Travel is seeking the lost paradise. It is the supreme illusion of love. – Anais Nin
The following morning begins with clouds and some fog, before the heat moves in and the sun rises. Lady and I were grateful that the hut we were staying in had air conditioning, as the temperatures were sweltering outside. We got out of bed, making sure to make them before freshening up. I wore a white one piece bathing suit over a white summer dress with sandals, while she wore a pink bikini with jean shorts and a pink tank top. We both wore our hair up in messy buns as it was just too darn hot to do anything more.
We left the hut and groaned once our bodies hit the outdoors. It was going to be a very hot one for sure! We quickly dashed to the main building and entered, grateful that this was also air conditioned. We moved to the dining room and found that our seats were back near BTS, which made me wonder why as I thought we were supposed to be taking turns with the other contestants.
"Good morning Lady, Cole." RM greeted us as we took our seats.
"Morning." I said cheerfully, happy to be back to normal and not grouchy like I was yesterday. I needed to let the boys know that I suffered from a mental relapse but I did not want the whole island to know that I was just a bit unstable at the moment.
"Can we talk privately later?" I asked RM.
"Of course. Is everything alright?"
I nod, "Yes, there are some things I need to talk about off camera."
He nods to one of the crew and they come over. He speaks in Korean to them before turning back to me.
"One of the huts has no cameras, we can speak freely there."
"Thank you." I say as we turn as the other contestants finally enter the room. They take their seats at the large dining room table and breakfast is served.
"Has everyone seen the itinerary for today?" he asks as he pulls up a piece of paper with things written on it.
Most of the others nod their head; some don't, including Pez and Ray.
"Then I will tell you. Contestants have solo interviews after breakfast followed by beach volleyball. These games will help you gain scores for the board. After volleyball there will be lunch on the beach and the afternoon will consist of any activity you would like to do. Dinner will be served at 6pm where I or one of the members will ask the question of the day before we have a movie night. That movie will be the original Ghostbusters. Snacks and drinks will be provided and those interested can meet us in the media room.
He took his seat and finished eating. I had eaten very little as I was nervous to talk to him. Would this change things because I was not in my right state of mind?
Breakfast ended and RM and I moved towards the hut and entered while the others went to do their interviews. RM was kind enough to ask my interviewer, the same one from last night to give me a few minutes as we had to discuss something. She just nodded, telling me not to worry and that we would still get things done.
We took seats and I clasped my hands as I was nervous.
"What's wrong Cole?" he asked me as he placed his large hand over mind to calm my mind.
"Last night was not like me in a way." I start, "I suffer from mental issues. I know Suga does too, but mine are severe. So severe that I was hospitalized a few times because of it. I'm not dangerous to others, just to myself. I wanted to apologize for my behavior last night, I was not in my right state of mind and I worry that if the others find out, I will be asked to leave."
"Cole, there is nothing wrong with you. You must have had a tragic past to be where you are at, but like Suga, you both will prove to excel. Don't let last night hold you back. Embrace it."
I nod as he grips my hand and holds it.
"Just keep me grounded." I say as I get to my feet. He stands and pulls me into an embrace, stroking my hair as he does.
"I will protect you instead. Now shall we join the interviews and the others?"
"Yes, my interviewer must be wondering what we are discussing."
"Like I said, this was private and if I catch wind they have recorded us in some way, I will make them miserable." He says with a smile.
"I can totally see that." I say as we exit the hut and I make my way back to the dining room alone as RM was heading back to his shared hut with the others.
I enter the room and the same woman from last night is sitting at a table waiting for me.
"I'm back." I say gently.
"Everything fine?" she asks.
"Yes, thank you." I say as I take a seat across from her.
"This interview is like the last. I will ask you a bunch of random questions and if you want, you can answer. When this show air, it will highlight that ARMY no matter where they are from have the same likes and dislikes."
"Do we get to get real and talk about how we feel and such later in the show?"
"You do. BTS will be doing the same."
We settle back as she begins asking me questions. Many are plain boring but a few I find interesting.
