I hope everyone has been having a good week~ It's been a minute but I was trying to find a good way to end this chapter. I think this is also my longest chapter too? I think things are coming together! ENJOY!!

“We’re starting in 15 minutes! Get to your places people!”

The director was shouting out instructions as the cameras were scattered around the beach with the employees darting around the set. The midday sun was strong, even the sand glowed a pale gold as the heat waves bounced on the ground. The weather was inviting for the Wifey House cast members as they walked out on set with beachwear.

“Good afternoon ladies!~” Cierra Summers greeted the group while wearing a bikini top with a wrap-around around her hips. She gives a large smile, “It's a pleasure to see everyone's face after last night. Today is the first event of the season”. She gestures to the layout in front of the crowd, “I hope you were able to rest up! Because, in a few minutes, you will be competing against each other on an obstacle course!”

Unhappy groans erupted from the women, including Leejung who grimaced at the sight of the obstacles. She places her hands on her hips as she scans the beach. There were bars, stairs, and platforms that just screamed exhaustion. She has faith in her hand-eye coordination but speed could be a challenge.

“I know you are all very excited,” Cierra Summers teased and held up a flag in her hand, “at each course, there is a red flag that you must retrieve and bring back to the starting point. You must do every obstacle on the course. Any type of shortcut that skips a segment of the race will be disqualified. Whoever has the fastest time wins”

One of the members raises her hand, “what are we winning?”

The host waves around a purple ticket, “the 8 women with the fastest completion time will go on a group date that consists of a generous seafood grill pit on the mini island that you all see in the far distance”

“Seafood grill?” Noze’s eyes light up at the reward and her lips. All she had to do was be one of the fastest right? The mention of food heightened everyone’s interest and gave them more motivation to compete. The WayB leader notices Simone looking disheartened and gives a light nudge to her arm, “you okay?”.

Simone tapped out of her thoughts and replied warily, “sports isn’t my strong suit…”.

“Ahhh… I hear you” Noze gives a sorry smile and cheers her on. While she still feels bad for her new friend, there was a sense of relief that she wouldn’t be terrible for today’s event. 

“Alright, ladies! May I have group one come up to the starting line!”

The first 8 women gather at the colored rope in a line; Leejung, Misun, and Yoomi are among the selected. The race was about 6 obstacles long, Leejung thought to herself if she could keep at a constant pace, it would help her secure her spot for the date. Sierra Summers takes a whistle up to , “Good luck! The race starts at 3… 2… 1… GO!”.

*WHISTLES*

The rest of the women start to cheer on the participants as group 1 takes off. Leejung pushes on, leaning her body forward for some momentum. Sand is kicked everywhere as the group comes across the first obstacle, stairs. Using the leg strength she built as a dancer, she climbs up the steps two by two. After what seems like a whole flight of stairs, she arrives at the top platform and snatches the first red flag. Leejung eyes the second obstacle and grips her hands on the monkey bar to start swinging across. Kicking her feet to throw her body farther, the dancer was able to move through quickly. From there, she jumps down from the last bar and takes the next flag in her hand. With no time to waste, the woman rushes to a set of walls with holes cut out in various sizes. Leejung grunts from having to contort her body to squeeze through the spaces.

“What the hell…” There were a few other women with her on this stage and it frustrated the dancer that they were catching up. Prying her shoulder out, she grabs the flag stuck to the last wall. Leejung makes it past the halfway point and speeds through the balancing beams. Keeping an eye on her footing, the young woman notices Misun not too far away and mentally roots for her friend to make it through. The idol bachelorette wasn’t much farther from her either and this refocused Leejung to pick it up. Two obstacles were left; a bear crawl under a rope net and finally a teeter to the final flag.

“Damn! Just a bit more!” Her breathing gets harder as she dives right into the sand. A couple of women are struggling but the other four that were with Leejung were just as desperate to get to their flag first. Getting her hair caught against the rope stalls Leejung’s progress a bit and sees someone ahead of her. Cursing again, the YGX leader makes it out of the pit with the next flag in hand and gets on to the teeter, letting gravity assist her. She sprints to her flag and snatches it, redirecting her body to face the starting line, and hustles back to it with two other people on her tail. Inhaling sharply, Leejung dashes with the last of her energy and finishes second in her group.

“ing Christ…” the lip-pierced woman heaves, “why make it so hard…”

The rest of her friends make their way over to the tired-out woman. Misun reaching her first gives a dry and exhausted laugh as she pats Leejung’s back, “congrats on getting second… I think my got fourth”. The both of them chuckle at their pain.

“Are you guys okay?”

Leejung finds Noze looking over at her and gives a silly smile, “okay as I’ll ever be after getting a whole cardio workout”. Noze rolls her eyes but helps the younger get up and watches the rest of the racers cross the line. 

