1:30 pm Camp site

“Unnie” Dara opened one eye to see who was shaking her harder than a bartender shaking a martini in a cocktail shaker. It was no surprise that their second youngest would be the one doing so with her hair tied up and pieces of clothes that hid almost nothing in her body.

“Sweetie, isn’t that a bit too revealing? I mean we’re still being filmed and everything” the older sat up, rubbing her eyes and yawning while the other sat still and looked at her clothes. After surveying everything about her clothes which took only a couple of second total she just nodded adorably.

“Aren’t you coming with me and Sica unnie? We’re going to bother Seung oppa” she giggled like a cat hence her alias Qat. Though the offer was very tempting in all levels she shook her head no and the girl knew why, she wanted to sleep. “Ahhh~” she whined helplessly, tugging the elder’s hand and trying to pull her off the couch. “Come on unnie or I’ll have Heechul oppa come pick you up – literally” she threatened and although knowing the small elderly could take on someone five times her weight easily Heechul would just be a small speck of dust, but having the thought of being carried on someone’s shoulder with everyone to see wasn’t very imagination-friendly.

The three girls walked out of their cabin towards the small playground the camp site had, it took quite a while for them to get going since the two younger kept insisting that their unnie wear something else rather than the oversized and over washed hoodie she wore along with black skinny jeans. It had come to a compromise that if they don’t give up dressing her up she wasn’t going anywhere.

Something caught Dara’s eyes and it was the lack of cameras and staffs around. It was odd to have no one filming them when the reason of having all of them together and bonding like that was to get millions of viewers that would feed their CEO’s hungry wallets.

“What happened to the staff and the filming?” she walked up to her other 2ne1 members, all three of them having the same distaste over what she was wearing but she just shrugged it off.

“It got cancelled, apparently their equipment were malfunctioning and they have to wait for the other ones to come in so I think they’re extending the whole thing for another day” Minji answered her unnie, tugging on the fabric her unnie was wearing and even making a face while she was at it.

‘Fishy’ Dara thought, there was another batch of thought that was going to be entertained by her mind further more when cold water splashed them all away.

The girl was completely drenched from head to toe; behind her were the culprits that didn’t even have any relation to her, they were just some childish idols that didn’t have anything better to do.

“Oh my god, Dara” Bom gasped, freaking out over her Park sister getting wet by two idols and one of them she doesn’t even think is close with the girl but before she could say anything or the others for that matter Dara just chuckled and then smiled.

But instead of the two suspects laughing it off since it was still a joke/prank and having something to laugh about was the whole concept it they just still almost lifeless and unmoving. Behind Dara were Jessica and Hyuna with their hands gripping tightly around their necks.

“What do you think you’re doing, Kyuhyun oppa?” Hyuna said sweetly though her tone was full of venom, containing much more toxin than any other venomous animal out there. While Jessica’s hand had a strong grip on Taecyeon’s neck, like claws.

“Come on ladies, play nice” Dara told the two, putting an arm on their shoulder to get them to let go and when they did obvious red marks angrily appeared on their necks. The two stepped back and were coughing badly, surprised to have such girls hurt them that much.

“But unnie” Hyuna said but was cut off by her unnie’s genuine smile.

Feeling the heaviness of the soaked hoodie Dara decided it was best to just take it off and so that’s what she did without any hesitation. Under the hoodie she wore a white belly button shirt, showing her clearly defined abs.

“Ooh snap” Heechul and Gahi chorused at all the expressions of the male idols that were within close proximity to witness that seduction or the hoodie being taken off. “Her hand twitched though, you saw that right?” Heechul mumbled to Gahi and the girl nodded. “Sica and Hyuna saw that too, good thing they were close by” Gahi replied to him. It would have been truly disastrous if the leader got her hands on the two instead of the other girls.

 “She’s tensed, there’s something in her mind” Hyunseung added, standing beside the other two while they watched the commotion going on. “She’s been like that since the other night” he added a little bit more information.

“Bom-ssi, Chaerin-ssi, Minji-ssi, you won’t mind of we borrow Dara unnie for a while right?” Hyuna asked the girls who were busy drying of the vocal. The three girls looked at each other first, thinking if they should let their fresh vocal out of sight but after thinking about it they said yes.

With Himchan holding the soaked hoodie, him along with Jessica and Hyuna pulled their leader towards the three who was watching by. Of course Himchan threw a disgusted look towards the suspects, he couldn’t care less if he looks rude or what not.

“Jong, come here for a while” Sica called the Infinite maknae who was busy playing with Amber and Krystal. The boy just nodded and said goodbye to his playmates before following behind the others.

“What’s wrong?” Dara asked them, closing her eyes and just calmly breathing the air in and out.

“You tell us what’s wrong” Heechul took the towel that was slung on his shoulder and drying her wet hair again. He noticed how pale she was with her lower lip trembling a bit. Around her neck, hanging on a chain was a small cylindrical container, twisting it open he took out a small pill. “Take this” he poked the pill against the younger’s lip and waited for her to swallow it.

“What was that hyung?” Sungjong asked curiously.

“Dara’s anxiety pill, she hasn’t been taking them since she doesn’t need it but I carry some with me just in case”  they saw their leader’s skin tone getting better and going back to normal but they were still worried somehow.

“We’re going to talk later okay, all of us” Gahi instructed and all of them just nodded since she was still the oldest of the group. “Sica and Hyuna go apologize to the two boys” the two girls were hesitant but still did as they were told without questions asked. 

