“Are you sure this will be fine?” Kris asked uncertain, lowering the hem of the bright green skirt –which only reached as far down as half his upper thigh.

“Look, as long as we don’t see your crotch when you sit down, then it’s more than fine,” Xiumin said with a gummy grin, as he stifled his laughter.

“I look ridiculous,” Kris sighed.

“You always do,” Tao mocked, high-fiving with Sehun as they laughed.

Kris didn’t retort, his moral was low enough with the way he was dressed, he couldn’t give a damn to argue about it anyway.

"Chanyeol, pass me my jacket please," Suho asked again as the other got distracted, watching Kris’ new attire.

After putting on his red jacket, Chanyeol reached back into the backpack. "Here you go," Chanyeol handed over the blue jacket. "Feeling cold?"

“Not really," the other said putting on the clothing.

"Then why do you need it?"

"To cover up these," Suho softly grazed his hand over the lateral line on his exposed arm.

"Why?"

"Oh well, it's not..." he hesitated as he looked at his skin. “It's not normal to have these lines."

Chanyeol held onto the juncture of Suho’s neck to gain his attention. "It doesn’t matter what’s normal. None of us are anyway."

Suho smiled at his sincere words. "It's fine. I just don't want to catch unwanted attention," he assured before leaving to sit at the coffee table.

Chanyeol wondered how true Suho’s words were. Did he really not care about looking different or was he just lying to not worry him anymore?

Does it really matter to not be normal?

His curious eyes noticed Luhan, sitting opposite to Suho. He looked tired and frustrated, as if something was really concerning him. Chanyeol remembered the short fight between him and Jongdae. It wasn’t new for Luhan to push someone away like that, but what didn’t make sense is what ticked the other off.

"What's up with Luhan?" Chanyeol asked Sehun, who was now standing by Kai.

"I don’t know," Sehun said worried, "He's been acting strange since we got out." His lips were pressed together in a thin line, as a frown settled on his face while he rubbed his arm, "I think it has to do with what happened at Mama's study, but he won't tell me no matter how much I ask. "Sehun looked at Kai, who bit his lip and looked away. "No one is willing to tell me what happened," he said with some annoyance.

"Why so much secrecy towards the group?" Chanyeol asked offended.

Kai hesitated before answering. "What happened is something only Luhan has the right to decide whether to tell or not," he said with growing confidence.

"We're never going to know," Sehun exasperated.

"Just give him some time," Kai comforted as he placed his hand on Sehun’s shoulder. But the other shoved his hand away with a gust of wind. "Sehun, come on, don't be mad at me," Kai complained.

"If you really cared, then you would tell me," he said with defiance.

Kai hesitated as he looked down with guilt. Raising his head he looked at Sehun straight in the eye as he bit on his lip. Something in the pleading look of his sad eyes made them realize he wanted to tell the truth.

At the corner of his eyesight, Chanyeol saw Xiumin nudge Kris’ side and point at them. Kris frowned and quickly made his way towards them.

“Can we please trade?” Kris asked Kai, startling the smaller boy.

"What?"

"Trade clothes with me. Let me wear the pants," Kris pouted.

It took Kai a few seconds to register the other’s words. "And end up with that?" he pointed at the bright green skirt.

"Yes."

"No way."

"Come on."

"No."

Sehun looked even more pissed since it was obvious that Kris interrupted them to avoid Kai spilling out the truth.

“At least give me my jacket,” Kris demanded, extending his hand forward.

“And leave me half ? No way,” Kai placed his hands against his chest.

Sehun gave a knowing look at Kris before leaving to Suho’s side.

“Use Chanyeol’s, he doesn’t even need a damn jacket,” the taller argued.

“Good point,” agreed Chanyeol, whom paid attention as he heard the mention of his name.

Swapping jackets, Kris ended up wrapping his orange jacket over the green skirt, claiming that he felt ‘less exposed’ that way.

“Are you trying to look like a parrot?” Tao quipped behind.

“Shut up,” growled the other, as he stepped close to a window. "Guys I've got an idea."

The rest stopped what they were doing as their attention turned to the tallest one of the group, dressed in the ridiculous attire.

"What's up?" asked Suho who's hugging Sehun’s side, pampering him. They sat at the coffee table in the middle of the room.

"It's not that dark outside yet. We should explore our surroundings, get a little idea of what's really out there," he said jabbing his thumb towards the window.

"Should we go in a group?" asked Xiumin, who now was helping Jongdae puzzle back the pieces of the art panel.

"It would be faster if just one or two go quickly," suggested Luhan, his gaze falling onto Kai conspicuously.

