Stealers & Thieves

Twenty Three

Seonghwa kept scanning around the perimeter. He made a mental calculation of all the people present at the harbor. Then he glanced at Hongjoong, giving a nod. Hongjoing turned his gaze towards Sangyeon and Chan who didn't seem to be amused by this encounter. 

"I will apologize if our actions seemed rude. But you know how it goes in this business. You should get the enemy before they get you." Hongjoong spoke. 

"That's only when you consider us enemies. I don't think we've met before." Chan replied, crossing his arms.

"No. We haven't. Neither of us have." 

"Yet we already fought. One of my subordinates informed me that your little group is responsible for ambushing us that night." Sangyeon said in a calm tone. 

Hongjoong could tell he was trying not to sound aggressive, not wanting conflict just yet. Hongjoong nodded.

"I guess that counts as our first meeting then." Hongjoong took a step forward. "Mnet. That's the reason why you guys gathered here, isn't it?"

"Are you part of it?" Chan asked, catching on.

"We were recruited just a bit earlier. So let's get along." 

Silence fell among the three leaders. That is until a voice cut through it. 

"As if they weren't tying me up." Change muttered. Fortunately Changmin slapped his mouth shut. Unfortunately, his voice was as clear as day. 

Changmin grinned sheepishly when the Ateez members stared at them. The corner of Chan's lip curled up for a split second before maintaining his expression. Jacob walked up beside Sangyeon and whispered into his ear. Sangyeon glanced to the side towards the boardwalk.

"I think our ride has arrived." He announced.

Everyone turned to the direction. 

"Right in time." San remarked, hopping along to the edge as the yacht came near. 

Wooyoung and him scrambled to get to the edge. It was still quite a distance before they could begin boarding. But the two gave each other a glance and grinned.

"Wooyoung. Don't be a daredevil now." Yeosang said with a frown. Wooyoung waved him off. Then, with a leap, he jumped onto the side of the yacht. He easily grabbed the railing and swooped over them. It all looked easy but the yacht was still more than a few meters away. Not really ideal for jumping.

"Sannie. Please don't." Yeosang pouted, clearly worried. 

"Why? Don't you trust me." San grinned when Yeosang rolled his eyes. 

He followed suit. His jump looked lighter than Wooyoung and he didn't even need to hang onto the railing. San landed right on the railing and turned back to give a wink at Yeosang. 

"Show off." Changbin muttered. 

"Oh, yeah? Or is it just because you're afraid of the water?" Hyunjin smirked. 

Changbin glared at him. Jeongin was looking between them, knowing something was gonna happen. But before he could stop it, the two of them had already sprinted towards the yacht and took their leap. 

"Argh!" Changbin wheezed as he slammed right into the railing. His hands were about to slip from the impact but Wooyoug grabbed them just in time. He pulled Changbin up with a grunt.

"You really needed help." Hyunjin shook his head, enjoying Changbin's failure. 

"You-!" 

"Both of you need help." The two whipped their head towards the voice.