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Chapter Text

Chan has mustered the strength to look around, though his aching muscles slowed his movements. He stared blankly at people crying and singing, watching as they disappeared one by one as the other members woke up, trying to figure out what had happened.

Changbin broke the long, uneasy silence. "What the heck? Let Seungmin turn into a dog if I'm in a dream," he laughed. But the stern looks from the others explained everything.

"Okay, now everybody listen to me," Chan spoke up, capturing their attention. "I don't understand what's going on, but I know we have to calm down, okay?" Just as the children were about to agree, a silhouette of a man began to form where the moonlight fell.

"Find your missions. Every chapter is a game. Your beginning will be written in a book. Find it before it's gone." The silhouette disappeared like dust after his last word.

Everyone looked at Hyunjin, who threw himself to the ground, saying, "This is complete bullshit."

As Minho stared intently at the forest, he said, "You heard it. No matter what, we need to find the book now." Chan nodded in agreement, helping the kids get up to take action.

After three hours wasted in the dark forest, Felix's excited voice caught everyone's attention. "Hyung, look! There's a big tree over there. We have to go there." Although no one wanted to waste any more time, they agreed to avoid offending the freckled child. When they reached the tree, Lix immediately ran to the back. As the other members followed, they froze in surprise at the light seeping through the tree's roots.

Before anyone could protest, Lix plunged into the roots. Immediately afterward, the freckled boy's giggles and mention of the beauty inside broke the members' worried faces. The others immediately jumped through the opening between the roots and entered the great chamber in the tree. The flickering blue and red lights on the walls of the room resembled an aurora. Everyone watched the lights, mesmerized, and Felix exclaimed in excitement that he had found the book.

While they were all looking at the book, Seungmin walked over to Felix and poked his arm, making the blonde boy look at him.

"How did you find all this as if you had a map in your hand?" Realizing what had just happened with Seungmin's questioning, Lix stared at the ground in bewilderment.

"I don't know. I guess I just did what I felt I had to do."

Examining the book in detail, Chan said, "Well, I guess that explains everything," pointing to an old yellow page in the book. Han took Lix's hand and pulled him to his side so he could look at the page. It was extraordinary that their names were written on the page. Chan caught Felix's gaze and explained, "It says certain things next to our names, maybe something like talent, I don't know. But your name says 'intuition.'"

All the members, especially Felix, turned their stunned glances at the book. Now they were all examining the talents written opposite their names.

"Chan - power.
Minho - teleportation.
Changbin - 10m impact.
Hyunjin - medusa.
Jisung - camouflage.
Felix - intuition.
Seungmin - seer.
Jeongin - sense."

Changbin read everyone's names aloud and turned to the others with a grumpy expression. "Why is mine not explained properly? What does '10m impact' mean?"

They all looked at him, nodding in agreement. Seungmin was still trying to understand what 'seer' meant. Han was making fun of Hyunjin's medusa power, and Minho kept saying he didn't need the power given to him because he was already fast.

"Jeongin, do you feel any difference in your senses?" Seungmin asked.

"No, maybe it will come with time. And Felix Hyung's strength came because we needed it."

"The maknae is right, guys. Let's just leave it for now," said Chan as he walked towards the roots to leave the room.

When everyone left the room, the silhouette reappeared and began to speak. "You have accomplished your first task. You have found your strengths. Now it is in your hands to live. Remember, time is limited everywhere."

"Someone tell this guy to stop popping up and then disappearing," Hyunjin said, placing his hand on his chest, showing fear of the sudden appearance. After the members laughed and confirmed, they started to discuss where to go now. Everyone was now staring at Felix as if waiting for an answer.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Haven't you sensed where we should go or what we should do yet?" Han's voice sounded curious.

"I don't know. I guess it's not working right now."

"It's okay. You did well. After all, you were the one who brought us here. Otherwise, we would have been wandering around for hours."

Felix looked gratefully at the leader and smiled. Seungmin sighed as the others played rock-paper-scissors and planned to follow the winner's chosen path. He held his head and let out a slight moan. Now they all reached the young man and asked what happened, but they couldn't get any reaction.

"Hey Seungmin, are you okay? Please answer me."

The boy had not taken his dull gaze from the ground, as if in a trance. Right next to him, Minho doubted that the teenager was even breathing. After a long period of unresponsiveness and the members' anxiety, Seungmin suddenly came to his senses and staggered to his feet.

"Seungmin, how are you feeling now? Are you okay?" The maknae couldn't hide his worried voice.

"I saw it... I didn't quite understand what it was, but I guess it's about abilities. There was a rusty town sign. There were buildings ahead, but it cannot be said that they are in very good condition."

Everyone contemplated what to do as they listened carefully to the young man. Should they go there, or why do they have to go? But standing idly by in the woods wouldn't do them any good. The town made much more sense when they were hungry for food or a place to sleep.

"Okay, let's hit the road. If we find the town before the sun comes up, we'll have an hour or two to sleep," Chan spoke and turned to Seungmin, waiting for a signal.

"I didn't see how to get there, just the town sign," he said disappointedly.

"Maybe we should go there," Felix said, pointing to the moonlit path. Everyone turned to that road without question and started walking, looking around.

"Well, on the bright side, we're taking a vacation from our busy lives," Minho said, raising his arms tensely.

"Even though it's not a holiday, we're together, right?" Chan said and hugged Hyunjin next to him. He then grunted as Hyunjin pushed him back and ran away.

The members tried not to dwell on the awkwardness of their situation and continued on their way, having fun with each other. After a while, Seungmin looked ahead and saw the sign he had seen before, pointing it out to the people next to him, stating that it was their target.

They immediately left the asphalt road and continued walking. They were fascinated by the pink-purple wheat-like grass they noticed when they looked at the roadside across the forest, but they quickly turned back to the road as they had to keep going. As they passed the sign and approached the town, they were dazed by the sight they saw. They were looking at a ruined and abandoned town. The members took one look at each other and entered the town's borders.

Before the youth could even examine the surroundings, they jumped at the sound coming from behind them. The pink-purple grass they had just passed was on fire, and the asphalt road cracked like a major earthquake. Although they were quite surprised, they came to their senses after a while. They had to stop looking at the road from which they could no longer return and move on. Now, they were walking into the town, not knowing what awaited them.

Chapter Text

They had a few hours until sunrise, and even though it was just two hours, they needed to find a place to gather themselves and rest. The previous events had shaken their spirits, and despite the youngest member complaining about fatigue, they were all determined to find a place.

The town they entered bore the marks of a great war, abandoned by its people. They hoped to find a sturdy building by walking down the main street. Their luck was uncertain, as the town turned out to be quite large. Chan tried to stay positive, thinking there would be many options. When he saw a house that looked more solid, he headed straight for it, and the others followed. They hesitated as they entered a creepy garden filled with rotten flowers and burnt grass. However, Chan entered the house without forcing the door. When he returned, he confirmed that the house was suitable. Despite its messy interior, it hadn't sustained much damage. Their fatigue was evident. Minho laid his jacket on a clean spot, and the others did the same. As they all lay down side by side, Chan watched them and found solace in their peaceful rest.

Changbin pushed Felix towards Seungmin and then turned to Chan, asking, "Aren't you going to sleep? We all need at least two hours of rest."

Chan shook his head and said, "I don't think I'll sleep, but I promise to rest. Now you should sleep."

Trusting their leader, Changbin closed his eyes. Once he was sure everyone else was asleep, he began to explore the other rooms of the house. The kitchen was his priority. Carefully moving among dirty dishes, Chan searched the cupboards but found no fresh food, only three packets of cereal and a liter of water in the drawer below the oven.

Keeping his promise to rest, Chan returned to the living room, sat on a chair, and closed his eyes. Though he knew he wouldn't sleep deeply, the steady breathing of his members gave him peace, and he drifted into a light sleep.

An hour later, the first rays of sunlight filtered through the dirty windows, illuminating the faces of the sleeping members. The youngest member was the first to wake. Looking at his sleeping friends with affection, he quietly got up, not wanting to wake anyone. However, Chan's light sleep didn't miss this. Chan's voice startled IN. The young one thought he had woken his brother up unintentionally.

"Good morning, Jeongin. Did you sleep well?"

"Oh, you scared me, hyung. Yes, I feel much better now."

"Great. Let's prepare breakfast. It's not much, but at least we'll have something to eat."

Jeongin eagerly agreed, and they headed to the kitchen. Breakfast was different from what they were used to, but they poured the cereal into the cleanest bowls they could find and placed them on the table. Jeongin returned to the living room to wake Changbin and Minho. The other members joined them in the kitchen.

Even though dry cereal wasn't the best breakfast, no one complained. They ate in silence. Though not fully satisfied, their hunger was appeased, and they were no longer dealing with hunger pangs. Before leaving the house, they checked the rooms and grabbed their jackets. The only useful thing in the house was a medium-sized Nike sports bag.

"It's good we left early in the morning," said Chan. "We have plenty of time to find a store and secure a place to stay by nightfall."

"What about the tasks?" asked Seungmin, voicing the concern everyone shared. The uncertainty about the tasks and the unexplored powers increased their anxiety.

"Our priority right now is to meet our basic needs. We'll deal with the tasks when the time comes," Chan suggested.

The group agreed and set out. Han proposed splitting into groups to cover a larger area. Though the older members were initially hesitant, the younger ones insisted, and eventually, it was agreed. They played rock-paper-scissors to determine the groups and paired up.

"Alright, Chan, Seungmin, Hyunjin, and I will continue walking down the main street to increase our chances of finding a store. The other group will take the first street and look for a place to stay," said Changbin, finalizing the groups.

Everyone agreed and parted ways. "Let us know if you find anything," called Chan as the other group walked away. The first group aimed to find a store, taking the sports bag with them. Seungmin hoped his vision power would return and show him the store's location, while Hyunjin wondered if his Medusa power involved turning people to stone. Changbin focused on finding food. Chan continued to observe his surroundings, hoping the other group would be safe.

In the second group, the atmosphere was quite different. They joked and laughed as if they hadn't experienced any strange events. Their task was to find a safe place, and they tried to make it as enjoyable as possible. Visiting and inspecting all the houses on the first street would be exhausting. Instead of walking around as a group of four, they decided to split into pairs based on Jeongin's suggestion. Again, they played rock-paper-scissors to determine the groups. Fate seemed to want Minho and Jisung together as they ended up in the same group.

Felix's somewhat frightened eyes focused on his twin. "Are you okay? Are you afraid of being separated?" Han asked, squeezing his younger brother's shoulder to offer support.

"It's fine, I guess I'm just a bit nervous," Felix replied reluctantly.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

As they parted, Felix looked at the other with a reassuring smile, and both groups turned and walked in opposite directions.

Minho and Jisung quickly checked the houses but then noticed a structure on the flat land behind the last houses. This structure caught their attention because it resembled a large elevator door. It was surprising to see such a sturdy structure after all the dilapidated houses they had seen along the street.

"Maybe this is a portal, and the door to take us home opens from here," Jisung shouted excitedly.

Minho found the idea plausible and nodded. Under normal circumstances, he would have laughed and mocked such an unrealistic idea, but what they were experiencing was surreal enough. They approached the door and inspected it, but found no buttons or levers, only a large, smooth elevator door. Minho ran his hand over the smooth surface and even knocked three times, but nothing happened. Just as Minho was about to tell Jisung that the door wasn't working, Jisung accidentally touched the door, and it opened with a loud noise. They both stared at the open door in astonishment.

"Does your power open this door?" Minho asked.

"I'm pretty sure it's some sort of camouflage. Maybe there are multiple powers," Jisung hypothesized.

"Anyway, let's take a look inside."

They entered through the open door and found themselves in a large elevator. There were only two buttons, one to go up and one to go down. Pressing the buttons did nothing. The card reader next to the buttons explained why the elevator wasn't working. Minho turned to Jisung and pointed to the card reader screen. Jisung understood and placed his hand on the card reader slot to activate the elevator. When the elevator doors fully closed, they encountered a sudden gust of wind and mist. The shock of experiencing this inside a closed elevator was short-lived, as the wind ceased within a few minutes, leaving behind a dry coldness. As Minho tried to figure out what was happening, he quickly turned to the faint moans in the corner of the side wall. Jisung was standing against the wall, shivering. Minho immediately went to his side, hugged the young boy, and asked what was wrong. Yes, the elevator was cold, but not cold enough to make someone shiver.

"I'm so cold," Jisung said with a trembling voice.

"Alright, we'll get out of here right away. Just try to stay calm. We'll need your power to get out of here."

Minho helped Jisung place his hand next to the card reader. When the doors opened again, they took a deep breath and quickly stepped out.

"We should tell the others about this," Han suggested.

"Definitely," Minho agreed. Jisung was still cold and shivering. Minho held him tightly and helped him walk back the way they came. They needed to inform the others of this discovery as soon as possible.

Chapter Text

When Hyunjin stopped the others, he saw a bent market sign in front of them. "Look, a market sign!" he exclaimed excitedly, pointing towards it. He immediately walked over to it.

