Minseok greatly appreciated no longer filming in the freezing cold of December to January. However, it was still cold and past the city pollution, out here in the wide open military camp training grounds. It also didn’t help that it had rained the night before. At least it wasn’t weird snow that made everything gross and yucky. Minseok is infinitely grateful for his thick socks inside his rain-boots.

Admittedly they’re here very early, and the sun wasn’t even out yet, so maybe it would hopefully become a little warmer later in the day.

‘Wow, I do not like this place one bit!’ Baekhyun declares at once, looking about the massive field below them. ‘It already looks haunted!’

‘It’s the lighting,’ Jongdae deadpans.

The reason why they were out here at 6 am in the morning during the weekend at a mainly empty military training camp ground was because of a supposed ghostly apparition that was actually quite famous. The reason why Minseok knows it’s famous is because he’s heard about it himself. He had done his military enlistment when he was younger, and at the time, he was made aware of many urban legends revolving around certain bases or training grounds. And Minseok knows- he knows there is truth to so many of these stories because one of the training grounds he had been in for 2 months was claustrophobically packed with traumatized spirits.

There’s a unique strain of sadness in the ghosts of young men and women lost in an enforced routine, ruins of a fight that wasn’t their own. Minseok had forced himself to ignore what was around him- and it was the almost 2 years of this that nearly nulled his senses.

‘Oh! Look at that!’ Baekhyun suddenly points. An open military grade jeep pulls up towards them from down the sloping hill of a driveway. Minseok redirects his camera from the scenery. ‘Our hosts?’

Son Hyunwoo and Lee Wonho were two trainers at the Fifth Division Training Grounds Facility. They had their own YouTube channel where they uploaded training programs, vlogs, and other fitness related videos. They had a good following, and had been invited several times to different television programs as well. From what Minseok has observed, the two of them did not seem to be the type to believe in the supernatural- not because of the stereotype that masculine men would be disinterested or find the notion of anything supernatural to be subpar and weak, but because well-

‘They look too soft to be military obstacle course trainers,’ Jongdae had said, squinting at their pictures some days ago.

‘Don’t judge a book by its cover,’ Baekhyun said at once. ‘I mean, look at hyung.’

‘You do have a point.’

This episode was definitely the first time they had to sign extensive documents regarding both safety and privacy protocols. It was very odd seeing the seal of approval from a military ranking official to allow them to film a supernatural episode on their grounds.

‘Do we salute?’ Baekhyun asks, swiveling to look around at Minseok, ‘Hyung, what’s the correct way to salute?’

‘We don’t have to salute,’ Jongdae laughs.

‘It feels wrong not to,’ Baekhyun argues.

The jeep rumbles to a stop and waving rather shyly from inside the jeep the two trainers step out and instantly, both Jongdae and Baekhyun take a step back.

They’re quite tall and very well built. They’re in uniform, or at least most of it: Hyunwoo, the elder of the two, had his jacket on but it was ed. Wonho on the other hand was only in a muscle-tee despite the cold. They’re both wearing thick canvas pants with quite an excess of pockets to the side, tucked into high and heavy looking combat boots.

‘An aesthetic I could never hope to achieve,’ Baekhyun sighs mournfully.

‘Um- wow-‘ Jongdae manages to say before Baekhyun greets them brightly.

‘Hello! It’s so nice too meet you both in person!’

They greet each other for a while, getting over some initial awkwardness that both Baekhyun and Jongdae knew how to easily handle. Minseok is immensely proud of the two for always prioritizing the comfort of their guests for the episode. Even if Jongdae was a skeptic, he never treated anyone involved with indifference or mockery and was always polite and attentive. Baekhyun never pushed for angles for a more sensationalized retelling of stories and despite his own nervousness with stories, never made people nervous or anxious in turn.

‘So we’ll start first with the history, stories, and sightings and or witnesses,’ Baekhyun revises one more time though they had been exchanging detailed emails and phone calls for the past week or so. ‘Then we go through a tour of the grounds.’

‘And then we do the special bonus, also for your channel,’ Jongdae nods as all four peruse their tablets and or phones. ‘Can I just say, again, please do not expect us to complete any of the obstacle courses.’

Hyunwoo and Wonho both laugh, reassuring them that it was okay.

‘It’s not about completing the course,’ Hyunwoo smiles warmly, ‘It’s the effort, and the willingness to do something you’ve never done before.’

‘New experiences,’ Wonho adds with a nod, ‘No matter how small or seemingly insignificant, will always somehow show you a new perspective.’

‘Oh I don’t need a new perspective to know I lack upper-body strength,’ Baekhyun replies seriously.

The main reason they were here early was also because when Hyunwoo and Wonho had first contacted them, it was a sort of double-collaboration. Unsolved would come to check out the sightings here, and they would also do an obstacle course as part of a challenge for their YouTube channel. Both Jongdae and Baekhyun thought this would be an excellent start at a new season.

Both Hyunwoo and Wonho frequently invited YouTubers and other social media influencers to give the obstacle courses a go and it made for really good, sometimes comedic, sometimes downright hysterical videos. A few famous athletes had even come to participate.

They decide to conduct the first interview to explain the story from a point in the main building that overlooked the training grounds below so Hyunwoo guides them inside the mainly empty building to access the observation deck towards the back.

Minseok does not sense anything out of the ordinary here, but this building was situated up and above the main zone of multiple sightings according to the duo. They had already set up for the interview, with 4 chairs set up outside, and even some lighting equipment.

