— 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐨 —
Duri looked at Gyu-ri and Min-woo smiling awkwardly. "Should we go change to more comfortable clothes?" They looked at her and nodded. Then they made their way to the changing room, Min-woo went their own way while Gyu-ri and Duri went to the place they were staying for their bags.
"Oh wow, it's small," Duri said surprised and Gyu-ri agreed, they went inside for their bags. "There's only 3 mattresses." Gyu-ri pointed out. Duri looked at the floor. "Huh, that's true. I guess it's good two of the girls left." She joked and Gyu-ri smiled.
Then they left to the changing room. During changed to some more comfortable clothes. She got some denim jean shorts, and a white shirt with small red cherries and put on a pink/blue cardigan.
Duri waited for Gyu-ri and when both of them were ready they went back to the kitchen, where they met Min-woo again.
"Hello," Duri said cheerily with a smile. Min-woo smiled back and said 'hello' as well. "Is there anything you guys wanna do?" She asked taking a seat in the table. Both of them followed suit.
"Well... we ate not long ago so maybe we could get to know each other?" Min-woo asked awkwardly. Duri glanced at Gyu-ri and they both smiled in amusement. It was obvious he felt awkward since they both voted for him and he voted for someone else.
"Why did you guys come to the show?" Duri asked curiously looking at them. Gyu-ri smiled shyly. "I want to meet someone I like." She answered smiling a little. "Yeah, me too." Min-woo said looking at her and then at Duri.
"Me tooo," Duri said dragging the vowels. "Welp, what are your guys' types?" She asked continuing the conversation. It felt awkward at first, since both Duri and Gyu-ri showed interest in Min-woo but as they kept chatting, about different subjects, they all felt closer to each other. They were the first friends they made at Inferno.
...
"Wait, so you play how many instruments again?" Min-woo asked Duri surprised. Gyu-ri looked curious as well. "I play 7," Duri said smiling and Gyu-ri gasped. "Wow." She exclaimed.
"I'll show you when we're out of here," Duri said giving them a wink which they all chuckled at. "Can't wait," Gyu-ri said smiling and Min-woo agreed. "I'll go to the bathroom real quick," Gyu-ri told them and left.
Duri looked at Min-woo. "You said you liked fashion, right?" She asks and he nods smiling. "I the three of us could put on an amazing runway show," She said laughing softly and he joined in. "We all dress well and look good. We would slay," she added, flipping her hair to the side, which made him laugh even harder.
After he stopped laughing he looked at her, his smile faded when he spoke. "You know... I'm sorry, that I didn't choose you back." He said furrowing his brows and looking at the table.
Duri reassured him, "Don't worry about that. It was difficult to choose since we didn't know each other well." She chuckled a little and looked at him.
"Well, I regret not choosing you," he admitted, looking into her eyes. Duri felt her heart beat a little faste. She didn't know how to react, so she just smiled and said, "Thank you for telling me," sincerely, with a soft smile. He smiled back.
"What did I miss?" Gyu-ri asked when she came back. Duri looked at her and smiled as she explained. "I was telling Min-woo how the three of us should be on a runway," Duri explained and Gyu-ri smiled. "That would be fun." She said.
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"Looks like they're getting along," Da-hee said with a smile. "Yeah, I thought it would be a fight for Min-woo." Hanhae joked and everyone laughed.
"It looked like Min-woo really regretted not choosing Duri." Kyuhyun pointed out. "Maybe they'll be a couple next time," Jun-kyung said.
"They look good together. I'll root for them." Dex said making Da-hee agree. "But I wonder if he feels anything towards Gyu-ri." Hanhae started. "She also voted for him and they're also spending time together."
"Uh, this is tricky." Kyuhyun said. "If he likes Duri then it shouldn't be a problem." Jin-kyung said. "There shouldn't be a problem." She said confused and everyone else sighed.
"I guess we'll have to see," Da-hee said.
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The three of the singles decided to start preparing dinner. They gathered around to see what they had. "Looks like rice, carrots, chicken breast, and canned ham." Informed Min-woo.
"We should cook the rice." Duri said making the others agree.
They got the pot and were trying to light up a fire to cook the rice. Min-woo was trying to light it up but it was hard. Gyu-ri was looking at the fire, while Duri went to wash the carrots. "You can do it." Cheered Gyu-ri with a small smile. He kept trying until he did it and Gyu-ri cheered. Min-woo smiled shyly making eye contact with her.
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"Duriii," Exclaimed Kyuhyun, "This isn't the time to be washing vegetables!" Everyone laughed at that.
"While she's washing vegetables, Gyu-ri is making her move," Hanhae said. "Yeah, he seemed to like how she was cheering for him," Dex added to the conversation.
