" ᴄᴀʀɪɴɢ ᴄᴀɴ ʜᴜʀᴛ ʏᴏᴜ, ʙᴜᴛ ɪᴛ ᴄᴀɴ ᴀʟꜱᴏ ʜᴇᴀʟ ʏᴏᴜ. "
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
╔═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══╗
Episode 10 part 3
╚═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══╝
Both units had practised until the late afternoon. The Chamber 5 team had focused on getting everyone used to adapting cute expressions as natural as possible. This led to Raina on the floor in fits of laughter at times, because the concept was a happy and refreshing one, the pressure to practice so seriously had lessened. So they were all able to have some fun and be a bit more laid-back, which was a nice change for all of them. Although, Raina had noticed that Heeseung and Jake kept glancing at her as if they wanted to ask her something, and Raina had the inkling feeling she knew what they wanted to ask.
The team was currently taking a 30-minute break, Raina walked through the hallways towards the kitchen, humming a range of Disney song melodies. The woman was so absent-minded that she didn't notice that K was walking out of the kitchen until it was too late. She felt herself hit someone before she felt herself starting to fall backwards, she let out a surprised squeal. Waiting for her body to hit the ground but it didn't, instead, she felt familiar strong arms wrap themselves around her waist and pull her to their chest. Raina let out a loud breath and looked up, her heart stuttered in her chest when her eyes met his.
"Th-thank you." Raina stuttered, her eyes never leaving his. K looked down at the woman he had in his arms, wanting nothing more than to finish what he started.
"You. Ah-you can let go now K." Raina awkwardly spoke, finally drawing her eyes from his. As if he had been electrocuted, K released her and she took a step back.
"I'm sorry." He muttered, his hand rubbing the back of his neck. Raina smiled slightly at him.
"It's okay, I should be saying sorry. I'm the one who bumped into you." She chuckled. K smiled and shook his head.
"Not just for that." Raina paused for a moment, confused before she realised what he meant. Did he regret what happened? That possibility of the thought being true made Raina's heart drop.
"I'm not," Raina said. K's gaze snapped to her as she took a deep breath before stepping forward and gently grasped his right hand and fiddled with the ring on his finger. He furrowed his brows, confused.
"I'm not sorry for what happened earlier." She continued and looked up at him. K's eyes fluttered shut when he felt Raina run her hand through his hair before dropping it back to her side.
"Are you?" She asked softly. K stared at her, swallowing thickly. He wasn't. God he really wasn't. But what he was sorry for was starting something he knew he could never finish.
"I'm not." K finally answered her. Raina smiled up at him and nodded.
"Want to join me on the terrace after I make myself a cup of coffee?" Raina asked K, the man grinned and nodded. He moved to make room for Raina to enter the kitchen.
"Princesses first." He announced, faking a posh tone, Raina laughed loudly and smirked at him.
"Go on in then." She teased, her comment earned herself an eye roll and a gentle push through the door. Raina made her coffee before the two made their way onto the terrace, the sun had begun to set and the sky was painted in a beautiful orange hue. The soft breeze blew through Raina's hair as she and K stood at the railing, watching the sunset.
"What's your dream? Besides becoming an idol?" K suddenly asked, Raina took a sip from her coffee and looked at him before once again watching the sky.
"To live life with no regrets I guess. My dad always talked about how he wanted me to experience the things he didn't get the time to experience." She answered, her voice softening at the mention of her father. She missed him so much. K smiled at the explanation, Raina turned to K with a raised brow.
"How about you?" K dug his hand into his pant pockets and shrugged.
"I haven't really thought about it. Being an Idol is something I've been so dead set on that I haven't really considered what other things I dream of. But my genetic answer would be to one day settle down with the person I love. " He answered honestly, Raina nodded.
"If you could be granted one wish, what wish would it be?" K asked, Raina, laughed and shook her head.
"What is this? 20 questions?" She exasperated playfully. K gave her a dramatic glare, Raina laughed once more as she watched the sunset further.
"My wish would be to have my friends and family find their true happiness. In whatever form that may come in." She answered softly, Raina wanted nothing more than to see her loved ones happy with their life. To be happy doing the job they've dreamed of, to be happy with a person who they truly love, to be happy going on that adventure they always wanted to go on.
