Baekhyun looked at Suho. “I have a problem with throwing things out.”

 

“Oh,” Jongdae said, eyeing Baekhyun’s bag, remembering the whatchamacallit he took from there.

 

“Why?” Suho asked.

 

Baekhyun hesitated. “I don’t know, there’s this part of me that keeps telling me that those things might be useful someday.”

 

“Like using chewed gum to stick your soles back on?” Luhan sneered.

 

Baekhyun nodded. “And I don’t know, maybe after 10 years or so I’d want to look back at newspapers and magazines from this year or something.”

 

“So you keep things for their sentimental value?”

 

“Not really. I keep food containers because I don’t know when they’ll come in handy.”

 

Jongdae grimaced. “I hope you wash them.”

 

Baekhyun blinked. “I can’t really wash takeout boxes.”

 

“Ew,” Luhan said, crinkling his nose in disgust.

 

“And plastic wrappers.”

 

“What the hell would you keep those for?” Luhan asked with blatant repugnance.

 

“What if I need that specific size of plastic for something?”

 

“Like what?” Jongdae asked.

 

“I don’t know, to wrap things with?”

 

“When did this start?” Suho asked.

 

“When I moved out after graduation, I guess?” Baekhyun shrugged. “My parents used to sort my things out for me so it didn’t really feel like a problem back then.”

 

“Why do you think that it’s a problem now?”

 

“Because I’ve ran out of space. I can barely move without bumping into things now. I’ve thought about moving to a bigger house, but I don’t think I can take everything with me.”

 

“How about throwing things out?” Jongdae suggested sensibly.

 

Baekhyun frowned. “I can’t. I might need them.”

 

“When you said your parents used to sort your things out for you, do you mean that they threw things away?” Suho asked.

 

Baekhyun shook his head. “They just made it neater. They tried to throw some things out before, but that didn’t end well.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

Baekhyun paused. “Let’s just say I got really upset with them.”

 

“Because they tried to throw out trash?” Sehun asked, disgust apparent on his face.

 

“It’s not trash.” Baekhyun pouted. “I might need them for something.”

 

“How did you cope with moving out from your parents’ house?”

 

“It was fine,” Baekhyun said simply. “I didn’t have to leave anything behind.”

 

Suho looked at him questioningly.

 

“I didn’t really have money and I didn’t go out to the shops much back then, so I didn't have as many things as I do now.”

 

“So you collect things?”

 

Baekhyun nodded. “I like freebies. It doesn’t matter if I have to buy something to actually get them.”

 

“Do you use them?”

 

“I might, someday.”

 

Suho nodded, scribbling ‘hoarding disorder’ on his pad.

 

“It could be OCD,” Kris whispered.

 

Suho scribbled that down as well before turning to look at the next person. “What’s your story, Jongdae?”

 

Jongdae smiled. “I enjoy stealing.”

 

Everybody in the room instinctively pat their pockets. Tao turned to look at Jongdae when he realised that his wallet was missing.

 

“Sorry, habit.” Jongdae laughed, handing Tao his wallet back.

 

Tao shook his head. “No, you can keep that.”

 

Jongdae’s expression turned to one of incredulity. “What?”

 

Sehun smacked Tao on the head. “Take it back, you idiot. You don’t just hand your wallet to a thief.”

 

Tao meekly took his wallet back.

 

“I think you’ve mellowed overnight,” Luhan pointed out to Sehun.

 

Sehun stood up. “I’ll show you mellow-“

 

Kris pulled him back into his seat.

 

Jongdae watched, fascinated. “He gets angry at the weirdest things.”

 

“Why do you enjoy stealing?” Suho asked, trying to get them back on track.

 

“It’s fun,” Jongdae said, shrugging indifferently.

 

“What kind of things do you steal?”

 

“Anything, it doesn’t matter. I throw them out after anyway.”

 

Baekhyun winced. “What a waste.”

 

“So it’s not for personal use?” Suho asked.

 

“Nope.”

 

“How often do you steal?”

 

“All the time,” Jongdae said blithely. “Whenever I feel like it.”

 

“So you get urges?”

 

Jongdae nodded. “You can say that.”

 

Suho frowned. “Kleptomania?” he whispered to Kris.

 

Kris nodded hesitantly.

 

“There doesn’t seem to be any comorbidity.”

 

“It’s rare, but possible,” Kris whispered back.

 

Suho nodded and scribbled on his pad.

 

“Shouldn’t he be in prison by now?” Luhan asked.

 

“I’m actually good at what I do,” Jongdae said.

 

“Stealing’s not something you should be proud of,” Minseok said.

 

“And not eating is?”

 

Minseok stiffened.

 

“, I’m sorry. That was uncalled for,” Jongdae said quickly.

 

“Look, we’re not here to judge each other,” Suho said firmly. He looked at his watch. “We only have two people left, so let’s take a break until after lunchtime.”

 

“Congratulations, now everybody knows what an you are,” Luhan said to Jongdae.

 

“No, I was wrong too,” Minseok said, sighing. “All of us need to be a little bit more tactful.”

 

Jongdae nodded. “Let’s start with you,” he said to Luhan.

 

“Have you ever thought that if you treat me the way I should be treated, I would be a bit nicer to you?” Luhan shot back.

 

“Do you even know what nice means?” Sehun called out angrily to Luhan.

 

Luhan frowned. “What are you so angry about?”

 

Sehun didn’t respond, apparently seething about something.

 

Luhan’s frown got deeper. “I don’t get it.” His expression returned to its default look of haughty disdain. “Not that it matters.”

 

“Ah,” Minseok said, realization suddenly dawning on him. He turned to Baekhyun. “What are you going to do with my sandwich from yesterday?”

 

“He doesn’t know, he might need it for something,” Jongdae answered, chuckling.

 

“What if I meet a stray cat on the way home or something?” Baekhyun said.

 

“You want to kill a cat with mouldy bread?” Luhan asked.

 

“No, what if I want to keep that cat?”

 

“And feed it mouldy bread?”

 

Baekhyun looked confused.

 

“You don’t even know what you’re going to use it for,” Jongdae pointed out. “Just throw it out.”

 

Baekhyun frowned. “No, I might need it for something. I just don’t know what it’s for right now.”

 

“Lunch is here,” Suho said, after light knocks on the door were heard.

 

Kris went to answer the door and came back with a tray of cheese scrolls, which he placed on the serving table.

 

“We’re having instant noodles for dinner, aren’t we?” Jongdae asked with mock horror.

 

Suho frowned. “I’m a student too.”

 

“You’re a student but you can afford to fork out $3000 for a research project?” Jongin asked, amazed.

 

“Let’s not go there,” Suho said tersely. “Feel free to mingle as usual,” he spoke up to the rest of the participants.

 

The participants stood up and walked towards the serving table to get their lunch.

 

Sehun grabbed Luhan and pulled him to the side.

 

“I know what you’re trying to do,” he growled in Luhan’s ear.

 

Luhan pushed him away, frowning. “Calm down, will you? I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

 

“Try it again and I swear to god, I will kill you,” Sehun threatened before walking off.

 

Luhan watched him, slightly confused but otherwise unimpressed.

 

 

 

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a/n: Apparently I gave the angst writer in me too much free rein with Minseok's story last chapter OTL I hope you'll stick around until the end :D

And 100+ subs! Thank you! Equal love to people who read/comment/upvote <3