The rest of the group agreed and quickly headed towards the market. Seungmin thought the chained lock on the door with broken windows wasn't providing much security. Carefully, they broke the rest of the glass and entered, only to be met with toppled shelves. Despite the chaos, they began gathering cans and packaged foods that were still intact and in good condition. Chan held the bag tightly as he placed food and water bottles inside. While the bag wasn't full, there were enough snacks for two to three days when properly distributed. The leader was about to suggest leaving when Changbin's voice broke the silence and caught everyone's attention.

"Isn't this strange? Look at this bag of chips and these newly opened drinks. The chips are still fresh," Changbin said, carefully examining the bag of chips in his hand.

"So, you think we're not alone here? Is that possible?" Hyunjin expressed his concern, thinking it wasn't a good sign.

The leader quickly replied, "It's not strange to encounter someone here. We just assumed it was abandoned. Hopefully, these are people who can help us."

Changbin grimaced, clearly showing his distrust of strangers. Seungmin remained silent, lost in thought. He softly said, "We must discuss this with the others." Unanimously, they quickly returned to the main street they had previously left. They stopped when they saw Minho and Jisung emerging from a side alley. Chan immediately ran towards them, with the rest of the group following closely.

"What happened? Are you injured?" the leader asked worriedly, carefully examining the pair in front of him, fearing one of them might be hurt.

"We're fine, Jisung is just cold," Minho quickly replied.

"Why is he cold? Can you explain better?"

"Calm down, okay. We found a door behind some houses while looking for a place. I couldn't open it, but when Jisung touched it, it magically opened. It looked like an elevator, so we went inside to explore. However, the door suddenly closed, and it felt like a storm was blowing inside. Jisung was very affected by the cold," Minho explained.

"You should have informed us before going in," Chan said firmly.

"Is this important now, Chan?" Minho asked, pointing to Jisung, who was still shivering.

"Alright, we'll discuss this later. Could Han's power have something to do with opening the door?" the leader pondered.

"Maybe, but isn't his power camouflage?" Hyunjin asked.

"Unspoken abilities often emerge suddenly and usually come with drawbacks. Every powerful person has weaknesses, and every ability comes at a cost. Balance is innate," Seungmin said, as if in a trance. After finishing his sentence, he shook his head, trying to come to his senses. Once his dizziness and dark vision subsided, he rejoined the group.

"I apologize for calling you creepy before. I was wrong; now you're really scary," Han added.

When everyone heard Han's voice, they turned their attention to him and started asking about his well-being. Frustrated with their concerned looks and continuous examination of his still-shivering body, Han took a step back.

"Did you find a market? Why did you come back?" the boy asked the leader, tired of the attention.

"Oh, yes, that's why we returned. We found a market and gathered some food, but we discovered freshly opened bags of chips," Changbin explained.

"What? Are there others here?" Minho asked curiously.

"We suspect so," Seungmin replied.

Jisung, whose mind now seemed clearer and no longer affected by the cold, looked around and noticed that two members were missing.

"Hey, where are Felix and Jeongin?" Jisung asked worriedly. The rest of the group looked at each other, only now realizing the absence of their two friends.

"Wait, weren't you four supposed to stay together? Don't you know where the others are?" Changbin exclaimed in surprise, unable to control his voice.

"We split into groups to find a place faster. We found the elevator after the street ended, so shouldn't they have arrived before us?"

"Let's try not to panic and look for them. No one goes off on their own anymore," the leader said, trying to hide his worry.

They decided to retrace the path the second group had taken. When they reached the house where Felix and Jeongin had separated, they saw the youngest member running towards them. However, he was too shaken to notice the others at first. Hyunjin and Chan immediately reached out to him and held him. Jeongin was trembling and crying, struggling to stand. Now, with a sense of fear within them, they looked at their youngest member.

"Jeongin, calm down. Take a deep breath," Hyunjin said, gently stroking his hair to soothe him, but Jeongin pushed him away and stepped back.

"I can't calm down. It's all my fault, it's all my fault," the boy continued to blame himself frantically.

Meanwhile, Han quietly asked, "Where is Felix?"

When everyone heard Han's question, they looked at each other in concern. As Jeongin started crying more, they realized there was a problem.

"Jeongin, if you don't calm down, we can't help. Please take a deep breath and tell us what happened," Chan said.

Jeongin managed to suppress his tears for a moment and began to speak in a trembling voice.

"Felix Hyung was kidnapped. I don't know where he is. They took him."

Chapter Text

Felix had been feeling increasingly uneasy ever since they split into two groups. He chattered excessively, trying to distract himself and hide his nervousness from his younger brother. Finding a safe place was proving more challenging than they had anticipated. The fifth house they entered was undeveloped, lacking even proper rooms. With three more houses remaining on the street, they hoped the next one would be intact.

"This place looks better than the others. Let's take a look inside," Felix said, assessing the condition of the hallway connected to the front door.

When they opened the door to the hallway, they gagged at the intense foul smell coming from inside. Jeongin quickly grabbed his brother's arm and pulled him out of the house. They were both out of breath.

"This place doesn't look any better either," the younger one chuckled. They both hoped to forget the smell that made their noses sting.

There was no need to enter the other house. The windows were shattered, and the walls were damaged. As they approached the last house, Jeongin immediately stopped Felix, hearing voices coming from the backyard. He listened carefully, trying to figure out what was happening.

"Did you hear those voices?"

"I don't think so. I wasn't paying attention," Felix replied.

Felix felt uneasy even though he hadn't heard the noise. The restlessness that had been with him from the beginning increased, but he chose to follow his brother. The younger one cautiously walked toward the backyard. Confused, Felix followed, trying to understand what was going on. When they entered the backyard, their attention was drawn to a small garden shed with an open door. The voices from inside confirmed Jeongin's suspicions. There were people there. He turned to his older brother and nodded toward the shed.

"Now I hear it too. There's someone in there. So, there are other people here besides us?" Felix whispered.

"Maybe they're like us and will help us," Jeongin hoped.

No, this was not good. Although having someone else here besides them seemed nice, Felix knew it wasn't good. Feeling insecure, he continued. They approached to listen more closely. It was certain that there were at least three people inside. One of them was scolding the others.

"Idiots! I want the one with the power. I must have it for myself and use it against everyone. It will obey me as I become a god. And now you're saying it's not real, just a myth? It's real, you fools!" the man shouted angrily.

Even though they didn't know what the subject was, both of them remained highly alert and continued to listen tensely. They kept pondering who or what the source of power was. As the children listened intently, loud noises suddenly erupted as the angry man forcefully struck an iron stick against a metal object. Jeongin, unable to bear the sudden and loud noise, cried out in pain, falling to the ground. He curled up in a fetal position, covering his ears with his hands, pleading for the noise to stop. The sound was sudden and unsettling for Felix as well, but he didn't expect Jeongin to react so strongly. Not knowing what to do, Felix rushed to his younger brother and embraced him. He felt they needed to remain quiet. They didn't know what kind of people these strangers were, and they could get angry because they were eavesdropping on them. It was dangerous. Placing his hand over the younger one's mouth, he whispered for him to be silent. But it was too late.

"Who are you?" the angry man's voice, which they had just heard, resounded. They were supposed to leave before the man discovered them, but Jeongin was just starting to regain his composure. Felix sensed the danger and didn't think of anything else but protecting his brother. Acting on adrenaline, he picked up his younger brother and hurriedly pushed him toward the back of the shed. Apologizing with his eyes to his fallen brother. Felix then heard the voice of the strange man coming from beside him.

"Leader, we've found the sneaky rat," he said, his voice laced with a mocking smile.

With three people now closing in on him, Felix became even more frightened. Adjusting his leather-brown jacket, he could sense that the approaching man was the leader. The man halted after taking three steps and began scrutinizing Felix's face as if trying to recognize him. Felix wanted to avoid the piercing gaze fixed upon him. He was used to people staring at him because he was an idol, but there was something about this man that unsettled him. The leader's smile slowly spread across his face.

"See, I told you it was real. Take him!" he exclaimed triumphantly.

Chapter Text

"Are you saying that Felix has been kidnapped? Are you kidding me?!" Chan shouted angrily.

The youngest member cried even more, drowning in guilt. "I'm sorry, it's my fault. It's all my fault. I'm so sorry," he sobbed.

Seeing the youngest member's reaction, Chan tried to calm himself. Seeing him so upset was unbearable, so he hugged and consoled him, "I'm sure it's not your fault, but now you have to tell me what happened, okay?"

The other members looked at the boy anxiously but remained silent. The group's sunshine, kidnapped? This can't be real, can it?

"We were looking at houses and then we found one that caught our interest. However, sounds were coming from inside. As we got closer, we noticed three people arguing. Their leader suddenly got angry, hit something, and yelled at the others. The sound was so loud that I lost control. Then they noticed us, and Felix Hyung pushed me to the back of the house to hide and protect me. That's when they kidnapped him, and I couldn't even move from my spot. I should have protected him. He was kidnapped because of me."

Changbin turned around angrily and started to walk away, but before he could get too far, Minho approached him. Both were anxious and angry, but when Minho saw Changbin's tears, he took a deep breath and tried to calm down. Waking up in an unfamiliar place and experiencing surreal, absurd events was hard enough. They had tried to stay positive until now, but there was nothing positive left at this moment.

Though the members were angry, they clenched their teeth to hide their anger from the youngest member. They hoped Felix was okay. They were all like angels, but if something happened to Felix, they could turn into the most terrifying monsters. Chan was particularly sensitive about his Australian brother, and everyone knew Felix was like a little child. He had promised not to leave him behind, and now he felt he couldn't keep that promise. They had to protect him. They had to protect each other. Always.

"Okay, now take us to the house where you saw those men," Chan said, taking on the leader role, determined to find Felix and hug him tightly.

Silence hung heavily as they followed Jeongin's lead. Normally a noisy and lively group, they now walked like a soulless, dead body.

Han clenched his fists in the pockets of his jacket. The thought of his twin being in danger terrified him deeply.

He could line those men up and punch them in the nose until it broke, but only when the time came. Six angry people stood before him.

When the members returned to the house, Jeongin had finally calmed down. He explained every detail, down to the exact spot they had stood.

As darkness fell, the members desperately searched the house for clues. Other than a few opened cracker packets, a few pieces of clothing, and the iron rods that caused all this, they found nothing. They even checked the neighboring houses but found no trace. After a long time, everyone realized that they wouldn't find any clues from the nearby houses, but they didn't stop. When in the last house they entered, Minho saw the effects of fatigue on the children, he approached the leader and suggested they rest.

Reluctantly, Chan gathered his tired members and spoke, "I don't want to either, but it's getting dark, and we need to rest." Hyunjin joined Jisung in vehemently protesting.

"Let's search a little longer, hyung, please," Han pleaded.

"We've been searching for hours, and everyone is tired, Jisung," the sadness in the leader's voice was evident.

"You want us to sleep when we don't even know if Felix is okay? What nonsense are you talking about? You might sleep and have sweet dreams, but I'll find Felix."

Hyunjin had never raised his voice like this to the members before. The other members looked at him in shock. The leader's voice remained calm, but there was an underlying authority.

"We are all sad and worried. No one feels less pain than you. But wandering around in an unfamiliar place at this hour only puts us in danger. If you want to find Felix, you need to stay safe and healthy. Do you understand me?"

Now, Hyunjin looked at the leader with tear-filled eyes. "But I'm sure he's scared. He can't sleep without one of us. You know Felix can't sleep peacefully without hugging one of us."

This was the breaking point that caused everything to collapse because everyone knew Hyunjin was right. Chan hugged Hyunjin tightly, Jisung and Seungmin silently retreated to the corners of the room and cried. Jeongin continued to cry as he looked at his two hyungs. Minho and Changbin tried to convince him that it wasn't his fault, but it wasn't enough to ease his guilt.

That night, eight people fell into a restless sleep, their lullaby being the sound of their tears.

Chapter Text

No matter how hard he tried, Felix couldn't find a way to escape from the men. Despite being involved in martial arts for a long time, the shock of being kidnapped, something he never thought would happen, left him frantically kicking at the two dragging him along. He was thrown to the ground as soon as he was forced inside the house by the car that seemed to come out of nowhere. He groaned softly and tried to get up, but the man they called the leader didn't allow it.

"If I hadn't found you, I would have doubted your existence. I've always believed in your existence, and kept dreaming of the day I would find you. Look at this luck; the legendary Medusa is now in front of me."

He didn't understand what the man was talking about because Felix was focused on the man's terrifying grin and deep, psychotic eyes. Trying to calm himself by taking deep breaths didn't help. Felix tried to snap out of his shock when he was tied to a chair in the middle of the room. He opened his mouth a few times, hoping to speak, but he couldn't. Finally, he gathered himself and spoke in a shaky, hoarse voice.

"I'm not Medusa. I don't even know what you're talking about, please let me go."

After listening intently to the freckled boy's words, the man burst into a crazed laugh. Then he fixed his eyes on Felix, showing his angry gaze.

