𝙳𝚒𝚜𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚗𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚍

3

author's note: for the rest of this story, when you see dialogue in italics, it means someone is speaking in sign language! they're not actually speaking!

  "please just help me get out of here. i'd rather put myself out of my own misery than be left down here to starve to death." hongjoong said.
  seonghwa helped hongjoong get out of the trap.
  "why didn't you come get me earlier?"
  "i tried to, but i got lost."

  "i fell on my leg when i fell down there. my ankle hurts really bad.. i think i might have sprained it."
  "get on my back. i'll carry you home."
  hongjoong was hesitant for a second because he didn't want to hurt seonghwa, but seonghwa insisted. he jumped on his back and he carried him home.
 
   when seonghwa and hongjoong got out of the forest, yunho came running towards them. he looked miserable and depressing.
  "we're so glad you're finally back, hong." yunho said.
  "why? did something happen while i was gone?" hongjoong questioned.
  "yes. yeosang and mingi think that they own the island now. they're treating us horribly all because we think you're a better leader than them."
  "but i'm not even officially the leader!"
  "you are now."

  hongjoong and seonghwa went to go confront them. they were sitting in front of the fire eating cooked fish while jongho and san watched. they were shivering and starving.
  yeosang and mingi looked up and noticed them.
  "..not you again." mingi said.
  "you thought you could get rid of me, didn't you?"
  "do us all a favor and go back into that hole you fell in and die." yeosang said before sticking up the middle finger at hongjoong and turning away from him.

  "look, you've disrespected me countless times without even hearing my side of the story. please just hear me out."
  yeosang and mingi both looked at each other, then they looked at hongjoong. yeosang rolled his eyes and sighed. "fine. we'll listen."
  "i understand that i seemed a bit selfish and rude and controlling.. but i just wanted what was best for everyone. i was thinking about you guys too, not just myself. i'm sorry if it seemed like i was pushing you all around. i didn't intend to do that, and i didn't mean to harm either of you."
  before hongjoong could explain himself any further, yeosang said, "that's all we needed to hear. no need for you to say anything else."

  "..so you forgive me?"
  "we're not apologizing to you yet."
  "i gave you guys my apology already. where's mine?" hongjoong said, putting his hands on his hips.
  "we'll think about it." yeosang responded, turning away from him again.

  hongjoong said nothing else to them and left. seonghwa helped him walk, since his ankle was still hurting. jongho, san, and yunho followed them.
  hongjoong stopped to sit down on a big rock. it had trees around it and was close to the forest, so it had shade for when the sun was out.
  seonghwa sat down next to him. hongjoong looked at seonghwa.
  "they'll apologize later, i hope."
  "i hope so too."

  "i'm so hungry.. i haven't eaten anything in centuries." san said out of nowhere.
  "same." jongho said, agreeing with san.
  wooyoung could be heard screaming, and everyone turned to look at him. he was running towards them holding a fish that was big enough to feed all of them. it was wiggling around and struggling to get out of his grasp.
  "my prayers have been answered." san said, looking up at the sky and smiling.
  "DON'T JUST STAND THERE, IDIOTS. START A FIRE." wooyoung screamed at them.

  yunho and jongho ran into the forest to go get wood for the fire.
  san held up a metal pot that he found. it looked exactly like the other metal pot that they had. "GUESS WHAT I HAVE!"
  "how did that get there?"
  san scratched his head while looking at seonghwa. "what does that mean..?"
  "you don't understand sign language?" hongjoong asked.
  "i only know the simple things, like hello, goodbye, and uh.. other stuff!" san answered.
  "he was trying to ask you how that pot got there." hongjoong said.
  "i don't know, i guess it just spawned!" san replied while looking at his reflection in the pot. "wow, i look handsome!" he said out loud.