Cierra Summers blows her whistle and claps her hands, gaining attention. “Alright! Your times were recorded. Group two! You’re up!”

“You’ll do fine” Leejung reassures her and gives her a thumbs up, “make us proud!”

Noze feels go dry and last-minute jitters creep up on her “I’ll try!”. Simone joins her side and takes her hand into her, shaking it around frantically.

“I’m going to die!”

The cat-eyed woman laughs and shakes their hands together even more aggressively, “we will die together!”

Simone fake cries while Noze spots a familiar bob cut, “Cara!” and waves her over to join them. She scurries over and flashes a nervous grin.

“Good luck guys”

The shortest of the three slumps over and stares at the obstacles, “thanks… I think we need it”. As she looks over to the side, this makes Noze curious, and sees the company heir stretching. Simone grumbles, “not only is she super smart, but I also read articles about her that talk about her crazy fitness regimen”.

The WayB leader frowns upon hearing her friend's statement, “as long as we make the cut” she looks at the other two and makes a fist, “we can go on the date”.

The women hear clapping and draw their attention to their host, “everybody line up at the starting line please!”. The remaining contestants take their places at the rope. Cierra Summers takes the whistle to , “may the best woman win! 3… 2… 1… GO!”.

*WHISTLES*

The contestants take off with urgency and make it to the stairs. Noze takes the railing and uses it to pull herself up as her legs quickly make up the steps. The rumbling of footsteps tunes out as Noze focuses on her coordination. Saving some energy eases her to the top, allowing her to take the first flag. While steadying herself to take on the monkey bars, Sarang swings without hesitation and puts her in first.

“!” Noze curses as she grinds her teeth. This is a problem. With quick action, she jumps and grapples the bars to follow suit. Arm strength has never been her strong point and she struggles to pass through the obstacle. With a final swing, she lands on the platform and takes the flag. She slowly regains her momentum at the wall section by using her flexibility to fit through the holes with no problems. Bending her back to exit the last wall, Noze makes it through and takes another flag. Her ears perk up at the sounds of cheers and look up from her position, shocked at seeing Sarang taking off from the beams and on to the last course. “Are you for real right now”, the dancer exasperates while starting her part on the balancing beam. Just like Leejung, Noze passes the section with great coordination. Quickening her pace she snatches the flag and pushes herself down to the ground, crawling her way under the netting. Having her head so close to the ground makes it difficult to avoid getting sand in her face, but the feline-like woman powers through.

Just a she finishes the last course and grabs her last flag, Noze’s peripherals get a glimpse of another woman taking her's at the same time. Being caught by surprise, the WayB leader yelps which makes the other racer look at her with wide eyes. As if sharing the same mind, the duo clamber off the ground and start sprinting towards the finish line. Those on the sidelines notice the race for second place and start screaming wildly. Noze sees Leejung jumping and waving her hands, urging her to reach the finish line. Trying the keep up with her competition, Noze puts all her energy into her legs as they get closer and closer to the end. 

Cierra Summers “Come on ladies!! You’re almost there!”. The cheers explode as Noze and the other contestant are tripping over their feet as they pass the finish line, making the crowd buzz with excitement. “That’s how we do it here in Wifey House!” Cierra Summers exclaims as she claps her hands.

Not even caring if she was covered in sand, Noze falls back to the ground and lets her legs turn into jelly. She feels the warmth of the sun on her skin, lulling her to close her eyes and just get lost in the moment for once. It lasted only a few minutes until the light disappeared, forcing Noze to open her eyes and see Leejung. Her chest swells up with warmth inside, “hi stranger”.

The lip-pierced woman snorts and smiles back at her, “hey~ the rest of your group finished a few minutes ago, we should start heading over”. Nodding, the dance leaders and their friends congregate over to the host.

Smiling brightly while waving around one of the flags from today’s obstacle course, Cierra Summers presents herself to the groups. “What a way to start off the first event for this season! Everyone did really well and I hope everyone felt like they did their best” the host beams, “now, to talk about the whole reason why you guys threw your whole into this race”. She takes the signature black card from a staff member and waves it around just like the flag, “the RESULTS!”. Clearing , Cierra Summers changes her standing posture, Ladies! There are only 8 spots available for this group date. I will now be calling out the women that received the fastest times, if you are called please stand on the same side as me”.

With the card in her hands and slow movement, Cierra Summers opens it and reads off the names listed. “The contestants that have passed and are qualified for the group date are as followed; Gemma… Sarang… Leejung… Haley… Misun… Noze… Katherine… and Vanessa”. The host looks at the passing group with a smile, “Congrats on making it to the first group date! Freshen up back at the house, and in an hour gather at the pier for the boat ride to the island”.

