Episode 2

Bedroom two

Morning

The next morning, Jimin woke up feeling slightly lightheaded. The previous night had been pretty wild, although it had only been their first night in the villa. 

As she slowly shuffled around the bed, she felt someone moving next to her. 

Oh yeah, she had almost forgotten. 

Each room was composed of three double beds and one single bed; and she had been assigned to sleep with Kazuha. Honestly, she didn’t mind it too much. She was used to sleeping in such big rooms with a lot of people in it. Besides, even if they barely talked, Kazuha looked calm enough to not be someone Jimin felt uncomfortable with. 

“Did you sleep well?” 

Jimin turned to find Kazuha looking at her with a small smile. Her back was already resting against the head of the bed, although her hair was a bit tousled. 

Jimin nodded, a polite smile making its way to her face. “Yeah, I did. What about you?”

Kazuha hummed, placing a polite hand over her mouth. “I slept well, thank you.” She then looked around the room and lightly giggled. “I wouldn’t say the same about the rest of them though.” 

Jimin followed Kazuha’s gaze and couldn’t resist laughing at the sight. Next to them, Miyeon was sprawled in the middle of her bed, her disheveled hair going everywhere. It looked like she had been zapped with a taser. However, Wonyoung–who supposedly shared the bed with her–was nowhere to be seen. 

The same went for Sooin actually. She was supposed to sleep in the single bed, but it seemed like she was already awake and had left early.

Further inside the room, Nayeon was laying on the floor. It looked like… she had fallen from the bed through the night? That must have hurt. 

Jimin’s gaze traveled right above Nayeon’s lifeless body to find Minjeong laying in the middle of their bed, sprawled like a star over the mattress. Had she pushed Nayeon out of the bed or something? 

Honestly, it wouldn’t be too surprising. After all, Minjeong seemed really wasted the night before. It was a good thing that Jimin had been strong enough to carry her to her bed. 

She hadn’t expected to play the chivalrous knight during her first night in the villa, but Jimin guessed that the public probably found her situation amusing. So if helping Minjeong could become a beneficial moment for her, then Jimin would gladly take the extra points. 

Not wanting to leave Kazuha hanging for too long, Jimin lightly shook her head, finding this whole situation rather amusing. “It’s like a wasteland over here.” 

Kazuha giggled at that. “I think our room is pretty decent actually. You left early with Minjeong so you didn’t see them, but the girls from room one kept going until late. I don’t even want to imagine their state right now…” 

The woman was right. Jimin didn’t even want to imagine how room one was doing in that moment, considering the phenomena that slept there. 

Though the ambitious part of her silently wished that some of them had messed their images up a little bit in front of the public. The less contestants there were, the higher her chances of winning would be. 

“Should we go grab breakfast? I’m starving,” Kazuha said, hiding her yawn behind her hand. 

Jimin could only nod at that. She was starting to feel really hungry as well, and she felt like she needed enough fuel to survive another day in this house. 

***

Kitchen

Late morning

“Last night was wild!” 

Sana’s voice was the first thing that Jimin and Kazuha heard upon entering the kitchen. 

“I’m sure some people had a lot of fun,” Gawon hummed, leisurely twirling her cup of coffee in her hand. Her gaze was fixed on Nayeon and Momo, but also on Somi and Aeri.

Yizhuo, who was sitting next to her, raised her eyebrow in amusement. But if it looked like she had a lot to say, it seemed like she decided to keep it to herself as she stayed mum. 

The same went for Somi actually, who only buried her face further in the crook of Aeri’s neck. Even Miyeon, who had woken up a bit after Jimin and Kazuha and who seemed like she would usually jump on the opportunity to tease others, simply giggled. 

But what surprised Jimin the most in this whole ordeal was the fact that, despite her prior beliefs, the girls of room one were already awake. Did they even sleep at all? 

“What do you think we’re going to do today?” asked Momo, who seemed eager to change the topic despite being glued to Nayeon’s side. It was as if the person Jimin saw sleeping on the floor earlier was gone. Nayeon had quickly freshened up and joined the group even before Jimin was done getting ready. 

Yunjin let out a small laugh as she passed by Jimin and Kazuha. “I hope they’ll let us rest! We just arrived after all.” She then inched closer to Kazuha and whispered. “I’ll get changed quickly. Meet you outside soon?” 

Kazuha happily hummed, prompting Yunjin to walk away from the kitchen. No one really seemed to care about her sudden departure but Jimin, who had overheard what she had said to Kazuha, couldn’t help but to feel intrigued. 

Maybe these two had leads already? Or maybe Jimin was just overthinking it. 

Nayeon’s loud whine broke her out of her thoughts. “I hope they’ll leave us alone and just let us enjoy the pool!” 

Sana immediately jumped at that. “Just mentioning the pool makes me want to go there again!” She dashed towards Nayeon and took her hand. “Wanna go there with me?” 

Nayeon vividly nodded, immediately rushing out with Sana in tow, leaving Momo behind. It didn’t look like the woman was offended by Nayeon’s actions though, as her attention instantly shifted on the cereals she was eating.

Just as Sana and Nayeon left the room, Minjeong silently entered, groggily rubbing her eyes. She looked like a bear who had just woken up from hibernation, prompting most of the room to lightly giggle at the sight. 

