ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗥𝗧𝗘𝗘𝗡
─◌✰್ 𝖺 𝗀𝗈𝗈𝖽 𝖼𝗈𝗈𝗄

mymymy okay you didn't need to @ me we got it damn
> minniemouse- ig he wanted you to remember your place
    > the.official.hwang @mymymy you ARE short asf
        > mymymy @minniemouse- @the.official.hwang this is why i hate you guys sometimes

sunshine.lix you're dressed so nice for going camping
> ramenoodlaska it's alaska approved, i love the coat
    > sunshine.lix @ramenoodlaska okay should i be dressing like that too??
        > ryerye @sunshine.lix ooh why so jealous lix 🤭

catdad_lee would've been funny if @mymymy did push u
> changaroo97 kinda shocked she would even do that, why not alaska or riley?
    > the.official.hwang @changaroo97 she's less chaotic than laska but she can still be mean
        > catdad_lee @the.official.hwang yeah... short girls are scary
            > matchatess @catdad_lee if that's also aimed at me, i'm not even that short bitch

"Do you think these dark blue pants are 'fall' enough?" JJ raised her eyebrows at the oversized denim jeans in her hands. "You know I'm not big on oranges or purples, or bright colors."

"Girl, you look amazing no matter what you wear," you assured your friend. "And that black baby tee and your cardigan would match perfectly."

JJ eyed the black-brown shirt sitting in her suitcase, before shrugging and picking it up. "Okay, then you have to wear that cropped sweater."

"Since when have you been a fashionista?" you smirked, snagging the cream and beige sweater anyway. "I brought this because I thought it would go with my new Gucci bag. I know I shouldn't have brought it camping, but... this is a work event, ya know??"

"Going to a pumpkin patch is part of the work event?" JJ chuckled, yanking the oversized wolf t-shirt she always wore to sleep over her head. "Damn, I wish I had your job."

You sighed, shaking your head. "You know what I mean. But Se Ri did say I should have some fun, so that's what I'm doing today. I've allotted myself one day of fun, before we get back to business. So what do you think, jeans, or trousers?"

"Hmm..." JJ studied the two pairs, before pointing at the jeans. "Those. I would say be careful not to get dirty, but I know you. I don't think I've ever seen one item of yours with so much as a stain."

"Yeah, what can I say." You smiled sheepishly, tugging your pants and sweater on. "How much time to we have? I want to look perfect for today."

"For today? Or for someone?" JJ wiggled her eyebrows at you, and you groaned in response.

"Stop it!" you complained. "Is it a crime to want to look good?" Flopping down onto your bed, you pulled out your makeup bag and mirror, before starting your routine.

JJ sat next to you, her much smaller makeup bag in hand. "It's not a crime, no matter what - or who - you're trying to impress. Actually, I'd encourage it. You deserve to find a guy who wants to spend more time with you outside of rather than inside your bed. And I think Bin could be that guy."

You slicked black eyeliner over your lids in one perfect sweep, before moving on to mascara. "I'm know how amazing he is, J. And obviously, I really like him. I've liked him ever since we met back home. But... I think it's just better if I focus on my job instead, ya know? For now."

"Hua, you've been focusing on your job since you were born," JJ deadpanned, setting down her maroon lip tint with a scrutinizing stare. "Now is literally the perfect time for you to-"

"J, I talked with the others, and they all agree with me. Besides, he's been acting cold recently, so how am I even supposed to know how he feels?" you groaned, closing your eyes and pressing a finger to the middle of your forehead. God, were relationships supposed to be this stressful? Maybe it was a good thing every guy had ditched you before you could get into one.

JJ opened her mouth to object, but before she could speak, the door to your shared bedroom swung open, and Hyunjin and Changbin burst in.

"Are we finally ready to go? It's been, like, five hours." Hyunjin checked his watch, huffing loudly and pouting at the two of you.

You rolled your eyes at the man. "Oh chill, it's barely been an hour. Besides, you probably took the same amount of time as we did."

"I did not!" Hyunjin protested, turning to Changbin for help.

But he just shrugged, not coming to his friend's defense.

"Okay, you're all the worst," Hyunjin grumbled, making to leave.