"Me?" Kai pointed at himself. "I'm too tired to do that."

"His body needs rest," Lay confirmed, he was sitting at the piano with Baekhyun.

"Doctor's order," Chanyeol added, crossing his arms.

"No one else is fast enough," Suho stated, eyes falling back to Kris.

"Yeah, well it doesn't matter if you can run fast," Luhan suddenly said turning to look at Jongdae’s direction, startling the boy in a dress. "If you can't see far or in the dark, then it's useless. And you," he turned his attention to Baekhyun at the piano. He jumped in his seat when Luhan turned to speak to him. "It's a good idea, how far can you see in infrared?"

"I, umm," Baekhyun looked startled as he tried to clear his thoughts. Having Luhan in your head is strange the first few times. "Not much. I, actually I didn't want to mention it because I still can't control it," he said sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head.

"Guys it's okay to give out ideas," Suho said kindly. "Everyone can speak up in this group, so don't be shy. We don't need Luhan to transmit your thoughts all the time."

"Okay," Baekhyun nodded.

"All right," Kris dismissed raising his hand. "I'll go alone then. I don't have problems seeing in the dark, so I'll just scope through a quick flight."

"In a skirt?" snorted Tao, causing a fit of laughter within the group.

"Give me a break," Kris sighed exasperatedly.

"Kris," D.O’s voice said loud and clear, gaining everyone's attention and silence. "Don't go."

Chanyeol felt stricken by the boldness of the smaller boy, and he wasn't the only shocked. As a group they've had their discrepancies and spoke up about it. And even Suho just said they were entitled to speaking up their minds, but no one really turned down either Kris or Suho so boldly. They were considered the leaders of the group, the first ones to start the second part of the trials.

"Why not?" Kris asked after shaking off the bewilderment.

"It's best if we always stay together," he said with determination. "What if something happens to you out there alone?"

"I'll just take a quick look."

"But if you run into trouble, how would we find and help you?" he countered.

"I'll be fine, no one will catch me in the sky," Kris brushed off.

"But what if someone sees you?" D.O asked concerned.

"I don't think they will. The reason why I want to explore is to see if I can find someone else," Kris explained.

"Wait. What do you mean?" D.O asked confused.

"The town is empty, completely desolated," Luhan interrupted. D.O’s eyes widen in surprise. "Haven't you noticed?" he said rather suspicious, giving D.O a defiant look.

"I haven’t walked around much," he excused as he crouched down and placed his palm against that wooden floor. He tapped the wood a couple of times, looking worried.

"It's no use. Even I couldn't find anyone," the telepathic said sourly. D.O looked up concerned after his remark.

D.O looked up concerned after his remark. "No one?" he asked worried.

Luhan frowned as he eyed the other. "Were you expecting someone?" he asked, curving an eyebrow.

D.O looked down as he knocked on the floor again. "I thought we'd find people if we got to a town," he said disappointed.

"That's why I want to explore. Maybe further out of this town I'll find something or someone," Kris opined.

"Don't," D.O said quickly and stood up. "It's, it's not a good idea to go alone," he insisted a bit hesitantly.

Kris raised an eyebrow, he took a step further to lean and look down at D.O in an intimidating way, crossing into D.O’s space. His brown eyes pierced into D.O’s gaze.

"You know something, don’t you?" he accused.

"What?" the other gaped.

"What are you hiding from us, D.O?" he asked, dropping his voice into a deeper tone, straining out each letter of the other’s name.

The D.O’s eyes widened before frowning back at the taller boy. "Nothing," he said confidently, without looking away.

Kris leaned further down, his face dangerously close to D.O’s as their noses were barely spaced apart. The room went dead silent as they watched the tension rise between the disparate pair. They held their gazing competition for a few seconds, but they felt eternal.

"Don't lie to me," Kris warned in a soft yet menacing way. As if he was pleading because he didn't want to fight with other.

"Don't go," D.O said softly in a caring way, as if he knew something bad would happen if the other didn’t listen to him. D.O his bottom lip before letting his gaze shift ever so slightly. "Mr. Han is coming," he informed, dismissing himself.

Kris held his arm as he turned. "This isn't over," he said at the back of D.O’s ear before letting him go.

With Mr. Han leading their way, the group went back to the front building to dine; the events from before nearly forgotten as excitement began to thrill through their bodies. The courtyard path was illuminated with lanterns, hung from the borders of the roof, as the sun was starting to set.

