Although the flight from Sao Paulo to Cuiaba was only two hours, Baekhee still whines for a nap when they get to the hotel. They all take her side and decide to rest a bit before getting dinner and catching the last half of the USA versus Ghana match.

Baekhee and Luhan stay up to make their own cheering goods and prepare their outfits for the match while Minseok and Jongdae figure out things to do before the game as well as transportation to the stadium.

“So, what do you think of Jongdae?” Luhan decidedly asks as she’s painting the red and blue Taeguk symbol onto a white shirt.

“Uh.. why?” Baekhee looks up at her friend from where she’s affixing small paper cones (meant to be horns) onto plastic headbands.

Luhan shrugs. “Just wondering. You two seem to have gotten quite close over the past few days. Also, I wanted to make sure you didn’t find him super annoying.” She quirks her pursed lips in innocence. Baekhee can see right through her. She doesn’t answer back but she will admit that Luhan has a point. Baekhee likes to think she is a friendly person and that she and Jongdae already had a lot in common right off the bat, but she does have to think twice about it. Has she befriended someone so quickly before? Probably... But in her defense, Luhan and Minseok are an item so of course she would want to sit across from Jongdae when they eat together. And why would she subject herself to their googly faces when she and Jongdae could commiserate together while talking about all the cool places in Cuiaba he just had to show her.

“Oh, I mean, all of us. We can all go.” Jongdae corrects himself even though Baekhee didn’t even doubt he would do otherwise.

She just tilts her head and smiles. “Right.”

-

Baekhee thinks that Luhan's strategy of making her stay up last night was on complete purpose because when she wakes up in the morning, her brown-haired roommate is nowhere to be found in their room. She walks out into the living area to see Jongdae picking a sticky note off the coffee machine.

Baekhee huffs. “Don’t tell me--”

“Yep, they totally ditched us. ‘Me and Luhan went to watch the sunrise, we can meet up later. Minseok.’” Jongdae reads off the note. Jongdae clicks his tongue at how cheesy his friend gets when it comes to his girlfriend.

“Well, what do we do now?”

Jongdae scraps the note into the trash bin and sets the machine up to start brewing coffee. “We can go to those places I was telling you about the other night, if you want?”

Baekhee sighs. She’ll either punch Luhan or thank her for this predicament she obviously set up. “I’m the tourist here, remember?” she says with a shrug and nod as if to say ‘do what you must.’

Jongdae’s face brightens. “Right! Ah.. great! Actually, my dad wanted to meet up for breakfast.”

“Y-Your dad?” Baekhee will definitely punch Luhan when she sees her next.

-

Jongdae’s father is already seated at a table in the restaurant when the two arrive. Great, it’s just us three, Baekhee bemoans to herself. They exchange greetings and Baekhee tries to be as formal as possible but his dad is having none of that. His smile (it’s similar to Jongdae’s) puts her at ease.

“How’s Brazil so far, Baekhee?” he asks. Jongdae may have the same smile, but he did not inherit his father’s build. Broader-shouldered and a proportionate chest but Baekhee can see that slimness runs in the family.   

She pauses to think, even slightly biting her lip for show. Jongdae almosts mistakens her hesitancy as he’s about to answer for her-

“Very beautiful. Very... different? Compared to home. But thanks to Jongdae,” Baekhee catches his eye then faces his dad again. “And our other friends, I’m having a really good time.”

“As you should. So, are you a football fan?”

“I shouldn’t call myself a Korean citizen if I s