ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗧𝗪𝗘𝗟𝗩𝗘
─◌✰್ 𝖻𝗈𝗒 𝗍𝖺𝗅𝗄

huats.up yessss our modern-day cinderella! or was aurora was the naturey one? 🤔
> mymymy literally the biggest compliment ilysm 🥺
    > nomnominnie @huats.up pls stop stealing my girl
        > huats.up @nomnominnie if you'd actually just ask her out i wouldn't be able to steal her...

ryerye is that a bug next to you?
> mymymy what??? where???
    > sk8terjj @mymymy she's just kidding tsk
        > ramenoodlaska @sk8terjj there were bugs but i hit them with my towel. then i burned the towel.

cheesecakehannie looking like a princess! 😁
> nomnominnie i was going to say that so delete your comment.
    > robin_is_a_penguin @nomnominnie he's taken jeongin, he's just stupid.
        > cheesecakehannie @nomnominnie @robin_is_a_penguin what did i say wrong??

The bush continued to shake, faster and more violently, the branches and thorns poking your sides and scratching your face. You tried to cover your eyes, but it just ripped into your hands.

"Who the hell is out there???" you yelled, trying to stand up and jump from the bush.

"BOO!!!"

Two voices yelled at the top of their lungs. You let out a loud yelp, whirling around to see who the hell was trying to scare you and Changbin. Or, based off of his reaction, just you.

"Hahaha! We got you good, didn't we?"

Tessa and Minho stood above your and Changbin's crouched figures, laughing their heads off. Tessa was clutching her side while Minho just smirked at the two of you. He was trying to play it cool, but you could tell he was having a great time.

You crossed your arms, glaring at both of them. "What the hell, Tess??? You scared the shit out of me!"

"That was kind of the point," Minho shrugged. "In case you didn't get the whole 'boo!' thing."

"You should've seen the look on your face!" Tessa laughed, her head thrown back from the force of it. "You looked like you crapped yourself."

"What about you, Changbin?" Minho turned to his friend. "Did we get you?"

Changbin, who had come to stand behind you, rolled his eyes. "Nothing can scare the Seo Changbin, thank you very much."

"Hey, I saw the way you were gripping Hua's arm," Tessa accused, wiggling her eyebrows.

"No, I wasn't."

Tessa and Minho raised their eyebrows at his brusque words, but said nothing.

Yeah, something was definitely wrong.

"Found you!!!" Han came hurtling towards the four of you, an accusing finger held aloft in the air. "Robs look, we got them!"

Robin groaned, trudging after her energy ball of a boyfriend. "Please slow down, I haven't run this much since I was six!"

Han ignored her, coming to stand next to you triumphantly. "You guys aren't very good at hiding."

"Yeah, because these two appeared out of nowhere and tried to shake us out of our spot." You glowered at your friends, and they both grinned cheekily at you.

"It doesn't matter, we caught you!" Han clapped his hands. "We already caught Felix and Laska, Jeongin and Mya, Riley, Hyunjin, and Seungmin. Ya wanna help us find the others?"

"Where are they?" Tessa asked. "Why is it just the two of you?"

"He kept running away from the group, so they all gave up and went back to the clearing." Robin rolled her eyes. "If I were you, I'd recommend going back too."

"We're here!!!" Alaska's voice echoed through the trees, and the group of people who had already been caught bounded over.

"We got bored." Mya shrugged when you turned a questioning eye their way.

"Yeah, more like the chaotic three stole all the marshmallows." Seungmin rolled his eyes at the girls.

"We did not!" Riley exclaimed defensively. "I only took four."

"You each had six s'mores, and then took turns shoving the leftovers into your mouths," Jeongin pointed out.

"We were playing chubby bunny, what else were we supposed to do?" Alaska smiled, pointing at her mouth. "I won!"

"That must mean you have a bigass m-" Seungmin began, but she punched him in the shoulder, causing him to wince in pain.

