"Somi, there's something we need to have a chat about" Hoseok walked over to the kitchen area where Somi and Kihyun were preparing food together, more soup, much to everyone's delight.

"Ok, what's up?" Somi queried. "I have something I need to tell you guys to, so thanks for reminding me by the way" She smiled, it was hard to move in the small cooking area with the three of them, but they didn't mind it at that moment, in fact, Somi doubted anyone would have minded if more of them got off the couch to come into the kitchen to squeeze in with them.

"Alright, well, we need to talk about what happens now that the hard part is over, since you haven't done this before" Hoseok informed Somi as he leant on the bench, she brushed against his chest and Kihyun's back as she passed through them to go to the sink to start on washing the vegetables for the soup.

"Mhm," Somi hummed as Hoseok watched her.

"Now that the battle is over," He started, leaning his elbow on the bench so that he was closer to her, "there is an event we have to go to, a red carpet of sorts, where they will hand out awards and crown the official winners, which will be us this year" He explained and Somi looked up from the potatoes in the sink to blink at him.

"A red carpet?" She questioned and Hoseok nodded.

"Like the logies" Jooheon spoke up, making Hoseok and Somi look at him before Somi was looking at Hoseok.

"Wel yeah kind of, there will be a red carpet, cameras and interviewers, broadcasting it to an audience. We'll get dressed up, walk down the carpet and have our photos taken before going inside for an awards ceremony for the next few hours. We will have to go up there too as the winners, maybe even for another award. The freshmen get acknowledged as newly debuting groups or solo runners, they give replays of highlights and we get dressed up and served food while we watch it all"

"Why do I feel like they're overly glorifying this?" Somi grumbled and Hoseok hummed in agreement.

"It's just one more night, then we'll be done until the next year. In the next week or so, we'll be fitted for suits and you'll have a dress picked out for you, as the winners we'll probably have to sit down for interviews that they will want to air as well, so we'll be doing that while time is given for people to heal from their injuries"

"Only a week? A week to heal from all those injuries? Minhyuk has been shot, I can't even remember what's stumped Hyungwon and people have been hobbling around nursing broken bones" Somi rattled off.

"You're forgetting what we are" Kihyun reminded her, turning around to take the potatoes she had peeled as they talked.

"We heal a lot quicker than the human race, most of us will be back to our peak form within that time"

"What else do we have to do then?" Somi's face scrunched up as Hyunwoo pulled up a chair on the other side of the bench.

"School work, keep exercising and get back into the habit of eating, they want us to look good for the awards ceremony" He shrugged his shoulders and Somi shot him an unimpressed look, not looking forward to anything he had said.

"I don't want to keep training"

"You'll fall behind and be round enough for us to roll by next year's race if you do that" Hyungwon scoffed and Somi glared at him.

"What are you implying?"

"That you eat a lot" He snorted, not rattled by the look of anger he was being given by the girl.

"What did you need to say?" Hoseok asked her and Somi perked up, turning away from Hyungwon with her nose up.

"Well," She looked at Hoseok, "when I was on the phone last night to my friend Kyungsoo, I told him that I would explain things to him, but I would have to do it in person," Somi started and the group grew tense, "So, I'm going back home at some stage to tell my friends in person what happened, to explain things to them" She nodded her head as she looked back down into the sink, picking up the vegetables and the peeler to continue her work.

"You what?" Hyunwoo demanded and Somi looked up.

"I told him I'm going to explain everything to them" She repeated.

"Somi they're humans you can't do that!"

"I mean I can, I just have to tell them" She shrugged and Hyunwoo stood up, tugging at his hair and backing away from the kitchen to go back to the couch.

"What if they rat you out? Then what? Our whole school and our world go under attack?" He rambled.

"They won't do that" Somi shook her head and Hoseok rose an eyebrow, keeping his eyes on her. She was calm and certain, even as Hoseok clenched his fingers on the table behind him, trying to stay calm as Hyunwoo paced around the small living area.

