Behind the scenes #2

Flatmates.

So noisy. Everything was so noisy and the buzzing in his head was almost more painful than the situation he saw himself in right at this moment.

Hyunwoo was standing in front of the door, holding the doorknob tightly in his hand just as if his life depended on it.

It was locked, it wouldn’t open.

Every time he’d hear another stampede from outside, he winced, praying that nobody would come for this bathroom. Oh God, he prayed. If you exist, please let nobody come for me. Hyunwoo didn’t even know what time it was, he just knew that he woke up all alone next to the toilet bowl, completely .

“I wish I knew what happened“, he muttered, trying to concentrate and remember why the heck he ended up with all his clothes taken from him.

Some memory fragments flashed up in his mind. Loads of vomit all over his clothes. Hyungwon doing his best to undress Hyunwoo and then Hyungwon directing the shower head straight at Hyunwoo and fired it at him, bathing him like a dirty dog. Then Hyunwoo remembered being left alone in the bathroom, hearing footsteps from outside and thus locking the door. There was desperate knocking from outside. And then the memory was gone again.

“Must have been a bad dream…“ Or at least so he hoped. Hyunwoo sighed and decided it was time to be brave and try to head to his room. He just had to make it across the floor. God damnit, if there just were some towels…

More memories flashed in front of his inner eye. “No! Hyunwoo, don’t vomit all over the towels! !“, Hyungwon’s voice was booming through his head.

Hyunwoo sighed once more. Why was it always him who had to face such struggles? He must have been cursed. He was so unlucky whenever alcohol came into play. No more alcohol. Never again.

Another 20 minutes passed in which Hyunwoo was holding onto the doorknob, standing motionless in front of the door. Sun rays were streaming in from the outside, burning his bare skin. If he waited for longer, everyone would be up. It was now or never. Overly frustrated Hyunwoo opened the door and made the first huge leap outside. Just a few meters! He’d manage without being seen! There hadn’t been noise from the floor for a while!

CLACK.

The sound of plastic hitting the floor let Hyunwoo freeze in the middle of his motion. Slowly, almost mechanically, his head turned to face a stranger guy in front of him. He was  a lot shorter than him and very much blonde. Hyunwoo was sure he had never seen this guy before… but from the look of his PJs and the toothbrush that was now lying on the floor, he was obviously living in the apartment just like the others.

The guy’s eyes slowly wandered downwards Hyunwoo’s body and came to a rest at the region that was openly displayed between Hyunwoo’s widely spread legs. Eyes grew bigger in realization on both sides, just like heads slowly turned red.

Hyunwoo could feel his manliness shrinking as all the blood in his body was rushing into his head.

“Err… good morning..?“, the stranger greeted Hyunwoo, who only knew how to nod at that moment, cover his jewels with his hands and quickly moved sideways as he kept nodding.

The few meters felt like miles, every passing second like hours. When Hyunwoo finally reached his door and vanished into the darkness, he wished he’d never have to come out again and especially never meet that stranger again.
 

*THUD*

The sound of the bedroom door falling into its lock tore Haru out of her sleep. The model’s head shot up and through squinted eyes, she stared at the person that snuck back in.

Summer was looking at her, eyes widely opened as if she had seen a ghost outside.

“Are you alright?“

Summer moved to answer but nothing came out of it. She tried again and lifted her finger but her vocal cords still didn’t want to work.

“…did you meet someone outside?“

Summer gulped and the tension in finally gave way for some simple words.

“Kinda… Yes. I saw... something.“

“Something?“, Haru asked and raised her eyebrows. “What do you mean… something?“

The other woman took a whole moment before she answered reluctantly.

“…a willy.“

“A willy?“
Haru furrowed her eyebrows even more and Summer quickly understood that Haru wasn’t able to follow.

