"Do I really look okay?" Rico asked, standing in front of the full length mirror, looking at her outfit.
"You look beautiful," Jaein replied with a smile before she continued playing with Rico's cat.
"How about my makeup?"
"I was the one who did the makeup for you, Rico."
"Oh right, haha..."
It's the day of the date. Jaein came over to Rico's house early to help her get ready.
"I'm so excited, but I'm also very nervous," Rico sighed, her voice was slightly shaking as she spoke.
"Just enjoy your date. Trust me it won't go wrong," Jaein winked.
After Rico received a phone call from Jibeom, she got ready and went outside the house. He was waiting for her already.
"Hi," Jibeom greeted after she walked to him.
The atmosphere was awkward because it's the first time they're so formal with each other. Jibeom sounded pretty awkward as well, and Rico ended up bending down laughing.
"Hi," she responded cheerfully after she stood up again, still laughing as she spoke.
Her actions, which may seem weird to other people, didn't surprise or bother Jibeom, he just smiled knowing she's happy because of him.
"We have a lot of things to do today," he said, taking Rico's hand in his before they started walking, "let's go."
Jaein, inside Rico's house and watching through the window, made sure they left before leaving the house and meeting Joochan, who was also hiding.
"Oh my god... they look so good together," Joochan said, looking excited after stealing another glance at the direction the soon-to-be couple went.
Jaein smiled widely, "I know right."
"Now that they left, let's go and practice with the others as much as possible."
———————————
"You have 45 minutes to solve the mystery, good luck."
Right after the door closed, Jibeom immediately thought to himself, "why the fuck did they choose this theme... how did those two even play this beforehand?"
On the other hand, Rico already ditched Jibeom to start solving the puzzles.
"Wow... I respect all people who make escape rooms," Rico said.
"Same..." Jibeom answered and carefully made his way to help Rico.
"Oh look what I found," she entered a passcode to a box, opened it and took out a sword, passing it to Jibeom.
"What the hell? Are we going to fight anyone?" He widened his eyes and Rico burst out laughing.
After a while they finally unlocked the lock to another room, which is even darker than the first one.
Jibeom was impressed. "Wow Rico, you're quick. Have you ever played this before?"
Before he even realized, Rico already dragged him inside the darker room.
"It's my first time playing this theme. But I've tried other ones before. This is relatively easy," she casually responded, not bothered by how narrow the room is and its creepy surroundings.
"Gosh..." Jibeom couldn't help but shiver when he saw the scary settings in the dark: a fake dead body lying on the bed while another one is hanging from the ceiling.
"This is pretty similar to a haunted house," Rico laughed a bit and held Jibeom's hand, trying to make him feel less scared.
"Is there anything you're afraid of?" Jibeom asked while they continued looking around for hints, "because it seems like you have no fear."
"I do have things that I'm afraid of, but not these."
She found a piece of paper in the hand of the hanging body and took it out. Suddenly a loud screeching noise, which were the sound effects, could be heard from the fake body.
"AAAAHHHH!!!!" Jibeom screamed as he got shocked by the jump-scare and he immediately hugged Rico tightly.
Rico felt her face heat up, but thankfully they're in the dark so he won't see her blushing. She laughed and patted his head.
"Awww Jibeomie is scared," Rico said teasingly.
"W-who knew there would be things like this in an escape room?" Jibeom let go of her and coughed, sounding slightly embarrassed as he was stuttering.
They continued solving the puzzles. At last they successfully escaped before the time is up.
The staff members took a picture of them together with a polaroid camera. Jibeom and Rico thanked them before leaving the venue.
"I'm keeping it," Rico said, waving the photo in her hand.
"Sure," Jibeom smiled.
He had to contain his excitement when he saw Rico put the photo inside the first layer of her wallet, making the photo to be the first thing people can see once she opens her wallet.
"So... what's next?" She asked.
"Let's go and eat something first," He replied.
——————————
"Sorry, I'm late- very late to be exact," Jaehyun apologised as soon as he stepped in the practice room. The others just shrugged in response, meaning it's okay.
"Wow, we actually have most of us here today, even though it's not yet the next proper practice," Daeyeol said after he looked around, before focusing back on what he was supposed to do.
"Well I mean, who wouldn't want to chill in a place where there's air conditioning? It's so hot outside," Jangjun complained. A few people nodded in agreement.