"You're a beautiful, little liar." His smile widened, and he approached the boy. Holding Felix's face, he continued speaking. "Look at your face. It's enough to understand that you're Medusa. Your bright eyes, sweet nose, full and shapely lips, and even the freckles adorning your face, are all perfectly harmonized. You are Medusa. My sweet Medusa."

Felix tried to pull his face away from the man's hand, but the man held tighter. The man's words of praise, which Felix would feel lovingly from the members, now made his stomach turn when he heard them from this unknown maniac.

"I'm not Medusa!"

"Shut up and be a good boy! Appreciate the value I give you, or I won't hesitate to be the bad guy."

After finishing his words, the man quickly left the room and called out to the others. Felix continued to cry, looking at the door the man had exited through. His fear increased again when the other two members of the group entered the room after a while.

"Little kitty, when will you stop crying?"

Little kitty? If Minho had said it, he might have liked it.

"You're beautiful even when you cry. We should have believed the leader from the beginning. Medusa is real." The man was looking with such admiration that Felix was scared by it.

"I am not Medusa! Don't you idiots understand what I'm saying?" Felix growled. He knew he had to control his anger, but he couldn't take it anymore. Fear and anger had taken over him; he couldn't act rationally and was looking for a place to explore.

The man laughed angrily, then approached Felix and gently stroked his face. Felix pulled his face back sharply and hissed. The man's smile slowly faded, and he slapped the boy hard. Felix groaned in pain, his face turning to the side.

"Watch your actions. Don't test me."

The unexpected blow had triggered his tears, and they streamed down his cheeks. He continued to cry, looking down at the ground.

The man by the door quickly rushed forward and grabbed the other man. "If the leader hears that you slapped him, he'll kill you."

"It's not a problem because he won't hear. Right, little Medusa?"

Felix cried quietly when the two men sat in the chairs by the door. He didn't want to believe he had been kidnapped by a group of maniacs, lunatics, and perverts. The more he thought about it, the more his heart pounded with fear. Right now, he just wanted to hug Chan and cry. He already missed the other members and didn't know when he would get out of there. Maybe he would never escape. This thought alone prevented him from holding back his sobs. He just cried, not caring about the men watching him like hunters eyeing their prey.

No matter what, he had to find a way to escape from here.

Chapter Text

In the morning, Felix woke up with a severe headache, having cried all night and only slept for two hours. Groaning in pain and instinctively trying to hold his head, he realized his arms were tightly bound by ropes. He wished everything was a nightmare, but it wasn’t. Remembering the futility of struggling, he decided not to waste his energy. After sitting alone for an hour, he heard footsteps approaching the door and thought about pretending to be asleep, but the door opened quickly and forcefully. Though he preferred his solitude, he knew he couldn’t resist the ones coming in.

Felix had given names to his captors. He didn’t know why, he just had. Being rational was the last thing on his mind. He decided to call their leader "Joker" because the man's menacing smile terrified him. He named the one who slapped him "Bitch1" and the other "Bitch2." Normally, these names would have made him laugh.

Surprisingly, it was Bitch2 who entered, holding biscuits and strawberry milk. Felix hoped this man would be different from the others, as he hadn’t inflicted physical harm. Felix tensed as the man stepped towards him. Bitch2 placed a hand on Felix's lap and took out a small cream from his pocket. Felix watched the man’s every move intently.

"I brought some cream for your redness. That dog hit you pretty hard yesterday, didn't he?" The man smiled gently and raised his eyebrows at Felix. Was this a good gesture?

He opened the lid, took some cream on his finger, and, after smiling at Felix, gently applied it to his cheek. Despite being uncomfortable with the touch, Felix stayed still and let the man use the cream.

"I'll do my best to protect you from them. Just trust me and don’t make things difficult, okay?"

The man's words and kind demeanor sparked a glimmer of hope in Felix. Maybe he could help him escape. Maybe he was a good person. Perhaps he was being held against his will or threatened as well. Yes, that must be it.

"Please, get me out of here. They scare me. I can't stay here any longer. I miss my group," Felix pleaded, his voice hoarse from crying.

While Bitch2 initially listened with great interest, he began laughing angrily when he heard the last sentence. As his laughter stopped, Felix suddenly felt a wave of fear. He couldn’t understand the sudden mood swings. But the man smiled again and gently stroked the cheek he had just creamed.

"Of course, I'll get you out of here. I can't let them hurt you. It would be best if you were mine, so we'll run away together. You’re the most beautiful thing I've ever seen, and you instantly became the purpose of my life. Just the two of us, far from those idiots and your group, we’ll be delighted. You won’t even miss your group because you’ll only think of me. Right, baby?"

Felix was shocked. He felt foolish for thinking the man could be different. They were all crazy. However, he thought dealing with one person would be easier than dealing with three. If he pretended to agree and they got outside, he might find a way to escape. He composed himself and tried not to show his reluctance.

"Okay. Let’s run away... just the two of us."

"Good boy. Now, you need to eat something. Aren’t you hungry?" The man opened the biscuit packet and handed one to Felix. "Come on, baby, you have to drink your milk too." Felix reluctantly drank the strawberry milk. Though he had no appetite, he ate a few biscuits, but couldn’t consume any more. He pulled his head back, refusing to eat further.

"Oh, baby, that's not enough. You need to finish the whole packet," the man insisted, his voice high-pitched and playful as if talking to a baby, and he fed Felix more biscuits. It was horrible. Felix started to think this man was even crazier than the others, but he was his only chance. When all the biscuits and milk were gone, the man patted Felix's head and left the room.

The sudden change in the man's behavior frightened Felix so much that he froze in place. He didn’t know how to react, so he just stared at the closed door with his mouth open. A few seconds later, he shook his head and tried to pull himself together. He questioned the reality of what he had experienced. This made him even more anxious. His body trembled and his muscles tensed. He began planning how to escape from this madman.

Chapter Text

Chan was the first to wake up. He hadn't slept at all. He went around waking up all the members one by one and forced them to have breakfast with what they had found in the market. The intense emotions of the previous day had given way to determination. They were going to find Felix today.

When they stepped out onto the street, their leader embraced them and assured them that everything would be alright. They began searching the houses without losing hope. Now, they moved around as a group, a strict rule they couldn't afford to break. They couldn't risk losing another person. They searched the nearby streets and houses but found no trace. When Jisung shouted that they were wasting time and needed to speed up, Minho entered a house to check around and came out. He stopped when he saw the surprised faces of the others. "What? I ran because he said, 'Let's speed up.'"

"Minho, it took you more than five seconds to get in and out of the house."

"Really? It felt like a pretty normal amount of time for me. I guess my powers are activating."

"That's good. Let's increase our pace. Minho, you check a side street too, but come to us immediately if you sense anything. I trust you. Don't put yourself in danger."

"Don't worry."

They all went back to searching. In the afternoon, Jeongin quieted them all. He seemed to be focusing on trying to hear something. They all stood like statues without making a sound.

"I'm not sure, but I think I heard a car. It's so faint I'm not sure."

"Alright, can you tell me which direction it came from?"

"I think it was from the forest side."

Minho, excited by the clue, came to the group.

"I saw tire tracks at the end of the side street. But I can't say exactly where they go."

"That's okay, Minho. Jeongin said he heard cars in the forest."

"Okay, I'll be right back." Just as Minho was about to leave, someone grabbed his wrist to stop him.

"You know I won't let you go there alone, right? Also, you look as tired as if you haven't slept for three days. We don't know the side effects of your power. Jeongin probably has a sensitivity to loud sounds. Maybe to light too, we don't know. After all, his power is sensory. Yours might be fatigue. We all need to learn our powers and their side effects."

"The leader is right. After all, I still don't know what 10m means," said Changbin, grumbling, happy to make the kids smile a little.

Seungmin reminded them they needed to grab their bags and go. It was getting dark, and it would be quite difficult to search for someone in the dark of night.

After a three-hour walk, they sat down to rest under a tree. Changbin opened the market bag he was carrying and took out a few bottles of water and crackers. The members sat close to each other, forming a circle. While eating, they all longed for a proper meal instead of crackers. Even during their strict diets, they could secretly sneak proper food from the company, but now the only thing they were eating was dry food. They planned to save the canned goods for when they found a house where they could stay for a long time.

"I want steak with gravy," said Han.

"Then eat the cracker thinking it's steak," Minho said sarcastically.

"That doesn't make any sense."

While watching the duo's bickering, the members didn't notice Hyunjin secretly putting two chocolates in his pocket. He planned to give them to Felix when they found him.

Chapter Text

Felix was startled when the door suddenly opened at noon. Bitch2, who entered with a tray of food, looked at him with a crazy smile. Although Felix didn't trust this man, he thought he was better than the others. At least he didn't use violence. The man placed the tray on the floor, which contained a plate that had canned meat and a glass of water. The biscuit he ate in the morning still kept him full. Would the man be angry if he said he wasn't hungry? Felix didn't know.

"Baby must be hungry. I brought you a nice meal. Eat it all so you can grow up."

The man smiled as he gently offered the spoonful of meat to Felix's mouth. The child, who used to love smiling, was now scared of people who smiled and thought about escaping. He was scared. This man treating him like a baby frightened him.

"I'm not hungry," his voice was so low that he doubted the other man heard it.

"Oh, did I hear wrong? Did you say you weren't hungry? Are you saying you don't want to eat?" The man spoke as if he was sure he had misheard.

"I'm just not hungry." Felix was now trembling with stress. The man grabbed Felix's chin angrily and forced his mouth open. Felix whimpered and tried to shake his head, but it was useless.

"No, you're hungry, and you will eat everything I give you, you'll be a good baby, won't you?"

The man had asked him a question that left no choice. The hand forcing his mouth open already proved he had to eat. The man shoved the spoon into Felix's mouth and waited for him to chew. Felix couldn't ignore the nausea and spit the contents onto the floor. He was sure he had eaten spoiled canned meat. The man, ignoring the spat-out food, filled the spoon again and put it into the child's mouth, covering his mouth with his hand until he swallowed. Felix swallowed the rest without chewing to avoid vomiting. When the plate was half empty, the man pulled back and let Felix go. Now his jaw hurt, and he felt nauseous. His eyes burned from the slow-flowing tears.

"Good job, baby. Eat like this and grow up so your father will love you more."

The man's words only increased Felix's stomach cramps. The man caressed his cheek before leaving and closing the door. Now Felix was coughing like crazy and vomiting. His throat started hurting, he felt exhausted, and he closed his eyes.

When Felix opened his eyes, he realized he had fallen asleep. Looking out the window, he saw the sky beginning to darken with a reddish hue. He was so tired he could barely keep his eyes open. The nausea hadn't passed. Sitting caused pain to his sensitive bones. He wanted to scream and beg for someone to come and untie him, but no sound came out. This was not the time to be sick. As he tried to pull himself together, the pressure from the ropes on his stomach increased, and Felix bent over and started vomiting. His throat hurt a lot. Although he couldn't lift his head to look at the door, he noticed the sound of heavy footsteps.

"Hey, what's that noise? Are you vomiting?"

The leader, who he hadn't seen for a while, looked at him with a mix of anger and concern. The others were waiting at the door. The leader turned to the other two men and started shouting.

"I told you to take good care of him, you idiots. Why is he sick? What if something happens to him?"

"It won't! It shouldn't. I'll make him better." Bitch2 suddenly spoke angrily.

"Will you heal my Medusa? Who do you think you are?" The leader hissed angrily at the man at the door and slapped him. While Bitch2 trembled with anger, the leader approached Felix without hesitation. He gently grasped Felix's chin and lifted his head. Although he was uncomfortable with the leader carefully examining his face, he forced himself not to look away.

"You're useless when you're sick. I'll find some medicine and come back. Be well until I get back. Do you hear me, beautiful Medusa?"

Felix nodded slightly and closed his eyes, which he had forced open. He understood from the sounds that the man had left and closed the door. The remaining two men sat silently in the middle of the room, watching the child tied to the chair. Felix fell asleep again.

Chapter Text

The group continued walking after their snacks, and the increasing darkness made things even more difficult. Even though the leader noticed the member's fatigue, he didn’t want to stop their progress now that they were so close, and no one else wanted to stop either. So, they continued their walk for hours.

“Stop, wait. I heard a car coming this way,” Jeongin's sharp hearing provided a great advantage.

Minho immediately told them to hide under the bushes. He would observe the situation, count the individuals, and check for signs of Felix’s captors. In the worst-case scenario, Minho could rely on his speed.

They hid and waited for the approaching car. Everyone was on alert as the jeeps passed over the rough dirt road. Jeongin nudged the leader’s shoulder excitedly.

“These are some of the ones who kidnapped Felix Hyung. We should follow them,” he whispered. Despite the burning anger in Chan’s eyes, he nodded to the boy with a calm voice.

“I’ll go,” Minho said, stepping forward, but Chan quickly opposed him.

“I’d rather choose the slow but safe path over the fast but insecure one.”

“But…”

“No buts, Minho. No one will leave the group!”

