Jongdae watched as the participants stood around the serving table, each of them with a cheese scroll in hand.

Chanyeol grimaced as he took a bite of his cheese scroll. “This must be poisoned food sent by that evil rival company because they know what we’re planning.”

“You’re still going on about that?” Luhan asked.

“Do you like cheese scrolls? You can have mine,” Minseok said to Yixing.

Yixing didn’t respond, staring off into space while munching on his cheese scroll.

This was a good chance. While everybody’s attention was focused on Minseok, who was busy offering his cheese scroll to anybody who was desperately famished enough to endure two of those horrid salty rocks disguised as food, Jongdae looked around to look for something he could steal.

And then he saw it.

Kris had absent-mindedly left a small notepad and pen on Sehun’s vacated seat while deep in discussion with Suho.

Ooh, those would be challenging to steal, but Jongdae liked challenges. He walked over discreetly, keeping an eye on the researchers, feeling his pulse quicken in excitement at what he was about to do. He saw Suho turning to look at him and quickly plopped himself down on Sehun’s seat, smoothly inserting the notepad and pen into his back pocket.

“Do you need anything, Jongdae?”

Kris turned to look at him too, oblivious to what had happened.

Jongdae smiled. “Just curious to know what you’re discussing.”

Suho frowned. “It’s confidential. Go join the others.”

“Okay.” Jongdae walked back towards the crowd at the serving table.

“Aren’t you hungry?” Luhan was asking Minseok.

“No. I’ll eat when I start to feel faint,” Minseok said.

Jongdae turned to look at the researchers, who were busy discussing again. He took the notepad and pen out of his back pocket, happy with a job well done. He frowned at the odd doodles in the notepad, but that didn’t matter. Now he just needed to get rid of the evidence.

“You can keep it.” Minseok said, handing his cheese scroll to Baekhyun.

Baekhyun put it in his bag.

A-ha, Jongdae thought, smiling. He had found his unwitting accomplice. “Keep these too,” he said, handing the notepad and pen to Baekhyun.

Baekhyun looked confused, but put them in his bag anyway.

“Let’s start our discussion again if you’re all done eating,” Suho called out to the participants. The participants shuffled back to their seats.

“What’s your story, Tao?” Suho asked when they were all seated.

“I don’t know how to say this,” Tao began hesitantly. He looked at everyone in the room, reluctance apparent on his face.

“Just get on with it so we can all leave,” Sehun said impatiently.

“We still have one more day,” Jongdae pointed out.

Sehun glowered at him and turned to look at Suho. “What do you need the third day for?”

“Further observations,” Suho answered calmly. “Go on,” he said to Tao.

Tao sighed. “I think I’m a masochist.”

“,” Jongin commented.

“That’s a bit rich, coming from the self-proclaimed 'nymph',” Jongdae pointed out.

“No, not in that way,” Tao said. “More like an emotional masochist, if that makes sense?”

“What do you mean?” Suho asked.

“I don’t like it when people are nice to me.”

“Can you give an example?”

“I feel bad when people compliment me.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t deserve it.”

“What do you think you deserve?”

Tao paused. “I like it when people get angry at me.”

Luhan turned to Sehun. “I see.” Sehun scowled at him.

“Do you actually enjoy it when people are angry at you?” Suho asked Tao.

“No, it makes me feel miserable. That’s what I like about it.”

Jongin blinked. “That’s confusing.”

“It’s hard to explain.” Tao frowned. “It’s like this weird sense of accomplishment of getting what I deserve, I guess? So I feel humiliated, but I like it somehow.”

Jongin looked at him. “That really does sound .”

“Now you’re actually starting to sound like a addict with a one track mind,” Kyungsoo muttered under his breath.

“Not in a ual way,” Tao reiterated.

“Do you not enjoy ?” Suho asked.

Everybody in the room turned to look at him.

“Dude, inappropriate,” Jongdae said, appalled.

“It could change my diagnosis,” Suho protested.

“I don’t know,” Tao answered. “I’ve never tried it before.”

“He probably doesn’t have anybody to try it with,” Luhan sneered.

Tao nodded. “You’re right. I don’t like it when people like me.”

“You’ve never been in a relationship before?” Suho asked.

“No. I’ve tried dating before, but the other person kept wanting to do what I wanted, and that made me feel-“ He paused, a frown forming on his face as he searched for the right word. “Something like guilt, I suppose?”

“Why?”

“I hate enjoying myself.”

“Why?” Suho asked again.

“Because I shouldn’t be.”

“Have you ever been attracted to somebody?”

Tao nodded.

“What happened?”

“Nothing.” Tao sighed dejectedly. “I always find myself attracted to people who dislike me.”

“What do you mean?”

“The worse they treat me, the more I like them.”

“Say ‘’ one more time and you’ll regret it.” Jongin shut his mouth at Sehun’s warning.

“Do you have friends?” Suho asked.

“Yes, if you count acquaintances. I don’t have close friends I hang out with on a daily basis or anything like that.”

“Why not?”

“I feel bad when people try to be nice to me.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t deserve it.”

“Depression?” Kris whispered to Suho.

Suho shook his head. “I think it’s more likely a personality disorder.”

“Avoidant?”

“Self-defeating,” Suho stated.

Kris frowned. “That’s not in the DSM.”

“NOS.”

Kris nodded.

“Okay, let’s move on,” Suho said, turning to the last person. “What’s wrong with you, Sehun?”

a/n: a really short chapter, I'm sorry T.T

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