Treasure EP. 1: All to Zero

Chapter 12: What Now?

Hongjoong woke up in his bed. The sun was shining brightly through the windows. He slowly sat up and stretched his arms. He looked around him. The others were still fast asleep, and Mingi was sleeping next to Yunho. Hongjoong pulled the crystal out of his bag. He stared at it for a while, then he thought,

"What now? I found everybody, so what do we have to do? Is there something specific we have to do?"

Suddenly, the crystal hovered in the air. Hongjoong remembered what the hovering meant. He pulled out his map and held it towards the crystal, then the crystal shot a beam of light onto the map. The sound of it woke up the others.

"What's going on?" Seonghwa asked.

Then he saw the crystal.

"What?! It's happening again?!" Jongho exclaimed.

The eight boys gathered around Hongjoong. The crystal drew a large circle near the edge of the map, in the snowy part of the region, then it fell to the ground. Hongjoong picked it up and looked at the map.

"Is that where we're headed now?" Yunho asked.

"I guess so." Hongjoong said, "That must be where we have to go."

"But why would we need to go there?" Jongho asked.

"I...honestly don't know." Hongjoong replied.

Suddenly, the crystal started glowing very brightly. Hongjoong held it up. Then it started to make a strange, quiet noise. It sounded like it was singing...

"Jeogi jeo banjjagineun Treasure

Negero sonjishane Treasure

Moduga jjoccgo issneun Pleasure

Jeomjeom deo nuni meoreo Crazy"

The eight boys stared at the crystal in shock. After the crystal stopped singing, it stopped shining too.

"In all the years I've had this crystal..." Hongjoong said, "...I have never seen it do that."

"Well, I guess we should get going." Yeosang said, "After all, we have all day!"

"You're right, Yeosang!" Hongjoong said, "The crystal hasn't let us down before. So why would it let us down now? We need to get moving. Right now!"

Then Hongjoong walked out the door. The others followed behind him. They walked out of the inn and started walking down the trail...

A While Later...

The eight boys were walking down the trail leading to the cave they stayed in earlier.

"Why are we going to a cave?" Mingi asked.

"Because there's something that can help us there." Hongjoong replied.

Then he saw the cave in the distance.

"Guys! We're almost there!" He called out as he ran to the cave.

The others ran with him. When they reached the cave, they looked inside. The three Desert Racers were still there. The boys ran over to them.

"Yes! They're still here!" Yeosang said.

They all got on the Desert Racers. Then Hongjoong realized something.

"Oh...ah...sorry guys." Hongjoong said to Mingi and Yunho, "There's not enough room."

"What about that one over there?" Yunho said.

He pointed to the corner of the cave. There was something there. Hongjoong walked over to the object. It was a Desert Racer. It looked different from the others. It was white and lined with diamonds. The boys looked at it in confusion.

"But...I thought we only had three." Wooyoung said.

"Me too." San added.

"Well, I guess we just got lucky!" Mingi said happily.

He got on the back of the Desert Racer and Yunho got on the front. Mingi held on tightly to Yunho's waist. The others mounted their Desert Racers and drove off.

"So, where are we going?" Yunho asked.

"To the nearest inn." Hongjoong replied, "The mountains are really far from here, so going to an inn would be our best bet."

The eight boys drove along the trail for the rest of the day.

Later At the Inn...

The eight boys had finally reached the inn. They were tired from all of the driving. They all sat down on the edges of their beds.

"So, Yunho, how did you like driving the Desert Racer?" Hongjoong asked.

"It was really fun!" Yunho replied.

Mingi rested his head on Yunho's shoulder.

"Heh. You must be tired." Yunho softly whispered to him.

He rested his head on top of Mingi's and closed his eyes. Hongjoong walked over to them and sat next to Yunho.

"So, how long have you two known each other?" He asked.

"We've known each other since we were kids." Yunho replied, "Over the years, we just grew closer and closer. He's slightly younger than me, so I like to look after him. You know, I protect him. I feel like he's my responsibility, and I need to keep him safe."

Yunho gently laid Mingi down on his bed and laid down next to him. Hongjoong smiled at them, then he went over to his bed and laid down next to Seonghwa. The inn they were staying at was close to the mountains. He wasn't sure why they had to go there, but whatever the reason was, he was going to follow the crystal and do what needed to be done. He fell asleep, knowing that he was close to finally reaching his goal.