“Bye~”

“See you later!”

“We’re gonna win!” With these last few words, Team A waved goodbye to the rest of their members and began their journey to the fishing hole, armed with their self-assemble fishing rods.

“Do you think Henry is safe with them?” Sungmin worried. “Last time I saw them, Hangeng was dangling him upside-down…”

“He’ll be fine,” Siwon assured the older man. “Canadian’s tough.”

“But Hangeng does know martial arts…” Zhou Mi mused.

Kibum looked up. “Well, it’d just mean one less mouth to feed later, right?”

“I like the way you think,” Kyuhyun smirked.

Donghae jerked his head around in surprise. “Ah! He spoke!”

Siwon gave the maknae an appraising look. “So you’re feeling better?”

Kyuhyun nodded. “Because I just thought of all the different pranks I could pull on you guys while we fish,” he smiled. Everyone walking around him quickly scuttled away.

“So where are we going?” Kibum asked.

“The fishing spot is supposed to be right ahead of us if we keep walking straight for a while,” Leeteuk explained. “Leeteuk’s Battalion found it yesterday.”

“Hyung, I think you’re mispronouncing ‘Kyuhyun and Minions,’” the evil one corrected.

Leeteuk shook his head tiredly. “I don’t even have the energy to fight this one out.”

Clank. Clank. Clank. Clank.

“What’s that noise?” Zhou Mi wondered, cocking his head to the side.

Clank. Clank. Clank. Clank.

“Okay, confession time,” Donghae said seriously. “Which one of us here is the Transformer?”

“Yeah,” Leeteuk chimed in. “Where are you, Tin Man?”

“Tin Man?” Kyuhyun asked. “Wow, there really is a great generation gap here.” He dodged the leader’s swing at his head.

“I’M NOT THAT OLD!”

“You look like you’re in your thirties,” Kyuhyun goaded.

“I do not look like I’m in my thirties!” Leeteuk replied, stung.

“Okay then, late twenties.”

“YOU—“

“Kyuhyun’s finally back to normal,” Siwon smiled. Clank. Clank. Clank. Clank.

“Ah! I think I know!” Sungmin exclaimed. He turned to face the one member who had been suspiciously quiet all this time. “Heechul, is that you?”

Heechul looked away. “I have no idea what you could possibly be referring to,” he evaded innocently. Clank. Clank. Clank. Clank.

“It is you!” Donghae accused.

“Okay, Heechul, what are you smuggling out of the camp?” Siwon asked pointedly. Heechul kept silent. Clank. Clank. Clank. Clank.

“Is that, by any chance… the pot?” Kibum wondered.

“Um…” Heechul gulped. “Possibly?”

Zhou Mi looked more confused than ever. “Why do you have it with you?”

“Because I want to put a very big rock in it and throw it into the middle of the pond,” Heechul said seriously. The others nodded in sympathy.

“Hangeng doesn’t know?” Leeteuk asked.

In response, a far off cry of anguish from the direction of the camp could be heard. “POOOOOOOTTTTT~!!”

“I think he knows now…” Kyuhyun remarked dryly.

“I LOVE YOU! COME HOOOOOME~!” Team A dutifully ignored the screams and kept plodding forward.

“Hey! I think we’re here!” Sungmin exclaimed brightly. He pointed up ahead through the trees where sunlight could be seen glistening off the surface of a pond. The members emerged from the forest to take in the scenery. A soft blue sky, a pure and clear pond framed by gently swaying reeds, and a gentle zephyr weaving through the trees made the clearing look like a small slice of paradise.

“Wah~ So pretty~” Donghae sighed.

Zhou Mi nodded in awe. “I wish they sold shirts the color of this sky,” he murmured. “It would match perfectly with my new dress pants.”

One of them, however, was able to snap out of the semi-hypnosis fairly quickly. “Yes, yes, it’s very nice,” Heechul remarked brusquely. “Now can I please get rid of the Devil Pot?” Siwon picked up a large rock to give to Heechul, but hesitated.