Jimin observed as Minjeong offered Aeri a sleepy smile before settling down in between Sooin, who had seemingly been busy eating her rice ever since Jimin entered the kitchen, and Wonyoung, who had been silently sitting there and observing everyone. 

From the looks of it, it was certain that some groups had already been naturally formed through the course of the previous night. 

It was fine in Jimin’s book, honestly. Because if people were too focused on hanging out, then that would give her enough time to sneakily go investigate. Which was probably her next course of action actually, seeing as everyone seemed busy chatting. 

She grabbed a piece of bread before giving a friendly tap on Kazuha’s shoulder. “See you later!” 

Kazuha hummed in response, watching as Jimin disappeared towards their bedroom. Which… wasn’t all that right actually. 

When she first arrived in the villa, Jimin had noticed a strange room not so far from their bedroom. It was her first lead to start investigating everyone’s secret.

As she walked towards it, she looked to her left and right to gauge if anyone was following her or not. She knew that investigating wasn’t against the rules; quite the contrary actually. But she also knew that being too invested in this detective game could make her a potential target for the others to get rid of. 

She didn’t want to appear too dangerous in their eyes.

But she also really needed that money. So if she had to dig into her investigation skills, then she would gladly do so–even if it could potentially make her look like a thief to the viewers’ eyes, especially with the way she was sneaking around the house behind the other contestants’ backs like that. 

Soon enough, she finally reached the room she had been itching to explore. 

Its interior was probably the most bizarre design Jimin had ever witnessed. There were colors, letters, numbers and weird signs painted all over the walls. A quick look inside was enough to tell that this room was a real goldmine, but also one hell of a headache. 

A sudden flash of nervousness coursed through Jimin’s veins. Considering that she would have to sneak behind the others’ backs to come there to explore, and with this much information that seemed to reside there, how would she even find all of their secrets? 

Would she even have the time to do so all by herself? 

Jimin instinctively bit her nail as her gaze wandered on the wall, trying to at least notice some obvious signs that could give her any insights on the other contestants' secrets. 

From the brief chats she had with them, Jimin was still unaware of which secrets they could have. Because of her lack of information, she decided to go for a general approach in her investigation, meaning that she first tried to look at the most obvious signs in the room. She would think about attributing each secret to each woman later on, when she would have more clues. 

With that strategy in mind, Jimin spent some time looking around the room, eyes wide open for any weird signs. 

Weird signs that came… rather quickly in her field of view, specifically in the shape of what looked like a weird ritual circle. 

“Is there a witch among us or something..?” she whispered to herself as her fingers slowly traced over the drawing. It was only then that she noticed that in the middle of the two triangles drawn inside the circle, was marked the letter ‘I’. This made Jimin immediately stop in her tracks. 

What could this possibly be about? Was this letter part of the secret itself? Or was it put there to mislead her? Jimin thought about it for a second before shaking her head. She knew this show was a mind game, but she had high doubts that the Judge would willingly put them on false leads; there were no reasons for him to do so. 

But then, what was the purpose of this letter—?

“Is this supposed to be part of someone’s name?” 

Jimin let out a loud shriek and instinctively jumped away at the sound of this sudden voice. Feeling her body tremble all over, she shakily turned around to see Minjeong standing right behind her, seemingly focused on the weird circle as well. 

“M—” Jimin stopped herself, only now remembering the cameras that were pointed at them. She had to act proper! “W—What are you doing here?”

Minjeong let out a small giggle at that, her eyes still focused on the wall. “I saw you sneaking around and I was curious so I followed you.” 

Jimin’s face immediately fell. She was certain that she had been extra cautious when she sneaked away, but Minjeong had quickly found her. Was she that bad of a detective? 

Seemingly noticing Jimin’s sudden terror, Minjeong gently but cautiously placed a hand on the taller’s shoulder. “I… totally shouldn’t have followed you, no?” she asked, her eyes finally looking at Jimin. She looked a bit distressed, as if only now noticing how much of a surprise her arrival had been.

Jimin instantly shook her head. “N—No!” 

Well, yes actually, Minjeong had been a bit of a bother. Because now, Jimin was afraid that she would get judged for taking the game too seriously or that she would become a target to eliminate. But as she looked at Minjeong’s kicked puppy expression, Jimin couldn’t help but to feel a little bad about her reaction. 

“Actually,” Minjeong suddenly said, her features growing more sheepish. “I noticed that you were alone and I wanted to thank you for taking care of me last night. And also… I wanted to say sorry for bothering you with my… state.”

Okay, now Jimin felt like a total jerk for even having these thoughts in the first place, as well as for only thinking about her personal benefits in helping Minjeong out the night before. 

Trying to redeem herself in her own clumsy way, Jimin offered Minjeong what she hoped was a gentle smile. “You weren’t a bother, no worries. I hope you’re feeling better though?” 

Minjeong, who seemed to have been easily soothed by Jimin’s words, energetically nodded. “I do, thanks to you! I really don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t been there…” 

Jimin shyly giggled, not used to such compliments being thrown in her face, and especially not in this house. “No problem,” she muttered, scratching the back of her head as her lips curled into a proud smile. 

She wasn’t sure if the woman noticed her slight embarrassment or if she was just the type of person to be quickly distracted, but Minjeong suddenly pointed at the weird circle Jimin had been looking at. 