“A schlong!“

“A wh-“

“Holy Schnikes - A !“

Again the women just stared at one another until a loud and jarring screech came out of Haru’s mouth that reminded awfully much of a balloon being stepped on. This absolutely stunning woman was laughing like an angry duck and it took her only a second to infect Summer to join in with her very own hyena laugh.

While the two of them were laughing even louder and pointing fingers at each other, someone from the bed next to them angrily threw a pillow after them.

“SHUT UP!“

Minyoung was standing upright on her mattress, her whole body shaking

“We had a very rough night, so please. PLEASE. Let us have some rest!“

Sara next to her just gave a weak wail before she rolled up like a fetus.

“Oh whoops…  sorry“, Haru quickly apologized and got up from her bed. She grabbed a sweatshirt and moved towards the door. Summer however wasn’t following.

“You’re not coming?“

Summer quickly shook her head.

“I’ll get some more rest. One wiener a day is more than I can take.“

Haru tilted her head in confusion. This was a dating show, right? They were supposed to date men… right? What was Summer here for, if not men who had ‚wieners‘?
Summer really wasn’t joining, so Haru decided to head out alone. Maybe she was lucky enough to meet a bachelor, too. Or at least some food on the way.  She hadn’t eaten anything the past day to perfectly fit her dress. Now her body was exhausted and seeking nutrition.


The scent of freshly brewed coffee and the sizzling of a pan were welcoming her the moment she stepped out of her room. People were talking in the kitchen - two of them male.

Jackpot.

Bachelors for breakfast. Why not?

The kitchen was insanely big and offered a huge kitchen island as a place to sit and chat with the chef. Two of the contestants were already sitting on high chairs, a third one standing right next to Yoo Kihyun, noting down his every movement.

The moment Haru noticed the tall, slender man in front of the coffee machine, she knew choosing the kitchen as her first stop in the morning was the right thing to do. Hyungwon was outstandingly handsome and his little smile while greeting her was melting her heart already.

“Good morning“, Haru greeted everyone. Kyungmi turned around to greet her back, while Yonghwa, Kihyun and Hayeon didn’t seem to notice her at all. Their heated discussion just went on.

“There is no such thing as witty food innuendos!“, Kihyun said firmly.

Yonghwa’s mouth was gaping as she tried to argue with him.

“But - but! There’s so. MANY. Are you telling me ‘I want to get you marinated in your own juices’ is not witty?‘“

“No, that’s disgusting!“, Kihyun huffed.

He waved his finger right in front of her face before he turned around and gave the content in his pan a skilled flip. The scent of coconut was overwhelming Haru like a wave.

“They’ve been arguing all morning. Don't mind them“, Hyungwon informed Haru and he and Kyungmi grinned when they exchanged glances. “Coffee?“

Haru gave him a quick nod.

“But all the wi-“, Yonghwa still wanted to continue when Hayeon completely cut her off.

“-No seasoning?“, she distracted Kihyun who immediately turned around to explain to her how exactly he was going to season the coconut pancakes he was currently cooking.

Yonghwa looked a little distraught about the sudden end of the discussion and remained silent the rest of the breakfast.

Kyungmi and Hyungwon were continuously giving each other meaningful glances and when Kihyun started to serve the pancakes and sprinkled nuts and caramel over the finished coconut pancakes with banana and creme fraîche, Hyungwon was quick in grabbing one of the plates and placing it in front of Kyungmi before the nuts were even close to her plate.

Haru was observing how caring Hyungwon was around Kyungmi and started to wonder how much she had missed out in just one morning. How much time has passed while she was sleeping, how long have they been sitting here, bonding while nobody noticed?

“This looks amazing. Your cooking is really on another level“, Hyungwon praised Kihyun who answered with a shrug.

“Of course it is! Chef Yoo didn’t learn cooking to serve average meals! He’s one of the best!“ It wasn’t Hayeon’s words that unexpectedly ended a peaceful morning. It was a simple movement that followed.