The walk back to the mansion was a mix of highs and lows for the contestants. Separating into their own little group, the passing women look at Cara and Simone with sad smiles. The two looks dejected not being able to join their friends on the date. Misun places a hand on Cara’s shoulder and gives a solid pat, “hey, it’s not the end of the world! At least you have a chance to talk to your idol at home compared to fighting over her on a date!”. This seemed to help lift the short-haired woman’s spirit and looks at the celebrity figure in the distance. Looks like Yoomi didn’t take the news quite well but didn’t make a fuss over it.

“You're right, but she doesn’t look that happy being stuck at home”

Leejung shakes her head, “she’ll be fine just don’t overthink about it”.

The shortest of the group kicks some driftwood as she huffs, “talk about a reality check, this is still a competition when you put it at face value”. The others couldn’t help but agree with Simone as they come up to the house, “ya’ll have fun though!” she chirps “party it out for Cara and me”.

Noze takes Simone’s hand and grins, “you don’t have to worry about that, our first drink goes to you guys!”. Touches of laughter erupt between them, “we’ll tell you guys about it after”.

Feeling the air lighten, those who pass go on ahead and prepare for the reward of their first win. An hour is nothing to them as they ready themselves with done-up hair, makeup, and outfits matching the occasion. Exchanging goodbyes with the others, the contestants meet back at the pier where they spot a small boat already docked at the meeting spot. The captain of the boat waves for the women to board to get the date for tonight going. Leejung is one of the first to board and watches Noze climb in while giggling. The cat-eyed woman tetters as she holds on to someone else's arm to stabilize, but ends up leaning too far and topples to the side, landing on Leejung’s lap.

“Oop! I’m sorry!”

The YGX leader laughs at Noze’s flustered face and helps her sit next to her instead, “you good?~”

Cheeks red and warm, Noze sheepishly smiles and jokes to the owner of the lap. “Yeah sorry. I’m good, I don’t have my sea legs yet”.

Misun makes her way to sit next to Noze and pokes the clumsy woman, “almost thought you were gonna swim to the island instead”. With everyone on board, the boat revs its engine and the passengers scream in delight in return. Let’s get this date started!

Wifey House is known for its over-the-top… well everything, but that knowledge doesn’t affect the genuine reaction of the women as they arrive at the island’s pier and is greeted with strings of lights hung from one tree to the next. The warm lighting just seemed to make the white sand reflect a soft glow. As the ladies exit the boat, their feet shift through the sand and then onto a smooth stone pathway that’s dressed with scattered rose petals and greenery lush and full of life.

“This is crazy…” one of the women muttered.

“It’s so pretty though…”

They whisper amongst each other as if speaking any louder would snap them back into reality. But this was already a reality, and the sun setting in front of them was real as real could be. Wandering further while following the path, the small crowd finally reach their destination. A decked-out beach bungalow with hammocks, pillows, and a well-prepared grill set next to a picnic table. The front door opens up to reveal Cierra Summers waiting inside, “WELCOME LADIES! I am happy to inform you that as today’s winners, you get to experience…” She gives a grand gesture to the area, “paradise at its finest!”. The women scream and clap with happiness, “The seafood is in the coolers over there, anything else can be found inside the bungalow. You have now till tomorrow morning to enjoy your win. The boat will pick you up at 8 am, got it?”

A collective “YES!” answered the host.

“Alright! Have a good night! I will see you girls tomorrow!”

Taking off in a buggy, the group was finally alone to do whatever they wished for the night. Not wasting any second, the women break off and scour the area like a SWAT squad. Noze grins as she watches her show-mates take over the hammocks or go crazy over the inside of the bungalow. “Hey do you guys want to-”, her sentence cuts midway as she sees Leejung and Misun run over to the bungalow like little kids. Snickering at their antics, the WayB leader walks around by herself, her mind set on getting good quality seafood.

“Can someone help me with this?”

Noze sees someone already at the grill but is having trouble getting things started. Taking glances around, she feels bad that no one is willing to volunteer to assist the other cast member. She gives a thoughtful look and hurries over to the grill pit where the woman was covered in smoke. “It’s better if you face the other way, that way the smoke isn't blinding you”.

Her companion fans in front of her face to get rid of the smoke and nods while moving to the opposite side of the fire. “Thanks, my eyes were burning” she flips over the shrimp that were a nice bright orange, “can you pass the tray with the fish?”

She hands over the tray along with the marinade, “is there anything else that I can do to help?”

Touched by the tatted woman’s consideration, she points at a folded fan settled on the table, “if you don't mind, can you maintain the fire as I get the food ready on the grill?”