‘We set this up last night after the rain,’ Hyunwoo explains, ‘We assumed the lighting inside wouldn’t be very good with the clouds and all.’

They set up 3 cameras, one to capture all 4, one to Minseok’s right to capture only Baekhyun and Jongdae, and to his left, focused on Hyunwoo and Wonho. Minseok gives them the green-light after adjusting the ISO on all 3 cameras.

‘Hey guys and welcome back to Unsolved!’ Baekhyun throws his hands up above him with a cheer. ‘Third season!’

‘And to kick things off we are here at the Fifth Division Training Grounds to investigate some truly odd apparitions spotted all over the grounds ever since the Grounds were established!’ Jongdae adds.

‘That’s right!’ Baekhyun seamlessly adds, ‘We’re starting the season with ghostly apparitions, voices, following footsteps, moved belongings, and an actual FULL BODY APPARITION!’

And that was one thing.

Hyunwoo had sent them the security TV footage of what they said was a full body apparition, something that was the driving force behind them finally approaching their channel. And Baekhyun was practically salivating ever since.

The footage is shockingly clear and of good quality. Which instantly made Jongdae suspicious. But Minseok, for the life of him, cannot make out whether the footage actually depicts an FBA, or if it’s some very enthusiastic and very fast soldier-in-training making rounds in the grounds. The footage lasts for about 10 seconds, the same FBA reappearing several times in different spots. It’s clearly a man-shaped human form. The only clear and distinguishable detail is that the FBA is wearing pants and a white shirt, possibly a cap. Minseok has heard about this apparition before- though it’s highly likely that there’s no correlation seeing as it’s, honestly, a pretty standard and basic supernatural sighting. Kinda like how Jongdae had mentioned the “school janitor” ghost the other time.

And Hyunwoo did say that they initially thought it was just an extremely enthusiastic trainee who wanted to get in more reps or start their training super early. The headlamps situated around the grounds are bright, but during the night, on camera, didn’t really capture too much detail. The only reason why they were alarmed during a closer inspection was how fast the FBA was.

‘So, to our guests! Please introduce yourselves!’ Jongdae gestures to the two.

‘Hi, I’m uh, Hyunwoo,’ he smiles, and Minseok can hear how the comment section is going to go crazy over him. ‘I’m one of the trainers here at Fifth Division, and-‘

‘-hi!!’ Wonho beams, and Minseok can doubly hear the comment section exploding. ‘I’m Wonho! I’m a trainer as well.’

‘So, tell us a little about this place,’ Baekhyun asks, crossing his legs and leaning in eagerly, despite knowing the full story.

‘The Fifth Division training grounds is quite new!’ Hyunwoo explains, ‘We’ve been here just a little over a decade. Past the grounds is the edge of a conservation park- where we used to once have military training camps- wilderness training, things like that.’

‘We’ve been here for about 3 years now,’ Wonho continues, ‘And even before we joined, of course there were stories. There’s always stories- almost a rite of passage in nearly every training ground.’

Minseok smiles to himself.

‘We never took it seriously of course,’ Hyunwoo smiles, ‘But it was fun to listen to.’

‘Did you ever witness anything or feel anything that made you wonder if the rumors and stories had some form of, you know, truth to them?’ Baekhyun asks curiously.

‘Nothing I’ve directly experienced,’ Hyunwoo shakes his head before gesturing to Wonho, ‘But-‘

‘-but I have, yeah.’ Wonho beams at the camera right then.

‘Wait- why are you smiling about that-?’ Baekhyun splutters while Jongdae cuts across, waving one hand at Wonho to continue and one to shut Baekhyun up.

‘Well- I was getting ready for the day,’ Wonho explains with an amused and charming smile, ‘And it was quite early, so the morning fog was quite intense. I thought I’d do a quick morning jog around the grounds before going to the gym. When I was somewhere in the middle of the field, I thought I heard someone running just a little over to my right. I thought, oh maybe it’s hyung, or the other trainers too. So I didn’t really pay attention. I did my loop but the running continued past me, and into the woods.

So that’s when I thought, oh it’s probably Hyunwoo hyung because he likes to jog around the woods. So when I heard him approaching me again, I slowed down and turned to greet him. But the running stopped just some feet from me.’

Baekhyun’s eyes widen comically, smile slipping away.

‘So I called out, but there was no response,’ Wonho explains, he looks very pleased with his story, not quite the reaction someone would have when retelling what could be classified as a supernatural experience. ‘So I walked towards where I thought, at the time, hyung had stopped. But I couldn’t find anyone? That wasn’t the first time it’s happened though- after that, it’s happened a few times again. And each time, I have no idea if it’s just me hearing things.’

‘Yeah, when Wonho told me, I went with him for a run a few times. When I’m there, there’s no running sounds.’ Hyunwoo adds, crossing his arms, muscles bulging out despite his uniform. ‘I asked other trainers, and trainees if they’ve experienced the same thing. A few thought I was trying to spook them, but one of the older trainers has told us that some of his trainees had reported a similar thing. But he had never thought much of it.’

‘And that’s when you decided to check the surveillance footage?’

‘It was more of…we didn’t exactly establish a plan,’ Hyunwoo confesses, ‘Wonho said that if he experienced something like that again, we would go check the surveillance footage to see if someone was maybe playing a trick on him.’

‘Took a few weeks before it happened again,’ Wonho explains, ‘Very early, the sun hadn’t come up yet. And my mystery running mate was there again. This time I didn’t try to engage in conversation- so I just continued on, and when I got back, I told hyung about it.’

‘This was about 2 months ago?’