"Ow, I'm rooting for Duri," Da-hee said, making Kyuhyun agree. "I actually think Gyu-ri and Min-woo are a better fit." Hanhae said, making the Duri rooters look at him confused and offended.
"It's just that Gyu-ri seems different than before. Maybe she realized she needed to change and I think Min-woo seeing the change first will have a big effect on them." He explained, and the others actually thought about it.
"I guess, but he did tell Duri he regretted not choosing her." Jin-kyung reminded everyone. "I hope he doesn't change his opinion." Da-hee said.
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After a while the food was ready. The rice was cooked and Min-woo served three plates and put them on the table. Duri had finished washing and cutting some carrots, and Gyu-ri got the chicken breast and canned ham to the table, as well as the utensils.
They ate peacefully, chatting here and there. The three of them had a good time, they all felt becoming closer that day. Friendship definitely bloomed as they were alone in inferno, and some other feelings were blooming as well, but from who and to who, that's the question.
"Today was nice," Duri said as she laid down on her mattress comfortably. She turned to look at Gyu-ri who was lying down in the other mattress, leaving the middle one empty. "Yeah, it was." She replies with a sleepy smile.
Duri smiles at her. "Goodnight." She said to which Gyu-ri nodded, falling asleep soon after.
Duri stayed awake for a while, reflecting on how the first day had gone. She was happy with how it went. Yeah, she didn't get to go to paradise but by staying in the inferno she was able to spend time in the inferno with a new friend and a possible partner. She was happy the three of them were able to enjoy the day and she couldn't wait to see how the next day would be.
...
The next morning, Duri woke up feeling a little disoriented before remembering that she was an inferno. She smiled, remembering how it was a new experience and how the previous day had turned out. She stretched and decided to get ready for the day.
She saw that Gyu-ri was still sleeping, so she made sure to be quiet as she left their room. Then she went to the changing room and decided to wear a tight, light blue tank top and a denim overall dress. She applied light makeup and put her hair in a high ponytail, taking some small strands of hair out of the ponytail to flatter the sides of her face.
Feeling happy she went out where she saw Gyu-ri making her way to the changing room. "Hi, Gyu-ri." Duri greeted with a smile, which Gyu-ri returned. "I like your outfit." Gyu-ri complimented. "Ooh, I have a denim outfit should I put it on so we match?" The girl asked making Duri smile excitedly. "Omg, yes." She said making Gyu-ri laugh.
Gyu-ri went inside to get ready, and Duri went outside to sit on one of the chairs. She smiled, feeling relaxed, and looked at the sky. The weather was nice, and she closed her eyes for a bit. She started to come to an agreement with her friend Yuri, inferno was actually fun.
Duri's eyes fluttered open when she heard a familiar voice, "Oh, hello," She saw it was Min-woo, who was smiling warmly. "Heyy," she greeted back with a smile while looking at his outfit. "You look nice," she said with a playful wink, to which he chuckled as he took a seat next to her.
They sat in silence for a while before he spoke again. "The couples are coming back today," he mentioned, and she nodded.
"Yeah, I can't wait to hear how it went for them," she said. "I wonder if paradise is that nice," she added. She had heard about how great and fun it was from her friend and wondered if it really was.
At that moment, Min-woo looked up and caught her gaze. "Maybe we could find out next time," he said with a mischievous grin, making her look at him with wide eyes, surprised by the suggestion. She thought about it for a moment before she smiled at him. "Yeah, maybe," she replied. The idea of going to paradise with Min-woo was exciting, and her mind started wandering, imagining how it would be if they went together.
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"Ohh!!" Everyone exclaimed in surprise. Kyuhyun and Hanhae covered their eyes excitedly.
"Never mind what I said, I'm rooting for Duri," Hanhae said making everyone laugh. "Welcome to the team." Da-hee joked.
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After a while, Gyu-ri joined Min-woo and Duri and sat next to them. The three of them were enjoying the peaceful time, just chilling with each other's presence.
"Oh, I think they're back," Gyu-ri mentioned, making Min-woo and Duri look at her. "I can hear them." Duri started hearing some voices and nodded in agreement.
After a while, Duri and Gyu-ri noticed two people walking towards them. Duri noticed one of them was Hye-seon, but the other person was a stranger. "Oh look! Hye-seon is also wearing denim, what are the chances?" Duri exclaimed excitedly. Gyu-ri smiled when she noticed it too. "Wait, is that another guy?" Duri asked, confused. The other two looked attentively towards the new person.
When they were close enough, the new guy introduced himself and said hello. Gyu-ri smiled excitedly, while Duri was a little confused but still smiled at him. "How come Gwan-hee and the others are not here?" Duri asked, still confused.