They had to stick to their small plan. Despite his excitement, the leader firmly reminded Minho to stay together and proceed cautiously. The path was difficult both for walking and tracking. The children followed the car tracks at a slower and safer pace. Ignoring the two stops the car made, they reached their destination within an hour. When they saw the man enter a pharmacy, the worry on Jeongin's face spread to the others as well. While Changbin was impatient to attack the man, he, like the others, waited quietly. If they wanted to find Felix, they had to remain calm. After a long wait, the man exited the pharmacy with boxes of medicine, cream, and bandages. The children emerged from behind a dilapidated building and continued to follow the car. Their only hope was that these supplies were not for Felix. They walked for another half an hour from where they first saw the car. They thought their energy was due to their time as idols and their intense schedules. Or maybe it was the possibility of finding Felix. When the car parked next to a small house ahead and the man entered, they got excited. This could be where they were keeping Felix. They stopped and waited. Determined to strategize, Chan gathered the children under a tree.

“How should we proceed?” Chan asked.

“Waiting passively here is nonsense,” Hyunjin added.

“Hyunjin!”

Minho scolded the boy and turned to their leader. “Jisung had camouflage skills, right? Maybe he can use them now.”

Jisung nodded eagerly.

“Okay, here’s the plan. Jeongin will report what he hears at midnight, and we’ll wait for the right moment. Then Jisung and Minho will observe the house, and we’ll go in.”

Everyone agreed with the leader, but Hyunjin still sulked. Changbin was equally frustrated, feeling useless due to his unknown power. Both felt ineffective.

As the group rested and snacked again, Seungmin suddenly grimaced in pain and held his head. This no longer scared the others; they understood it meant his power was activating. Seungmin stood frozen with his hands on his head, staring at the ground. After a moment, he jumped up and caught Jeongin's attention.

“Can you hear those voices? I saw him alone in a room, unconscious and tied to a chair. I think Felix Hyung is not well,” he said worriedly.

The tension in the air rose. Jeongin focused on the house and relayed what he heard like a translator to the others.

“Why did you make him so sick? It’s been an hour since he took the medicine, and it still hasn’t worked. If Medusa dies, you die too. Do you understand?”

Confusion spread among the children. Medusa? Hyunjin?

Hyunjin tensed at the mention of the name he had seen in his power. Just as he was about to argue, Jeongin continued.

“Oh, my little boy. My baby. Are you still sick? Too bad. But your dad will make you better. Come on, wake up and eat. Wake up, you stupid child. You need to get better!”

Chan frowned, and the others looked at the youngest member with puzzled faces.

“What are they saying? Is there a baby?” Han asked curiously.

“No, there’s no baby. They’re talking about Felix,” Chan explained.

Jisung didn’t even want to consider this possibility. Everyone agreed to change the plan. They couldn’t leave Felix there any longer.

As the children were about to move towards the house, they noticed a silhouette emerging from the shadows of the trees and stopped.

“You should know your mission. Hurt the one who hurts you. Kill the one who can harm you. Here, conscience doesn’t guide life. Blood will nourish and protect you. Save one life and destroy three. Remember the balance.”

The seven of them stood frozen in shock, watching the silhouette disappear.

“Did he just ask us to kill someone?” Changbin asked in disbelief.

“No, he asked us to kill three people,” Minho corrected.

Looking at the stunned faces of the children, the leader thought silently.

“I… I can’t do that. I can’t kill someone.”

“None of us can. Let’s check out the house and focus on rescuing Felix.”

As Minho used his speed to reach the wall of the house, the children approached from behind. Han came to Minho’s side and directed the boy’s attention to a nearby window. Understanding, Jisung used his power and looked inside the window. He worried someone might notice him, but luckily, no one did. He got excited when he saw the blond man sitting in the room. This was Felix. He gave a positive sign to the others, and a wave of relief spread through them. Later, Han tensed as he saw a man approach Felix and continued to watch. The man lifted Felix’s drooping head, looked into his eyes, and caressed his cheek. Anger boiled within Jisung. What right did he have to touch his twin?

Noticing Jisung’s apparent tension and clenched fists, the members realized there was a problem. But before they could ask what it was, they were shocked as Hyunjin ran towards the house and Minho followed him.

Chapter Text

When Felix opened his eyes again, it was dark. He could hear voices coming from outside the room. He tried to understand what was being said by carefully listening to the sounds.

"Give Medusa the medicine so he can get well quickly. You'll take better care of him than yourself. Yoon, you go tidy up the warehouse."

After the leader's speech, Felix saw Bitch1 coming in with the medicine. Presumably, Yoon must have been Bitch2.

Bitch1 brought the medicine and a bottle of water in front of Felix. He took the medicine out of the package, placed it in Felix's mouth, and gave him water immediately after. Felix felt the pill get stuck in his throat and coughed, while Bitch1 lifted the water bottle and made him drink plenty of water.

"You have to take the medicine properly. Get well and regain your energy. The leader will take his anger out on us until you recover, and I wouldn't say I like this situation at all. Don't test me."

Before Felix knew what was happening, the man grabbed his face and hissed through his teeth. Was he being blamed for getting sick? He was tired of being trapped with lunatics.

As soon as the man left, he remembered the muscle pain and weakness again. At first, his fear had been so great that he had forgotten his pain. Although he didn’t know what the drug was, he hoped it would take effect quickly. The last time he had been this sick was the evening of the day they performed in the rain. That night, Chan had constantly checked his fever. He could still hear Minho yelling after Hyunjin and Jisung had made a mess in the kitchen while trying to make soup. He missed his members. He missed his family. He imagined Jeongin safely returning to the others. His head was foggy, and his fever was so high that he was confusing reality with fantasy. He thought about the concert moments and the noise in the dorm. The room he was in now was very quiet. This bothered him. An hour later, the knock on the door interrupted his thoughts and pulled him from his dream world. The leader approached him without saying a word, placed his hand on Felix’s forehead, and checked his temperature. Noticing the heat, the leader turned angrily to the two men behind him.

"What did you do to make him so sick? It’s been an hour since he took the medicine, and it still hasn’t worked. If Medusa dies, you’ll die too. Do you understand me?"

He slammed the door angrily and left. Meanwhile, Bitch1 also gave Felix murderous glares.

"I told you to get well and not bother me, didn’t I?" Yoon stood in front of the man walking toward him. The other man whispered something angrily and left the room. Yoon followed immediately after him and came back a few minutes later with a plate of dinner. Felix closed his eyes in weakness and fatigue. Even if he couldn’t sleep, he could pretend to be asleep and ignore the man. It wasn’t too hard to fake sleep as his eyelids were so heavy that even if he wanted to open them, he couldn’t.

"Oh, my baby. Are you sick? What a pity. But Daddy will heal you. Come on, wake up so you can eat. I said wake up, stupid baby! You have to get well!!!"

Felix jumped at Yoon’s sudden shout. He looked at him with pleading eyes, but Yoon didn’t care and brought a spoonful of food to his mouth. After barely eating three bites, Yoon set the plate down and turned to Felix. He watched him for a long time as if trying to memorize his face. Feeling uncomfortable, Felix lowered his head and stared at the filthy floor. His head remained down until Yoon grabbed his face, stroking his cheeks from both sides, forcing him to look at him.

"Let me go," Felix whispered weakly.

"You’re so beautiful even when you’re sick. Your flushed face, bright eyes full of tears, swollen lips, and little nose are so perfectly matched with your freckles that I question your authenticity. You are very beautiful, Medusa. I must make you mine. Be mine only, save yourself for me."

As Yoon spoke and his face got closer to Felix's, Felix grew even more terrified. Yoon abruptly backed away as the noise from the door caught his attention. The duo listened curiously, not understanding what was happening. Felix suddenly felt a surge of energy when he heard Chan call for Hyunjin.

"Chan Hyung, Hyunjin, I’m here!" He shouted as loudly as he could.

Hyunjin opened the door to Felix's room right after, glaring into Yoon’s eyes without even looking at Felix. Felix was shocked to see Hyunjin’s blue glowing eyes, thinking it was a feverish hallucination.

"Did you see who Medusa is now, you idiot? What would you do if I ripped out your heart and watched you suffer helplessly while you were so clueless?" Hyunjin hissed, his voice sounding as if someone else was speaking inside him. He slowly approached Yoon, wrapped his hand around the man’s throat, and pressed him against the wall behind him, never taking his eyes off him.

"Hyunjin, let him go. I’m scared. I want to leave, please."

The moment Hyunjin heard Felix, he released the man and ran to the younger boy, gently wrapping his burning body in his arms. He covered Felix’s ears, ignoring the sounds behind him. The beast inside was hissing, telling him to kill the man on the ground. Although he felt the bitter taste of his poison in his mouth, he did nothing. Felix was his priority.

"Come on, let’s get you out of here."

Hyunjin didn’t expect to see such a sight as he took Felix under his arm and walked out the door. While Chan angrily beat the leader, the other man lay dead against the wall.

"Hyung, I got Felix, let’s get out of here."

All the members turned to him at Hyunjin’s voice, and when they saw Felix, the spark of anger in their eyes flashed with love. When they were all outside, the leader pointed to the car next to them. As Jisung turned to get the key from the leader’s pocket, he stopped when he saw the leader standing at the door with a gun in his hand.

"You can’t take him from me," the leader said, and a loud gunshot followed.

Before the boys knew what was happening, Changbin stepped forward. The transparent wall that formed when the gun was fired caused the bullet to ricochet and slam the leader against the wall. While everyone looked at each other in surprise, Changbin was happy for a moment to have found his power and been useful. He immediately took the key from the leader’s pocket and sat in the driver’s seat. After waiting for the members to get in, Chan started the car. He was thankful that the car was a big jeep. If it had been a small vehicle, it would have been difficult to fit them all.

Felix was stunned by the sight of his members in such terrible states before he could even be happy to have been saved. Had his family, with whom he sang and had fun, nearly killed people? Was this how things would work in this world? He knew those scumbags were horrible people, but seeing his members like this didn’t make him feel any better. He just wanted to think about how he was safe and rescued.

"We didn’t complete the mission. They’re not dead. Now what?" asked the youngest.

"I’m not sure, but all we need to think about right now is finding a safe place and looking for medicine for Lix. Let’s head back to town."

Felix more or less understood the situation after this short conversation, but his vision was starting to darken, and his head was spinning, which didn’t help him at all.

"Felix… Felix!!!"

The last thing he heard was Minho calling his name.

Chapter Text

Everyone turned anxiously at Minho's voice. Minho had sat down next to Felix, gently tapping his cheek to try and wake him up. Then, furrowing his brows, he placed his hand on his brother's forehead to check his temperature.

"Guys, his fever is high." Minho, usually calm, couldn't hide his concern over his brother's worsening condition.

"Take off his clothes, grab one of the water from the bag, and wet his shirt with it, then put it under Felix's armpits. I think that might help bring down the fever," Chan said calmly while speeding up the car. The pharmacy in town was nearby, and they were driving fast. No one was trying to panic. When they saw the dilapidated pharmacy, Chan stopped the car in front of it and immediately got out. The others followed him, searching the shelves for useful, intact, and familiar medicines, especially painkillers and cold medicines. When Seungmin returned to the car with his arms full of bandages, alcohol, and a first aid kit, he met Minho’s eyes.

“What? I just grabbed them as a precaution,” Seungmin shrugged.

“I’m proud of you,” Minho said in a motherly tone.

Their conversation was interrupted by a low moan from Felix. They couldn’t tell if he was saying something or just making incoherent sounds. He continued to turn his fever-flushed face from side to side, seemingly struggling. Thinking that Felix was having a nightmare, Minho cradled him in his arms and began to whisper in his ear.

“Shh, Felix, you’re just having a nightmare. We’re here. You’re okay. You’re safe.” He held Felix’s hand, giving it a gentle squeeze to make him feel his presence.

Felix slowly opened his eyes, looking around with a mix of curiosity and anxiety. When he finally saw the two members in front of him, tears began to roll down his cheeks. He clung to his brother, continuing to cry as he told them how much he had missed them. The others, who had rushed back inside, smiled sadly at the scene before them. Everything was okay; no one was missing, just as it should be. Before starting the car again, Chan asked Felix in his accented English if he was alright, and Felix honestly said he felt bad. Felix relaxed at the sound of the familiar accent and voice. Encouraged by the others, Felix drifted back to sleep. Chan continued driving calmly.

“We’ve never experienced anything like this before. One of us was kidnapped. I hope the effects don’t last long,” Jisung said, looking at his sleeping brother. His anger still hadn’t subsided as he remembered the man who had held Felix and their close encounter. He needed to distract himself, or the worst-case scenarios playing in his mind would consume him. “Thankfully, it’s over. I think it’s best if we don’t talk about it for a while. Look, there’s a big, sturdy house over there. Let’s get out and take a look.” Han continued chattering as he got out of the car.

Minho got out, carrying Felix in his arms so as not to lag. When they all entered the house, they were surprised at how clean it was. After the other houses they had seen, finding such a clean and sturdy place seemed impossible. Perhaps it had been left untouched because it was outside the town. This was the best and most comfortable place they could find at the moment. They checked all the rooms inside and made sure everything was in good condition. They guessed the house was located between two towns. Aside from being outside the town, they could quickly drive to a store. Additionally, there were no other houses in sight, which aligned with their desire not to encounter anyone else after what they had just been through.

