Y/N’s heart was pounding against his ribcage like crazy, and the fact that Miyeon was just mere feet from certainly did not help to ease that. As far as he’s concerned, one good look by the eldest (G) I-DLE member and he’s done for; his entire career with the girls flushed down the drain just like that. Luckily, Soyeon caught on the seriousness of the situation and she immediately walked through the water, splashing her way beside Y/N, and covering him with the rest of her body while she maintaining contact with her vocalist so as to divert her attention.
“Stop teasing me!” Miyeon exclaimed as she sat on the water all while covering her bare breasts with her arms.
“Unnie, we’re not teasing you!” Yuqi replied. “We’re just telling the truth. Come on, Miyeonnie; enjoy the warm water with us.”
If it wasn’t for the steam, Y/N was sure that Soyeon was sweating as he could see from his view of her bare, smooth back trickling with droplets.
“Unnie, Yuqi’s right. Don’t be ashamed. We’re all equal here. Besides, no one else can see us here, right?” Y/N could hear the small shaking of Soyeon’s voice as she addressed their vocalist. She then nudged him back, as if signalling him to keep his eyes off of Miyeon.
With that, he intentionally sank deeper on the water as he was almost lying flat on the stone floor. Soyeon’s raw backside was a good few inches from his face and is displayed in perfect view.
Well, if she covers me like this then I’ll have to deal with it.
Let’s just hope she doesn’t make this awkward.
He then heard everyone clap their hands, and he could only assume that finally Miyeon was able to bring her arms down and embrace the situation as it is. The clapping was then followed by a short splashing of water from where Miyeon was until it faded down away from them.
“Y/N-nim as soon as I get them distracted you better do your best to find a good exit, okay?” Soyeon whispered to him as soon as the rest began welcoming Miyeon to the party and out of earshot. She turned her entire body and Y/N felt blood rush to his groin with how proximate and touchable her perfectly cared body looked, every detail exposed for him to see.
“Okay then. I’ll signal when I’m going and take my items up front. I don’t want to risk showing it to them.”
Soyeon nodded, and the next few seconds were just pure silence between both parties, with Y/N containing himself not to stare at Soyeon’s figure displayed in front of him just like that.
“Stop staring oppa. It’s not like you haven’t seen everything before.”
“I-I wasn’t staring…”
Soyeon sent a splash towards his face and smirked. “Stay hidden. Wait for my cue.”
Y/N nodded under the water as Soyeon walked away from him.
It had been a good few minutes of skinny dipping, and it has already come to the point where Y/N was already fighting the urge to not sleep amongst the warm water. The girls are clearly having the time of their lives as they began telling their plans to each other about the succeeding days while Y/N felt like a lizard clutched himself behind the rock, carefully choosing the times when he’ll peek to check on what they were up to…
… And maybe get a small glimpse here and there.
He felt like an underwater gerbil waiting for a cue, and no matter how stupid he pictured himself as he is butt naked sitting on the floor with his head up, he calmly waited for Soyeon’s signal for him to go. He had no idea on what she’s going to do though.
A few moments later, the six of them were distracted by a fascinated Yuqi who apparently shrieked at the top of her lungs.
“What’s wrong?” Soojin’s voice asked.
“I just found a cool looking bug,” Yuqi then replied. “I remember seeing this as a child and I don’t think we have these back in Korea.”
“We don’t see bugs because we’re inside the dorm pretty much all the time,” Shuhua’s voice said as-a-matter-of-fact.
“What kind of bug is it?” Minnie asked as Y/N she saw her ample figure approach the pair gathered around the corner of the pool.
“I’m kinda scared of bugs…” Soojin remarked.
This might be a good chance. I hope Soyeon seizes this as well.
“Why don’t we place it on the tiles? I don’t think it’s comfortable near the hot water,” Soyeon suggested as if reading Y/N’s thoughts telepathically.
“You think so, unnie?”
“I think so. I mean, it came from the hotter rocks right? So I guess it walked all the way here because it’s not comfortable or something.”
