The fifth episode was the most intriguing so far. With one more episode before elimination, Y/n was feeling the jitters again. It had been over two months since she first met the boys due to how long filming took. The episodes were totaling about 44 minutes in runtime, which meant hours upon hours of footage was needed to fill in that gap. Carson and Jen wanted as much footage as possible so they could avoid filler. That was what they were doing now.

It was the eighth day of filming for episode 5, and Y/n was tired of it. They cracked down on the fluff and really amped up the drama. Taehyung and Jimin's storyline was getting juicer by the second. Y/n was watching it outside, the breeze brushing by her hair and sending a wave of chills across her skin.

"Why do you hate me so much?!" Jimin asked in a shout, Taehyung holding his ground.

"You're nothing more than a flirt who wants someone out of your league. Do you know how to grow up? Do you know how to do anything other than suck the life out of everything?" Tae asked back, his voice much calmer.

Jimin's hands shook by his side, tears crawling their way inside his eyes. Y/n would have felt bad if she knew it wasn't an act. Tae and Jimin were best friends off camera. Actually, they were more like soulmates. They did everything together. Yes, they even spanked each other. It would be funny if it wasn't so... strange.

While the fight was escalating, Jimin crying to display his frustration and Tae didn't give a fuck, Y/n snuck back inside. The camera crew was occupied with gaining footage for the episode. That meant she was in the clear. Jen and Carson directed the scene and made sure to get different angles, zooming in and out as necessary. She admired the way they worked together, and she was appreciative that she was working with a team that knew what they were doing. The ratings would prosper. Hopefully, anyway.

Now was her chance. For the first time in what felt like ages, Y/n wasn't in the middle of the drama. She had a moment to catch her breath and do what she wanted. So, she acted on that mental note she made not long ago: visit Hoseok. He was in his room, likely staring at his suitcase. What they packed were clothes and basic necessities, and knowing Hoseok, he probably had 2,000 different outfits. It'd take weeks to pack all that.

By the time she got there, she heard faint music inside. She questioned if knocking would do the trick, then determined it would and rapped her fist against the door. The music faded away, and the door opened to reveal Hoseok's smiling face. He dragged her inside without a peep, her laughing at the way she was thrown in. One kick later, the door was shut, Hoseok flicking the music on and offering her his hand.

They danced together, swaying back and forth to a Katy Perry song Y/n didn't remember the name of. She bounced around with Hobi, the pair enjoying the other's company. Silence carried on between them, but they didn't need to speak. They understood what they needed and gave in.

Bodies molded together, folding until their breathing was ragged. What was once an innocent dance to a Katy Perry song ended with Y/n pressed against Hoseok's body. He held her in place and stared, her staring back. It was in that moment that Y/n realized how much she missed Hoseok's presence. The smiles, the laughs, the gazes, the attitude. They made Hoseok who he was, and he was the sun of the group. The one who brought them warmth.

Regret flowed throughout her for eliminating him, but she didn't know who else to choose. Or how she'd feel eliminating someone else. Regret was a funny thing, wasn't it? It crept around each corner, lurking and waiting for the perfect time to strike. Apparently, now was that time.

The song concluded, their pants the only noises in the room. Hoseok licked his lower lip. Y/n did the same. Still no words. No sentences to express what they were feeling, if sentences could even get that point across. Their actions were their mouths, Hoseok leaning down and placing his lips on top of hers. She accepted the kiss and reciprocated it. Once again, their bodies came together, their eyes shut to enjoy the sensation hitting them.

Lips rubbed over each other, saliva exchanged, eyes shut to enjoy the motions. Her hands dug themselves into the back of his head, squeezing the locks there. His pattern was slow and gentle. Like he didn't want to harm her in any way. She appreciated it, mimicking his movements until their backs ended up against the wall.

That got them to gasp and part, panting as their eyes fell together. No words came. It was silence that made her bones tremble underneath her moist skin. Fingernails dug into her hips, the sensation warping her mind with bliss mixed with agony. Yet she fell into the trap that was Jung Hoseok despite the pain the harsh actions brought. She came closer and encouraged him to do more, her legs squeezing themselves together.

"Thanks for the dance," he whispered, and she found herself nodding before she could stop herself. "You should get back to the show, don't you think? There's plenty more filming to do, and with elimination coming up, you'll need to see the boys as often as possible so you can make a decision."

Although Y/n knew he was tempting her to stay and pretend the show didn't exist, he raised a valid point. She needed to collect 'data' on the other contestants. Which one was the best to keep on the show, and which one was the worst. Those were the facts she needed before she could make a proper decision. She was hoping to eliminate only the weakest players, that way when the eliminated players fought to get back on the show, she could choose Hoseok without much difficulty.

"Then I'll see you around," she whispered back, departing his personal space and going to the door.