“I don’t understand why we have to apologize, I mean it’s their damn fault” Hyuna groaned, complaining silently while they walked towards the two. Jessica just chuckled and ruffled the latter’s hair. “What we did was a bit extreme even if it’s just reflexes” the older sighed.

“I’m worried about Dara unnie, there seems to be something bothering her” although they weren’t a psychologist like their Heechul oppa they knew enough to see if something is bothering anyone in the group.

Without noticing it they reached the two who they almost killed with just their grip, of course they weren’t going to play totally nice just enough to make it seem like it. With crossed arms they stood in front of the two.

“Sorry about earlier, it was just reflex since we don’t like unnie getting played at” Hyuna started, sounding a bit more sincere than intended. The two male idols just gave them a look, knowing better than to believe it was just reflexes even though it really was their reflexes.

“We’re not going to be fake about this, do that again and I’ll make sure to break your necks.  Mention this to anyone especially on broadcast and I’ll make sure that will be the last time you’ll be talking” Jessica threatened with the sweetest smile, it might have looked small coming from a girl like her but the seriousness in her voice was apparent to anyone who would hear.

9:15, around a camp fire behind their cabin

The eight of them sat around the warm fire with the wind embracing them with a soft touch that attracted sleep, but the loving sound that Himchan’s fingers created as it the strings of the guitar kept them securely awake.

A canvas of contradicting pastel was a way to describe their union, an unimaginable collection of person that deemed very successful even with its oddities at times. Just like every color possible they had their own shades, each having a story of its own.

“I remember the first time we all sat like this, Jong just got in the Fraternity then” Gahi smiled, ruffling the hair of the youngest who sat beside her. It hasn’t been that long since they got the boy, about two years or maybe three but it had seemed longer than that because of the way they had adapted to him and vice versa.

Sungjong’s POV

I smiled when Gahi nuna mentioned the first time they sat down around a camp fire like how we are right now, I was still new and since I was the youngest they decided that spending time that way to get to know me was a brilliant idea.

Two or three years ago I wouldn’t have ever imagined sitting with seven of the greatest people I know in a circle, or even befriending them for that matter. More to that I never imagined myself joining a secret society of assassins and being one of them, alike to everybody else in this circle we’ve all got a story to tell and past wanting to forget. Time hasn’t passed that long yet for me to forget mine or to not quite remember it for the least. I look over to Dara nuna and just think to myself if she has forgotten hers after all this time or at least made new memories that piled over top of it.

“Come here Jong-ah” nuna chimed, catching me looking at her. It was one thing to be called by the leader to go to her and another to be called by the leader to go to her after getting caught staring.

Himchin hyung snorted and I would have hit him for that if nuna didn’t call me to her, waiting for what she was going to say or do I stood beside her and looked down. She looked back up at me and patted the space beside her. “Sit with me” she smiled and I did what I was told.

“Our youngest is all grown up” she cooed, putting an arm around my shoulder and hugging me. I smiled from ear to ear and hugged her back. She was the mother I never had and the sister I always wanted, although she’s always strict and sometimes hard to deal with those are the times I would never exchange for anything in the world.

“I wasn’t that young when I came in” I defended, patting my hair back to place and they all chuckled.

“On the contrary, you were very small compared to how you are now. I still remember when Dara unnie introduced you to us, you were so thin and fragile as if you were going to break just with the mere touch” Hyuna nuna said, she was the youngest once upon a time before I came in and because of Heechul hyung telling me that she didn’t like being the youngest I took it from that as the reason why she always stick to me, afraid I might disappear at some point.

“How did you find Sungjong nuna?” Hyunseung hyung asked, I reckon he was away for an assignment when nuna had told everybody else my story and since chance had given a second chance for a retell I’d take this opportunity to say it myself.

“May I?” I looked at Dara nuna and she nodded with a smile.

“Well, I didn’t grow up knowing my family at all. I was passed from relative to relative and from orphanage to orphanage, no one wanted to keep me with them because I would easily get sick and that meant spending money they could use for something else, something much more important” I started, feeling the heavy lump on my throat that almost stopped me from speaking.

I took the long stick that was lying beside me and poked the charcoal with it, small speck of fire rising up the air but then disappearing as it died. Remembering stories such as mine isn’t one a good pass time, if anything it’s not a good time at all but one needs to look back to where they have come from to see where they will be going to.

“How’d you get so intimately connected with guns?” Himchan hyung asked and I knew he was only being curious but such questions bring back memories that are best forgotten but for now I needed to see them again for the sake of sharing and letting them know who I am with my own words.

“ahh… I wasn’t a kid who was left out on the shadow like most unwanted children are, well I guess I was depending on which angle you look at it ...” Dara nuna’s hand reached my back, slowly rubbing it in a comforting manner as if she knew what I was thinking and how I felt with those thoughts.

“It’s okay Jong, you don’t need to push yourself” she said sweetly, her voice caring and soothing as ever. I shook my head though and said, “I need to nuna”

A nightmare, that’s what my life was back then and it was a nightmare I couldn’t wake up from until I pushed myself to wake up.

“My uncles, most of them are drunk and I guess it runs in the family. They would always drink whatever the time of day or weather was. One time one of them happened to catch me walking to the kitchen to get water to drink and he approached me with a disgusting smile on his face. His hand gripped mine and it was so tight it left marks that didn’t go away for days, he pulled me towards the others and started to undress me … I guess you could imagine what happened next” I lowered my hea