𝐒𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍 𝐆𝐔𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐒𝐄

36; 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙡𝙮

while seungkwan faced chumin, chan was busy hunting for the person with the bomb. "i.. i don't know where he could be. maybe in the other—"

chan cuts himself off when he sees taehyung, that guy from his first mission. he was sitting beside the window, crying. ah, i get it now. chan smiled a little, glancing at seungkwan who was facing chumin.

"taehyung, right?" chan asked, looking at the boy who used his palm to wipe off his tears. "did you join a mafia?"

"he found me. i-i don't—he—that guy will kill me if i don't blow up the train! i don't even know why he knows that i have an—i have an ability!" taehyung panics, looking up at the seventeen member. "is he... is he still there?"

"yeah, looks like he's losing." chan lends a hand to the high school student, which he took. chab smiled upon their contact. "come on now, let's get you out of here."

"s-sure...?" he asked, making chan chuckle. chan hums and nods, which the boy thankfully responded to calmly. "okay, then. thank you for being here. i thought you won't be able to fight him and save everyone."

"you know, you could use your ability against him. you're much more powerful!" chan's attempt to cheer taehyung up worked. the boy smiled. "but i get it, sometimes we just get too daunted in what's happening." chan and taehyung walk towards seungkwan and chumin.

"correct." taehyung smiled at chan. oh, what a handsome man he is. chan hopes that he could see that smile more often, since everytime chan sees taehyung, he's mad, upset, crying or frustrated.

"oh, so it's a person with some kind of explosive ability?" seungkwan asked, eyeing taehyung up and down. "pretty hot if you ask me. are you  a pledis mafia member?"

the boy blushed. chan was confused; why was he blushing? "n-no! he threated to kill me and my family if i don't blow up this bus."

"oh, goodie. should we stop by and give this guy to the police?"

"that's crazy. taehyung's involved again, maybe it's his fate?" seokmin was the first one to make a comment after seungkwan and chan's storytelling. "maybe he's supposed to be a mafioso or an agent, like us."

"wait, wait wait. what were you guys doing previously before you entered seventeen? except the four from pledis mafia." jihoon incessantly said.

"you wanna know, shrimpy? what if it's... dirty?" soonyoung emerged from the bar, winking at jihoon. jihoon gagged playfully, making the team laugh. soonyoung proceeded to make kissy noises, earning more laughs.

"okay, except you." jihoon points to soonyoung. everyone laughs as soonyoung ranted.

"i was a.... i was a singer." seokmin started, before hitting a whistle note just to brag. he was proud of what he did when he saw the look of surprise on their faces. "amazing, right?"

"not really, i can do that too." seungkwan stood up, challenging seokmin. seungkwan does an even higher whistle note. seokmin stood up as well, now using his real voice to hit a high note. of course, will seungkwan let himself lose? seungkwan turns back to his real voice to hit an even higher—

"OKAY we get it, me next!" seungcheol interrupts, as the room fills with laughs again. "i was a detective in training and then i got offered to make a supernatural division instead! wow!"

"ah, but he sucks in deducting." minghao waved off seungcheol. seungcheol 'playfully' headlocked the skinny man. "don't choke me!"

"but he's good at figuring things out, i can say that!" jeonghan remarked. seungcheol smiled at him genuinely.

"thanks, you're great too yourself!" seungcheol replied, placing a hand on his shoulder. "in fact, i really like you sticking around!"

jeonghan felt a blush creep up his cheeks. he's heard a compliment about him from someone unexpected. this feels good! jeonghan and his efforts are getting noticed by seungcheol. maybe soon enough, joshua will notice him too.

"WOOOOAAAAHHH WHAT'S THAT?!" soonyoung hoots, pointing at the two who were conversing, while his other hand was over his mouth. everyone wooed, teasing seungcheol and jeonghan. chan was clapping proudly at them.

joshua? oh, that poor little guy who's in denial. he looked away.

"okay, next! i was a magazine editor!" mingyu raised his hand and waved it wildly. jihoon nods.

"that's quite expected from you, you like to write." jihoon comments. he meets soonyoung gaze once, which soonyoung immediately took as a chance to wink. "disgusting!" the room was filled with laughter again.

"i was a dancer." soonyoung winked again.

"i knew it." jihoon tiredly sighed. "what, a bar or a—?"

"i'm just a normal dancer!" soonyoung pointed to himself, pleading innocent. "i dance at special events, and i control my backup dancers who essentially suck at dancing."

the four orphans nod. minghao makes side comments. "we haven't even seen you dance yet, but you're here, blowing your own horn."

"i can blow your horn." soonyoung winks, earning laughs and gags. chan was one of those who laughed. but luckily, nobody noticed it as much so he won't get weird looks again.

"how about you, joshuji?" joshua was called, by the one and only person who calls him that nickname. joshua, who was previously looking away and not paying attention, turns to the team.

"huh? what?" joshua asks. "oh yeah! i was a scammer before i came here."

"s-scammer?!" chan asked. wonwoo's eyebrows furrowed—wonwoo always thought that joshua was a professor, or something that requires wide knowledge. he went to university for all that? "joshua-hyung, this is news!"

"yeah." joshua was surprisingly a bit grumpy today. crossing his arms, he continued, "i studied science and technology to use it for scams. i steal information using my knowledge and use it to blackmail rich people. i can steal expensive things like jewelry and replicate it using my technology, to put the fake one in where the original thing used to be displayed. i created a magnet to remove those things in clothing stores, hijack cctv so my heist won't be seen."

"woah, i didn't expect this from you!" jeonghan turned around to face joshua properly. "that's so cool, joshuji!"

maybe seungcheol's cooler. joshua thought, while junhui slung an arm around joshua. "he's a badass! if you see him doing some deed that's very unexpected of him, you'll fall head over heels!"

"yeah!" jeonghan joined in, standing up to cling to joshua. "i loooooveee my joshuji."

"stop it!" jihoon covers his ears, making everyone laugh.

at the end of the day, everyone was a bit closer to each other, seventeen was intact, and joshua was more confused that ever. thanks to jeonghan.