MULTIVERSE | ATEEZ & XIKERS

Sopro. | Chapter 14

In an antique villa, far removed from the city center and hidden by lush trees tinted by the pink light of golden hour, laughter echoed about. Inside the villa dining room, eight men dressed comfortably sat around a large table decorated with all kinds of dishes from land and sea. Eight wine glasses collided in the air.

Yeo Sang:
"I really put a lot of thought into this menu for you guys, but all you've been eating is San's stuff. I'm hurt."

San:
"That's bold coming from the guy who just swiped another piece of my kimbap."

Yeosang:
"Well, you know. You can't beat this kind of nostalgic flavor."

Wooyoung:
"Come on guys, let's try one of the other dishes before Mr. Fancy Villa Owner gets upset."

Hongjoong: "How did you manage to look this sexy on a plane? I thought I was watching a performance of Britney Spears' Toxic or something."

Wooyoung:
"Hey! I thought I told you guys not to show them that!"

Min Gi and Yun Ho, shrugging in fake remorse, explained how they had no choice but to show the others Woo Young's video, which had already begun spreading on social media. Woo Young's ears were red with embarrassment, but he looked through the video's comments in high spirits, and San took the opportunity to tease Woo Young again. Hong Joong, who had been watching the members with a smile, suddenly remembered the books in his bag and hurriedly took them out. He passed a copy to each of the members, who flipped through them with thrill. On the first page was a simple letter with Hong Joong's handwritten signature.

Yunho:
"So book no. 2 is finally out! Congrats, Hong Joong! You did great!!"

Mingi:
"I heard you were already offered licensing deals in 30 countries or something? I saw it in an article."

Hongjoong:
"It's all thanks to you guys. If anything I'm sorry. It's our story, but I'm the only one making money off of it all."

Jongho:
"What're you saying? You're the only one of us who'd ever be able to retell it all in such an exciting way like this."

The others nodded in agreement. For no reason in particular, Hong Joong touched the cover of his book. On the cover was an image of Z's office, with Z and the Guardians on the right, and the Thunder members and Prestige Academy students on the left, In the front were eight men wearing black fedoras, engraved with the name ATEEZ. That's

right-Hong Joong's novel was based on their real adventures, In short: it was his and the member's travel diary.

One day, after returning to this world, Hong Joong suddenly realized that his memories from World Z were beginning to fade, Perhaps that's what it meant to live in the present. What were once vibrant and colorful memories, would soon be condensed into a single color and simplified as "good past times." And so, Hong Joong began writing. He wanted to retain those magical moments that he could never visit again as vibrant memories. His diary, a blog, was soon filled with comments like, "Is this a new novel? I'm dying to read what comes next!"

For the first time, Hong Joong began to consider how the series of events he had experienced with members might seem to others. "Most people would probably assume this is a science fiction or fantasy novel, not a travelog." What began as Hong Joong's diary, evolved into a detailed story akin to an epic novel, and his blog readers increased exponentially as the story progressed. It wasn't long before he was approached by a publisher, and his story was printed as a novel, which went on to become a bestseller. Before he knew it, Hong Joong had built a name for himself as a famous writer beloved by young readers.

His days were filled with reader meet and greets, special lectures, and appearances on various TV programs. On a talk show that introduced writers' personal lives, Hong Joong said, "I originally dreamed of becoming an idol, hoping vaguely that, if I became famous enough to appear on TV, I might meet my long-lost family again. But I never imagined that this would all happen to me as a writer." His sincere story-and the dance he showed off at the request of the host-became a hot topic, Hong Joong's father, who happened to watch the show, and his mother, who learned about him through his novel, reached out to him. At long last, his dream of reuniting with his family finally came true.