You’re silenced. For a couple of minutes, you sit there, unable to get any words out.

Jongin keeps his silence up, as though he knows you’ll need time to process this.

“But if that’s the case… why make it this big thing if he’s going to do the usual CEO father trick and hand the company over to his son?”

Jongin’s expression mirrors his previous one and he can’t seem to hold the incredulous but entirely humored chuckle back.

But you’re at a loss at what could possibly be humorous about this – wasn’t that the way things worked? CEO father grooms son from early age into a business mindset and passes the company over to him when he sees fit, regardless of how many other older and more qualified employees he may already have.

You know Taemin’s father is… atypical so to speak, but you’d always assumed that was general protocol.

“Excluding the few he expects to drop out early,” but Jongin doesn’t make a move to name names, which has another wave of apprehension wash over you. “If Taemin’s lack of interest in inheriting the company persists, he’d be happier handing the company over to anyone other than Taemin, out of this line up.”

As he says this, and as a comfortable silence settles over the two of you, you contemplate the ‘line up’, finding yourself at a bigger loss than you were previously. 

If Mr. Lee’s overarching goal isn’t to pass the company over to his son, why include him in a supposed holiday/project that implicitly implies those involved are being run through a series of tests to see if they have what it takes to inherit his company? 

Heck, why would he include you – someone that doesn’t know him, someone that doesn’t work for him and evidently never will, but just so happens to be the best friend of his son…?

He’s singled out the people from the ‘line up’ for a reason, you just have to figure out why, and what that means for them. And more than likely, what it means for Taemin. 

Are you to look at your similarities here, or is it wiser to figure out the differences?

The line up itself consists of Junmyeon, Min-seo, Kyungsoo, Taemin, yourself and Jongin. Mixed gender, but all a similar age range.

Even Junmyeon happened to only be a few years older than the rest of you, but he was still older than the rest of you. 

So what does he have in common with the rest of you, right now? From his perspective, regardless of your current ages, isn’t including him like having him face off with a group of kids? 

Especially when you take into account the fact that he’s already working for Taemin’s father, has graduated, and is the one leading you all into these challenges. 

That introduces a mentor-esque dynamic that doesn’t really exist for the rest of you, so has he simply tagged along because you’re the stepping stones to his desired job? 

You find yourself drumming your fingers against your thigh as you contemplate this further. 

You’re not sure which university Junmyeon attended, but excluding him, the rest of you attend the same one.

…Maybe it’s your lack of information on him, but if there’s a general subcategory to be made of this (taking into consideration age and education primarily)… Junmyeon is the odd one out, and it seems that figuring out who stands out the most, might make it obvious what the overarching goal or connection is here.

At least in some form.

You’re not sure how to make sense of this, if there’s any sense to be made of it, but writing it down might make it clearer. If you give each person their own ‘profile’ and keep log of any potential subcategories and how they fit into them, maybe it’ll start to make sense the more you unveil.

For Junmyeon you find yourself writing: ‘oldest, graduated, employed by Taemin’s father. ‘Leading’ the challenges but not participating’

After this, you write out several subcategories. Trying to find all the ways the ‘line up’ correlate or differ. Promising yourself you’ll combine the information into a profile for each at the end.

‘Gender. 
Min-seo, yourself: Female
Junmyeon, Kyungsoo, Taemin, Jongin: Male
Odd one out: yourself and Min-seo perhaps? Gender is possibly not a factor in Mr. Lee’s reasoning / possibly diabolical plan, even though you might have expected it to be’

‘Education.
Everyone excluding Junmyeon: Enrolled in the same university
Junmyeon: Graduated that same university. High school, middle school and elementary - all unknown

(before university)…
Taemin, yourself: Same elementary, middle and high school
Jongin, Min-seo: Attended the same high school, unsure for middle school and elementary 
Kyungsoo: Unknown for elementary and middle school, most likely the same high school as Jongin and Min-seo
Odd one out: Junmyeon possibly, kind of inconclusive’

‘Financial status.
Jongin, Taemin: Ridiculously rich
Kyungsoo, Min-seo: (comfortably) Ridiculously rich, which means they’re still in possession of riches beyond logical means, but not as rich as Taemin and Jongin, who are at the top of the top in terms of money in this massively affluent society
Junmyeon: Unknown, likely rich on some scale, if not by his family then through his cushy job
Yourself: Not even comparable to the rest, the average struggling student, your parents just lucked out and moved you into the midst of this rich madness
Odd one out: Yourself’

‘Relationship status.
Min-seo, Taemin: In a relationship (it’s fake, orchestrated entirely by Taemin’s father)
Jongin, yourself: In a relationship (it’s fake, too, came about through your own diabolical scheming)
Kyungsoo: Single 
Junmyeon: Unknown as of current, he acts single 
Odd one out: none because you’re likely all single, Kyungsoo and potentially Junmyeon. If it’s based on the believability factor of the relationships… Taemin’s father orchestrated him and Min-seo, so who’s to say he doesn’t know Jongin and yourself are fake, too? – Especially with the watchful eyes he has lurking’

You sigh to yourself, looking over your subcategories, useless as they’re feeling, Junmyeon is consistently appearing to be the odd one out.

…But is that simply because of how little you know about him?

Maybe you’d jumped the gun here, assuming you’d be able to figure out Junmyeon’s information by proxy.

You’ve said about five words to him, and paid very little attention to him, so it’s like taking a shot in the dark.

You decide you’ll take up an entirely new method.

Surely the underlying – or overarching – connection or driving factor to this ‘holiday’ would be deeper than surface level information. Taemin’s father is a lot of things, you can wholeheartedly say that, but from what you do know of him, he doesn’t appear to be boring.

So why would his answers lie in topics reserved for small talk? You need something… juicer. Obviously.

‘Ties to each other. 
(Possibly the most helpful category)’, you scribble beside it, deciding not to scrap the other categories as they might be usual in some form.

…Say in case you end up with amnesia and forget who’s who. 

Gotta be prepared for everything, of course.

‘Yourself.
Yourself, Taemin: Best friends since youth, probable unrequited love on your side. Cheesy as it might sound, he’s the closest thing to home you know, and you know that even if your love for him is forever unrequited, you’d do anything to protect the bond you share with him, you’d go well out of your way to protect him and keep him safe, let him know how cherished he is. 