"What would you wish for K?" Raina asked airily without tearing her eyes away from the scenery. She was so enthralled with the sight before her that she never noticed K's longing gaze on her. His eyes filled with so much love, longing, adoration for the woman who bathed in the golden hue from the sky. The wind blew through her hair and the golden light made her glow, her eyes sparkled so brightly that even the brightest of stars would be jealous.
"I wouldn't know what to wish for." He softly said after a moment of silence, but his eyes stayed on Raina as he answered. Deep down K did know what he'd wish for, he just wasn't ready to accept it. Not when he knew he could have it. Not when he knew he couldn't have Raina.
After the sun had set, Raina and K headed back to the respective practice rooms and continued to practice. A couple of hours had flown by and Raina was in her pyjamas in the production room, the leather book sprawled open as she sat back in the chair. Raina had just figured out how she wanted to basic melody to sound and now she needed to go through the lyrics and make any changes.
Jay stood outside the door and knocked gently. He heard Raina yell a quick 'come in' before he entered to room. Raina turned to her friend with a grin and stretched her arms out as she laid back in her seat.
"Welcome to my humble abode dear friend," Raina exclaimed in English, adapting a posh British accent causing the younger man to roll his eyes at her and grin despite his situation. Raina never failed to make him smile, something he was forever grateful for. The thought that he possibly wouldn't be seeing her for a long time made the grin on his face slip into a frown. The change in Jay didn't go unnoticed by Raina who looked at him with concern.
"What's up, Jay?" She continued the conversation in English. Jay let out a breath and handed Raina a letter. Raina stared at the letter in his hand with a confused look before gently taking it from his grasp.
"Jay? What's this?" Jay sighed and shrugged.
"If I'm eliminated I wanted you to know how thankful I am for your guidance. And since you know how bad I am with verbally expressing something like that. I-I wrote it instead." He responded. Raina's eyes immediately softened as she stared at Jay.
"Please don't read it until the vote results come out. And if I'm not eliminated you can tease me about the let-" Jay was cut off by Raina's hug. Her arms wrapped around his middle, her face pressed against his shoulder. The younger man smiled slightly and wrapped his own arms around her shoulders.
"You're not getting eliminated. If the global viewers can't see what an amazing idol you could be if they can't see the talent you have. Well, then they're blind." She said confidently. And she meant it. Jay was talented, kind, hard-working, determined, resilient and honest. He had to debut, she was sure of it.
"But I will take you up on teasing you about the letter." Jay let out a loud exasperated breath and stepped out of Raina's embrace.
"You just ruined a perfectly nice moment." He glared at her, Raina winked at him.
"That's me! Raina the mood-ruiner. Has a nice ring to it." Jay couldn't take her seriously and bursted out laughing before smirking at her.
"From what I gathered, you weren't much of a 'mood-ruiner' last night with K." He teased, wiggling his eyes suggestively. Raina's eyes widened and her ears turned red.
"I hate you." She muttered. Jay shook his head, still laughing at her.
"No, you don't." He responded and Raina couldn't disagree. When Jay had left the producer room Raina stared at the letter in her hands and slowly opened it. As she read it, she never knew how much Jay looked up to her, how grateful he was to have a friend like her.
"Oh, Jay," Raina whispered fondly with a smile, tears clouding her vision. But instead of them being tears of sadness, they were tears of happiness and admiration. She felt so touched by his words.
Reading Jay's words made Raina realise just how much all these guys meant to her. They had started out as strangers and now to Raina, they were her family. She remembers the video messages the I-LANDERs had left for each other, her video message was played last. But unlike the other's, who were addressed to certain people, her's was to all of them.
"Hey, guys! I'm not the best at expressing my thoughts and emotions but I thought I'd try. I-I wanted to say that I am so proud of us. I'm proud of how far we have come and how far we will go. My life, both before and after becoming a trainee, hasn't been the easiest. There have been days when I couldn't get out of bed. But after I come onto I-LAND, after I got to know each and every one of you, I realised I wasn't alone in this. You guys have become my second family, my second home and I-I'll forever be grateful, no matter what happens next. I want to say thank you."
Raina didn't know it. But when the other's listened to the video message, her words touched their hearts. They may not know how rough Raina's life has been, but they were proud and happy that she saw them as her family. All 11 males looked up at Raina like she was their guardian angel. She was their second star to the right in human form. But what Raina did know was that she cared for these people and it terrified her.