"I want the single bed."
Minjun demanded, subtly glancing at the cameraman who followed them in before facing Ari and Carlos.
"Okay."
"That's fine with me."
At the nonchalant response from the two other people, Minjun blinked and looked a bit unhappy at the lack of reaction, and continued speaking while still peeking at the camera, hoping to gain sympathy points.
"I wanted the single bed because I've never shared a bunk bed or room with anyone but my twin brother, so I feel really uncomfortable with other people in my space. It's not that I'm being picky."
"Yeah, we said okay. You can have the single bed. There's nothing we can do about sharing the room, though so you'll just have to get used to it." Ari replied calmly before turning to Carlos.
"Top or bottom bunk?"
"I'll take what's left after you choose," Carlos replied with a small smile.
"I don't care one way or another since I can sleep through literally anything, anywhere. Top or bottom?" Ari replied.
Having been homeless and lived on the street for almost two years, he had become a light sleeper, but he had the ability to go back to sleep instantly, so he wasn't worried about people climbing up and down or entering the room.
"Same. I told you that I have a lot of siblings, right? My house is always noisy, so I'm used to them shaking me around and screaming when I'm sleeping. Whatever works for you, I'll just take the other one." Carlos replied again in a quiet tone with a slightly sad expression on his face that quickly disappeared.
Ari glanced at him for a moment before nodding, "Then you take the top bunk. That way, if I go to bed early or late, I won't disturb you. If you ever want to switch, let me know."
"Are you sure? Apparently, the top bunk is more fun. At least that's what my siblings say."
"Test it out for yourself and let me know."
After he was done speaking, Ari began unpacking his duffel bag and sliding the snacks Granny Choi had packed for him and his spare shoes underneath the bed.
The cameraman left, seeing that this room dynamics was pretty dull, so Ari sat on the bed covers, watching Carlos stare at him for a moment before beginning to unpack his own things.
As he was about to doze off from boredom, Minjun walked in front of him with a weird look on his face.
"Hey."
"What?"
"Switch rooms with my brother. He's in-"
"No." Ari cut in, not even pretending to listen.
"But he's in an A-room too. Just go switch your cards with him. It's not like the PDs are going to check."
"Then you go and switch with his roommate. Why are you bothering me? Or could it be that you waited for the camera to leave before asking me? Trying to get me to break the rules first?"
Ari glanced down at the phone in Minjun's hands with a pointed look.
"If you want to room with your brother so much, instead of texting him, go over there and leave me out of it."
At the sharp words that nailed the situation, Minjun's face turned red in embarrassment.
In truth, Minjun wanted Ari to go and do it so that he and his brother could claim he was forced to switch, which is why he waited for the cameraman to leave first.
Having his little plan called out by somebody his age was completely embarrassing, so he put on an angry face and aggressively unpacked his things, slamming them on the ground each time.
Seeing the childish behavior that would only break his stuff, Ari snorted while thinking about whether he could take a nap.
If he fell asleep right at this moment….
He would have about 40 minutes before they had to go to meet the trainers.
Ari doubted that they would let him wear his snail mask to film, which meant he couldn't smudge the paint on his face, which meant sleeping upright or on his back.
After setting an alarm on his phone, just as Ari was about to lie down on his back and comfortably sleep, PD Park Jiho, a cameraman, and Suzuki Rei barged in.
"Contestant Ariel Matisse, how are you liking your room so far? I see that you've made yourself quite comfortable."
PD Ji-ho questioned Ari with a kind smile on his face.
Finding it suspicious, Ari did his best to reply politely in front of the camera while glancing at Suzuki Rei's baggage and obvious smirk.
He sincerely hoped that the boy was just visiting without any shady dealings going on but he had a sinking feeling that just wouldn't go away.
"I like the room. It's spacious, quiet, and it doesn't have a lot of people like some other rooms. And I think I'll get along with my roommates."
"Ah, such fantastic feedback. It almost hurts my heart to do this to you, but a prize is a prize. Since Suzuki Rei was one of the top 20 contestants to exit the maze, he has the privilege of exchanging rooms with anybody, and he chose you!"
Ari: "…."
There were 99 other people he could have chosen, and he chose me?
Am I supposed to feel special or something?
At his silence, PD Park continued speaking as if he didn't notice, "Contestant Suzuki Rei, could you please share your reasoning as to why you chose Contestant Ariel Matisse?"
"When I spoke with Ariel, I felt that he was very generous and kind and wouldn't hold it against me if I switched rooms. Additionally, I heard him telling his roommate that he could sleep anywhere and didn't care, so I felt that he wouldn't care either if I swapped with him." Rei replied with surprising eloquence as he looked innocently at the camera while tucking his red and black hair behind his ears.
To Ari, he looked like a demon from another dimension.
Sure, he had said he didn't care about where he slept, but that was in relation to which bunk bed!
Who in their right mind would want to leave a three-person room for a 10-person room full of strange boys who had to share one bathroom?
That seemed like a nightmare waiting to happen.
"Contestant Ariel Matisse, how do you feel about the room switch?"
I HATE IT!
Ari glanced from the camera that was pointed directly at him to the PD, who seemed to have devil horns on his head.
Since he couldn't say what he truly wanted to, Ari curved his eyes into the semblance of a smile and replied as gently as he could.
"I'm glad that contestant Rei feels that way about me. Since I briefly got the chance to experience an A-rank room, I'll certainly do my best so that I have the opportunity to experience it again."
"Wonderful words from Contestant Ariel Matisse. Please pack your things and head down to F-1, where you'll be sleeping from now on. Mr. Rei, enjoy your new home."
PD Park and the cameraman quickly left the room, and once they were out of sight, Suzuki Rei turned and smirked at Ari.
"I told you that was my seat. PD Emily is not here to help you out now."
Ari: "..."
Really? You're still holding a grudge? Wow. Just wow.
Restraining the angry words that wanted to come flying out of his mouth, Ari just grabbed his two bags, waved goodbye to Carlos, and headed out the door while ignoring Suzuki Rei's smug face.
Thankfully, he wasn't alone in his walk of shame, as quite a few people were grumbling and reshuffling rooms with a camera following their every action.
Not wanting to be caught on camera among the whining people, Ari just calmly took the steps down to the F1 room.
When Ari entered, he saw that all of the bunk beds had occupants, so he would have to sleep on the orange sleeping bag in the middle of the room, which was the only available free space because of all the luggage.
Restraining a sigh, he waved his hand and introduced himself.
"Hello, I'm Ari."
9 heads turned to look at him and, a blond boy with a small nose piercing on the top bunk waved before speaking.
"I'm Gale. Since you came late, I'm letting you know that we have already decided on the order for bathroom use. You're last. both in the mornings and in the evenings."
"Fine. Where do I put my stuff?"
"Wherever you can find space, I guess."
Ari glanced around the crowded room full of 10 suitcases before sighing for real this time.
Somehow, he already missed sleeping in the church.