He’s safety and adventure all rolled into one and he’s been the best friend a person can be, even taking into account your massively different backgrounds. 

Honestly as much as you try not to think about it, if certain things had been found out about you (like your financial status and background when growing up), in this freakishly rich and high class environment, you could’ve been subject to a lot of torment from your peers, and bullied out of the academic future you’ve worked so hard for. But he’s never let that happen, he’s apparently shielded you from a lot more too, which as curious as you are and as much as it hurts to know he’s left you in the dark with a lot of things, you do realize he’s done it for your own safety. 

You’re terrified of losing him and the bond you share, and instead of confronting him like a being with common sense (when an outside factor results in you two growing more distant than you’re used to), when pairing your equally codependent bond with your stubbornly independent and curious nature, you decided to team up with his worst enemy to regain his attention… only to find an empire of deceit and lies is what this society is actually built on and a lot of it seems to be centered around Taemin’s extremely villainous father, so it’s pretty difficult – and foolish, you could argue – to back out now.’

You take a deep breath, knowing you never would. You’d never leave Taemin to face a difficult situation on his own, and part of you wishes he believed it as much as you intend it.  

You know how dangerous things are, at least now, and how dangerous they’ll become, but if he’s lived his entire life thinking he has to face these things alone, because even knowing about them puts you in danger… no wonder he feels like he has to shield you to the point he’s practically living two lives.  

Fact is, you don’t scare as easily as Taemin’s father might think, and strongly believe you can hold your own no matter what is thrown your way. 

There’s no scary situation you wouldn’t hold your best friend’s hand through. There’s no need for defenses and barriers, or for him to think you need to be shielded, if something’s been painful, he’s allowed to say it, he’s allowed to lean on you in the way he lets you lean on him. 

You don’t go out of your way to voice it too often, but Taemin and Jongin’s safety is paramount to you, and it will always be prioritized over any curiosities you may have. If anything on this ‘trip’ benefits you but threatens them in anyway, there’s no way you’d go through with it. 
 

With this, you get back to writing. Scribbling down the next dynamic.

‘Yourself, Jongin: That y enemy of the state (Taemin’s the state) that you’re not supposed to involve yourself with but you like playing with fire so you involved yourself with him and now you’re in the midst of the most intense and confusing string of interactions of your life; he’s infuriating and intriguing and so effortlessly complex that you could study him forever and still unearth something new. In as little time as you’ve known him (though it’s kind of been a while now), you’ve experienced heights of emotions you didn’t know were possible, which is both terrifying… and, well, terrifying

(but he’s a good kisser and always smells nice and seems to be on your side thus far, so that’s always a plus)

Yourself, Min-seo: Acquaintances without bad blood, she’s kind of taken you by surprise, you expected her to be a lot more prim and proper than sweet and innocent, truth is, it’s difficult to get close to you (Taemin just had the luck of befriending you in your youth and he’s kind of been your only friend since then, so…), so you’re not going to go out of your way and claim to be friends with her prematurely, but you don’t want anything bad to happen to her

Yourself, Kyungsoo: Acquaintances with bad blood, truthfully you enjoy his company quite a bit, but you’re not the type to beg for someone’s approval or acceptance. So at this stage it’s on him if he wants to keep up with the stank attitude every time he sees you, you’re just going to stay on neutral ground with him

Yourself, Junmyeon: Strangers, he’s shady. You can’t prove why yet, but you’re sure he’s shady…’

‘Taemin.
Taemin, yourself: Best friends since youth, his most natural friendship / companionship, one that hadn’t been predetermined for him by his father. 

Seems like he loves you in a strictly platonic manner most of the time, but he’s been so hot and cold with you in this sense for as long as you’ve known. 

When you look at it objectively, he’s happily slept in the same bed as you on multiple occasions, almost kissed you a million times, but always pulled away at the last second, excluding yesterday, when he really did kiss you for the first time, it wasn’t a dream, you’re realizing that now. 

It’s hard to read Taemin’s true intentions in this sense, but in your mind, the million ‘almosts’ outweigh the one time he did kiss you, one particular night of ‘almosts’ being the highlight of that… the same night that’s shrouded in so much pain and regret, you’ve pushed to the back of your mind for so long, you’re sure even Jongin can’t analyze it out of you

…thankfully
 

Taemin, Jongin: Enemies for unknown reasons but evidently have a ton of unspoken history, which you’re determined to find out. 

Know a lot about each other, can barely function in the same room as each other, it’s like all the light and energy is out of both of them when they see the other. 

It’s naive of you, you’re sure, but whatever is going on, a part of you hopes they can work it out, because something in your gut tells you they didn’t always hate each other to the extent they appear to do right now

Taemin, Min-seo: Fake girlfriend, ‘sweet girl but I’m not going to force a connection that isn’t there’; Taemin’s father manipulated Min-seo and with what leverage he has on her, has forced her to fake date Taemin, you’re yet to figure out what Taemin’s father gains out of this, is it simply some sick power play?    

Everyone knows Mr. Lee’s company could topple Min-seo and her family’s in a second, even as established as her family is. Nonetheless, Taemin’s kinda oblivious to Min-seo’s likes and dislikes, and in retrospect (which you completely missed the first time around) doesn’t really ‘play up’ their relationship, he just goes with the motions of what’s expected of him in relation to her.   

Obviously you’re an idiot for being so dramatic about them, running wild with fantasies of their ‘would be’ romantic encounters to break your own heart, when they probably say five words to one another, you kind of want to kick yourself because Taemin is right… you always miss the goddamn obvious

Taemin, Kyungsoo: You’re not sure if they’ve ever spoken, Taemin seems a bit oblivious to Kyungsoo’s presence, in all honesty

Taemin, Junmyeon: Curt with each other. Possible prior knowledge of each other’s existence through Taemin’s father’
 

‘Min-seo.
Min-seo, Taemin: Fake boyfriend. You’re yet to hear her true opinion about Taemin, evidently daren’t make a move against his father

Min-seo, Jongin: Close friends at one point. Min-seo evidently feels something for Jongin, doesn’t understand why their friendship/potential relationship had to be cut short, still hurting about it, evidently has conflicting feelings about you when you’re around him and is trying to separate the you that’s with Jongin with the you that isn’t with Jongin. 

