𝐒𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍 𝐀𝐑𝐌𝐄𝐃 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐂𝐄𝐒

9; 𝙘𝙖𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙚

"ya, you just landed?" seungcheol asks, looking out the car window to check if mingyu's out of the airport already. the other four in the van were still sleeping. it was 2:57 in the morning after all. "all i hear inside this car is snoring. get the hell outta there and in my car."

mingyu chuckles. "i just grabbed caffeine for the seven of us. i'm coming out at entrance 6, so i advise you to wake them up and move their asses over because i'm coming."

"why would i do that?!"

"because i need room in the car!"

"but—!"

"you're the leader!"

seungcheol paused. leader. he smiled before replying, "we have jihoon and minghao!"

both people on the opposite lines laugh, before the call ended. mingyu appears before seungcheol's suv not a little later. the tall male proceeds to the back compartment of seungcheol's car, shoving in the luggage that he was originally waiting for before he got sidetracked because of vernon and seungkwan. what an adventure. it seems like mingyu is worthy of the title 'dora the explorer' after all.

"what's up? you never explained what really happened." seungcheol starts driving away from the arrivals, and into the road. mingyu sighed. "what? did i say something wrong?"

"let's just wait 'til all of them are awake. i'd hate to repeat everything i said."

"i met vernon and seungkwan in the airport while i was waiting for my baggage since the airline left it in korea. chit chat, then they asked why i was here, they thought i was delusional so i ignored my baggage and set off to find wonwoo and show them that it's real. you asked minseok, he really sent the coded message, right?" mingyu points to a half-awake seokmin.

"yeah, yeah. last week, i think?" seokmin nods absentmindedly.

"i bumped into him minutes after walking around. i ran and tried to find him, but no. so, i decided to contact shua-hyung to check for any traces of wonwoo, and there was, in this one hotel. i grabbed breakfast and headed to the hotel lounge where shua-hyung found wonwoo's records. i waited for wonwoo. then i practically harassed wonwoo when i saw him, because he didn't know me, he doesn't remember anything. i was asked to get out so i did, and i was like, crying while talking to seungcheol.

"wonwoo came to where i was sitting, he talked to me and apologized that he didn't know me and all because he had a bad accident and his 'girlfriend' was there to help him, you know about that one—then he bought food for me and went on a 'call', then said 'sleep tight, kim mingyu-ssi.' and then hit my head with a bat, and then i woke up in front of an unnecessarily attractive man named koushi who was the president of the supernatural division in los angeles, who was planning to kill wonwoo because the organization that wonwoo belongs to is an evil org that koushi wants to end. wonwoo appears to be brainwashed."

"wow. it's like a bad sci-fi novel with a touch of drama and romance, but the author is really cliche and basic and lazy." minghao comments. the mood in the room lightens up a little, chuckles resonating in the room. "so what happened next?"

"koushi really wanted to kill wonwoo—of course, alongside with the evil org—because he apparently caused a lot of trouble doing work for the evil org, w systems," mingyu scratched his nape. "and i said, if we manage to bring back the old wonwoo in six months, koushi won't kill him."

everyone grunts, boos at mingyu or gives him the finger. "are you a fuckin' asshat, you doofus? six months?! that's like the period where the main characters fall in love in a bad romcom!" laughs from minghao's apartment interrupt his neighbors' sleep.

"what the fuck, why are we so messed up?" jeonghan cringed, pulling out his bleached locks. "now we have to go on a mission and save wonwoo. and we're not registered as anything in the police forces or whatever."

"we're messed up, maybe because we're not complete..." joshua trailed off, making everyone ponder—and agree. joshua was actually right. "but we need to be seventeen, even if we're incomplete. for wonwoo."

"ahaha, i might've...um.." seungcheol smiles nervously at the other members, placing a folder on minghao's coffee table. "i hope i.. yeah. just check it out."

seokmin growled. "if i seriously see something bad," the singer summons a katana, which jihoon laughed at. joshua tried to calm seokmin down. "you're dead." seokmin puts down his katana and starts scanning the papers in the folder.

the papers inside were case files. genocide, arson, murder, hostage, brazen heist, death threats, illegal immigration. you name the crime, it's in the folder. but it's just not like any other crime: it involved abilities. seokmin is a little shocked to see what seoul—no, the country had become without seventeen. without the most known and adored crime division among supernatural course students, the most vital one to the society. we need to make a comeback.

"okay, what the fuck is this?" seokmin asks, as he gets to the last paper in the folder. "hm, 'contract renewal order: seventeen armed forces.' so, basically, you're telling us to quit our jobs? ha ha, funny. nice prank." seokmin rolled his eyes.

"but the superintendent has already signed it! we can get back wonwoo, fix the crimes and be very rich again!" seungcheol pouts, pointing to the very bottom of the long bond paper. jeonghan screeched. "what, why?!"

"you really think we'd be able to fix the guest house in just a day?! the six months that the koushi guy gave us would be over, and we still wouldn't be done with cleaning up the old base!" jeonghan grabs his cup of coffee, downing it in one go. "my god. wrong idea, it was very hot." the poor guy coughs.

joshua rubbed the back of his boyfriend. "take it slow, jeonghan. your stupid side is getting into surface," joshua says, while jeonghan coughed even more, unable to protest against joshua's statement.

the rest of them laughed, before jihoon spoke. "duh, i have an ability that can help us with that." jihoon glances at seungcheol. "i'm up for seventeen's reboot. i can still make music here anyway."

the confused stares gets dismissed when seokmin answers for jihoon. "yeah, he became a producer and a songwriter. he even gave me an album." jihoon nods acknowledgingly at the taller man, remembering how packed seokmin's schedule was and he needed the new album quick—and jihoon made his album in just a day. wow, genius. "anyway, yuju doesn't care if i don't live in our house, since she leaves often too. our son can be looked over by minseok-hyung, so no worries. i can get back in seventeen."

"joshuji and i are just scamming people and we're delighted to go back to the good side!" jeonghan exclaims, looking behind to see his facepalming husband. when did he recover from the hot coffee and why did he have to expose our scheme like that? "oopsies!"

the other members shrugged it off. it was mingyu's turn to speak. "i mean, it's okay to leave the magazine to yachi. i just won't be in the base frequently because i still have to mentor my assistant so she'd be a good editor," mingyu flashes a smile. "then i can cook for you guys again!"

everyone likes mingyu's cooking, so off they go with their howling and cheering. they seem to be in just for mingyu's food than saving the country.

so it's settled. seventeen is back in business.

"i also want to be a part of it, but," minghao sighed. "don't you think we should try to win back the other members? they can help us with the wonwoo shit and fix these crime cases faster. specifically soonyoung, since wonwoo is brainwashed and soonyoung's ability is the perfect solution for that." minghao crossed his arms. "what, assholes? i'm right, don't you think?"