“This place is quite good. I think we should stay here. If everyone agrees, let’s make this our permanent home. Does anyone object?” Seeing that no one answered negatively, the leader smiled slightly and nodded. He took Felix from Minho, carried him upstairs, and laid him down on the bed. The beds and some furniture in the rooms were still there, but it was obvious they hadn’t been used for a long time. In the future, they would search for bed sheets and covers at the market, as staying with these dusty items would cause allergies and make them sick. After making sure his brother was resting in a deep sleep, he quietly walked downstairs. The members were sitting in the living room, waiting for their leader.

“I laid him down in bed; he’s resting well, and we’ll give him his medicine when he wakes up.”

“Got it.”

“Before you came down, we made a plan to split into two groups and go to the store. What do you think?” Minho could see the change in the leader’s expression the moment he finished his sentence.

“Don’t be ridiculous! We split up last time and looked at Lix. I won’t let that happen again.”

“You’re not thinking right now, Chan. Are we supposed to take the whole group every time, even for something as simple as going to the store?”

“Yes, if necessary.”

“Chan, calm down first! Felix isn’t in any condition to go out right now, and we need to find food. What’s your plan? Drag him along with us in this state? Just think logically. You, Seungmin, Changbin, and I will go to town to check for supplies at the store. The others will stay here, clean up the house, and take care of Felix. Okay?”

“I don’t want to leave them behind.”

“Chan, they’ll be fine. You’ve seen their strength. Everyone found and used their abilities. Don’t underestimate them; they can protect themselves.”

“I’m not underestimating them, okay? I just… Ugh, fine, let’s get ready and head out so we don’t waste time.”

Everyone agreed quickly and prepared, and the market group piled into the car. The members who stayed behind got to work without waiting for the car to disappear. They washed the old clothes they found in the house and tried to clean up the dust and dirt around them. Luck was on their side; as impossible as it seemed, the water and electricity were still working. They guessed the house’s previous owners had installed water tanks and solar energy systems in the backyard because it was so far from the city. A short while later, Han said he was going to check on Felix and left. When he entered the room, the small one was awake and was looking around with low, tired eyes. Jisung placed the water and pills on the nightstand beside the bed.
"How are you feeling?" Han asked in a worried and quiet voice.

"I missed you."

Han chuckled affectionately at the response.

"So, you’re sick. That’s why I asked how you’re feeling. Do you have any pain or weakness?"

"I feel exhausted, and my muscles ache a lot. I missed you so much."

"We missed you too, Lixxie."

"I missed you so much."

When Jisung noticed that his brother was repeating the same thing, he realized his mind was foggy. The side effects of the fever were severe.

Unable to hold back his tears, Jisung hugged his brother tightly, but instead of a loving embrace, he was met with a harsh push. Before he could even understand what was happening, his brother started screaming.

"Don’t touch me, you jerk! Did you hear me? Let me go! I’m not Medusa; please, let me go!"

As soon as they heard the screams, Hyunjin and Jeongin ran into the room. When they entered, they saw Felix screaming and crying wildly while Jisung just stared at his twin in shock. Despite being shaken by the loud noise, Jeongin didn’t want to leave his brothers alone and went to Han’s side. Hyunjin quickly moved to hug Felix, but Jisung suddenly shouted.

"No, stop! He’s crying because I hugged him; don’t touch him." His voice was trembling.

Even though he didn’t fully understand what was happening, the tall one stepped back.

"Hey, Felix. It’s me, Hyunjin. Can you hear me, baby?"

"Don’t call me baby!!! Leave me alone; I’m not Medusa, and I’m not your baby. Let me go! Enough, I just want to leave."

Hyunjin turned to his shocked brothers. The child was crying quietly now. He saw the youngest’s uneasy and scared expression. Seeing the pain in everyone’s eyes, Hyunjin blamed himself. Those men were looking for Medusa, they had just kidnapped the wrong person. That’s why Felix was suffering now. Hyunjin looked at Felix again, who clearly wanted to get up and run but was too exhausted to do so. Hyunjin wished they had taken the right person.

"Jeongin, take Jisung to the living room; I’ll be right there."

After the two left the room and closed the door, Hyunjin carefully sat on the edge of the bed. He kept a respectful distance, close enough to comfort Felix but far enough not to invade his space. The younger one was still crying and begging. Watching him suffer was heartbreaking.

"Felix, it’s me, Hyunjin. Hwang Hyunjin from Stray Kids. We found you, and now you’re with us, with your family. I’m here with you. You’re safe."

Calmed by Hyunjin’s voice, Felix let out a small cry before just sighing. Hyunjin patiently waited until Felix fully calmed down, then handed him the medicine and water beside him.

"If you’re feeling better now, I’ll give you your medicine so you can heal quickly. Okay?"

Felix slowly nodded. He carefully took the medicine and drank the water. After swallowing the pill, he lay down and closed his eyes. Although Hyunjin was surprised that he fell asleep so quickly, he understood. This was better for now. After checking on him one last time, Hyunjin went downstairs.

"I think he had a panic attack. One downside of being idols is that we’re used to this, but I’ve never seen Felix like this. He even rejected our support; he’s usually the one who wants it the most. How did this happen? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not blaming you, but did something you said cause this? I’m just trying to understand what happened."

"I just hugged him, and he suddenly lost it. Don’t look at me like that. I’m serious."

"I believe you. But we all know how much Felix loves hugs. I’m just surprised."

"One of the men grabbed him when we were searching the place before we rescued him. He caressed Felix’s face, and Felix tried to pull away, but the man got too close. If you hadn’t arrived… He was so close to kissing Felix, and Felix couldn’t escape. I just stood there. I should have gone sooner. I should have found him earlier and protected my twin; it’s all my fault." Initially speaking in a trembling voice, by the end, his breath was hitching. Hyunjin and Jeongin were filled with rage, but their priority now was to prevent Jisung from having a panic attack. Jisung showed the difficulties of being an idol this way. That’s why they had learned how to calm him down over the years, though it hadn’t happened in a long time.

"Jisung, calm down. Felix is fine and safe. What happened before wasn’t our fault. He just reacted strongly because of his fever, but he’ll be better once it goes down. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"Felix is sleeping peacefully. Would you like to rest with him?"

"Yes, but will that be a problem? When he wakes up."

"I’ll stay with you, and I’ll take care of him when he wakes up, so there won’t be an issue."

With a small nod, Jisung got up, and they walked to Felix’s room together. When they entered and saw their brother sleeping peacefully, Jisung felt relieved. He checked Felix’s temperature before curling up on the bed, and when he felt it had gone down, his worries eased, and he lay down. The bed was big, so there was space between him and his brother, which he hoped would make him feel safe.

"His fever has gone down."

"That’s good. Now get some rest; I’m going downstairs to clean the kitchen with Jeongin so the others won’t be upset when they come back."
The child smiled and closed his eyes. After making sure that both were asleep, he went back downstairs, called the maknae, and they began cleaning the cupboards in the kitchen.

They carefully picked up the broken glass and plates. The house was in decent condition, but some of the furniture was damaged, and the cabinet doors had swung open as if there had been a major earthquake. When they finished cleaning the kitchen, they noticed the pantry room next to it. Inside, a small spice rack had toppled over.

"Oh no! Why does this cleanup never end? Did we have an earthquake or something? Why is this cabinet on the floor?" Hyunjin, still in shock, covered his mouth as he looked on, while Jeongin continued to grumble. The younger one glanced at his brother, rolled his eyes, and began sweeping up the spilled spices they had found. They cleaned up the area and put the cabinet back in its place. Finally, as they sprawled out on the opposing couches in the living room, they looked at each other when they heard the door open. Chan walked in with a full bag, and they both let out a sigh of relief.

"Hey, was the cleanup exhausting?"

"Are you kidding! I’d rather dance nonstop for two days."

The others laughed, left what they were holding in the kitchen, and returned to the living room. They all looked tired, but their faces were filled with pride for having completed their tasks.

"How was your supply run?"

"Ah, exhausting. We discovered another town; it was far, but the market there was in better condition, so we were able to find a lot of supplies. How was Felix?"

"A complete disaster. When Jisung went to give him his medicine, Lix had a panic attack. Then, after we calmed him down and got him to bed, Jisung almost had another attack because he was blaming himself. Luckily, we calmed him down quickly. They’re both resting upstairs now." As he summarized quickly, the eyes of the other four members widened with worry, making him chuckle.

"Calm down; they’re fine now and sleeping."

"I understand Jisung, but why did Lix have an attack?"

Jeongin looked at his older brother at Seungmin’s question. Realizing he wouldn’t be left alone, he began to speak.

"Jisung Hyung saw one of the men get a little too close to Lixxie Hyung that day. Even though Lix Hyung likes physical contact, having his kidnappers do that must have affected him badly."

"Bastards! They were already crazy. There was an idiot who called Felix 'baby' and declared himself his father. I’m trying to stay calm, but it’s really hard."

“Changbin, did you feel that too, that day?"

"What?"

"It was like there was someone else inside me. A monster. A monster that was telling me to tear them apart and throw them away."

Hyunjin’s words brought a sense of calm to everyone. Thinking about it now, they all realized they had felt it. Chan had said a moment ago that he wouldn’t do it, yet he had beaten the man almost to death that day. That’s why Changbin found the strength. Hyunjin was like a robot at that moment, entirely focused on killing. If Felix hadn’t stopped him, he would have pierced that man’s throat with his fingers. Hyunjin shuddered at the thought.

"Scary."

"Yeah, so let’s not think about that for now and get dinner ready. I’m hungry. Plus, the twins need to eat when they wake up."

"Minho’s right. Let’s head to the kitchen."

Chapter Text

When Felix woke up, he felt much better. Noticing someone beside him, he turned to look with sudden tension but relaxed upon seeing the familiar chipmunk cheeks. A peaceful smile spread across his face. He was with his members. He was safe now. Trying not to wake the person next to him, he gently wrapped his arms around them. He had missed this feeling, this familiar scent so much… He realized he might have gone a bit overboard with his desire to hug his brother when he noticed the slight grumble of discomfort from the sleeping boy. Instead of letting go, he hugged more gently and closed his eyes peacefully. But before falling asleep, he sensed his brother waking up.

Jisung opened his eyes in surprise when he saw that the weight around his waist was Felix's arms as if he hadn't been the one having a panic attack just a few hours earlier because of the same thing.

"Hey?" Jisung remained cautious.

"Hey. I missed you. I guess that's why I hugged you a little too tight. I'm sorry I woke you up."

"Well, it's okay. I was just surprised. I mean, after what happened earlier... you know... I didn't expect this."

"Jisung, relax. Also, I don't understand why you're surprised. I've been stuck with three maniacs for days, and you can't imagine how much I missed you, and now you're surprised that I'm hugging you."

"Don't you remember what happened yesterday?"

"Oh, I remember bits and pieces. I guess I passed out. But I know that you saved me, and now I'm here."

"I see... Felix, can I hug you?"

"I've been hugging you for about 15 minutes. You don't even need to ask. I'd be so happy."

Jisung hugged the little freckled boy so tightly that Felix thought his bones might break, but he didn't say a word. Now, both of them were holding each other tightly and silently crying. Chan, who was trying to quietly open the door, smiled when he saw that they were awake.

"Group hug!" The weight of the leader jumping onto them made the duo cry out in surprise. Their brothers quickly joined in, pulling the smaller ones into a comforting embrace. Knowing they were safe made Chan the happiest. Even though Felix seemed okay, Chan checked his temperature to be sure and was relieved to find it normal.

"Come on, get up! They're waiting for us to eat, and we don't want to deal with a hungry Changbin."

Helping Felix, the three of them headed downstairs, where five heads turned towards them at once. Felix chuckled softly at the sight and slowly made his way to the table. Although the meat dish Minho placed in front of him reminded him of the meat he was forced to eat by that witch, he didn't want to think about it now, not while he was with his members.

As he quietly ate, he couldn't stop the memories from flooding his mind. He had escaped from that lunatic, but not entirely. Ten minutes had passed since he stopped eating, and Felix was still drowning in his thoughts.

"Hey, Felix. Are you okay?"

Hyunjin's voice brought him back, and he turned to the long-haired boy. He looked into his eyes. As they silently gazed at each other, Hyunjin tried to figure out what was going on. Felix flinched at a sudden memory and extended his fork like a weapon to defend himself, quickly backing up against the wall.

"Who are you? What are you?" He continued to hold the fork out, pressing himself tightly against the wall.

Everything had happened so quickly that the others didn't know what was going on. They weren't yet used to their brothers' sudden outbursts.

"What are you talking about? It's me, Hyunjin." The disappointment in Hyunjin's eyes was so intense that Felix almost believed him.

"Lies! I remember. I remember your eyes. You were going to kill those bastards. You attacked like a monster. You were terrifying." Felix was muttering as if he were talking to himself.

