𝐒𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍 𝐀𝐑𝐌𝐄𝐃 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐂𝐄𝐒

1; 𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙖𝙨𝙨

mingyu boredly walks on the sidewalk, his hair getting quite disheveled due to the cars passing by. he grunts in a low tone, combing his hair back using his fingers.

mingyu fishes out his phone from his pocket, clicking the green 'answer call' button angrily. "what?! i told you, i'm going to go to mtv for our celebrity feature corner!"

"u-um, sir, there's a problem with the article for the sport—"

"then tell mirae to fix her goddamn article!" mingyu roared over the phone. mingyu would occasionally shout at his subordinates, but today was a special day. "yachi, if you don't want to be stuck as my assistant forever, you've gotta earn some confidence for yourself. in this situation, you're the one who's right, and mirae's wrong so call her out for it like how she does to you!"

"a-alright—alright, mingyu-sunbae!" mingyu huffs in annoyance and hangs up. before the editor can shove his phone back inside his pocket, he got another call.

"what?!" mingyu grumpily answered whoever was on the phone. "i said, suck it up and call mirae out! you're an adult, yachi!"

"woah, sounds like someone's stressed!" the person on the other line—which mingyu recognised as seungcheol—laughs, and mingyu almost drops his phone. "hello, mingyu, how've you been?"

"very stressed. it's hard being the editor," mingyu sighed, massaging his temples. he heard a chuckle from the other line. "you? detective life is fine?"

"yeah! i still hate being bossed around, though." both the ex-seventeen members laugh, though not heartily. it felt good to talk with someone from mingyu's past. from mingyu's family. "you see, i called because i was busy."

"what?!" that definitely sounds like a seungcheol thing to do. mingyu smiled a little.

"yeah, i'm busy and i got a report that our old base got a trespasser, can you do something about it? just go to the police station near yeunghwo street." seungcheol asked, hopefully expecting a 'yes'. but alas, mingyu refused.

"i'm busy too, seungcheol."

"awwwwwww please! for old time's sake!" seungcheol pleads, and that got mingyu. for old time's sake. for wonwoo. wonwoo might have not any connection to this trespassing thing, but whatever. anything seventeen related gets a yes from him. with some doubts.

"fine."

"yay! just tell me what happens later, okay? love you lots! bye!" love you lots.

anyway, mingyu disregards his personal feelings and dials yachi. "hey, you, you're going to be me. you go to mtv right now and interview the celebrity we're going to feature, i'll send you the questions. i'll deal with mirae, sounds cool?"

"w-what? but i'm too—!"

"no, yachi, you can do it. i see pontential in you," mingyu says, and he can imagine the young, naïve girl blushing right now. mingyu smiled at the thought of that. "so go ahead and hustle really hard! something just came up, i'll be back in the office later, okay?"

"okay!"

mingyu judgingly looked at the youngster sitting in front of him, handcuffed. the police officer was just staring at the editor and the trespasser.

"if you would just let me spe—"

"no, no," mingyu shoves a finger in front of the young, brown haired boy in a bowl cut. "i know you. just give me time—ah! teahyung guy! the boom boom ability! that's so you, right?"

the brown haired youngster bit his lip and looked at his lap. what was he doing that for? mingyu wondered. "it's taehyung, not teahyung."

"so, why did you trespass?" mingyu sat down on the chair behind him, sighing. he felt like he was in the guidance counselor's office back in high school. except now, he's not the one who's getting scolded. the change of roles feels a little good, actually. "you don't have money or something?"

"i...i didn't know that seventeen is no more," taehyung truthfully states. "i wanted to visit chan and inform him about me getting in the supernatural course, but there's nobody in seventeen's base."

mingyu was intrigued. if he was allowed to, he'd put his story in his magazine and get millions from it. if mingyu really got tempted and decided to reveal the supernatural society to everyone, the government would kill him. "okay, officer, i'll take it from here. i know this guy." mingyu nods at the police officers, taking taehyung by the wrist. mingyu starts strolling around the city with taehyung.

"there's a supernatural course now?"

"yeah, they offer it to people like me. they say they've only added it this year." taehyung replies, kicking a pebble out of his way. "we study origins, learning to control our abilities, and learning how to apply for supernatural divisions—we even studied seventeen, like your old plan tactics and members' abilities!"

mingyu chortled, feeling quite honored to be included in a college course. "really? that's nice. did they show you pictures of us? did i look handsome in the pictures?"

maybe they made a course for that because the country needs righteous ability-users and more supernatural divisions. maybe they added it in this year because ever since seventeen was gone, everything had gone chaotic.

taehyung laughed. "yes." soon, mingyu joined in and laughed with the college boy. when their laughs died down, though, mingyu got serious.

"look, kid, one of the seventeen members died, and we fought a lot after that. we weren't able to avenge him, making the most of us frustrated—so we just broke up and went on our separate ways." mingyu sighed. "i don't know where chan is, but congratulations for getting in the supernatural course."

"thanks! but, do you mind if i ask who..died?"

"won—" mingyu suddenly stops speaking and walking, his face turns blank and his hand was automatically in his pocket. taehyung looked at him, confused.

what was happening? is there an attack? an assassin, a spy? highly likely! but taehyung is too underexposed to the supernatural fights to help mingyu! besides, mingyu is an outstanding seventeen member, right? he can handle it! taehyung just needs to move out of mingyu's way!

mingyu fishes out a piece of paper. the ex-seventeen member unfolds the paper, revealing a handwritten note that reads 'gun'. "fuck you, whoever you are. eavesdropping will do you no good." mingyu says, as the paper turned into a gun. mingyu looks straight ahead, but aims for his right. he pulls the trigger once.

"h-hey, in these moments, we should check who the spy is, right?" mingyu smiled a little, realizing that taehyung finally caught on. mingyu nods at the college boy.

as the two neared the alleged spy, they hear a low chuckle. "as keen as ever, huh, 97?"