She doesn’t have a personal problem with you, but your position in Jongin’s life is perturbing her due to her own turmoil with him and their severed friend/almost relationship (understandably, you suppose).

Poor soul has no idea it’s all falsified, but hey, you went through the same thing for months with her and Taemin, so you’re not going to spoil the fun, you’ll let her figure it own on her own terms

Min-seo, Kyungsoo: Seem to be quite close, Min-seo is constantly confiding in him, always smiling when he’s around, seem to be each other’s closest friend

Min-seo, yourself: Acquaintances without bad blood, she’s never anything other than nice to you, with the way she acts around you, it seems like she doesn’t have a lot of female confidants that aren’t seeking popularity and social status, but is in desperate need of one. 

Seems to be aware you’re not exactly the peppy, sugar coating kind, but possibly doesn’t know how to approach the subject of friendship with you, seeing as the former is all she’s been subjected to… plus you’re ‘with’ Jongin and she still has feelings for him so that adds another level of confusion for her

Min-seo, Junmyeon: As evidenced by her behavior earlier, she knows him, but you have no idea how, nor how deep their relations run, at least deep enough for her to practically jump into his arms in glee’

‘Kyungsoo.
Kyungsoo, Taemin: Kyungsoo shows a professional interest in Taemin, wants to include him in his journalism, but they don’t seem to be friends, straddling the line of strangers, even

Kyungsoo, Jongin: Very close at one point – confirmed by Jongin. Kyungsoo admitted to your face that he’d fallen for Jongin, but that interest has largely died out because of Jongin’s elusive ways and how Jongin practically ghosted him at one point (during a time frame you’ve realized is when Jongin lost his mother); 
Kyungsoo – at the time – didn’t put the pieces together and assumed Jongin didn’t want to be his friend any more, so has now turned his friendship and romantic interest into vengeance and is willing to go out of his way to find ‘dirt’ on Jongin, no matter the cost, as ‘dirt’ on Jongin is apparently top tier in the school journalism world… and the ed up society you’re in the depths of

Kyungsoo, Min-seo: Seem to be quite close, Kyungsoo appears to let his guard down around her, appears to enjoy her presence and their interactions, likely each other’s closest friend, as of current… you don’t want to doubt the genuineness of their friendship, but just how far will Kyungsoo go to reach the top of the journalism world? 

Are Min-seo friendships dictated for her, too? How loyal are they to each other, really?  

Kyungsoo, yourself: He has something of a journalistic interest in you, but you mainly piss him off, you’re both too stubborn to admit you find each other intriguing

Kyungsoo, Junmyeon: Kyungsoo seems shifty around Junmyeon, and you’re not sure if this is because he’s a stranger to Kyungsoo or because he knows him from elsewhere, your bet is on the former. If it’s the former, it’s clear he doesn’t like unfamiliar things, whether that’s people, or situations’

You decide to leave Jongin until last, snickering to yourself at the thought of the ‘yourself, Jongin’ section from his perspective.

‘Junmyeon.
Junmyeon, Taemin: Possibly know each other vaguely, through Taemin’s father. Don’t appear to be friends, barely even acquaintances, but you’ve not had many chances to observe Junmyeon’s reactions with everyone in the group, at least as of yet… safe to say they’re not close, though

Junmyeon, Jongin: Seems to know Jongin well, seems to be fond of Jongin, so perhaps he isn’t as shady as he seems to be to you, if Jongin of all people trusts him to some degree. But then again, is that what he wants you to think? 

What kind of wholesome, trustworthy person would willingly work for Taemin’s father? 

…Unless Taemin’s father had leverage on Junmyeon and forced him into the position, and if so, he evidently has some secrets of his own, therefore… shady!

Junmyeon, Min-seo: Definitely know each other. When she gleefully jumped into his arms, he held her securely, encasing her as if she was porcelain. You’re going to need to keep an eye on them, it seems

Junmyeon, Kyungsoo: Junmyeon treats Kyungsoo the way he’s treating the rest of you during challenges, professionally, like he’s your mentor who you can turn to if there’s an issue, doesn’t seem like Junmyeon has any bad blood directed Kyungsoo’s way at this point in time

Junmyeon, yourself: Complete strangers’

Somehow you feel your nerves spike as your pen inks out the syllables of his name. He’s opposite you, perched on the destroyed hunk of material you’re calling a couch, looking peaceful, pensive, even… and here you are trying to analyze his ties to the rest of the group, when you could simply ask him.

But the truth is… you really want to give it a go, analyzing it from his perspective. Being around him as much as you have, getting to know him on some basis, taking note of his mannerisms… for everything Jongin does say, there’s a lot he doesn’t. And for someone so guarded, so effortlessly complex and enthralling, picking his mind is like tasting forbidden fruit.

Too exciting to pass up.  

You wonder if you should include impressions of your own, like you have done for everyone else. With Jongin it’s a lot harder to confirm, as the impressions aren’t always coming from an obvious surface level, but it might lead you to the answers you’re so desperately seeking.

‘…Jongin.
Jongin, Taemin: Taemin has been in Jongin’s life the longest out of all of you. Clearly. There’s no other possible explanation for it. 

From what you’ve observed, Jongin never seeks out confrontation with Taemin, but he’ll never back away from it, if it does come to pass. Which is a trait they both seem to share, so you’re not entirely sure how the confrontations come to pass, or who is the one that starts them. 

Your best friend isn’t an argumentative person, in all the time you’ve known him the arguments you have had, it’s like he can’t bear for you to fall asleep mad at him. Not just because you’re special to him, but almost like arguments… scare him. That it’d take a lot for him to willingly involve himself in one he could easily avoid.

Taking that into account, there’s something about Jongin that… irritates him. There’s definitely something about Taemin that irritates Jongin. There’s so much that goes unspoken between the two of them and it’s as clear as day when you watch their interactions. 

So much tension brewing, but of what kind?

From the way they go on, it’s like they’ve had each other in their lives for so long, that even if they claim to despise the other, they wouldn’t know what to do if the other suddenly moved away.

