The team had already woken up, packed their tents, and started eating breakfast — all except one tent.
Sora looked at Mi Van, walked up to him, and asked,
"She's still not awake?"
Mi Van, who was checking the map, turned his head and replied,
"I'll wake her. Tell the others to finish quickly — we're leaving in an hour."
Sora asked him seriously, studying his expression as she spoke,
"Why did you let her sleep in your tent? Everyone's talking about it."
He looked at her and said firmly,
"I can tell no one here can stand her,"
Then he walked off, leaving her behind.
Rosa walked over, eating rice from a plastic bowl.
"What were you two talking about?" she asked.
"She's still sleeping — and worse, he didn't even wake her," Sora replied, then glanced at Rosa. "And why are you eating while standing? Go sit over there." Without waiting for a response, she walked away.
Mi Van stepped into the tent and saw Yuna still lying down. He spoke in a firm voice,
"Wake up. We're leaving soon."
Yuna opened one eye and murmured,
"What time is it?"
Without looking at her, still focused on his bag, he said,
"It's six in the morning."
She frowned.
"Six? That's too early…" she turned to the other side and lazily pushed away with her hand.
Without another word, he tilted the air bed, and she slid off, landing on the floor.
She jumped up, yelling,
"Why did you do that?!"
"I told you — either join us and keep up, or stay here alone," he said, then pointed to the plastic bowl nearby. "Eat your breakfast."
He handed her some clothes — a long-sleeved shirt, wide trousers, sneakers, and a sun hat.
She held them up in disgust.
"Seriously? Do you think I'd wear this? I only wear designer brands."
With complete calm, he replied,
"Wear whatever you want, but your tight clothes and heels aren't good for hiking. They'll slow you down, and you'll tire quickly."
He glanced at her bare arms and legs. She immediately crossed her arms to cover herself.
"If you wear those revealing clothes, you'll get sunburned — maybe even sun poisoning. It's your choice. And if you want to wash up, go to the river."
Then he left the tent.
Yuna muttered,
"Annoying…"
She looked at the breakfast bowl with disgust and ignored it.
Moments later, she stepped out wearing the clothes Mi Van gave her. The shirt and trousers were way too big. The sneakers looked unfamiliar.
The rest of the team looked at her, trying not to laugh.
Jin teased,
"Are you wearing the clothes, or are they wearing you? Where are you? We can't even see you in there!"
Then burst into laughter.
Before he could say more, Lima smacked him on the head.
"Shut it," she said, then looked kindly at Yuna. "Ignore him."
Rosa whispered to Sora,
"Aren't those your sneakers?"
Sora replied sharply,
"Yeah. He borrowed them from me."
She stared at Yuna with irritation, fiddling with her fingers in anger.
Mi Van shouted,
"Grab your bags. We're leaving now!"
Yuna walked up to him and asked,
"Don't you have anything smaller than this to wear?"
She looked serious.
He glanced at her and smiled at how she looked.
She said as she followed him,
"Don't you dare laugh at me."
---
Thirty minutes later…
The sun was already high, and the heat was intense. The group was moving through dense forest. Tall trees blocked the sky. Birds chirped loudly, and insects buzzed everywhere.
The island was wild and unpredictable. The trail was rough, full of rocks and tree roots. Strange animal sounds echoed from deep within.
Everyone was walking fast, carrying backpacks with ease.
Everyone… except Yuna.
She was far behind.
Mi Van, walking in front, turned and saw her struggling.
"Come on, Yuna!" he shouted. "You're too slow!"
"I'm trying! I've never done anything like this!" she said, breathing hard.
"No. You're not trying hard enough. The others are gone — you're slowing me down."
He looked frustrated. Yuna stopped, took off her sun hat, and whispered,
"I don't belong here…" gasping for air.
"Then stop and stay here alone," he said coldly.
Yuna angrily put her hat back on, bit her lip, and kept walking — faster now, though her legs shook.
Not far ahead, Sora waited for Mi Van, smiling sweetly.
"Why are you waiting for her? You're usually in front."
Mi Van didn't reply. He kept walking without looking at her.
Sora continued,
"She's clearly not one of us. Can't you see? She's slowing you down."
Yuna heard everything. She looked at Sora beside Mi Van, proudly smiling.
Yuna rolled her eyes and silently mimicked her fake smile.
She kept walking, her steps heavy and off balance.
Soon, Mi Van passed far ahead. She was alone.
Then Jin slowed down and smiled kindly.
"You can do it," he whispered as she passed him.
"You know, when I first joined, I was just like you. I couldn't do anything they could. But I learned and adapted."
She looked at him, surprised.
"Are you serious? Then maybe I can keep going too."
With curiosity, Jin asked,
"I'm just curious — are you an actress? A model? A singer?"
Yuna didn't answer. She picked up speed to avoid him.
He kept up. She started running — and so did he. They passed everyone.
People stared in surprise. Jin was laughing.
"Come on, tell me — what are you?!"
---
Evening…
The sun began to set. The air cooled. The sky faded from orange to dark blue.
They reached a flat area near a rocky hill. No buildings, no shelters — just trees and dirt.
They had no choice but to camp there. They quickly set up tents using ropes, sticks, and metal poles.
Yuna didn't help. She was sitting by the river, her legs in the water, lost in thought.
Strange sounds came from the forest — owls, crickets, and distant growls. Wild animals were near.
Mi Van stood near the camp, checking the area. He didn't even look at her.
Later, Yuna returned to her unfinished tent and sat down, hugging her knees.
"I'm hungry," she said softly. "I want to eat."
Mi Van said nothing. He went to his bag, pulled out a plastic bag, and handed it to her.
"Fruits?!" she said. "Where did you get these?"
He didn't answer.
Jokingly, she stood in front of him, trying to see his face as he turned it away,
"Are you trying to poison me?"
He looked surprised and pulled the fruit back. She pulled it back from him too.
He asked,
"You don't know how to joke?"
She looked inside — wild bananas, pineapples, mangoes, and berries.
"Wash them first with boiled water," he said.
He handed her a bottle and helped her clean them.
Yuna smiled and started eating.
From a distance, five girls sat in a group eating rice.
Lima smiled.
"Have you noticed? He treats her differently."
Sora looked annoyed.
"It's just pity. She's useless."
Then she suddenly stood up and stormed off.
Lima blinked.
"What's wrong with her?"
Before she could say more, a small ball hit her head.
She turned and saw Jin grinning.
"I'm going to kill you, Jiiin!!" she shouted, chasing him.
The team laughed as the two ran around the camp.
Mi Van was looking at the map again when Jay came over and asked,
"Is she one of the targets?"
Mi Van looked surprised and said,
"How did you know?"
Jay replied,
"Just a guess."
Mi Van said,
"You're right. When I was listening to them last night, I heard—"
Flashback — 15 days ago
He was sitting in his office when he heard voices from a computer he was using to spy.
"We need to prepare the ship — in 15 days, we sail."
Another voice said,
"This trip is going to be interesting… because Yuna Hart will be joining us."
"What?! Yuna Hart the writer? How do you know?"
"I heard Dan talking to the vice president. He said this time the 'cargo' won't come from the club — someone unknown will bring it to the ship. We'll only take 9 from the club — number 10 will come to us ready."
The other voice asked,
"How do you know it's Yuna Hart?"
"I heard him say the cargo is important and must not be harmed. Its name is Yuna Hart."
Back to present
Jay said,
"Maybe they got on the wrong ship."
Mi Van replied,
"That's a big possibility."
He turned to Jay and patted his shoulder.
"Go rest. Tomorrow will be a long day."