ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗦𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗘𝗡
─◌✰್ 𝖺𝗇𝗀𝖾𝗋．
❝𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁?❞

Minho was beginning to think he wasn't as smooth with girls as he originally thought he was.

Don't get it twisted, he knew he was handsome. He was smart. He was (usually) nice. He was witty and sarcastic. Girls had always liked him. He'd never had a problem getting a date, even back in school. During Valentine's Day, multiple girls would send him letters, chocolate, and flowers. He was always the one to break hearts, not the other way around. People always regarded him as being smooth and cool. He was one of the hot guys.

You were an interesting mix. On one hand, you were a rebellious, angry girl who broke the rules at every turn. You didn't listen to teachers, you didn't listen to your parents, and you didn't care what anyone else thought about you. You hung out with the kids Minho would consider burnouts, even though you were smart when you wanted to be. Most people were a little scared of you, because you seemed kind of like a bitch.

Despite that, you were always the prettiest girl in the room. You turned heads, literally, no matter where you were. You were the reason a dress code existed, because your skimpy outfits had boys open-mouth staring in class. You would get routinely reprimanded, but that never stopped you. Guys would stand in line to ask you and your friends out, because you were the hot.

But for some reason, you always seemed to be single. You didn't really date around, even though you had options.

To be fair, Minho didn't really date around much either, when he realized that he had a crush on Alaska. He had to admit, he got a little hyper-focused on pursuing her, even when - especially when - he realized she was unattainable. That was just one thing on the long list of his girl-related fuck-ups.

But now, as he sat across from you in the limo, on your way to an unknown mansion for some crazy dating show, he wondered... should he really be chasing Alaska anymore? And more importantly, did he want to?

You were sipping out of a fancy glass water bottle that Riley had passed you from the cooler. Your eyes were closed as you leaned against the headrest. You looked tired, exhausted really.

He supposed he was partially responsible for that. He hadn't been the best newlywed husband, nor was he the most enjoyable dance partner. He kicked himself. Today was the shining star, the top of the list of reasons why he was clearly shitty with girls. He couldn't even show up properly for you on this special day.

He'd known how excited you were for your wedding, how much you looked forward to your first dance. He remembered little eleven year-old you, excitedly babbling to him about what dress you were going to wear, what song you would dance to, what food you wanted to have, and what cake you'd get. You were going to wear a mermaid-style gown, which you did. You would dance to Gotta Be You by One Direction, because apparently that was all the rage back then. And you would have egg rolls and Chinese food for dinner, and a lemon and vanilla cake.

You'd gotten none of those last things. And part of it was his fault.

He'd been too self-centered, to introspective, the whole day. All he'd been thinking about were his own problems. How he didn't want to get married at such a young age, to someone who didn't care about him anymore. How he found himself wishing, selfishly, that you still cared about him. How he maybe, maybe still cared about you. Maybe.

Last night had unlocked feelings for you that he didn't think still existed. Joking around with you, talking about things other than your parents or business, meant more to him than you would probably ever know. The banter that you'd always had when you were young was so natural, like you'd never left each other. A feeling he hadn't felt before started growing, and he realized just how much he'd yearned for a connection like that. Because ever since you left, he hadn't been able to find anyone to fill that hole. He'd been lonely. But when you were there, he was less so.

Maybe that was why he'd tried to gossip with you again, instead of having a meaningful conversation. He wanted to replicate the feelings from last night, that witty banter that he loved so much, without risking rejection. He didn't want you to ignore him and go back to the radio silence he'd endured for years. Why had he been surprised when it blew up in his face? You were at a wedding - your wedding. And he'd been too selfish to realize that, until too late.

Clearly, your parents hadn't listened to you when it came to the music, because you had never been much of a Bruno Mars girl. You always thought he was too sappy. And of course, you didn't even get an after party, or dinner, let alone a cake. You had always giggled about how you wanted to smash a piece of cake into your husband's face. Lovingly, of course.

He sighed, slumping in his seat. Just thinking about past you, and your wishes for the future, made him upset. His eyes were growing heavy, and his mouth was suddenly parched. He coughed, trying to clear his throat. It was scary, thinking about caring for another person again. And yet, the thought of caring about you made it less so.

He coughed again, as quietly as he could, but you heard him.