He then looked around just like what Daeyeol did. "Hmm who's not here? Apparently Youngtaek and Seungmin are doing this part time job shit while Minah probably overslept, Mijin is taking a day off to rest and Bong just got here... but where is Jibeom?"
"He's on a date with Rico," Joochan answered, stopping his dance practice for a short moment to get some water and look at his phone.
"What the hell?" Jaehyun widened his eyes, almost choking on the bread he just took a bite from.
Chaejung looked up from her lyrics paper for a second before once again practicing on her rap. "Ooh yeah, she was panicking in the chat yesterday."
"That guy? On a date? Wow," Jaeseok snickered at the thought that Jibeom is on a date with someone.
"It's just a matter of time that the two will be together," Ryu laughed a little. "It's so damn obvious. Since when did they know each other?! They're already flirting with each other in camp."
On the other hand, Bomin was whining as he kept on shaking Arim's arm. "Ahhh~ are we really not allowed to watch the videos together?"
Donghyun, Arim and Daeyeol were the ones to judge who'll be the centre for the dance break because they will not be competing for the part. So the three were watching the videos together since everyone finished filming by yesterday.
"We have our reasons, Bomin." Arim gave him an apologetic look, and pinched his cheek when the boy pouted.
"If you guys watched it together with us, you all probably can't shut up and it will affect our decisions," Donghyun said bluntly, and stuck out his tongue when he realised he was a bit mean with his words.
"It's for fairness. I mean it works if we watch the videos and vote together," Daeyeol explained, "but let's not waste too much time."
"Understandable," Sungyoon simply replied, sitting nearby while watching the practice video he filmed just now.
Jaein sat beside him, watching the video attentively as well.
"Jaein, I think we should get going now," Joochan suddenly said as he stood up. The girl looked up as she heard her name being called.
She nodded and stood up as well.
Arim looked up curiously. "Where are you guys going? Don't you guys usually practice until night time?"
"We have... stuff to do," Joochan explained.
"Bye guys," Jaein said quietly and they left the practice room.
At this moment Minah finally arrived and walked past them.
"What the fuck?" She looked at the others, who were just as confused at her, "where are they going?"
———————————
6:45pm
"Do you think there'll be a sequel?" Jibeom asked Rico.
"Definitely!" She exclaimed.
"I think so too! Let's watch it together when it comes out," he smiled and she nodded excitedly.
The two of them were on the taxi, going to the restaurant. They both turned out to be huge fans of the series and they wouldn't stop talking about it ever since they left the cinema. But thankfully they were kind enough not to spoil anything for the taxi driver.
The taxi finally stopped, meaning that they have arrived at their destination. That's when they realised how long the conversation had been lasting.
"Oh no, we must've been noisy," Rico gasped, covering her mouth.
"We're really sorry," Jibeom apologised as he paid the taxi driver, who just laughed and reassured them he didn't mind.
The two teenagers got off the taxi. They looked at each other before laughing.
Jibeom scratched the back of his head. "Oh my god we were too excited aren't we? I think we almost forgot that this is a date."
"I know right," Rico replied, looking a bit embarrassed as well.
"But whatever! As long as we're happy we can do whatever we want," he said cheerfully.
They then walked to the restaurant and went in without waiting for too long since they already had a reservation.
"Wow Kim Jibeom, you really prepared a lot, huh?" A small grin appeared on Rico's face after she looked around, amazed by how nice the restaurant was.
The boy just laughed in response, pulling out a chair for Rico to sit down before he took his seat.
They took some time to order their food before Jibeom excused himself to go to the washroom after he received a text.
But instead of going to the washroom, he headed towards the back exit which is near the washroom.
"How the hell did you get here?" Jibeom sighed as he saw Joochan waiting outside. The boy just grinned and passed him a folded piece of paper.
Jibeom opened it to find a very simply drawn map, if it could be called a map. A tower was drawn and an "X" was marked near it. He was speechless for a while, before he let out another sigh.
"Joochan please-"
"It's simple enough for you two to understand," Joochan cut him off, a smile remaining on his face, "now go back! Rico must be waiting. I need to go back to Jaein as well."
"Fine... thanks," Jibeom finally nodded, folding the paper and putting it in his pocket.
While he was about to leave, Joochan spoke again, "treat me a late night snack later."
"Okay okay whatever..." Jibeom rolled his eyes and groaned as he glared at Joochan, who was grinning at him, before going back to his table.