JJ chuckled, standing up and patting him on the shoulder. "We're almost ready, Hyun. Just go get some breakfast and we'll be out."

"By the way, what do you think of our outfits?" you blurted before you could stop yourself.

Hyunjin barely spared you a passing glance. "You look fine, like always. I'm hungry, see ya."

Changbin gaze lingered on you for what felt like years, before wordlessly following his friend out of the cabin.

JJ's brows were so raised they almost disappeared off her forehead.

"What??" you demanded, knowing your voice was much too defensive to sound casual.

"I didn't say anything," JJ shrugged, a smirk on her face. "I'll see ya out there, Hua. Don't take too long, or the guys might have a meltdown."

You sighed, nodding at your friend's retreating figure.

God, what was wrong with you and your loose mouth today? And why did you feel the sudden urge to demand your male friend's opinion on your clothing choice? You had never been the biggest fashion buff, outside of expensive and professional-wear. And you certainly didn't care what other men thought of you.

But who were you kidding? No matter how hard you tried to listen to your friend's advice, you still cared about Changbin. And even if he didn't want to be with you anymore, you wanted to be with him. And you cared what he thought about you, a lot.

You groaned, spreading a quick coat of nude-tinted gloss across your lips, before slipping it into your bag and exiting the cabin.

Apparently, you were the last one ready, because the rest of the group was already outside, making breakfast. Clearly, you wouldn't be getting much use out of the cabin kitchens, because everyone wanted to cook together.

"Hua, come try this!" Mya called, waving a spoon full of miso soup over her head, sloshing some onto the plastic table in front of her.

"Mya, please set the spoon down!" Jeongin tried to snatch it out of her hand, but she yanked away, continuing to wave it around.

"No, I want Hua to try it!" Mya insisted. "I helped make it, I want to prove that I'm a good cook."

"Girl, you just helped boil the water!" Riley yelled at her friend from her spot by the fire. Her hands were shoved into the pockets of her fuzzy black jacket, a plate of rice and grilled mackerel on her lap.

"Okay, no one needed to know that!" Mya whined as you approached. "Try it! Jeongin and I worked together. His miso recipe is the best."

Jeongin scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. "It's my mom's recipe, she taught it to me when I was a kid. Minho and Tessa are doing the hard part."

Minho waved from his spot crouched by the fire. He was grilling the mackerel, while Tessa stood next to him, gutting the fish.

"We got your plate ready whenever you want it." Minho pointed to a white paper plate sitting on one of the foldout chairs. "When you're done, we'll head over to the pumpkin patch."

Mya practically forced the spoon down your throat, and you dutifully drank the sip of soup. The salty, umami flavors burst on your tongue, and you smiled.

"You two did amazing," you complimented, placing the spoon back on the table. "Can I get a bowl?"

Mya clapped her hands, turning and throwing her arms around Jeongin. "See, I knew we did a good job!" she exclaimed into his shirt.

You raised your eyebrows at Jeongin, who just grinned awkwardly at you, his face red. It certainly didn't seem like he minded the physical contact. And those two still weren't officially dating??

When the whole group finished with their breakfast, you all got into your assigned cars, and drove to the pumpkin patch.

"It's literally the perfect day for this!" Tessa exclaimed as you all got out of the car. She stared admiringly at the clear blue sky.

"I was worried it would be as cold as yesterday," Robin agreed, coming to stand next to you. "Thank god I wore a thin shirt."

As your whole group headed into the pumpkin patch, you too marveled at the sunny day. Crowds of families flooded the grassy enclosure, children scrambling for the largest pumpkin, dogs chasing each other and weaving around their owner's legs. Stands selling popcorn, apple cider, turkey legs, and more surrounded the patch, with a corn maze at the far edge.

"What should we do first??" Alaska and Mya hurried over to the group, followed by the others.

"I want to get apple cider," Tessa decided. "who wants to go with me?"

"Ooh, I love cider!" Alaska exclaimed. "Wanna go, Lix? We'll bring Bingsu!"

Her boyfriend grinned and nodded. "Of course, Sunshine."