"Felix, look, we didn't understand it either, okay? I've never raised a hand to anyone before, you know that. At that moment, it was like I was being controlled, and I was so angry that I couldn't hold back. We just wanted to get you back from those bastards. I guess our powers are directly proportional to our emotions. Hyunjin couldn't control himself, but the only reason was that he wanted to protect you. Trust me."

Chan spoke calmly, trying to soothe his brother. He understood him; this was something difficult for them to go through, and since seeing his members again, he hadn't been able to express his emotions properly. It was normal for him to let his feelings out now that his mind was clear.

"Channie Hyung, I'm so scared."

Chan knew what was coming from his brother's trembling voice and stepped towards him. The moment Felix was embraced by his brother, he started to sob. The tears in Chan's eyes also succumbed to gravity. He would break down when any harm came to his members. The others joined in, hugging the pair and crying as well. They were all experiencing a whirlwind of emotions. They had suddenly woken up in an absurd universe, a ghost-like figure was giving them ridiculous tasks, and one of them had been kidnapped. This emotional moment was very normal for all of them.

"Alright, Felix. I understand your fear, and you're right. I was scared too, but now we're together, and we're all safe, right?"

Felix quickly nodded and wiped his teary eyes. He tried to force a reluctant smile on his members and hugged them tightly. Five minutes later, the dark clouds hanging over them dispersed with Jisung's scream as he complained about Minho touching his butt.

"Come on, baby, finish your food so I can give you your medicine."

Felix turned to Seungmin. "Please don't call me baby for a while. It makes me uncomfortable." Felix used to love it when the 00s called each other baby, but right now, just hearing that word made him feel sick.

"Of course. Whatever makes you comfortable." The understanding smile from the younger made Felix feel better. He had feared that his little brother would be upset if he warned him.

They all returned to the table and finished their meals. Each one was secretly checking to see if Felix was eating, though they were unaware that they were being obvious. Felix noticed but didn't mind because feeling that his members cared for him made him happy, just like before. When the meal was over, Seungmin gave Felix the necessary medicine. Although he was much better than the previous night, his face was still swollen and red, and he had nausea that signaled he was still sick. They all sat together, reminiscing about good memories. When the conversation turned to superpowers, Changbin excitedly got up from the couch and made a speech congratulating himself for discovering his power. They were happy together.

"We laughed, we had fun, but now it's time to get serious. We're going to have a meeting about settling in. As you know, we don't know how long we'll be staying here, so I made a few plans in my head. First, I have an idea about food. If we can find seeds, we can plant them in the backyard between the house and the forest. We'll have fresh food, and we won't have to go to town as often or move when our supplies run out."

"That makes sense, but we need to find fresh vegetable and fruit seeds for that. I wish we could see an animal, maybe a cow; we could store its milk and then cook a delicious meal. I doubt canned meat is healthy," Minho sighed, looking at the meat dish in front of him.

"How could you slaughter the animal you've raised? You're horrible."

"Hyunjin! 20 minutes at 180 degrees, okay?"

"Oh, okay."

Hyunjin hugged the youngest member beside him and whispered in his ear that he was in danger. As Jeongin laughed, Minho glared at them.

"Anyway. Tomorrow, we'll go and see if we can find what we need for our mini-farm. Then we'll visit the town across the way and look around. Maybe we'll find something useful. We need to make trips for a few days to stock up on basic supplies."

They all agreed and yawned from the day's exhaustion. When the members said they were about to go to sleep, Felix stopped them and stood up.

"Can we sleep together tonight?" He wasn't sure if he could sleep alone.

"Oh, of course, sweetheart. There was a closet upstairs with thick blankets. We can spread them out on the floor." Changbin quickly went upstairs and came back down a while later with blankets in his muscular arms. They all prepared their beds together, finished the task, and fell asleep from exhaustion. The eight children, hugging the member beside them, slept peacefully, unaware of the silhouette watching them from the window. The unknown man left with a small smile.

Chapter Text

Chan tried to understand the intense energy he felt upon waking up. He couldn't quite describe it, but it was something he had last experienced when they received their first awards – the taste of accomplishment. But why was he feeling this way now? He wondered if asking Seungmin might provide some answers. For now, he chose to ignore the feeling.

When all the members were awake, Felix was the last to get up. He was tightly hugging Minho, preventing him from getting up. Minho's struggle to avoid being suffocated made the others laugh. It was like watching two cats pounce on each other. Of course, the big cat won with just a look, and Felix, once awake, clung even tighter to his brother, begging to continue sleeping together. Minho couldn't resist him. As Chan watched the duo, he saw the others laughing; everyone was happy. He felt the energy within him growing; it was palpable.

"Seungmin, let's prepare breakfast together."

Seungmin quickly got up and followed his older brother.

"Is something wrong? You look thoughtful."

"Oh no... I mean, yes. This energy is building up inside me, and it's getting stronger. If you know anything about it, will you tell me?"

"I had a dream last night. There was a silhouette watching us as we slept, then it smiled at me and said, 'Energy nourished by love cannot be destroyed; lovelessness can even kill immortals,' and then it disappeared. Could it be related to that?"

"I don't know, maybe. Time will tell what it meant. Let’s leave it for now."

Meanwhile, the last two to wake up were arguing about the rule that whoever wakes up last has to make the bed and tidy up.

"I understand Minho, but why must I clean up too? I was the second to wake up, not the last one," Changbin's protesting voice amused the others.

"Because Felix is sick, so his favorite hyung should take on the task."

"He's your twin; you do it."

"Just shut up and do your job, little pig."

"Oh, I'm going to kill you, big squirrel. Don’t run, come here."

During breakfast, the endless noise and hustle continued. When all the members were together, they were never quiet. It was exhausting but beautiful.

"If breakfast is over, let's make a plan. As we discussed before, agriculture and security are our priorities. We need to take action today."

"Changbin, Minho, Hyunjin, and I will search for supplies. Those who stay home should reinforce the garden fence with the iron wires we found in the warehouse," said Chan, joining Jeongin.

After getting the leader’s approval, the groups split up. Chan sent his team to a place they had never been before. The town was sturdier than those they had seen before, but also gloomier. Yet unexpectedly, they found a plant shop where they could get everything they needed. The sign of the large wooden cabin had fallen to the ground. The name etched by hand seemed to be the name of the shop owner: Nina's Garden. The shop and backyard, once full of colorful flowers and fresh plants, were now filled with dry weeds that hadn’t been watered for a long time. But when they found seeds and samples in the broken-down warehouse, their dwindling hope was rekindled. Just a week ago, they were preparing for a concert, singing joyfully on stage, but now they were struggling to survive. Life was complicated, but not as much as those silhouettes. Chan wondered whether these silhouettes were good or bad or if they had to complete the tasks assigned to them. How would this incomplete task affect them?

"Guys, after getting the seeds and tools, I saw a market sign ahead; let’s check it out too. We’ll take a quick look and head home."

"Got it, captain." Changbin saluted jokingly like a sailor.

"Oh, misfit. Maybe we should’ve left you with the kids too?" Minho spoke with a smug smile.

"Nobody loves me in this group."

Chan lifted Changbin and pressed his finger to his cheek. The younger one tried to resist laughing, but who could resist their sweet leader?

"I love you, walrus," said Chan and ran off.

"Ohhhhh seriously!"

Meanwhile, the group at home was busy wrapping the iron wires around the fences. Everyone was seriously focused on their work because this task was not easy at all. First of all, there were sharp points on the wire. Secondly, the wire was both thick and long, so wrapping it around the fences was quite challenging. But when they looked at the areas they had finished, they saw that their efforts had paid off. Considering that the house was in the forest, it was clear that no wild animals or unconscious people could enter the house. There wasn’t much they could do about those who thought of using the door for now, but they planned to create a more secure area in the future.

Felix was bored at home, so he wanted to help the others, but Jisung clearly stated that he wouldn’t allow him to do any work that required strength. While his brothers dealt with the wires, Felix handed them the necessary tools or tied the iron fences together to make them stronger.

Jeongin, while working on the last row of wires, pulled back with a small whimper. Hiding his bleeding hand with the other, he gave an embarrassed smile to his brothers, who suddenly stopped their work and turned to him.

"It’s okay, I just grabbed the sharp part without noticing."

Seungmin quickly went to his younger brother and gently took his hand. When he saw the bleeding palm, he looked at him with concern.

"Don’t be careless! Look at your hand; it’s a deep cut."

"Okay, I’m sorry. It doesn’t hurt."

"I’m not asking for an apology; I just don’t want to see any of you getting hurt anymore. Be careful, that’s all."

"Okay, I’ll finish here with Felix; you go inside, check the first aid kits, and wrap Jeongin’s hand." Han quickly intervened, understanding Seungmin’s concern and wanting to prevent an outburst.

Seungmin nodded and quickly went inside, holding Jeongin's hand to stop the bleeding.

When the twins were left alone again, Felix touched his brother's shoulder and smiled supportively, while Han told him he would take care of the little ones after finishing the wire work. But seeing Felix's excited smile, he looked at him curiously.

"What? Why are you smiling?" He now looked like a squirrel whose nuts had suddenly been taken away.

"Nothing, it’s just that your big brother attitude is so sweet. It makes me feel like we’re not the same age."

"I’m your big brother anyway, baby."

Before Felix could get hung up on the word 'baby,' Han immediately ruffled his hair and pulled him under his arm. I guess he was back to normal now; when the members called him baby, he was very different from that man. Even though he knew this from the beginning, his brain still gave him the image of that man, but now he was better. Jisung’s sincerity wrapped around Felix affectionately, not giving him time to remember bad memories.

Chapter Text

Chan excitedly called out to the others when he saw the vegetable and flower seeds, gardening tools, and large bags of soil he found in the back of the warehouse. This was honestly an unexpected stroke of luck. By following the instructions on the seed boxes, they could plant in their small area. They just needed to gather and store necessities from the city until the vegetables they planted grew. One of the reasons Chan liked the idea of a small garden was that he thought it would help reduce the members' stress by giving them a new activity. It also strengthened their hopes.

“We can be little gardeners now.”

“Hyunjin seems to like that.”

“I’ve always loved flowers. Maybe this could become a new hobby for me.”

“Then we’ll leave this task entirely to you. I don’t want to deal with soil.”

Changbin continued teasing Hyunjin playfully. Meanwhile, Minho had already grabbed one of the large bags.

“Hurry up, so we can take these home. I don’t want the maknae line to stay home alone much longer.”

“Home... You’re right, we need to get home.” Hyunjin couldn’t help but wonder whether it was good or bad that they were adjusting to this world so quickly, but he knew they needed to survive. It was just scary. They didn’t know how long they would be here. Worst of all, it wasn’t even certain that they could go back. The missions were hard and with everything so terrifying...

Once the four of them gathered their belongings, they wasted no time and began walking toward the store whose sign they had spotted. They also grabbed some canned goods and drinks they found at the store, and with their hands full, they started the journey back home. After passing through the ruined town, they had to follow a forest trail for a while, but before reaching the forest, Minho heard a noise.

“Quiet! I heard something.”

Everyone fell silent and listened carefully. They did hear something coming from the back road of the town in the opposite direction.

“Should we check it out?”

“Absolutely not!”

Just as Chan responded to Hyunjin’s question, a painful meowing sound silenced them again.

“We’re checking it out. I swear I heard a cat. That means there are animals here.” Minho quickly set down the items he was carrying and started heading toward the sound. Chan told the others to stay behind, put down his things, and followed Minho.

“I know your weakness for cats, but could you walk a little slower?”

Minho gave him a look but kept walking at the same pace. Both of them soon realized that the sound wasn’t just a cat; it was also a man speaking.

“Filthy monster! Filthy monster, die!”

The man was both grumbling and throwing small rocks at the cat. As Minho rushed toward the scene, a dog beat him to it, barking loudly at the man and standing protectively in front of the injured cat. This time, the man screamed even louder and ran behind the ruined buildings. Minho was about to chase after the creep when Chan grabbed him by the arm.

“Calm down! Don’t waste time going after that lunatic, the cat is injured.”

When Minho turned back to the cat, he saw the dog standing defensively in front of it, ready to attack.

“Hey, calm down, buddy. We’re just here to help. We won’t hurt you.”

The dog waited a few more minutes to make sure there was no threat, then slowly lay down next to the injured cat, resting its head on the cat. The friendship between the cat and dog warmed their hearts, but they had to hurry.

“Chan, we can’t leave them. We need to check the injury.”

“You’re right. I’ll take the dog, and you grab the cat. Let’s take them home so we can properly take care of the wound.”

Chan approached the dog slowly and reassuringly. The dog must have been tired, as it only let out a weak sound and allowed Chan to pet its head gently. As if understanding, the dog moved away from the cat, allowing Minho to pick it up. As they quickly retraced their steps, the dog followed them.

“Hey, what’s this? Did you find a cat?”

“Hyung, you are a cat magnet.”

While Changbin and Hyunjin found the situation amusing at first, they immediately fell silent when they noticed the cat was injured. They picked up their items, and the group started heading home.

