BEhind the scenes #6

Loosing control.

“I have to talk to you.“

Yoongi was sporting his poker face, his voice sounding even more indifferent than usual when he was telling Namjoon about what MBC had decided to do. 

"You are kidding me right now, aren't you?", the rapper asked and shook his head. "I can't believe they are taking you off the show as a producer. I mean you were the one who suggested to start this. How can they take this away from you so easily?! It's YOUR project!"

"It's because Bachelors' Paradise became the most popular show in South Korea. China and Japan are already asking for the production rights for a foreign version. Of course MBC is taking the show away from me. It's a ton of money right in front of them. You know how greedy people can be." Yoongi sounded tired, yet his worries were not coming from MBC taking his show away from him. To him the idea of a dating show had always sounded obscure. Yet, he had agreed to start this all.... because the others had asked for it. Namjoon knew how much Yoongi cared about the others even though he wasn't showing it too much. 

"Can't you fight back? I mean you could afford it.", Namjoon tried but Yoongi just shook his head.

"You know me. I'm not that much of a fighter. At least not for a thing like this. When this show ends, the purpose is fulfilled. What do I need the rights for it for then? I don't need the money. I don't need the show. It's going to be baggage to me, nothing else." 

For once Namjoon felt frustrated about his friend. "Fine.", he ultimately gave in. "Since it won't affect us anyway once it's over, I get it. Are you going to tell the others about it, though?" 

Yoongi stayed silent for a while and Namjoon knew that his answer was a No. He wouldn't tell the others. Which was terrible. To Namjoon the others deserved to know about the change that was happening. All of them were relying on what Yoongi was doing behind the scenes, how he decided to edit things in and out. If he wasn't able to do this anymore the bachelors at least had to know about it so they could be a little more cautious about how they were acting in front of the cameras. "Yoongi..."

"No. You know what will happen the moment I tell them about this. They will make me fight. And I don't want to fight. Not this fight at least. It's not only MBC. It's also Universal Musics that is trying to have a piece of the big cake. Jungkook attracted them like honey attracts flies. The chances that I win this aren't that big and I don't want to spend my energy on something senseless.", the producer still argued and shook his head. 

Yeah, he wasn't willing to fight... because Yoongi kept preferring the comfort of doing nothing and staying out of conflicts over what was right. Namjoon wasn't about the easy life, though. He wouldn't stand still and watch those greedy bastards taking away what was theirs. He'd force Yoongi to fight back, even if he had to take some risks. Namjoon believed enough in Yoongi to change things. 

But unfortunately Namjoon should be wrong about this.

It was a disaster. 

Namjoon had pushed the whole homouality thing right into Yoongi's and basically the world's face as the cameras had been around when the bachelors met up to talk about the elimination. And Seokjin had hopped on the train, not knowing what they had just caused. They didn't know that Yoongi wasn't able to edit stuff out anymore. Too much they had relied on his power this time. But it wasn't doable. Because he had signed out of any production issues right before the bachelor talk. 

He didn't want to fight anyone, let them have the show if those greedy vultures were so desperate for it. For Yoongi and his friends the show should have only been about focusing on love. This money making stuff was bullcrap. So, yes, Yoongi had decided to loose this combat without fighting.

But here he was now, with the editors and producers smelling all the potential, all the money coming from this huge scandal. Juna was the daughter of the famous actor couple Lee Minja and Kang Namshik and she was gay. They would ruin her life if they ever aired this on national TV. And Yoongi wasn't able to do anything about it anymore. This was the kind of drama he had wanted to avoid. 

Thank you, Namjoon. 

He couldn't even get angry at the rapper as Yoongi knew exactly what Namjoon had tried to do. The producer was even tempted to tell everyone about him loosing the power of editing. But what for? Fighting with the producers for telling his friends? Getting his friends angry at him for giving up so easily on something they had worked on together? They wouldn't understand. They wouldn't understand that they did not need this show. That once they found their soulmates, this would come to a closure. They didn't need the show. He didn't need the show. So why keeping it and even waste energy on protecting it? Or wasting energy on telling them?

He had to do one thing, nevertheless. He had to talk to Juna about this. Now that Namjoon had thrown the bomb into the audience, it wasn’t possible to avoid it destroying everything around anymore. So the least Yoongi had to do was tell her about it first. This was going where it shouldn’t have, so Yoongi felt responsible for publicly ruining the girl. Especially now that he had started to like her.

It wasn’t that difficult to find Juna before the rose ceremony, what was more of an obstacle were all the camera staffs suddenly running around to catch one or two bachelors interacting with the girls. Now that he had lost the privilege of being able to edit the show to his liking, he had to be cautious of not getting caught. When Yoongi found Juna in her room, she was already dressed in a colorful, flashy dress and in the middle of applying her make-up when he tried to grab her attention by whistling. The first time she completely ignored it, the second time she looked a little surprised and lost at the same time. Like a startled bunny she was straightening up and looking from the right to the left.

“Juna!“, Yoongi hissed towards her.

“God?“, she asked and looked up.

Again Yoongi was reminded of why he didn’t like her in the first place. “…no, Yoongi!“

“…you’re God?!“ And of why he liked her in the second.

“Turn around.“

Juna slowly turned around and got waved over by the bachelor, who led her through the hallway to one of the empty rooms. On their way two camera guys were standing in front of a room, one of them throwing a short glance over his shoulder, noticing Yoongi and Juna. Yoongi squinted his eyes at him and shortly shook his head, the guy’s eyes widened as he slowly moved his head back.

In the safety of one of the empty rooms Yoongi was finally able to talk to Juna about what was bothering him. The fact that at least to her the world would look a lot different once she’d leave the show and there was no way to avoid this outcome, waiting to be revealed. “Juna… there’s something I want to tell you. And something I want to ask you. Because there’s been the discussion about you being-“

“Gay? Yes, I am. So what?“ Like she was talking about cute puppies, she smiled at Yoongi with no care in the world about this issue. 

Yoongi was obviously struck by her honesty about her uality. But the honesty caused multiple other questions to pop up. Like for example why a gay person would even try to be a part of this show. Was she all about the recognition? All about the fame? That fame would be out of reach once the broadcaster would show the bachelors’ discussion on national TV. “But why did you apply for the show then?“ What on earth were the staffs doing that had been responsible for choosing the contestants? They easily let a homoual girl apply. Yoongi wouldn’t let something like that happen again if there ever was a season 2 to be coming up. Oh wait… he wasn’t in charge anymore. So why did he even care?

“My mother decided that I should try finding love here.“, Juna again answered with a disarming honesty. Her mother?

“Does she know that you’re…?“ Yoongi didn’t want to sound discriminating but for some reason the word was difficult to say out loud. Luckily Juna grabbed on what he was trying to say immediately.

“She knows.“ The cheerfulness in her eyes suddenly faded a little.

“But she still sent you here?“ In other words: This mother was not accepting the fact that her daughter was gay. Which was very sad. Yoongi felt so much more respect for Juna than before.

Juna only nodded in response, trying to keep up the smile that suddenly reflected a lot of troubles and sadness that were bothering her in the deepest corner of herself. Yoongi could see it too clearly. Because he was doing the same. He kept the things that bothered him away from the world. Just that he was less cheerful than Juna. A lot less cheerful. What hurt Yoongi even more was the fact that with the revelation of Juna’s uality on national TV, any chances to find a job in Korea’s limelight would be gone for her. And that was all she had been doing before. Modeling, acting… those would be gone forever. At least in Korea.

“… you should know that we discussed this… and we’ll send you home. MBC will reveal our reasons, so your uality will be revealed to the public.“, Yoongi cautiously tried to tell her but Juna didn’t look very bothered. 