"Look what's this." A sparkle could be seen in Rico's eyes as Jibeom showed her the paper.
She took the paper and opened it.
"Is this... a treasure map?" She asked, looking a bit excited.
"I don't know. Should we go look for the treasure together after we finish eating?" Jibeom smiled.
Rico laughed in response, before nodding her head, satisfied by his effort.
—————————
Joochan went back to meet up with Jaein at the resting area. Due to its location, the view of the beach could be seen clearly. It was usually crowded with people but right now there's only the two of them.
"Done?" Jaein questioned, meaning his mission to give Jibeom the map.
"Done," Joochan replied with a smile.
Jaein returned the smile and lightly pushed a box on the table towards him as he took a seat next to her.
"Quickly eat before the food gets cold," she said.
Joochan's expression brightened as he opened the box, the food inside was his favourite food, fried chicken.
"Woah!!! Thank you!!!" He exclaimed, making Jaein cover her mouth and laugh a bit.
"You should take some before I finish it all by accident," he then said, letting her have some fried chicken first.
She shook her head, "you can have all of it. I have my own food." She then pointing at a box of cream puffs in front of her.
Joochan laughed a bit, "I realize you really don't eat your meals properly."
"I don't?" Jaein was confused.
"You barely ate anything at camp except for snacks," he replied, "and now you're only having cream puffs for dinner."
"It was selective!" She defended herself, "I do eat properly sometimes."
Joochan chuckled at the word "sometimes" before he patted her head. "Take good care of yourself, or else I'll be taking care of you, okay?" He asked gently. He sounded like he was teasing her but he actually meant it.
On the other hand, Jaein was blushing because of his words and actions.
"O-okay!" She exclaimed, pushing his hand away. And they started eating their dinner.
—————————
After dinner, Jibeom and Rico went to the beach, calmly walking while enjoying the peacefulness since there's almost no one else other than the two of them.
It was quiet except for the sound of the winds and the waves hitting the shore. The night sky was clear and the moon could be fully seen.
The temperature was way lower than it was during daytime, and since they're near the sea, it felt cold when they feel the wind.
Jibeom, without saying anything, took off his jacket and put it around Rico's shoulder.
"Thanks," she smiled, before taking a look at the "map" she received earlier.
"I think the treasure is nearby," she said, noticing the small "tower" for life guard services from a distance away.
They walked to the tower. Since it's night time no one was there.
Rico knelt down and swept away the sand that formed a small pile while stands out from the others.
She dug a bit deeper into the sand and found a small silver coloured box buried in there, which made her eyes widen in surprise.
She took out the box from the sand and turned to Jibeom. "What's this?"
"Open it," he said with a smile.
Rico did what he told her, and she was shocked to see the necklace that she stared at back in the store this afternoon.
She was speechless as she looked at Jibeom, who was satisfied at her reaction.
"W-wow, you-" She tried to act like her usual self, but she couldn't hide her shock and how flustered she was.
The fact that he actually paid attention to such small details and put in effort to create a surprise for her made Rico's heart flutter.
And before she could complete her sentence, Jibeom held her hand and took her to somewhere nearer to the sea, where it's brighter because of the moonlight. And when they stopped walking, the boy turned to face her.
He spoke after taking a deep breath, "I'll just be straightforward here, Noh Rico."
"I like you. Will you be my girlfriend?"
Rico just looked down and smiled, before nodding her head, making Jibeom smile widely.
Both of them stayed silent for a moment, not knowing what to do.
"I'll put on this necklace for you," he said, carefully picking up the necklace from the small box.
While he was gently putting the necklace around Rico's neck, she couldn't help but joke around a bit even though it was supposed to be a romantic moment. "Took you long enough to confess."
"Wasn't I obvious enough?" He joked back, making her laugh.
"You really surprise me sometimes, Kim Jibeom," she said gently, almost whispering.
"Well, you always surprise me too, Rico," Jibeom replied, and he's finally done with putting the necklace on her.
What surprised him was, when Rico turned around to face him, she grabbed the collar of his shirt, pulled him to lean down towards her and she kissed him on the lips. The kiss only lasted for a very short moment.
"I totally agree with what you say." After Rico let go of him, she grinned, satisfied at Jibeom's reaction. The boy is now blushing furiously because of her actions.
"L-let's go back now i-it's kind of late... I'll send you back home first," he stuttered, using his busan accent without noticing it himself.