A brief moment of silence ensued followed by a combination of gasps and shrieks amongst the six of them. The next thing Y/N saw was Yuqi’s figure clamping something inside of her hand as they all walked out of the pool and towards the doorway. He then saw Soyeon turn towards him and gestured for him to move away, signalling the opportunity for Y/N to grab.
“Miyeon –unnie and Soojinnie why don’t you take your hand phones so that we could take a picture of it?” Soyeon suggested once again.
“I definitely want to take a picture of that. It looks like a stick! Get the cameras quickly!” Minnie teased as she too joined the group of Yuqi and Soyeon.
The ever flowing steam waters were loud enough to cover Y/N’s steps and splashes as he rushed away from the boulder, climbing towards the side rocks which were less illuminated thanks to the spacing of the lanterns.
If I continue going to where the water’s coming from, maybe at some point I would see where the spring splits and hopefully, HOPEFULLY the path splits towards where the men’s bath is supposed to be. But this path of rocks would soon thin down… I’m sure somewhere at the far end I need to step on the water, he thought to himself.
He took one last glance towards the group only to see Minnie and Yuqi still occupied with the bug, and Soyeon carefully eyeing him with her eyes set on everything Y/N was doing. He then pointed towards the water source and hoped that Soyeon understood his escape plan.
---
I eventually reached the end of the long sidewalk of rocks and at this point I no longer have any doubts of them seeing me. I was pretty much on the darker side of the bath that I was sure I was a 100% hidden from their sight. I was concerned before that one of them would take a lucky stare at the water spring and see the bare butt of a man wading through the rocks and trying his best not to slip.
But then I face another struggle; I just realized that the spring path were so design such that as the water flows down, its heat gets reduced along the way. I can already feel how hot the water from my location, and I’m sure the temperature would definitely get higher as I approach the source of the spring.
I dipped my toe on the running water to test my theory, and the temperature was still tolerable but it is definitely hotter than the one on the spring. It felt like a freshly done coffee left on the desk for a few minutes. At this rate I doubt I could handle the heat further up the stream.
But it’s either I get my feet singed or I get shamed for the rest of my life. I obviously know which the better choice between the two is.
I quickly walked against the flow of the hot water, taking things slowly so as to not slip with the smooth and obviously slippery surface of the stone pathway. Just imagine how stupid I’d look like if I slip here. I’m pretty sure the surface is smooth enough to take me back to the pool.
The stone pathway eventually reached a turning point and also included a small incline. Despite my feet already feeling painful with the searing temperature of the flowing water, I was able to see the water’s source even through the steam. My initial assumption was right: the stream does split into two. I could see where the water separates and where a large wooden fence is situated over. Let’s just hope that this IS indeed a men’s bath, because getting caught in an all girls’ bath with a bunch of people I don’t know is even worse than my situation now.
I slowly waded upward the otherwise uneven surface, and it took a whole lot of extra effort considering the rocks were really unevenly shaped on weird angles that I need to rely on my toes for grip, not to mention the temperature of the damn water was so fucking hot at this part of the spring that my feet were starting to burn slowly by the minute. To me, it already felt like walking on burning charcoal and I could already feel a mix of sweat, steam, and tears streaming down my face as I finally reached the peak of the split.
And just as I felt the ground before me, I could barely step on the rocks completely with how painful each sensation felt with every step I did on the floor. I rushed down the uneven slope until I reached the smooth part of the other pool’s stream, and then prayed to the heavens that there was no one else on the pool as I slid myself down the smooth path with the stream of warm water before splashing onto the steam bath butt first towards the floor.
Thankfully no one was here, and thankfully the structure of this pool was so mirrored with the other one that I had no trouble navigating that fucking stream.
I can now relax myself for the rest of the night, holy shit.
I made it, Soyeon. I made it out.
---
Y/N and Soyeon stood opposite each other at the front of the bath house, all dressed in their respective bath robes but with a note of awkwardness springing between them.
“Here,” Soyeon said as she held out a pile of neatly folded clothes and a small bag, without a single attempt to look at his eyes. “I need to find a good excuse to get out of the bath alone. Yuqi wanted to accompany me but lucky for you I was able to pull it off.”
