𝐒𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍 𝐆𝐔𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐒𝐄

22; 𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙮

"chan, come over here!" seungcheol presses a button in the earpiece and calls for the youngest. chan was with mingyu, settling things with the police. chan jolts—he didn't expect the sudden call. "we're like in the boss level here, help us!"

"chan, what are you doing there?" seungcheol asked. "we're going in the building now, let's go!"

"i-i think i'll wait with the police, hyung." chan bit his lip nervously, watching seungcheol's expression change. "i'll come if you really, really need me though."

"why, chan?" seungcheol asked softly.

"i don't think i can face the man who was behind all the abuse i experienced in my childhood yet."

what a foolish reason. chan had to face him eventually, delaying it would do nothing.

"chan, we're going to lose again if you don't come here." seungcheol spoke again. "he can see two seconds into the future, but that shouldn't bother you—you're good at finding openings and making last minute plans!"

chan's eyes glinted. did seungcheol hyung really think that, or is he only trying to get me in the battle? he's even using my real name.

"chan, please, please help us. most of the seventeen members are fighting minhyuk. chan, you're the best card we've got in our situation."

really?

"chan, he reaaaaally is hard to read! you can read people's moves easily, i know! please help us!"

was seungcheol observing him yesterday?

"chan-! hey, if you can, call 97 over here too, quick? we don't have ammos for guns anymore!"

chan grunts. he angrily stomped in the battlefield, crossing joshua's illusion. from where the police stood, he can't see what's actually happening in the fight because joshua set an illusion where people outside the area of battlefield can't see what's going on, for safety of the other civilians. for people inside the area, they can't see what's happening outside.

chan meets seokmin and other members while going in, vernon placing a hand on his back. chan stiffened a bit, thinking that vernon poisoned him—but he didn't, really. "you'll do just fine. he doesn't know your ability."

chan smiled, nodding at vernon as a plan automatically formulated in his head. he sprints to where seungcheol and the others fought the enemy, who chan presumed as the president of fukuro, the person behind his nightmares. they were doing all sorts of attacks, continuous, alternated, synchronised—but he sees it all using his seeing-2-seconds-into-the-future ability.

chan was glad that his ability wasn't anything flashy. he speaks into the earpiece as he got nearer: "go for the best attack when i come there, alright?"

"alright, channie!" jeonghan answered. "we trust you!"

they've got my backs. what will you do now, mr. president? chan smiles wider. 4 seconds before he approaches, the president was staring at chan. 2 seconds left, he smirks. chan smirks as well, before lunging and placing his hand on jinyoung's shoulder. jinyoung grips two of his hands on chan's arm, he twists it and chan shifts his position to try and minimize the pain. not sooner, jinyoung's knee was now resting(rather harshly) on chan's back.

"you think you'll win with simpler attacks, boy?" jinyoung asked, laughing. chan chuckled. "you're clearly new. what's your name?"

"uh, none of your fucking business!" jeonghan swings his knife to hit jinyoung's calf, making him let go of chan due to the pain, dropping to the floor momentarily. wonwoo strengthens the gravity around jinyoung, so he'll feel heavier and it'll be hard to stand. joshua makes an illusion, so now nobody of the seventeen members could be seen.

"why didn't i see that?!" jinyoung angrily shouts. he shuts his eyes, focusing, trying to use his ability as soon as possible—but a sudden attack stopped him from doing so.

"okay, bitch, i told you we'll win." seungkwan makes the final blow, punching the man in the face. he gets knocked out. "well, things got easier the fourth time around." the illusion broke down, revealing the members smiling at each other.

"great job, everyone!"

"the victims turned out to be fukuro mafia's clients who broke a contract." mingyu said, entering the living room. "i feel sorry for them though."

"whatever, we still won and shut down fukuro mafia officially!" seokmin cheered. "also, the orphans in their pretend orphanage are turned in to real orphanages." seokmin subconsciously glanced at chan, smiling when chan's expression brightens.

"the ones who escaped are in pledis mafia now." minghao added, while filing his nails. "meh, just let them be for now."

"GREAT JOB GUYS!" seungcheol suddenly shouts, followed by a pop! from the cork popping off the bottle of wine. he had heart-shaped sunglasses on. "IMMA DRINK TONIGHT!"

"HELL YEA!" seungkwan strided to seungcheol, both giggling as they poured wine into glasses and clinked. they drank it in one go, which made wonwoo realize that it was just grape juice.

"you do you." wonwoo shrugs, deciding not to judge the two members who drank grape juice in wine glasses.

"shrimpy, stop moving!" soonyoung shouts all of a sudden, right in front of jihoon's face. the nerve! "i'm just putting a band-aid on your forehead, goddamnit! it's nothing special!"

jihoon sighed. "fine!" jihoon hissed, while soonyoung neatly places the band-aid on his forehead.

"or would you have liked it if jeonghan cracked your head open just to heal that wound?" soonyoung rolls his eyes, pulling away from jihoon.

"i can place a band-aid on my forehead myself." jihoon says, crossing his arms. soonyoung laughs in disbelief, raising an eyebrow. "you didn't have to do it."

"i'm just.. you know, worried." soonyoung confessed. "you were completely mindless when you were fighting minhyuk back there. what if you accidentally die?"

"soonyoung, how can you accidentally die in that situation?"

soonyoung grunts. "i don't know! i'm just worried, okay! shrimpy, if you were in my place that time seokmin told me to control you, you would feel what i feel."

"i heard my name! ya'll better not be talking shit about me!" seokmin waves and smiles at the two. jihoon scoffed at him.

"also, that reminds me... why didn't you control me? you can do it in a snap and you didn't have to wait long for me to come down." jihoon says, without a scoff or grunt. he must be serious, soonyoung thought. he set aside his jokes for now.

"you said you'll never forgive me if i control you," soonyoung says, crumpling the empty band-aid container. "i didn't want to end our friendship right before it started."

jihoon was actually touched. "rea....really? why would you want to be friends with me? even wonwoo and jeonghan said i'm too naggy and unbearable for a friend. you have other choices."

"i have other choices, but you're also one of them." soonyoung states, leaning on the couch. "being partnered up with you is a roller coaster ride, you know? and i love it. your personality is the direct opposite of mine, and i love it, too."

if soonyoung wasn't careful, he might've said more, right in front of the other members. good thing he said only up to that.

"thanks, i guess?" jihoon cringes. "i'm sorry, i'm not used to accepting compliments or dealing with flattery." jihoon bit his lip, nervous. how did he do?! was that really cringe-worthy? why is jihoon so awkward and cringey in these situations!?

"it's not flattery, i'm just stating the truth." soonyoung smiled, standing up. he playfully pressed on the band-aid on jihoon's forehead, making him wince. jihoon grumpily followed soonyoung, to give him death threats because of his actions.

meanwhile, minghao approached junhui. "follow me." and junhui does.