Without a word, you passed him your water bottle. Your gaze was still averted, staring out the window as fields of corn flashed by.

He stared down at the proffered bottle for a moment, stunned. How had you realized that he was thirsty? No one else was even paying attention to him. Riley was on her phone trying to play Pokémon Go, while Chris was listening to music.

You shook the bottle at him once, and he finally accepted, with a mumbled, "thank you," before taking a long drink. The cold water instantly soothed his throat. He couldn't help but look over at you.

Your face was still sullen, drained of emotion. It was like you'd given up on being angry. That worried him more than your aggressive mood swings. At least when you were mad, he knew you cared.

And as he stared at you a little longer, that foreign feeling began blooming in his chest.

Maybe it was time to start pursuing someone else.

———————————

Minho entered the mansion, followed by you, Riley, and Chris. Two of the other limos had already arrived.

"Into the living room please, Your Highnesses," the butler who stood at the door bowed at Minho, before ushering him, along with Tessa and the others, into a spacious room, decorated in dark brown and gold.

Minho would usually examine the entire room, the whole mansion, honestly. But he was immediately distracted by the person standing in the middle of the room.

Yeonjun.

What the hell was that guy doing here, in the mansion?

Dressed fully in black, as usual, with black boots, dress pants, and a button-up shirt with a cloak on top, he just stared at Minho. Those cold, blank eyes bored into his, and Minho barely suppressed a shiver.

Finally, Yeonjun nodded, motioning to two chairs and a loveseat on the side of the lounge. Eight of the other contestants, those from Alaska's and Seungmin's limos, were already seated, some on a couch and the rest in leather chairs.

"May I suggest the loveseat for the newlyweds?" Yeonjun shot the two sly grin, exposing blindingly white teeth.

Minho glowered at the man, but obeyed. What did he think he was playing at? Either he was extremely out of touch with societal rules, or he was pulling something. Whatever it was, it made Minho's skin prickle.

Minho sat down on the loveseat, and Tessa eventually followed, surprisingly without protest.

Finally, Hyunjin, Jeongin, Changbin, and Lanhua arrived, followed by the camera crew. The four took seats with the rest of the contestants. It was clear they, along with everyone else, were itching to know what was happening.

Yeonjun turned to face everyone, ignoring the cameramen. It was as if he was used to them.

Minho certainly wasn't. The whole ordeal made him nervous. From the bright lights to the crowded room, he wanted to take off down the hall for some peace and quiet.

"Hello Contestants!" Yeonjun said, his voice much too loud and eager for such a small crowd as he spoke directly into the camera, who had snuck behind everyone to film. "I want to start off by giving a huge welcome, and congratulations on being the lucky sixteen people to be chosen for this exciting new show! I'm Yeonjun, your host, and I'll be here for your entire one-month stay at the mansion. I'll also be overseeing all dates, challenges, and everything in between. So if you have any questions, please ask me. Now, I think it's time for us to take a tour of this amazing estate! Come on now!"

And with that, Yeonjun ushered everyone out of the lounge, and back through the hall.

"The room we were just in was the lounge. That's where you can spend downtime, and where we will meet every morning to talk about challenges and dates that are happening everyday!" Yeonjun chirped. "And here is the dining room!"

He'd led them through to a positively stunning room, covered in cream and ruby decor. From ruby-encrusted goblets to silk cream napkins, it was all immaculate.

Yeonjun continued to lead the group through room after room, leaving nothing out. Minho's energy started to wane as they traipsed through the eighth bedroom, which looked quite similar to the last seven. He wondered if this was fully necessary. He was bound to get lost no matter how thoroughly Yeonjun showed them around, so he might as well give up now.

After an entire hour of wandering through the beautiful house, everyone arrived back at the lounge, where everyone to sat down again. Once again, Minho found himself in the loveseat next to you. He wondered what the chances were of that.

Not that he minded, he decided. Having you right next to him felt like he had a friend, like he wasn't the awkward one left out, trying to figure out who would want to sit next to him. It was like middle school all over again, and he kind of liked it.

"Now, I think it's time for everyone to introduce themselves," Yeonjun said as he took a seat at the head of the group, in the decidedly nicest chair. "But this isn't going to be like any regular old self introduction. Some of you may not have met before, and don't know a lot about one another. And we can't have that. You all have to get to know each other as quickly as possible, if you really want to find love."