Who would you see yourself with if you could marry BTS? RM or Jimin
Does your best friend have a bias, and if so, who? Yes, Tae
Chocolate, vanilla or strawberry? Mint chocolate chip
Cake or cookies? Both
Would you rather have intelligence over looks? Intelligence
Where would you relocate if you were forced to leave the country? Seoul
Who is your all-time favorite Disney character? Maleficent
Are you afraid of ghosts? No
Have you ever been heart-broken? No
After this we were done and I was sent off to the beach to join the festivities. Everyone was spread out as teams were being made for the games. I joined the one side with Tia and Rosa while on the other side was Ray, Em and Lee. We played a few rounds, resulting in me winning as I was a volleyball player after all. When the game was done, we were sent to sit while the next group went to play against BTS. They went on until lunch time when picnic baskets were brought down and food was placed on blankets on the sand.
Lady came over to join me as the others sat around us. We talked about our interviews, how some of the questions were weird or how some were getting sunburns.
"Are you alright?" Lady asked me as I bit into a finger sandwich.
"Yeah, I am. Just wish food was a bit more filling."
"Tell me about it. Finger foods and small plates of food for dinner is for the birds. I've been sneaking snacks from the kitchen when no one is looking."
"I may have to join you." I say and we giggle.
Lunchtime goes by quickly and soon we are sent off to do what we want as the boys had work they needed to get done. Lady and I decided to raid the kitchen for food and snacks before sneaking them back to our hut.
We grabbed, fruits, chips, cookies and some muffins, stuffing them into a fabric bag. I found some sandwiches left over from our lunch and salads and packed them too. Lady grabbed a few sodas and waters and carried them out. Luckily, our hut was the furthest away from everyone as we made a mad dash to our hut and stored our treasure trove.
"I'm so glad that no one comes to clean this hut or they would take our finds." Lady giggles.
"And I would get mighty angry." I reply as I lie back on the bed with a sigh.
"We should eat the salads and sandwiches before they get warm. I wish we had a fridge in here."
"I don't know why we don't. In that one corner it seemed like one sat there."
"Maybe our hosts took them out. Remember they said that they didn't want food in our huts?"
"Oops!" I say and we giggle. "We're busted."
We dug into the salads and sandwiches quickly as we were starving. I just hope that no one noticed that a lot of the food had gone missing.
"I'm so full." I heard Lady say sometime later.
"At least we're full now." I point out.
We pick up our mess and make sure the hut is clean before we lie down on our beds to take naps. With bellies full, we were able to pass out rather quickly.
We were woken up by a knock on our door later that day and I grumbled as I rolled out of bed and went to answer the door. There standing looking fit and handsome was Jin.
"It's dinnertime ladies." He says taking in my messy appearance.
"Already?" I asked.
"Yeah. You have 10 minutes to get to the dining room." He says before turning and leaving me at the door.
I close the door and walk over to wake up Lady. She groans as she cracks her eyes open and sits up.
"It's time for dinner." I tell her as she climbs out of bed and fixes herself. I do the same before we leave the hut and move to the dining room.
Our seats are at the back of the room tonight. We sit as everyone pauses in their conversations to look at us.
RM stands, "So we had food go missing from the kitchen." He says.
I cock an eyebrow and lean back as I crossed my arms, "And?"
"Was it the two of you?" he asked.
"Yes. I was starving. You eat these little portions that I am not used to, so I ate more, so what?"
"They were for the crew."
"It was like 4 sandwiches. There was plenty for the crew." I point out, "What the hell is this all about?"
"Your pigs." I hear Lee say and I turn my anger on him.
"Why? Because I'm not a dainty, anorexic bitch?"
He huffs, "You got it right being a bitch."
I roll my eyes. "Whatever." I say as I rise to my feet. "I'm full from my sandwiches, so I'm out." I say as I leave the room in anger.
I head back to the hut and slam the door open in anger. What the hell was that all about?
I threw myself on the bed and hit my pillows, I decided that I was done with the day and decided that I was just going to sleep now.