Episode 11

Soomin finished washing up first. She watched some television while waiting for her hair to dry. She didn’t want to fall asleep before Kai, especially since there was only one bed. They should have some sort of agreement on how they were going to share the bed first.

“Aren’t you tired?” Kai asked, as he saw her still awake.

“I was waiting for my hair to dry and… what should we do about the bed?” She avoided looking at him.

He chuckled. “I’ll take the floor. Don’t worry about me.”

Although she had the entire bed to herself, Soomin wasn’t able to fall asleep. She keep tossing and turning. Her mind kept wondering to Kai that was sleeping on the floor. She didn’t know why it was bothering her that he was sleeping on the floor and she got the bed. When she thought of Kai, she no longer felt angry like she would have felt. It was like she forgot why she was so angry in the first place. She was afraid of getting close with him again but now, she didn’t mind that much if they were friends.

Kai heard her moving from where he was lying on the floor and couldn’t fall asleep too. “Are you okay?” He asked sleepily. He was worried she wasn’t feeling well from the flight earlier.

“I’m fine… Just can’t fall asleep knowing you’re sleeping uncomfortably on the floor. EXO’s Kai is sleeping on the floor in a villa in Bali…” She sighed.

He sat up and reassured her. “Really, it’s okay. It’s uncomfortable to share the bed anyway.”

“The bed is big enough, we could just put a barrier of pillows? You shouldn’t be sleeping on the floor while I get the bed…”

“Will you be able to sleep if I’m not sleeping on the floor?” He wanted to make sure she could sleep comfortably and had enough rest.

“Mm hmm…” She mumbled softly.

He got up onto the bed, arranging a bunch of pillows in between them before lying down. “Okay, now sleep.” He whispered softly.

The next morning, she awoke to the sounds of the waves and the sun on her face. She stretched and yawned, satisfied with her sleep. She turned and to her surprise, the other half of the bed was empty. She looked around and she couldn’t see him anywhere. “Jongin?” Her voice was still hoarse from just waking up.

“Yes?” He came out from the toilet already dressed and hair styled. “Did you sleep well?” He smiled slightly.

“Mm…” She mumbled as she struggled to sit up.

He found himself smiling at her expressions. “I’ll get ready outside. I’ll get your stylist to come in.”

She nodded sleepily. “Thanks.”

Her stylist had her changed into her outfit before proceeding to do her hair and makeup. She wore a tube top with denim shorts and her hair was in a French braid. She found out that they would be going to the beach that day. It was a good thing she packed her best sunblock. She didn’t want to become too tan.

Finally after an hour of getting ready, Soomin came out from the room. Kai was waiting patiently, chatting with the crew while watching something on television. His gasped when he saw her. “Couple look?” He was wearing a grey singlet and blue berms. She smiled shyly noticing that his top showed off his muscles really well. He was definitely more muscular than when he was a trainee.

They arrived at the beach and the sun was high up in the sky by then. She was thankful for her shades otherwise she wouldn’t be able to open her eyes in this weather. They settled down near a tree but they couldn’t sit right under it, as the shadow casted by the tree wouldn’t look good on the camera.

Kai carefully laid out a mat provided by the crew. As soon as she sat down, Soomin started applying her sunblock. “Give me your hand.” She asked Kai as he sat down. He was confused but followed her instructions, giving his hand to her face up. She squeezed a whole lot of sunblock on his palm. “Apply that. Don’t get burnt.”

He eyed her cautiously. “Thanks.” He muttered and smiled awkwardly. It was only when she saw his look did she realise what she had done. She reminded herself that she shouldn’t treat him too nicely even though they were on friendly terms. She didn’t want to start any misunderstandings too.

He applied the sunblock quickly on his arms and legs but he had difficulty reaching his back. “Um… Could you…” He pointed to his back, embarrassed that he had to ask for help. She hesitated but helped him out anyway. She spread the sunblock on the exposed skin at the back of his shoulders gently, feeling his hard muscles. Was he flexing? It felt like he was.

“There, all done.” She felt herself blush but turned to hide it.

He put some sunblock on his hand and motioned for her to turn. “I’ll help you with yours. It’s not good for a female star to be tan and burnt.” He was gentle while applying and made sure to cover her whole back.

There weren’t many people at the beach and the crew had planned activities for them. They rode a boat that took them out to sea. They were able to see fishes and corals through the glass floor of the boat. It was really a breathtaking experience! Filming stopped there and continued during dinner where they were introduced to local cuisine and dishes. They ate and chatted happily. It was like they have gotten comfortable with each other and became real friends.

The next morning, they left the villa but decided to stop by the beach for a final shoot before they went to the airport. The crew instructed them to walk down the beach while they filmed them from the back.

“So we are to just walk?” She asked him, finding the instructions strange.

He smiled and shrugged. “I guess so. They probably want to capture the view and us as well. So we’ll have to be natural?”

“I guess so. This beach is really pretty though. I don’t know when I’ll get the chance to come to a place like this again.” She sighed and hung her head.

All of a sudden, he had an urge to hold her hand. He thought she looked really pretty and the place where they were at just made it feel like it was the right thing to do. So without much thought, he reached out and held her hand.

She looked at him, totally surprised. But she didn’t let go. They kept walking in silence, hand in hand. It felt strange and yet all too familiar.