"Okay!" Rico replied cheerfully.
——————————
Jaein finally arrived her house after being outside for almost the whole day. She was surprised when she saw Jibeom standing outside, looking like he's waiting for someone.
"Oh, hey. You're finally back," Jibeom smiled.
"Woah! Why are you here? Have you sent Rico home yet?" She asked, confused at the fact that he's actually waiting for her.
"We came back a long time ago. It doesn't take so long to come back by taxi," he shrugged.
"I see. So... what do you want to say?" Jaein slowly asked.
"Thank you so much for helping me," he said.
"Oh... that's all?" She raised an eyebrow, before replying half jokingly, "then you're welcome, I guess."
Jibeom sighed, before slowly pulling Jaein into a hug, making her widen her eyes in shock.
"I'm really sorry that I've hurted you badly in the past," he said quietly, "I don't know if you have fully forgiven me yet but you still spent your time to help me confess to Rico. So, thank you."
The girl, slightly taken aback by his actions, only lightly patted his back before pushing him away.
"I've fully forgiven you, really. I have to move on anyways. And don't, ever do this again," Jaein didn't look angry but she sounded serious. "You have a girlfriend and this, is going to make her jealous."
Jibeom tried to say something and she cuts him off once again before he could speak.
"Also, stop acting like you know me well. I know you do, and I also know you well. You're kind, you're caring, but you need to stop taking care of anybody except for her. Make her feel secure. Understand?"
He nodded, and crossed his arms, seeing what else she could say.
Jaein then managed to scold him for another minute before finally stopping and letting out a sigh.
"What an advice from someone who has never dated anyone before." Jibeom's response made the girl shoot a glare at him.
"Oh shit!" He suddenly exclaimed.
"What?" Jaein replied, looking annoyed after he roasted her.
"You're the only single girl left among everyone!"
Jaein took off her shoe and threw it hard at him.
"Ouch! What the heck!" Jibeom groaned. But still he picked up the shoe and gave it back to her.
"What are you trying to say?" Jaein asked.
"Since you helped me, I can help you back! You can get a boyfriend soon!"
She chuckled, treating his idea like a joke, "I don't trust your help."
"Aww just tell me. Are you interested in anyone?" Jibeom winked.
Jaein facepalmed, "stop it. You're bad at winking."
"If you don't have anyone you're interested in, I can recommend someone," he smiled widely, as if he had been waiting for this chance for a long time.
"Just don't try to help-"
"What do you think of Joochan? He's really nice to you. And think about it! He's handsome, funny, talented, and most importantly-"
"He likes me. I know."
Jibeom gasped and took a few steps backwards in shock.
"Did he confess?" He asked carefully. She shook her head.
"You know that I'm not that oblivious to things. I figured it out recently."
"Aha ANYWAYS, let's get back on topic! What do you think of him?"
Jaein hesitated for a while.
"He's great. But I don't think I feel the same way- or do I? I don't know! I'm so confused," she replied, looking frustrated.
"If he confesses, will you say yes?" He questioned. Jaein looked down, awkwardly playing with her hands, thinking of how to answer the question.
Seeing that she couldn't even answer a simple yes or no question, Jibeom thought that there was definitely something else that made her hesitate.
"Do you like someone else?" He carefully asked another question.
Her movements of playing with her hands stopped instantly and she looked up, trying to hide the panicked expression on her face. "Well, I..."
"I knew it," Jibeom thought as he fell silent, thinking quietly who that person might be. And after a short moment he got the answer.
"Is it Sungyoon hyung?" He quietly asked.
Jaein felt her face heat up and her heart skipped a beat hearing the name.
"I guess I'm right..." Jibeom widened his eyes for a moment before he sighed, noticing how she tensed up hearing his words. And he realized he should say what he wanted to say.
He looked at her, looking completely serious, and he spoke,"don't tell me that I didn't warn you. And I'm not trying to be mean. But Sungyoon hyung will reject you if you confess. There's no chance at all."
"Why are you so sure?" Jaein questioned after staying quiet for a moment, but the boy didn't respond.
He then let out a sigh, "you don't have to listen to me if you don't want to. After all this is just something that I'm believing in..." His voice got quieter as he spoke.
"Believe in what?" She was confused.
"Yah, it's getting late. Go back now and I'll see you tomorrow." Ignoring her question, Jibeom said and left.
What do you think will happen in the future plot?