Her hand moved naturally and when it reached Kihyun’s and gave it a proud pat, everyone else’s eyes widened. Hyungwon’s and Haru’s mouthes almost simultaneously dropped open in disbelief and even Hayeon noticed she had done something terribly wrong when Kihyun’s head slowly turned and his eyes were glaring up with a fit of unbeding anger.

The next moment Kihyun was yelling at Hayeon, calling her terrible things until the girl escaped, all frightened and with visible tears in her eyes.

Haru had never seen someone lose his temper that quickly.
 

The last night had been one of the most eventful that Chaelee ever had experienced. The happier she was now, that she had had the well-deserved sleep she needed after all the turbulences.

It was already around 3PM when Chaelee woke up, took a shower and then decided to browse the penthouse. Most parts of the penthouse were rather quiet. Chaelee figured it must have been because a lot of the contestants and bachelors were still asleep while the other few ones that were back with the living were spread in this way too big house.

The Bachelors Paradise staff had organized a decent catering and Chaelee was especially thankful for the chef that was hired. With some nice hangover stew, everything went a lot more smoothly. Not that there was a lot of hangover left after the sudden shock she went through during the random first challenge. It still felt nice to have your own chef.

In her favorite yoga pants, Chaelee now walked through this way too decadent penthouse without knowing where exactly she was headed. This place was a labyrinth, she wished there were at least one or two signposts. Alas.

After a while of getting to know the penthouse (this place had a  goddamn second floor!), Chaelee noticed two other contestants standing in front of a huge window front that was located in the gym area.

Misoon was holding a full cup of coffee that wasn’t steaming anymore. Sook was standing right next to her, an image of black Prada. She reminded Chaelee of a very classy Grim Reaper.

“He’s so hot, I feel like he threw Fire Noodles in my face“, Misoon spoke into her cup of cold coffee, her eyes darting through the window.

Chaelee curiously followed her eyes.

On the other side of the window, Hoseok was working out topless. Chaelee completely forgot to be astounded by the fact that this penthouse had its own gym. The sweat on Hoseok’s muscles had something way too enthralling for her to handle. For a hot second, Chaelee lost herself lusting after the clueless guy. The way he lifted those weights seemed more interesting than every TV show she had ever seen. When Chaelee caught a grip of herself again, she felt deeply embarrassed.

“Guys…! Guys, aren’t you scared that he’ll notice you peeping?!“, Chaelee panicked.

“The other side is a mirror“, Sook answered indifferently.

“I checked out every single corner in this penthouse“, Misoon added, “He can’t see us.“

“But I can.“

The three women winced when Minhyuk suddenly showed up right next to them.

“Don’t worry, I haven’t been here for long. Just long enough to know you’re peeping“, he carried a disarming smile on his lips. In general, he could have hopped right out of a drama. His skin was glowing, he didn't seem tired at all and he looked way too happy over catching the contestants in the act.

Misoon frowned and eyed him from head to toe. With her disheveled hair and eyebags for days, she was quite the visual counterpart to the young actor. “And you were doing what? Peeping on us?“

Sook’s lips immediately started curling up.

“I just used the sauna, you should spend some time in there too. It's very relaxing. Oh! Come to think of it... since you enjoy skin so much…“

Without even finishing his sentence, he opened the door right next to the window and shouted into the gym.

“Hey, Hoseok! Mind sparing a minute for some of the contestants?“

“Huh!“, Sook snorted and Misoon suddenly took a long sip of her coffee.

Hoseok joined in no time and when the sweat pearls were glistening on Hoseok’s skin right in front of her, Chaelee was about to swoon and long-forgotten seemed the ability to speak.

While Sook and Chaelee were both staring at Hoseok, Misoon blurted her thoughts out directly: "Wow, when you move I almost get why everyone's dropping their around you.“

Minhyuk burst out in peals of laughter, Hoseok just irritatedly looking back and forth between Misoon and Minhyuk.