"When will I see you again?"

Y/n wished she could say 'later', but the odds of that were slim to none. Hoseok was keeping himself away from the others so when he came back to compete, it'd be more of a shock. More genuine reactions to his return. Y/n admired his strategy, and that was one of the key reasons why she eliminated him first: he was a strong competitor. That made him both intimidating and useful (and hot).

"Soon," she said instead, giving him a wink before exiting the room.

Next, she went outside to find the cameras were off but still gathered around. The Tae and Jimin fight seemed to finish, so they'd have to move to the next scene. The producers planned another challenge, and the winner would get to have more alone time with Y/n. That meant Jimin was about to bring his A-game. Y/n had to admit his determination was hilarious. It was funny to watch a man with a mochi-like face fight for her. It was as humorous as it was admirable.

"Ah, Y/n. Right in time," Jen said to her, Y/n dipping her head in greeting. She averted her gaze from Jimin. Yeah, it was still awkward between them ever since Jimin shouted about how he loved her, and Namjoon confirmed that it wasn't acting. Jimin knew she knew, and that led to them refusing to speak to the other.

"What's the plan?" Y/n asked.

"Get in frame, I'll explain all at once."

Y/n agreed, going next to Jin. The man greeted her, then set his wide shoulders and prepared for the game. It was unlike Jin to get so serious. Why was this challenge the one that got them on edge? However, Y/n got her answer when the cameras began rolling.

"Good afternoon contestants," Jen said, the group of them returning her sentiments. "Elimination is coming up, which means you don't have much longer to impress Y/n and stay on the show. Today, this challenge gives you one last chance for significant alone time with her. The winner of today's challenge will get to go to a venue of your choice with Y/n. So not only do you get to choose where to go, but you get to take Y/n with you."

That explained why they were so tense. Not elimination, no they didn't care about that, rather they could go wherever the hell they wanted to go - for free. That was assuming Jen could get the proper paperwork for the venue the winner would choose. That would take a few hours at best. Well, it was a good thing they had a lot of filming to do while waiting for the results.

"Today's challenge is simple since you've all had a long week: thumb wars!" The others glanced at one another, Jen chuckling. "There's 6 of you, which means there's a pair for each of you. Namjoon, you're with Jin. Yoongi, with Jungkook. That leaves Jimin with Taehyung."

"Are you kidding me?" Jimin asked, stomping his little foot. "I have the smallest hands here and you're pairing me with the largest hands! That's not even fair!"

"Get over it, not everything's about you," Tae said, holding out his hand to Jimin. Jimin grumbled a few curses before taking his hand, the camera zooming in on them.

"Jimin and Tae, you two go first. The only rule is you can use one hand, not two. If you break this rule, you're disqualified. Are you ready?" They nodded, so Jen grinned. "Go!"

Y/n face palmed as Jimin fought for his life, yelling at Tae not to be a dick to no avail. Jimin stood no chance. It was like sending a cricket to fight Godzilla. Jimin lost, walking to the corner with his tail between his legs while Tae teased him. Next was Yoongi and Jungkook, and Jungkook, ever the competitor, won. That left Namjoon and Jin. Namjoon won, and since he won swiftly, he got to choose who he would face.

He ended up choosing Tae, and Namjoon won that fight while the cameras got a hundred or so angles of the battle. The finale was Jungkook and Namjoon, and part of Y/n thought Jungkook would let Namjoon win. Instead, Jungkook sighed dreamily and gave Namjoon heart eyes.

"We're holding hands," Jungkook said in a sing-songy voice, Namjoon grimacing.

"I forfeit. Jungkook wins," Namjoon replied, tearing his hand away from Jungkook's grasp.

Jungkook made grabby hands, but Namjoon went to the loser's corner while Jimin sobbed about the bullying he was receiving from literally everyone except the camera crew and Y/n. Well... that was an interesting fight. Y/n wasn't sure if interesting was the right word, but she didn't know what else to call it. It seemed like Y/n was going on yet another date with Jungkook, but she wasn't complaining about that. At least Jungkook would choose somewhere fun and-

"I wanna go fishing," Jungkook said, grinning. "Like Jin taught me." Y/n blinked, the camera crew moving to capture her reaction to the appalling idea. Trapped on a tiny boat in the smelly ocean that she hated. Jungkook knew she hated it, and she was sure he selected it since it'd cause drama between them. It was a clever play, but one she would smack Jungkook for later. Although, knowing him, he'd be into it.

The cameras kept zooming in on her, and she realized they were waiting for a response. A verbal one, since her 'I want to die' face wasn't enough for them. So, she sucked in a breath, resisted the temptation to flip off Jungkook, and forced a smile that made her wish to crumble into a ball.

"Kill me now."