The light blue sky was brushed with thin clouds, while a dash of bright orange crossed the extension of the horizon. The sun, magnificent yellow and orange, was positioned low, half covered by the land. Luminous rays of orange elongated outwards from the circumference; it shined so bright that it was hard to look at directly. The boys stood in awe while they watched the sun disappear as the earth turned west. In a minute they were left with few shades of red and orange, while the sky slowly phased into deeper blue.

"Dazzling," Suho said to his right. A toothy smile adorned his face.

"Blinding," Kris said to his left, rubbing his sore eyes.

"I'll help you walk," Baekhyun offered as he was unaffected by the incandescent light.

"I need help too," Chanyeol stated as he tried to figure out his way through the blurry bright after image bothering his sight. Slim fingers wrapped around his wrist and he was pulled towards the main building.

Inside the panels of the daechong or main room were half closed, leaving an opening for the cool breeze to freshen the room. The long rectangle lights on the ceiling brightened the room. In the center of the room were four low rectangle wooden tables set in a row; this time, instead of cushions, there were floor chairs set along the sides of the tables. They looked exactly like a normal chair, just without the legs. There were so many dishes settled neatly on the table top, Chanyeol was amazed by the vast amount of food; it was a complete feast. And the smell, the smell was so rich and enticing his mouth salivated as his stomach rumbled. His appetite arose voraciously, making him believe he could devour all the food on his own.

“Well it's good to see you've all managed to find something to wear,” said Misses Kim as she entered from the other side of the room. Her eyes landed on Jongdae and she began to laugh, “Oh my, don’t we look the same?” she said to him. She was dressed in a silk dress just like Jongdae’s, but colored burgundy and white.

“Quite right,” Jongdae giggled as played with the skirt of the dress, earning a disapproving look from Luhan.

"This kind of clothing is traditional and it’s called hanbok. Though only the boy in red is wearing it correctly," she was referring to Tao. "I wonder what happened to you?" she raised a brow as her gaze fell upon Kris.

Kris cleared his throat in a failed attempt to hide his embarrassment. "Someone stole my pants," he accused.

"I see," she said as she noticed Kai, who smiled innocently. “Please boys, take a seat,” indicated Misses Kim. “Anywhere you’d like is fine, Miss Ga won’t be joining us.”

“She won’t?” Chanyeol asked.

“No, she has her own home to go to,” she explained.

“She certainly won’t be missed,” Tao whispered to him.

Suho and Sehun walked up to the left side of the table set closest to the end, followed by Luhan and Xiumin. Kris walked to the end of the opposite side, followed by Lay and Tao. Kai went to sit beside Xiumin, followed by D.O, sitting at the closest end. Chanyeol took the cushion seat next to Tao, with Baekhyun and Jongdae sitting to his left.

In front of him was set an empty plate with stainless steel chopsticks and spoon settled on top. To the left was a small round bowl filled with cooked white rice. Opposite to it was placed a cup for tea, four kettles were distributed equally among the table set. And the rest, the rest was eye catching and mouthwatering. There were many smaller dishes distributed around the table and four big dishes placed in a line, crossing the whole table set. Most of the plates were red, but some were green and others had many colors. Chanyeol hadn’t ever seen food so colorful. He couldn’t help but his lips.

“I apologize that my husband is running late for dinner,” said Misses Kim as she sat down at the farthest end, between Suho and Kris. “It’s not customary but, for this one time, we can enjoy supper without him. You boys seem very keen in trying it out.”

“Honestly, we’ve never eaten anything like this,” Suho said as his bright eyes scanned the food. “I don’t even know what they are,” he admitted.

“Well, there are eight different side dishes on each half of the table set. That way you can all have a fair share and try them all,” explained Misses Kim while gesturing towards the smaller dishes. “And we’ve prepared two main platters of chicken, one of beef and one of pork. They are all different recipes, so I encourage you to try each of them.” She extended her right arm while placing her left hand under her right elbow, as if she was delicately holding her arm, and picked up a pair of long chopsticks set by a main dish. “Use these longer chopsticks or big spoons to serve food onto your plate,” she kindly instructed as she picked a generous amount and set it down on Suho’s plate. “This dish is Galbi chicken, a specialty of this province, Gangwon. It’s a spicy stir-fried chicken with rice cakes, sweet potato and many vegetables.”

 

She picked out another serving to offer to Kris, but he quickly denied it. “I don’t like chicken,” he said uncomfortable.

“How do you know, if you’ve never tried it?” she asked as she served the chicken to her own plate instead

“I’m sorry, I,” Kris looked at Suho, who made a hand gesture to encourage him to continue. “I would prefer to not eat chicken. Or any type of bird.”