Hye-seon and Min-kyu proceeded to explain about the second inferno, which surprised the singles who had stayed at the inferno. Soon after, Jin-seok came back and they all decided to go to the kitchen to get some food.
On the way there, they asked Min-kyu some questions about the other inferno as everyone was curious. Duri listened curiously while walking next to Hye-seon. Gyu-ri seemed the most interested, as she kept looking at him with a smile.
...
When they went to the kitchen, they checked what ingredients they had for cooking. They found chicken breast and cucumbers, but Duri noticed that there were no carrots. "Oh, no carrots today?" she said, looking at the box. Min-woo chuckled and shook his head in disbelief. "You're not tired of them?" he asked, still laughing.
She laughed with him. "I like carrots," She shrugged, and Gyu-ri, who was watching them laughed as well. Min-kyu and the others looked at them curiously. Gyu-ri noticed and explained,
"She loves carrots. We had them for breakfast and dinner yesterday." "And she still wants more," Min-woo added, smiling amusedly. "Hey! Carrots are good," Duri defended with a smile, and Hye-seon agreed with her. Jin-seok and Min-kyu just watched, amused.
After that, they all focused on preparing the food. Gyu-ri and Min-kyu washed the cucumbers, while Jin-seok offered to peel them. The others got plates, utensils, chicken breast, and canned ham, enough for the six of them.
Everyone sat down at the table, ready to eat. Min-woo sat at the end of the table, Gyu-ri to his left, and Min-kyu next to her. To Min-woo's right, Duri was there, Hye-seon next to her, and then Jin-seok.
They all started to eat. Duri got some cucumbers and smiled. "They're good," she muttered and Min-woo spoke teasingly, "Better than carrots?" She just rolled her eyes at him and he smiled amused.
Hye-seon and Duri started chatting. She was telling her how food at paradise couldn't compare to it, and then they moved on to talk about their favorite foods and then sweets, and then snacks. Just, you know, a normal girl talk.
During that moment, Gyu-ri and Min-kyu kept talking to each other, growing closer. Min-woo couldn't help but feel jealous as he glanced in their direction.
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"OMG!" Hanhae exclaimed in surprise. "Did you see that?!" He asked looking at the others. "He glared at Min-kyu," Dex replied surprised as well.
"I thought he had something for Duri??" Kyuhyun speaks in disbelief. "Looks like he also has a thing for Gyu-ri," Da-hee commented.
"I mean, it is a place to get to know others," Dex said making Kyuhyun sigh. "Let's just continue watching." He said.
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The alarm sounded and everyone stayed quiet to hear the announcement. "Singles. Today, there will be another Paradise-bound compile matching. It will commence in an hour." Everyone looked surprised. They all needed to use their time wisely to talk to others.
This time, for the couple matching, the singles needed to write who they wanted to go with on a date to Paradise and put it in a mailbox. Duri felt kind of relieved, it was easier this way. Not having to do it in front of everyone and seeing who the person you chose chose instead of you.
They were all standing by the crashed airplane, listening to the voice announce who the lucky man would be to go to paradise with Gyu-ri. "The man who will be joining Kim Gyu-ri on her trip to Paradise is... Park Min-kyu." Duri looked at her friend smiling happily for her. Gyu-ri noticed her staring and Duri winked at her teasingly, which she smiled at. They saw them leave for paradise while holding hands.
"Today's Paradise-bound couple matching is over." The voice announced and Duri was a little surprised by this. She had chosen Min-woo, and she thought he would choose her as well. Since he joked about it earlier that day. But again, it was a joke. She thought to herself.
—-——-——-——-—
Duri looked at the camera, her expression was serious, and she frowned slightly. After a moment, she let out a small laugh. "I thought he would choose me too," she said, shaking her head. "But I guess I wasn't his first choice." She chuckled again with a hint of embarrassment.
She appeared lost in her thoughts, maybe contemplating why she wasn't chosen. "It's clear to me now that I wasn't his first choice," she said, her tone a mix of disappointment and acceptance.
—-——-——-——-—
—-——-——-——-—
Min-woo appeared in front of the camera. He was sitting in silence, seemingly contemplating something. "I thought Gyu-ri would choose me, we had a good time yesterday," he said confused.
"Why didn't you choose Duri?" The staff asked him.
"Oh, I was thinking of choosing her. I had a great time talking with her yesterday and I think it's cute how much she loves carrots but, I guess I was more curious about Gyu-ri," he explained and stayed in silence for a little while.
"I should have chosen Duri," he said in a regretful tone.
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—-——-——-——-— = interview
————————— = reaction
Written: Feb 4, 2024.
Posted: Feb 12, 2024.
Edited: ✓
Happy Early Valentine's!!