"Hey, stop it." Felix stepped between them, shaking his head at Seungmin. "Be nice to my girlfriend!"

"Simp," Seungmin laughed.

"And you're not??" Felix tsked. "I'm surprised you weren't hiding with a certain someone."

"She ran away really fast when Han and Robin started counting. I guess she takes hide-and-seek really seriously," Seungmin sighed.

"I don't want to hear about either of you being simps," Hyunjin interrupted, shooting disgusted looks at his friends. "It's lame."

They both gave him equally skeptical stares, and he turned away, red-faced.

"Okay, let's go!" Robin declared, allowing Han to grab her wrist and charge through the woods once more.

"Yeah, I'm getting a little cold," Mya said, shivering as proof.

"You want my jacket?" Jeongin offered, immediately ripping the dark fabric off his broad torso.

After you all played a few more rounds of hide-and-seek - sans Minho and Tessa's fear tactics - everyone headed back to the camp. It was late, past midnight, and some of them were getting tired.

"You ready for bed?" Jeongin patted Mya on the head, and she blushed. No matter how many times she claimed they weren't together, they sure acted like a couple.

"Yeah, and we should probably check in on Areum too," Mya sighed, her eyes half-shut as she leaned on the tall man for support. "She might be hungry, or have to use the bathroom. Did we leave her in there too long?"

Jeongin chuckled, and nodded. "You're right, let's go. Maybe we can watch a movie instead."

"I'd like to go to bed too," Felix yawned. "You ready, Sunshine? I bet Bingsu misses you, he doesn't want to be alone."

Alaska shook her head. "If it's okay, I'd like to stay by the fire for a bit. I'm hopped up on sugar."

"Well, don't stay out too late." He pressed a quick kiss to her lips, before making his way towards their cabin.

"Can I hang out with you too?" Robin asked. "I think Han tired himself out yet again. Serves him right for running around like a banshee all night."

Alaska shrugged. "I'm so down!"

"Me too!" Renee exclaimed. "I love the fire, and those blankets are so fuzzy."

"Am I allowed to hang too, or is it girls only?" Seungmin asked. "I could be the designated fire boy."

"You know we'd always welcome you." Renee beamed at him, and his face turned redder than the fire behind them.

Minho and Tessa decided to head to bed as well, saying that they just wanted to lay down and eat popcorn with Mya and Jeongin. Chan went to look after the remaining dogs, Miso and Berry.

"Well, that's my sign to turn in, gotta take care of Kkami." Hyunjin waved to everyone. "Wanna come with, Bin? We can watch Junjie and Jiao too."

You glanced at Changbin, trying not to meet his gaze. He'd been distant with you all afternoon, and you had no idea why. While you were at the grocery store, he seemed totally fine, but when you came back, he'd shut down completely. Just when you thought you'd been making a bit of progress with him, he wouldn't talk to you. And when Changbin didn't talk, something was very wrong.

His eyes flickered to yours, then down to the ground. "Yeah, let's go," he said.

He brushed past you and across the clearing, not even sparing a glance back as he went.

Your breath caught in your throat as you watched him, hurt coursing through you. Had he forgotten about your time in Jeju? Had that meant nothing to him? Of course, you hadn't done much in terms of romance, but you thought you'd made it clear how you felt about him. Apparently, this was him making his feelings clear to you.

Taking a deep breath, you pushed your sadness away. "Mind if I sit with you guys too?" You asked the remaining group.

"Get your ass over here right now." Robin pointed to the extra chair next to her.

You smiled, taking the gray fold-out chair between her and Renee.

You, Robin, Riley, Alaska, Renee, and Seungmin all sat around the fire in silence, warming your hands by the flame. It was the perfect temperature for an autumn night, crisp and refreshing. You snagged a blanket from a pile on top of the tub of cooking supplies, snuggling underneath it.