“All right, that’s fine,” she smiled reassuringly. “There’s plenty other dishes here for you to try. Just remember that the fourth dish in front of your friend in the red jacket is also chicken. It’s Gangjeong chicken, fried with sweet sauce and spicy red sauce. Actually many of the dishes have red chili pepper paste, it’s common in our culinary tradition,” she explained. “The next dish is traditional beef, with a generous amount of garlic and sesame oil. We enjoy eating it by picking a piece, dab a wallop of soybean paste or red paste and wrapping it in a lettuce leaf. It’s quite an enjoyable meal,” she smiled. “And the third dish is a Jeon dish, for this special occasion. Thin slices of pork, pan fried in egg batter.”

Chanyeol looked at the crispy looking meat, displayed temptingly in front of him and right next the bowl filled with lettuce leaves for the beef dish to his left. He couldn’t wait for Misses Kim to finish her introduction.

“You complement the food with rice, which is eaten with the spoon, and the many side dishes at your disposition. They are all vegetables, except for the egg rolls, which I highly recommend by the way. And I believe I should stop talking and let you boys finally eat,” she giggled as she noticed how they weren't paying much attention to her anyway. “It is customary for the oldest of the guests to commence and have the first bite,” she looked at Kris and Suho with intrigue.

Chanyeol crooked a brow, if that’s true then I wouldn’t mind being the oldest, he thought.

“Um, actually, that would be Lay,” Suho said politely as he indicated towards the healer sitting at Kris’ left. The dopey eyed was staring down at the food rather than listening, so Kris nudged his side.

“Huh? Me?” Lay asked as he pointed to himself. Suho nodded a bit irritated at his forgetfulness, whilst Luhan on the other side shook his head before staring at Lay, telling him what to do.

“Oh yes, right,” he sat up straight “Silly me,” he waved off. “May I?” he asked as stretched out his arm towards her.

“Sure,” said Miss Kim, as she handed him the long chopsticks. “Remember to place your left hand under your extended elbow or on your chest, it’s a sign of respect,” she lectured.

“Yes, Madame Kim,” Lay nodded politely and did as told. Chanyeol watched as Lay focused on using the chopsticks to pick out food, with Misses Kim’s help, he managed to serve a portion of Galbi chicken onto his plate, without making a mess. Picking up his own chopsticks, Lay couldn’t conceal his cheeky dimpled grin as he was excited to try the food. Taking in a bite, he slowly munched and savored the food.

“Mmm,” he hummed delighted as he smiled with crescent eyes. “Mmm,” he hummed in a higher tone as he straightened his back and began to flail his hands in a cute and funny manner. “This is so good!” he chirped sweetly as he bounced in his seat, causing everyone to break into laughter.

Cute little , Chanyeol thought as he giggled at Lay’s antics.

“I’m glad you like it,” Mrs. Kim beamed.

'Lay says the food isn't poisonous,' Luhan informed.

"Don't be shy boys, eat as much as you want."

Chanyeol didn’t need to be told twice. Picking up the serving chopsticks faster than the rest, he attempted to pick up a slice of pork. After recalling how Mrs. Kim explained how to hold the chopsticks, he rested one against the base of his thumb and the inner side of his middle finger. Next he gripped the other chopstick with his thumb and forefinger, while keeping the first one firm and in place. He practiced clasping the ends of the sticks together a couple of times before successfully serving a slice on his plate.

Picking up his own silverware, he bit off the crunchy crusted pork.

Oh my sweet goodness.

He savored the juicy meat, the saltines, the spices and the crust with each munch. Just eating a piece made his mouth water again.

He scooped up a spoonful of rice to taste the combination; the sticky consistency of the rice contrasted with the fried crust, making the experience much more exciting.

"Don't forget to eat vegetables, boys," she reminded.

Forgetting to use different chopsticks, Chanyeol picked out a long cylinder shaped green thing. "What's this?" he asked.

"Asparagus, prepared with chili pepper paste and soy sauce," she explained.

Chanyeol immediately felt the hot sting and saltiness of the asparagus, but he liked it anyway.

"That is spinach, prepared the same way as the asparagus," she replied to Jongdae. "Dear, must you wear those gloves right now?"

Jongdae looked at his hands and examined the metal chopsticks.  "I think it's best I keep these on."

"All right," she agreed kindly. "The other side dishes are stir-fried eggplant with chili paste. Stir-fried zucchini with soy sauce. Seasoned soybean sprouts."

Chanyeol picked one, it had a nutty flavor and was quite crunchy.