Hyunwoo nods in affirmation.

‘And that’s when we saw Wonho running out, and right after a while, well-‘ he trails off.

Minseok knows that they’ll cut into the FBA clip here.

Honestly it was slightly disturbing- watching the very human-like form speeding along too fast, seconds after Wonho jogs off through the morning fog.

‘We also have gathered stories from others around the grounds- from the maintenance staff, administration, other fellow trainers of course,’ Hyunwoo adds, ‘And while we’ve never experienced what they have-‘

‘-mainly things like, shadows, strange sounds, things moving from their original position- completely misplaced items,’ Wonho summarizes, ‘We had one of the administration staff-‘

‘Bo-ra noona,’ Hyunwoo supplies, ‘She was getting ready to leave for the weekend, but she had a last minute call. Before the call, she had placed her bag on top of her desk. When she got back after the call, her bag was on top of the cabinet next to the doorway. She thought we were playing pranks on her, because at the time we were in the next room, also getting ready to leave.’

‘I’m guessing it wasn’t any of you?’ Jongdae laughs.

‘Not at all!’ Wonho looks comically indignant, ‘We did say, at the time, maybe some ghost was trying to help her get ready. She didn’t like that joke.’

‘I can see why,’ Baekhyun says somberly.

‘She also once showed up at the grounds because she said she thought she heard me call for her,’ Hyunwoo tells them.

‘She was mad when she realized we hadn’t,’ Wonho chuckles, ‘Nearly castrated hyung.’

Hyunwoo just chuckles, eyes crinkling as though this whole thing was fun comedy.

‘Well!’ Baekhyun manages, clapping once, twice before throwing a fist in the air, ‘Let’s go for a tour!’

Hyunwoo and Wonho take them on the jeep they had come up on and it’s only then Minseok realizes just how further down the grounds were.

‘How many people are in the grounds at it’s highest point of activity?’ Jongdae leans in to yell/ask the two in the front.

‘Anywhere between 1200 to 2000,’ Hyunwoo replies.

‘When did these activities take place? Were there a lot of people at the time?’

‘Actually, not really!’ Wonho turns on his seat to talk to them, ‘Most of these happened during the holiday or weekend. When we knew exactly how many people were here- and no one was unaccounted for when stuff like this happened- at least, for our own experiences!’

‘Guys-‘ Baekhyun pokes his head before Minseok’s camera, expression series, ‘Is it creepier when things like this happen with a lot of people, or when there’s less people? Please tell us!’

‘I think it’s creepier when there’s a lot of people!’ Jongdae pipes in, eyes narrowed as the cold morning air bites at their skin, ‘The concept that you’re not safe in numbers.’

Both Baekhyun and Wonho stare at Jongdae, a strangely horrified expression on their faces whereas Hyunwoo nods in serious agreement.

When they reach the bottom, Minseok senses nothing. There’s not a single “off” feeling, no strange lingering darkness, nothing. Minseok also notes that it’s a very large stretch of land. Maybe where he stood had absolutely nothing in it, but maybe, if they followed Wonho’s general jogging route, they might pick up on something.

It’s like a massive jungle-gym, but for grown adults training for the military and or other forces.

‘Monkey bars have never looked more threatening,’ Baekhyun points out at the intimidating structures gleaming innocently at them in the early sunrise.

‘Okay, we can start on the tour here, and also show you where you will be lodging for the night,’ Wonho announces as he nimbly jumps out of the jeep without opening the door. Jongdae squints at him before attempting to do the same but Minseok holds him back firmly. He does not need to deal with injuries today- not yet anyways.

‘Which course are we gonna tackle?’ Baekhyun asks hesitantly.

‘That one,’ Hyunwoo smiles down at Baekhyun.

Baekhyun grimaces as he follows Hyunwoo’s direction before looking up at the trainer, ‘I really mean it when I say that I am not at all prepared.’

Hyunwoo just laughs.

Minseok kinda wants to add a slow-mo filter effect every time Hyunwoo smiled. He might do it for fun.

They walk towards a clearing, gravel path beneath them crunching at every step. There’s a rough sort of fencing that separates the main training grounds to the slightly raised area to the side beneath the hillside they just came down from.

‘As we’re still on break, most of the staff and trainees are not here,’ Hyunwoo explains, ‘So we set up the lodgings to accommodate you best, close to the washrooms and kitchen.’

‘We’re also gonna do a cool thing! Never done before!’ Baekhyun turns to Minseok, addressing the camera, ‘We’re gonna set up the area where Wonho normally runs with thermal cameras and motion sensors. So tonight is not going to just end with us in the morning as we normally do.’

‘We thought we would join him for the run but,’ Jongdae sighs out, ‘I can barely touch my toes in the morning.’

Wonho laughs heartily at that.

Yeah, Minseok was definitely going to add filters and slow-mo over them.

‘Is this part of training?’ Baekhyun asks, pointing at a pile of wood logs, where an ax and stump were set up.

‘Oh not really,’ Hyunwoo replies with a shake of his head, ‘It’s more of punishment I guess.’

‘Wow! Cool!’ Baekhyun grins, a spark in his eye visible through the camera lens, ‘Can I try?’

‘Sure,’ Hyunwoo chuckles, gesturing to Baekhyun to take the ax. ‘Have you done this before?’

‘Only in imagination,’ Baekhyun picks up the ax and hefts it over his shoulder.

‘Please do not hurt yourself!’ Wonho says earnestly, standing by as though ready to bodily throw himself in the way of Baekhyun getting hurt.