"So... what's going on with you and Chan?" Alaska was the first to break the silence. Her legs swung back and forth as she sat on the tree stump between Riley and Seungmin. She raised her eyebrows at her friend expectantly.

Riley groaned, shaking her head. "You need to stop asking me that, nothing is going on between us!"

"Well , we all know you're lying, so now I'm asking you in front of everyone!" Alaska said cheerfully. "They all know it, right guys?"

Seungmin nodded. "I mean, it's pretty obvious."

"You're like, obsessed with each other," you agreed. "Couldn't stop goggling at each other the whole time at the lake."

"We were not! And I don't goggle," Riley glowered, her face flushed. "But... of course there are feelings. I just don't think they're reciprocated."

"Just because he didn't make a move the whole summer doesn't mean he doesn't like you," Alaska countered. "He could just be scared, right Seungmin?"

Chan's friend shrugged. "I guess so. He usually makes it pretty clear when he likes someone, he's not very smooth."

"See?" Riley stared at Alaska triumphantly. "He would have made it clear by now if he likes me!"

"I think he's made it pretty clear, though," Seungmin continued, ignoring the girl. "He won't stop staring at you, and he's always commenting on your Instagram posts. It's kind of annoying, actually."

"See!" Alaska jabbed a finger at her friend. "You're just blind as fuck, and you're in denial! You've been in denial since Jeju! If you'd just admit that he likes you back, then you could be in a relationship just like me and Felix. But nooo, you have to be stubborn."

"Well, you and Felix are like, soulmates," Riley sighed. "You've known each other since you were kids, and you've loved him forever, too. The only time besides Jeju that I've spent with Chan has been at work, and he acts so professional with me, it's like I'm just another one of his colleagues, not the girl who vomited on him at the club!"

"Do you want him to remember that?" You wrinkled your nose. "That was kind of gross."

"Well, at least he'd remember me at all," Riley grumbled. "And he tucked me into bed that night, remember? I'd like him to remember that too, but I'll take what I can get. Because right now, I have nothing."

"If you would just kiss him, he'd probably like that," Robin offered. "It worked on Han, it could work for you too."

"That would work on most guys," Seungmin put in. "If a girl did that to me, I'd be very happy."

You nudged Renee not-so-subtly. She covered her face with her blanket, not making eye contact with anyone, especially Seungmin. You weren't entirely sure what the two of them were at the moment, but Seungmin spent a lot of time FaceTiming and texting her while they were apart. Renee still insisted that they were not together, and yet they went on dates?

You supposed you couldn't judge her too harshly. You felt similarly about Changbin. What the hell were you? You liked him, but after his random coldness this evening, you weren't sure if he felt the same about you.

"Yeah, no that's not happening." Riley rolled her eyes. "He would probably never talk to me again. Not that he talks a lot to me now."

"So you wouldn't have anything to lose if you did kiss him!" Alaska pushed. "I bet he'd malfunction. What do you think Renee? Would you kiss a guy like that?"

"Oh, I don't think I'm brave enough for that." Renee laughed nervously. "Isn't it kind of romantic when the guy makes the first move? I love it when a guy shows that he's interested, and he doesn't care if he makes a fool of himself."

"When Felix started to follow his feelings instead of caring about what everyone else would say - especially Hyunjin - our relationship became a billion times better," Alaska said seriously. "Say what you want about simps, but I think they're a green flag."

"How do you know if a guy likes you?" you burst out before you could stop yourself.

All eyes turned to you, and your heart started to pick up. Why the hell had you said that? Now everyone would know about your weird boy problems, that you weren't the unattainable "gets every guy she wants' type of girl. That once again, you weren't perfect.

"What do you mean?" Robin scooted closer to you, eyes alight with interest. "Is there any particular guy you're talking about?"

You glowered at her. "Oh come on, don't make me say it. You know why I'm asking."

"But we want to hear it from you!" Renee perked up, the hand Seungmin had placed on her knee - when had that happened? - slipping off.