Minho listened, suspicion starting to grow inside him. What did this guy have up his sleeve? Whatever it was, it wouldn't be any good.

"So, along with your self-introduction, I would like everyone to tell a secret. Something that you've never told anyone else. I have a device that can tell if you're lying or not, and the brighter it glows, the deeper the secret is. The deeper the secret, the more points you receive. These points will accumulate with the next game, and the person who gets the most points will get to pick anyone they want to take for a date, ignoring all new laws. So choose carefully."

Of course. Of course it wasn't going to be easy. Minho's heart started thudding so hard his ears ached. He had to admit, because he never let anyone into his life fully, he had a lot of secrets. But that meant he didn't want to share them with anyone, let alone a group of strangers.

Or even worse, a group of strangers that consisted of his crush - ex crush? - and his childhood best friend.

"So, who would like to go first?" Yeonjun glanced around the group, his eyes glinting like he was hunting for prey. Minho grimaced.

Yeonjun pulled something out from behind the couch, brandishing it obviously before the cameras. "This is what will show me if you are telling the truth, that what you tell is a secret, and how deep of a secret you're telling. Now, again, who will go first?"

After a few heavy pauses, Robin slowly raised her hand, like she was worried that she would get shot.

"Erm, I guess I can go first, if no one else wants to," she said with a small grin. "I'm a pretty open book, so I don't have a lot of secrets. But... my one secret is that my parents have made me use love potions on people before. And," she paused, as if she was debating if she should keep talking, before saying, "I've used a love potion on one of you."

Gasps of surprise reverberated around the room. Mya covered her mouth as she stared at the girl. JJ raised her eyebrows, while Seungmin frowned. Changbin gaped, open-mouthed, at his friend.

Minho wasn't sure what to make of this revelation. Did it have anything to do with what you and he had heard the night before? Was she here to continue using love potions on all the guys, until she could make one of them fall for her? And why would she admit something as serious as that? This was just a stupid game that Yeonjun was making them play.

Finally, everyone turned to look at the truth-telling contraption that sat on the table next to Yeonjun. It looked like a large crystal, sat on a black stand. Minho wondered how something so simple could really determine if someone was telling the truth or not.

As Robin finished speaking, the crystal turned a nice forest green.

"Very good," Yeonjun commented, clearly pleased. "The darker the green, the more deep of a secret you told. Apparently, you just told a pretty important secret. For that, you'll get 88 out of 100 points."

"Thank you," Robin sat back in her seat, glancing around the circle, as if she was daring anyone to do better than that.

Minho realized he did have something that could get him more than 88 points. And it was something that he'd been wanting to get off his chest for awhile anyway. Well, ever since last night, at least. He wasn't sure what to do with all of his feelings, and maybe sharing them with everyone else for once could be a good start.

Of course, that might be absolutely crazy, seeing as this was on national television.

But before he could stop, he found himself raising his hand. "I'll go next."

Yeonjun nodded, and everyone's eyes turned to face him. He couldn't bring himself to look into your burning gaze, so he just kept his head down. He knew what he wanted to say. All he had to do was just get the words, "I might be starting to like a girl who I used to be friends with, but now hates me" out of his mouth.

But then he thought about how angry you were getting married to him. How upset you were today, when he wouldn't talk to you. How upset you'd been at him for years, really. It was clear you wanted absolutely nothing to do with him. It was clear you didn't feel the same way as he did. Last night had been meaningless, stupid, actually. Nothing had happened.

"I'm not ready to get married to someone I'm not in love with."

No, that was all wrong. If he could just restart, turn back time, and say what he'd actually meant to-

Before he could go back on his words and try to rephrase what his dumb mouth had just said, you stood up, eyes watery, and fled from the room.

Fucking idiot. He berated himself, cheeks bright red as he stared at his lap.

Yeah, he was absolutely terrible with girls.

laska's note —
oh minho... why the hell would you say that??? how is he going to get himself out of this one? we all know how tessa feels about him, if only he would just talk to her! not that she would ever admit her love-hate feelings to him... and what about robin?? who did she give a love potion to? and what about everyone else, what were their secrets?? give me your predictions, because there's still so much more to come!!

𝖭𝖤𝖷𝖳 𝖴𝖯：
𝟭𝟴 - 𝘁𝗵𝗲
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