PROJECT: SEVENTEEN. seventeen au

☏ A CHAPTER

NOTICE

This is a chapter.

A chapter with no name, no particular story to tell, or no significant connection to the plot whatsoever. This is a chapter I have inserted for you to get a glimpse of what happened after the "screening", as Miss Emilia would have called it. It doesn't really aim to do anything or contribute to the development of the book. If this book was a movie, you could call this a "Behind the Scenes" scene.

In short, it is a filler chapter.

As you have seen in the previous chapters, each one is named according to a stage of the plan-initialization, briefing, recruitment, and so on. But this one isn't really a part of the plan. That is why it doesn't have a name. It is simply a chapter. (Or it's only named that way because the author has run out of ideas on what name to give each chapter. You never know.)

Continue reading.

Jihoon sighs and flops down on the  leather recliner. "Don't ever pick up the phone again, Eight."

The boy chuckles at the mention of his name. "I'll throw it out the window the next time it rings."

It's already late when the gang of five arrives home (or what they call a home) at the barber shop. After a horrendous day of completing errands early in the morning to answering a phone call and attempting to steal a telephone from eight other boys, everyone was too tired to move, speak, and even eat.

Jackets were thrown off and eyes closed shut the moment they set foot in the run-down shop. Jeonghan and Seokmin retreat to the comfort of the barber chairs. Eight curls up into a ball on the chair near the door. Jihoon occupies the entire length of the recliner. They rest and relax their backs, ignoring their aching legs and scrapes and bruises. Those can be treated tomorrow. For now, they needed sleep.

"Scoot, dwarf." Wonwoo, the only one left standing, says as he nudges Jihoon's foot.

Jihoon doesn't open an eye. "No."

"I'll tell everyone what happened a while ago."

Though Jihoon didn't really care, he wiggles to the other side and sits upright to make space for Wonwoo, in fear that this small group of theirs would never let this tiny thing go. He tries to sleep, but he felt his cheeks burning, goddamnit, and memories of the event earlier resurfaced in his mind. Heck, even the memories he'd buried away in the deepest corners of his mind managed to resurface and dance around in his head.

Jihoon shooed it all off. Those things were in the past, and they didn't matter.

"So," he croaked out awkwardly, desperately hoping to change the topic, "that was the weirdest thing I've experienced in my life."

"Agreed," the rest all said in unison.

Jihoon sniffed. "I mean, what a weird way to get-or shall I say recruit someone, huh? The whole time we were in there, I couldn't help but think, what the hell is up with the telephones? What kinda concept is that?"

Most of them laughed. Wonwoo did not. Instead, he coughed. "But that's not as weird as what happened a while ago, isn't it?"

Fuck, Jihoon mentally grits. He closed his eyes and forced himself to sleep, choosing to ignore Wonwoo and the possible consequences if he didn't do so.