Qiang surprises himself at some games, finds some ghosts and gets his manito
Qiang was not happy that the producers had picked him, Eric, Jacob and Kevin to play the game. All of them were foreigners and that's why they were picked; Qiang knew that. Plus, he really hadn't gotten much camera time—not that he really cared—and knew it didn't matter what game was played, he was going to be a part of it anyways.
He surprised himself by answering all the questions in only a few seconds without stumbling over the words or pronunciation. The others cheered for him and seemed proud. He felt his heart drop though when the next game he was going to have translate the English phrase in Korean. He was not good at English at all and he still considered himself a beginner at Korean.
Why the boys had picked him to be the one who was to translate it, he had no idea. Thankfully, Jacob was the one relaying the phrase to him. Qiang always considered Jacob a saint when it came to teaching the others English. He was always patient, never got annoyed, maybe teased them a little, but he was a great teacher. He'd stay with someone as long as they needed until they were confident.
"What are the tourist attractions in this town?" Jacob spoke slowly and clearly and Qiang did his best to listen. He had caught the word town and tourist, but he wasn't really sure the rest of it. "Vacation?" He heard the others laugh and Jacob chuckled, going through it slowly one more time before the staff had said time was up. How he managed to translate it correctly was beyond him, but when Haknyeon had picked him and spun him around as a celebration, there was a large smile on his face.
Qiang was happy that Younghoon had a great birthday even if they had little to give. He laughed at his fake tears and sang along with the others. Younghoon seemed genuinely happy and that was all Qiang could ask for. Then, there was mission bell. "Haunted house!" Younghoon said with excitement and Qiang chuckled. "You're coming with me!" Younghoon pulled Qiang half on to his lap, not giving him a choice. Qiang didn't mind; he liked scary things.
So, Hyunjae, Sunwoo, Younghoon and Qiang all set off on the short walk to the haunted house. One of them had stepped on a branch and Sunwoo screamed, clinging to Qiang's arm. Qiang only chuckled, patting the boys hand. "Hyung will protect you," he teased and Sunwoo only rolled his eyes and let go.
However, once they were in the house, Sunwoo was clinging to the back of his shirt the whole time, cursing Jacob for making him do this instead. Qiang only laughed at him and let him hid behind him. "How have you not even flinched once?!" Sunwoo hissed at him and Qiang shrugged. "I like being scared. It's fun!" Younghoon agreed with him and within 10 minutes, they were back at the site and ready for bed.
The next day, they were all at the beach and having fun. Then it was announced about finding gifts for your manito in the forest. The younger runs immediately sprinted off towards the woods, Sangyeon calling out that they hadn't even picked who their manito was yet. Sheepishly, they came back and apologized and they started picking.
Qiang picked Eric and he was excited for it. Eric was always making them little trinkets and making them laugh when the energy was down. It was nice to be able to return the favor. "What is Eric to Donghyun?" The producer asked and Qiang thought about it for a moment.
"He's my younger brother. I feel like I need to protect him all the time but most of the time he just likes to sleep in my lap." The producers chuckled and eventually, the boys were on their way and running around the trees to find items.
Qiang was a little upset he had only found two cards for beads and one for a large seashell, but he was going to make do.
Later that night, as they sat around the fire and exchanged their gifts, Qiang was a little nervous. He didn't really show his emotions much, but he had to for this segment. He stood up when it was his turn, the others saying how pretty his necklace was and hoping that they were his manito.
"My manito never fails to make me laugh and smile. He always jokes around with me and even though sometimes we all want to strangle him, he's probably one of the most important members of our team. Keeping our energy and our spirits up. I like when he falls asleep in my lap or is by my side. Eric," he turned to the maknae who was tearing up a bit, "this is for you and I hope we get to be together for a long time."
The others clapped and the last few people went. They talked for a little while more after filming wrapped up. They were all nervous for the future but excited as well. Qiang truly felt like he was at home with this group of boys and he was thanking all the stars for leading him to them.
That night, Eric was more than happy to fall asleep on Qiang's lap.