“Uhm…thank you?“

“Oh my - I like this girl“, Minhyuk said and held his belly. “So, Hoseok… we were planning to spend some time in the sauna and the ladies really want you to join. So what do you say?“

Hoseok looked flustered and looked more than uncomfortable but Minhyuk didn’t give in and instead kept talking Hoseok into joining until he gave in.

15 minutes later Chaelee found herself in a private sauna next to a famous actor, a smoking hot male model, the embodiment of a female Grim Reaper and Bang Misoon who had brought her cup of coffee.

Life was funny.

Maehwa was gone. Iseul checked on all the rooms multiple times but Maehwa was nowhere to be found. Something inside Iseul was telling her it was her fault. That she could have helped Maehwa. She felt obligated. After all, Maehwa had worked with her before. They had known each other. She had taken part in Iseul’s journey to becoming an idol.

But Iseul wasn’t her babysitter. Everyone was fighting to get as far as possible in this show. On their own, of course.

Still.

Why did she feel bad about it? Why did she still feel like having to take responsibility for others? Sometimes she really hated being the leader of an idol group. The indoctrinated leader mindset didn’t want to let go of her, even now when she was trying so hard to live a more liberated life.

As the inner war of thoughts was going on, Iseul didn’t notice someone sitting down right next to her on the couch.

“Overthinking last night?“

Iseul looked up at Sohyun. This pretty, petite woman that even in her casual clothes looked like she was ready to join a business meeting. Iseul remembered her from last season. She was season 1 contestant Nara’s business partner and co-founder of South Korea’s most successful matchmaking agencies. It was still ironic to see someone like her looking for love in a TV like this.

“I’m fine“, Iseul answered.

“Oh really? Didn’t seem like it. You’ve been in a tunnel for at least 20 minutes“, another woman commented.

Hojung was sitting on the opposite couch, legs crossed while casually holding a wine glass filled with water. There wasn’t much Iseul knew about her. Just that the sole reason she managed to get through the first round was the MC Gunhee guiding her through the challenge. Yeah, of course… networking meant a lot, even in a TV show. She wondered what Hojung's actually deal with this show was…


“Well, there’s a lot to process. Last night was wild. And the circumstances are not really… what you'd experience in your average daily life. I feel weird myself, being here with a bunch of women throwing themselves onto guys“, Sohyun said.

Iseul was pretty sure that Sohyun was only telling her openly about it to make her feel more at ease. And… it worked.

“Did you notice all the cameras?“, Iseul asked.

“I’m not surprised they’re monitoring us 24/7. Apparently, things went wild behind the scenes last season. They’re making sure to not miss any tea“, Hojung said.

Sohyun started giggling. “Oh yes, Nara told me about all the stuff happening when the cameras were gone.“

Iseul let out a sigh. Even here she wasn’t free of the monitoring. “I’m sick and tired of all the monitoring. I had my fair share of it already.“

“Oh, we all did“, Hojung said. Iseul’s face must have shown that she was wondering what Hojung meant. “I'm from a rich family“, Hojung further explained, “There’s no such thing as freedom for people like me. Especially when you have older siblings that made sure your parents won’t trust you anymore.“

“Sounds like terrible siblings“, Iseul commented.

“Oh you don’t even know…yet“, Hojung murmured. Sohyun and Iseul both clearly heard her words, yet none of them further asked as it felt a little like a taboo to ask. Hojung had something about her that made her feel very distanced and even though the thought clearly amused her, her undertone build a barrier around her.

"So should we serve the cameras a little tea?“, Sohyun suggested playfully.

“How?“, Iseul asked.

“Which bachelor do you feel most attracted to at the moment?“

Good question. Iseul remembered how she actually thought Jooheon and Changkyun were intriguing enough to pursue until she heard them both drunk yowling all morning. It took them forever to finally fall asleep. Or fall into a coma. Both made sense.

