𝓤𝓼, 𝓐𝓰𝓪𝓲𝓷 - 𝓢𝓥𝓣

𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘶𝘦

May 26th, 2025.

Ten years had passed since the debut of the beloved kpop boy group, Seventeen. It was a joyous moment for both the members and their fans, called Carats. A few of the more sensitive members were full-on crying, but there certainly wasn't a dry eye in the practice room that night.

"Carats, I can't believe it's been ten years." said Seungcheol into the camera, as they were live-streaming on Vlive after practice. "Do you still remember the green basement?"

"I don't know how they could forget." chuckled Jeonghan.

The staff brought in the cake, with a giant frosted diamond in the middle. "Can I cut it?" asked Chan eagerly.

"Of course." said Jisoo, who had his arms around Dokyeom from behind. "Our maknae has been working hard over the past decade."

"We've all been working hard." said Wonwoo. "And we'll continue to work hard until our twentieth anniversary, then our thirtieth, and so on."

Soonyoung nodded in agreement. "All for our Carats... everything we do is for you."

"They're asking us to sing Us, Again." said Seungkwan, reading from the live comment section. "Anything for you, Carats!"

"I'll get my guitar." said Jihoon, hurrying out of the room.

Once he had returned, they all positioned themselves. Us, Again was a song about overcoming hardships as one, and it was very special to both the members and their fans. Many Carats left crying emojis in the live chat.

Mingyu cleared his throat and started to sing his line.

"So that you can walk comfortably, I will make a path for you one day
Even if we're being swayed on the wave, in the future, we'll overcome the wave and remain standing

On an unfamiliar road, anyone can lose their way
I'll be with you even if it's on a rough road

The moment we sing together again, until that day comes
This road towards you won't end
Every reason and this road are beautiful because of you
Even when we pass the turning point at the end of this road
So that you no longer get tired, I
I'll protect you
Even if something happens, we
We'll meet again

When you walk in the dark night
Don't worry, you have me
A bright light will come through and light up the dark

The moment we sing together again, until that day comes
This road towards you won't end
Every reason and this road are beautiful because of you
Even when we pass the turning point at the end of this road
So that you no longer get tired, I
I'll protect you
Even if something happens, we
We'll meet again

Let's take a breath for a moment, and again
Let's finish this difficult and weary journey and face each other
Before the morning comes
When we reach the peak, we
We'll be going through our growing pains

Come to me whenever if you've lost your way
As we share the warmth, you'll be able to find your road again
It's okay to not be afraid
At the end of this road, the warmth and the warm smile
They will protect us amidst the time that passes by quickly
Even if we take it slow for a moment
We'll meet again"

If the members were emotional before, it was nothing compared to now. Reflecting on their past made them realize just how lucky they were to have fame, money, and fans - but most importantly, each other.

Jihoon opened his mouth to speak, but suddenly, there was a loud bang.

And then there was smoke and flames everywhere. The ceiling had caved in from the impact, crushing them all. The live chat started going even faster than it had been before.

But no one was able to read it. No one was able to explain what had happened. To this day, no one really knows exactly what happened. But all we know is that May 26th, 2025 was the day we lost Seventeen.

***

No one had to call 119. Everyone had heard about the incident within practically seconds. Paramedics rushed to the scene, while some volunteers helped find bodies in the debris.

"It's hopeless." sobbed one volunteer to her friend, pulling out the tenth dead body. "Everyone's dead, the members and the staff alike."

"There has to be at least one survivor." said her friend breathlessly, although she didn't sound too confident.

It seemed impossible. Merely fifteen minutes ago, the members had been happy and laughing. Now, they were all gone.

For many fans, it was the end of the world. Seventeen was the only thing keeping them happy. What would they do now?

***

Hours later, at the hospital, the families of the members sobbed with each other. The few victims who had survived weren't expected to last much longer. Most of the members were dead already, being packed into body bags to be buried for the last time.

The doctors tried their best, for the families, for fans, for everyone. But the impact of the blast was far too great. The last surviving members were gone within the hour.

The news broke out quickly. Seventeen was dead. And now, they were left to actually figure out what had happened.

***

"We can't have this. We have to bring them back."

"But how?"

The Gods had been in a long debate for hours. Humans down on earth had been deteriorating rapidly, mentally and physically. Something had to be done.

"But have we ever revived other people? Isn't this nepotism?"

"No one needs to know. We have to wipe every evidence of Seventeen's existence from history."

One of the fellow Gods gulped. "Um, are you sure? There's so many things that could go wrong..."

"Trust me. Tonight, the eldest Seventeen member will be born again. One by one, they'll live again, with no memory of their past life."

As morning came, people woke with wide smiles. No one knew what had happened the night before. Those who had cried themselves to sleep now went about their day without a care in the world. From that day on, the word seventeen was merely a number - not the beloved kpop boy group everyone had known.

It was time to start again.