“Don’t you think this ‘I’ refers to someone’s name?” she asked, her brows slightly furrowed. 

Jimin had to refrain herself from letting out a chuckle at the cute sight. “What do you mean?” They both inched closer to the circle, their shoulders slightly touching without any of them realizing. 

“Well–” Minjeong traced the pattern with her finger, “–my first thought was that this letter is probably linked to the secret itself.” Jimin’s eyes widened a bit, surprised that Minjeong had thought exactly like her. “But if this ‘I’ is part of the secret’s name, then it would be impossible to find!”

Jimin lightly hummed, scratching her chin in thought. “So you think that instead, it might refer to someone’s name?” 

Minjeong shrugged. “I don’t really see anything else honestly.” She then turned towards Jimin and started to count on her fingers. “Thing is, there are eight of us with an ‘I’ in our name, us two included. So if this really is the aim of the hint, then it’s a really bad one…” 

Jimin found herself giggling at Minjeong’s raw honesty. “Honestly? Yeah, it’s pretty bad–” 

“But!” Minjeong added, flashing a small grin in Jimin’s direction. “You seem smart so I’m sure you’ll figure it out.” 

Jimin was surprised by such a sudden compliment, yet again. “You’re overestimating me,” she muttered, waving an embarrassed hand in front of her face. “You’re the one who figured most of it out.” Was this Minjeong’s usual way of communicating with others? 

Either way, Jimin… kinda liked it, despite not really wanting to forge bonds in the first place. Maybe indulging in it a little bit wasn’t too bad after all?

“Actually,” Minjeong suddenly said, catching Jimin’s attention again. She was looking at the floor, and her sheepish expression seemed to be back. “I know I probably bothered you there but… do you mind if I come to investigate with you sometimes?” 

Jimin’s eyes widened at the sudden request. With the way she mostly kept to herself, she hadn’t expected someone to directly come to her like that, and indirectly ask her to spend some time together. 

Jimin… wasn’t used to that. She wasn’t even sure what she was supposed to answer. 

She entered this villa with the firm belief that she shouldn’t let anyone stay too close to her, in fears of being betrayed. Her goal there was set, and she told herself that she wouldn’t allow anyone to come in the way between her and the prize money. 

But she also knew that, to capture the viewers’ hearts, she had to become a likeable character (though, she wasn’t exactly sure how she was supposed to achieve that). 

Would getting closer to someone else help her reach her final goal? 

Jimin watched as Minjeong’s eyes shyly looked around the room, obviously avoiding her gaze. Her foot was nervously tapping against the floor, and her fingers seemed to slightly curl around the hem of her shirt. 

Jimin shook her head, trying to dissipate her previous thoughts. Was it really okay to base all of her decisions on strategies? Even when there were probably honest people who genuinely wanted to work with her? 

“I–It’s okay if you don’t want to, I understand!” Minjeong stuttered, seemingly not able to handle the deafening silence any longer. 

Jimin felt like her mind was playing tug-of-war against itself. On one hand, she didn’t want to let herself grow closer to Minjeong for her own selfish purposes. But at the same time, Minjeong’s wit really matched her own intellect, and it was clear that they seemed to work pretty well together. 

But then, there was the risk of betraying each other. Because upon entering this show, each contestant arrived alone, and would win or lose alone.

Which one would be the most efficient? And which one was the least risky?

“J–Jimin..?” Minjeong looked at her with worried eyes, seemingly concerned with Jimin’s lack of answer.

“Let’s work together,” Jimin finally answered, surprising herself as well as Minjeong who seemingly hadn’t expected a positive answer. 

Jimin internally groaned, already feeling weaker than when she first entered the house. She tried to think rationally but the way Minjeong looked at her like a kicked puppy had been the final nail in the coffin. 

Resisting these eyes would have been just too cruel, no? 

“R–Really?!” Minjeong gasped. Jimin wasn’t sure if the woman was aware of it or not, but she was slightly jumping in place, as if not able to contain her relief. 

A lot of thoughts flashed through Jimin’s mind, mostly revolving around how cute of a person Minjeong seemed to be. But then, she remembered her initial purpose and why she was in that room in the first place. 

She had almost forgotten about the investigation! 

Wanting to show a cool front in front of her new ally, Jimin slightly puffed her chest and placed her fists against her hips. “Should we keep going?” 

Minjeong happily nodded, her gaze already back on the ritual circle. “Yes!” 

Jimin heaved out a small sigh and shook her head in amusement. Despite looking so meek and discreet, Minjeong was actually quite an energetic person. 

Jimin could only hope that appearances wouldn’t fool her, and that her weakness of mind for allowing Minjeong by her side wouldn’t backfire on her.

***

Waking up had been harder that she had imagined. Aeri had drunk quite… a lot. The first thing she had done in the morning was to shower to try and freshen up herself, which had worked perfectly. 

She had joined the others in the kitchen and had sat down at the kitchen island after making coffee for everyone. She hadn't spoken much, silently appreciating feeling her girlfriend's warmth at her side, but had listened to everyone's conversations. 

“What do you want to do today?” Somi had muttered sleepily against her neck, tightening her arms around her. 