“Minhyuk seems just like in the dramas. Almost too good to be true…but for me it’s either him or Jooheon“, Sohyun started the Q and A. “What about you, Hojung? Any interest in Jooheon?“

Hojung almost choked on her water. It took her a whole moment to gain back control over her lungs.

“Oh no, never“, she answered rashly. “I’m not interested in anyone yet.“

“Not even Hoseok?“, Iseul asked. She remembered him as extremely handsome, yet something just didn’t sit right with him.

“Hoseok is kinda dumb“ Hojung snorted a little bit. Yet, underneath the icy surface, there was a hint of a smile on her lips.

“What about you?“

Iseul shook her head. “No Jooheon for me, thanks no. But I agree, Minhyuk seems nice.“

And thus they came to discuss the qualities of their favorite bachelors, not knowing if the audience would ever get to hear their thoughts or not.

High heels, short dress, hair and make-up on fleek. There was no way Yoo Ari would ever leave the room to hunt down a wealthy man looking like a trash bag.

The sweet sound of party music was luring her outside to the terrace, where two of the bachelors had started a private pool party. The lit-up torches surrounding the cozy seating area made it look like the most comfortable outdoor living room.

Ari frowned when she heard the voice of an upset contestant arguing with Changkyun. The loud yells were deeply tainted with slurs. Those guys must have been drinking for a while already.

“Woman, you do not get to tell me that aiming on PC is harder than console! Have you ever tried aiming on console?!“

“You sound like every toxic dude-bro ever!“ The young woman was all teary, her face slowly turning red in frustration (or was it an alcohol flush? Ari really couldn’t tell).

Unfortunately, Ran (who honestly looked like a little child to Ari, no front) wasn’t the only woman in the little group. Next to Jooheon, Myungok - (wait, wasn’t she the one that acted like the incarnation of lady goddess while Hyungwon was around? How come she now looked like a sophomore explaining drinking games to freshmen?!) - was sitting happily, filling up her and Jooheon’s glasses while Changkyun and Ran kept arguing, the table between them being the only reason they hadn't strangled each other yet.

“Do you mind me joining?“ Ari smiled at the men and Changkyun looked relieved at the sight of another woman that was not trying to pick a fight with him.

“Sure", he said and got up, “Anything you want to drink?“

“Any recommendations?“, Ari put on her most charming smile.

“Soju and beer!“, Jooheon immediately blurted out. Myungok joined in with a delighted “BEST TASTE!“

Yikes. Cheap taste, cheap man. No, thanks. Jooheon was officially out. Cheap taste Myungok could have him all to herself.

Changkyun chuckled before he cleared his throat and eyed Ari from head to toes.

“A y lady needs a y drink. I’d say a French Kiss for a woman I want to french kiss but instead how about I’ll open up a nice bottle of Champagne.“

Whatever it was, something about Changkyun irked Ari. Probably the fact that he acted like a boy but when he went to the bar next to the pool and got a bottle of pretty expensive Champagne, Ari wasn’t so sure of noping out on Changkyun anymore. Was it mere luck or coincidence he got that bottle or was he knowingly getting out that one because he had expensive taste…

Skeptically Ari eyed each of the men - unfortunately, the MC Gunhee was nowhere to be seen. She had hoped he’d spend time with the contestants as well. After all, last season one of the contestants hit the jackpot by charming the MC. Now she was married rich. That was exactly what Ari wanted - getting married to a filthy rich guy.

Changkyun handed Ari a glass of Champagne when another woman joined the round. She was drop-dead gorgeous and so skinny, she made Ari and Ran look like bumpkins. … 

“Oh no, you’re partying without me? How dare!“

As if it was the most natural thing to do in the world,Eunha moved right next to Changkyun and linked arms with him. “Missed me already?“

“Oh thank God you made it!“, he immediately said and grinned widely. “Where’s your friend Haebyul?“

Eunha pouted when she was asked about her friend, but before she could answer, Jooheon chimed in.