The woman shrugged and gave him a ‚So what?‘ expression. “I don’t care about what people think about me. I am who I am. Nobody can change that. I love myself. If others can’t accept that, it’s their problem, not mine.“

Yoongi frowned at her words. “Are you sure? What about your job? This is going to kill not only your but also your parent’s reputation. They’re both well-known actors, this will not go by that easily. I am worried about your chances to keep on doing jobs in the entertainment industry like before.“

This seemed to be the the weak spot of Juna. Her smile cracked and what was left was the helpless expression of a young woman that did not know what to do with her life. Her body tensed, she didn’t look as relaxed as always and even her breathing slowed down.

“…uhm.“, she tried to figure out what to say. “I usually don’t think about stuff like that…“

“Do you have anywhere to go after the show? Some place you can work at? Just something that will keep you surviving out there.“

Juna speechlessly looked at Yoongi, opening but nothing coming out of it. She looked like a fish, taken out of the water and now being exposed to the fresh air outside of the safe wet.

“I…no…I just…“ She grew smaller and smaller, the longer the conversation went on. “…I don’t really have something like that… but also… the entertainment industry was never a place where I did a decent job.“ Juna shrugged apologetically, looked up at Yoongi and tried to give him a little smile but it looked rather distorted than genuine. “I did acting because my mother pushed me to do so and I was bad. I did modeling for similar reasons… and I wasn’t great at it either. I’m also not very smart… I don’t know what to do. But it’s not that I ever knew what I should do. I just haven’t found my place in this world yet. I don’t even know if there’s something like the right place at all.“

From how Yoongi was used to see Juna, this side of her had nothing to do with the cheerfulness and carelessness that she was trying so hard to keep up to hide all the insecurities behind it. Yoongi felt like . If he just hadn’t signed that contract he could have edited out all of this. Heck, he could have done so much…! But now he was out of it. And for what? To avoid suing MBC, to avoid fighting and the price he paid for it was the life of someone being ruined who didn’t deserve all of this.

The silence in which Yoongi was thinking carefully about what to do and in which Juna was trying so hard to get her guards back up felt like forever. And when forever was over, Yoongi had actually come up with an idea.

“How much do you think your parents will fight against MBC and this scandal?“, he wanted to know.

“Hm?“ Juna blinked at him a few times, not knowing what he needed to know this for. Neither did she seem to even know the answer. “I don’t know. I think they will definitely fight back, maybe even sue MBC. But I don’t know how far it will get.“

Yoongi nodded.

“Then tell them to call me when they start suing MBC.“

This fight wasn’t over yet. Yoongi might have wanted to avoid fighting MBC because of this stupid show that nobody needed but he definitely would fight if that meant he could save someone’s life with only trying to.

Yes, Bunbun was angry. Angry, disappointed and she felt utterly humiliated. How could she have expected that this would go any other way? Her web of lies was comfortable but also too fragile to keep intact with runts like Jungkook running around.

The bartender just wanted to leave but had to wait for the others. She was leaning against the big, black car, watching how Inguk was telling Jiho his goodbyes and how Jimin was still crying right in front of Juna while Miso was doing the exact same thing.

“Tsk. Amateurs.“, she muttered but had to admit that she was for a fact envious.

Seeing how the MC was caring for the girl that had decided to leave on her own, how Jimin was not crying over Bunbun but over Juna and how Juna had managed to bond that strong with Miso that the girl was shedding tears even more than the man bachelor. Oh… who was Bunbun to even judge. She knew she wasn’t in the position to do so. But also… she always felt guilty, what was one more little reason then?

Goodbye fancy luxury life. Goodbye bachelors of whom one could have been the way out of Bunbun’s miserable life. Goodbye cleaning up after those messy girls. Heck, the messes. It was disgruntling Bunbun still how she had to clean up after the other women if she wanted to keep the house at least a little decently clean. It was stressful. So stressful. But also… it was fun. And yeah… maybe Bunbun had really hoped that someone would get her out of that pathetic life she called her own. Great. Now the anger had completely vanished and made way too much space for regret and sadness. But this was to be expected. How could a person like Bunbun ever deserve happiness? Even all the praying didn’t make things better for her.

“You just shouldn’t have started the lying.“

Hoseok’s voice interrupted the woman’s train of thoughts. He was standing in front of her, his arms crossed as he looked at her with the most serious expression on that Bunbun ever noticed Hoseok showing in front of others.

“It could have gone another way. I really believed in what you were saying. I even hoped that it was real.“, he told her.

Bunbun chuckled slightly as she heard him speak and then almost unnoticeable shook her head. She wanted to open and present him another of her sweet lies but then found it more than pointless to go on with the charade in front of Hoseok. Yet… did she really want to tell Hoseok about her messed up life? The struggle with her mother who gave her away and how Bunbun always had to fight on her own? No. No way. So she kept quiet.

The girl just sheepishly looked up at the bachelor who was still striking that serious pose. Hoseok had brightened up her day. That wasn’t even a lie. And among all those nightmares that had tortured her, once or twice Hoseok showed up and gave her some hope even in her darkest dreams. His cheerful personality had been what she had wanted for herself. Being as bright as him. Seeing him now that serious, far away from the ever-smiling person he was made her feel … satisfaction.

“Thank you.“, she said and obviously confused him with it.

“For what?“, he wanted to know and raised his eyebrows.

Bunbun smiled. “For showing me that even someone like you can’t be happy the entire time.“

The airport was rather busy but as always none of the bachelors had a problem with long lines or uncomfortable waiting. In front of the gate the seven guys were already waiting to board the airplane when Inguk was sending them off, a butler right next to him helping Hoseok out of his jacket.

“…don’t forget that you need to be more active.“, Inguk reminded the bachelors, speaking extra loud so the footage that the staffs were currently recording turned absolutely useless. They couldn’t use anything if any of them mentioned production stuff.

Inguk was a little annoyed by how things went. He only got to know about the production staff change because Namjoon had told him after he had asked, noticing that something within the scripts looked a lot different from before. Was he angry about Yoongi not telling him? Hahahaha…yes. And it made him all the more glad that he had asked Jiho to leave the show. This wasn’t for her. Little, innocent Jiho should be protected from all this happening.

“Why do we even have to change anything from the way we act? It’s been fine until now.“, Hoseok muttered and got himself some chewing gum out of his bag.

“Because some things have changed after Episode 5.“, Namjoon backed Inguk’s words up, Yoongi just sitting on one of the seats, not saying anything about it and instead focusing on the airplanes outside.

“The broadcasters are a little angry about how things went until now. The whole secrecy stuff going on behind closed curtains that they wanted not to happen.“ Inguk’s eyes wandered over to Jungkook and Jimin, both of them shrugging as if they were the innocence in person. “That’s were the winds of change are coming from.“

Hoseok suddenly looked as if he finally understood something very important. He didn’t look happy about it, though. “OH!“, he exclaimed. “That’s why they changed my scripts for Namjoon?! This ! I have to say all those lines myself now if I want them to appear on screen!“

Namjoon behind him formed prayer hands and thanked God for this little change, moving his lips in silence and immediately putting his hands back to normal when Hoseok turned around to him.

Inguk sighed. Those guys were idiots.

Good thing the cameras were focusing on Minseo and Seokjin when the different groups split up and explored the little town. Namjoon was glad the crew considered him, Nara and Yeonhee as ‚too boring‘, so no interest was spent on them.

“Should we take a short walk?“, Namjoon suggested in a very calm moment when the staffs were busy capturing Minseo and Seokjin feeding each other for eternity. Nara and Yeonhee both immediately nodded and followed the rapper, the silence around them being a welcomed change.

The sun was shining brightly while a fresh breeze was refreshing the three, none of them dared to say anything however until Namjoon broke the ice.

“Let’s play a game.“, he suddenly decided for all of them and clapped his hands.

Yeonhee frowned a little, her loose bun allowing some soft streaks of hair to dance in the wind. Next to her, Nara’s red mane looked a lot more like a blazing flame.