And her mood did indeed match the color of sunshine. She wore a humongous smile that would blind anyone in its path, paired with a cropped navy blue sweater and chocolate brown boyfriend jeans.

"I really like apple cider." Minho put in.

Everyone just stared at him.

He averted his eyes from his friends. "What? It's true."

"Okayyy." Tessa shot him a suspicious look before turning to the rest of the group. "Anyone else wanna go with us?"

Seungmin and Chan, who was walking Berry, agreed to accompany them.

"I'd like to do the corn maze!" Mya called out, pointing. "Doesn't it look like fun?"

"I love corn mazes," Riley agreed. "I could scare some lost strangers. Are we allowed to steal the corn? Or is that illegal?"

"It's the middle of the day, I don't think anyone will be scared." Hyunjin raised his eyebrows. "Maybe I should go, to protect these aforementioned 'lost strangers.'"

"I like corn mazes too," JJ chimed in, straightening her t-shirt. "And I'm so down to steal corn, we could make corn on the cob."

"I just want to find the perfect pumpkin," Robin said. "Han, you wanna go with me?"

"I really like pumpkins, and so does Bbama! Can we turn them into pumpkin pie later?" Han asked eagerly.

"Uh, no!" Robin gasped, like he'd suggested they kick a puppy. "We're carving them into jack-o-lanterns, duh!"

"Okay after that, then pie?" he persisted.

"I'm pretty hungry, I think I want popcorn," Changbin spoke up.

"You're always hungry." Seungmin rolled his eyes, and Changbin glowered at him.

"I'd like some popcorn too, if that's okay with you," you said, before Changbin could walk away.

He paused, not meeting your gaze. "Yeah, why wouldn't it be?"

Each group split off from each other, you and Changbin heading over to the popcorn line together. He hadn't spoken one word to you all day. He didn't talk to you during breakfast, just sitting silently, while devouring two fish and a plate of rice. For the entire car ride too, he just drove, occasionally petting Jiao, who sat squished in your lap. And now, as he walked a couple feet ahead of you, you knew you had to talk to him. Whether you were going to listen to your friends and avoid a relationship or not, the silence was killing you.

The two of you got in at the end of the line, standing side by side. You moved so close to him, your arms brushed. You watched in conflicted fascination as a muscle in his jaw twitched, his arms crossing over his chest, those muscles bulging. It was as if he was battling to control himself from looking at you, and he was losing.

"Bin..." you started, searching for the right words. He already seemed so on-edge, you didn't want to set him off. "I don't know what I've done to hurt your feelings, or make you mad, but I'm sorry for this morning. I didn't mean to ask you about my outfit, I know that was weird and unnecessary, especially when you had such a long day yesterday. So... after this, I'll just leave you alone. I thought that-" you stopped short, collecting yourself. "I don't want to get in the way of your vacation."

Changbin stared at you, those intense brown eyes boring into yours. He opened his mouth, like he was going to say something, before snapping it shut, and turning away.

You pursed your lips, swallowing quietly and trying not to give a shit. You shouldn't care that he was essentially agreeing to you leaving him alone from now on. That was a good thing, wasn't it? Now you could just focus on your job, killing this event, and making your boss happy. Who cared that just over a day ago, Changbin had been hugging you, giving you advice, and making you feel like a better version of yourself? Clearly, something happened that made him second-guess his decision to take a chance on you. And you were okay with that.

But the longer you stood next to him, breathing in his musky scent, staring at his kind, handsome face, you couldn't even lie to yourself.

laska's note —
oh hua... we love our girl, but she's struggling so much! and right now, bin isn't helping her right now either, since he's full of self doubt 😔 will hua now give up, even though she's had so many amazing memories with him? i bet it was hard being away from him for such a long time since jeju. but it's also hard when the person you're interested in isn't putting in effort either. let's hope they'll work it out, and soon! seeing them like this is so sad 😭 i can't wait for these next couple of chapters, they're gonna be so good! and we can't wait for the halloween chapter! i wonder if you can figure out who everyone's gonna be... 😏

𝖭𝖤𝖷𝖳 𝖴𝖯：
𝟭𝟰 - 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘂𝗴𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝘂𝗺𝗽𝗸𝗶𝗻
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