"Try the kimchi, it's the best of the side dishes we prepare. You'll find it everywhere, trust me," she charmingly said. "I've prepared the typical one with Napa cabbage and also thinly sliced cucumber kimchi."

"Come on," he heard Baekhyun complain hushed.

"What's wrong?" Chanyeol asked as he kept serving himself everything at sight.

"I can't pick anything up," he sighed.

"That's 'cause you're doing it wrong," Chanyeol diagnosed as he observed the way the other held the silverware. He reached over and grabbed Baekhyun’s right hand. "You're supposed to let one stick rest against your middle finger and thumb -just curl this one a bit to keep the stick steady," he explained while setting the chopsticks correctly onto his hand.

"Like that?"

"Yeah. Now, without moving the first stick, pick up the other with these two fingers," he demonstrated with his own silverware.

"How the..." he muttered to himself as he attempted to do the same.

"Just pick it up," Chanyeol chuckled.

"Okay. Okay, I got it," Baekhyun smiled triumphantly.

"Now pull your fingers together to clasp the sticks," he instructed.

"Okay," Baekhyun said as he practiced a couple of times. "I think I got it." He reached for a red pasted cabbage leaf and quickly took a bit before dropping the rest on his plate. He suddenly went still as his munched awkwardly.

"What's wrong?"

"It tastes weird," he said before quickly shoving a spoonful of rice into his mouth.

Curious, Chanyeol picked out a bit of kimchi and noticed the pungent smell as he brought it closer to his mouth. The taste was so strange and foreign from everything else he had tried. It was salted, like vinegar, garlicky, spicy from the red chili pepper paste, a tinge of sourness and slightly sweet. It was a mixture of a funky nearly indescribable taste that overpowered his palate, leaving behind a strange freshness with lingering spicy and bittersweet aftertaste.

"This is so weird," he commented, pinching his nose as he felt a waft of the kimchi aroma clear his nostrils.  He stared at the cabbaged doused in vinegar wonders and buttered with spicy red sauce. He tried another one, and again he felt his taste buds go haywire with the unique taste. But this time the aroma wasn’t as strong as before. And the aftertaste freshness felt nice.

"Try it with rice," Baekhyun suggested.

And he did, twice.

"It's strange, I can’t even describe the taste, but the more I eat it the better it gets," Chanyeol said as he picked some thinly sliced cucumber kimchi to try.

Baekhyun blew the surface of his tea. "Really?"

"Yeah."

"So if I eat more, then I'll get used to it?"

"Try it."

He looked at the plate filled with kimchi skeptically as he drank some tea. "Maybe if it was warm I would like it better."

"The Galbi chicken has warm kimchi," Tao butted in the conversation.

"Great," Chanyeol cheered and he took Baekhyun’s plate before he could object. "Try it," Chanyeol encouraged with a broad smile.

Baekhyun looked at his plate with narrowed eyes, then glancing at Chanyeol annoyed he proceeded to try the dish. He hesitated, picking around the food before finally eating a piece of chicken accompanied by some kimchi.

"Okay, this is better," he said after savoring the food.

"Let me try," Chanyeol said picking up some chicken from Baekhyun’s plate.

"Hey, serve your own," Baekhyun complained.

"It's delicious," Chanyeol said cheerfully as he his lips.

"Kai really seems to like chicken," Xiumin commented amusedly while eyeing the boy at his right hand side.

Kai was so focused on his food that he didn't even bother to look up from his plate, which only had served Gangjeong chicken.

"Have you tried the egg rolls?" Jongdae asked, lifting a chopstick with an egg roll pierced through. "They're delicious."

“I want to try," Baekhyun said, poking an egg roll for himself.

"Use your chopsticks properly," Chanyeol reprimanded as he reached for the side dish too.

Baekhyun kindly replied by sticking out his tongue at him.

The dinner continued like this. The boys enjoyed the food and had fun trying out the new experience with each other's company. Gradually the room became chatty and Chanyeol kept raising his voice to be heard. For a moment everyone forgot how they ended up eating a delicious dinner in the first place. They let pass the last two days that felt so eternal and long ago. They dismissed the reason why they were at the Kim estate. They just enjoyed their first real meal.

All but one.

Chanyeol noticed after long that D.O wasn’t eating anymore, he just pushed the food around his plate with his chopsticks. But Chanyeol wasn’t the first to notice. Kai, sitting at D.O’s left, looked concerned as he tried to convince D.O to eat more. Even Xiumin butted in in trying to make the smaller boy eat some more food -because they have no idea when another opportunity like this would ever arise.

Between lame excuses of being full or having an upset stomach, the boys tired of pestering D.O to eat. And just as they did, a man entered the room.

