"Ugh! This is killing me!" Jun groans, stomping his foot as he paces in frustration. His eyes flicker with an energy that refuses to be contained.
Across the room, Wonwoo's lips twitch into a rare grin. "Do you smell that?"
"Smell what?" Hoshi asks, head tilting like a curious puppy.
"Treasure," Wonwoo whispers, almost reverently. "Secrets. Long buried."
Joshua chuckles under his breath, but his gaze remains fixed on the sun creeping past the horizon.
Its amber light pours into the hidden corners of the room, casting shadows across the walls.
The crisp morning air flows freely through the large glass window Mingyu opened just moment ago.
"Tsk. Is that even a question?"
Their eyes gleam in unison, like mirrors catching firelight.
DK, Hoshi, and Seungkwan are huddled together on the floor, giddy with anticipation. They laugh like kids about to open a forbidden chest.
"Ah! This brings back memories," Hoshi says with a dreamy sigh. "Sneaking into archives. Breaking rules. Nearly getting expelled."
"Nearly," Seungkwan snickers. "Thanks to someone who insisted on tagging along but kept sneezing from all the dust."
Seungcheol raises an eyebrow, feigning offense. "Are you implying something?"
Everyone bursts into laughter as Seungkwan yelps and ducks behind Mingyu and Vernon like a child hiding from punishment.
The tension that nearly broke their brotherhood has vanished like morning mist. As if they have found something far greater than their fight.
In its place, a new hunger is building under their skin.
Growing Curiosity. New Purpose.
The room thrums with urgency. Books are yanked from high shelves, drawers pried open, old maps and parchment unfurled across tables like battlefield strategies. Footsteps echo against marble and wood.
Then, Jun's voice slices through the hum. "Look."
He drags a thick, ancient tome onto the center table. Its cover is worn with time, the leather flaking at the edges, but an ornate emblem, half-faded, half-defiant, glows under the morning light.
Although dulled by time, the golden emblem still pulses with weight and legacy.
Dust flutters into the air like ash. "This thing weighs a ton."
"Where'd you get that?" Minghao breathes, wide-eyed.
Jun nods toward the farthest shelf, so high it nearly kisses the ceiling. "Top right corner. Hidden behind old history records."
Everyone gathers. Huddled in.
"Cool," Hoshi exclaims as he runs his fingers along the book's faded cover.
"It looks like a wizard's grimoire," Dino adds.
Wonwoo nudges Joshua. "Let's check for spells that might turn you into a handsome prince."
Joshua rolls his eyes at his lame joke.
Jun opens the book slowly. The first few pages, delicate with age, reveal themselves one by one, each bearing a crest, a silent reminder of power.
First page: a family crest. Second page: a name.Then another. And another.
And yet, as Jun flips the next page…
Two entries are missing.
Their eyes fix on the blank, torn vellum. Two pages were violently ripped, leaving behind only whispers of ink and a ghostly outline where crests used to be.
"Someone doesn't want us to know," Jihoon murmurs, breaking the silence.
Vernon narrows his eyes. "Or someone doesn't want us to remember."
Lost in their desire to uncover the truth, their so-called treasure, they fall deep into brainstorming again. Ideas fly.
Theories spiral. Excitement crackles in the air like static.
But suddenly, Seungcheol stands up abruptly, staring down at his phone with wide eyes.
"Oh, shit."
Everyone pauses mid-sentence, eyes snapping to him in confusion.
"What?" Joshua asks, impatient.
Seungcheol looks up, grimacing. "We're late for class."
A beat of silence.
"Damn it!" Jeonghan groans, already scrambling to gather his things. "I have a report in my first class. Gotta go!"
Before they can answer, he's already gone. Books slam shut, papers scatter, and chaos erupts as they all bolt toward the door.
Sleepless and exhausted, most of them barely make it to first class.
Hoshi's head hits the desk the moment he sits down, mumbling something about dragons and secret books.
Jihoon his headphones on, volume low, pretending to be present.
Vernon and Minghao stare blankly at the board, minds elsewhere.
Seungkwan tries to keep up appearances, with a bright smile and a few jokes, but the shadows under his eyes betray him.
Mingyu and Wonwoo don't speak. Not out of anger. Just the weight of too much unsaid.
At the back of the room, Seungcheol leans back in his seat, arms crossed, his long eyelashes fluttering. Resisting the heavy lids pushing his eyes to close.
As soon as the bell signals lunch break, everyone instinctively drifts toward the private garden, their shared haven away from prying eyes.