“Thank you so much. I have no idea what I’d do if it wasn’t for you,” Y/N replied, taking the pile from (G) I-DLE’s leader.
An awkward silence ensued between for few seconds them with neither attempting to break it.
“S-Soyeon, about what happened—“
“Save it Y/N-oppa. Don’t worry about it,” Soyeon said shyly. “I think we got the best out of it anyway and I’m just glad you didn’t get caught.”
He never saw Soyeon like that. She was literally blushing and the way she was hiding from him was cute in a way. Somehow, it reminded him of the time they were alone in LA. (G) I-DLE’s leader was acting shy and awkward in front of him and that is definitely a rare sight.
“Let’s just not talk about it. For both our safety, of course,” she finished.
Y/N nodded.
“Agreed… thank you again, Soyeonnie…”
Soyeon nodded towards him curtly.
“I-I’m going back. I t-think they’re looking for me.”
And with one final bow, Soyeon walked back towards the bath house leaving Y/N standing in front of the establishment confused and in mid-bow.
Damn she feels so awkward. What has gotten into her?
Surely she’s not like that because I saw her naked in the pool right? I mean I saw everything already before…
It’s funny how at the two instances I saw her naked, somehow darkness was involved. This is a different context though.
Oh well…
He decided to go back towards the proper men’s bath, but then a searing pain greeted him as he made his first step.
Shit, right… Maybe I should get that treated.
The rest of the night progressed normally as the pair of them returned to their respective baths. Y/N was able to ease the pain by borrowing some of the supplies of the bath house while Soyeon took her time diverting her attention from Y/N, apparently confused as well as to why she acted the way she did in front of him. It wasn’t long until they all decided to call it a night and head back home as most of them were beginning to feel drowsy with the relaxing waters.
However, Y/N had trouble sleeping that night. Yuqi was soundlessly snoring beside him and her exposed legs through her really undersized pajama shorts caused him to have flashbacks of the hours back at the steam bath. If it wasn’t for the thick amount of steam in the air, Soyeon’s constant splashing, and his impending anxiety of getting caught, he was sure he’d enjoy the very sight of the situation. To see all the members of (G) I-DLE undressed and teasing each other was enough to make anyone go wet, but then he had this unsettling morality that he had done too much faults towards them. The conflicting flow of emotions caused an internal debate of which he still had no answer until he had no choice but to succumb to his exhaustion.
---
“Good morning, oppa,” Yuqi remarked as Y/N just opened his eyes. The slim yet gorgeous figure of the Chinese member was the first thing he set his eyes on that morning.
“Good morning Yuqi. I think I’ve adjusted to the new time zone. I don’t feel any headache at all.”
“Me too; I think Soyeonnie’s idea of the steam bath was really a good one. It relaxed and adjusted me for the rest of the vacation. I’m sure I could take anything on at this point.”
Oh right… about the steam bath…
Maybe I should ask her about it to see if she knows anything…
“Yuqi, do you remember anything from the spring house last night?”
“Hmmm,” she thought, placing a finger over her lip as she sat on the bed. Despite waking up and he hair splayed on all sides, she definitely held the same cute charm she always had. It had been a part of her and it’s hard to think of a situation where one instance that one Song Yuqi wasn’t even cute.
“I remember seeing a weird looking bug. It’s a stick insect I think. I found something weird though.”
Oh shit
“Soyeonnie was uncharacteristically enthusiastic about it. I don’t remember her being interested in insects at all. It’s usually me and Shuhua who’d go off on a limb and examine our six-legged friends.”
“How… enthusiastic is Soyeon about it?”
“I don’t know but she seemed to be really interested in taking pictures of it. Anyway, how come you’re asking me this oppa? Isn’t it a bit too interesting to ask first hand in the morning?”
“Oh... umm… You see, Soyeon sent me a picture of it through the app. I was confused because she never really said anything about it. She just sent a picture without context, but the camera’s all fogged out so I assume that it was from your bath.”
