“Who do you think would survive longest on a stranded island?"

Dance The Night Away - TWICE

“HAND ME MY BONNET.”

She’s met with a baby blue, flower-patterned bonnet straight in her face once the words leave . After prying the offending garment from her face, Nayeon scowls at her perpetrator.

Tzuyu looks back at her with a sheepish smile. “Sorry unnie.”

Nayeon sighs.

Nearby, Chaeyoung and Dahyun are busily slaving away with two teeny-tiny shovels. “This- this is so much work.” Dahyun gasps through gulps of air, leaning on her teeny-tiny shovel.

Chaeyoung’s teeny-tiny biceps look like they’re about to pop. “Re- remind me why we’re doing this again?”

“For dinner- we’re roasting coconuts tonight, remember?” Jeongyeon passes by, her arms full of what looks like… foliage.

Dahyun squints at her through the blinding sunlight. “So what’s all that then?”

Jeongyeon unceremoniously dumps the pile of palm leaves, dry wood, and logs at their feet. “Foliage. Duh.”

Chaeyoung gulps for air.

“Anyway, I’m off to get some more wood- make sure y’all finish up by five tonight!” Jeongyeon waves at the younglings as she trots off back into the trees. They sigh and pick up their shovels again.

Meanwhile, Nayeon’s coconut-picking efforts have increased dramatically upon recruiting Tzuyu for help. Tzuyu just leans up, snatching them one by one. “Unnie, is this enough?”

“Hm. Maybe a couple more.” Nayeon adjusts her bonnet as she eyes the dozens of coconuts already resting in a small mountain around them.

Definitely need more.

Tzuyu turns around obediently to continue coconut picking.

Mina and Jihyo are a couple yards away from them, standing in the ocean. Jihyo squints at the water. She seems extremely dissatisfied. “Why are all these fish so small?!”

Mina stands next to her, hands on her hips. “Right? What’s wrong with fish these days?”

“How do we get the big ones to come here?”

Mina pauses to think. “Do we have any sort of bait?”

Jihyo blinks at her. “Well- well, what do fish even eat?”

Mina stares.

Deeper in the jungle, Momo and Sana are picking berries. Or rather, they’re supposed to be picking berries; Momo is hard at work, meticulously going through every small little branch of the surprisingly delicate berry bush, while Sana is shaking her to a nonexistent R&B track.

“Would it kill you to try and get some work done?”

Sana doesn’t stop dancing. “Yes Momo. It would.”

Momo scowls at her. “Wait, remind me why we’re doing this again.”

Sana actually pauses a moment to think. “Jihyo said so.”

“And?”

“What Jihyo says goes.”

Momo tilts her head as she pops a berry in . “Did Jihyo really say that?”

Sana shrugs. “Probably. I mean, why else would we be here?”

“What’s for dinner tonight?”

“Coconuts?”

Momo nods. “Ah.”

Suddenly there’s the sound of trampling and a slight screech. Momo and Sana ignore the impending noises until the thick foliage of the clearing is pushed aside, revealing an out-of-breath Mina and Jihyo. “There you are!”

“Hello!” Momo and Sana chorus a lovely greeting, flashing bright, identical, beaming smiles at their visitors. Mina squints a little and Jihyo shields her eyes with her hands.

“Hey- we heard you were picking berries. Do you think we can borrow some?”

“Sure.” Momo carefully selects a couple of hard-earned berries to wrap in a large leaf. “What for though?”

Mina accepts the leaf to carefully tuck away as Jihyo explains, “well, we’re trying to catch some fish but all the big ones aren’t coming.”

“Have you caught anything yet?”

“A couple small ones,” Mina adds ruefully “but you know the others- Jeongyeon could probably eat a shark by herself and still not be full.

“You too.” Jihyo side-eyes Momo, who pointedly ignores her.

“Anyway!” Sana claps loudly right next to Jihyo’s head, eliciting a scowl from the other girl as she claps her hands over her ears. “Have you caught anything yet?”

“No. That’s why we’re here. Don’t you listen to anything?” Mina deadpans. Sana looks hurt.

“Well you better catch something before Dahyun starts the fire- you know how she gets once the fire’s going.” Momo glances up from where she’s hunched next to a bush.

Mina shrugs. “You’re right. Wish us luck!”

“Good luck!” Momo sings happily, tossing another handful of berries in her basket (Sana’s remains empty). “Save me the big ones!”

Sana shoves her a little as Mina and Jihyo walk away back to the water with their newly obtained bait.

Mina looks over at Jihyo as they stand calf-deep in the sea. “Well?”

Jihyo throws the berries in the water.

Momo and Sana come dashing out of the jungle upon hearing the screams of two of their comrades. They stop short at the beach to gape at the scene; Mina and Jihyo and furiously trying to keep their balance in the schools of fish that are swarming around their legs.

“JIHYO. HURRY AND CATCH THEM!”

“HOW?? HOW DOES ONE CATCH THE FISH??”

Mins shrieks a little as a particularly large one slaps her torso with its tail. “JUST PUT THEM IN THE BAG.”

Jihyo squints through the splashing seawater in the air but s the bag in her hands down into the water anyway. Miraculously enough, it works- soon enough there are fish flailing into the bag making an even bigger scene and almost toppling Jihyo into the sea.

“HURRY, JIHYO. MY EYES, THEY BURN!”

“I’M TRYING MY BEST.”