Jongin’s sophisticated (so not entirely prone to ‘unruly’ behavior to begin with) and has a mature mindset beyond his years and it’s apparently something that’s existed within him for a very long time, but around Taemin, there’s this kind of childish competitive streak, and beyond that Taemin evokes so much emotion out of Jongin that even if he claims to be indifferent about certain things, and even indifferent about Taemin… Taemin wholeheartedly is someone he isn’t indifferent about’

You know it’s dangerous to write this next thought down, but you have to, to figure things out…

‘Have they always hated each other? Were they once friends? Lovers? (You’re not sure how Taemin hid Jongin’s existence from you for so long if so but you’re going to consider this thought, it’s entirely plausible)… 

Say they were lovers at one point, given the society they’re in, the lives they lead and must lead in the future… did Taemin’s father find out about them, did he get mad and lash out at Jongin’s mother? – As Jongin assures you Taemin’s father played a clear hand in her death. 

Did the hate stem from his involvement purely, or did Taemin provide the final nail in the coffin by perhaps defending his father, in front of Jongin?’

You puff out a breath, running a frustrated hand through your hair. You could sit here and theorize about Jongin and Taemin’s relations forever and still feel like you’re getting nowhere, because it feels like there’s that much to unveil. Just how deep did their relations run, really?

You decide to give them a few blank pages, knowing you’ll be humoring all your theories when you next have time. But it’s too much for today.

‘Jongin, Min-seo: Min-seo… she’s been in his life a long time. Not as long as Taemin, but longer than Kyungsoo, so this might answer one of the earlier questions…’

You peek your head over the notebook, peering at Jongin. He looks calm, like this prolonged silence – one where he isn’t expected to talk – is something he’s been in desperate need of. You almost feel bad for interrupting it. But you need to not be taking shots in the dark for this particular aspect.

Especially if it confirms a lot of your suspicions.

“Were you ever home-schooled, Jongin?”

He glances up at you, shaken out of a reverie. “No.” He regards you once more, his next reply drawn out, slower. “Why?”

You chew at your lip, knowing your next question won’t be smooth at all and will likely make what you’re doing obvious. Hopefully he won’t mind too much. “Was Min-seo?”

“No.” There’s a longer pause this time. “Why?”

You shrug. “Just curious.” 

He regards you wearily, but doesn’t push the subject, simply returning to his resting position of previous.

Once you’re sure he’s zoned out like before, you begin scribbling away.

‘Min-seo attended the same elementary, middle and high school as Jongin. Min-seo grew up with Jongin, so Min-seo, in a very different way of course, is Jongin’s version of what you are to Taemin. …Cut short. 

Min-seo has feelings for Jongin, Jongin’s been hell bent on a mysterious first love for years (possibly Taemin?) and isn’t in the habit of purposely hurting those around him, so whatever they were or could’ve been, it didn’t come to fruition in the way Min-seo wanted. 

‘There were a few innocent dates’, he has mentioned in passing. Most of Min-seo’s life has been pre-planned, her interactions dictated to her, pair that with the fact that ‘friendship’ with Jongin can feel addictively secretive and intimate very easily. 

They’re from similar walks in life, though Jongin has a quality about him she knows she’ll never be able to credibly emulate – an independence and absolute refusal to allow this society to take advantage of him or overpower him, so it’s not surprising she’d fall for him. 

From what you can gather, class matters to Min-seo, not because she wants it to, but because she needs to be ‘realistic’. She values the cushy life she leads and is extremely devoted to her family and its cause, but desperately desires independence, freewill. But it’s like she’s given up on it before attempting to get it. If she has any choice of a future partner, they have to be of a similar level. Jongin is. Jongin doubles as both her first love, and a partner her family would accept. 

He used to, at least. 

Min-seo experienced a tragic event (one that included witnessing someone die in front of her), Jongin was her friend during this time frame and her (controlling) father doesn’t want anyone knowing about the incident, in fear of the blame being placed on her, especially because Mr. Lee knows all about what happened and supposedly has perfect blackmail material. So Min-seo’s father decided to cut each and every aspect of her life from that point out of her life. Jongin included. 

Family image is apparently more important than counselling in this family, and friends that want to help you through trauma are banned, too. 

From this, Min-seo got blackmailed into fake dating Taemin, to serve Mr. Lee’s diabolical plans to do with Min-seo’s family business, or... whatever they are.'

…Maybe you should make an exception and go out of your way to befriend Min-seo. The girl needs something genuine in her life, something that wasn’t dictated for her.

'Jongin, Kyungsoo: Kyungsoo has known Jongin prior to university, they went to same high school. Kyungsoo was once a new kid, you remember him mentioning this, so he moved to Jongin’s high school. Jongin considered him his closest friend at one point, but Kyungsoo betrayed his trust. And Jongin’s loyalty is lifelong, up until the point of betrayal, it seems. 

There’s the heavy implication that Jongin’s first love betrayed him also, so is the first love’s identity actually a lot closer than you’re expecting? Could the first love be Taemin… could it be Kyungsoo? 

Kyungsoo has his reasons for doing what he did. By this point in their friendship, Kyungsoo had fallen for Jongin, but it’s inherently more complicated for Kyungsoo to tell Jongin than it is for Min-seo, much as Min-seo feared rejection, Kyungsoo has grown up in an environment where he must assume the worst, must assume that his interest will be met with aversion and in a lot of cases, violence. He respected Jongin and the bond they’d formed, but didn’t want to risk being met with the former reactions, by someone as important to him as Jongin. 

To the point he’d rather not make a move unless he was sure Jongin wasn’t like the rest, so caught up in his own inner turmoil he missed the fact that Jongin had just entered one of the hardest periods of his life.

His mother’s untimely death. Jongin seems to process things best when alone, and only after he’s processed something does he feel secure enough to share it with another. 

He would’ve come back to Kyungsoo, he likely had every intention of doing so, but by this point, Kyungsoo had already made up his mind, as much as Jongin was different from the rest, maybe to the point he was just as capable of returning Kyungsoo’s feelings…

Jongin had already betrayed him. Maybe not through words or physical violence like those that knew about his uality, but through distance. In Kyungsoo’s mind, Jongin didn’t want to be friends any more. And he refused to chase after him, even at a time when Jongin needed him most.   

So Kyungsoo found a new love, one that couldn’t disappoint him, one that couldn’t leave him. Journalism. And to make it to the top in that world, he needs to remain unattached to Jongin, because Jongin could be his top meal ticket.  

Jongin doesn’t appear to have given up on Kyungsoo entirely, he still has hope that the close friend he’d made in him still resides there, he just doesn’t know how to bring him back.  