“Hmm dunno,” Aeri had smiled lazily, replacing a strand of Somi’s hair behind her ear, gently stroking her cheekbone with her thumb. “I kinda want to sunbathe. I think I’ll go change and stay by the swimming pool.”

“I think I’ll stay inside for now, maybe I’ll join you afterwards.” Somi had pulled her head back from her neck, offering her a smile. “You go have fun.” 

Aeri had hummed and walked towards the bedroom to put on a bikiki. 

Sunshine immediately greeted her when she stepped outside, and she slid her sunglasses down the bridge of her nose to avoid getting blinded by the lights at 9:30 in the morning.

Two contestants seemed already pretty determined to face the day in the middle of the garden. Yunjin and Kazuha were there, holding a squatting position as they discussed something. 

Aeri walked closer to the pool and carefully positioned her towel on a sunbed. As she laid down on the furniture, looking at the two girls she was now facing, she suddenly remembered what had happened the night before. “Fuck,” she cursed under her breath and pressed her lips together. 

“How are you guys full of energy so early in the morning?” She asked, trying to sound as casual as possible. 

Kazuha turned to look her way and smiled softly. “Some of us didn't drink as much as you did.” 

Yunjin arched a brow. “Actually, I did drink a lot, but we had planned to exercise so.. I needed to get up and keep my promise.”  

Aeri giggled softly and nodded before scratching the back of her head. “Oh by the way Kazuha, I’m sorry our conversation got interrupted yesterday.”  

Kazuha leaned to lift a weight and shook her head slightly. “All good no worries, I’m already healed from my trauma.” 

Aeri laughed nervously and nodded slowly. “She can get pretty intense sometimes.. I didn't want to leave such an impression on the first day.” 

Yunjin positioned herself for a series of lunges. “It surely must have left an impression on the viewers.” 

Aeri’s eyes traveled to the blonde girl and she silently watched her lower her body, eyeing the way her thighs and calves’ muscles flexed as well as her biceps when she lifted the weights. What a nice view. 

She gulped and turned her gaze away, focusing on the gentle ripples in the water beside her. 

“I think you shouldn’t arch your back like that, you could hurt your lower back.” Kazuha positioned herself behind Yunjin a few minutes after, drawing Aeri’s attention back to them. 

“Really? But I’ve been told that it was the correct way to do it,” Yunjin turned her head back to look at Kazuha. 

Kazuha shook her head slightly and placed her hands over her hips, guiding her movement down. “Like that, keep your spine straight and your chin high.”

Aeri noticed the way Yunjin’s eyes widened at the sudden proximity, and how she deliberately took her time to try and learn the correct way to do the exercise. 

She then decided to give them some privacy, even if she knew that their every move was probably recorded by all the cameras placed in the corners of the garden, and headed toward the swimming pool. 

“My god it’s cold,” she whined as she stepped onto the first pool stair. 

Sana and Nayeon, who were already chatting and swimming inside, turned to look at her. Aeri’s lips curved into a shy smile and she stepped down onto the next step. 

“The sun is burning hot already, but once you get used to the temperature change, it’s very pleasant don’t worry.” Nayeon crossed the pool in three breaststrokes. 

Aeri nodded and took a deep breath, bracing herself for the moment she would have to dip her stomach and chest. When she did, a yelp escaped from her lips, and that caused the two girls to laugh. 

“You’re so cute,” Sana said and Aeri’s face turned scarlet.

She hid her face in between her palms. “I’m not,” She shook her head rapidly, trying to hide how flustered she got whenever a pretty girl complimented her. 

Eventually, she managed to enter the pool fully, getting used to the not so cold water and enjoying her free time with the other contestants. 

By chatting, she learned that Nayeon’s favorite color was also purple, that Sana had been the one to trip at the end of her bed during the night, and that they were both here to have fun rather than to win. 

She kept all this information in the back of her mind, and her girlfriend eventually joined them inside the pool a short while later.

Game Room 

Afternoon 

Three days passed, or maybe four. It was hard to keep in touch with reality inside the house; they had no phones, no TVs and basically no contact with anyone outside the house. 

“We need to go inside that room,” Gawon pointed toward a closed door. 

The Judge had apparently communicated the instruction through the confessional, and it had traveled through the house at light speed. Aeri was still eating lunch when she got the memo. 

“Are we going to play a game?” Sana asked cheerfully, running in between other contestants to be the first one to reach the door. 

“I think so,” Wonyoung, standing beside her, nodded. 

Aeri had watched enough episodes to know that those games were crucial when it came to alliances and friendships. Sometimes it ruined them, but other times it helped a lot. 

She tightened her hold on Somi’s hand and stepped inside the room, discovering the rather dark environment. The wide walls were painted grey, there were no windows and high tables had been arranged in a row down the center, a buzzer placed on top of each. 

“Oh, there’s something here.” Yizhuo grabbed a piece of paper, showing it to everyone. “They already formed teams,” she rolled her eyes. 

Aeri, Sana, Jimin, Minjeong, Sooin, Gawon and Wonyoung had been chosen to be part of team one and Miyeon, Somi, Yunjin, Yizhuo, Kazuha, Momo, and Nayeon chosen to be part of team two. 

Aeri walked toward their designed table and met Somi’s eyes from across the room. She read her girlfriend’s lips and managed to catch her mouthing, “don't embarrass me,” that caused Aeri to roll her eyes and look away. 