Momo and Sana look on, impressed. “Wow. They really did it.” Momo claps approvingly, gazing wondrously at the scene before them.

“Good job, ladies!” Sana cheers. Her -shaking turns into a -shaking cheerleading routine alarmingly fast.

Jihyo really does end up tripping when the clamor dies down and she and Mina start to walk out of the ocean. Mina stares down disapprovingly, holding their bag as Jihyo drinks seawater. 

“Jihyo, hurry and get up. The fire’s going to start soon.”

“I- I’m really trying my best.”

Momo stares at them amazedly. “Why didn’t you help her??”

“I’m holding the bag.” Mina holds it up for emphasis, blinking curiously at Momo.

“Ah. Makes perfect sense.”

“Impeccable logic.” Sana approves. “I expect nothing less from the princess of Japan.”

Mina ignores them in favor of dragging Jihyo forward towards the other end of the beach, where Chaeyoung and Dahyun are digging a fire pit with their teeny-tiny shovels.

Chaeyoung looks like she’s about to die. “Are- is this enough??”

Dahyun is out of breath as well. “It better be.”

“Why are you using such small shovels?” Sana asks curiously. 

Chaeyoung and Dahyun blink at the sudden question, gazing at each other questionably. “That- is a good question.”

“Five points for Minatozaki!”

Sana cheers a little but pipes down and waits expectantly for the answer. Chaeyoung and Dahyun can’t deliver.

“Well??”

“Because Nayeon unnie doesn’t trust them to use the normal sized ones.”

Tzuyu suddenly appears from behind the duo, effectively startling both. Chaeyoung and Dahyun topple over each other like dominos.

Sana laughs at the younger girls’ misfortune while Mina rushes to help them up. “Hi Tzuyu!”

“Hi unnies.” Tzuyu greets them all. “Is dinner ready?”

“We’ve got enough fire stuff for the next few days.” Jeongyeon joins their little circle. “All we have to do is start cooking.”

Suddenly a paddle board and its rider pulls up to the shore. Rosé looks at them curiously from under her life vest . “Um, guys? Why are you all holing up out here? The dinner buffet’s about to start.”

She points a thumb over her shoulder at the luxurious beach resort that sits a short boat ride (or a fifteen-minute swim, for the ambitious ones). The TWICE girls blink back at her.

“Oh. Is it late already?”

Rosé blinks back at them. “Well, it’s not that late but if you guys wanted dinner, they’re going to start serving in ten minutes. I was out paddle-boarding with Lalisa and I saw you guys out here- I thought I’d come out and let you know.”

In the distance, they see Lisa’s long limbs precariously balancing on the wide white board. She drops her paddle, which disappears in the water with a soft ‘ploop’. Rosé pointedly remains silent on the matter.

Mina shrugs. “I’ll come back with you. I’m allergic to coconuts anyway.” She hops to take a seat on Rosé’s paddle board.

“Me too!” Tzuyu quickly jumps on as well. “I can’t really swim either, so.”

“Alright then, I’ve got a full board.” Rosé grins as she pushes off of the shore. “I’ll see you guys at dinner then?”

The remaining members watch her paddle her passengers peacefully off. They exchange glances, and then it’s chaotic.

 “RACE YOU BACK TO THE RESORT!” Jihyo all but leaps into the water, pushing Jeongyeon out of her way as she makes a big scene running into the ocean.

Momo is hot on her heels. “LAST ONE TO DINNER IS A SQUARE!”

“I don’t think that’s the saying- isn’t it be there or be square?” Dahyun muses as she rushes to follow them in the water.

Nayeon has firmly attached herself to Jeongyeon and Sana, looking like she's ready to ride out to war. “It’s 'be there or be square'- but it doesn’t matter! MUSH! I REFUSE TO BE SQUARE!” She shrieks at Jeongyeon and Sana, who frantically take off in pursuit of Jihyo and Momo.

Chaeyoung dives in gracefully, kicking her feet out behind her. “I don’t want to get there too late- last time I was late, Momo unnie literally ate every single piece of the buffet’s pork!”

“And I’ll do it again, if I can!” Momo hollers over her shoulder, frantically swinging her limbs in an effort to propel herself forward. It makes Chaeyoung kick a little bit harder.

Mina and Tzuyu have long reached the other side where the resort is, and even have enough time to help Lisa out of the water. “Thank you, you two! So much nicer than Rosie-poops here.” Lisa smiles gratefully at them, waving. “I’ll see you all in a few for dinner, right? Where’s everyone else?”

“AAARRRRGGGHHHH!”

They all look up to see a big fuss in the water. Jihyo is swimming full steam ahead, Momo right behind her (she doesn't look graceful or anything, but whatever works right?). Jeongyeon and Sana have created a surprisingly effective raft-like formation that allows Nayeon to keep her head above the water and still help propel them forward with her kicks. Chaeyoung and Dahyun flank the sides like dolphins, swimming much more refined than Momo and Jihyo (who would otherwise look like they’re drowning with their swimming, if it weren’t for the fire in their eyes and the sheer speed at which they’re moving).

Mina smiles awkwardly, taking Tzuyu’s wrist to tug her along. “Yeah, we’ll see you guys in a bit. Save a big table, alright?”

Tzuyu plasters a strange smile on as well as she and Mina take off to get ready, before the rest of their mess-prone members can reach the shore.

Whose idea was it to try and live on a stranded island anyway?