Day 14: The Interview

Welcome back to For Love or Money, folks. Another day has arrived with new challenges for our men to overcome. This time, things get a bit more personal.

"Jeez, I don't know what the hell everyone's deal is, ganging up on me like that. Well I held on to whatever money I had despite the offer. Think whatever you want about that."

"Morning, man," Min Kyu greets.

"Morning," Daniel replies. "Sleep well?"

"Oh yeah. I'm ready to do whatever it is we have to. What do think will we have to do today?"

"I noticed that a lot of challenges so far are pretty physical," Daniel observes. "Maybe Andrea likes fit guys?"

"And guys who can cook. That'd explain why she kept the four of us around."

"Maybe we'll do some swimming today."

"I think Dax would win if we had to do that," Min theorizes.

"Morning, everyone!" Andrea cheerfully announces. "Mac is sick today, so production asked me to discuss the challenge myself."

"I'll be interviewing each of you one-on-one today. Whoever has the answer I like the most will go on a date with me tomorrow."

"Let's start with you, Milo. Everyone else, please head downstairs. You'll be called when it's your turn."

"Hey, Milo."

"What's up?"

"I'm pretty perky today. Must be something in the water."

"Like mind control chemicals?"

"God, I hope not. Anyway, my question to you is this: You don't seem to have a clear idea what to do with your life just yet. But if you had to think on it, how would you imagine your life in the next few years if we ended up together?"

"Oh, wow, that's heavy," Milo comments. "Let me see..."

Milo ponders for a minute.

"I never really thought that far ahead. But now that I think about it, I can definitely see a future with you. I'd continue working in the restaurant. Maybe save up for a few special things. We'd go on dates every few weeks, and when we've saved up enough, we could go to Champs Les Sims and go on wine-tastings and all that. They say that place is a gustatory paradise, and I'd want to have a culinary adventure with you. Normally I wouldn't be so motivated to work for a goal like that, but with you, it's something worth pursuing. And I can see things getting even more serious after that, but I'm not going to get ahead of myself."

Andrea looks enthralled as Milo recounts his ideas on life together with Andrea.

"That all sounds splendid, Milo. Definitely a good answer."

"Our time is now up, however. Could you please call Min Kyu?"

"Hi, Min!"

"Yo."

"I hope you guys enjoyed yourselves downstairs. Anyway, my question is: You work as an urban dance teacher. Surveys indicate that the median salary for such a job is in a low percentile. If you were in a situation where you needed a more lucrative career, how would you reconcile that with your passion for dancing?"

"Well, you know, it's not just about the money," Min begins.

"I know. But it's somewhere up there, you have to admit."

"Yeah. You may not know this, but dancing isn't the only talent I have. I've trained in a couple of instruments too."

"I guess you're a very musical person," Andrea remarks.

"I am. And maybe with a little more practice, I can join a conservatory or something. And if ever, I could just set my mind on something else that pays a lot. I'm pretty good at learning stuff. And as for the reconciling, Andrea..."

"Yeah?"

"When you're passionate about something, you'll find the time and energy to devote to it. And I'm a very passionate guy. About dancing, and a lot of other things. I can assure you that I'll always make room for the things that matter most to me."

"Very interesting, Min. Great answer."

"Can you call Daniel up next, please?"

"Sure"

"Daniel"

"That's me. What do you want to find out? I'm sure I've already shared a lot with you on our last date," Daniel laughs.

"That's true. But there is something else I would love to know."

"Shoot."

"You said you sometimes dated multiple women at once when you were younger. What led to you to move away from this, and how do you feel now about the things you did back then?"

"Oh God, you really cut to the heart of the matter, huh?"

"I didn't say this would be easy," Andrea chuckles.

"If I were to be honest, I just got tired of that life. Yeah, it was fun, and sometimes we never really said we were exclusive, but it felt kind of...empty, you see. After a few years, I never felt satisfied living that way. Maybe it was just my way of making me feel good about myself, trying to plug some hole inside me from all my insecurities stemming from my childhood."

"Go on."

"And I do regret breaking a couple of girls' hearts. That was a pretty crappy thing for me to do. I was a crappy person. But I'd like to think I grew up a little since. And that's why I'm here. If you pick me, you'd end up with an improved version. Someone who has grown from his experiences and all. I promise to be devoted to you."

"That does sound like a tempting offer," Andrea smiles. "Oh, but that's all the time we have for today."

"Dax is the last guy. Can you please call him up?"

"Morning, Dax!"

"Morning, Andy! Perfect day for a swim, eh?"

"It is! I kind of like it here. If it weren't so expensive, I'd move to this neighborhood. But that's not what we're here to discuss."

"Right."

"Dax, my question for you is: That shark attack sounded like a traumatic event..."

"Oh, it was."

"And yet you survived it, physically and mentally. How did that change your life, and turn into the person you are today?"

"Good question, man. I guess that's just the kind of guy I am. I can bounce back from anything. Getting orphaned, shark attacks, you name it. I'd say I'm a pretty chill kind of guy, and nothing fazes me. I can get through life's challenges just fine. I'm sure you and me could get through tough times together, Andy. I'd be the guy right by your side."

"Thanks for your answer, Dax. Can you give me 15 minutes? Then all of you can come up for the result."

And after a little deliberation...

"Afternoon, everyone. Let me just start by saying that you all gave very good answers," Andrea remarks.

"But if I had to choose the guy whose answer I liked the best..."

"And I had a hard time choosing by the way..."

"It would be..."

"Milo"

"Nice!" he exclaims.

"Thank you all for your time today. Even for those who won't go on a date with me tomorrow, I did enjoy getting to know you better on a deeper level. So at least you have a consolation prize," Andrea smiles.

"Eh, who cares what the other guys think? Andrea personally picked me for a date! I'm so stoked!"

"I guess we kind of deserve that after ganging up on Milo. Not that we planned it or anything, but I guess we all just thought the same thing about him."

Everyone's a little hungry after those interviews. Today's food of choice seems to be popcorn.

"I forgot to tell you this earlier, Andrea, but you look fantastic today," Min Kyu says.

"Min, thank you! You look wonderful as always, too," Andrea responds, grateful.

Things seemed to have gotten a bit awkward, which is why Dax changed the topic.

"Hey, did you guys hear about that washing machine recall?" Dax asks.

"You mean the ones that just burst into flames? Yeah," Milo answers.

"My parents have one of the affected models," Daniel chimes in. "They'll probably get a replacement ASAP. They're a bit paranoid about these things."

"I honestly don't know how you can screw a washing machine up. People have been making those things for a while now. I'm sure they would've perfected the design by now," Milo remarks.

Meanwhile, another conversation comes up.

"Hey, I know we won't see each other much tomorrow, so I hope you don't forget about me," Daniel says.

"Of course, Daniel. I won't forget about any of you soon," Andrea reassures him. "And maybe we'll have some time to ourselves later this week. Who knows?"

Milo seems ecstatic. I don't think I've ever seen him do a backwards somersault in his time here.

And it's back to business for these two. Nothing can separate them from the gym.

And some more popcorn.

"I can't wait to go out with you tomorrow, Andrea," Milo claims. "Where are we heading?"

"That's going to be a surprise. But I'm sure you're gonna love it."

"Anyway, it's getting late," Andrea says. "I gotta get some beauty sleep. Wouldn't want to be too tired for our special day tomorrow."

"Good night, Andrea."

"Night, Milo."

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And that's it for today. Andrea's not one to shy away from the hard questions. Did she get the answers that she wanted? Did they change how she feels about any of the guys?

We'll find out soon enough, so stay tuned to For Love or Money. Good night, folks!