Counting steps became irrelevant since it seemed like they would never stop anyway. Seconds, minutes, hours, how much time has passed for real? All Wheein knew was that her spirit has left her long ago and with that also her will to stay for another second.

It's absurd. It's totally absurd!

Wheein told herself at least a thousand times but she knew, sooner or later she has to face the unpleasant truth. Her senses weren’t trying to trick her. It was her, it really was her.

Ahn Hyejin, her best friend, applied to the show.

Ahn Hyejin, the person she trusted the most.

Ahn Hyejin, the person she knew the best.

Ahn Hyejin, her Ahn Hyejin…

While getting carried away in her own thoughts, Wheein failed miserably to read her best friend’s face, even though she had known her for almost half of her life. Why…Why why why why?! She couldn’t stop asking herself that question.

While Wheein was way too close to a mental breakdown, Hyejin on the other hand enjoyed all of this more than she probably should have. With a constant smile placed on her lips she turned the simple red carped into her own catwalk show, her hips swaying oh so deliciously elegant that anyone would drool over this sight.

Wheein swallowed hard. Slowly but surely she lost her nerves. Okay. Breath in, breath out. You can do it!

The first record was live so Wheein had to gather all her strengths to crack a weird smile when she saw her best friend closing the least bit of distance that was left over.

She would lie to herself if she wouldn't admit that Hyejin's curves impressed her but in the end it were her black and long curly hair, her seductive smirk and the shimmer of innocent eyes which killed Wheein for good. Of course they went out a few times to party, dressed in scandalously y outfits just to strengthen their self-esteem, but now Wheein looked at her in an entirely new light. It took her some time to realize that this time Hyejin wasn’t wearing it for herself, no. Tonight she purposely chose to be the cause of Wheein’s eternal doom.

Now that both were standing face to face, Wheein knew there was no way out of it. Anxious she tried to play along, hoping that no one would notice her inner tremor.

"H-Hello, I'm Jun-"

"Jung Wheein, I know. I mean I should know, since you're the reason why I'm here tonight."

Hyejin’s unexpected honesty and her soothing voice successfully caught Wheein off guard, who now struggled a lot just to keep a sane mind. It became even harder when their eyes met in a somewhat challenging gaze. But why all of this? Wheein couldn’t stop asking herself that question.

They’ve talked a lot about the whole Bachelorette thing before Wheein decided to apply for it and she knew that her best friend wasn’t fond of her plan. Thinking about it, Hyejin never gave her a real reason why she shouldn’t participate in this show and at some point she even avoided the whole topic until they both barely spoke to each other. The lack of support and understanding made Wheein sad but there was no opportunity for a clarifying conversation since she suddenly found herself stuck in tons of important appointments and preparations for the show. Seeing Hyejin right here and now after weeks of being separated from each other was truly a big shock. Wheein didn’t know what to say so she used one of her empty phrases she practiced for the show, just in case.

"Yeah... It's also nice to finally meet you."

Irritated about her own choice of words, Wheein widened her eyes as she felt the guilt running through her veins. She hoped that her friend didn’t feel offended. But instead she reached out for Wheein’s hand to place her lips on the tip of her gorgeous long fingers. It would be an understatement to say that this act once more made Wheein absolutely speechless, fortunately not for too long though.

"You're wasting no time, huh?" Wheein tried to avoid the rising temperature on her cheeks but couldn’t stop herself from blushing nonetheless when Hyejin’s eyes revealed that her whole attention was solely dedicated to Wheein.

"What should I say,…” Hyejin raised her head, her eyes never leaving Wheein’s expecting gaze“… a beauty like you isn't something to play around with."

Triumphantly and seemingly satisfied with herself, Hyejin carefully inspected any changes in Wheein’s body language and facial features. But Wheein stayed absolutely motionless. Maybe, for a split second, she really considered to flee from the scenery. She couldn’t hide the clearly visible embarrassment and her trembling hands showed that her nerves have taken over her.