‘Do it for the vine!’ Jongdae cheers, getting a concerned look from Hyunwoo.

Baekhyun misses wildly the first 4 times, and then hits the log to his surprise, causing him to let go of the ax, making it bounce backwards at him. Baekhyun screams, jumping away, as Jongdae wheezes with laughter.

‘So- that’s how you don’t chop wood,’ Jongdae manages to get out as Hyunwoo picks up the ax and sets it back safely onto the mount.

‘So to demonstrate how to do it correctly! Please chop some wood!’ Baekhyun says enthusiastically, recovering rapidly from his shock. ‘To show our viewers the uh, muscular capacities of the very strong and brave people who come to the training ground!’

Minseok is barely able to stop himself from rolling his eyes, hoping Jongdae will at least be a bit less thirsty.

But he’s mistaken.

‘I’ll get the angle from the side!’ Jongdae declares happily, angling his GoPro

Hyunwoo just sort of smiles and nods, and grabs the ax. Wonho stands to the back, very muscular arms crossing over a very muscular chest, smiling at Baekhyun and Jongdae’s antics.

And Minseok is 100% sure that Hyunwoo had no intention of breaking the ax when he chopped the piece of wood, embedding the metal of the ax deep into the balancing stump. He’s just so grateful that he was able to capture Baekhyun and Jongdae’s facial expression in 4K. It would be fun to replay in slow-mo later.

‘Oh- that’s going to be taken out of my salary,’ Hyunwoo says with comic seriousness.

After a quick tour and setting up markers about the very spacious grounds, Minseok comes to 2 (two) conclusions:

1. This place was not haunted or in any way or form inclined to be so.
2. Neither Baekhyun nor Jongdae were going to be able to complete any of these training courses.

It’s almost afternoon now and the sun is out and it’s warmer than before. The air smells clean and light, a sweet fragrance of greenery wafts at them occasionally from the woods and hills around them. They help Hyunwoo and Wonho set up for their own recording for their channel as well- and it’s incredibly relaxing and fun somehow. After a delicious and simple meal, they follow the trainers out to film their segment.

It’s such a change in pace- and the physical challenges are so drastically different from what Minseok normally does or is exposed to, he feels somehow refreshed and renewed despite the physical tiredness. But it’s a good kind of tired, Minseok thinks to himself- he exerted himself, and as a result, he was tired. He could treat this sort of fatigue, the muscle cramps, the sore shoulders- these were things he could handle and take care of. It was a good change in pace.

Because Minseok had been worried, considering what happened last time; it hadn’t been more than 2 weeks since the hostel. And while neither Baekhyun nor Jongdae were displaying any signs of fatigue or drain from such an intense exposure, Minseok himself was still somewhat recovering.

It took a while for his bruises to fade- hand prints on his shoulders and arms; he’d been worried about repercussions to himself. The hostel was certainly more than what Minseok would have normally been able to handle – and he’s still not sure how he was able to do what he did. It all felt like some extremely detailed and realistic nightmare. At random points of time, Minseok would suddenly be seized by some strange fear that something might have followed him from the hostel, but he’s quick to shake off the near-hysterical aftershocks of the hostel. He wonders if it had any significance, but after speaking to his aunt, as well as Kyungsoo, Minseok decided to just take it easy. He no longer had those panic-stricken moments of irrational fear, and Minseok can feel the drain of the hostel slowly leaving him.

And being out here was somewhat of a relief.

Minseok doesn’t want to say it, but being exposed like that in the hostel almost made his senses even more heightened- to the point where he wasn’t sure if he was just being extra jumpy, or what he was sensing was real. His aunt told him to take a break, to get away from the overwhelming rush of the city for a bit. And Minseok has tried though all he wants to do is stew in his clean and organized apartment where it was safe.

‘Hyung?’

Minseok blinks out of his stupor, a bit surprised by how deeply he’d fallen into his own thoughts.

‘Hey,’ Baekhyun smiles at him, holding up his mic, ‘You okay?’

‘Yeah I’m fine,’ Minseok replies with a smile.

‘You sure? You look tired these days,’ Baekhyun asks worriedly.

‘Thesis,’ Minseok rolls his eyes. And it’s kinda true too. ‘You’ll have it next year.’

Baekhyun snorts, turning around so that Minseok can help him re-attach it.

‘You doing okay? That obstacle course was terrible,’ Minseok asks the younger in turn.

‘Hyung, you can’t say that when you completely destroyed it,’ Baekhyun whines, ‘I’m already sore! And Jongdae is still asleep!’

Minseok laughs.

‘Well, it’s a good thing we’re gonna rest up before tonight’s shoot,’ Minseok taps his shoulder to let him know he’s all set.

‘I’m gonna sleep for 5 days after this,’ Baekhyun says wistfully, rolling his shoulders with a slight wince, ‘I don’t think I’ll be able to stand.’

They finish setting up their gear around the grounds, which is easier than most places as Hyunwoo and Wonho already know the best places to get the best shots of the grounds. That, and the obstacle courses provided plenty of great places to mount and stabilize their cameras and sensors.

The sun is setting when they head back up to the main building, where some of the staff were still working despite the holidays, and where they would be having their dinner before heading back downwards to film after dark.

The remaining staff are all nice people, not at all perturbed by what they were doing, having been notified in advance by the two trainers. The woman, Bo-ra, is there to tell them in person what happened to her and her bag, as well as about what happened when she heard Hyunwoo call for her.

‘I swear!’ she exclaims, pointing with her chopsticks at Hyunwoo, ‘I heard him yell ‘Bo-ra noona!’ and I was so pissed- we have phones for a reason!’