“I will ask you some things, you will answer them to me and I will reward you with something in return of the same worth, okay?“, he offered and while Yeonhee looked a lot hesitant, Nara was immediately up for the fun. So, Namjoon went on and directed his words at Yeonhee first. “You’re so perfect.“ As he said that Nara next to him wrinkled her nose. “Is there anything you can tell me about you that is not screaming business? Something that I don’t know yet?“

Yeonhee still looked uncomfortable talking about it, maybe because Nara was right there with them. She hadn’t been that reluctant when she and Namjoon had been all alone at the balcony during the night. But Nara was… intimidating.

“Come on, this is about opening up to me. I’m into stuff like that.“ His own words caused Namjoon to laugh but he still went on like that. Yet, it had to be Nara who offered him something to work with.

“Yeonhee has a tattoo. That might be interesting.“, the matchmaker helped the bachelor and Yeonhee’s expression immediately was filled with indignation.

Namjoon wasn’t able to hide his excitement about it, however. “You have a tattoo?! What is it?“

As Yeonhee remained silent, Nara told him what he wanted to know, feeding his excitement with answers that got him all the more hyped.

“Two Koi fishes.“, Nara solved the intriguing mystery and Namjoon’s appreciation for it was so real, it made the matchmaker proud.

“What do they stand for?“

If looks could have killed, Nara would be dead meat by now.

“It’s something personal…“, Yeonhee told him and slightly looked passed him to directly lock eyes with the matchmaker that looked back at her nonchalantly. “I don’t want to talk about it.“

The assertiveness in her voice was strong enough to make Nara and Namjoon feel uncomfortable for pushing her, the bachelor very soon turned around to the other contestant, clearing his throat and quickly changing the topic.

“Heeeey, I heard you talked to Yoongi. Kicked his verbally. Cool thing.“

“You know about that?“, Nara asked and sounded obviously amused.

“Yeah, Yoongi told me. Strong move. I didn’t know you were matchmaking that actively on the show. Also I didn’t know what to think about the others and couples that thoroughly either. Your interpretation of Yoongi as a princess and then Johanna as Belle and Mihoon as Ariel sounds pretty cool. I can see why you say Yoongi needs his Ariel.“

Yeonhee frowned immediately when she heard Nara trying to intervene with others’ businesses behind everyone’s back. She couldn’t understand Namjoon’s fascination over it either, probably because she didn’t know about the exact words that had fallen but to her it was very clear: She wouldn’t let Nara go with it that easily. If she was of the opinion to meddle, then Yeonhee now would do the same. Even if it was only to show Nara that there were limits for her, too.

“Do you really think Mihoon and Yoongi match that well? After all they are both quite cynical and closed off from the world, which makes them quite similar. In my opinion this is the reason they wouldn't work. Every dreamer needs a realist to keep them grounded and every realist needs a dreamer to get them off the ground. They both need a dreamer and Johanna is more of a dreamer than Mihoon.“, Yeonhee shared her opinion and noticed how Namjoon was considering her words as well… which in return pissed off the professional matchmaker a lot.

Nara was glaring at Yeonhee, Yeonhee withstanding the anger with her own disapproval.

Oh yeah. Those two wouldn’t become friends anymore.

It was only day two in Italy and even though the bachelors were not around during the late hours, they at least came over during the day time and so the date of the day took place right around the mansion, the girls and bachelors spending their time together at the plantation. 

After the very awkward first date of Yoongi, Mihoon and Johanna during the first day exploring the little town nearby, Johanna had expected things to even get worse. Whereas the relationship between Yoongi and Mihoon was being challenged and looked more than fragile at the moment, the student couldn’t help but feel like third-wheeling. The bachelor and fellow contestant even during fights had that certain chemistry going on. They looked like a married couple having a fight. Maybe breaking up. Maybe overcoming their differences. But they looked like a couple and that was what hurt Johanna so much. Multiple times she had thought about asking Nara for her opinion, after all she was a matchmaker and professional and even though she was close friends with Mihoon, Johanna expected certain professionalism of Nara. Her success rate was talking for itself. But Johanna was scared. Scared that Nara’s words would have a crucial impact on how Johanna was seeing things. Johanna had never dated before. She didn’t know what it was like to desperately fall in love, rely on and also trust in the person you were with. But she knew that she felt very attracted to Yoongi.

And so she was looking immediately for him when the date day started and Mihoon wasn’t anywhere to be seen. She probably avoided meeting with Yoongi.

Yoongi was sitting in the sun, his legs crossed as he looked up into the blue sky. The grass around him was gently moving in the slight breeze when Johanna slowly approached Yoongi.

“Enjoying the weather?“, Johanna asked and waited for Yoongi to motion her to take seat next to her on the ground.

“So, so. Rain inspires me more.“, Yoongi told her.

Johanna laughed slightly. “I prefer storms. Storms are fascinating.“

For a moment Yoongi joined her laughter and then there was silence again. Johanna didn’t know how to interpret it. Should she push the conversation or should she just leave him alone? She didn’t know… but at least she had to try, right?

“…I checked out Etudes Australes by the way. It’s awesome.“, she mentioned, trying to make it sound very casual. Ugh… that feeling of insecurity was a pain.

“Oh?“, Yoongi reacted immediately. “Ahhh…. that is why Seokjin asked me about it. Now I get it. Seems as if he’s trying to act a Nara.“ He laughed about it and then lowered his gaze from the sky to the grass in front of him. “You must really be into astrophysics and stars if you’re even checking out the music sheet.“

Not only that. It was more that she was also really into Yoongi.

“Kant once said: ‚Two things awe me most, the starry sky above me and the moral law within me.’ I couldn’t agree more.“

Even though Johanna was usually well aware of the fact that she was smart, Yoongi made her feel very stupid the moment his expression fell and he turned around to give her that inscrutable face.

“The starry sky and the moral law within you.“, he repeated her words and suddenly heaved a very heavy sigh. “Moral law…“, he once again said and threw back his head.

He looked miserable. Was this still about Mihoon? Did it bother him that much? Or was it something else that was bothering him?

“…are you okay?“, Johanna asked cautiously. “You seem a little stressed.“

Yoongi exhaled loudly before, his eyes closed as he let the sun embrace his face with warmth again. “…did you ever have to choose between two things?“

Johanna blinked shortly. “What?“

“Like… there are two things right in front of you. And you don’t know which is the right thing to choose for you. Did you ever experience something like this?“

Of course she did. Those who never had to face this kind of dilemma were lucky ones that Johanna truly resented.

“Yes.“, she answered honestly and thought about how to put it into the right words. This was getting very personal to her after all. “Did I ever tell you why I applied for this show?“

Yoongi turned his head towards Johanna again and shook his head.

“Well… it’s because I needed a time out. To think about what I want to do in life.“, the young woman told him and pulled her legs closer to herself so she could hug them tightly and place her head on her knees. “I’m scared of choosing the wrong thing. I love astrophysics and I’m studying at Korea’s top university… but something inside of me wants to do music as well. So I am here, not knowing what I want. Do I want astrophysics or do I want musics? I think that might be comparable to your dilemma.“

The bachelor next to her suddenly moved a little restless. Oh, she must have hit the right spot.

“Why don’t you just do both?“, he asked and gained a shake of her head as a response.

“No, I want to do it wholeheartedly. No matter what I choose. I can’t do both and excel in both. I have to focus on just one thing to do what I choose justice. That’s why I basically ran away from making that choice.“

The silence returned, but this time it felt like something that was right to be there. It was the unverbalized understanding between two adults that discussed everything and anything. And Johanna had never felt closer to Yoongi than before. Even though he didn’t tell her what was bothering him.

In between all the olive trees Nara felt as if her fairytale wonderland was a little closer than before. Yes, things indeed were going a lot better than before between her and Namjoon. She felt like she was finally on track to the right thing. And what kind of treasure was waiting for her at the end of the rainbow.

If there just weren’t people to rain on her parade.