“We caught a man throwing rocks at it. He seemed insane. He kept screaming ‘monster, monster.’”

“Isn’t there a single decent person here?”

“I think they’ve all gone mad.”

“You’re probably right.”

When the four of them returned home, they saw the iron fence and wires surrounding the garden. For now, it looked secure. As they passed through the gate between the iron bars, Jisung greeted them.

“Hyung, you found the seeds! That’s perfect. Wait a minute, a cat and a dog? Are there animals here?”

“Yes, we were just as surprised as you. Come on, let’s go inside.”

At first, the dog refused to enter and stood still, but as soon as Minho entered with the cat, the dog immediately followed.

When they got inside, Felix was lying on the couch, resting. Seungmin and Jeongin were sitting on another couch, chatting.

“Hey, we’re back.”

After catching the others' attention, Minho asked Chan to bring the first aid supplies they had found.

“Oh, Hyung, we have a cat? He’s so cute. Is he hurt? How did he get injured?” Felix had gotten up from the couch and petted the cat in Minho’s arms.

“A man was throwing rocks at it, calling it a monster, and hit its leg. The dog was protecting it. We brought them both home to heal them and keep them safe.”

“Hyung, can they stay with us?” Jeongin was pulling the dog closer to him, turning his pleading eyes toward the leader.

“Alright, but first we need to treat them and give them time to get used to us. Otherwise, they might get scared and run away.” Chan said, setting down the items beside Minho.

While gently petting the cat’s head with one hand, Minho checked its injured leg with the other. The wound wasn’t too large, but there were scratches where the rock had hit, and the skin was irritated. It was clear it hurt. He cleaned the wound and bandaged it carefully so as not to bother the cat. Luckily, the cat was incredibly calm and didn’t resist. Minho knew his cats would have bitten the bandage off by now. The dog, too, had rested its head on the couch next to Minho, watching the cat closely.

“All done. Now let’s let them sleep and rest, and we’ll take a look at the seeds we found.” He gently laid the cat down on the couch.

“But we need to name them!” Han shouted excitedly.

The dog turned toward the sudden noise and barked once. Getting the message, Jisung lowered his voice and laughed.

“Yes, Jisung is right. Let’s name them first.”

“How about Soju and Kimchi?”

“Changbin, we’re not naming them after the things you miss!”

“It could’ve been cute!”

“Hmmm… How about Shine? I don’t know, the cat’s yellow fur made me think of sunshine.” Seungmin suggested.

“Oh, that’s so cute. Let’s call him Shine.”

“Then the dog should have a positive name too.” Everyone agreed with Jeongin.

“Hope? Or Love?”

“For such a big, black dog, that’s a bit too sweet. He’s more like Changbin-hyung.” Felix chirped.

“I can always be your Love,” Changbin winked, and Felix scrunched up his face before offering a shy smile.

“Shine and Hope… Shine and Love. Ah, which one sounds better?” They all tried combining the names to see which matched.

“I think I’ll cast my vote for Love Shine,” Jeongin offered his opinion.

“Oh yes, Love Shine. I like that,” Jisung agreed, and the others all approved, deciding on the names.

“Alright, now everyone except the cats and Love to the kitchen. We need to assign tasks and plant the seeds as soon as possible,” Minho took charge.

“The cats?”

“Felix and Shine. That’s my little kitten,” Minho said affectionately. Hyunjin immediately noticed Felix’s smile fade slightly.

“Felix, is something wrong?”

“Well… I just thought… maybe I don’t need to rest.”

“Are you sure? Felix, if we don’t talk about what’s bothering you, we won’t be able to help. We have to support each other, so please, tell us what’s bothering you.” Hyunjin spoke gently, sitting beside Felix and giving his hand a reassuring squeeze.

“It’s ridiculous. I don’t want to react to every little thing. It’s annoying.”

“I understand. But Hyunjin’s right. If we want to move past this, we need to talk and find solutions,” Chan added, joining the conversation.

“When you guys say things like that, I don’t mind, I even like it. But when they said those things, it made me feel sick. It wasn’t the same. But now, even when you say it, I unintentionally go back to those moments, and it bothers me.” Felix spoke while looking down, avoiding the others’ reactions because he knew their eyes were red. He knew they weren’t angry with him,

but he didn’t want to see them upset.

“Felix, what you’re feeling is so normal. You were so strong during that time, and you still are. Now, can you tell us exactly what nicknames or behaviors made you uncomfortable?”

“I guess there are a few things, not a lot. When they called me baby, kitten, beauty, or my Medusa, it made me uncomfortable. It was like they kept attaching a sense of ownership to me, and that was unsettling. Also, sudden or unexpected touches make me anxious.”

As Felix continued to add new things after some thought, the others were filled with both anger and sadness. The things he used to love were now part of his list of discomforts.

“Felix, I’m so sorry,” Hyunjin said, his eyes filled with tears.

“Hey! I’m with you now, and I know I’m safe. It’s just... you know, they were a bit terrifying.”

“I know.”

Minho jumped in. “From now on, we’ll be mindful of those triggers. And if you ever feel uncomfortable, you’ll tell us right away, okay?”

“Okay,” Felix agreed with a frown.

“Hey! Why the long face?”

“Because I didn’t like this. I loved the nicknames you gave me, and I don’t want to push you away.”

“Felix, you’re not pushing anyone away. We’ll act however you’re comfortable with. Just tell us what you need.”

“Let’s just act like we normally do. Sometimes I might need a bit of time, but I promise I’ll be okay. And if I ever feel terrible, I’ll tell you right away. Deal?”

“Of course, Felix,” Hyunjin replied.

When Felix raised an eyebrow and gave him a warning look, a small smile escaped Hyunjin.

“Of course, my angel,” Hyunjin corrected himself.

“I like that. It feels more normal. The more you guys say it, the more those other memories fade away. Thank you.”

“We love you, Felix.”

“I love you guys too.”

Chapter Text

Minho woke up that morning, feeling a familiar sting on his nose as he turned over. His heart filled with compassion when he saw the cat looking at him with innocent eyes. He quickly reached out to pet it, smiling at the content purr. After playing with Shine for a while, he headed to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. The day had started well, and he hoped it would continue that way.

As the members gradually woke up and got ready, life returned to its routine. Some of them went out to explore the world, while others tended to the house and garden. Routine and order felt safe.

After everyone, including the animals, had their breakfast, Jisung ran out to the garden, picked up a stick, and began playing with Hope. Minho and Felix were busy with Shine, while the others prepared supplies for patrol. The weather was beautiful.

Chan leaned back slightly in his chair and began to speak. "Let’s organize our tasks for today. Everyone should have something to do. Minho and Felix, you're on kitchen duty. Check the vegetables in the garden and prepare something with them."

Minho silently nodded. Felix, sitting beside him, blinked and smiled. "Great! If we find some spices, we can make the meals more enjoyable!" he said cheerfully.

Chan turned to the others and continued. "Changbin, you’re coming with me to explore. There seems to be a gas station nearby. We need to check it out. Sungmin and Jeongin, take care of Shine and Love. Play with them or give them some exercise. Han and Hyunjin, handle the cleaning and organizing of the house, especially the living room. It’s still a mess."

When everything was ready, Hyunjin interjected, suggesting that Chan and Changbin take a break for the day. Though they initially protested, they eventually agreed. They were always the ones going outside and needed a break. So, they reorganized the groups, deciding that the 00-liners would go out instead.

"Be very careful. If you sense the slightest danger, stop gathering supplies and come back home. The most important thing is that you stay safe, alright?"

"Yes, Daddy," Felix replied, imitating a high-pitched voice.

Before Chan could respond, the kids opened the garden gate and stepped out.

"See you later, Daddy," Jisung said, bumping fists with Felix as they laughed like mischievous kids.

Chan watched them until they disappeared from sight. When he returned to the house, he stared blankly at the others for a while.

"Do you think it was a mistake letting them go out together? I can’t help but worry."

"They’ll take care of themselves. Let’s head to the garden," Minho said, breaking the somber mood.

"Hyung, could you come here?" Jeongin called out.

They rushed over. "What’s wrong? Are you okay?"

"I’m fine, no problem. I just found a box in one of the rooms. Take a look; it’s full of photos and notes."

After Jeongin’s words, Chan immediately inspected the box’s contents. Inside were photos of an elderly couple smiling. The passage of time was evident, as the pictures transitioned from black-and-white to color. However, only the two of them were in the pictures. In the last photo, taken in the garden of their current house, the man stands proudly, smiling at his wife, who holds his arm and smiles at the camera. Despite their age, they both look healthy.

Minho picked up the notes and realized they were part of a diary. The woman had written regularly, starting from the day she met her husband. She wrote about her love for him every day and documented their lives together in the house they eventually bought. Their family was just the two of them, but they never felt alone because they had each other.
As they skimmed through the heartfelt entries, Changbin noticed something strange in the later pages. The woman, who had been writing about the beauty of their lives, suddenly described the world turning into a horrifying place. This caught everyone’s attention.

On the page they were reading, everything seemed normal until one day when she wrote that all the people in the world had gone mad and turned into monsters, though no one knew why. As they continued reading, she described a toxic gas that occasionally spread across the world, making everyone who inhaled it go savage.

The elderly woman and her husband had struggled to survive. In her last entry, she wrote once again about how much she loved her husband and how, since they always wanted to be together, they planned to hold hands and step outside to disappear together when the gas came again. The four of them were deeply moved as they read these notes, sitting in silence for a while to let the emotions pass.

"That was emotional. Also, there are notes in the box about how to grow certain plants; these could be useful," Jeongin said.

"Yes. She mentioned that using large pots is more practical than planting directly in the garden. It might be for easier relocation. Let’s head down to the garden."

As they went to the garden, they carried large pots, soil, and seeds. Following the notes, they planted the seeds, prioritizing fast-growing vegetables.

While the ’00 line was walking through the upper town’s streets, Seungmin suddenly stopped.

“Task. Complete it. Kill or be killed. You can’t escape this.”
Seungmin’s eyes fluttered open as he gasped for air as if emerging from a trance.

“That silhouette says we won’t leave this place unless we complete the task. Eventually, we’ll have to do it.”

“This is ridiculous! They’re already in a bad condition—”

Jisung’s words were cut off as Felix suddenly gestured for silence. His eyes darted quickly to the building on the right, and everything happened in an instant. Felix threw himself in front of Jisung, yelling “No!” as the gunshot echoed. It was as if his heightened sixth sense was less a gift and more a magnet for danger.

Yoon emerged, his expression a mix of pain and twisted pleasure. No one cared about him as the three focused on Felix.

“I knew it, haha, baby. I knew you’d jump in front of him. I’m sorry, but if you won’t be mine, you’ll die. You should’ve just come with me; we could’ve escaped and been happy, but you chose this ending.”

Hyunjin immediately lifted his head, locking his sharp gaze on the man. What had he said? What had he done?

Hyunjin’s sharp gaze locked onto Yoon. Fury burned in his eyes. He didn’t break eye contact for a second. Yoon saw the hatred in his gaze. No, he wasn’t Medusa yet, but even as Hwang Hyunjin, the fire in his eyes was clear.

“You. Are. Dead. Now.”

Now, standing before him was Medusa. Yoon wasn’t afraid because Felix was already gone. All he wanted was for his “baby” to die, and he hurriedly prepared to end himself.

“You stole my baby!” Yoon screamed in agony but didn’t finish his sentence.

“I won’t kill you until you beg me to erase the word ‘baby’ from your mind.”
Hyunjin realized that his Medusa powers didn’t just petrify people. Yoon felt a numbing sensation crawling up from his legs. His body turned to stone. Hyunjin, filled with rage, kicked his now-stone hand. Yoon screamed in pain as his hand shattered into pieces. Hyunjin laughed bitterly. But the sharp sound of a groan behind him made him turn immediately.

Seungmin ran to find a pharmacy while Jisung pressed his jacket against Felix’s wound.

“Be grateful for no time; otherwise, I’d have made you beg me to kill you,” Hyunjin snarled. He grabbed a metal rod from the bag and smashed Yoon’s stone form to pieces before stepping over it. One-third of the mission was now complete.

When he returned to his brothers, Hyunjin froze at the sight of Felix’s injury. The Medusa instincts that had suppressed his fear and worry now gave way to raw, unfiltered emotion.

“Felix, you’re going to be fine. Please hold on.”

His brother whimpered softly in response. When Seungmin returned with bandages and supplies, they quickly made space.

Jisung pulled Felix’s shirt up to reveal a profusion of blood. Felix had been shot in the left side of his abdomen. With trembling hands, Seungmin dropped the supplies onto the jacket he’d spread out. Now what were they supposed to do?

“Is the bullet still inside?”

“I don’t know. What did you find?”

“I think I got everything we need." Jisung had always wanted to be a doctor as a child, watching countless surgery videos. But this was too much. He’d never been affected by those videos, yet now, his twin’s bloody state churned his stomach. Still, it was clear he needed to check for the bullet and dress the wound. Oh, and stitch it—but he didn’t want to think about that part yet.