After a wonderfully filling meal they say their goodbyes and Hyunwoo and Wonho drive them back down.

‘If there’s any trouble, we’ll be up there,’ Hyunwoo reminds them again.

‘And! To assure you guys at home, we’ve also set up a camera at the main building, that has only one entry point, so that way you know that there is no foul play anywhere.’ Jongdae points at his camera.

‘Yes!’ Hyunwoo says sincerely, ‘It was our suggestion too! I hope everyone will take whatever has been witnessed here seriously- this is not a rouse or attempt for anything!’

Even with the night vision view, Hyunwoo’s sincerity and genuine expression is very apparent. Wonho behind him claps his hands together in a sort of pleading gesture, eyes sparkling.

Oh, Minseok is going to abuse the slow-mo effect.

They wave goodbye to the two, small clouds of dust trailing after them.

Jongdae continues to wave while Baekhyun looks around and with a heavy sigh says, ‘Well, we’re ed.’

‘Hey, you know what this place reminds me of?’ Jongdae asks as he addresses Baekhyun.

‘What?’

‘The Greenhouse. We were mostly outdoors for that one.’

‘Please, why would you bring that up,’ Baekhyun wails as they slowly make their way down. ‘God, this whole place looks even more ominous now that it’s dark.’

‘Jongdae, your mic is hitting your collar,’ Minseok alerts Jongdae, adjusting his headphones under his beanie properly. After making a few adjustments here and there, they set out to explore the place in the dark of the night.

‘You know,’ Jongdae remarks as they duck under one of the large wooden logs that Baekhyun had only that afternoon miserably failed at overcoming. ‘I don’t know if you guys noticed but-‘

‘-oh god please don’t-‘ Baekhyun whimpers, stepping closer to Minseok instantly.

‘-there’s a pretty soft but kinda clear echo behind us.’ Jongdae pauses, holding his hand up for them to stop walking, ‘Hear that?’

It’s faint but they hear it. Baekhyun looks like he’s about to cry, his handheld GoPro shaking with both the cold and fright.

‘I think it’s the place,’ Jongdae states factually, crossing his arms, looking about with interest. ‘This is a pretty small valley, we have hills, and we have trees everywhere- and then the sound just has upwards to go into. Maybe we’re just hearing loads of echoes. Especially if it’s just a singular isolated sound like jogging sounds? Early in the morning without any extra sounds?’

Baekhyun stops looking too frightened and he nods slowly, looking about. ‘Should we try?’

‘You mean scream something in hopes of getting some form of echo?’ Jongdae asks with a grin.

They spend a few minutes randomly yelling.

‘We could try over there-?’ Baekhyun points to where Hyunwoo had told them many of the young trainees claim to have heard movement around them, seen moving figures and such.

At certain angles they’re able to get clear echoes, which admittedly, if heard when unexpected, really did sound like strange muffled movements from people unseen.

‘Wow…did we just potentially…solve? Something? On Unsolved?’ Baekhyun’s eyes widen, staring at his camera.

‘…do we have to change our name now?’ Jongdae asks worriedly.

‘Pretty sure we’re okay,’ Minseok laughs, voice slightly muffled through his scarf.

Minseok feels a sense of relaxation- like he’s oozing out whatever was holding up in him in this misty dark night. He think it’s a funny contrast considering that he’s so relaxed here whereas Baekhyun is close to crying. Especially when they decide to do single walks down the length of the grounds. Jongdae is the first to go as usual, his loud voice yelling invites for ghosts to come to him.

‘HEY!’ he yells, small light of his GoPro screen blinking at them through the mist, ‘EXERCISING GHOSTS! COME GET ME I’M UNFIT AND SORE!’

‘I hate him so much,’ Baekhyun wails, crouching down on to the ground with a wince, ‘Oh god my thighs.’

Jongdae comes back, looking pleased with himself.

‘I warmed up the ghosties for you,’ Jongdae tells Baekhyun, ‘Remember what Hyunwoo said about warming up.’

‘Have I mentioned that you’re a menace to society?’

‘Yes,’ Jongdae beams before waving goodbye at his best friend.

Minseok aims the camera at Baekhyun for as long as possible before he fades into the mist.

‘I think I remember something about stories about seeing ghosts at sea,’ Jongdae remarks out of nowhere, ‘I know that there’s something about the fog, and light refraction- it could possibly explain why people think they see moving figures- shadows and lights.’

Minseok thinks it’s a good practical reason for what they saw in the supposed FBA footage. It made sense; the whole area had massive headlamps, and through the mist, depending on the direction, shadows could pull and stretch and form oddly. Maybe while Wonho had been running, his shadow was quite literally following him.

‘Hey…’ Jongdae suddenly perks up, squinting into the distance. ‘Is…is Baekhyun singing?’

They both pause to listen and sure enough, Baekhyun is singing.

‘…is that Sunflower?’ Jongdae asks incredulously.

And it most definitely is.

Suddenly, Jongdae inhales deeply and starts yell/singing the next parts.

Baekhyun continues to sing, messing up Post Malone’s parts. What’s funny is how both Baekhyun and Jongdae sing the wrong lyrics with the exact same confidence. Jongdae starts doing a funny dance when Baekhyun gets closer, and they’re both doing the exact same moves, now singing in comedic earnestness to each other.

Minseok makes sure to capture the whole thing as cinematically as possible.

‘Well!’ Baekhyun beams at them, ‘That was fun.’