Tall, built, squared jaw, straight eyebrows, small nose and dark stern eyes. What stood out most about the man, was the clothes he was wearing. A green military uniform with a tri-flower badge pinned on the top left side of his chest.

"Husband," Mrs. Kim said as she quickly stood from her floor seat. But Mister Kim raised his hand to motion her to stop.

"Don't get up. Please, enjoy the rest of the dinner," he said serious but in a gentle manner. "I'll excuse myself for now, and we'll have tea later," he instructed. "Boys, please continue," he excused before leaving the main building.

Despite having house service workers, the boys offered to help clear out the table. With the many set of hands, the dining room changed into a comfortable meeting room, with a low tea table set out. There was a mat that covered the surface, fourteen teacups stacked up, a big bowl, a lipped medium sized bowl and a kettle with a straight handle on the left side, all of these made from teal colored ceramic. There was a copper container, a bamboo scoop, wooden coasters and a small towel.

The boys settled on cushioned mats around in a semi-circle, while Misses Kim sat behind the table. A maid entered and set a bigger kettle, colored ivory, on a small mat next to Mrs. Kim, and left the room just as Mr. Kim entered. As promised Mr. Kim came back, now dressed in simple black and white silk attire.

"Good evening, I am Colonel Kim Yungjae," he greeted with a slight bow and went to sit by his wife's right side, but away from the table. "Welcome to my abode, I hope you've enjoyed my wife's cooking," he said kindly as he eyed the group. But a deep frown settled above his nose bridge. "What on Earth are they wearing?" he asked, turning to Mrs. Kim.

"What they could find while their clothes are getting cleaned," she answered as she passed down cup coasters.

Mr. Kim kept eyeing them critically, especially the ones dressed in more feminine clothes. Chanyeol felt relieved that he packed spare clothes because he would've felt even more uncomfortable if the man frowned at him like he did to Jongdae.

"Very well, it is what it is," he dismissed. "It's good to have you all here safe and sound," he said with care, "We felt many earthquakes, short but strong ones which isn't common in this area. It shook and destroyed what was left of the town. Later I figured it must've been you boys. So the town people have been on the lookout, waiting to find you."

"What town people? This place is empty," Luhan said with distrust.

"The ones left were informed to be alert of your appearance," Colonel Kim corrected.

"Like Miss Ga?" Chanyeol asked.

Mr Kim looked at his wife curiously.

"Yes, like Miss Ga," she answered for him. "She was on her turn to watch the south entrance of the town." She continued to unstack and set the teacups on the table.

"Is that why she kept calling us 'the boys in monochromatic'?" asked Suho.

"Yes, we were aware of your general appearance," confirmed Mr. Kim.

"How?" Luhan asked suspiciously.

"They told us that each one would be wearing a different color," Mrs. Kim commented as she began to pour hot water into the teacups, but only plain hot water.

"They? Who?" Suho asked.

Chanyeol remembered Miss Ga mention a 'they' as well. Would 'they' be the same?

"The company told us," Mr Kim replied.

"You know them?" Kris said accusingly, as if he committed a crime.

"We needed their help. We asked them to send you," Colonel Kim quickly explained.

"Why? What happened here?" Kris asked sternly.

"Why do you need our help?" Suho asked more politely.

"Where are the town's people?" Luhan asked.

"Where are our families?"

A loud clank resonated and quieted the room -Mrs. Kim had dropped the lid of the teal colored kettle. Everyone had fallen into a state of shock as they processed the question.

"W-what?" she stuttered as her eyes set on the boy who asked the last question.

"I asked, where are our families?" D.O repeated dead serious. "Are they from this town?"

Mrs. Kim looked hesitantly at her husband, but the man raised his hand in a calming manner.

"I'm afraid I do not know the answer to that question, young man," Mr. Kim answered looking at D.O straight in the eye.

D.O visibly looked disappointed and sadden by the reply. His gaze fell down to his hands as he bit on his bottom lip, frowning. Chanyeol wondered why D.O asked such question. Hadn’t they all grown up in the dome? But they had to have some family out there, from where they came from, right?

"As for the rest, I believe it's best I start from the beginning," Colonel Kim replied.

Mrs. Kim scooped tea leaves from the copper container with the bamboo spoon, and settled them neatly into the kettle with the handle. She proceeded to pour hot water into the tea kettle, deliberately, delicately and artistically, as her husband remained silent, collecting his thoughts and choosing his words wisely before speaking.