She loved learning new things, so of course she had a broad general knowledge. 

The rules were simple, everyone would be asked questions on various topics, and the first person to press the buzzer would get to answer. Aeri knew that she had an advantage when it came to geography and history, so she planned on reacting the fastest to these questions. 

The first questions were easy, and almost every contestant fought tooth and nail to reach for their buzzers. The scores climbed on both sides, 10 for team one and 12 team two. 

“What country has the most pyramids in the world?” The Judge asked and Aeri lunged for the buzzer, nearly falling over. “Aeri, go on.” 

“Sudan!” She said confidently, winking at her teammates who exchanged amused glances. 

“Correct.” The Judge announced. 12 to 12. 

The room stilled for a moment, and team 2 looked at Aeri with narrowed eyes, probably not pleased that she had tied the score. 

“Okay everyone, focus.” Yizhuo’s competitive spirit kicked in and she held up her hands. “We cannot lose this round.” 

Miyeon rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. “You’re the one who answered the brain to “what is the largest organ in the human body?”

“Well sorry if that’s not applicable to you but my brain is big.” Yizhuo side-eyed her, her ego clearly hurt. “Anyway, next question please.” 

Aeri had to refrain herself from giggling at the exchange. 

Yunjin sighed rather loudly and shook her head. “We’re a team. Let’s win this and stop arguing.” 

Standing beside her, Kazuha nodded. “We need to cooperate.”

The next questions dealt with topics Aeri had absolutely no knowledge in, so she let her teammates answer for her. She discovered that Jimin was very good at the game, as well as Minjeong. Gawon and Sooin were a bit more quiet, but they still tried their best. Sana on the other hand, looked lost. 

“Who painted the Mona Lisa?” The Judge asked and Sana let out a scream. 

“Finally a question I can answer!” She yelled cheerfully as she pressed the buzzer first. “Taeyeon!” 

Aeri’s hand flew to her mouth and she barely managed to swallow the laugh that escaped, her body bending forward. Beside her, she heard someone trying not to burst out laughing and she quickly glanced at her teammate. Jimin’s hand covered her eyes and the corners of her lips were twitching. 

Seeing her, Aeri lost it. She turned on her heels and pressed her fist against her mouth, trying not to mock Sana too openly but her shaking shoulders betrayed her. Her eyes were full of water, and she could hear contestants from the other team laughing behind her. 

Her team was in shock. Minjeong had turned to face the wall, Sooin had her face in both hands, Gawon was staring at the ceiling, and Wonyoung looked flabbergasted. 

“Taeyeon?” The Judge repeated, his voice slightly amused despite the robotic effect. 

“Yes, she’s very talented,” Sana nodded, seemingly not understanding what was wrong with her answer. 

The confirmation was the final blow. Aeri was now laughing openly, and so were the other contestants. She braced one hand on the table, and wiped her eyes. 

“Oh my god,” she shook her head in disbelief. “I cannot believe it.” 

Jimin pressed her lips together and giggled. “She was so sure of herself.” 

Aeri shook her head and another wave of laughter hit her. She pressed the back of her hand to her mouth and straightened up, trying to find something neutral to look at. 

“I’m Aeri by the way,” she said to Jimin once she had managed to calm down a little. “We haven’t had time to properly say hi to each other.” 

Jimin smiled and extended her hand. “I know who you are.” 

Aeri grabbed her hand and shook it gently. “I wanted to formally introduce myself.” 

“Okay then. I’m Jimin, nice to meet you,” Jimin laughed softly. 

“I know who you are,” Aeri winked playfully before turning her attention back to the game that was about to resume.  

About ten minutes later, the Judge announced their loss. No one openly said it, but all of them knew that Sana had distracted them enough to make them lose. Aeri wasn’t mad at her at all, she had even congratulated her for being so unintentionally funny. 

“Loser,” Somi winked as she walked closer, wrapping an arm around Aeri’s waist. 

Aeri rolled her eyes and arched a brow. “You’re certainly not the reason as to why your team won. You barely answered any questions.” 

As soon as they stepped out of the game room, the Judge called them one by one to the confessional. Aeri didn't know the reason for it yet, but she could feel that something was about to happen. 

Confessional

Late afternoon

Aeri: I didn’t expect us to have to vote already… It’s so sudden. We barely had the time to get to know each other. But if I really have to… I’d go with this person. Nothing against her, but she’s the only one I didn't really get to talk to. 

Minjeong: From the sudden quiz to now having to vote someone out… this show is a real roller coaster! I don’t really want to vote though, everyone has been really nice to me so far… It’s rare that I get to feel comfortable around other people like I do with them, so having to vote for someone to leave so suddenly just feels so… harsh.  

Sooin: Ah, it makes me sad. I don’t want to do this, it’s so cruel. We’re barely a week in and we already have to vote someone out. The reason for my choice is that she’s quieter than most, and doesn’t really participate in any activities with the constestants. 

Jimin: Honestly, I kind of expected them to make us vote even earlier, but the shock from the sudden announcement is all the same… But if there’s less contestants, I guess it gives me an advantage. 

From the moment the Judge called them to the confessional to when he reunited them all–except for the two nominated–inside the living room, everything seemed to flash in a blur of uncertainty and confusion. 