Gosh… some people really did not know where to stop. Nara wasn’t completely against rain. After all you could not have a rainbow without some rain. But when there was enough rain, there was enough rain. It was time for some sunshine. Yet, half of the people of the Bachelors’ Paradise cast seemed to have come together to push all those teary clouds in front of Nara’s sun.

“Aren’t they cute?“, Minseo asked Yumi and the two started giggling immediately. It took the matchmaker a little to figure out what they were talking about as their targeted couple was not very visible, as they were partly hiding in the shadows of the trees.

Yoongi. And Johanna.

Oh god, this idiot really didn’t want to listen to her, did he? After she had confronted him upfront, she had expected him to be taught better. But no, he was still there, wasting his time with someone that just wasn’t right for him. The right woman next to him wasn’t Johanna. It was Mihoon. Why was this man unable to see that? Was he masochistic enough to oversee true happiness being right in front of him? What a fool. In the story telling of Nara he looked less and less like a princess. Maybe he was the pumpkin. Probably. Oh, very certainly even.

“Seokjin started ‘Mission YoonHanna’ together with me! I overheard the two talking about some music sheets that are connected with stars… and Seokjin managed to find those sheets and gave them to Johanna after I told him about it!“

WHAT?! NO!

Why did all of them suddenly try to act as matchmakers?! As if it already hadn’t been enough with Yeonhee killing the mood between her and Namjoon by starting to ship Yoongi and Johanna. Now even Seokjin and Minseo were joining forces against Nara. NO! No, no, no, no! Especially not like that.

"Aww, that really is cute!“, Yumi commented on what Minseo was telling her and was moving up and down in excitement. “You should find yourself someone who can be your cupid like you’ve been Johanna’s! Hey there is Seokjin, how about-!“

“Excuse me, ladies.“, Nara warned them as she passed them by and walked straight towards Seokjin. She was putting her intimidating Fairy Godmother face on, her smile emitting the anger she was feeling.

Seokjin was standing in front of one of the olive trees, a little basket in his hands as he was reaching out for one of the olives. His white shirt slightly moving upwards, revealing pale skin underneath. Nara was for a moment drawn into the perfection this man was right in front of her, his cool and pale reflection bathing in the searing light of the sun. A slight breeze was accompanying the picture of beauty in front of her eyes when he slowly turned around and gave her a heart-melting smile.

“Oh hey.“

HECK NO! NO! NO, NO, NO!!!

“YOU!“, she addressed him, her voice shivering intensely. She had difficulties in staying all professional. WHY?! She was good at this! Why was she all wavering right now?! “STOP THIS!“

Seokjin irritatedly looked at the olive in his hand. “…but I want to make olive oil.“

“You know exactly what I am talking about! Stop trying to matchmake where you shouldn’t!“, Nara told him off bewilderedly as she was suddenly struck with his stupidity of the moment. The little glimpse of handsomeness he had ignited in her was dead in an instant. What an idiot! “This is not a fashion show that you can design as you wish! You’re going into the wrong direction, my dear!“

Again Seokjin looked rather confused. “Pardon?“

Nara sighed. How could she have thought for a moment that Seokjin was someone that she could really feel attracted to…?

“Let me put it into words that you will understand.“, Nara decided to find her very own metaphors for Seokjin. And creativity never let her down. “Would you let a model wear a Gucci handbag to a Prada fashion show? Would you, Kim Seokjin? I didn’t think so. But that is exactly what you’re letting your cute little tsundere model do. Imagine this, my beautiful, beautiful dear: lights are shining bright, the crowd is buzzing in anticipation, cameras are flashing around the catwalk, the telltale music of a Kim Seokjin fashion show is playing. And there come the most anticipated legs of the evening - Min Yoongi is walking with confidence, a small smile - wait, who am I kidding, he never smiles. He’s way too full of teenage angst for that - a small scowl on his glowing face. Everyone is in awe of the beautiful shoes he showcases with his elegant walk, the epitome of Kim Seokjin’s genius mind! But, wait! What the hell is he wearing!? Is that… Is that a Gucci dress? In a Prada fashion show!? Oh, the horror! What was Kim Seokjin thinking!? Has he gone mad!? He has probably forgotten about the most important rule in fashion! You can never go wrong with a little black dress. Black and black go well together, and your dress should always match with the color of your soul.“

The designer’s face was suddenly lightening up and as he listened to Nara, he suddenly started chuckling. “Then tell me, lovely Nara… do you ever wear plain black?“ A row of perfect white teeth was showing and as he smiled so certain of victory, Nara wasn’t so sure if she wanted to punch out those teeth or enjoy the picture in front of her a little longer. “Someone like you who is courageous in choosing the art that clothes can be knows what colors do to a human being, don’t you? Colors are our light. I agree that the black dress is a safe ride. But isn’t choosing the black dress, passing on the opportunity to try out a colorful, exciting one? Tell me Nara… wouldn’t you want to wear an exciting, colorful dress that no one ever dared to wear before?“

Seokjin’s eyes were getting bigger, the glimmer of his love for fashion showing so clearly, Nara hated how she wanted to jump onto this train and indulge into this fashion passion. He played with her. He had acted quite stupid and now struck back with this. And… it worked. The attraction… it was back!

“Put black and black together again. You will always get black. Mix it with white… and you will have the most beautiful shades of grey. Or combine it with a color… then you have some refreshing interplay. Black alone is safe. But black needs accessories. Or other colors to make it stronger. If everything is black… you will only be able to see black. Add any color to it and what you will get are two colors that will always stand out next to each other, compliment each other, strengthening each other.“ He paused for a moment and examined Nara from head to toe. The female observed his examination with caution but had to admit that she felt a little tensed as he was obviously scanning her for a certain reason. His lips unlocked once more. “I’d love to show the world what kind of dress Ryu Nara is. Gaudy, extravagant, something that the world has never seen before… but as you said… Kim Seokjin seems to have gone mad. How can he create a dress like Ryu Nara now? I might not be worthy of such a unique creation… as I cannot see how black and black are the perfect match to each other.“

Oh. Oh, this devil… this devil in disguise. He was pulling at her heart strings so hard. To top it all, he made her feel bad about her own words. Nice, perfect Kim Seokjin just revealed himself to Nara being the epitome of a beautiful sin. She had known the entire time that he was hiding something. Something had been strangely off with him… was this what he had tried to hide? This dark side underneath the cover of perfection?

“…I’m not saying that you’re not an accomplished designer, quite the contrary. I have always admired your fantastic creations, Mr. Kim, and I do admit that the recent addition of the clever planning behind the final product has made me appreciate… other aspects of you as well.“ While she was speaking, Nara carefully checked on Seokjin’s expression. He still had that angelic smile on his face. This evil mastermind. “Your brain works even more beautifully than your face, you should use it more often. Is it really necessary for us to go to World War M? Let’s put aside the obvious outcome of the war - because, honey, you’re not going up against an amateur. You’re going up against Ryu Nara - and focus on the process. It will tire us both, and I have other, more pleasant activities for the both of us in mind. Think of all the fun we could have if we join forces. You can say no, of course, but it will just end in your utter destruction and annihilation. It will be dull of you to decline my offer, though, and I had the impression that you’re not quite as boring as our residential angsty Disney princess. Please don’t disappoint.“

This was her warning. And her offer. If he’d just accept the two of them could be… stop! Nara was drifting back into realms that did not have to be touched yet. What happened to her mind that had been focused on Namjoon the entire time before?! 

“You think you will beat me, no matter what?“, Seokjin asked and suddenly started to laugh. A high-pitched, loud laugh. Very weird. Very unique. Just like Nara’s. They’d make such a good match. . “I want to see it myself. I want to see which dress will please the audience more. Or if none of them are tailored to fit the model.“ The fashion designer simply shrugged. “I don’t give up, whenever I start fighting for something. I wouldn’t be where I am now if I ever did. So, rather than asking me to join forces, what I am asking of you is… if you’d choose the creation of your own dress over trying to mix and match pieces of other designers for a fashion show that rather than them your dress could star in. What do you say, Ryu Nara? Do you want to be the creator or the masterpiece?“

He god-dammit smirked at her before he left her under the olive tree alone with the warm sunlight that suddenly felt a lot like burning on her freezing skin. This man was such an… . He was playing with her psyche, using her own metaphors against her. He even left her behind, she couldn’t even throw her final words at him, the perfect ending for her speech.