“Yeah no problem~”

“Thanks!”

Noze takes some newspaper that the show gave and folds it into a makeshift fan. Waving the paper towards the fire, the other woman lays the rest of the food on the grill. 

“So, I haven’t spoken to you before…”

Hearing the other speak up, Noze shoots a quick smile, “Noze”. 

“Gemma~ Thanks for pitching in”, as she messes with setting the seafood on the rack and scrunches her nose, “you know, it really shows the color in some people depending on what they do once they’re here”

“I don’t blame them though” Noze fans gently, “this place is really pretty”

“Are you saying that because someone you like is wandering around at this moment?”. Noze doesn’t admit anything but gives a knowing smile that Gemma returns back. “Okay, fair enough. I guess I can’t really deny that either” she confesses and watches the other contestants. Going back to work, the seafood progresses without problems until someone calls Gemma over. Reluctantly Noze’s grill partner gives her apologies and promises that she would return as soon as she could. While getting the job done with two people wasn’t much of a hindrance, Noze wasn’t sure if cooking for all 8 of them would be doable. Much less be able to do it well enough in which she wouldn’t be caught in an onslaught of complaints from the other dates.

The WayB leader looks around for help but everyone seemed too engrossed in their own activities that she gives up on the idea and tries to work the grill by herself.

“Noze?”

The said woman looks to her left and finds herself in question by Leejung who was raising her eyebrows. Noze flashes a smile as she finishes flipping the shrimp, “hey~ You finished looking around the place?”.

“Oh, yeah I did! Misun decided to claim a hammock and not get up until we get to eat. ” Leejung glances around in confusion, “are you doing this by yourself?”

Noze shakes her head no quickly, “Gemma was helping me earlier but she got pulled away”. 

This makes Leejung smirk and makes her way to stand beside Noze, grabbing a pair of tongs and moves around some clams. “Scary~ People are already making their move and taking their prey”.

“PFT!”

“What!”

“Stop~” They share a smile and stare into the fire, halfway paying attention to the food cooking away, “isn’t that what you’re doing tho?” she mentions jokingly.

“Well…” the YGX leader lowers her eyes and softly smiles, “you’re not wrong”. She twiddles around the tongs in her hand, prodding at the grilled fish, “I can’t make it easy for the others, I have to show I am interested in you”.

Noze feels her chest fill up with warmth, they have been upfront with each other but Leejung reminds her; that she is openly pursuing her. It just felt so open and bare. As quickly as the warmth came, so did the shyness, “o-oh yeah….”.

“Are you?”

Noze blinks dumbfoundedly, “what?”.

It was like the background became white noise at Leejung’s words, “are you interested in me?”. Noze’s eyes widened and felt heat rising to her cheeks. The crackling of the fire spoke for them as she felt her words get caught in . What is this? Has her pulse always been this strong? Noze felt her tongs being nudged and realized she hasn’t said anything to Leejung yet.

Being swallowed up by butterflies, the flustered woman nudges her tongs back. In a meek voice she musters up to reply, “I am… It’s a little hard not to be…”.

Leejung wasn’t expecting Noze to be so timid with her answer, “Ah- I…”.

If they were in an animated film, there would definitely be a pink background behind them. It was nice, the feeling of reciprocated feelings and being together without having to say much. 

“Oh my god Noze I’m so sorry!”

The two women look up and see a repentant woman who Leejung is assuming to be Gemma. Rushing her way over she takes notice that Noze has company, “Oh?” she gives a relieved smile, “Nevermind, I guess me getting dragged away was a good thing~”

Another voice intervenes, “did you guys need help?”. The group turns to see the heir to Highs Entertainment walking up to them with a charismatic smile. Leejung glanced at her up and down, taking note of how her aura was confident and slightly haughty. 

The genius choreographer straightens her back a bit, “the food is almost ready-” but gets cut off by Gemma.

“Any help would be great though!”

The heir gives a perfect smile and places herself next to the dancer duo “sounds good~”. Leejung feels the air around her feel off but puts her focus on the food in front of her. “You two are Noze and Leejung?”

Taken back by the sudden acknowledgment, the other three contestants were confused for a moment. Noze takes the initiative this time, “yes, I’m Noze. Nice to meet you”.

Not wanting to make it weird Leejung gives her pleasantries, “Leejung, as you guessed”.

Following without skipping a beat, the woman gives a nod, “I’m Sarang, it’s nice to meet you both”. She leans over and hovers her hand over Leejung’s, “may I?”

“Huh? O-Oh yeah here” and gingerly gives the tongs to the heir. 

“Thank you” and gives a playful wink.

Noze feels her jaw clench for a second and just knows she doesn’t feel very fond of Sarang at this moment.