His sudden call had been about the first elimination of this season. Each contestant was forced to vote someone out of the villa. And just like the previous seasons, the two women with the most votes would end up in the Red Room, placing their fate in the public’s hands. 

Usually, the first elimination was the least painful, as the contestants didn’t spend that much time together. But from the moment they all first stepped a foot inside the villa to the first Red Room, links were made and hearts were already tied. 

So to see the first person leave… it left a sour taste in most of the contestants’ mouths. 

But it was particularly painful for the two who ended up inside the Red Room.

“The votes are in, you have all chosen who will get to come back to the villa!” Jihyo loudly announced on the set, her voice also echoing inside the Red Room.

It was only then that Jimin came back to her senses. Everything around her was a mix of blinding red and dizzying white. She could vividly hear the host’s voice, as well as the loud roars of the crowd. 

When she first arrived in the show, Jimin told herself that she would stay away from the Red Room. 

Yet, the other contestants didn’t seem to share this thought with her, as they mostly voted for her to be nominated that night. 

Jimin didn’t particularly feel any animosity towards those who voted against her. After all, she was aware that she hadn’t been the most agreeable person to be around. 

But still… The small ache inside her heart grew bigger as Jihyo took her sweet time announcing who would have the privilege to come back inside the villa. 

It was just so sudden. 

Jimin entered the villa with the firm belief that she needed to put the game before anything else. But in her narrow strategy, she had completely forgotten that bonds with those who shared the same roof as her did matter. Because if nobody wanted anything to do with her, then she would always get voted out. 

She couldn’t change herself nor her wish to win this game. But she had to change her ways. 

Her interaction with Minjeong back on the day after the party suddenly came back inside her mind. 

Back then, it felt scary to open up. Hell, maybe Minjeong was part of those who voted her out… But still. Trusting someone else didn’t seem to have done her too much harm, no? 

A slight movement coming from her left broke Jimin out of her daze. Next to her, Wonyoung started to tremble, obviously nervous about the results the host was keeping from them. 

Yeah, right. It was pretty much useless to think about everything she could have done when it wasn’t even certain that she would get to go back inside the villa. 

It was almost comical how, during the party, Wonyoung and her found themselves awkwardly standing next to each other in a secluded corner. This situation almost felt like a mirror of their first night in the villa, except that the air around them was far more tense. 

“The public made its choice…” Jihyo muttered inside her microphone, relishing in the way the crowd buzzed around her. “The person who will get to go back inside the house tonight is…” 

Jimin suddenly felt Wonyoung grabbing her hand. She was surprised yet returned the touch by holding the woman’s hand a bit tighter, betraying her own nervousness.

Was it the end? Already? 

“–Jimin!” Jihyo shouted, her loud voice rumbling around the walls of the Red Room. “The show is not over for you yet!”

Jimin’s eyes didn’t even have the time to widen when she felt Wonyoung’s body colliding against hers. Not sure what she was supposed to do, she returned her embrace, burying her face inside Wonyoung’s shoulder. 

“It hurts that we had to go against each other…” Wonyoung whispered to her ear. “Because you were the only one that I liked here.” Jimin was about to answer when Wonyoung took a step back, flashing her a small smile. “Win this, alright?” 

Still not quite realizing what had just happened, Jimin shakily nodded, watching as Wonyoung slowly stepped back towards the door that connected the house to the set where the host and the crowd were already waiting for her. 

“Jimin, you can walk back inside the house now!” Jihyo giggled. Jimin, who had stayed firmly rooted in place, seemed to only come back to her senses. 

Was she dreaming or..?

Jimin felt her body mechanically moving to open the door leading to the villa. She had not even stepped a foot inside the garden that she felt two bodies engulfing her into a tight hug. 

Her eyes instantly widened. “I–”

“I’m so glad you were the one to come back!” Sooin exhaled, tightening her hold around Jimin’s frame. 

Next to her, Kazuha also pressed her body closer to Jimin’s. “It was so sudden! But I’m glad that you’re here now.” 

The gears inside Jimin’s brain could hardly turn. Everything just happened so quickly. But as overwhelmed as she felt, Jimin couldn’t help but to reciprocate their hug, finally feeling relief streaming down her body. 

“Jimin!” 

She lifted her head from Sooin’s shoulder to see Minjeong gazing at her with unfiltered joy. She seemed so genuinely relieved to see her again. The bright sight made Jimin’s heart do a little somersault inside her chest, though she didn’t have the time to make sense of it as Minjeong happily waved in their direction. 

“Come back inside, everyone is waiting for you!” 

For some reason, Jimin’s heart felt warmer when she heard that people were actually waiting for her, although unsure if it was sincere or not. 

She just wasn’t used to such attention. And she had never really felt it from anyone else before in her life. 

Such warmth… Was it alright for her to accept it? 

“Come on,” Kazuha gently nudged her. “It was a long day, we should go to bed.” 

“That’s right!” Sooin excitedly hummed. “Let’s go back to our room.” 

Jimin could only nod and let these two lead her to where Minjeong and the others were waiting for her.

Bedroom one

Night – After the first elimination

Somi – Yizhuo – Miyeon 

“If I’m being honest, that was deserved. She didn’t add much to the show.” Somi shrugged from her bed. 