‘Okay guys,’ Jongdae faces the camera, ‘We’re gonna now head back in – and then Wonho’s gonna come down in the morning for his run! We’ll see you then!’

They quietly make their way into the lodgings and Baekhyun insists on the whole buddy rule even till now. So he goes with Baekhyun to the washrooms outside where they splutter as they brush their teeth and wash up. When they get back, Jongdae’s playing music in the background quietly. He’s also waiting for them apparently.

‘Oh, hyung, I think I forgot to switch on one of the cameras,’ Jongdae says hurriedly and apologetically.

‘No it’s okay, I got it,’ Minseok shakes his head, gesturing to Jongdae to stay inside in the warmth. ‘Rest- you’re both sore, I got it.’

‘But hyung! Buddy system!’ Baekhyun argues.

Minseok laughs, ruffling Baekhyun’s hair, ‘Is it the one by the second obstacle course?’

‘Yeah, how’d you know?’ Jongdae asks in awe.

‘I thought I didn’t see the camera blinking,’ Minseok explains, ‘It’s okay Dae, I’ll go get it. It’s nice out, wanna stroll a bit.’

‘You sure?’

‘I got it,’ Minseok says reassuringly.

It’s not that far from the lodgings, and Minseok wants to just savour how relaxed it was here. He walks slowly, enjoying the sound of the crunching gravel. Weirdly it’s probably really fun running over the gravel here, Minseok thinks. Maybe he might go for a run too in the morning? His shoes weren’t the best, but they would do.

He easily finds the camera and switches it on. Breathing warmth into his hands, Minseok makes his way back slowly, keeping an eye out for the small blinks of their installed cameras around the place.

He’s halfway to the lodges when he hears something.

At first Minseok almost doesn’t hear it. He’d been incredibly relaxed, no secondary sense acting up trying to pick up on things around him. He was completely at ease- completely defenseless and completely exposed.

His whole body seizes- almost as though he was too cold to move. His fingers seize into place, hands hurting as though clenched by some ice-like metal, legs locked, shoulders beyond stiff.

He can’t breathe- fear crushes down on him.

The gravel under his feet seem to shift- a liquid darkness pooling around him, seeping out of him and around him. But it’s not relieving- it’s instead crushing.

Head moving slowly and painfully, Minseok manages to look up just a little, his body shaking without his control.

Looming too tall is a strange figure- Minseok can’t sense it, he’s only seeing it-

It’s watching Minseok, not doing anything, just watching.

Just watching and somehow connected to Minseok.

‘Who- who are you-?’ Minseok barely manages to get out, teeth chattering violently, body shaking with a violent burst of cold though he’s sweating profusely.

The dark form swamped in the mist doesn’t respond- it only watches and Minseok has never felt fear like this.

This thing was attached to him- it was trailing from him- Minseok doesn’t understand how or why.

‘I don’t- I don’t know you,’ he manages to get out again, ‘-why are you here?’

It suddenly crouches down from its immense height, and it’s suddenly too close-

‘Just…………………………………………..watching…………………………………just……………………………………….waiting.’

Minseok finds himself at the partially open doorway, Baekhyun and Jongdae’s voices filtering in and out, music seeping out into the cold.

‘Oh hyung, you’re back already?’ Jongdae pulls the door open and Minseok walks in easily, no problem. ‘All the cameras okay?’

‘Yeah,’ Minseok replies without a hitch, smiling easily as he removes his beanie, ‘Don’t forget next time.’

‘I won’t!’ Jongdae promises solemnly.

The bunks are comfy and the blankets warm. Baekhyun and Jongdae talk for a bit, Minseok joins in occasionally.

‘Do you think one of us could keep up with Wonho for a POV run?’ Baekhyun asks.

‘Do not rope me into your thirsty attempts,’ Minseok says wryly, turning over to his side, pulling the blankets around him securely.

‘Hyung, you wound me!’ Baekhyun exclaims followed by a yawn.

‘Goodnight,’ Jongdae calls sleepily.

‘Night,’ Minseok replies back, turning to his side.

In the darkness before him, pillowed close to his head, a pair of eyes continue to watch him.

‘Sweet dreams!’

Minseok can’t sleep.

*

Bonus footage!

‘So hey guys,’ Baekhyun starts off as Jongdae warms up to the side, doing some star-jacks with a deadly serious face. ‘We decided that we would give the infamous military obstacle course a go ourselves.’

‘Because if supposed ghosts can do this! So can we!’ Jongdae yells.

‘And to motivate us! We’re gonna first watch Wonho do the obstacle course! But this is also a moment for a plug-in!’

Minseok turns to the camera to Wonho and Hyunwoo who, though they were expecting it, are completely flustered and a little shy.

‘Uh- so yeah, we also have a YouTube channel-‘

‘-links in the description box below!’ Jongdae yells again, now squatting and lunging.

‘-we do fitness, healthy eating, especially for body builders,’ Hyunwoo explains.

‘We also have beginners programs for those who want to try, but are nervous in trying the heavier and more intense programs,’ Wonho chimes in, with a thumb’s up, biceps bulging.

‘So guys! Please do check them out as well!’ Baekhyun walks over, unnecessarily slapping Wonho on the arm, right over his bulging bicep.

‘All right, so let’s watch Wonho first!’ Jongdae huffs as he jogs towards them, already working up a sweat on his forehead.

‘Okay, just to make sure we’re safe, Wonho will run through the course slowly to demonstrate each obstacle and how to do it,’ Hyunwoo explains. ‘We can follow him and you can see how it’s done.’

‘We are ready!’ Jongdae raises a fist up enthusiastically.