“Hurry up and give it to me!” Heechul demanded, holding his hand out.

Siwon looked uncomfortable. “It feels… wrong,” he admitted. “Like I’m assisting you in murder or something.” The others nodded in agreement.

“I think the pot’s already become one of us,” Sungmin commented softly. “It’s family.”

“OH FOR GOD’S SAKE! IT’S A POT! AND STOP GIVING ME THAT LOOK, SIWON!” Heechul shrieked. He roughly grabbed the stone out of Siwon’s hands, stuck it in the pot, and hurled it all into the pond. The pot sailed through the air in a perfect, graceful arc. With a defined sploosh, it hit the water and slowly sank out of sight. Many of the members winced, and Sungmin had to turn himself away completely from the tragic scene.

“Stop sniffling, Donghae.” Heechul frowned. “You know it had to go sooner or later.” Everyone kept their eyes down and studied their toes silently. There was a new air of solemnity about them.

“Somehow, this feels like a wake,” Kibum noted.

Siwon was giving Heechul a strange look. “What?” the older one snapped.

“I can’t believe you would do that,” Siwon said. “I always knew you were slightly evil, but I never thought you would be a murderer.” He shook his head and took a step backward. “I don’t think I can ever see you again in the same light,” he declared sadly.

“IT’S A POT, PEOPLE! NOT A PUPPY!”

“I know, but think of how Hangeng will feel,” Siwon frowned. “See? SiHan wins again!”

“You little…!”

“WELL!” Leeteuk said, bringing them all to attention. “Now that this business is over with, should we start fishing?”

“Fish~!” Donghae sang, twirling in happiness.

Sungmin picked up the fishing pole kits. “These are very interesting. Where did you get them?”

“They’re Russian,” Leeteuk said proudly. “Apparently, they’re top quality.”

“And we have to assemble these ourselves?” Kyuhyun clarified. The leader nodded again brightly. “Great,” the maknae said. “Who here reads Russian?” There was a horrible silence.

“LEEEEEEEEEEETEEEEEUUUUUUUUKKKK!”

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” The leader yelped, scrambling backwards.

“If only Nicolas Cage was here…” Donghae mused.

“Wait! Don’t kill him yet!” Zhou Mi called. Kyuhyun sighed in disappointment. “There’s a translated side!” There was a collective exhale of relief. Zhou Mi handed the directions over to Kibum. The Korean began scanning the page, and then flipped it over.

“I think the other side has the Korean,” Sungmin corrected him.

Kibum looked at him. “I know. But believe me, this side will probably make more sense.” He showed them the page. “I think some things were lost in translation.”

Leeteuk squinted at the text. “Gently forward piece to coupling for together with warning about many danger,” he dictated.

“What the hell does that even mean?” Heechul asked. “Sorry, Siwon.”

Sungmin grabbed the poles. “Does it mean like this?”

“No, no, this should go here.”

“But this looks like it’d fit too…”

“What was the ‘warning about many danger?’” The members all began to fuss over the poles.

“What’s the next direction?”

“Uh…” Sungmin glanced down at the paper. “Insert to parts for assemble which pole can have immediately.”

“WHAT KIND OF CRAP INSTRUCTIONS ARE THESE?!”
“Huh.” Siwon looked at the paper. “Is this the same person who wrote Surviving Your Camping Trip?”

“What does he have against us?!” Zhou Mi moaned.

Kyuhyun stared at a screw. “Does this look like it would fit here?” He pointed.

“No, no,” Donghae disagreed. “Look, the paper says: To make rod with secure to fasten black pin B to Happy.” He stopped. “Pin B to Happy? Which one is happy?”

Heechul gave him an apocalyptic look. “THERE IS NOTHING HAPPY HERE.”

“Maybe like this…”

“Is this it?”

“No, no, that’s part A.”

“There IS no part A!”

“Then this is happy!”

“GAAAH! YOU IDIOT! THAT’S MY FINGER!”