“Of course that’s true,” Yuqi replied as she fixed the pillow against the headboard. “Back when I was a kid in China, I was fascinated by insects and I would often go out and examine them up close. There’s just something amazing about small creatures and how they interact with each other, you know?”
Y/N nodded.
“So you’re saying despite looking scary… they don’t bug you at all?”
“They don-wait,” she paused as she realized the pun.
Y/N smiled.
“Yah…! That’s so lame oppa!” Yuqi said as she threw a pillow towards her manager’s face. “I can’t believe I nearly fell for that!”
“I saw the opportunity and I had to do it!”
“Shush, for that, you’re cooking breakfast,” Yuqi teased before she got off the bed. “That joke’s so bad I need to wash my face for it.”
“Okay, it’s my fault. What do you want for breakfast then?”
“Whatever you can make with the ingredients in the fridge, oh and oppa” she stopped on her tracks just before she could enter the bathroom. “I’ll be going to Minnie unnie’s villa after eating because I need to get something from her.”
“No problem… at least the villa’s going to be quiet for once.”
“HEY!”
“Okay fine, I’m cooking.”
The next minutes were quiet aside from the momentary sizzle of the onions and garlic on the pan, and with the splashes from the bathroom courtesy of Yuqi. Y/N found it to be odd however; Yuqi mentioned that she’d just wash her face but with the noise she’s doing it sounds as if she’s already taking a whole bath, but then it’s also not the first instance of that happening. She emerged in the kitchen moments later with her hair wrapped on a towel and her face clean of anything else aside from her natural cuteness.
“I thought you’re just washing your face?” Y/N asked as he prepared the omelette for them both. “With the towel on your head I can’t help to think that you did more than just that.”
“Well, I was just supposed to wash my face but then my hair was so dry that I had to wash it for a bit. It’s still a bit frizzy maybe because I stayed too long on the water last night, but a few more washes and I think this’ll be good like before.”
“That’s nice. I’m done by the way. Should we eat in the living room or in the balcony…?”
Yuqi laughed. “Oppa, who on earth eats breakfast on the living room?”
“I do. You don’t?”
“I never saw anyone do that besides Shuhua, but she doesn’t count because she pretty much eats everywhere. Let’s just go to the balcony. I want to appreciate the good looking view without pressure.”
Y/N nodded as he accompanied Yuqi to the tables outside and gestured for her to sit while she pulled the seat for her.
“Thank you, oppa,” she said as she took the chair. Yuqi then gave a good whiff off of the omelette. “Omo, this smells really good! You really are an amazing chef.”
“I needed to do my best because of how bad you claimed the joke was.”
“Let’s see,” she sliced a small portion of the egg with a fork before shoving it in her mouth. A few seconds of chewing passed before her face lit up. “Oh my, these taste really good!! You’re forgiven oppa. Let’s forget about the joke. You should eat too while we enjoy the amazing sight before us.”
If it wasn’t for the thought of the vacation, Y/N would think that this is a perfect date. They were in a romantic place after all, and he was sharing a table with a beautiful woman amidst the amazing sight of Bora-Bora’s horizon. The dine was so perfectly quiet too, with them enjoying each and every sight of the moment until they were both interrupted with a shrill voice from the other villa near them.
“YUQI, WHEN ARE YOU GOING HERE?” The voice of Minnie shouted from across the villa, her hair getting caught in the morning breeze.
“Oh my God she really shouted,” Yuqi said as she stifled a chuckle.
“It’s fine. No one can hear her aside from us, right?”
“I’m sure it won’t be the last one, oppa.”
“JUST GO HERE WHEN YOU’RE FINISHED DATING MANAGER-NIM, OKAY? WHEN YOU’RE DONE WITH HIM CAN I QUEUE IN NEXT? I DON’T WANT MIYEON TO GET AHEAD OF ME.” Minnie yelled once again before going back to their villa.
“Oh God,” Y/N replied. “Why does she need to say that loud?”
“It’s Minnie-unnie, oppa. She’s always like this when she wants to tease me. You know what; maybe I should just go there and punch her lights out for good.”