‘Great let’s go!’

‘Ready?’ Wonho asks Minseok, as he’s supposed to keep up with him at the side, following his actions.

‘I’m good!’ Minseok nods, giving him a thumb’s up.

‘Okay!’ Hyunwoo claps, ‘Let’s start.’

Wonho does a few high knees and stretches where he stands amidst Baekhyun and Jongdae’s enthusiastic cheering. He looks almost embarrassed but purposefully flexes.

Minseok’s going to abuse the slow-mo effect for sure.

‘All right, we’re gonna start by running up to this low fence,’ Hyunwoo explains.

Minseok keeps up with a slow jog.

‘We’re gonna bunny hop over this- like so-‘ Wonho easily vaults over the low wooden log fence. ‘Then we come up to the bars here- now you’re going to have to be careful because it can be kinda slippery-‘ Wonho lightly and easily jumps up, catching the pole and pulls himself up. ‘-this is called the college boy roll- you basically roll over the pole and then swing back down- just like that. Good going!’ Wonho beams at Hyunwoo and at the camera.

‘Now we come up here, we have a series of bunny-hops, over some slightly higher fences.’ Hyunwoo describes as Wonho easily vaults over them again. ‘With the highest one- you need to first make sure your torso is over the main fencing, and then you swing one leg up, hug the log,  and slide down- it doesn’t need to look good or fancy, just so long as you manage to do it, you’re doing it right.’

Wonho’s arms wrap easily over the log, muscles bulging as he rolls over and slides down gracefully onto the gravel.

‘Now the last one- you need to stand up on it- you need to be careful, it just rained so it’s kinda slippery- then you do a small jump- it’s an easy hold there, and swing your legs up to the bars, then you push yourself up- basically straddle the bars, and slide down.’ Hyunwoo explains.

Wonho executes it perfectly.

‘Then at the end, you stand carefully and walk down the logs- again, be careful- this is about balance, not speed. You can crawl down if you want and-‘

‘-uh-‘ Wonho stops at the high point, legs bracing the log as he twists to look behind him. ‘-…we forgot Baekhyun and Jongdae back there.’

Minseok spins around, camera quickly finding Baekhyun and Jongdae leaning up against the first low fence. Even from this distance, their faces are amusingly despaired.

‘Well-‘ Hyunwoo chuckles.

Jongdae and Baekhyun run over towards them, ducking under the fences.

‘It was very cool,’ Baekhyun says, ‘And we uh- we think we want to just, you know, observe and like- osmosis.’

‘Osmosis?’ Wonho repeats from where he’s still straddling the log.

‘Yeah,’ Jongdae looks up at the other man, ‘You know- sometimes, you gotta uh, just osmosis.’

‘I’ll continue?’ Hyunwoo asks Minseok who looks at his two friends and they both hesitantly nod.

‘All right then- well, Wonho will make his way down the logs- again, balance, not speed here.’ Hyunwoo explains. Minseok follows them easily while Baekhyun and Jongdae pant behind him.

‘Okay, here we gotta build momentum- run up and make sure you get your upper body up- and then you can swing your legs up-‘ Hyunwoo points at the wooden wall. ‘Watch as Wonho uses his legs to boost himself up on the wall-‘

Wonho does not use his legs or feet to climb up the wall, instead he easily pulls himself up the wall.

‘He didn’t use his feet!!’ Baekhyun wails.

‘Well, I do,’ Hyunwoo says and even demonstrates, ‘Here-‘

‘…I did not osmosis any of that,’ Jongdae says in a low voice.

Both Wonho and Hyunwoo jump down lightly over to the other side.

‘All right- now we have low fences- we’re gonna do the bunny hops again, and it’s lower than before, so don’t stress it too much-‘ Hyunwoo runs up to the 3 fences.

‘-I actually have the most issue here!’ Wonho tells them, jogging towards the fences. ‘It’s hard to wrap around-‘

‘-it’s his pecs,’ Baekhyun whispers loudly.

But Wonho, despite his pecs, does get over the three low fences and they reach the end.

‘Now this is the last obstacle,’ Hyunwoo gestures to the high pole with thick rope dangling down. ‘We’re gonna climb up this and what’s most important is not your arm strength- it’s your leg placement. Now watch as Wonho hooks one leg over- uses his own feet as a boost, and stretching up, basically inches up with the rest of his body. See that? Good form! Now we touch the metal on top, and then slide down- carefully! We don’t want rope burn that’s definitely a thing that can happen!’

Wonho taps the metal on the top and easily slides down, landing lightly.

‘So!’ Wonho turns to smile at Baekhyun and Jongdae, both of them already sweating, ‘You guys ready?’

*

‘You’re doing well- keep a consistent pace,’ Hyunwoo reassures from the sidelines. ‘Consistency is key- pushing yourself only worsens your performance! Learn your limits, understand what your body is saying-‘

Baekhyun is stuck on the second higher bunny-hop fence, feet kicking in a way where Minseok knows he’s going to add sound effects.

‘-what if my body is crying?’ he whimpers out.

Hyunwoo kindly ducks over and grabbing Baekhyun by the back of his shirt, easily hefts him over. The puppy comparison is incredibly strong.

‘Thank you!’ Baekhyun gasps out.

Jongdae on the other hand is one fence behind, horror in his eyes, unable to swing his legs over.

‘You wanna step on me and get over it?’ Baekhyun offers, panting heavily.

‘You’d do that?’ Jongdae asks, gratitude in his eyes.

‘He’d do that?’ Hyunwoo looks at them worryingly.