“We need to remove the bullet, stitch him up, and wrap it tightly, but we don’t have a doctor or a sterile environment. If this goes south—I mean, why, why did this have to happen?” Jisung muttered.

“We should tell the hyungs,” Hyunjin suggested.

“And then what? Are they going to come here and stitch him up? We don’t have time to wait.” Seungmin’s voice was sharper than he intended.

“It hurts,” Felix whispered, his voice a mix of a groan and a plea.

“I know, Felix. You’ll be okay,” Jisung said softly.

Taking a deep breath, Jisung grabbed the items he thought might help. When he poured the alcohol-infused water over the wound, Felix’s pained gasp cut through the air.

Jisung immediately looked at Hyunjin, while Seungmin turned away, unable to bear the sound.

“Freeze him,” Jisung demanded, his tone harsh.

“What?!” Hyunjin responded, shocked.

“Freeze Felix. I’m not saying turn him to stone, just numb him. Stop the pain. Don’t you get it?”

“We don’t even know if my ability works like that. I don’t have full control over it yet. Do you really think I’d risk it?”

“This is going to hurt like hell, idiot. I don’t care; your ability has to work. It has to.”

Without further argument, Hyunjin knelt beside Felix and looked into his tearful eyes. He held the gaze for two seconds, certain it had worked.
“I think he’s frozen. But I don’t know if he’s numb. I hope he is.”

Jisung took a deep breath, trying to steady his trembling hands, and silently got to work. If someone had told him he’d one day be pulling a bullet out of his brother in the middle of the street and stitching him up, he would’ve laughed. But this nightmare was painfully real. Somehow, despite his lack of technical knowledge, he successfully extracted the bullet. Grateful that Felix remained in a deep sleep, Jisung cleaned the wound and moved to the part he had dreaded most.

“Sewing up your twin in the middle of a dystopian street. What a life,” Jisung thought bitterly as he finished bandaging Felix’s abdomen with Hyunjin’s help.

Felix lay unconscious. As soon as Jisung finished, he staggered to his feet, trembling and gasping for breath. He couldn’t shake the surreal feeling of what had just happened.

Hyunjin cradled Felix’s head, whispering to his brother as he waited for him to wake. Like a tiger on high alert, Hyunjin’s head snapped up at the sound of running footsteps. His sharp gaze softened as he realized it was the hyungs. They were safe.

Chapter Text

"Felix!!!" Chan screamed in pain. Seeing sunlight covered in blood was harder than he had imagined.

"He’s okay… I think," Hyunjin said quietly.

"Did you… freeze him?"

"He was in pain. But now he looks like a mummy. I’m sure he’ll return, but he’s in a deep sleep. At least, I hope so."

"He’ll be fine, okay? Come on, let’s carry him home."

Hyunjin nodded and carefully picked the boy up. Minho and Chan helped him carry the unconscious young man.

Just then, Jeongin's eyes landed on the two people behind them. Seungmin was trying to calm Jisung, who was shaking in panic. He quickly walked over to them.

"Hyung, he’s going to be okay," he said, trying to reassure his older brother.

"I just tried to stitch my brother up. My hands are covered in his blood, do you know why? Because he jumped in front of me to protect me." Jisung tried to speak with a trembling voice. He was sobbing, unable to breathe from guilt and the shock of everything that had happened.

Both brothers immediately embraced him. What they had gone through was too much.

"We won’t let Lixxie hyung get hurt again. Never. Let’s go home now."

When they returned home, they laid Felix on the bed and gathered in the living room. It all felt like déjà vu. Felix was injured again, and the others were helplessly trying to figure out what to do.

"The missions… we have to complete them. If we don’t, bad things happen to us. Even if we don’t want them to, the missions still unfold. One of them is dead. We can’t escape. At the very least, we should finish this without getting hurt," Hyunjin said, resting his head in his hands out of exhaustion.

"Hyunjin, do you realize you killed someone?" Chan snapped, unable to believe the words coming out of his mouth.

"He was about to kill Felix, do you realize that? He’s your Australian brother. The one you said, ‘I won’t leave you behind’ to. You can’t blame me now, okay? I’m not a murderer. And that thing wasn’t human."

"Hyunjin’s right, Chan. We have to complete the missions. This isn’t our world. If we don’t silence our conscience here, we’ll only get hurt. We can’t take any more of this," Minho agreed with his brother.

"Alright, I get it. You’re right, I’m sorry."

A long silence followed. Everyone felt awful. Again. They sat together for a while before slowly dispersing. They were all exhausted. Chan took it upon himself to watch over Felix, knowing he wouldn’t be able to sleep anyway. Changbin told him to wake him up for the night shift and then went to bed.

Chan had an emotional night. He kept thinking about how he had failed to protect his members. He couldn’t shake off the feeling of being useless. When morning came, he was still sitting next to Felix, sleepless.

"I told you to wake me up," Changbin said as he walked in.

"I couldn’t sleep anyway. I didn’t want to wake you up for nothing."

"You’re such a kid, hyung. Anyway, how is he?"

"He hasn’t woken up all night. He’s still in a deep sleep. I guess Hyunjin was too effective."

"Okay, at least he’s not in pain. As long as he wakes up eventually, it’s fine."

"I hope so."

It was clear that everyone was slowly waking up because they kept coming in to check on Felix. They were all incredibly exhausted. Mentally drained. What else would they have to go through to escape this place?

"Hyung! Seungmin had a new vision! If we complete all eight missions, we can return!" Jeongin burst into the room, forgetting that Felix was still asleep.

"So, there are seven missions left?"

"Two more dead, yeah."

"Jeongin!"

"None of us are happy about this, hyung. I’m just making jokes to lighten the mood because this whole situation is unbearable."

"I know."

Chan went downstairs and poured the remaining cereal into bowls. The lack of milk had become normal by now. Everyone had gotten used to it. He handed out the food one by one, but he knew none of them had an appetite, just like him.

"We need to complete the mission. I’m going to find the other two," Minho suddenly announced.

"Alone? Don’t be ridiculous. I won’t allow that," Chan protested.

"Look, I’m fast. I’ll locate them and attack them before coming back to you, okay? We can’t waste time."

"Then I’m coming too. Camouflage seems to work well. While you notify the others, I’ll keep an eye on them."

Chan was reluctant, but it made sense.

"Fine. Minho and Han will go. The rest of us will keep up the housework. Hyunjin, let Jeongin help you in the garden today. Seungmin, watch over Felix. If he wakes up, don’t leave him alone. Changbin, we’ll get ready and leave as soon as Minho returns."

"Sounds like a plan. Let’s go."

Minho liked talking with Jisung while walking, but now, both of them were silent and deep in thought.

"Should I carry you and run like in Twilight? You’re so slow," Minho teased.

"You’re gonna carry me? No, thanks. I’ll ride on your back instead."

"I wasn’t serious, but fine." Minho crouched down, waiting for the younger to climb onto his back. Jisung shut his eyes as Minho suddenly sped up. For Minho, everything felt slower—this was just his normal speed.
After running for a long time, Minho started getting tired when he suddenly heard two people talking. He headed toward the sound, hiding beneath a window in a house near the town by the forest.

"Leader, that bastard is gone. Ever since we sent him after the beauty we mistook for Medusa, he hasn’t returned. I told you he wasn’t fit for the job."

"Are you lecturing me?" the leader snapped.

"I’m sorry, Leader."

"Go and find my beautiful boy and bring him to me. And bring me that real Medusa’s head—I don’t want her alive. No, wait. Bring her alive. Let’s see if she enjoys watching what I do to her little friend. Because I'm sure I will," he laughed.

"I don’t think that’ll be necessary, Leader. I’m sure he’ll kill himself before we even get to him. I’ll go now."

Minho and Jisung tried to stay calm despite hearing everything, but it wasn't easy. They looked at each other. It was happening all over again—just like when they had to rescue Felix. Then, Jisung suddenly disappeared from Minho's view, realizing the younger had used his camouflage ability. He rushed inside.

Minho grabbed one man and slammed him into the wall, while Jisung held the leader without being seen. The monsters within them had awakened. When Minho twisted the man’s neck, the force of his speed made the man’s head spin like an owl’s. Blood dripped from his mouth as he collapsed.

"Six missions left."

Chapter Text

It had taken them a long time to get back home because Minho had chosen to walk to regain his energy. They both followed the path without a word. An hour and a half later, when Hyunjin saw them, he dropped his garden hoe and ran over to them.

"What happened? Did you find those bastards?"

Just then, Changbin and Chan had also come out, having alerted by Jeongin.

"What took you so long? We were worried!"

"We completed the mission."

"Minho, you should have called us!"

"Let's not beat around the bush, we took care of it and it's over."

Just as everyone was about to go inside, Changbin motioned for the two remaining outside to follow him into the living room. Their small garden was in good shape, and that was enough work for today. Some vegetable seeds had begun to sprout. Everyone who looked at the garden noticed that the plants were growing faster than usual.

The two, who had gone out on a mission, threw themselves onto the couch and hoped to rest quietly.

Their hopes were dashed when the leader's voice interjected, "Are you going to explain now?" It was clear a harsh conversation was about to take place.

"No, we're tired. When we use our powers, we use up extra energy."

"Han, at least say something!"

"Hyung, we just found them, killed them, and came back."

"I don't understand this. How do we lose control? We're not that kind of people." Chan muttered to himself, putting his head in his hands. It was obvious that troublesome thoughts were swirling around in his mind.

"You're right about that. I felt like I wasn't myself at that moment. I felt so powerful, like someone was controlling me and I was just watching. It was very scary." Han admitted.

"I think it's a protection mechanism. Normally it never comes out, but when someone gets hurt, we lose control."

"Then why didn't Felix turn into a monster when he was kidnapped?" Chan asked, disagreeing with Minho's idea.

"Perhaps it's a sense of protection, not towards ourselves, but towards others."

Changbin's comment was confirmed by others. This seemed like the most logical explanation. But they all thought, if it worked to protect ourselves, then Felix wouldn't be in so much pain.

"Hyung! Call Hyunjin hyung, Felix is ​​in pain!" Seungmin's frantic shout had everyone on their feet.

Hyunjin ran upstairs without answering. He hurriedly and silently opened the door, looking inside at his brother groaning in pain. He crouched down next to the bed and held the younger boy's hand. Hyunjin focused on Felix, but his anxiety skyrocketed when he realized there was no effect. He looked at the members waiting behind him, as if pleading for help.

"It's not working!"

"Calm down and try again."

Hyunjin tried again, but it still didn't work. Felix's groans of pain turned into screams, leaving him breathless with tension. In desperation, he grabbed his injured brother's jaw and began shaking him.

"Wake up! Felix, please wake up!"

"Hyunjin, what are you doing?!" Chan saw Hyunjin shaking Felix and quickly went to stop the boy.

"He's already in pain. Stop shaking him!"

"Let me go! I need to wake him up so I can freeze him. Don't touch me and let me help!"

Felix tried to open his eyes in pain as tears streamed down his cheeks.

"Hyung, it hurts so much. Help me. Please." His trembling hands gripped Hyunjin's shirt tightly.

"Okay Felix, look at me, focus on my eyes. I'll help you but you can't sleep now, I want you to stay with me."

"Hyunjin, I'm sleepy, it hurts so much."

"My angel, please look at me!"

Felix opened his eyes wider, barely managing to, and locked onto his brother’s gaze. He thought the eyes he was focusing on had turned a deep blue; he looked different. He wanted to ask, but he couldn't even find the strength to blink. Had Hyunjin frozen him? His heart raced with fear, but nothing outside had changed. He was still alive; not petrified, but his limbs were numb. As he continued to question how this had happened, he noticed the person in front of him crying. He had been staring at him for minutes, but it was as if he had just noticed. He wanted to hug him, to wipe his tears, but he knew he couldn't. As if sensing it, Hyunjin wiped his own tears away, and finally wiped Felix's tears from his cheek and hugged him. Felix could close his eyes now. Despite the weight, he felt at peace.

"Is he asleep?" Jeongin asked softly.

"I think so."

"Let's clean his wound while he sleeps."

Chan and Minho cleaned and re-bandaged Felix’s wound. The others went into the living room. There was still an unfamiliar silence. Jisung, Seungmin, and Jeongin were preparing dinner in the kitchen while the others sat in the living room. They were exhausted, both physically and mentally. Before anyone could say a word, Chan and Minho walked in. Both looked both excited and surprised.

"I don't know how, but Felix's wound has healed."

"How is that possible? Impossible; he was in pain just a few minutes ago." Jeongin couldn't accept the possibility.

"Actually, I’m not surprised anymore. Maybe the healing process was painful. I know it sounds impossible, but we’ve seen so many impossible things here. Everything that’s happened since we first woke up has been beyond comprehension."

"You're right. So what do we do now?"

Seungmin interrupted Jeongin and Minho's conversation.

"New mission. It’s called Hold Your Breath."

"What? Are we supposed to hold our breath? Why?" Before Jisung could finish his sentence, he looked out the window and saw green smoke enveloping the forest across from their house.

"Damn it!"