In the moment it seemed like Wheein couldn’t bear this situation any longer, something inside her switched all at once as if she found a new determination. It was time to turn the tables. With a last deep breath Wheein collected all her remaining strengths and smirked confidently before she worded her next redundant question.

“And what name does this beauty here carry?”

"Hyejin. Ahn Hyejin. But for you, it's just Hyejin."

Wheein’s opponent had the cheekiness to smirk back at her, an unspoken dare at Wheein to go on for the next attack. You want to play unfair? I’ll give you unfair!

"My apologies for staring so bluntly but I think I got a little bit too distracted by the nice view you gave me.”

“Oh why, thank you. I guess you need to find out how mesmerising I really am, Miss Jung.”

In an attempt to emphasize her words, Hyejin dropped her voice, leaving a husky undertone that caused Wheein to shiver from her head to toes. This utterly different side of Hyejin already affected her more than she was willing to accept and it was exhausting to handle all of these new sensations at once. How could she survive the arrival of 19 other candidates if the first one already took her entire attention and energy? Hyejin caused a lot of complications for Wheein but she wanted to make this show work at all costs. It would be better to think about possible solutions when she doesn’t have to face her best friend right now, Wheein decided and wanted to end this greeting as soon as possible.

“I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen.”

Pleased and proud of her fast response, Wheein stepped aside to signify that it was time to send Hyejin off. Her friend, however, had her own plans in mind.

“I suppose that the following days are going to be very exciting for both of us, don’t you agree?”

She said before closing the little bit of distance they had by placing her hands on either side of Wheein’s hips and her own lips now dangerous close to Wheein's cheek. It was a hell of a view and in some camera angles their intimacy looked slightly suspicious. That surely boosted the number of viewers.

“Don't you think you're a little bit too bold?” Wheein said laughingly with a hint of nervousness only Hyejin could notice. When they parted a little bit, she was met with Wheein's pleading eyes whose she knew all too well. The younger didn't give her an answer right away but instead she let her eyes wander at Wheein's large dimples. Without taking more of her limited time, Hyejin managed to whisper in Wheein's ear.

"Since when are your dimples so hard to resist?"

Wheein couldn't suppress an almost soundless whimper, much to Hyejin's delight who chuckled softly when she passed her best friend. Just before Hyejin entered the big villa, Wheein turned around to make sure that she hadn't dreamed for the last minutes.

The younger turned around as well and when their eyes found each other in the distance, Wheein knew that this show is going to be a ride to hell.

Another positive surprise to Wheein was that the other candidates were rather easy to handle. Maybe it was thanks to Hyejin’s sudden appearance that Wheein was too distracted to focus on anyone else and yes, even now she still didn’t stop thinking about her.

It was way past midnight and the other candidates were probably having a blast right now but Wheein couldn’t find the courage to join them already, so she took more time in changing her outfit than necessary.

During the greetings, Wheein wore a simple back blazer with a white lace blouse and black pants but for the first night party, she wanted to wear something more elegant and fancy, maybe even a dark red slip dress. It would be a perfect match with Hyejin’s bodycon…

“Oh no, don’t you dare Wheein…”

Realizing the absurdity of her own thoughts, Wheein tried to avoid the voice insider her head and instead wanted to find a good outfit, which was rather hard since they all looked so good. Not only Hyejin but also the thought of the other candidates who showed interest in her made Wheein extremely nervous. To be in the centre of anything totally goes against her nature but she knew what she got herself involved with. It was just too surreal.

A soft knock on the door startled Wheein who still wasn’t able to find a proper outfit.

“Miss Jung, I’m sorry for disturbing you but we need you down here in 2 minutes. We are far behind our schedule and the candidates are getting impatient.”

“Y-Yes, I’ll be there in a few moments.”

“Do you need help? Should we send Miss Moon to you or do you need a new layer of makeup?”

“No, I’m fine. Excuse me for taking so long, I’ll be there soon.”

“Alright Miss Jung, no problem.”

When the young man disappeared, Wheein sighed audibly.

Now or never.