“I honestly don’t understand why she even joined in the first place. She clearly didn’t want to do anything.” Miyeon said, going through her closet from across the room. 

“Some people are desperate for attention but clearly don’t have the charisma to bring anything to the table,” Yizhuo rolled her eyes, fixing her hair in the mirror. 

“This or that?” Miyeon turned back to look at them, showing two different dresses she was holding. 

“Pink one.” Somi ran a hand through her hair, looking up at her. “Purple doesn’t suit your undertones honey.” 

Miyeon shot her a glare and walked inside the closet to put on the dress. She came back a few seconds later and looked at herself in the mirror. “You were right, I look like a full course meal.” 

“How could we spice up things a bit more? We have nothing to do and most don’t look like they want to have fun.” Yizhuo sighed, plopping down on her bed. 

“I don’t know, Miyeon go seduce either Momo or Nayeon with that tight dress and let’s see what happens.” Somi suggested with a smirk. 

“Waiiiit,” Yizhuo’s lips curved into a mischievous smile. “Now that you mention it, I’ve seen how Momo keeps eyeing other girls all the time. She looks hungry as fuck.” 

“I can try,” Miyeon nodded eagerly, grabbing heels and trying them on. 

“Things are going to become messy,” Somi said with a tone that suggested nothing good for other contestants. 

Near them, Aeri had heard everything from where she was sitting inside the bathroom. She pressed her lips together and nearly died from a heart attack when Yunjin suddenly walked inside from the other entrance, not the one leading to their bedroom. 

“Jesus you scared the shit out of me,” she breathed, a hand pressed to her chest. 

“Am I interrupting your eavesdropping session?” The blonde girl asked with a smirk, sitting next to her to put on her makeup. 

“Oh I–hm–no!” Aeri’s face heated up considerably and she had to look away to avoid getting caught red-handed. “I was just getting ready.” 

“Sure thing,” Yunjin winked and applied moisturizer to her skin. 

Aeri pressed her lips together and went back to applying her mascara, stealing glances at the girl sitting next to her. 

Ever since Aeri had watched her and Kazuha exercise on the second day, they had spent a bit more time together, slowly getting to know each other. Yunjin was nice, pretty and most importantly, very funny. She always managed to make Aeri crackle, which was not that hard if she was being honest, but still something. 

Before entering the villa, Aeri had been in a very gloomy period of her life where she constantly fought with her girlfriend and where work wasn’t easy on her, so it was relieving to find a way back to happiness inside the house. 

“I’m trying very hard to find clues about your secret but you’re a mystery.” Yunjin looked at her in the mirror, narrowing her eyes. 

“Am I?” Aeri arched a brow. “I could say the same though, you’re the opposite of an open book.” 

“Rate the discoverability of your secret out of ten,” Yunjin said as she started applying foundation to her face. “I’ll do the same afterwards.” 

Aeri turned to look at her fully and crossed her arms, analyzing her features dramatically. “Who says you won’t betray me? What if you end up screaming it from the top of your lungs without me getting anything in return?” 

Yunjin started laughing loudly, her head tilted back and her eyes closed. “I wouldn’t do that! Come on!” 

Aeri couldn’t help the smile that formed on her lips. She wondered if what she had said was really that funny or if Yunjin was just the best public ever. Either way, she didn’t mind the pleasant feeling filling her chest. 

“Fine, I’d say five out of ten.” Aeri finally said after giving herself a few seconds to think. She wanted to say more, to give more clues, but she knew that she had to bite down her tongue and refrain herself from doing so. 

“Five? That’s not much,” Yunjin tried to steady her breathing. “Mine is a ten out of ten.” 

Aeri’s eyes widened. “Ten?! How is that?” 

“Don’t trick me into saying too much,” Yunjin playfully nudged her shoulder. “But yeah, there are very few ways to find out.” 

Aeri giggled softly and held up her hands. “Okay, okay. At least I tried.” 

“Aeri baby,” Somi said from their bedroom. “Can you come here after?” 

Aeri bit down her lip and let out a faint sigh. “Sorry, I have to go.” 

Yunjin offered her a compassionate smile and nodded. “Don’t worry. Duty calls, I get it.” 

Reluctantly, she made her way toward the bedroom and sat down on the bed she shared with her girlfriend. 

“There you are,” Somi pulled her to lay on the bed, wrapping her arms around her. “You’ve been away from me for so long.” 

Aeri groaned and hid her face down the crook of her neck. “You were busy gossiping with the girls. You’re only saying that because you heard that I was laughing with another girl.” 

“And? Am I not allowed to feel possessive over my girlfriend anymore?” Somi pulled back slightly to look at her, defiance in her gaze. 

Aeri furrowed her brows. “Of course you are, but this is ridiculous. You spend your days with other girls and yet I say nothing.” 

“You were alone with her in the bathroom while I always hang out with the girls in group.” Somi narrowed her eyes, her tone growing more serious by the second. 

Aeri let go of her embrace and shook her head. “Oh c’mon Somi,” Aeri rolled her eyes. “Do you really think something is going to happen while we’re both applying makeup?” 

“So you’re not denying that something could happen.” Somi let out a dry laugh. 

“What? Are you kidding me?” Aeri deadpanned, standing up from the bed. 