Jongin, Junmyeon: Junmyeon…’
 

You scrunch your nose up at his name, realizing yet again how little you know about this Junmyeon fellow. Close as he and Jongin obviously are, how are you to know how long he’s known Jongin? You really have to take one for the team this time and ask him plainly. No skirting about the floorboards this time.

“How do you know Junmyeon, if you don’t mind… disclosing?” Directing the question to a Jongin who’s sitting upright now, albeit a little dazed. 

“He, uh, worked with my mother for a long time,” he begins, clearing his throat as he comes back to his surroundings fully.

He notices you’re placing your pen to paper, but as you notice him noticing you, you immediately stop in your tracks, almost cursing yourself, but his expression is light, humored.  It’s like he’s giving you his permission, so you scribble away excitedly, in plain sight this time.

And you miss the eye roll he gives you, as fond as it may be.

“He was the one to recommend our ‘maid’,” he continues, as if the memory is warm, but he’s searching for a better word than maid to describe her. “She’s originally from Europe but she moved to Korea because she fell in love with a Korean man and wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. She had this way with children, even before her son…” He stops here as if he’s rambling. 

“Anyway, Junmyeon knew her and as you know, he’s also known me for a long time – being a neighbor at one point, he knew that my mother and I were in need of help around the house…” He coughs, as if realizing how ridiculous it seems to describe his endless living space that way. “Mansion, sorry.”

You nod, taking this in. You twiddle with your thumbs for a while, mulling over your next question. “You trust him, then?”

Jongin doesn’t miss a beat, meeting your eyes head on. “Wholeheartedly.” 

And this is where you find yourself writing, along with all of Jongin’s tidbits: ‘Junmyeon is possibly in the midst of a sting operation. Maybe he’s more in control of his situation than Mr. Lee believes him to be.’

But just as you’re writing out the ‘Jongin, yourself:’ section… it hits you. Like a damn brick.

Jongin’s the odd one out. Jongin’s the overarching goal… Jongin’s the one that ties this seemingly confusing ‘line up’ of people together. 

Jongin, the elusive, too-good-to-spend-his-time-socializing-with-more-than-one-person-at-a-time loner by choice literally knows everyone in this line up. But he doesn’t just know you, he appears to have a deep connection to each and every one of you, whether it’s from the past or present. Whether it’s good or bad.

A connection is a connection is a…

He glances back at you, noticing the way you’re staring at him, eyes boring into him, like you’re hoping to analyze his very soul.

“What?” He asks, raising an eyebrow at you, half humored.

But you’re completely frozen in place, partly at how long it took you to figure this out, but mostly by the thought itself. 

“He wants you,” you croak out.

Jongin watches you with regard, expression too calculated to be natural. He knows exactly what you mean and who you’re referring to.  God, if you haven’t been blind. 

“You’re his first choice.” 

Something about the wording of this seems to bother Jongin, but if you’re good at analyzing his expressions by this point, it’s clear he’s aware. That he’s possibly known all along. 

Scratch that… he has known all along. 

“He’s chronicling each and every one of your important connections, or most intense connections, whether it’s a good connection or a bad one, a past or a present one and he’s presenting them to you, devising as many situations as possible under the guise of a holiday, but his real goal is to watch you take them out, one by one. He’s trying to disguise the fact that you’re the one he actually wants for the position by making the rest of us tag along, isn’t he? But the very fact that each and every one of us is – or has been – important to you is telling in itself.”

Had you not spoken to him all those months ago, you wouldn’t even be here right now, would you? Regardless of who you are to Taemin, had you stayed a complete stranger to Jongin… there’d be five people on this trip right now. 

For the first time since you’ve been within this proximity to Jongin, he looks like he’d be cold to the touch, as if he can’t meet your eyes. 

Your eyebrows fall into a furrow. “Surely he knows the very concept of you taking over his company is out of the question. At least on your side of things.” You shake your head, mulling it over. Jongin despises Mr. Lee, possibly even more vehemently than his outward dislike of Taemin. “What does he have on you, Jongin? What made you come here, knowing what’s at stake?”

It’s quiet, quiet for a longer stretch than is comfortable. “You,” he finally says. And if you were anyone else, you might believe him.

You’re the newest addition to whatever this thing is… if anything, you’re Mr. Lee’s gamble. He knows the least about you, and the least about your connection with Jongin. 

“No,” you say indignantly. “You have a plan for everything. The night before we took off, you were this close to flying us off elsewhere, then suddenly… did he reveal some kind of dirt on you didn’t realize he had?” You shake your head. “No. That’s not it, is it? It’s the opposite. Something enticed you. He… bribed you.” 

You feel like the room is getting smaller, a coldness washing over you. “What could he possibly offer you that would make you come here, knowing how much you loathe this man?”

He looks like he’s hoping you’ll stop while you’re ahead, lost on what to say. 

“Oh my god,” you whisper, words weaker than you’re expecting. “You’re kidding me.”

Jongin stays quiet, searching your eyes, looking genuinely terrified for the first time since you’ve known him, which is all the confirmation you need.

“The first love,” you say slowly, dangerously. “He baited you over with a promise of reuniting with them, didn’t he?”

Rather than reply to this, Jongin tries to steer the conversation elsewhere, not liking the look of confusion and distrust swimming in your eyes. All the hows, the whys and the whens he can attribute to that very expression. 

You’re too stunned to object, probably too scared to delve deeper into your previous point of conversation. 

“M-maybe I am the first choice,” he chokes out. “But that doesn’t mean he’s immune to surprises, or even unwelcoming to them. Multiple options are exciting for him, even if he’s sure he’s made up his mind.” 

You stay quiet. 

“It would look so good for his company to be passed over to Taemin. But for as long as Taemin’s known what his father’s company is, he’s been averse to it. Not just slightly, massively. Regardless of his last name, Taemin’s passion doesn’t lie in this business, so it’s not a stretch to invite him here… especially if he wants to keep him on his toes and make him realize what he’d be missing if he gives up his very real opportunity to take over the company. If this trip incites passion in his son for the company, fantastic. If not, Taemin will see, first hand, the royal treatment the successor gets in his place.”

So he wants Jongin to take over the company as a gotcha directed Taemin’s way? And who better to do that than through Jongin, Taemin’s very intelligent, very business minded, absolute worst enemy…?