‘It’s okay,’ Minseok reassures him, ‘It’s just how they are.’

They’re doing pretty okay until they reach the metal bars they need to slide down on.

‘I don’t have enough muscle on my thighs!’ Jongdae squeaks, ‘this hurts!’

‘Can- can I crawl down?’ Baekhyun whimpers, hugging the log he was supposed to walk down.

‘You can!’ Hyunwoo says encouragingly. ‘You got this Baekhyun!’

Baekhyun gives him a shaky thumb’s up before proceeding to crawl over.

'Please encourage me too!' Jongdae groans.

'You're doing great Jongdae-hyung!' Wonho cheers.

Jongdae nearly cries.

At the wooden wall, they both squat down to give each other a boost up and pull each other over, helped by a smiling Wonho who easily hefts Jongdae over the wall without any visible stress.

‘Oh wow, I don’t know if your shoulders or this wall is harder,’ Jongdae pants, hair damp from sweat.

They both somewhat manage to get through to the end, but both of them stop before the ropes, shaking their heads.

‘We need to get fitter,’ Baekhyun wheezes, eyes closed as he sways in an alarming way before maintaining his balance. ‘Oh god, we are so out of shape.’

‘It’s a rough route,’ Wonho tells them reassuringly, not breaking sweat, ‘This is not easy even for us!’

Baekhyun just sort of groans as Jongdae wails, ‘I can’t even hold this rope! Why is this rope so thick?!’

Minseok makes sure to catch the contrast of Hyunwoo and Wonho compared to Baekhyun and Jongdae. Wonho soothingly pats him on the back.

‘Hyung- you should do it too-‘ Baekhyun heaves from the wooden pole where he was balancing himself, skin pale from exertion.

‘Would you like to give it a go?’ Hyunwoo asks, hanging Baekhyun a cool bottle of water. Baekhyun has tears in his eyes as he accepts the bottle- either they were tears or plain sweat. Either way, it’s hilarious.

‘Hyung please do it, otherwise we’re gonna have a disgraceful reputation,’ Jongdae wheezes as Wonho helps him stretch out his cramped leg.

‘Well,’ Minseok looks up at the thick rope and back towards the front of the course. ‘I guess I should save face.’

*

Why Are All The B-Sides Bops?: Excuse me but did Minseok just clear that training field 9 seconds behind one of the trainers record?! Omg Chloe Ting programs truly work

Why Are Starbucks so ing Cold All The Time: why is no one talking about how good they sound singing sunflower I need baekchen to actually sit down and seriously sing?????????? They weren’t even trying????

Professional Procrastinator 3000: Hi just wanted to say if Hyunwoo and Wonho were there to encourage me the same way they were encrouaging baekchen in this episode I would be the BUFFEST™ person in the universe no lie- I’d destroy myself to see Hyunwoo smile at me like that irl

DrinkThatWaterBtich: Guys ive been following Hyunwoo and Wonho’s channel for a while now and well- you’re not gonna survive their content if you think this episode even remotely displayed how ripped they are, and even more so, how incredibly nice and sweet they are- bonus, they have other equally fit friends come and join their videos.

Mareete: I thought I recognized them, it just hit me- they’re the ones who went viral for eating fried chieken with nutella

Any_for_us: @Mareete They ate what and what together?!

minghaoFrogagenda: I want to thank whoever thought of putting slow-mo filter over Hyunwoo and Wonho. My bet is that it’s Baekhyun.

Baguette Au Pain: Watching BaekChen’s souls slowly escaping their bodies as they ran the course was funny at first then I realized I would never be able to get over the first bunny hop

Erikyoooooooonggggg_ggg: I’ve always said Baekhyun is FOR the people- point proven when he asked Hyunwoo to chop that wood, we all know there was absolutely no need for them to do that but Baekhyun saw to it that we witnessed that magnificent display of muscular capacities

Where there is a will, there is an iam: I love how the comments have nothing to do with the ghosts in this episode but everything to do with Hyunwoo and wonhos muscles

Bocchann: I think Jongdae was definitely on to something when he was talking about acoustics and how sound might bounce about. I grew up in a farming area, not unlike that area, and sound does tend to travel oddly!

DaeDroid: Okay I know this episode just showed us an FBA but I can’t help but be distracted by the multitude of slow-mo, this is exactly the content I need during this cursed year, thank you guys for releasing this!!!

167 is Average Height: hey, did anyone else notice a pair of eyes over Minseok’s head while baekchen were singing in the dark? It was like, there for a split second I think, but it was kinda really high up, could’ve just been lights from somewhere, maybe a car, but it was spooky

Sehun_omayaaaaaa: dilfs

*

(Author’s Notes)
This is directly inspired by Unus Annus’s video where James Charles is a guest and they go tackle a military boot camp regime it’s pure comedy
please watch for a good laugh if you want! i know most people dont like james charles but this was hilarious
I just thought it'd be funny to have monsta x and cbx in a situation like this hehehehehe

I also love sistar’s relationship with monsta-x (when they weren’t disbanded) and bora and Hyunwoo were practicing for something and she yelled at him to be more y and fake kicked at him and her slipper flew off and hit him right in the IT WAS SO FUNNY LMAO
But yeah, shownu and Wonho being trainers was just- I thought perfect
Also I know that Wonho’s real name is Hoseok, bt he’s said many times he likes being addressed and refered to as Wonho so that’s exactly what I will do! 
Stream Losing You!!!!!!!!!!
Let’s support this precious boy with his upcoming album!!!!!