Donghae’s jaw dropped. Whatever he’d been expecting of this meeting, a foreigner who spoke perfect Korean was not it.

            The stunned group followed Christopher down a well-lit hallway that eventually opened up into a spacious cavern.

            “Whoa,” Kangin whispered.

            Rows and rows of sophisticated looking computers lined the floor of the cave, and each had a person typing away frantically or speaking into a headset. Everyone seemed busy and no one paid any attention to them as Christopher led Donghae and the others down onto the floor.

            “I’m so happy you received our messages,” Christopher said, speaking informally, as though they were the oldest of friends. “As you can see, we run quite an extensive operation. As of today, E.L.F. is in over 87 countries around the world.”

On the far wall were hundreds of television screens, each as big as the minivan they’d driven here in. Donghae gaped at the enormous screens. One had a live image of the Eifel Tower, while another showed the Golden Gate Bridge. Landmarks from around the world. And on the back wall, stretching from one end of the cavern to the other, was a giant map of the world. Green and red lights blinked like a Christmas tree across the map. Donghae couldn't figure out what any of it was for, but it sure looked cool.

“What do you mean, operation? What exactly do you do here?” Leeteuk asked.

Christopher’s teeth glowed strangely white in the blue light emanating from the hundreds of screens as they approached a sliding glass door in the rock wall. “Let me ask you a question,” he said, punching a code into a pad on the wall. “Have you ever wanted to be a save the world?”

The pad beeped and glowed green, then the doors slid open with a hiss. Inside was an ordinary (even boring, Donghae thought) office—plain gray carpet, a flatscreen TV on the wall, and a Ficus tree that looked like it desperately needed some water. Christopher gestured to the black, oval shaped conference table in the middle of the room, surrounded by fifteen chairs. “Gentlemen, have a seat.”

Donghae glanced at Leeteuk, who shrugged and sat down. Hesitantly, the members followed suit. Christopher took a seat at the head of the table. Is it creeping anyone else out how much he smiles? Donghae thought.

“I know you’re very busy, so I’ll get right to the point,” Christopher said. “You are the latest recruits to the Entertainment League of Fighters, or E.L.F. As a part of the league, you will fight crime and injustice all over the world, using your music and fame as cover.”

Donghae perked up and sat up a little straighter. He wasn’t sure what Christopher meant, but he liked the sound of fighting crime and injustice.

“And why exactly should we do this?” Heechul asked, leaning back in his chair. It seemed the shock had finally worn off and his snarkiness was coming out full force. “Like you said, we’re very busy. Especially me.”

Christopher laughed, a sound between the bark of a dog and a hyena. “Well, because Kim Heechul, we’re the ones who gave you powers!”

That shut Heechul up. Donghae felt his stomach drop to the floor. “What do you mean you gave us our powers?” Kyuhyun asked. “How? Why?”

Christopher picked up a small black remote sitting on the table and the television behind him. With each click of the remote, members faces flashed across the screen—Siwon at the beach, Leeteuk at Inkigayo, Shingdong leaving a radio station, Donghae in the car with his manager—every member. And Donghae noticed they all had one thing in common.

“The banana milk,” he said quietly. “They did something to our banana milk.”

Christopher pointed at Donghae. “Bingo! We started with Siwon and slowly gave the entire group powers over a period of about six months.”

“Is that even legal?” Ryeowook asked, looking pale.

“Don’t worry, we got your company’s permission first,” Christopher said.

“Seriously?” Kangin looked like he was about punch a hole in the table. “They know? I’m gonna kill Sooman. How could they do this to us?”

“Wait,” Donghae said, holding up a hand to quiet everyone. “Why would you give us powers?”

Christopher sighed. “Gentlemen, we have been doing this a long time. From the Andrews Sisters in the 40’s to Taylor Swift, E.L.F. has used pop stars to make the world a better place. Our agents have stopped wars. They’ve thwarted terrorist plots. They’ve rescued refugees from war-torn countries. And you get to be part of it.”

“It sounds dangerous,” Ryeowook said softly, his eyes wide as dinner plates.

Christopher hesitated, then said slowly, “It can be dangerous. Before developing the superhero serums we lost more than a few agents. Elvis, John Lennon, Bob Marley, Karen Carpenter . . . That’s why we started providing super powers. To minimize the chance of loss.”

“That doesn’t make me feel any better,” Leeteuk murmured.

Christopher looked at each of the members. “I don’t understand. Why wouldn’t you want this? Why wouldn’t you want to help people?”

“We're celebrities! We already help people just by being alive,” Heechul snapped. "It doesn't mean we have to risk our lives fighting!"

“It might have been okay if we got to choose our power,” Sungmin agreed. “But I got stuck with controlling the weather. How’s that going to help anybody?”

“How’s that going to help anybody? You could stop a tornado from destroying a town or a tsunami from wiping out a village! You could end droughts and stop hunger in third world countries.” Christopher scoffed and threw his hands up in the air. “Seriously, guys. Use your imagination! The possibilities are endless.”

A tingle was starting to creep up Donghae’s spine—the kind he got at the very top of a roller coaster before plunging down for an exhilarating ride. “He’s right,” he said, the excitement creeping into his voice. “Think of how many people we can help with these powers. We’re like, superheroes! Or characters out of a manga!”

“Thank you!” Christopher exclaimed. “He gets it. He’s already been using his powers for good. Which, by the way,” Christopher turned to Donghae, “Saving Eunhyuk from those thugs the other night? Brilliant!”

Donghae blushed. “Thanks.”

“But your destiny is greater than just fighting hooligans,” Christopher said. He looked at each member in turn. “I suppose I can’t make any of you become the super heroes the world needs you to be. We have an anti-power serum. You can leave here the same people you were six months ago. I can’t stop you. But, the mark of a true hero is how they react to their circumstances. Will you run away from these responsibilities? Or will you embrace them and become truly great?”

The room was completely silent. Donghae felt light-headed. His heart felt like a hammer pounding an undeniable rhythym in his chest. What Christopher said rang true. He didn’t want to run away or give up his powers. He wanted to save the world.

“I’m in,” Donghae said, glancing around at the others. “C’mon guys. Do you remember that night in the practice room, the day before we debuted? We promised to always stick together. We faced that challenge and came out stronger. We can do this too. And just think of how cool it will be to actually save people!”

Siwon met Donghae’s eyes after a moment and smiled. “I’ll do it.”

“Me too,” said Kangin.

Slowly, all the other members agreed and Christopher beamed. “Wonderful! The decision alone takes incredible bravery. I knew we chose well.” He paused, and pushed another button on the remote. “Let’s get started then, shall we?”

The members faces disappeared from the screen. Up came an image of grainy, black and white resolution. Donghae squinted at the screen. It looked like a still image from some sort of security camera. It showed someone in a black cloak and rounded hood, half their face in shadow at a door with a keypad.

“This, gentlemen, is Mr. X. And he is your first assignment.”