The Dae I Fell In Love

Episode 5: The One With The Blunders

"Did I say Moon? I meant to say Frigg!"

I know I was panicking and that's not good. The more I stutter, the more I look guilty of being fickle-minded. So, I took a deep breath before speaking again.

"I was thinking about the song when you asked the question, you see. Because the song encapsulates what I have just said earlier, I'm 'yearning' for Frigg's love, but I know that it's wrong for me to do that because I'm only a fan. I mistakenly thought you asked me about who sang that song's version that I like and it's Moon. But the one I'm yearning for is Frigg. Definitely Frigg!"

Whew! Nice save, Ai!

What I said was partly true. I was thinking of the song as I delivered my speech earlier, as it is the inspiration for that speech. And Moon's singing face suddenly popped up in my head when she asked me the question. I don't know why I blurted out his name though. And I'm definitely not yearning for Frigg's love, what I'm yearning for is for him to become my loveteam, so I can get that leading lady role.

Tasha only raised an eyebrow at my lengthy explanation. She seems to have bought my excuse.

"What do you like most about Frigg to make him your bias? And what would be the first thing you'd do when you see him up close and in person?"

I was relieved that she chose to let go of my earlier blunder and proceed with this line of questioning. I memorized my answers for this.

"Well, aside from his good looks, I really like how deep his voice is and his killer smile. I also like how he's so good at dancing. But I think what made me fall for him was the way he is with his fans. He treats them well, remembering most of their names and birthdays; he's thoughtful about their condition during concerts and album signings; and he does his best even when he's tired or sick. I can feel the love he has for his fans through these actions. I can tell that he is a sincere person and that's why I like him. That's also why the first thing I would do when I meet him is thank him for existing." I finished with a glassy-eyed smile.

I looked at Tasha and got confused with the expression she's making. It's as if she's disappointed and excited at the same time.

"Alright! That would be all, thank you, Ms. Sterling. Please wait in the holding room for a while. We'll come and get you when it's time for us to leave for the location." She dismissed me with a small smile.

Sammy appeared right beside me as I walked towards the holding area. "How did I do? Did Frigg see my interview?" I asked him in a hushed tone.

"I'm not sure, I didn’t see any of the WeekDae on set."

"At this point, I don't even know if I want him to see my interview." I sighed.

"Yeah, what's up with that? Why did you say Moon's name?"

It’s taxing to explain that I did think of just going along with it and pick Moon to be my loveteam after I mistakenly said his name, since it’s only me and Sammy who knows about my plan to pick Frigg; but that I decided against it at the last minute because I’ve already lost sleep preparing and practicing being Frigg’s and his fans’ ideal girl, and it would be difficult to change targets now. So, I just shrugged.

When we reached the holding room, Sammy handed me my make-up kit. I remembered the chapstick Woden gave me and took it out of my pocket. I opened it and noticed how it's wafer-thin, almost as if it was all used up.

The chapstick is all used up!

"Ahhh!" I yelped as I dropped the chapstick.

I looked at Sammy, who was startled by my scream.

"What happened?? What's wrong?"

I couldn't answer him. I touched my lips and wailed. I tried to remember how Woden handed me the chapstick. But the more I thought about it, the clearly I see, that he wasn't giving me the chapstick, he was just showing it to me. He was only showing me the chapstick because it is his chapstick, that he uses. And I casually just took it from his hands and used it on my lips in front of him.

So that's why he was blushing! I now realized that we shared an indirect kiss.

I pulled on my hair and wailed once more.

What luck do I have that, in just a day, I slapped Tiu, kissed Woden, and accidentally confessed to the wrong person. My shrieking was muffled by my facepalm.

After realizing that I was not hurt or anything, Sammy gave up on asking me what was wrong and went back to his seat while shaking his head. He knows that if it’s about something important that he needs to know, I will tell him. Otherwise, he lets me have these moments of privacy.

I finally calmed myself down after a few minutes and fixed my make-up. I also had a change of clothes and was now sitting in front of the mirror playing with the chapstick. I debated on the idea of returning it to Woden, but ultimately decided against it, so it was left in the pocket of my sundress.

A knock on the door stopped me and Sammy from continuing with what we were doing.

"All participants of Dating Week are to go downstairs to the lobby." The crew guy announced by just popping his head on the door.

Sammy and I quickly stood up and gathered my bags and suitcase. We shared the elevator with 2 other people, one I recognized as the model Michaella, and the other girl beside her was probably her manager. I feel bad for her manager because she was carrying her talent's 3 large suitcases and a backpack while Michaella only helped herself with her small, beaded handbag. Sammy and I shared a look, and I can tell how grateful he is to me as his talent because, compared to Michaella's manager, he was only carrying one suitcase and a tote bag. I was carrying my make-up kit and another tote bag.

When we reached the lobby, only the female participants were waiting there.

"I wonder where the WeekDae are?" Sammy whispered to me.

"We'll probably meet them at the loc-"

"Everybody!" I was interrupted by the crew guy from earlier. "This is as far as your managers or handlers can accompany you. All participants are to board the bus going to the secluded location," he announced.

"Say your goodbyes now because you'll not be seeing each other for the next 3 weeks." The guy paused and handed out papers. "Please sign this waiver before boarding the bus. Thank you." he added.

I signed the papers and looked at Sammy. "I guess this is it."

"Good luck, I'll be rooting for you!" He hugged me and handed me the suitcase and tote bag in exchange for the waiver.

I watched him give the paper back to the crew guy before leaving for the basement parking.

"Excuse me." A familiar deep voice made me turn.

"Can I borrow your pen?"

For the second time today, I was star-struck. I handed Frigg Dae my pen and he used it first to help me close my mouth. He put the tip of the pen under my chin and lifted it up to close. He chuckled as he turned away to sign the same waiver he was given.

I flushed when I realized that my mouth was agape all this time. I nearly stumbled as I ran away from that embarrassing encounter as fast as I could to the comforts of the bus.

I was the first one on the bus and I sat at the back. I reached to adjust one of the air-conditioning slats to fan my heated face. I closed my eyes and basked in the cool breeze when I felt the seat beside me sink from being occupied.

The person coughed beside me, and I wondered which of the girls from earlier is it that I'll be forced to socialize with. Ever since that day, I have found it hard to befriend girls my age. But I know that has got to change, especially now that I'll be living with 6 of them for 3 weeks. I was thinking of the best way to talk to her when she coughed again, and this time shifted in her seat to adjust both air-conditioning slats towards her. I immediately felt annoyed.

"If you want to hog the air-conditioning, there are a lot of other seats." I snapped with my eyes still closed.

"Uh...I don't need the air-conditioning, and there aren't any other available seats." A male voice made me open my eyes.

I just couldn't catch a break!

Now I'm sitting beside Moon Dae and I just snapped at him.