Y/N thought that she was joking, but then to his surprise Yuqi actually stood up.
“You’re really punching her out?”
“What? No! What I’m saying is: I should go there and deal with the business as soon as possible. I know she won’t stop teasing us as long as we’re here. Believe me.”
She then took the entire slice of omelette and stuffed it inside her mouth before gesturing towards the door. Just like that, Yuqi was gone in a second and Y/N was left with nothing but a slice of omelette in front of him and an empty chair amidst the amazing sight.
He occupied himself to slowly consume the egg dish alone, but then a few minutes after Yuqi leaving, he heard a series of loud knock on the villa’s door.
Did Yuqi forget something? There’s no way she’s back already right?
Another series of knocks were heard once again.
Wait, if it’s Yuqi then why does she have to knock?
“I’m coming,” he called as he made his way towards the door. He then placed his hand around the handle, unlocked it, and pulled the door open.
“Did you forget something Yu-“
“Hello oppa!”
He was entirely expecting Yuqi and the premise that she might’ve just forgotten something, but as he opened the door it was the long, silky black hair of Shuhua that greeted him. Her apparent appearance seemed to have startled him as he was lost for words…
… Or he’s just smitten with her divine beauty.
“Hello oppa,” she repeated. “You don’t expect me to be here now, do you?”
“Shh-Shuhua… sorry I was surprised. I was expecting Yuqi but then you’re here. So… what brings you here?”
“You don’t know? You haven’t opened your phone all morning now, have you?”
“I don’t think I have. Why?”
“Eomma sent me a message. I told her I want to talk to you about something and she said she’d give you a heads up.”
“I haven’t checked my phone, sorry. But sure I’m down to talk to you. What’s it about?”
“Umm… can I come in first?”
“Oh, of course… I’m sorry I just woke up I don’t know what I’m doing.”
Y/N let the Taiwanese maknae inside as soon as he fully opened the door, and her simple yet elegant beauty was emphasized through her presence despite wearing a simple green shirt and a pair of white pajama shorts. Shuhua took her time slowly as she entered, and gave the small villa a notable whiff.
“Oh God it already smells like Yuqi in here. She’s really contagious.”
“What made you say that?”
“I can smell her shampoo.”
Well, she did just wash her hair.
“She just left,” Y/N informed. “Do you want to sit on the balcony? I mean the place has a good view.”
“Good idea. Let’s go there.”
But before he could even respond, Shuhua was already way ahead of him skipping towards the open balcony of the small villa. She notably stopped on her tracks and sat on the table.
“So what are we talking about?” Y/N asked as soon as he too sat opposite the maknae. “I have no idea on what you and eomma have been talking about.”
“I want to conquer my fear of the water oppa.”
Whoa
“Oh… right. But we did go to the steam bath last night and you didn’t seem very afraid when you went to the water.”
“Huh? How would you know about that?”
Oh shit I slipped.
“I-umm… Yuqi told me. She said you weren’t even bothered by it.”
“Oh, okay. Well the water’s really not that deep. I get scared when it starts to reach my chin. But that’s why I came here, oppa. I want to slowly remove my hydrophobia while we’re here. It would be a nice achievement to tie in with the beautiful place once we come back.”
“Well, I don’t think anyone else had plans about swimming yet so I guess we’ll just do this without them. I’m down to teach you. We can start at the beach so that you could get accustomed to the water.”
“Hmmm, how about we try that first?” Shuhua then pointed to a small, canoe like boat sailing on the far end of the villas. Y/N could see from that distance that there were two people manning the small craft but it seemed that there wasn’t room for anything else.
“Shushu, I don’t think that that’s for riding. I think they’re just checking the villas.”
“Oh no they actually are. When you and Yuqi were sleeping I saw one of those boats skimming near us and asked if we’re interested to ride so I am sure we could fit in there both.”
“Wait, ‘we’? I’m joining you?”
“Oppa… you said that you’d be with me in this, remember?”
“Oh of course, I just want to be clear.”
Oh boy.
“Let’s try it then!”