You feel yourself shuddering. This man was demented. 

“Then… but…” You just can’t see how you tie into any of this, regardless of your ties to Taemin, it’s Jongin’s ties he’s basing this on, right? Even if he doesn’t know that your ‘relationship’ is fake, he has to know the massive risk he’s taking by inviting you here, doesn’t he? He knows the least about you. He’s stalked you the least, as well, as it seems. 

He also seems to know Jongin very well, much to Jongin’s chagrin. He’d know that if Jongin truly desired this position, a newly acquired relationship that came out of nowhere – especially when one takes into account the extremely independent and almost relationship-averse image Jongin presents to this society – would be something he’d instantly give up, if it meant getting such a sought after position. 

Thankfully he doesn’t, so you’re not the easiest bait on the planet as of right now, but the only thing you can think of for your being here, is that he added you to make the ‘holiday’ seem legitimate; he certainly didn’t add you because he’d genuinely consider you as an heir to his company. 

You are top of your classes along with Jongin and this holiday appeared to be focusing on that, on the surface level. 

But that’s… that’s boring. So boring. Mr. Lee doesn’t play by the rules in this twisted society, he appears to make them. 

“Then why am I here?” 

Jongin peers at you, looking as pale as before. So there is a deeper meaning to it, evidently. But what… exactly?  “As a wildcard.” 

“A wildcard?” 

“The one he wasn’t expecting.” Jongin won’t make direct eye contact with you. “On the surface, clear things about you are the fact that you’re smart, hard working, relentless when you have your mind set on something, as well as possessing a beauty that isn’t easy to forget. In terms of your bonds, you’re someone who appears to have gotten close to both myself and Taemin – and are navigating these relationships at the same time – something that is largely unheard of in this…” 

Jongin rolls his eyes, as if it’s hitting him all over again how much he hates the mere mention of it.  

“Society. Knowing all too well how mine and Taemin’s relationship is… he knows that of all people, if he forces Taemin to see you interact closely with me, it’s going to get a hell of a rise out of him. 
 Perhaps be the push he needs to start thinking of taking over his father’s company, because if someone like me, who’s naturally business minded and could be genuinely considering a career like this for my future… can be so compatible with you, in a romantic relationship… maybe Taemin would want to be too.  
 If I have genuine feelings for you, something he’s clearly trying to test by inviting you here… would I go out of my way to sabotage you and Taemin by taking over the company if it came to you choosing Taemin over me? 
 Thoughts like this run through his deranged mind every moment of the day, _____. It’s one big, exciting show, based on real people’s lives. Who can sabotage who, who will sabotage who. Just how far will someone go to meet an end goal.”

Your nose crinkles. Demented.  

He taps his fingers against his thigh, as if chewing on his next thought. “But you’re a wildcard because there’s something he is genuinely considering about you. Something that’s taken him by surprise. Thing is, he knows people, ____. Well. Much as I hate it, that includes me. You’re not new, per se, you’ve been in his son’s life for a long time, but he had no idea you’d make an apt candidate for inheriting his business, until paying closer attention to you. And now, you’re beyond exciting to him. 
 You’re ticking margins he didn’t know he wanted you to tick. The minute he finds out that you’d benefit greatly from the amount of inheritance he could give you, more so than the rest of us, the minute he figures out your weaknesses… and how to manipulate you in the instance you’d never consider this position out of freewill, you’re what he needs. 
 A third bargaining chip he needs to acquire, if his first two choices fall flat – something he’s adamant about not letting happen. If it wasn’t you it’d probably be Junmyeon as a third bargaining chip, but you’re so much more exciting than Junmyeon could hope to be. Female, attractive…” 

He cringes at this the same moment you do, the last thing either of you want to think about is Taemin’s father finding you attractive. “Best friends with his son, and ‘lovers’ with his–” But Jongin abruptly stops here as if realizing what he’s just said.  

You watch him closely, eyebrows furrowing.  His… what, exactly?

“Anyway, he, uh, he might’ve invited Min-seo and Kyungsoo but he’s not actively considering them for this position. Kyungsoo is new money, he’s smart but he’s not viable for a CEO position. Besides, he’s not interested in this company or any company, he doesn’t hide that. Taemin’s father wants people to be pushed to the limit, he wants some of us to drop out, Kyungsoo and Min-seo fit those margins perfectly. He’s going to orchestrate it in a way that they’ll be targeted first, and they’ll be the first to leave the island, so to speak.” 

There’s a pause. “Min-seo is in this–” You see a flash of anger behind his eyes. “–Because he sees her as a pawn. If she gets out of this without added trauma it’ll be a miracle.”

“Junmyeon is… a safe option. Not from the background the vast majority of us are, but he’s working his way to that point. He’s a dedicated employee who’s good at his job, also one that will unknowingly set his bosses’ plans into motion. He’s probably been baiting Junmyeon for years with the fanciful idea of this position so I don’t doubt that there’s a part of Junmyeon that genuinely wants it, or believes that if he works hard enough, he’ll get it. It’s a slow torture, essentially.” 

Jongin’s quiet for a moment. “But… he doesn’t want safe.” 

He wants you, you almost say, but decide against it. Maybe because the thought is still making you cold. Maybe because it’s evident that even though Jongin’s trying to make it seem like he’s the second choice, if Taemin’s CEO passions are magically activated, it’s still as clear as day that Jongin’s the first choice, even then.

Mr. Lee would rather have Jongin take over his company than his very own son, for reasons unbeknownst to you.  

Jongin’s always aware of meanings and hidden meanings, the strings people play, the thoughts they keep hidden… but there’s a point where it stops being about having freakishly good insight and intuition, but being in direct contact with something, or someone. Having ties that you can’t risk people finding out about, even.

Whatever wordless game Jongin and Taemin’s father seem to be playing, it’s getting all too real. 

For a moment you have to stop yourself from imagining Jongin introducing himself to Taemin with a wickedly sly smile and gloating tone. “Hi I’m your future stepfather.”

And the bewildered expression that would fall on your best friend’s face. “…Aren’t you Jongin and aren’t I a year older than you?”

“Six months is hardly a year, Taemin.”

Because now isn’t the time for your mind to go haywire on the humor as a defense mechanism from how scared you’re starting to feel. It really isn’t.
 