Kim Seokjin wasn’t anything like Min Yoongi. He wasn’t boring. He wasn’t angsty.

He was exciting.

Yumi and Minseo both watched how Nara walked over to Seokjin, the two talking about something with Minseo blinking shortly as she was contemplating if she should just join them or instead stay where she was.

“You don’t want to talk to Seokjin anymore?“, Yumi asked the blonde athlete who in response only pouted. The single mother sighed a little and puckered her eyebrows in worry.

Yumi liked Minseo. And she was hoping that she’d get the love she deserved. But even though she wished Minseo to get with Seokjin, something was telling her that the bachelor wasn’t the perfect match for the blonde superwoman. Call it mother instincts.

From a little further away the loud laughters of a certain bachelor and his seemingly current favorite  contestant were more than audible. Taehyung and Aejin slowly drew closer to the two women and Minseo immediately tugged at Yumi’s sleeve, motioning her to follow her when she crashed the presumable couple’s quality time as two.

“Hey Taehyung!“, Minseo addressed the bachelor directly and both, him and his female company looked a little surprised by Minseo approaching them. Taehyung was very quick in responding, though.

“Oh! See who we have here! Minseo and the pretty rose.“

Yumi blushed in an instant when she heard how Taehyung called her and the saxophonist automatically started chuckling as soon as he noticed how a touch of dark pink was spreading on her cheeks.

“Aejin just cracked a fantastic joke! I need to share this with you. She said that-!“

The moment Taehyung had wanted to tell them about that funny story, Hoseok interrupted them, followed by a bunch of cameras. While the camera crews had separated to follow certain bachelors, the two females, as much as Taehyung and Aejin hadn’t been bothered by them at all. They rather stuck to Namjoon and Yeonhee or the weird constellation of Jungkook, Jiwoo, Jimin and Miso. Apparently they also found Hoseok very interesting as he was followed by them when he joined the little group and immediately asked for Yumi to follow him. A little helpless she walked away with the bachelor, Minseo sticking to Taehyung and Aejin. Yumi shortly threw a short glance over her shoulder at the others who didn’t get around having at least one camera around that remained from unfortunately meeting Hoseok.

“So you’ve been with Minseo, Taehyung and Aejin?“, Hoseok asked while they were walking down the long road that led straight to the little town, leaving the olive trees behind where the other bachelors and contestants were staying.

“I’ve been with Minseo, we just started talking to the others then you showed up.“, Yumi answered and smiled apologetically at him. There was not much to tell him, even if he asked about it.

Hoseok just nodded and then looked a little thoughtful. “So you left Minseo with the two of them? Wow… that might end up very interesting.“, he commented and even laughed a little about it.

Yumi frowned. “What do you mean? Do you think that Minseo might muck up their relationship?“, she questioned his comment.

“Of course.“, the answer followed quickly. “If you ask me, Taehyung needs someone like Minseo.“

The female was still frowning at Hoseok, trying to figure out why he was thinking this way. To her it was obviously Taehyung and Aejin. They were two peas in a pot, both sweet and fun, enjoying each other’s company. “Are you sure you don’t say that because you’re biased?“

“Biased? How?“, Hoseok wondered.

“Because you two share a very similar humor.“, Yumi told him. In fact they were pretty alike in many terms. Bad jokes, similar humor… and the cheerfulness, just that Minseo was a lot tougher than Hoseok.

The bachelor immediately started chuckling. “I never noticed.“, he admitted. “But if you say so, maybe I should be the one getting to know Minseo.“

Was he teasing her? He was teasing her! And Yumi felt attacked on so many levels!

“N-No! Don’t do that!“, she immediately complained and when he noticed her anger and started grinning even wider than usually, the heat spread on her entire face. At times like this Yumi wished the cameras weren’t around.

“Hmmm…“, Hoseok thought aloud and the smirk made space for his thinking expression. “Talking about who matches with whom… What do you think about the other bachelors? Like Namjoon or even Yoongi?“

“Huh?“ Yumi blinked irritatedly for a second. Who she thought the others would match with? And then he even asked for the two that Yumi felt most intimidated of and thus wasn’t all that familiar with their likings or how to make any proper judgment about them. “…to Namjoon… maybe Yeonhee? She’s that successful kind of woman, smart and beautiful, she’ll definitely make a good match for Namjoon. At second guess I’d say Nara but Nara is more concerned about others than herself and I doubt that Namjoon would ever take kindly of what she tells him is best for him… he’s… a man of strong words and actions, you know?“

Hoseok couldn’t help but chuckle at her words.

“And Yoongi…“, she inhaled slowly. “That one is difficult. Either Mihoon or Johanna. But Johanna shows more emotions than either Mihoon or Yoongi. Maybe Mihoon is the better choice in this… because Mihoon and Yoongi are very alike.“

“So you think that the perfect match is about being similar to each other?“, Hoseok asked.

Yumi shook her head at that. “To some it is. It really depends on the person. There are couples that need to complete each other, that need to be different to grow. But there are also couples that need to be similar, so they don’t grow apart and start being a burden to each other at some point.“

The sudden silence following from the bachelor made Yumi question if the answer she gave wasn’t what he had wanted to hear. But to her it was like that. You could be a childish person that needed a mature counterpart to help you grow, yet you could be a childish person that needed a childish person to grow together. It really depended on what kind of person they were talking about.

“What about me?“

Yumi stopped.

Her whole face felt like burning down and she gasped for some air when his question hit her. Hoseok also stopped, turned around and looked at her, his face being as innocently as always, still demanding for an answer. Yumi didn’t know if she matched him… but she believed that he matched her. Hoseok was pure, lovable, endearing, attentive, charming and so much more. He was the light that she’d been living without since she became a mother. He was that little ray of happiness and hope she didn’t know she had locked away. And so she shyly pointed at herself.

Hoseok laughed. He laughed, approached her, laid his arm around her and took her with him to finish the walk, the warmth of his arm around her embracing her like the happy laughters that were filling the air.

After the guys had suddenly left the country without the contestants, the women were left with no choice than spending the day at the beach alone. It took them a little to even get to the seaside but now they were there, half of the group playing nearby the water while the rest split up to check out the area. Yeonhee was sitting alone in the sand, watching how Miso, Minseo and Aejin were running from the waves, a single camera guy filming them.

Yeonhee knew something was off. There were only two camera staffs around, that was it. The bachelors must have planned something and therefore all the cameras were sticking with them.

It was good to be away from the cameras, though. It gave Yeonhee some calm and the possibility to think about everything without being pressured that a random camera could pop out behind the next corner every second. After spending six weeks away from everything she knew with people she probably wouldn’t even be hanging with if not for the sake of this show, she felt a little restless. She felt a little lost and every now and then started missing her home, especially now after Nara and Namjoon had asked her about her tattoo that reminded her a lot of her father. Ugh… Nara. Until now Yeonhee never had started a strong disliking for said woman, at least she had been able to respect her for her smart mind and her ambition and love for her job. But now that both were competing against each other in the fight over Namjoon and Nara was actively intervening into their relationship and conversations, Yeonhee step by step lost her patience with the matchmaker.

Her eyes wandered around, Nara slowly walking towards Yeonhee. Was she looking for her to talk things out? Yeonhee was open to do so but also she’d much prefer if it wasn’t the case.

“Can we talk a little?“, Nara asked and Yeonhee nodded, suppressing to let a sigh running over her lips. The red-haired woman sat down right next to Yeonhee in the sand, obviously struggling with the weird looking dress she was wearing. They had known they’d go to the seaside. Why on earth did Nara dress up like she was running a fashion show, doing a commercial walk for some blue seaweed … whatever that dress was. It looked awfully much like a stranded bed sheet covered with blue seaweed.