Before Y/N could even react, Shuhua immediately stood and walked towards the edge of the balcony while waving towards the small canoe. In a matter of minutes, the boat began to row towards their direction.
“You better get changed oppa. You don’t want your shirt to get wet in the water,” Shuhua teased him with a smile.
“We’re not planning on getting soaked, right?”
Shuhua simply replied to him with a soft ‘hmm’, and the pair of them waited until the canoe is perfectly docked on their extended balcony, and that was the time did Y/N realized how decorated it was. The canoe was definitely just wide for a single person, but its length had enough room to accommodate at least four. Its sides were lined with wooden racks decorated with ornate flowers as it helped the boat keep its balance on the water. The row man was a middle aged man with a lot of facial hair, and he was located at the far back of the canoe while his companion, an equally middle aged woman, was at the front most of the watercraft with lei on her neck and holding a small ukulele. The pair of them smiled as they approached Y/N and Shuhua’s exciting figures.
“Good morning!” the woman greeted. “Let us assist you in.”
“I told you they’re doing this for everyone,” Shuhua teased towards Y/N as she was assisted inside the boat. “Get in oppa!”
Y/N had a lot of doubts regarding the boat service’s intended purpose. It was decorated with ornate flowers and all, and the staff even had a ukulele for it. To him, it generated off a romantic vibe but he still boarded the boat anyway. Shuhua was already there after all.
He sat behind Shuhua as (G) I-DLE’s maknae clapped in anticipation while the boat slowly sailed away. Once they were a few feet away from the villa’s dock, the woman in front of Shuhua began to play a slow tune in the ukulele and he was quick to recognize it as a slow cover of Elvis Presley’s Can’t Help Falling in Love. At that point he was already sure what this ride was supposed to be.
It wasn’t just a boat roaming to pick up people and tour them around. The serenade, the romantic song, the elegantly decorated craft with the flowers...
… This boat ride is meant for couples and I don’t think Shuhua realized that yet.
The pair of them was distracted by a really loud squeal from where Y/N remembered to be Minnie’s villa.
“Omo, look Shuhua and Y/N are on a boat!” Yuqi said loudly as he saw her point towards their direction. A few seconds later, Minnie emerged from the curtains with a still chewing Soyeon, and the pair of them squealed and clapped at the sight of their maknae and manager dating on a love boat in broad daylight.
“SHUHUA, LET’S GO!” Soyeon yelled while clapping.
“I WANT A TURN TOO!” Minnie said but she was completely smiling.
“THE WATER FEELS GOOD!” yelled Shuhua proudly back at her unnies.
Oh God the serenading is just too loud for them to hear. Let’s just hope that-
“HEY SHUHUA WHY ARE THERE WITH OPPA?” called a voice from the other side. Y/N turned his head towards Miyeon and Soojin’s villa, and what greeted his eyes were the figures of Miyeon and Soojin perched on the very edge of their balcony as they watched the love boat go on a wide angle to revolve around the water.
At this point, Y/N knew he was surely fucked and he can’t do anything about it. Shuhua was with him in a romantic serenade, all in the sights of all the members of (G) I-DLE cheering before them. He doesn’t even know what would come next.
His gaze then hovered over to Soojin, and initially expected her to be really mad. But to his surprise, she was different and it was the first time he ever saw her like that especially towards him being with Shuhua. She wore a really grim expression; she barely even stared at their boat but even with the distance he could see that she was sad given with the frown on her face. It would just only be a few minutes before she eventually walked out of the balcony and back to the villa, leaving Miyeon alone yelling how unfair Shuhua was for snaking Y/N under her nose.
“I think this is a good way to get me accustomed to the water, oppa,” Shuhua remarked as she skimmed her hand over the surface of the water. “But at some point I’ll have to face my fears first hand.”
“We’ll get there Shushu, in time I promise.”
“I already feel the drive oppa. I think I got it.”
Before anyone else in the boat could react, Shuhua stood up and caused the boat to slightly wiggle with the sudden change of balance. The music stopped with the commotion, and Y/N was frozen in shock sitting on the canoe’s seat as Shuhua plunged straight towards the blue water without warning.