"How can you be sure of that? They're humans and the moment you scare them with this information they'll act upon it" Hyunwoo argued back.

"I've known them my whole life, I know I can trust them," Somi told him resolutely and Kihyun cleared his throat.

"When you go back to tell your friends about yourself, about what's happened, how do you plan to do that?" He questioned her without looking back at her and Somi turned to look at him, sighing as she looked down at the vegetables in the sink.

"Well I figured, showing them where I was would be easier than actually telling them"

"So you want them to watch the Great Race?" Minhyuk asked and Somi nodded, her shoulders shrugging at the same time.

"Well yeah"

"Somi, you'll traumatise them" Came Kihyun's response.

"I know they'll be fine, they'll tell me if it's too much" She assured them and Hoseok let out a long sigh at that.

"It's your choice, I just hope you know what you're doing by telling them this information" He gave her a pointed look when their eyes met and Somi nodded in return, showing she was certain about her choice.

"When will you go?"

"After the red carpet some time I guess would be best" She hummed.

"So you'll leave us here once the red carpet is over?" Changkyun pondered aloud and Somi looked at him, stopping what she was doing.

"Well..." Somi looked around at them all, the thought of not having them in her sight was a scary one.

"I mean I don't want to, but my friends need to know where I was for two months, and it feels wrong to just tell them something so crazy over the phone all of a sudden, you know?" She shrugged her shoulders and a short silence filled the room as she ran the tap briefly and turned it off again.

"At least take one of us with you, so we know you're not alone"

"I won't be alone, I'll have me friends" Somi looked up again.

"But what about the trip there and back? You'll be on your own then, how can we be sure you'll be safe? How can we be sure you're able to handle being in your own company just yet?"

"Take me with you" Jooheon pleaded her in a gentle tone, much lighter than how everyone else was talking to her. She looked at him, just staring as he looked back, waiting for her to agree, to say she would take him with her.

"Come with me then" She nodded and though he was content with the answer, Jooheon couldn't smile and cheer, so he nodded his head, looking away again.

"Ok"

"Well, I guess that's sorted again"

"I sure hope you know what you're doing Somi"

"I do," Somi promised them, nodding her head adamantly, "They're good people, they'll listen and try to understand, they'll keep our secret safe, I promise you" She guaranteed them, she looked each of them in the eyes, making sure they all knew they had her word, that if she trusted these people that they could trust them too.

"Then we'll keep this between us" Hoseok decided, making her look at him again as he stood up straight.

"We won't tell anyone what you're planning to do, and your friends won't tell anyone what they know, we'll keep ourselves safe"

"This is so dangerous" Minhyuk drew out a long breath and Somi nodded.

"I know that"

"But don't let that stop you," Kihyun told her and she looked at him over her shoulder until he came to stand next to her by the sink.

"You've been missing from your friends lives for almost two whole months, they're scared and worried for you, they deserve some sort of explanation" He reassured her and Somi nodded, Kihyun's hands rubbed circles on her back and butterflies filled her stomach, the thought of the conversation that would happen in the future with her friends had her growing nervous.

------------

"I don't know how I feel about this" Somi muttered honestly, with Changkyun's hand clamped in hers, fingers laced together as they peered out the door, trying to figure out if they should go out in the open or not.

"I mean we kind of have to, they're expecting us to keep up with class work and training" He muttered back, but he hid behind her and the door frame. It was a tense moment as another student walked past them, rigid and cautious as they held their books close to them, keeping their eyes on Changkyun and Somi, as they did the same back.

"What are you two doing?" Kihyun came up behind them, confused by the two of them.

"We don't think we want to leave" Changkyun explained to Kihyun who shoved them in response.

"Get out of my dorm, we're leaving" He commanded as Somi pushed against the door frame and Changkyun rammed into her, both of them trying to scramble back and stay in the safety that was Kihyun's dorm room.

"Are you forgetting what it was like just travelling from one dorm to the other, we haven't even made it over to the sports area yet and it's been hell! Somi exclaimed, she grabbed the do