Click.“Got it,” Kibum said simply.

“Whaaaa~?” Everyone whirled around to look at the quietest member, who was proudly holding out his fully-assembled fishing pole.

“How… How…?” Heechul spluttered, nursing his wounded finger.

Kibum shrugged. “You just pop it in, twist, and screw in the screw,” he explained. “Easy.”

“What? No way…” The other members turned back to their own poles.

“Why doesn’t mine work?” Siwon wondered.

“Idiot. You’re holding it upside-down,” Kyuhyun scoffed.

“I think mine turned into a rain stick,” Sungmin noted, shaking his pole. “The screw fell inside, and now…” he turned it back and forth, listening to the clinking piece of metal.

“Ah-HAH!” Donghae triumphantly showed his own finished work. “Got it!”

“Me too!”

“Oh, so this is how it works…”

“Aiiish…” Heechul huffed in frustration. “Mine isn’t working! Who gave me this defective pole?!”

Kibum looked over at the older member’s work. “I think you’re holding it too tightly,” he commented. “Maybe if you tried not throttling it…?”

Click. “Ahaha!” Heechul danced around in victory. “I did it! I’m a genius! I’m beautiful! The world is mine! All mine!”

Donghae looked happily at his fishing pole. “With these, we can’t lose this competition!” he declared grandly.

Leeteuk, blessed with his super MC-sense, decided to jump right in. “Of course we can’t!” He paused again momentarily and smiled for the nonexistent camera. “We can never lose! Who are we?” He faced s, who were staring at him nonplussed.

“Humans…?” Siwon ventured.

Leeteuk ignored the interruption and finished strongly. “WE ARE SUPER JUNI—“

“—OR!” The others cheered.

“Um, guys?” Sungmin began. He was crouching by the water’s edge and peering into its depths with a small frown on his face. “Where’s the fish?”

“Here!” Donghae waved.

Heechul smacked him upside the head. “No, idiot. In the water.”

Leeteuk considered the water for a moment. “I’m sure they’ll show up after we wait for a while,” he assured the others.

“I think I see something here!” Zhou Mi called.

“That’s a branch,” Kyuhyun said dismissively.

Kibum shook his head. “No, I don’t think so. The shape is wrong.”

“Maybe’s it’s buried treasure!” Donghae jumped up and down excitedly.

“Probably a rock,” Sungmin predicted. “Anyone want to wade in and get it?”

Leeteuk, still immersed in his MC fantasy, quickly spoke up. “Of course, for this challenge, we will be sending out our most athletic member…” Another pause. “MA SIWON!”

Siwon shook his head. “No, no, it’s okay,” he declined politely with a flourish of his hands.

Kyuhyun’s face lit up with an evil grin. “Oh no, don’t ask him to do that,” he goaded. “You know it’s too hard for him.”

At these words, Siwon’s head snapped up and he fixed a burning stare on the maknae. “I’ll do it!” He said stubbornly.

Zhou Mi shook his head. “Siwon, you really are too easy to set up.” The proud Korean ignored these words and began shedding his socks and shoes. With his head held high, he waded into the water toward the mysterious object.

“What is it?” Leeteuk asked curiously.

Siwon had picked up the object and was holding it with his back blocking it from their view. His shoulders had begun to shake.
“What? What?”

“Treasure?” Donghae said hopefully.

“You’ll never guess~” Siwon sang happily. He turned around and joyfully raised the object above his head like a trophy. “IT LIVES!” He yelled triumphantly.

Heechul squinted. “What is th—“ His eyes went wide as he saw the shining silver surface…

“FRANKENSTEIN POT?!”

I’m BAAAAAAACK~ :D Merry early Christmas <3 I just finished my French final and I feel really good about it, so I decided to give this chapter to my 160 awesome subscribers. Thanks to everyone for sticking with me. <3 **eyeball sweating with happiness** Okay, now I’m just getting downright cheesy. -__- Happy holidays!