“Where in the hell am I going to find someone to marry?” Suho swayed slightly in his chair, staring down at his drink.

“I’ll marry you hyung.” Chanyeol offered, slamming his glass of beer.

“They will see right through that.” Minseok took his drink in one shot, his mind troubled by the stupid competition. He had worked hard at Monday Enterprises, and now it could all be for naught if one of his siblings got married before him.

After the Kang Parents had announced the competition the four brothers had made plans to meet up later that night. They had a lot to talk about – or just complain about. Commiseration and alcohol seemed like a great idea.

“You guys think you have it hard…I can’t even talk to guys.” Kyungsoo whined, his head on the table.

“Well, I hope you guys are okay working for me, because I am pretty sure I can find someone to marry tomorrow.” Sehun said confidently. The youngest of the brothers was, for lack of a more suitable description, full of himself.

Suho nearly spit his drink out, “You? Who are you going to find?”

“I bet I can find someone! Easy- with my good looks!” Sehun took a handful of popcorn and stuffed it in his mouth.

“Maybe we should go to a matchmaker or something…”Minseok stared off into space as he offered the suggestion, his mind full of how impossible this task would be. He had no one, literally no one, who was interested in him. Or that he was interested in. People were not really his thing. He could do fine negotiating contracts, sitting in meetings, but when it came to actively socializing he never felt truly comfortable, truly ready to be out and about mingling during his free time.

“That might work!” Kyungsoo’s head shot up from the table at the suggestion, pieces of popcorn stuck to the side of his face.

“But when are you guys going to have time to do that?” Chanyeol, always ready and willing to tell them why their latest plan would not work, spoke up, “You three have to leave to supervise the new development tomorrow morning, and who knows when you will return.”

“Sehun, you are coming with us.” Minseok said firmly, not willing to let his youngest brother get a head start.

“Why?” Sehun whined cutely, his aegyo usually worked on his hyungs. But not this time.

“Because, if we can’t compete because of work neither can you. Plus it is about time you took a more active role in learning the development side of the business.” Suho answered for the other three.

Sehun whined more, but his brother’s ignored him. If things couldn’t get worse they had, now he was all set to go on a long business trip with his hyungs, to some god forsaken island that probably had zero people to marry. Sehun took another drink. This was going to be a long and drawn out competition. He knew it.

***

The small island, just off of the Southern tip of the Korean peninsula, had only one claim to fame. And that was a fishing industry that had largely dried up. Residents had left in the last three decades, the population dwindling. One resident of the island, ready to give up and move to the mainland, sold out a large swath of land to Monday Enterprises, who had been scouting the area for well over a decade looking for a good deal. They would put a hotel on the island, create a large sandy beach for tourists to flock to, and revitalize the island to become a tourist destination. Or so that was the plan.

The small private plane descended through the clouds as it neared the island, giving Minseok his first glimpse of the place. He had seen many pictures but this was the first time he had seen it in person. The island was not large, but it wasn’t the tiny little thing he feared it may be.

“How many people live here?” Sehun asked, bothering to look out the window after finishing the Vogue Magazine he had been reading.

“Three thousand, give or take.” Suho answered.

“Big place.” Sehun said sarcastically, opening his magazine back up.

“I like it!” Jongdae said, sitting up in his seat to peer over Suho and out the window. Jongdae was Suho’s most senior employee, a corporate accountant who had attended school with Suho. After they had finished university together Suho had offered him a job at Monday Enterprises, and they had worked their way through the ranks together (Gary and Ji Hyo made all of their sons start at entry level positions so they would learn the company from the ground up).

“Is Baekhyun already here?” Minseok asked.

“Yep, Yixing too. They flew in last night to meet with the regulations officers.” Chanyeol, busy on his tablet, answered. Baekhyun was the corporate lawyer for Monday Enterprises, while Yixing was the go-to secretary. He did a little bit of everything to be honest. He took messages, he drove the brother’s around, and he ran long distant errands like accompanying the corporate lawyer on a trip down to a development site the day before.

A few minutes passed in silence, the occupants of the plane staring out the window towards their destination or busy ignoring the world as they stayed glued to their electronic devices. Minseok took a deep breath, repeating mentally that everything would go well. This development deal was a big thing for the company, their first foray into the tourism industry, and it had a very attractive profit margin. He wanted this to go well, he needed this to go well.