“Jungkook told me that you talked to him about who you think matches with whom.“

Yeonhee’s eyes widened when Nara openly told her about it. After the date at the olive plantation that Yeonhee gratefully spent with Namjoon without Nara interfering, Yeonhee had found Jungkook wandering around, hiding from what Yeonhee suspected to be Jiwoo. They ended up in a little chat about the show and the girls, Jungkook eventually popping the question who of the contestants Yeonhee thought would match with whom of the bachelors. However, Yeonhee didn’t expect Jungkook to tell Nara. She must have missed something about that.

“Jungkook told me that you said the best match for Namjoon is me.“, Nara said.

The business woman shortly cleared . “Did Jungkook tell you about the part in which I said that only for the sake of objectivity I was removing myself from the equation as well?“

Nara giggled quietly. “He did.“

“I just think that you both are pretty mysterious and that maybe you two could unravel each others mysteries. I based that judgment primary on the superficial facts I know about you. My reasoning isn’t as solid as it could be, as you see.“, Yeonhee explained to make sure Nara wouldn’t misinterpret her words. She wasn’t willing to give up on Namjoon that easily. After all she had really started a liking for the bachelor. “And I didn’t only talk about you and Namjoon.“

Yeonhee had also mentioned how she thought that Minseo and Seokjin were making a great match because they were balancing each other out well. They were similar with their soft cores but different in many aspects, yet in a positive way. Seokjin was soft, Minseo was tough. Even if Jiho had been still around, Yeonhee would have been pro Minseo as she was a lot more grown than Jiho. Or Jimin and Miso who both were seeking for attention and did not take the competition too seriously. Young, adventurous and fun-loving.

“Yes, he told me that you think nobody matches with him.“, Nara mentioned.

“Yes, because he needs a more down-to-earth and humble person to be with, not an attention-seeking girl like Miso. He probably has a lot on his plate as well and needs to come to terms with himself first before giving himself into a serious relationship.“

Nara smiled at Yeonhee’s words and for some reason it was annoying Yeonhee. Maybe because the matchmaker looked as if she knew things so much better than anyone else. But even Nara must have been wrong every now and then. She looked overly confident, though.

“You think a lot about the others. More than I expected. Who would have thought that Bang Yeonhee is paying that much attention to others?“ While the two females were having the deep conversation, the others were still playing, the only one missing being Mihoon because she was somewhere out in the water. “I wonder, who you think you’re matching best with. Namjoon?“

Yeonhee frowned. Did Nara really expect an answer to that? The matchmaker again smiled and Yeonhee couldn’t stop but judge it as overly complacent which made it even more annoying for Yeonhee to listen to her. 

“If you ask me, then you need someone more upbeat, someone nurturing, loving and spirited. Someone who can offer you some difference from your working life. That’s the reason why I can’t see you with Namjoon. Because he’s not a person to break the love between you and your job.“

“Huh?“, Yeonhee reacted and raised her eyebrows. “What do you mean?“ She had a very uneasy feeling where this was going…

“Have you never considered getting to know Hoseok better?“, Nara asked.

Yeonhee was struck with surprise. Hoseok? No. Never. Because right from the beginning he and Yumi had seemed to have clicked. And if someone deserved to be happy, then it was Yumi. Yumi and Hoseok were of the same kind, able to share their hardships together and support each other in good and bad times. They simply brought out the best in each other. Who was Yeonhee to even think about destroying that beautiful bond between them? “Not in terms of becoming lovers.“

Nara nodded slightly before she went on.

“You should consider him as a possible choice. He’s the certain something you’re missing in your life, believe me and my experience in the field of matchmaking.“ She winked shortly and it just added to the anger boiling inside of Yeonhee.

“Don’t you think speaking to me like this is a little hypocritical?“, she questioned the matchmaker, trying hard to stay all calm. It was harder than expected. “You’re low-key telling my that I prefer my job over a possible relationship with Namjoon. But aren’t you doing the exact same thing? You’re constantly trying to matchmake, interfering with anyone’s business and then you tell me to look for someone else just because I value my job a lot? I took a break from working to be here. You’re still working even though you’re here. Who’s the one who should think about going for someone else? Think again.“

That was enough. Yeonhee had her troubles with staying calm but until now she did a pretty okay job. Her words were full of the salt she felt but her voice remained calm and professional. She didn’t know how long she’d manage to keep her calm however, so what she did was getting up and walking towards the group of others to join them playing around. 

Hoseok matching her better than Namjoon… tsk. All of a sudden Yeonhee regretted telling Jungkook that Namjoon and Nara would make a good couple.

Taehyung didn’t really care about what Hoseok decided for everyone to do. He just liked the idea of being the Joker. But what was the Joker without his Harley Quinn? It was known that Taehyung was a little … different. Even he knew he was. He didn’t really like being called strange, peculiar or even alien. But at least he agreed to the fact that he was special. And he proved it once more when he went out to get a Harley Quinn costume, fully dressed in the Joker outfit, and people were judging him so hard when he was doing that.

Everything went according to plan nevertheless. When he returned, nobody noticed him even though he was being very conspicuously around. Then the game started and he easily found a victim that happened to be Aejin and she was playing along, dressing up as Harley, keeping Taehyung company. Where the plan didn’t work anymore was when everyone was in panic and they weren’t able to find anyone around to prank.

“You know what would be cool? If we get to chase one bachelor and one contestant, so they end up together!“, Aejin suggested excitedly when the two were walking through the empty hallway of the castle.

Taehyung was surprised by her idea but also very impressed by her creativity and drive. “Who do you want to bring together?“

Aejin sounded delighted about him asking her. “Namjoon and Yeonhee. They look good together and are both super smart. Plus, the chemistry. I think there is chemistry!“, she said. “Then Johanna and Yoongi. Because Johanna is my friend and I know she likes Yoongi, so I want to play cupid for them. Attention everyone, Bang Aejin is ready to be the best wingman around!“

The saxophonist started laughing about her announcement.

“Seokjin and Minseo, they  would be a funny couple. I watched them in the kitchen together and Minseo caused a chaos with Seokjin having to clean after her. That was lovely.“ She giggled at that. “Oooooh, and obviously Hoseok and Yumi, the match made by heaven. They could have a really happy life if they end up together.“

“What about Jungkook and Jimin?“, Taehyung wanted to know, imagining all those couples in his head. Aejin had some very interesting ideas. Not that Taehyung ever felt like telling anyone to be with whom. But it was interesting to hear about others’ thoughts.

“Jungkook and Nara, because Nara is mature but gives a certain thrill, also coming with experience. That’d be a good match for Jungkook. And for Jimin… Miso.“, Aejin replied and there was only one bachelor left.

“Me. Tell me about who you think would make a good match with me.“, the bachelor demanded.

Aejin giggled again. “What did the Valentine’s card say to the stamp?“

“…“ Taehyung was astonished by the answer and needed a moment to think about what to answer when there were two voices somewhere ahead of them talking. Two guys.

Jimin and Hoseok.

“Did you find anyone?“, Jimin asked.

“No… this is not going as I planned. I’m already annoyed how nothing works as I want…“, Hoseok said and sighed loudly.

Aejin stopped Taehyung and gently pressed her fingers onto his lips, so he wouldn’t say anything.

“Do they know about the Harley Quinn dress?“, she asked him and Taehyung simply shook his head. “Alright.“

The girl suddenly moved with quick steps towards one of the windows, leaning against it, the sun making her very visible and when Hoseok and Jimin drew closer, Aejin cleared to grab their attention.

“Huh? What was that?“ Aejin’s voice sounded a little more high-pitched than usual. Her idea was working just fine with Hoseok and Jimin both stopping in the midst of the floor, not even noticing Taehyung who was standing closely nearby, hidden in the security of the darkness.

