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“Is that why you chose me for your team?” I’d wondered why he’d chosen me when he could have picked Jaewoo, who’s famous for being good at variety programs. In fact, he’s already been a guest on this exact show. Maybe he’d thought it made the most logical sense for two XOXO members to be on each team, but Nathaniel isn’t like that. He’s not like Jaewoo, or me, who’d pick for what was best for the show, or Sun, who would pick for strategy, or Youngmin, who’d pick based on who he’d have the most fun with. Nathaniel wouldn’t consider any of those things.
“Whydidyou pick me for your team?” I ask.
“I didn’t want to chase you,” he says, and I wince. Did he finally realize I’m not worth chasing? “I wanted to runwithyou.”
I catch my breath. Before I can respond, the elevator doorsopen. Our camerapeople appear at the top of the stairwell, having raced to the rooftop.
Nathaniel steps out of the elevator. “Sorry about that,” he says, scratching the back of his head.
“Should we search the rooftop?” he asks me. How can he act normal after what he just said?
“Sori-ssi?” my cameraperson prompts, huffing and puffing.
“Yes. Right. Let’s do... that.”
The rooftop of the school is a large, spacious area with a storage room as well as solar panels. The sky is dark beyond the high walls, the sun having set while we were filming inside. We find the last plushie behind a potted plant. It’s holding—
“A cello!” I shout.
“You have an uncanny knack for finding stuffed animals,” Nathaniel says. “Areyougood at finding stuffed animals or are stuffed animals good at findingyou?”
“I refuse to qualify that question with an answer.”
My cameraperson pulls up his walkie-talkie, relaying something to the PD. A few minutes later, an announcement peals through the speakers. “All three tokens have been found. A ten-minute countdown clock has been set. The first team to tag out all the members of the opposing team before the end of the countdown wins; otherwise, the team with the most tokens wins.”
“Oh no,” I groan. This isn’t good. I can’twin.I’d been so distracted with finding the stuffed animals that I’d forgotten my original intention to help Hyemi. I rush back to the stairs.
“What are you doing?” Nathaniel says, coming up behind me. “We should behiding.”
“I need to find Hyemi,” I whisper, so that only he can hear.
“Why do you need to find Hyemi?” His voice echoes loudly in the stairwell.
“Shh!” I cover his mouth; then, grabbing his hand, I tug him after me.
“Sori, seriously, what—?”
Nathaniel doesn’t have time to finish that thought because suddenly there are cameras everywhere and Hyemi is flying up the stairs like she’s possessed, ripping my backpack from my back. Behind her, Nathaniel and Jaewoo grapple for each other’s backpacks.
“Min Sori eliminated,” the announcer says. Then a half second later, “Nathaniel Lee eliminated.”
Our camerapeople lead us to the first floor where the principal’s office acts as a waiting room for eliminated players. We slump across from each other on the leather sofas. Shortly after, the door opens and Jolly walks in. He takes one look at us and sighs. “I think Team Delinquents is done for.”
“Woo Hyemi eliminated. Bae Jaewoo eliminated.”
The door opens and Hyemi and Jaewoo walk in, followed by Heartthrob who’s announced as being eliminated a short few seconds later.
I sit up in my chair. “What happened?”
They don’t have time to answer because the PD’s voice issues over the intercom. “Oh Sun eliminated. School’s out! Victory to the Delinquents!”
Nathaniel and I exchange looks of shock.
A grin spreads across Nathaniel’s face. “What...?”
Sun walks in, followed by Youngmin who has my backpack slung over his shoulder.
Nathaniel stands, his eyes darting from Youngmin to Sun. “Hyeong, what happened?”
