"We're sorry that this is all we've got, you all surprised us with your arrival." Mrs. Mallari apologized at Amber and her friends while she laid their breakfast on the table.

"It's ok Mrs. Mallari, we understand." Chance answered kindly.
"Umm... Do we have spoon and fork?" Wooyoung asked uncertainly "Ow-! What Minjun?" he hissed at his friend.

Minjun stepped on his foot again and whispered, "I don't think they use spoon and fork here, don't be choosy!"

Wooyoung looked at everyone on the table. Sure enough, everyone did not have any spoons and forks with them.

"Then what are we going to use..?"
"Here you go son." Mr. Mallari offered the utensils to him. "We're sorry, we don't know that you don't eat with your hands.." he said.

Wooyoung blushed. "N-no Sir! It's okay! I'll eat with my hands!" he said and he grasped a handful of rice unprofessionally. Mr. Mallari chuckled.

"Tsk. Tsk. That's not how you do it son, here.." he sat beside Wooyoung and placed his fingers on the right position.
"Anchovies, salted duck eggs and dried fish are best to eat using your hands." Amber informed everyone. "But if you can't eat using that,there are spoons and forks on the kitchen." she said and started eating using her hands.

Chansung, Torrey, Junho, Minjun and NIchkhun mimicked her. Then they all looked at Taec.

"I'll go with the spoon and fork." he said.

They all started eating, but Taec was having a hard time with his food.

"It's too tricky..." he complained while he tried to take off the fishbone with spoon and fork.
"You can eat the dried fish's fishbone idiot." Amber said.
"Did you just call me an idiot you lesb---" Taec started but then he stopped immediately. He almost forgot that her parents were here too. Amber looked victorious. He can't talk back at her while they're here. Hah!
"So how're your studies Amber?" her father asked.
"I'm doing fine Dad."
"How about your expenses? What kind of work do you have there?" her mother asked too.

Amber looked sideways towards Taec. He was looking away from her.

"Um... on a coffee shop. Chance here is my boss." she said and he pointed at him.
"Good, good. We were actually worried that you're having trouble with money..."

*You have no idea*. Amber secretly thought.

After they finished eating, Wooyoung stood up excitedly.

"All right! It's time to go swimmin'!!" he cried joyously.
"Too bad there are no chics here," Minjun said.
"I agree..." Nichkhun sighed sadly, but then he took a swift glance at Torrey.
"Then let's go and get change!" Wooyoung said. The boys filed outside the dining table and took their own bags, pulling their swimming trunks out.
"Ate Amber, let me come with yoouuu!!" Yuhan said while he tugged her clothes.
"Sure Yuhan. Kuya Luhan, you want to come too?" he asked her older brother.
"You go ahead Amber.." he answered weakly.
"All right then, Torrey,let's go and change our clothes too." she said.

The boys were the first one to go outside the house. They were all wearing their sunglasses, swimming trunks, and with no shirts on, exposing their muscled chests and nicely-shaped abs.

"Ahhh.. now this is the vacation I want." Nickhun exhaled happily.
"Ambie, let's go!!" Torrey's sweet voice came from the inside.

The boys all turned their heads towards the house's front door. Looking from the toes first, they looked at Torrey's toenails painted in pink, to her flawless legs, to her curvy hips, to her slender body, to her healthy cleavage, to her face, wearing large brown sunglasses and pink hat. She just looked so y and hot.

"Wooaaaahhhhhh" they chorused as their jaws fell.

"All right, I'm coming." Amber answered. The boys held their breath while they waited for Amber to emerge. Then, they looked at Amber's toenails with no nail polish in it, to her shorts that reached her kness, to... Nah, the moment they saw her shorts they stopped looking uninterestedly.

"What? You expect me to wear bikini too?" she snapped at them.
"Of course not. I don't want to throw up yet." Taec answered, smirking at her. Amber glared at him.
"Now that everyone's here, let's go!!!!!" Wooyoung said happily while he ran towards the sea.
"Yuhan, come here, I'll let you climb at my shoulders." Chance said to Yuhan.

They all ran towards the sea, splashing each other with water, throwing pebbles, searching for shells, laughing at Wooyoung's jokes, and eating isaws and betamax prepared by Amber's mother.

