“Get up, get up!” Jaesoon yells from outside the barn, cupping his hands around his mouth. “We have places to go, things to do, hurry!”

“But what about Hyunsik and Sungjae?” Eunkwang asks dangerously, voice reaching a growl. Jaesoon only rolls his eyes.

“They’ll turn up.” With that, BEAST forcibly drags a disbelieving BTOB into the back of a shabby pickup truck. Only Peniel speaks, inquiring about the destination.

“Right,” Jaesoon says, passing a stack of paper to Eunkwang to hand around. “You will be under the supervision of a friend, who will give you a task. Do your best, for the one who fails to gain her approval will not be allowed to move on.”

“Will we get to see Hyunsik-hyung and Sungjae?” Ilhoon asks, taking the paper. Jaesoon throws him an odd look, pausing for a moment before answering, “Soon. Not yet, but soon.”

Moments later, the truck stops, and a pretty face comes into view.

“Jihyun-noona!” BTOB crows at the sight of 4Minute’s Nam Jihyun, another familiar being who seems to recognize them.

Jihyun doesn’t smile. Instead, she seems annoyed, hustling the group off the truck and into what seems like a bustling market. They’re all overwhelmed for a bit, dizzied by the rush of color and noise. When they get their bearings back, Jihyun is gone.

“Uh, let’s go explore, then,” Eunkwang almost says, but a scream from Ilhoon cuts him off.

“Hyung, I have money!” he shrieks, flapping the bills around. “I swear to God I didn’t do anything bad!”

“Shh, it’s okay,” Minhyuk soothes. “We all do. Jaesoon passed it around, remember? You were asking about Hyunsik and Sungjae, so you probably didn’t pay attention.”

Ilhoon calms down, flushed with embarrassment. Almost to save him, Changsub suddenly points to a seller on the other side of the market. “I think I just saw Hyuna.”

Without another word, the group rushes across the market and ducks into the stall. Kim Hyuna only raises an eyebrow before launching into a quick, clipped explanation.

“This is a wood market. Everyone sells wood and claims it to be the best. That, of course, is far from true. Your task is to find the truly best wood and present it to me. Use the money that Jaesoon gave you. The one who finds the most worthless wood will be disqualified.”

Minhyuk immediately allies himself with Peniel, saying that he knows how to judge wood. He glares at Changsub, who catches on and takes Ilhoon, telling him that they can prank Eunkwang, who seems to be lost as to where to start.

“Hyung,” Changsub calls, poking Eunkwang with a stick he found on the ground. “Here’s a good one. It’s solid, see?”

“I saw you pick that thing off the ground,” Eunkwang deadpans, heading away resolutely. Ilhoon cackles. Minhyuk rolls his eyes.

“Peniel, look at that…”

The morning ticks away as BTOB – what’s left, at least – plays around in the wood market. Finally, after spending away their diamonds, they declare themselves ready. Curiously enough, Hyuna has disappeared. When they enter her stall, only Jihyun sits there.

Minhyuk presents first. Jihyun looks over the block of wood carefully, proclaiming it hawthorn, a good carving wood. He passes, but just barely, as Jihyun doesn’t rank carving very high on her list. Ilhoon has pear, which usually acts as roof beams. He passes. Changsub found white oak, another building material. He passes. Peniel’s is beech, a decorative wood. He only passes because of the quality of the wood, which is the best so far.

Jihyun says all this with a bored monotone, face expressing just how little she cares. However, when Eunkwang comes along, her expression sharpens. She runs her fingers along the surface of the rough block. “Stay behind. The rest of you, go.”

Immediate protest, but Hyuna, who has mysteriously reappeared, hints that Eunkwang’s find may be worth a lot more than anyone else’s. Minhyuk and Changsub glance at each other.

Nonetheless, as Hyuna leads the group down a flight of carved stone steps to a rushing river, Eunkwang joins them, out of breath.

“She said it was, uh, I think acacia.”

“What is this? It’s worthless!” Jihyun screams, throwing the block of wood at Eunkwang, who starts and shrinks away.

“It’s pretty rare.”

“It’s rotting in the core!” she snarls, grabbing Eunkwang by the collar. “It is not worthy for me! You must pay!”

“She asked me where I found it.”

“I-I’m sorry, noona, but I have to catch up to my friends.” Eunkwang pushes Jihyun away forcefully, dashing along the trail that Minhyuk has made by dragging his foot in the dirt.

“Oh come on, what now? A river? We’re going for a swim?”

On the floor of her stall, Jihyun lets out a derisive scoff, lips twisting into a triumphant smirk.

In order to reach the next destination, the only way is to travel in canoes, one by one, through a narrow rock channel.

“You will go by order of passing,” Hyuna informs them, directing each to his own boat. “Life vests are provided for your safety. Please do wear them; we don’t want any accidents to happen.”

Minhyuk goes first and makes it through with only minimal scratches on his canoe. Ilhoon passes perfectly with only the grace of someone who knows what he’s doing. Changsub nearly tips over, yelling as his hand makes contact with the jagged rock wall. Peniel breaks his oar, but manages to paddle his way to dry land.

Eunkwang’s canoe, propelled by the current, arrives empty, save his oar, life jacket, and phone.

A sharp breath, a hitching sob, and an agonized scream. Before anyone can stop him, Minhyuk splashes into the water, nearly upturning the boat in his haste.

“EUNKWANGIE!” He snatches Eunkwang’s phone, breathing heavily, and types in the password, searching desperately for a sign, a code, anything that his friend may have left behind.

It’s excruciating to watch him. Peniel has already started crying, and Ilhoon’s tears are dangerously close to falling. Changsub tries to swallow, moving forward to get Minhyuk out of the water.

“DON’T TOUCH ME!” Minhyuk roars, flinging Changsub’s arm away. Changsub loses his footing and slips, crashing into the water heavily, inducing a high spray of white water and foam. Immediately, Minhyuk is on his knees beside him, wrapping his arms around him, crying, asking him if he’s okay, apologizing, blaming himself for losing control.

Changsub buries his face in Minhyuk’s shoulder and loses himself. He cries, bawling like a baby, crying for Lim Hyunsik, Yook Sungjae, and their precious leader, Seo Eunkwang. He knows that they are not coming back, and he cries, feeling the loss in his heart. It’s tearing him apart, and he cries because it hurts, it hurts so much, it hurts so much that he can feel it in his bones, and he knows that Minhyuk does too, because Minhyuk hurts even more.

When Changsub comes to his senses again, the sun is lower in the sky, and both Peniel and Ilhoon are in the water with them. Tears prick at his eyes again, but he drags Minhyuk up.

“C-come on,” he hiccups, wiping his eyes. “H-he would have wanted us to move on. They would have wanted us to solve this.”

“You’re right,” Minhyuk says, eyes turning hard, voice steely cold. “We have to figure this out. To repay him. To avenge them.”

Peniel and Ilhoon stand wordlessly, following their hyungs deep into the forest. Whatever lies ahead is dark, but none of them shy away.

Whatever it takes, they will do it. Do not underestimate the power of anger, of hurt, of pain, and revenge. No, never.

Ah I should just end up updating on Sunday ;;; anyway, another member disappears, and this time, it's the leader. Oooooh, can you guess who's next?