Minseok’s thoughts were interrupted by a loud gasp from Chanyeol.

“What?! What is it?” Minseok asked, seeing Chanyeol’s face blanch as he held up his tablet.

“We have a problem, guys.” Chanyeol looked worried, “A big problem.”

***

Luhan loved days like this. A few clouds, but mostly sun. Beautiful sun, reflecting off of the ocean, warming the landscape. He felt happy when he could go out for a walk, the sun shining, the birds chirping. Sometimes he wondered if he wanted to be in a Disney movie, and he never could quite answer that question. Because deep down he was cool with being animated, but he was pretty sure there weren’t any Disney movies about his passion in life. And that passion was…well…what was it this month?

Luhan had a problem, and that problem was dedication. Not that he wasn’t dedicated, he was intensely dedicated. It was just the fact the object of his dedication seemed to change frequently. When he had started University, receiving a full scholarship to one of the most prestigious Universities in Korea, he had wanted to be a doctor. But then he screamed and fainted at blood so he dedicated himself to art. But there was that little problem of not really being very good at it. Then he decided it was high time he took up law, which led him to a string of things to be dedicated to – all of which involved some major form of activism.

He had spent a year protesting against the government’s pollution policies. Then there was four months where he organized voters. Oh, followed by seven months of flying to the United States to save the wolves and then another year trying to save Mountain Gorillas followed by a five month stint protecting pandas. Then he was back to Korea, taking on labor rights, which led him to this island. This place. And this bright green t-shirt with the words “Save the island” printed in bold block letters.

It had been an easy decision to come here after he had heard what Monday Enterprises was planning. It would destroy the ecosystem, hurt the wildlife, and hurt the last of the fishing boats by turning this place into a tourist mad house. And it made Luhan mad, mad enough to get out his megaphone and join in the protests as an organizer. And on this day, this sunny day with perfect weather, Luhan had gathered the residents of the island together for their first major protest. The Monday Enterprises team was set to arrive at the small island airport soon, and the protestors would be waiting for them.

“Everyone know the chant?” Luhan spoke through his megaphone, smiling at the large gather of island residents.

“Save the island! Down with Monday Enterprises!” The group chanted. Luhan had to admit it wasn’t the catchiest slogan, but it conveyed their intent accurately.

“Good! The plane should be here soon. Remember, make sure your voice is heard!” Luhan pumped a fist in the air, giving energy to the crowd.

A shrill shout of “Save the Island” sounded from the back of the crowd. Tao was excited, this was the first protest he had ever been a part of. He had lived on the island his entire life, working on his parent’s small fishing business alongside his four brothers. When he heard what that accursed company was going to do to his home he was angry – when Luhan had shown up and started organizing the islanders he was one of the first to sign up. Now those corporate bloodsuckers just had to show up, and everything would begin. Tao pumped his fist, shouting out the slogan again. He was excited.

***

Minseok popped the pill in his mouth, drinking his water down with a gulp. As soon as he realized what was going on he knew he needed the medication – when he was in large crowds, especially hostile crowds, his anxiety became too much. First his chest would feel tight, then he would feel sick. It would be hard to breath, hard to move, and he would likely fall to his knees. Luckily he had brought his anxiety medication, luckily given the fact they were landing amidst a full blown protest.

“Why didn’t Baekhyun tell us?” Jongdae wondered aloud.

“Maybe he didn’t know…”Chanyeol offered. “Crap, my connection just died.”

The plane touched down on the runway with a slight jerk. The airport on the island was really just a building and one runway. It was rarely used.

Minseok stared out the window, taking in the site. In front of the building there was a large crowd gathered. He noticed that they would have to walk past them to get to their car – there was no other way out of the “airport”. This was going to be interesting.

“Maybe we should try talking to them.” Suho suggested, trying to be positive.

“Really?” Kyungsoo was not exactly keen on the suggestion.

“I say we run for it.” Sehun offered his two cents.

“I like your plan.” Minseok agreed with the maknae.

“Run it is.” Kyungsoo agreed.

***

When the plane came to a halt Luhan picked up the megaphone “Okay, wait for them to leave the plane, then we should march! Everyone ready?” The crowd cheered.

A few minutes later the private plane’s door opened, the stairs touching the concrete runway.