Seungkwan, barely able to keep his eyes open, lets out a soft yawn and plops onto the cool grass beneath the sweeping shade of the willow tree. With a content sigh, he turns on his side, arm tucked under his head.
A moment later, Vernon casually lies down beside him, resting one leg over Seungkwan's thigh as if it's the most natural thing in the world.
"Aish!" Seungkwan groans in sleepy protest, swatting lazily at him, but never moves the leg.
Nearby, Jun and Wonwoo nap side by side, shoes off and shoulders rising gently with each breath. In sleep, they shift closer.
Jun's arm loosely draping around Wonwoo's waist, Wonwoo's hand resting near Jun's back. It's effortless, natural, pure brotherhood in its quietest form.
At the stone table in the center of the garden, the rest of the boys gather.
Some nibble on their lunch, others chatter lazily, laughter rising now and then in sleepy waves.
Minghao, too drowsy to care about food, shuffles over with a long yawn, eyes barely open.
Without a word, he plops down between Jun and Wonwoo, draping his arms across both of them like a human blanket. Wonwoo grunts in protest but leans in, while Jun shifts a little to make space.
"Seriously?" Jun mutters, brushing Minghao's hair out of his face. "You're like a cat."
"Nope. A frog," Wonwoo mumbles. "An overheated one."
"Hmm. You still love me regardless. Frog or not," Minghao slurs, half-asleep.
Jun snorts. "More like tolerate."
At the table, things are no less warm or chaotic. It buzzes with stories and laughter.
"A—" Seungcheol leans over, holding a pair of chopsticks in one hand as he feeds Mingyu a bite of grilled meat.
Mingyu, eyes still glued to his phone, opens his mouth like a trained puppy.
"You're spoiling him," Jeonghan remarks, smirking as he rests his chin in his palm.
Seungcheol turns with mock offense. "Jealous?"
"Of course not!" Jeonghan arches a brow. "I'm just saying, at this rate, you'll need to carry him around next."
"That's okay," Seungcheol sighs dramatically. "This is my fate. Leader by title, servant by choice."
"That's why I like you a lot," Mingyu pipes up cheerfully.
Seungcheol chuckles.
Jeonghan rolls his eyes. "Ugh. Whatever—"
Yet when Seungcheol offers him the next bite, he accepts it with all the dignity of a prince, chewing slowly like he's being crowned.
Seungcheol and Mingyu exchange a glance, something unspoken passing between them. Mingyu opens his mouth to say something.
"Don't," Jeonghan cuts in sharply. "Just shut up."
Both men laugh as they high-five.
Meanwhile, Joshua and DK share their favorite energy drink, passing the bottle back and forth from the same straw without a second thought.
DK's in the middle of an animated story, sipping between sentences.
Seungkwan, glancing over from under the willow tree, catches them mid-sip and makes a grossed-out face.
"Didn't you two gag at the idea of sharing drinks, like, last semester?" he asks, incredulous.
Joshua shrugs. "Hydration over hesitation."
DK nods solemnly. "My germs are premium grade."
"And I got the DK vaccine," Joshua adds smoothly, "I'm immune."
Seungkwan blinks. "You two need help," he mutters, flopping back down and pulling Vernon's hoodie over his face.
On the far end, Dino towers in front of Hoshi and Woozi as he talks with such exaggerated flair that he's barely touched his lunch.
Hoshi and Woozi, clearly fed up, take turns feeding him as they listen to his story.
"Slow down before you choke," Woozi scolds, jabbing the chopsticks toward his cheek.
"Let him choke," Hoshi giggles. "If he does, we'll finally get some peace."
"I heard that!" Dino cries, pointing dramatically with a rice-covered finger.
"You two are literally conspiring against the baby of the group!"
"You're nineteen, not nine," Woozi deadpans.
"Well, maybe mentally, he's around that age," Hoshi adds, grinning.
"Wow. You fed me, cared for me like your own brother." Dino gasps, clutching his chest. "In the end, you betrayed me. This is how villains are born."
"You were born a villain," Woozi replies dryly.
Dino stands tall, then pouts. "Rude. I'm telling Seungcheol."
"You think he'll take your side?" Woozi arches a brow.
"Of course. I'm adorable."
"Debatable," both Woozi and Hoshi say in unison.
Their bickering continues in the background. And despite the teasing, despite the chaos, it's undeniably affectionate.
From a distance, it's just a group of boys in a quiet garden, napping, eating, teasing.
No airs. No pretense.
Just moments of comfort in between the chaos.
And it stands in quiet contrast to what Jeonghan said the night before.
Because this isn't just a pact. This is family.