“…hey Hoseok… did you hire a Korean speaking actress, too?“, Jimin asked, a lot quieter than before.

“…no.“

The contestant went on with her show. “I should kill everyone and escape?“ Taehyung could hear Jimin and Hoseok breathing more slowly than before. “Sorry… the voices. Hahahaha!“

Taehyung grabbed on the idea of scaring the other two fellow bachelors and reached out four Jimin, grabbing his shoulder.

“Hey!“

“WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!“

Jimin’s scream immediately had Hoseok’s scream in reaction and like headless chicken the two guys were running away, Taehyung and Aejin staying behind, laughing their asses off.

Mihoon’s laughter didn’t last that long. Both, luckily and unfortunately. Even though the embarrassment had been a real thing, hearing her being anything but salty and angry at him was a nice change. But as it didn’t last that long, they were back at the point they started when they arrived in Italy. Mihoon basically hated the guts out of Yoongi.

As they were sitting in the empty room in which Yoongi had taken his little too long nap, none of them dared to say a single word. Mihoon was sitting on one of the chairs while Yoongi was back on his bed, thinking of if he could use his phone as distraction or if Mihoon would strangle him for being disrespectful towards her.

Should he talk? Or should he keep it quiet? After all he knew why she was so upset. Her confession was still echoing in the back of the bachelor’s head and so was his answer.

'Okay.‘

What else did she expect from him? Jumping up in the air, telling her that he loved her too? It wasn’t all that easy. Especially not for him. And for a fact he wasn’t able to tell her about it. Not in front of all the cameras. Yoongi sighed and looked up, there was even a camera in this room that was recording them at the moment.

“What? Does it annoy you so much to be here with me? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not here with you because I like to. I don’t want to run into the other idiots outside, trying so hard to play stupid Halloween games.“ Oh wow. He even did things wrong by only sighing. Mihoon immediately took his sigh as an attack.

“Don’t get me wrong, not everything is about you.“

Wrong answer. Very wrong answer. But also Yoongi wasn’t in the best mood either and Mihoon wasn’t helping making it better at all. Yoongi still regretted the very next moment as Mihoon wasn’t one you could simply pick a fight with and get out alive.

“What did you just say?“ Her voice made a dramatical drop. It was calm but intense. Like a bomb that was dropped. It didn’t look like much as long as it was in the air but the moment it hit the ground, it destroyed everything around. “You’re really something, Min Yoongi. Something pathetically ty! I expected a lot more of you - and even Namjoon! You two looked like you had some brain up there in your hollow heads but sorry, no, as far as I can see, there’s nothing inside but hot air.“

Even in the dark Yoongi could tell that Mihoon had clenched her fists when she was talking.

“I told Namjoon how Nara is the best thing that could have ever happened to him, she’s smart as hell, she’s fun, she’s got that spark and anyone with two eyes can see she’s gorgeous. Most of all she’s interesting, his life would never be boring or mundane with Nara around but see what this idiot is doing - still wasting his time with domestic Yeonhee! He’s not smart, he’s extremely dumb if he can’t see that!“ Mihoon’s voice was slowly raising, Yoongi had never heard her raise her voice but the point had come where she couldn’t suppress her anger anymore. “I thought nobody could beat that stupidity, but you, Min Yoongi, you deserve to suffer alone like the insensitive, spineless, pathetic, emotionally constipated son of a you are!“

Yoongi tried to figure out what to say. Did he want to talk things out? Did he want to tell her the truth? Did he want to do all of it in front of the cameras? It wasn’t the time, yet. Therefore what he decided to do was choosing the safe path.

“Okay.“

Mihoon snorted. Very loudly. Very angry. And then she left the room, banging the door behind her as she left.

This one word was powerful enough to drive Mihoon into madness. This one, little, but very meaningful word.

Okay.

Meeting Miso out there in front of the mansion was the best that could have happened to Jungkook during that awfully bothersome night. He felt more than annoyed for being dressed like… he didn’t even know himself what Hoseok was thinking when he picked the outfit for him. Anyway, being out there in the dark all by himself except for when he met the old Italian granny, he felt very uncomfortable. Yes, he was afraid. Of course he was! The freaking creepy creature he saw the night before was still causing him serious headache and anxiety. 

“Let’s go in there.“, Jungkook suggested and pointed at the old garden shed nearby.

“What? Why?“

“Do you want to go back into the mansion or stay outside where the others are trying to scare the out of all you girls?“, the bachelors asked her rhetorically and already moved towards the shed, opening the old glass door to get inside.

The darkness was here and there interrupted by moonlight entering the shed through the dirty glass windows. It looked spooky but together with Miso Jungkook didn’t feel any scared at all. He didn’t know if that would be still the same if they had gone back to the mansion but at least here he felt a little less frightened.

“Wow… sweet.“ The irony in Miso’s voice was dominant, her cute laughter following caused Jungkook to grin. “I’m scared of anything that’s creepy, this dusty, ragged shed especially. If something attacks us, we will die. I am weak. No kidding. I can’t protect .“

Jungkook went on chuckling in amusement and sat down on one of the chairs standing next the what looked a lot like a workbench. Miso copied him, the two sitting next to each other in silence for a moment.

“Hey Miso… do you judge others if they tell you about their mistakes?“, Jungkook suddenly asked the young woman.

“Of course I do, everyone does! Those who say they don’t are liars!“, she answered almost immediately, sounding both surprised and amused about his question. “Nobody can tell me they’re not judging me if I tell them that I spend all my money on fashion items or start singing when I obviously can’t hit a single note. It’s natural to judge.“

The bachelor remained silent. Her answer was entertaining him, no question. But he was too worried to laugh about it, thinking of what he was about to tell her. There was something bothering him since the past week and he wasn’t able to tell anyone… whereas it was obvious what had changed. Very obvious.

“Are you scared of me judging you? Do you want to tell me something, Jeon Jungkook?“ Miso’s playful tone was embracing the young singer.

“I feel like I did a very bad mistake…“

Miso’s finger was piercing through the darkness as she tried to lock Jungkook’s lips with it but she missed his mouth and instead poked roughly into his cheek, almost hitting his eye even.

“Woah! What are you doing?!“, the bachelor’s voice shrieked and he quickly moved her hand out of his face.

“Oh… sorry.“, Miso quickly apologized and laughed. “I just wanted to tell you not to tell it to me. If you think you made a bad mistake… sometimes it’s best not to talk about it at all. Especially if you’re scared that I might judge you harshly. Because one thing is for sure and it’s that Im Miso will definitely judge you, my friend.“

The honesty in her words was alarming. Jungkook liked it, though. He liked that Miso wasn’t pretending to be someone else to be appealing to him. She was just… Miso. Quirky, impulsive Miso that had that certain straight-forwardness that was punching Jungkook right in his face when he needed a wake-up call. He still regretted that he slept with Jiwoo. Especially since he knew that she was what people considered a sasaeng fan. It had been a terrible mistake. He’d burn in hell for it. But in that moment he just needed some… human acknowledgment when he felt like thanks to Bunbun.

Again there was silence between the two, Miso’s shoes scratching the dirty ground.  Jungkook felt comfortable with Miso. More so when she was talking. He suddenly remembered what he and Yeonhee were talking about and also that she told him not to get with one of the girls… and immediately he wondered if Miso was thinking the same about him.

“Hey Miso… what do you think about the couples in the show?“, he wanted to know. “Who do you think matches with whom?“

Once more Miso sounded surprised and amused. “Wow Jungkook, what’s wrong with you? On the sentimental side of life today?“, she mocked him but then let out a long sound of thinking. “Hmmm… Seokjin…doesn’t fit with anyone. I just think that Seokjin is in his own world. There was this perfect girl here for him but honestly she was just too sweet and left on her own.“ She suddenly sounded very sad. “I wished she could had found love. She was innocent and naive and Seokjin was caring and mature, maybe if they met on different circumstances it would had worked out. “

She paused after finishing her analysis of the fashion designer.