Jongin watches you, watching as that same guarded expression that’s been flicking on and off your features for the past hour falls into place again. He doesn’t like it. It looks a hell of a lot like distrust. 

He chews at his lip, as if he’s worried about voicing his next thought. Will it reassure you, will it make you doubt him more? Has he lost your trust before he’s even entirely gained it? 

“Probably reassuring to remember that he doesn’t know that much about you, if he’d assume you’d choose a company over your best friend…” 

“Yeah,” you say, indignantly. “It’ll never happen.”

Before Jongin can edge closer to you, noticing how you’ve turned away from him not just mentally and emotionally, but also physically, there’s a knock on the door. 

You’re beyond grateful.

It’s Junmyeon, looking as pristine as he did yesterday.  You’re wondering how, considering the sheds you all stayed in last night. 

He gathers the group, nodding after he conducts a quick attendance call and collects the sheets of paper he had you fill out. “Wise decision for all of you to stay here, the resort we’re staying at is in Auckland,” he says. “And where we are currently? You guessed it, it’s not Auckland.”

Even Taemin blinks.  

“As you could probably tell,  being used to such lavish living conditions, the cabins you stayed in last night are a far stretch from what you’re used to. Mr. Lee is currently working on a project to help the impoverished, and for all its wealth, New Zealand also has a lot of poverty, so he thought it would be a wise place to start.”

Jongin scoffs to the side of Junmyeon, who peers at him. 

“Something on your mind, Jongin?” But Junmyeon doesn’t snap at him, it sounds vaguely playful. 

“Sticking your name on someone else’s project doesn’t mean you’re the one doing the work, and it doesn’t mean you deserve the credit for it.”

Junmyeon nods. “That’s fair. But not what we’re here to debate! We’ve got a busy day ahead, but a couple of minutes to catch up and make sure we’ve got all of our things, before we head on to our next destination.” His smile brightens his entire face. “I rented a car, which is probably going to be a bit of a squeeze with–” He eyes Min-seo’s luggage in particular. “All the luggage we’re bringing, but I’m sure it’ll be a nice ride.”
 

The first thing you say to Taemin, when you edge closer to him and link your arms, is, “seems like we wouldn’t have aced the challenge after all, huh?”

Taemin nods, still seeming slightly bewildered at not being where he thought he was. “We’re like three cities away from where I thought we were.” He chuckles.  “God.”

Jongin rolls his eyes at the both of you, as if out of all the group, he expects the two of you to know not to expect anything, to know everything you know is going to be thrown on its side. To know not to get your hopes up about any seemingly holiday-like aspects of this ‘trip’. 

But he doesn’t edge closer to you, almost seeming nervous to. It’s a new feeling, for such a small, everyday occurrence. Part of him is afraid you’ve reached your fill of him, at least for the rest of the day. It’s a hard thought to come to grips with, considering how close he’s letting you, how many things he’s told you that he wouldn’t dream of telling another soul… 

How much the pair of you seem to revel in the depth and intensity you bring to the other, rather than run or hide from it. For the first time in a long time, as he looks at you, he doesn’t know if he’d be able to pick your mind. The thoughts that are running through your mind feel alien for the first time in a long time and it’s kind of a harrowing feeling.

He instead makes his way over to Junmyeon, noticing that your eyes are focused entirely on your best friend. 

Junmyeon’s bewildered expression is what meets him, when he turns back to look at him.

“Are you pouting?” Junmyeon asks. 

Jongin grumbles.

When you’re lined up in front of the rental car, it’s clear that somebody’s lap is going to be sat on. Two people’s, actually. Junmyeon confirms this prospect a moment later.  

“Dibs on the front,” Kyungsoo says, as he makes his way inside.

Min-seo awkwardly fiddles with her thumbs at this turn of events, and you’re just about to offer to sit on her lap or vise versa until Junmyeon’s voice interrupts with, “guess the coupling is already decided, huh,” as he directs Jongin and yourself to one end of the car and Taemin and Min-seo to the other. 

Taemin and Min-seo tense at the exact same moment, but it goes unnoticed to those that aren’t looking for it.  

“Sorry about this,” he mutters to her, when he’s sure no one will overhear. 

She nods.   

You shrug to yourself as you turn back to Jongin, eyes twinkling in mischief. “You’re sitting in my lap, right?” 

He only groans in response, making clear note of the fact that he’s getting into the car first. 

His arms stay at his side throughout the ride, much like Taemin’s. But as much as you’re paying close attention to everyone around you to distract yourself from the fact that being this close to Jongin is having an affect on you, you don’t want to make it too obvious, so that’s how you find yourself taking particular note of Junmyeon. 

Whenever he can risk it, which is whenever he won’t be putting your lives in danger by doing so, during stop lights and heavy traffic, his eyes flit to the back of the car, namely on Taemin and Min-seo. 

It’s minuscule, but there’s something swimming in his eyes as his gaze rests on them. 

Something like irritation.

Once you pull up at the hotel, you find the desire for checking out your surroundings is diminishing. It’s probably the jet-lag, it’s probably the fact that last night’s rest was extremely uncomfortable and it certainly has something to do with the fact that Mr. Lee owns the building you’ll be staying in, and god only knows what that means for everyone. 

“Can we go straight to our rooms?” You ask, excusing your yawn.

Junmyeon’s affronted expression meets your overtly tired one. “Not so fast!” He exclaims. “There’s a bit to do beforehand. I need to explain the three step security process before we proceed with it. It’s unlike any other before it…” 

You raise an eyebrow. “Three step security process?”

“It’s innovative and ensures maximum security,” Junmyeon trails off, in his ‘I’m hired by the richest man in Korea and I enjoy the perks of having this job’ voice. “The Lee hotels are unique not only for their beautiful surroundings and sturdy infrastructure, top of the range service and meals, but also for the prioritized security and comfort.”

Taemin seems to have zoned out entirely, like nothing has the ability to faze him about these places any more. 

Something you do note is how much happier he seemed yesterday, being out in the open with you, where there were no expectations, versus now, where he looks like he’d rather be anywhere else. 

Even though you miss it as your eyes are between Junmyeon and your best friend’s face, Jongin’s eyes keep flitting to you, as if to gauge how you’ll process what Junmyeon will next tell you. 

