Fortunately for me, I didn't run into Yo Seob for the next one and a half weeks, until rubbish picking day.
Oh, sorry, did I say rubbish picking? I meant community service. Which consisted of rubbish picking. Go figure.
Anyway, apparently our dear BEAST still tagged along every fortnight when the trainees went to do community service.
I found it very nice of them. No, really. It's just that I...well, to tell the truth, I didn't want them to go. With the trousers incident, and Jae Eun's imagination running in my head, running into Yang Yo Seob would be more awkwardness than I could handle.
Fortunately, though, they seemed to have run off somewhere before the trainees' briefing was done.
"I want all of you back here by 6.30. Is that clear?" Yeon Seonsaeng shouted, his voice whipped around by the sea breeze.
"Yes." We shouted with vigour. It was refreshing to be allowed outside during training hours. The earlier excitement had died off, and the studios of Cube Ent. were becoming unbearably boring.
The trainees dispersed, walking off in every direction with their own group of friends.
"They should have told us that we were going to the beach!" Go Rim whined as she picked her way through the fine sand barefoot, her heels hanging by the straps from her arm.
"Actually they did. It was on the trainee website. You didn't check, did you?" Ji Min chided with a teasing lilt.
"I did!" I raised my hand and jumped about excitedly.
"Well, that's painfully obvious..." Go Rim eyed my outfit with contempt. She probably meant it as a joke initially, but I could see her expression becoming more and more realistic as she stared at my outfit.
I was dressed casually. Very casually, with worn-out sneakers, frayed jeans, and an old blue t-shirt. I probably looked like somebody who worked at a gas station in some old, forsaken town. But seriously, who in their right mind would wear designer clothes to pick rubbish at a beach?
I told this to Go Rim, who looked offended.
Oops. It looks like I just found somebody not in her right mind.
"Sorry! I didn't know..." I conjured up my best apologetic face. Go Rim sighed.
"Well, anyway, I think we should split up. There doesn't seem to be a lot of rubbish on this beach, and if we do find any rubbish, how are we going to split it amongst the three of us?"
"Mm, I think so too." Ji Min agreed.
I looked at Go Rim with wide eyes, making my lower lip shiver for good measure. Ji Min giggled. Go Rim clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes.
"No, I seriously think that we will have trouble getting enough rubbish to please the trainers if we stick together. Stop that! I'm not angry at you."
"Yay!" I smiled brightly and gave her a crushing hug. Before she could say anything I pointed to the far end of the beach and said, "I'm going that way," then ran off as quickly as possible.
If only I had seen where I was pointing to before I ran off.
In my excitement, I had run all the way to the far end of the beach before I realised what I was facing.
A muddy, dirty, marshy area with mangrove trees, their prop roots zig-zagging all over the place, a death penalty for all who did not look before they walked.
Someone like me.
I turned back to look at my two friends. They were still standing where they were just now, cackling madly. Ji Min was bent double, while Go Rim's hand covered her mouth daintily. The sea breeze carried their laughter over the distance between us.
I narrowed my eyes at them, and turned to walk back, but Go Rim cupped her hands to her mouth and shouted.
"If you come back here I'll pay you back for the hug."
Oh dear. That was scary.
Well, not really, but I'd still rather avoid it. Besides, what's so scary about mud?
And, well, klutz-killing prop roots, but nevermind.
I took my first step into the muddy marsh, feeling the mud squelch sickeningly as it engulfed my sneakers. The sea breeze carried another wave of mad laughter to me. My foot stopped sinking as the mud reached my ankles, and I took another step forward.
And another.
And another.
I don't really think you want to hear me describing every single step I took, so I'll cut to the chase.
There was lots of rubbish caught in the roots of the mangroves! My heart fluttered gleefully as my bag grew heavier and heavier, although much of the weight probably consisted of mud and muddy water that was caught in the bits of rubbish.
Anyway, I was so going to beat Go Rim and Ji Min.
God must have wanted to punish me for thinking evil thoughts, because just then, I tripped over a low root I wasn't aware off, and fell face-first, hitting my forehead on a rock.
I fainted, of course.