"War has always been part of human nature,' he began after a long pause. “It’s an oppressive and effective way to settle a dispute, but it's not an everlasting solution. Our counterparts of the North have been menacing us since the 53, they've never been able to accept the agreements. The past years they've flaunted how much their military and weaponry forces have grown, and that's when we knew we had to prepare.”

"Wait, where are we and what do mean by counterparts?" Kris asked.

"My home is in the Gongcheon district of Gangwon province, from South Korea," he informed. "Our country split into two after the civil war, mainly because of social-political views and the influence of other major countries during the Cold War. Our lifestyles have grown much apart over the years. North Korea has stayed mentally thin and egotistically large. They have no sight for the future or the humble people, their leaders only care about power. We've tried reasoning with them democratically, always willing to help and stock them with resources since their decaying economy. But their leaders are selfish and uncaring. The threats are real, so it was decided to prepare against them."

"Super soldiers," Kai said gravely, as if he was afraid of being right.

"Yes," Mr. Kim answered.

"So you do know about us," Kai declared."

"Yes," he paused. "We permitted the creation of the trials."

The room fell silent again as the boys tried to shake off the shock of Mister Kim's statement.

Taking her time, Misses Kim discarded the water that had heated up the tea cups. Holding the handle with her right hand while steadying the lid with her left, Mrs. Kim perfectly poured the brewed tea from the kettle into the lipped bowl without dropping any water. Then using the bowl, she served tea into each cup.

"It doesn’t make sense," Kai frowned as he killed the silence. "Mama -I mean Lu Mei, she said she didn't want us to become human weapons."

Mr. Kim frowned and shook his head. "She must have lied to you," he declared. "Did she tell you how the trails started?" Mr. Kim asked.

Chanyeol noticed Kai's gaze fall to D.O warily, before looking back at Colonel Kim.

"Intergenetics experimentation," he replied. "She called it evolutionary cross-genetics organisms research and development."

Mr. Kim nodded, "Intergenetics, cross-genetics, mutations, basically it's playing with the DNA code and seeing what comes out," he waved off. "Manipulating genes to create a new life form has always been considered unethical. The unit she worked in was kept secret in the company to avoid public controversy. Their work was considered immoral, but it was just what we needed."

"She said she created the boggers before starting the trials," Suho said.

"Boggers?" the man questioned as he received a cup filled with tea.

"They're monstrous creatures," Suho briefed. "You might know them as Boogey Men."

"Ah, yes. Lu Mei's infamous Boogey Men," he recalled rather bitterly. "They were one of the first experiments created for military purpose. The project was to create anthropomorphic bellicose creatures that would fight against our enemy, but we quickly realized the mistake in working with such primary creatures." The Colonel drank some tea. "They were animalistic and irrational. They would attack anything and anyone without discrimination, which was dangerous for the human troops.”

No , Chanyeol thought bitterly as he recalled the many times he feared for his life fighting against those monsters.

"Lu Mei was considered a failure for a long time," he continued, "so we had other promising scientists with better ideas. But none succeeded with what we asked for. Until Lu Mei came back with an experiment that caught our attention. She appeared with a small boy stronger than a grown man," Mr. Kim explained as his eyes scanned their faces, looking for the boy he mentioned to be between them.

Chanyeol wasn’t as discreet as the others as he looked to his right. D.O didn’t look up, he didn't have to look up to know that the group was looking at him and wondering if what the man said was true. Chanyeol recently discovered D.O being from the outside, or at least that he remembered he lived outside before the trials. But with all the events, he hadn’t stopped to ask about him.

"At first we weren't sure about his skills, since the boy was shortsighted like a bat," Colonel Kim continued as the boys received a cup of tea, "But Lu Mei showed us there was more to the boy than super strength."

Chanyeol noticed D.O frown, making an expression of questioning.

"We knew the boy could be the answer to a new generation of super human soldiers. So we decided to fund her research, make the other hired scientists work for her and create the underground dome to keep the company's progress secret," he continued. "At first we wanted only soldiers that were stronger, but Lu Mei insisted in exploring other abilities humans could evolve into by manipulating DNA and crossing genes with animals. She wanted to evolve the human species."

Chanyeol felt as if was being read a story; the story about his life. Yet he felt distant, as if he wasn't the protagonist with the group. He knew Colonel Kim was disclosing the beginning of their lives in the trials, he knew it was them the man spoke of, but it all felt foreign.

"That's us right?" Chanyeol couldn’t help to voice it out and confirm his troubled thoughts.

"Yes," Colonel Kim replied. "And you're purpose is to aid our national security. With your unique abilities, there will be no threat that can shake our spirit," he said proudly.