"Her name is HEEbyul. If you like her so much, learn her name, first.“

“Why do you keep saying Heebyul, her name is HAEbyul, you idiot!“, Changkyun argued back. Eunha once more opened to speak but got cut off again.

“You can just call us `the Byuls‘ if it helps.“

Two identically looking women were standing next to the pool. Wait what. Twins?! Ari had her troubles keeping her composure. The competition step by step got more ridiculous.

“Twins!“, Jooheon blurted out and left the one Ari figured would be Heebyul with a little frown.

“I explained that to you almost 20 times last night…“, she said.

What used to be a little, cozy round in which Ari had figured her chances rather high, she now felt like the twins and their little pet Eunha were taking the spotlight. They were so quick in bonding with the bachelors, sitting with them and starting chats like they’ve been the closest of friends for at least 5 years, that Ari slowly started to feel very threatened.

She didn’t care about Myungok who had managed to find a soft spot for Jooheon even before Ari had joined. She was pretty sure that Jooheon had no money at all.

Ran had catapulted herself out by continuously throwing shade at Changkyun whenever she could, so chances had been high to find out more about him and charm him if needed… but Ari’s chances dropped significantly due to the latest additions to the group.

The Byuls easily managed to engage everyone in drinking games that even to Myungok seemed new and after only one hour everyone was rather tipsy, if not even drunk. Jooheon probably was the worst of all. He was so drunk at this point, he had no shame in showing how bad he had the hots for Heebyul when she started tying cherry stems with her tongue.

“Hey Heebyul“, he said, eyes bloodshot and the stench of alcohol surrounding him like a thick cloud, “you must be wearing space pants cuz your is out of this world."

Heebyul looked at him in disbelief, before she laughed it off, shrugged and countered: “Actually, they're softball pants cuz my is so out of your league.“

Changkyun cracked up next to him. Jooheon didn’t look bothered at all.

“Oh really? Too bad. I was gonna tell you a joke about my …but it’s too long.“

“I would tell you a joke about my , but you’ll never get it“, Heebyul’s comeback once again hit back, yet Jooheon wasn’t giving up.

“ you“, he said.

“ you, too“, she then countered to which Jooheon added a last wink and the words “ you soon“ to which Heebyul for the first time didn’t know a comeback and only shook her head while laughing.

In the meantime, her sister had tried and failed to tie stems the way Heebyul did. Haebyul had chewed all the stems to the point was filled with masticated leftovers.

“Ewwww! Help!“, she whined and like a little kid stuck out her tongue.

Changkyun was all entertained by her. “You want help?“

“Yes, please“, she said and looked at him with her big eyes.

“You asked for it.“

Changkyun leaned forward and the next moment he was locking lips with Haebyul, passionately kissing her. Ran rolled her eyes and scoffed, Ari was absolutely speechless. Eunha awkwardly sat next to them, patting Haebyul’s shoulder.

“Hey! HEY!“, she whined, “What about me?! You make me feel awkward!“

Haebyul broke herself off of Changkyun.

“I’m sorry…“, she said and the next moment, her hands had embraced Eunha’s face and her lips were right on Eunha’s whose eyes widened in even more confusion.

Changkyun bit his lower lip watching the two girls making out, while Ari couldn’t believe what the heck was going on right in front of her eyes. Honestly, she wasn’t planning on going all-in when she signed up for the program. At least not on the very first days. But seeing what kind of unbelievable competition she had, she decided to go the safest route she could.

Ari got up, moved over to Changkyun and leaned over him to whisper sweet promises into his ears.

Forgotten seemed the kissing girls, the model and the gamer girl.

It didn’t take Changkyun a second to get up, grab Ari’s hand and pull her away from the group. Ari looked back at the baffled contestants and Jooheon who now disappointedly patted Heebyul’s arm before pointing at Changkyun and Ari.

Ari didn’t care at all about what they were thinking.

All that counted now was showing Changkyun what qualities and skills she had to offer… in privacy.

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