Silence. Then, Eunkwang starts shoving everyone away. “Sorry, sir, our mistake, we’ll be getting along now.”

“What are you doing?” Changsub hisses. Minhyuk shushes him. “Just keep moving.”

The group makes their way to a small park nearby, and Ilhoon can’t hold back anymore. “It’s not fair! They’re always on top! Why couldn’t we keep our glory for once?”

Minhyuk shoots him a stern look and waits for him to calm down before explaining. “I think it’s a trap by that Keeper guy. Remember how he said he’d force us to choose? Well, the world’s out of whack, and no one knows us anymore. He thinks that we’ll sacrifice our own members for fame.”

“Well, he’s wrong!” Hyunsik shouts, leaping up. “We’ll get new jobs and make a decent living together!”

“Yeah!” Sungjae continues, fired up. “We’ll be fine as long as we have each other!”

“Then shut up and let’s go,” Eunkwang teases lightly. The group jumps up and follows him out of the park, chattering cheerfully.

They’re nearing a bridge, pointing out all the possible job options, when Ilhoon bumps into someone.

“Oh, I’m sorry…” he trails off as the man’s lowers his hood to reveal his face. “Junhyung-hyung? Is that you?”

The rest of the group turns to stare at Yong Junhyung of BEAST, who inclines his head.

“Jaesoon,” he corrects. “Born to Beat, come with me.” He sets off across the bridge at a quick pace, and BTOB has to jog to keep up. Junhyung – or Jaesoon – heads under the arch to where the rest of BEAST awaits, two chests in front of them.

“Hyung group, plus Hyunsik,” Yang Yoseob immediately announces, “with me, Hyunseung, and Kikwang. Dongsaeng group, Dongwoon, Jaesoon, and Doojoon.”

“Hyung group,” Jang Hyunseung orders. “Take at least one, but no more than three, items.” Kikwang lifts the top of the rightmost chest. A collective, shocked breath is drawn by everyone.

Diamonds, glittering on the bottom of the chest, all strung up into necklaces. Only Minhyuk seems unaffected and reaches in to take two.

Hyunsik, trembling, takes only one. Eunkwang and Changsub each take three.

On the other side, because they have less people, the maximum is four strands. Sungjae immediately takes advantage of the rule. Peniel takes three, and Ilhoon opts for two.

Each person is left with one strand; the rest go into gold and silver chests.

“The rules,” Son Dongwoon explains. “Starting from the other side, one person from each team walks onto the bridge. One stays in the middle while the other continues down to where we are. He can take one item from his team’s chest, or he can take none at all. The one left on the bridge must meet him in the middle of the bridge and decide whether or not to rob him.

“If they do and there is treasure, it now belongs to their team. If there is not treasure, they must pay their own. If they do not rob them and there was treasure, then the team may keep it. In the end, the person who has the least amount of wealth will lose. Under the condition that there is a tie, a tie-breaker game will follow. If you break any of these rules, you will be stripped of all your money, thereby losing the game. The maknae team, with the gold box, will go first.”

Eunkwang and Peniel step across the bridge. “Hey, you’ll tell hyung if you have anything, right?”

“Maybe,” Peniel calls, leaping down. “Or maybe not.” He sprints to the gold chest, hissing for someone to cover him.

When he re-emerges, Eunkwang raises his eyebrows. “Anything in there?”

Peniel grins. “Only if you want there to be,” he jests. Eunkwang debates, closing his eyes, and lets Peniel pass.

“Aw, hyung,” Peniel groans. “I was so sure that you’d rob me.”

Maknae team: 0; Hyung team: 0.

Minhyuk and Sungjae go next. Sungjae takes complete advantage of Minhyuk’s honesty, pretending to take a long time, muttering nonsense to himself as he waits to build suspense. When he comes back, though, Minhyuk lets him pass.

“I may not have looked,” he laughs. “But I know you, maknae.”

Changsub and Ilhoon are the last pair for this round. Despite Changsub’s non-stop chatter, Ilhoon remains stoic. Down by the bridge, knowing Changsub’s tendency to cheat, Ilhoon asks Dongwoon to cover him. He takes two strands.

Going by their pre-defined strategy, Changsub lets Ilhoon passs. As soon as he does, Peniel lets out a cheer.

