“Where are we going?!” Soomin asked as Kai handed her the boarding passes after they passed customs. 
 
“Take a look.” He simply smirked. 
 
She peeked at the boarding pass slowly. “No way! We’re going to Bali?!” She exclaimed excitedly. 
 
He found himself chuckling at her reaction. “I hope you’ve packed clothes for warm weather.” 
 
They boarded the plane and Kai settled in his seat comfortably. The flight would be around seven hours so they were both preparing to rest. The crew filmed a little before shutting their cameras off to prepare for take off. Kai and Soomin would be left alone until the plane landed in Bali. The atmosphere between them returned to being awkward. 
 
As the flight attendants came around to check and the safety announcement played, Kai took out the neck pillow and placed it around his neck, sighing in comfort. He stole a quick glance at Soomin who was staring out the window. Her hands were clasped tightly together. Something prompted him to ask her if she was okay. She turned to look at him, nodding slightly. But he noticed a glimpse of fear in her eyes. Was she still afraid of flying? 
 
The captain made the announcement for take off and the seatbelt sign flashed on. Soomin showed even more signs of nervousness. Kai picked up her neck cushion and placed it around her neck gently. She whispered a quick thank you unable to process what he was doing. As the plane started moving, she sank into her seat, shutting her eyes tightly. Without much thought, he reached for her hand and held it tightly as the plane ascended. Her grip tightened and her eyes remained shut. The winds outside were probably strong and it took the plane some time to stabilise. When the seatbelt sign went off, she didn’t let go of his hand. He turned and whispered her name but there was no response. He chuckled realising that she had fallen asleep. 
 
Halfway through the plane ride, she woke up needing to go to the toilet. She needed it pretty badly but didn’t dare to walk to the toilet and back alone. She thought about asking Kai to accompany her but it would seem like such a ridiculous request. He noticed her looking at him strangely from the corner of his eye. “Is everything okay?” He finally asked, worried. Was she feeling sick? 
 
She shook her head shyly. “It’s not that. I… I need the toilet.” 
 
“Oh… I’ll let you out.” He immediately unfastened his seatbelt but she grabbed his arm to stop him. “Everything alright?” She shifted in her seat nervously as he waited for a response. 
 
“Jongin… I… The toilet… It’s far…” She mumbled softly but he managed to get her point. He unbuckled his seatbelt and hers before holding her hand and leading them out from their seats to the toilet. He didn’t say a word so she just followed him quietly. “Don’t worry, I’ll be here.” He ushered her into the toilet with a slight smile. When she came out, he was still waiting there just like he said. He reached out for her hand and led her back to their seats again. 
 
It was the same with the landing as well. He held her hand tightly once the plane started to descend. 
When the plane touched down, he immediately released her hand as the crew began preparing their cameras to continue filming. They returned to being awkward once the cameras started rolling.
 
Throughout the flight Kai couldn't stop thinking about Soomin. He was angry with her but what she did and said at the airport made him change his mind. He was surprised how easy it was for him to forgive her. Did a neck cushion and a simple thank you appease his anger totally? He couldn't help but wonder what caused the sudden change in her attitude. She didn't push him away on the plane. It was almost as if she returned to being the old Soomin. The Soomin that wasn't too independent and so sure of herself that she shut everyone out.
 
The crew captured a little of their arrival in Bali before they were driven to a local restaurant for a quick dinner and then to the hotel to finish filming for that day.
 
Soomin thought they would be staying in a regular hotel but instead, the producers had prepared a villa by the beach. As soon as the van pulled into the front of the estate, her eyes opened wide and was left hanging. She turned to Kai and exclaimed excitedly, "Are we seriously staying here? Quick let's go check it out."
 
She hurried in before him and started to look around the place. The main door opened into a large spacious living room that overlooked the beach. There were two bedrooms to this single floor villa but only one had the doors wide open so she walked right in.
 
“Wow.” She gasped. It was the only thing she could manage after seeing the room covered in rose petals. There wasn't much in the room but the view of the sea made up for it. Kai finally joined her with their luggage and he too was enjoying the view.
 
