“Is no one going to tell me why the my tattoo isn’t forming? Am I not a part of this anymore? Am I just a regular person now?” The scowl on Soobin’s face softened as he realised that his words were rather insulting to the others. He cleared his throat and muttered out, “Sorry. I didn’t mean it that way.”

“It’s fine, we get it, but look on the bright side. You won’t have to go against weird slimes and dangerous claws anymore.” Seungmin let out a nervous laugh as he looked at the others. It was far too uncomfortable, and the wonderful weather of the park no longer seemed beautiful at all.

He hesitantly added, “Come on, it’s okay…”

Taehyun was the first to break the silence. He shook his head, folding his arms as he spoke, “No. It’s not okay.” He briefly glanced at his wristwatch, before returning his attention towards Soobin. “You could be next.”

“Next?”

“The next Minho-hyung, or worse, Jungeun-noona.” It was Jisung who decided to explain, finally breaking out of his bubble of understandable silence. The hurt in his eyes, however, didn’t weaken at all. “You could go missing, you could die. We need to make sure you’re close to us at all times. We need to make sure that you’re not in danger.”

Soobin began to worry now; he stepped forward instinctively, moving his head to look at each and every member of the team with pitiful eyes. He tried to laugh to break the tension, but all that came out was a shaky voice, seeking for help. He believed he was going crazy, the sight of the others gawking at him making him feel uneasy.

“Wait, I don’t understand. Am I in danger? I don’t want to- I don’t want this. I’d much rather have the tattoo!”

“Okay! Let’s all calm down, yeah?”, suggested Yuqi with a concerned expression.

San nodded. “Exactly. Let’s not panic, okay? We’re all here, and we’re all gonna be there for each other.”

At that, Yeosang snickered. “You’re one to talk.”

There was no doubt that the sudden reunion after all these years apart brought about inexcusable and unignorable awkwardness and unspoken conversations that needed to be mended and resolved. While reunions would typically include loving hugs and cheerful chats, laughing away at memories of the past, all that lingered among the team was hatred, jealousy, heartbreak, dread, and confusion. There was no way that they would make any progress without stitching up the flawed connections.

Taehyun, relieved from his discussion with Beomgyu three months ago, understood that more than others. He felt his toes tingle as he noticed the furious glares and miserable expressions among the team members.

Clearing his throat, he pointed out in a tone that wouldn’t unnecessarily offend the others: “Let’s all be civil here, okay? I know that before all of this, before we had no choice but to form a team, we had our own group of friends, and I understand that things have changed. I can almost taste the bitterness in the air, so why don’t we spend some time with our friends and catch up on everything? Does that sound better?”

He waited for a nod, but all he received was a quick nudge on his arm. He looked to his side to see Beomgyu staring at him with wide eyes, the lenses hiding away the otherwise prominent shade of purple. He then let his gaze fall on the other’s lips, reading the unspoken words. Immediately, he hummed in approval.

“Actually, can I get some crucial input from those with the tattoos? Surely, you all must have purple or violet eyes, and I’m assuming you all saw some things too.” Taehyun quickly settled down onto the partially wet grass, the least bothered about his jeans getting dirty. He crossed his legs and patted the ground, gesturing the others to follow suit.

Mirroring Taehyun’s action was Yuqi, the latter plopping down into a kneeling position. She widened her eyes, raising her voice as he she clarified, “Wait, so it wasn’t just me being paranoid? You all were seeing slime-like objects too?”

“Not everyone.”

“I… I thought I was going insane when I first saw all the flowers in my balcony melt into this green liquid. It started just about a month ago. I was so scared, and I thought that maybe it’s due to stress… I mean, you see the flowers over there? I don’t see them the way you all do.” Yuqi pointed towards an array of bushes behind her.

Hearing this, Jisu added in an uncertain tone of voice, “I could say the same, except it didn’t involve flowers, but rocks and cliffs near beaches. The crevices and cracks in the rocks had this gooey substance oozing out and-”

“Yuck! Don’t say that word!”

Jisu stared at Kai with utter surprise. Shaking her head at