Maknae team: 2; Hyung team: 0.

Eunkwang and Sungjae go this time. Eunkwang struggles for a long time, but ultimately decides not to take any. Sungjae lets him go.

Minhyuk and Ilhoon are next. Unlike Minhyuk, Ilhoon peeks over the side, giggling as he sees Minhyuk place something into his bag. He stops him, but Minhyuk reveals that his bag is empty.

Maknae team: 2; Hyung team: 2.

Changsub and Peniel go next, chatting the entire way, mostly “don’t worry, hyung, I won’t look.” Changsub rolls his eyes and asks Kikwang to cover. He takes none, and Peniel does not stop him.

Everything comes down to Hyunsik, who goes with Sungjae. Halfway to the chests, Hyunsik takes a strand from Doojoon’s hand and returns. Sungjae lets him pass; it wasn’t enough time to even open the chests, let alone take something, but Hyunsik takes it out. Minhyuk lets out a yell.

Maknae team: 2; Hyung team: 3.

“We won!” Eunkwang crows. Changsub takes the strand and waves it in the maknaes’ faces, cackling. However, Jaesoon steps in with a grave look on his face.

“Lim Hyunsik took a strand from the maknaes’ chest, thereby breaking the rules. Hyunsik loses.”

The hyung team’s faces fall. The maknae team snickers. Hyunsik drops to his knees in defeat.

“I’ll take you to your lodgings tonight,” Jaesoon continues. “It’s not magnificent, but it’ll do.”

BTOB supposes that a barn loft is at least cleaner and safer than camping out in the woods.

“ it,” Sungjae sighs. “Hyunsik-hyung, why did you lose? We might have had a better place to stay.” He smacks Hyunsik’s arm, and the barn echoes with the sound. Eunkwang shudders.

“Let’s go to sleep,” he decides, lying down. “Someone ask Minhyuk if he wants someone else to keep watch.”

Changsub looks at the figure sitting in the empty doorway. “He’s acting weird,” he murmurs. Ilhoon pokes him.

“He saved your life, hyung.” Changsub sighs and shakes his head, abiding by his original statement.

Soon, the breathing in the loft turns steady, slow, and even. Minhyuk stays below, looking up at the moon, trying to comprehend the day’s events.

Quite some time later, when the moon is high in the sky, Hyunsik wakes up. He tries to rise and leave without disturbing anyone, but Sungjae stirs.

“Hyung, are you going to the bathroom? Take me too,” he mumbles. Hyunsik nods in agreement and motions for him to be careful and not wake Changsub beside him.

The two slip out of the barn, nearly screaming as they bump into Minhyuk, who’s moved to sit with his back against the barn wall.

“We’re going to pee,” Hyunsik stammers. “B-bye, hyung.” Sungjae forcibly drags him away, whining, “I’m going to wet my pants!”

Minhyuk chuckles, then turns his gaze into the barn. “Changsubbie. Lee Changsub.”

Changsub rolls up and makes his way over to Minhyuk. “Couldn’t it have waited?” he mutters, trying to smooth his hair down. “I was sleeping.”

“You know that you weren’t,” Minhyuk counters. They both smile, because they both know too well that Changsub’s thoughts were keeping him awake.

After a silence, Minhyuk sighs.

“Don’t tell Eunkwang,” he warns, “but BEAST was weird. How come they recognized us, even knew our names, when no one else did? Even Manager Jongwon…”

Realization dawns upon Changsub, and the silence around him turns cold. Finally, he asks, “What were Hyunsik and Sungjae up to?”

“.” Minhyuk looks at his watch. “It does not take ten minutes to pee.”

The two rush into the forest, using phone flashlights to illuminate the way. Suddenly, Changsub catches his beam on a pile of clothes, folded neatly on a tree stump.

“Hyunsik was wearing that…” Minhyuk murmurs, holding up a blue shirt. “And those are Sungjae’s shoes…”

“Hell, they even have the underwear,” Changsub snorts. “What’d they do, force them into being slaves?”

Minhyuk spares him a glance. He hears the waver in Changsub’s voice and knows that it’s just his way of trying not to show how much he cares.

They look at each other, silently agreeing, from now on, to watching everyone and everything they come across.

Whoooooo first real chapter! It's a bit rushed, to be honest, but I might end up revising it.