“More?“, Jungkook urged her.

“Namjoon, the same like Seokjin. Yeonhee is too perfect for him. And Nara would probably clash with him. They’re both too strong and intimidating, no balance, no good. Same goes for Yoongi and Mihoon. They’d always end up arguing because of their strong personalities, ya know? Johanna is more of what Yoongi needs. He’s so…“ The woman is suddenly at a loss of words. The sounds she produces while desperately trying to find the right description make Jungkook laugh out loud. 

“I know what you mean.“, Jungkook assured her, trying to stop laughing. “More.“

“Hoseok and Yumi. I mean come on. I don't think love gets any disgusting-er then that. It's sort of nice to see a couple that hit it off right away-ish and last-ish till now. I mean at least there was a progression. Oh! And Taehyung and Aejin! That is our mascot couple. They are both kids who just want to have fun and it's totally fine. They are silly and such sweethearts but for sure they would know how to comfort one another...I think.“ She laughed and her laugh made Jungkook feel warm from the inside. “They are both nuts in the head.“

Jungkook wanted to ask about Jimin. But at the same time… he didn’t. He had heard about Miso bonding with Jimin before and only thinking about it now made him a little upset. So he just skipped the fellow bachelor and went straight to the most interesting part. “What about me?“

“You?“, Miso asked. “How about me?“ The contestant leaned towards him and Jungkook felt the heat of excitement running through his body. But then Miso punched his arm. “I'm sorry kid. You're nice, but I don't think I'm a match for your celebrity image. I'm not perfect, I cuss, I'm loud, I'm obnoxious, I just think I would downgrade you. Maybe....maybe if it was different circumstances as well. I don't know. Do you see yourself coming out with anyone here? Why do you always get to ask the questions? I want to know what you think, too. I want to know the true Jeon Jungkook.“

The bachelor suddenly felt how the frustration from earlier was back. How her words were even more hurtful than what Bunbun had made him go through. Because while the whole thing about Bunbun was him proving to himself that he could have any girl he wanted because he was Jeon Jungkook, Miso actually was a person that he had started to be worried about. Worried to not see her anymore at some point. She was like a companion he wanted to talk to when things got hard and whenever he was making a mistake. She just felt like a safe haven he could return to. But even she was letting him down. Because she was downgrading herself.

“…but you’re -“

“Oppa….!“

The sudden wail from one of the corners of the shed was causing Jungkook and Miso to jump up from the chairs. Both were holding onto each other in an instant, trembling like aspen leaves while the creepy something was moving into the weak moonlight. Long black hair was moving towards them and a giggling accompanied the shaky moving creature. “OPPA!“ With that it rushed forwards towards Jungkook and Miso, the female instantly moving towards the working bench, grabbing just something she found there and then throwing it at whatever it was that had attacked them. With a heavy clonk sound Miso’s weapon hit the attacker and knocked her out.

“HOLY , YOU KILLED IT!“, Jungkook exclaimed and looked for his phone to enlighten the room a little bit… just to see that who Miso had just knocked out was no other than Jiwoo.

Jiwoo couldn’t really remember what had happened before she got knocked out by that filthy with Miso who had tried to steal her soon-to-be husband from her. Jungkook was hers. She had seen things no other fan had! It was her! HER!

When she slowly opened her eyes the first thing she was able to see was… Jungkook.

“…oppa!“, she cawed weakly, her entire throat feeling extremely dry. Her happiness however was overflowing. He was there! He cared! He loved her! He truly did! Jungkoook was hers! HERS!

“Are you feeling… okay?“, the epitome of beauty, perfection, everything imaginable was asking her and she felt her heart skipping a beat when his pretty eyes were scanning her in the hospital bed. He was obsessing over her as much as she did over him!

“I feel great!“, she answered in a rush and tried to sit up again. Her head was hurting badly, though, and so she felt dizzy the moment she got up. There was a bandage around her head for some reason… that Miso girl was a lot stronger than expected… but Jiwoo would overcome every hole in her head, no matter how big.

Jungkook nodded shortly, Jiwoo expected him to smile but he didn’t. Instead he sat down next to her. The young girl wished him to come closer, to give her a kiss and tell her he’d stay until she got better. But he stayed a little away from her, keeping some distance between them. Oooooh, push and pull. If Jungkook wanted to play, Jiwoo would play any game with him.

“Good.“, he said and sighed. “Jiwoo, I have to ask you something.“

“YES, I WILL!“, her answer followed immediately.

Her future husband looked irritated by her answer. “Huh?“ As he shortly blinked, Jiwoo grew impatient. Didn’t he want to ask her if she would marry him? Did he want to ask her to be his girlfriend? “You’re the head of my fanclub, correct?“

“Correct!“

“You were sneaking in the bachelor mansion after me. Even now in the castle, correct?“

“Correct!“

“You’re obsessed with me, right?“

“Absolutely!“

Jiwoo’s eyes were twinkling of all the excitement she felt about him asking her these questions. Until he raised his hand in which he held his phone.

“Thanks, that should be enough to obtain an injunction.“ Injunction? What?! “Jiwoo, you’re eliminated from Bachelors’ Paradise.“

Eliminated…? Injunction? Jiwoo didn’t understand. Her oppa loved her. He loved her dearly. He had shown her his love. But now he was leaving like that.

When Jungkook got up from the chair and moved towards the door, she started begging. Begging because she didn’t understand. “Oppa! Oppa, please! Don’t leave! I love you! We can be happy! I can make you happy!“ And when he closed the door and didn’t even look back the begging turned to angry yelling.

“OPPAAAAAA! OOOOPPAAAAA, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!“

On the flight back to South Korea Minseo felt absolutely terrible. Seeing Seokjin and his ruined face made her feel so guilty that she was unable to even look at him. She had tried before, she had tried to apologize but Seokjin had developed a habit of avoiding her rigorously. She couldn't even be mad about it. From the blue and green that went into the darkest shades of almost black, the pain must have been ever-present for the poor bachelor. Why on earth did Minseo have to punch him in the face? Why?! 

Minseo wasn't the only one whose mind was rather cloudy and not as happy and upbeat as for example the ones of Nara and Johanna who were telling the others about what had happened when Nara and Namjoon decided to join forces and scare the out of Johanna. They were laughing about it, every now and then even Namjoon joined their conversation and seemed to be as amused as the others about it.  But like Minseo Hoseok also was looking like a sour drop, his arms crossed as he was stubbornly staring out of the airplane’s window. It was weird…. even though they were sitting in a private jet and Minseo should have enjoyed the luxury like the other girls did, she wasn’t able to even have a single happy thought at the moment.

She regretted punching Seokjin so much and whereas she had never felt really threatened to face the danger of being eliminated, the fear of finally going home was right there now and it was worse than she had expected. When all the others had to leave, she had thought that it couldn’t be all that bad since none of them spent extraordinarily much time with the guys… but now she was in that very position in which she was praying that she wouldn’t be the one to go home next.

Her eyes were stuck to the ground, even though the desire to look at Seokjin was still there. She wished she could turn back time and now sit here together with him, feeling all happy and being so cheesy with him that the others got sick of them. Like when they arrived in Italy. They had clicked. At least Minseo had clicked. She had clicked a long time ago. And something had told her that Seokjin had clicked, too. But that something was now all mute and instead got replaced by the painful thought that she had ruined everything. Seokjin was like a delicate flower and she had trampled on it. That flower would never look the same anymore… and that was her fault.

Yes, Minseo wished back the times when she could tell Seokjin freely about everything she wanted to share with him, look at his patient face and wait for his reactions that always were calm, mature and absolutely understanding. She could tell him the biggest nonsense ever and he’d still not judge her. 

Reality now was torture. Because the way he looked at her was not even judging. There was fear in his eyes. Minseo never thought that martial arts, the thing that she loved so much would scare away the person she’d end up falling in love with.

This was not how she imagined love to be like.

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