PROJECT: SEVENTEEN. seventeen au

THE HERO.

* best to play the song once you see the asterisk.

—

and now, the final stretch of the long, long game.

the rest of the boys make it quickly back to the ballroom. they were still shaken up, not even feeling or noticing the rest of their surroundings as they washed up in the restroom and landed back in the lobby. they couldn't even think straight. if they tried to look back at the events that just happened, this pinching pain starts pulsing in the middle of their foreheads and spreads to their arms and legs and just makes them feel like being sautéed in a pan alive.

seokmin huffed and shook his head. "god, my brain is deep fried at this point. seungcheol?" he faced the older boy, "i'm gonna go help wonwoo. just finish this thing with the rest of the gang, okay? remember: don't think, feel!"

seungcheol's eyebrows shot up. "are you seriously quoting a k-drama right now— no, you are not going anywhere, especially with that wound—!"

"can't hear you!" seokmin was already disappearing into the crowd of people mulling about, "good luck!" his smile dissolved in a flurry of gowns and suits, "bye!"

then seokmin was gone. jisoo, mingyu, and seungcheol stared at the spot where seokmin previously stood. seungcheol's face contorted into a mix of anger, irritation, then worry in less than a second— but seokmin was right. there was no time to think right now. they had to carry out the plan.

and so seungcheol led the way. they passed the reception, the numerous restaurants and boutiques, the casino (jisoo swore he saw eight in there somewhere), before their feet finally landed in the exhibition hall. the three boys had to hold in a snort at the sight of the 17 carat's display box. it seemed like the others did a pretty good job, considering the way there were hordes of people pressing up their faces against the glass and murmuring, did it look that murky awhile ago? this can't be fake, right?

seungcheol subtly passes the device to jisoo, who mistakenly bumps into someone standing in a lone corner. he apologizes, but all three of them don't try to hide their smiles when the person runs off with the device. oh, soonyoung. good thing he went unnoticed, like how one wouldn't pay much attention to a little gerbil...no, a little hamster running around.

mingyu checked his watch one step before they were in the ballroom. he exchanged glances with seungcheol and jisoo. we're just in time.

they step in before the guards even notice.

the guards, unfortunately, noticed the other group.

"eight!" jieqiong whisper-yelled, already taking minghao's arm and prying him away from the casino. "come on, time to go back."

minghao mumbled something under his breath, a mix of grunts and i hate you fucktards, you can't even win a round of poker, can you? you couldn't even shuffle a deck of cards if you tried.

junhui rolled his eyes and took minghao's other arm. "wake up, eight. you can't stay in that place forever. look, they're doing a weapons check right now!"

minghao sombered up (even if he wasn't drunk in the first place?) and stopped whining. before nayoung could step in and convince the guard that no, we don't have any weapons on us! yep, that's right, the guard just had to beat her to it.