"Guys, I'm being serious," you hedged, trying to avoid all five of their searching stares.

"It's just one word, Hua," Riley smirked, waggling her eyebrows. "If you're gonna expose me, then I'm gonna do the same to you."

You groaned, throwing your hands up in defeat. "Fine. I want to know if Changbin likes me. I think I've made my feelings pretty damn clear, and I care a lot about how he feels about me, for some annoying reason. Are you happy?"

"Ooh, very." Alaska rubbed her hands together.

"Well, I'd say you and Robin are the two most qualified to answer that, right?" Renee glanced at the girls. "Since you're taken and all."

"You could be taken too, if you want." Robin frowned at both her and Seungmin, and they both blushed.

"I don't think you need to ask if Bin is into you, babe." Alaska raised a brow. "He's like, the king of simps. Besides Han. And Lix, of course."

"They are major simps, aren't they?" Robin chuckled. "I didn't think I would, but I love it."

"Well, I feel like he's been acting really distant with me, ever since we got back from the grocery store," you deflated, letting your usually-straight shoulders sag. "He would barely talk to me, and for Bin, that means something's wrong."

"You're right about that," Alaska agreed. "He never shuts the fuck up. Even I get annoyed sometimes. What do you think, Seung?" She turned to the only boy in the group.

Seungmin paused, contemplating. "Well, you know Changbin," he started. "He's all jokes and cockiness on the surface. But I've seen him on his bad days. He can spiral pretty quick if something triggers his self doubt. He's gone through a lot, and he just needs someone who will reassure him."

"But what if I'm not good at giving guys reassurance?" you asked softly, your voice uncharacteristically shaky. You were the queen of confidence, the one who had her shit together in every circumstance. But the prospect of having feelings - actual feelings - for a guy was way scarier than you'd anticipated. You were used to casual hookups or one-off posh events with asshole guys, before ditching them. And something told you that was not what would happen if you let Changbin into your life.

"Hua, you're a boss lady!" Alaska exclaimed. "You can do literally anything if you want to."

Robin nodded. "I didn't think I would ever get into an actual relationship, because I was scared. But with Han, it's different. I let my guard down for him, and it paid off."

"I've never done that before," you sighed. "I don't know if I can do that. All I think about is my job. And this vacation isn't really a vacation for me. It's for business. And after The Work Debacle, I can't afford for it to be any more than that, you know?"

"No!" everyone exclaimed.

Everyone except Renee.

Riley turned on the girl. "Why aren't you agreeing with us?? Hua needs to have fun!"

"Well..." Renee paused nervously, like the group was going to crucify her if she spoke up. "Hua's job is really important. And if she cares about her job that much, maybe she should wait on starting a relationship until after it's over?"

Alaska, Riley, and Robin all shared a look.

"Well, I might be biased because Bin is my friend," Seungmin spoke up first, "but if you can't balance work and romance, pick one."

"Work is important..." Alaska trailed off.

"You are a girlboss, Hua," Robin agreed.

"We don't want to see you stressed trying to juggle both," Riley added.

You nodded slowly, taking in all of your friends' advice. It was historically true that you couldn't balance your work and love life. Your lack of stable relationships was a testament to that.

Your friends were right, you had to pick one or the other. So, you should just stick to what you did best. And that was work, and only work.

Your relationship - if you could even call it that - with Changbin was just not meant to be. Not now.

laska's note —
damn... our girl has made her decision: she wants to work rather than try for a relationship 😔 who knows if changbin was even interested in a relationship to begin with, right? if she didn't think that she could be there for him when he had bad days... who knows if they would have worked out. what do you think they're gonna do?? neither of them seems to be fighting for their relationship. this is supposed to be a fun vacation, what's happening? 😭 let me know what you think will happen in the next couple chapters!

𝖭𝖤𝖷𝖳 𝖴𝖯：
𝟭𝟯 - 𝗮 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗼𝗸
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