash it tomorrow once we get back at the main campsite if that's—"

"No, no. It's okay." Hendery shook his head, "I like seeing you in my hoodie and if you say you're comfortable with it then that's better."

"Jeez, you are like the sweetest." She stated, taking everything Hendery has done into thoughts.

Hendery smirked, "I think I should be the favorite boy."

Minjun raised a brow, "And for what?"

"For taking good care of Minnie." He said simply, standing up then joining the rest of the boys who were still arguing who Minjun's favorite boy was.

Minjun touched her cheeks feeling the heat rush to it. Taking a deep breath, her eyes trained onto the boy who laughed along with Xiaojun and Lucas. Biting down her bottom lip, "Favorite huh?"

"I saw that."

She spun around to find Jeno. "You saw what?"

"Minnie huh?"

"Jeno—"

"Nah, I'm all good, Minjun, swear." He chuckled and shoved her lightly, "Wanna kayak race? You and Hendery versus me and..." he looks at the boys, "Donghyuck? Yeah, Donghyuck seems like a better teammate."

"Alright then." Minjun sniggered, "I'm looking forward to that kayak race."

• • •
i fell asleep so many times while writing this chapter omgsjdjfk i was supposed to publish it yesterday but as soon as i got home from my trip i slept :')

anyway- it's happy chenle day!! also androgynous has hit 50k!! thank you so much 🥺❤️ i less than three every single one of you ❤️

also, i did single kayak yesterday despite my fear of big bodies of water sjsksjsk just wanted to say...
NEVER AGAIN