He watched her as she made her way into the bathroom. "Whoa, this bathroom is huge!" She exclaimed loudly and he found himself chuckling in response. He walked over to see and indeed it was huge!
 
There were two sinks, a large bathtub and a shower. Even the toilet bowl looked elegant in that setting. There was enough space to have a makeup area in the bathroom. She was relieved to see the makeup area in the bathroom. She had no intention of revealing her natural face on television yet.
 
“Soomin-ah.” Kai called her from the bedroom all of a sudden.
 
“Yes?” She asked noticing his worried expression.
 
He pointed at the bed. “There’s only one bed.” 
 
She was shocked but she tried her best not to appear too shocked. “Are you serious?” 
 
“We’ll have to share…” His voice was soft and she couldn’t tell if he was being shy or just shocked. 
 
She thought carefully for a moment before saying anything. “I think it’s big enough… We’ll just take a side each?” 
 
Kai nodded in agreement. He was impressed with her answer. He was slightly freaking out and he knew she was too but her reasoning made sense. Somehow hearing what she had to say made him feel relieved. 
 
It was almost time to get ready for bed. Kai opened his luggage and took out some makeup removing wipes. He started removing his makeup. Soomin didn’t notice what he was doing and continued flipping through channels on the television. At that moment, he took out some wipes and headed over to Soomin who was resting comfortably on the bed.
 
She raised an eyebrow when he approached her with a piece. “What are you doing?”
 
“We’ve had a long day and it’ll be a long day tomorrow. You should remove your makeup and wash up?” He handed her the wipes.
 
She shook her head vigorously. “How can I remove my makeup?” She frowned and lowered her voice. “There are cameras here.” Hoping that he had forgotten they were filming and wouldn’t force her to remove her makeup.
 
“It’s okay. I’ve removed my makeup.” He smiled, assuring her. He continued to look at her, waiting for her to remove her makeup.
 
She stared at him, totally frozen. She didn’t know what to do. Normally she would have gotten angry with Kai but somehow this time, she actually considered his request. “B-but I’ll look so different…”
 
“I’m sure you’ll look fine. Plus having makeup on for too long isn’t so good for your skin.” He chuckled. He had seen her natural face in the past and she was indeed a beauty. He didn’t expect her to listen to him but he just wanted to test her reaction and it’ll make them appear closer to the viewers. If she didn’t want to, he wouldn’t force her.
 
She sat there thinking if she should really remove it. Kai had already removed his makeup that shows he doesn’t care about what people have to think. She stood up and headed to the nearest mirror and started wiping. “Give me a moment…” She said to Kai, who was slightly surprised. “Do you have another piece?”
 
He hurried to get another piece and saw that she had some makeup left around her eyes. “Here let me help you.” He didn’t give her time to process. “Close your eyes.” He instructed and took the new piece and gentle wiped until it was all gone.
 
Then, the signal was given that they were going to cut filming soon. Soomin had her hands covering her face. “Thanks.” She mumbled through her hands.
 
He laughed. “You have really good skin…” He hesitated. “And I’m sure the viewers would think you’re beautiful without your makeup too.”
 
She felt herself blush. “Thanks… Not too bad yourself.”
 
The cameraman started walking backwards out of the room, indicating that filming had come to an end. The crew would be settling and resting in the other room. The air between became silent and distant again. They both didn’t want to be the first to say something.
 
Finally, Soomin broke the silence. “Jongin… Thanks for today…” Her voice was soft.
 
He felt his heartbeat increasing after hearing her call him by his real name for the second time that day. He knew then that whatever negative feelings he had before, was totally gone. Even the anger from when she left the company years ago seemed to have disappeared.
 
“Soomin…” His called out gently. “I know you aren’t looking for us to be friends. But can we at least be… on good terms just while we’re filming?”
 
She looked at him. He was sincere. All of a sudden, she regretted what she said to him. Being friends with him didn’t seem like such a bad idea. “I think… It’s okay to be friends…” She paused. “We were friends before. It can’t be that different. Unless… You don’t want to…” She avoided his gaze and played with her fingers.
 
He smiled slightly. “I’d like that.”

Posted 29th April 2014.