"So our purpose is to fight against North Korea? Against... people?" Suho questioned with gravity.

, Chanyeol non-eloquently thought. He looked around, discerning the faces of his friends. They looked disturbed, frightened, shocked or plain blank. But whatever expression they wore couldn’t hide the fact that they were stricken by Suho’s deduction.

Chanyeol felt an uncomfortable twist inside the pit of his stomach as he remembered the first time he fought in the second part of the trials -the tea in his hands became unappetizing. He remembered Kris' face, shocked in pain, as his fire burned deep into his skin exposing every layer of his arm. He couldn’t imagine hurting anyone else with his fire ever again.

Mrs. Kim, who was quietly sipping her tea, settled the cup down on the coaster as she bit her bottom lip. She looked at her husband with worry and apprehension, but the other decided to ignore her.

"There's something I haven't mentioned yet," Colonel Kim said after drinking some tea.

"Darling, please," she interrupted, "They're just kids-"

Her words died down as the man lifted his hand to signal her to stop. Eyes casted to the floor, Chanyeol noticed the woman clench her fists over her fine dress.

"Your training has always been against Lu Mei's monsters for a reason," he started.

“Oh no," Sehun gasped.

"It can’t be," Xiumin muttered.

"No, no, no," Chanyeol chanted under his breath as he already knew what the Colonel wanted to inform.

"I'm afraid it's true," Mr. Kim said grimly.

"How? How can they be out here?" Suho said with tremor.

"There was a snitch in the company, a telltale rat in the former facility of the unit Lu Mei worked in," he explained. "They stole information of her research and our enemy has her creatures against us."

"Is that true? Did boggers wreck this town?" Kris asked doubtfully.

"Yes," he answered a bit taken aback. "Yes, we have been severely attacked by those monsters many times," the Colonel spoke with more confidence. "Most towns’ people have had to flee from here," he paused as he looked down at his empty tea cup, "many have perished," he said grimly.

"Oh, that's why it's deserted," Luhan comprehended, to which the Colonel answered with a silent nod.

"Please, I beg of you," he suddenly said with distraught as he stood up. "Help my town, help my people. You're our last hope," he kneeled before them, lowering his hands and head to meet the floor. "Our last resources have gone into your development, so that you boys can save our nation. Please stay and helps us," he pleaded speaking loud while keeping his head lowered to the floor.

Kris whispered something to Suho, but the other frowned and shook his head. Kris kept whispering to him until Suho seemed to agree.

"We will stay tonight and discuss our decision as a group," Suho informed.

Colonel Kim fisted his hands before looking up at them. "Very well," he strained out somewhat bitter as he stood up. "But remember it is your purpose to save us. You wouldn't be who you are if it weren’t for us," he said angered and abruptly left the room.

"I apologize for his behavior," Mrs. Kim said kindly as she bowed in respect. "Despite the hardships and your young age, he is right. The company is what kept you afloat from the tempest we're in. You are meant to strive and keep our nation safe from this monstrous flood," she commented.

"We still wish to converse as a group first," Suho said.

"Of course, there's much you must consider," she smiled. "Don't worry about cleaning up; the house service will do that. Come, I'll show you how to set out the futons for you to sleep in. Though I fear you might need to share the mattresses," she said apologetic.

"That won't be a problem," Kris said while scratching his ear.

"Good," she smiled courteously. "Oh by the way, do you boys happen to have toothbrushes?"

"We do," Sehun piped.

"Excellent," she clapped.

"Actually, not all of us brought one," Tao said sourly.

"Oh, well," she mulled for a second. "Well... we'll see what we can do."

 

  

---

 

A/N: Surprise! I'm not officiıally back yet, but I managed to write all this chapter on my phone and finally found a computer to post it -aff only accepts ctrl+C and V commandos, so it doesn't let me post from the phone….

 

Anyway, I hope you guys are doiıng fine. I am and I’ll still be on a semi-hiatus. And incase it wasn't clear -because I only brıefly mentioned this throughout the story (I apologıze for that) - each member of the group is represented by a color -hence ‘monochromatic’- through their clothing and the color of their rooms. These are: Xiumin Light Blue; Luhan Purple; Kris Orange; Suho Blue; Lay Pink; Baekhyun White; Chen Yellow; Chanyeol Red; D.O Green; Tao Lilac; Kai Black and Sehun Grey.

And thank you to otakuromanticgirl, Francezkapaula, shortbread, Kyu_Love, ckat_09, PinkMoonlight and bebopchan for subscribing. Welcome to the world of boggers.

Have a great week! Annyeong!

-Blackie.