Somi clenched her jaw. “You barely spend any time with me. Except when we’re in bed, you never come to cuddle or do anything.” 

Aeri’s jaw dropped, and she took a few seconds to say something because all of this was blowing out of proportion for absolutely no reason. 

“All you do is bitch about others! Sorry but I don’t want my girlfriend to be a snake on national television.” Aeri said with a serious tone. 

“Woah,” Somi stood up to match her posture. “Just plainly admitting that you’re ashamed of me. Good job Aeri, you’re an amazing girlfriend.” She spat, the end of the sentence laced with a fake sweetness in her tone that made Aeri want to either throw up or throw hands. 

Aeri stood in awe for a few seconds, her mind rushing with way too many thoughts at the same time. Her eyes filled with tears but she blinked them away. She wouldn’t give Somi that satisfaction. 

“Fuck you Somi,” she shot back. “You’re twisting my words into something that you made up. As you always do right? You can’t stand even the slightest criticism regarding your attitude because your god complex is higher than the roof.” 

“My god complex?” Somi stepped closer. “You always have something negative to say about me. You’re supposed to be in love with me, not to be the person that despises me most.” 

Aeri pushed her away. “Being in a relationship also means sacrificing a few things to make the other person happy. And clearly, you’re not ready to make any changes to your behavior to please me.” 

“And did you make any?! You’re always surrounded by girls I tell you I’m jealous of. Have you seen yourself by the pool all day, showing everyone how hot and perfect you are? It’s as if you were begging for them to come and flirt with you!” Somi gritted her teeth, clearly past the point of controlling anything she was saying. 

Aeri let out a gasp and before she could even reconsider, slapped her. “Did you just call me a slut?! I did absolutely nothing to deserve this and if you can’t control your jealousy for the sake of our relationship I’m sorry but I don’t want anything to do with you anymore!” 

Somi’s head snapped to the right, the noise echoing within the bedroom walls and she brought her hand up to cover her cheek. “You will regret this.” 

Aeri opened and closed her mouth, realizing what she had done. Her eyes widened and she swallowed hard. “I–I’m sorry I–” 

Somi walked past her and shoved her shoulder. “Don’t bother,” she said bitterly, leaving her alone inside the room. 

Other contestants had gathered near the entrance of the room, taking in the scene with wide eyes. 

“Are–are you okay?” Minjeong quickly walked closer once Somi left, looking at Aeri with worried eyes. 

Aeri burst into tears and threw herself into her arms, hiding her face against her shoulder. Minjeong welcomed her and wrapped her arms around her. 

“Shhh, it’s okay, let it out.” she rubbed her back soothingly. 

What a way to start the night. 

Set of Secret Story 

Late night

“Wonyoung has just joined us on the set, let’s all give her a warm welcome!” 

Jihyo turned around as the screens behind her opened in half, revealing Wonyoung swiftly walking towards the host. She gracefully waved at the public as she took her seat in front of Jihyo. 

Jihyo quickly gave her a microphone, allowing Wonyoung to formally introduce herself to the audience. 

“Are you alright?” Jihyo asked, offering her a warm smile. 

Wonyoung slowly nodded, flashing a polite grin to the public. “Yes.” 

Jihyo hummed at that. “I’m sure that you are obviously disappointed by these results. How do you feel right now?”

“Well…” Wonyoung cleared her throat, her lips still curled into a small smile. “I am a little sad, of course. I also feel like they failed me and didn’t give me enough time to open up but it’s alright. It was nice being there and this is part of the game.” 

Jihyo gently tapped Wonyoung’s shoulder. “That’s the spirit, I like that!” She then turned towards the audience with a devious grin, before facing Wonyoung again. “But before we say goodbye for tonight… Do you have something else to share with us?” 

Wonyoung raised her brows, seemingly surprised. But her shock didn’t last as a smile grew back on her face. “Oh. Is this the moment where I am supposed to reveal my secret?” 

Jihyo, as well as the thousands of fans inside the set, energetically nodded. The synchronized action made Wonyoung heave out an amused giggle. 

“Alright!” She hummed, looking at everyone with mischievous eyes. “Well, my secret is… that I am a princess.

Jihyo loudly giggled at that. “Well, we will all come to your coronation!” 

Wonyoung hummed, before playfully throwing a wink at the camera. “Make sure to invite Jimin there as well~”

Confessionnal 

Night 

Somi: I don’t have much to say. It’s always like that between us, but it always gets better. It was harsher than it usually is though. I’m not mad at her about the slap, it was deserved. But I don’t like the way she always has something to say about my behavior. It’s as if she had never looked at herself in the mirror. 

Yizhuo: I heard about what happened from Somi and damn- I didn’t think the juiciest gossip so far would come from the couple in the house. I’m quite fond of toxic yuri, so I’m a happy customer. I’m looking forward to what’s to come~ 

Miyeon: Apparently there was a fight while I was outside with Momo but we were too busy having fun to realize what was happening~

Yunjin: Do I really have to? This is ridiculous. Okay fine. Someone told me that the argument started because of me and I feel bad now. I saw Aeri crying in Minjeong's arms earlier and it made me sad. I don’t know the full story but if Somi got jealous because of me–then I don’t understand because we just had a quick chat in the bathroom.