“All we require is a photo of yourself, taken by an in-house machine, and a finger print. We attach the photo onto the back of the room card, the finger print on the front. Either side can get you into the room -- if you choose to enter through the photo ID, you must prove you are the owner of the card by standing in front of the facial recognition software that is attached to the side of every room’s door. There's a compartment to check your fingerprint matches also, so if you'd prefer to go that route, you can. You must complete the process of choice every time you enter the room.” 

Rather than discuss the chilling feeling than runs through you at the reminder of this, from your first and only stay in a Lee hotel, as well as the terrifyingly unwelcome reminder that you don’t get to keep these cards and a Lee hotel already has access to the pre-existing card of yours… that they can likely do whatever they want with by law, you settle on something else. 

“…We’re getting our own rooms then?”

Considering how many rooms there are, and the ridiculous process of securing a room, surely they’re allocating separate rooms?

Junmyeon shakes his head, cheerily, making it evident in that very moment that the shady vibe you keep receiving from him is because he’s a goddamn clone.  No one that is a one hundred percent, authentic human could discuss this stuff in the overly cheerily manner he is doing. 

That or the desensitization of Lee employees is strong. 

“We’re still pairing you up. Makes meeting up for challenges and relocation much easier.”

…Surveillance, you mean. 

“Plus they’re very popular hotels, our guests come from all walks of life.”

And you have tune out the voice in the back of your mind that’s shouting organ harvesting, run, because even if there’s an undercurrent of weird about this set up… there’s no way it’ll be that messed up, will it?

Shaking off the chills, you find yourself edging closer to Jongin, kind of absentmindedly. “So it’s the same pairings as yesterday?”

Junmyeon nods. “Unless anyone wishes to change? I could pass it without issue this time, but not for the next trips. If you change roommate, you’re stuck with them from here on out, alright?” 

Nobody makes a move to voice any complaints so Junmyeon directs everyone into a room to get their room cards made. He explains that even if two people are inhabiting one room, they can enter and leave the room individually. 

You figured as much, but it’s nice to have the confirmation. 

Once the room cards are forged, everyone seems to fall into an eerily quiet daze at the same time, until Min-seo perks up. “Can we go see the rooms now?”

Junmyeon smiles at the chipper tone of her voice, before nodding. 

He leads you all to the most expensive looking elevator you’ve ever seen, rich golden doors with marble encasement, and proceeds to tell you that the hotel has twenty four floors. “One of our smaller establishments, actually.” He glances between everyone and once again at Min-seo’s luggage. “We’ll need to take two trips, considering luggage.”

Min-seo grins sheepishly. 

Noting that Kyungsoo and Min-seo are the closest to him, he directs them into the elevator. He turns his attention towards Taemin. “Since you’re rooming with Min-seo, would you like to take the first trip?” 

“I, uh…” Taemin glances between you and Jongin, and when his eyes meet yours you know he wants to stay with you, he’s just hesitant because of the repercussions his father might attempt, if any of you mess with the  invisible sorting ‘order’ that appears to consist of you-Jongin, Min-seo-Taemin and Junmyeon-Kyungsoo. 

For partners in challenges and roommates it made sense, sure, but nobody said anything about trios. 

“We’ll make the second trip,” you say, guiding him beside you. In all honesty, this weirdly enforced couple system needed to calm down, his father could try his worst.  “The key cards have the room numbers, so…”

Junmyeon nods in agreement. “I’ll meet you all on the ground floor once you’ve packed your luggage away. Please do notify me if there are any issues with your rooms.” 

“Sure thing,” you say. 

You turn to Taemin, running a fatigued hand through your hair. “Want to find the way back to the cabins?” You ask, only half joking. 

He smiles, but you can see a hint of consideration in his eyes. You tend to have this effect on each other, if one of you suggests something outlandish, there’ll be a moment where the other scoffs at it or internally deconstructs it, before coming to the conclusion that as long as you’re together, things become possible. 

Be it because you have that much faith in the other, be it because thinking outside the box excites the two of you, the reasoning doesn’t really matter. Even in your younger days, when teaming up for things like board games or schoolyard games, it always worked better than having to face off with the other, your ideas and methods seem to slot together nicely.  

Not that you’re about to walk through three or more cities or anything, but it’s no lie that you’d feel safer doing so than having to stay in Mr. Lee’s hotel for two nights. Maybe Taemin would too, if his body language is anything to go by.  

Jongin chooses this time to clear his throat, as if to remind you both he’s there.  He edges closer to the two of you, kind of making a beeline for your side, like he’s about to play up on the affection. 

Taemin stiffens. “You don’t have to put on an act around me,” he then says, brazenly meeting Jongin’s eyes. “I know it’s fake.” 

“Oh?” Jongin’s eyes seem to twinkle with a playful malice and you blink in surprise, thinking back to your previous conclusion that Taemin is someone Jongin can’t be indifferent about, who pulls emotions out of him that Jongin isn’t used to feeling. “And did you figure that out on your own?”

Surely any sentiment of malice has stemmed entirely from hurt, because what you do know of him is that he’s not someone who’s malicious by nature.  

Same with Taemin. 

There’s hurt on both sides, possibly to an equal level. And this unending competitive streak that just won’t fizzle out.  

 As if he realizes that you’re not fond of the tone he’s giving Taemin, you notice how the severity of it lessens almost like he didn’t realize how biting he was being, and it’s all the evidence you need to confirm that something is propelling them to act like this when around the other.  

That they’re so caught up in this unspoken, internal battle, they lose their natural state of being – neither of them being inherently malicious people for example, in favor of forcing it onward. 

That’s probably why it’s getting harder and harder to watch and the exact reason you zone out of the argument that ensues between them on the elevator ride.

You’re the first one out of the elevator, honestly just glad to have a properly assembled bed to sleep on tonight, creepy surveillance company president possibly being in close proximity or not, when you’re stopped in your tracks at the scene unfolding before you. 

Junmyeon is beside Kyungsoo, their voices locked in a heated discussion. 

“Uhh…” Junmyeon begins as he notices the three of you once you’ve exited the elevator. He stops mid sentence to Kyungsoo and makes his way over. 

“Excuse me for a few moments,” he mutters, shaking his head in profuse apology. “Feel free to take a look at your rooms for the time being, however!”

You make your way to do just that, but Jongin stays in