"What is this? I love it." Junho asked while he ate his nth stick of isaw.
"That came from the chicken's intestines." Amber answered. The boys except Chance choked in unison.
"Bleehh!" Taec said and he threw his stick in disgust.
"How about this?" Chance pointed at the betamax.
"That's roasted dried chicken blood." she answered too. Chance continued eating.
"Mmm.. I don't know that street foods are these delicious." he said and he continued eating. However, the others did not have their appetites anymore.

The day passed by quickly. By dusk, they were all found in the living room, giving their bodies a rest from today's activity. Taec laid beside the bookshelf and he spotted something at the end of the row. He took out a large sketch book and opened it. He saw numerous of beautiful sketches of interior designs on living rooms, bed rooms, kitchens and rest rooms.

"Is this yours?" he asked Amber.

Amber sat up and looked on what he was referring to.

"Oh, yeah. I did a lot of sketches whenever I'm bored when I was in high school. I don't know that I still have that." she reached over him and took her sketch book. "I remember that this was my ideal bed room..." she pointed at the second page.
"Mmm. You've got talent," Chance peered over her shoulders too.
"Well, never mind that, drawing is just my hobby." she said. "Let's go and prepare dinner shall we?" She stood up and walked towards the kitchen. Meanwhile, Taec was still looking at her sketchbook, his eyebrows furrowed in deep thinking.

***

There were a lot of things that they, especially the boys, had learned during their stay. For one week, Mr. Mallari taught the boys how to fish; the girls taught them how to eat properly using their hands; Nichkhun and Torrey became closer; they camped outside together; they went to the main town and snorkeled; bought some souvenirs and visited Palawan's underground river.

They have three days left before they go back to the city, and their last activity was trekking.

"We've been trekking whenever we go to town, why do we still have to do this?!" Taec asked irritably. They were at the mountain again.
"Stop complaining man. Just enjoy the scenery." Nichkhun said from behind. He and Torrey were the last to climb. They were holding hands.
"Shut up. I know why you enjoy this." he snapped, looking at their entwined hands. The two blushed.
"Come on, let's get moving!" Wooyoung urged them happpily.

They continued walking while they took pictures now and then. They stopped at the creek for a while. As the afternoon came, the sky turned from sky blue to dark gray.

Minjun looked upwards. "Oh no. I think it's going to rain." he informed. The rest of them looked upwards too.
"This is bad. The mountain's not a safe place when it's raining." Amber said. She glanced at Taec covertly, remembering the night when she discovered his fear. "Let's go back now, quick." she said. They turned around and walked their way back. She remained behind waiting for Taec to move on.

"Come on now, or it'll rain soon." she said.

Taec moved forward. Their friends have left them already.

"Faster, we're losing them." she urged.

They walked together and soon, they caught a glimpse of their friend's backs.

"There they are!" Amber sighed in relief. She ran towards them but then her foot got stuck on the tree root. She fell face forward and scratched her knees. "Oww!" she cried. She clutched her ankle - it was twisted in a different angle.
"You idiot! Look what you've done!" Taec said. He knelt before her and touched her ankle carefully. Amber winced.
"I'm fine, I can still walk.." she said and she stood up. The pain shot through her ankle and she sat again immediately.
"Show-off." Taec snorted. Then he turned his back to her and knelt. "Ride." he said.
"What?" Amber asked blankly.
"I'm telling you to ride at my back idiot! We're losing them!" Taec said. He can't see Wooyoung and the others now.
"I don't want to. I don't - HEY PUT ME DOWN!" Amber said angrily. Taec had just carried her in a bride-style way. "Put me down Lee brat!!!" she repeated, blushing furiously. She pushed him more while she attempted to free herself from him.
"Stop... wriggling!!!" Taec said. But Amber continued on wriggling and then he lost his balance.

"AISSSHHH!!! YOU'RE A PAIN IN THE LEBIE!!" Taec shouted angrily at Amber. She sat up. There were bruises around her shoulders, face, arms and knees.
"I think my ankle got twisted more.." she moaned.
"This wouldn't have happened if you just rode in my back!" he accused. He walked towards her and carried her again.
"Put me down Taec Lee!!" Amber said again, but he ignored her.

BOOOOMMMMM!!!