“March!” Luhan stood at the front of the group, walking confidently he led them towards the plane.

The first man to step out of the aircraft was tall, baby faced, and hesitant. He was followed by five other men, who all seemed just as wary of the approaching crowd.

Chants of save the island sounded all around the men as they made their way from the plane. “Run” The tall man shouted and the six of them did. Which meant Luhan and the crowd ran after them.

Luhan was a fast runner, he needed to be in shape to protect Mountain gorillas and pandas. Soon he was at the head of the crowd, which was quickly beginning to swallow up the new arrivals. Luhan noticed that one of the men, it looked like the youngest, was sweating profusely, easy to see through his blue dress shirt. If Luhan had seen him somewhere else would think the guy was kind of cute, but he wasn’t cute now. Nope, he was the face of evil.

The chase continued, the chanting continued. And then the man, the youngest one, fell to the ground, hard.

***

Minseok had bolted, alongside his brothers, alongside Jongdae and Chanyeol. He was surprised he could run so quickly, he wasn’t exactly prone to exercising on a regular basis. Everything was going fine – well, as fine as being chased by a mob of protestors while fighting a panic attack – could be. And then he tripped over his feet, hitting the pavement hard.

Pain radiated down his left leg. He flinched and looked up to see the backs of Chanyeol, Jongdae, and his brothers – still running towards the waiting cars. He tried to stand but his leg gave way under him, making him fall again. In a flash the crowd was surrounding him, chanting loudly. This was bad, very bad.

While Minseok’s anxiety medicine was for the most part effective, it wasn’t a cure all. He had taken it many minutes before, and it was starting to kick in, but he was still full of anxiety. And now, with people pressed all around him, moving towards him, it overwhelmed him. He shut his eyes tightly, trying to drown out the crowd.

Please notice I fell, please notice I fell he kept repeating to himself, hoping Chanyeol or Suho or someone would come back for him.

He felt a hand on him then, on his back. He tensed, his head swimming with the din of so many angry people gathered. He was going to be sick.

“Are you okay?” He didn’t recognize the voice. He tensed up more, pretty sure he was curled into a ball at this point.

“Everyone, step away. Please make room, he is injured.” The voice, the same one that had asked him if he was okay, boomed through a megaphone. Mumbles, movement, and then it seemed like the crowd was backing off.

“We may be angry, but this man is hurt.” The voice sounded again.

Minseok could sense the people clearing away from him. He decided to be brave and open his eyes, spying a man standing over him, holding a megaphone. A hand was offered, and Minseok took it.

“I can help you to your car, you corporate pig.” The man said pleasantly. Minseok took in the man’s features – he was baby faced, he couldn’t be over the age of twenty two. His large doe eyes were energetic, his nose slightly upturned. He was attractive for a weirdo protestor.

“Thanks, you eco nutjob.” Minseok mumbled, letting the man support his weight by putting a hand around his waist.

The crowd parted to let Luhan and Minseok through, towards the waiting car. Minseok could see that not one of his brothers was outside of the vehicles waiting for him, which was about right. They were probably all huddled inside the cars with the windows rolled up tightly and the doors locked.

“Do you need to see a doctor?” Luhan asked.

“I think I just sprained my ankle.” Minseok answered.

“Maybe it is a sign you shouldn’t be here.” Luhan retorted.

“Or maybe it is a sign you shouldn’t be chasing people as soon as they get off their plane.” Minseok shot back.

“You are going to destroy this island, you know. Is it worth it just for money? To see these people have their homes and livelihood killed off?”

“If you haven’t noticed, the economy of this island has been gone for the last ten plus years. We are trying to revitalize it.” Minseok spat.

“What if they don’t want it revitalized?” Luhan asked.

“Then why did they vote to let us purchase the land?” Minseok answered.

Luhan had a response for this as well, “That was years ago, they couldn’t have said no at the time.”

“Hmmm. Right.” They had arrived at the cars. The backseat door opened, but no one stepped out. Luhan helped Minseok to the vehicle, even holding onto the door as he got in the car.

“I look forward to seeing you again…” Luhan looked down at the man.

“Same.” Minseok smiled up at the protestor, grabbing the door handle in his hand he slammed it shut.

Luhan watched as the cars sped off. His newest cause looked like it would be interesting, very interesting indeed.