Minsung | Rule Number Five

twenty-two

"If I made you feel any more warm, you'd fall asleep and miss the entire tournament. I'm helping you out here." 

"I simply cannot believe Chan picked you to be our team adult. You did Model UN, not debate."

She took a freshly-made bagel out of one of the boxes and cut it in half swiftly. "And I simply cannot hear you over the sound of the sound of my bank account deepening from the Academy's paychecks towards me for being your coach-slash-chaperone."

She looked at Felix. "I've never made a bagel for you before, so I'll have to ask. Cream cheese?"

Felix smiled happily. "Strawberry, thank you."

She took out a little pink container. "And don't act like Model UN is so estranged, either. We did just as much as you guys, only in different conditions. If it was that different, then the GDB wouldn't have given me a judging license."

Bella was one of the GDB's tens of thousands of licensed judges around the world; people who were hired to sit in front of these high schoolers and tell them who won and who didn't, adults who had dabbled in this craft—or the likes of it—back in their younger days. In some ways, it was like an alumni association. 

Honestly, it really was kind of like a cult sometimes. They never left you, even after you graduated.

She handed the bagel in her hands to Felix, whose blonde gelled head bobbed in thanks, before picking up another one covered in cinnamon. "Jeongin. Same thing as always?"

He mumbled a word of approval into his jacket-pillow, and she picked up a second plastic knife. "Nutella it is."

Chan reappeared at their table, having run to the bathroom. He stood next to Bella at the end of the table, grabbing a coffee from the other box. 

He let the steam fly out of the cup and hit his face, breathing in the scent of early-morning Blue Caramel roast. "Do we have everyone here?"

Changbin, finally coming alive, shook his head. "The girls are on their way; they got stuck in traffic. But they'll make it before the assembly."

"Minho also hasn't come yet," Felix said in between bites of breakfast. "We were driving here and then he suddenly realized he forgot something at home and started freaking out. He dropped me off at the nearest speed rail station and started zooming home."

"Personally, I think that was a reckless move. Someone as cute as me in such a cool suit, riding the trains at five in the morning? He should be thankful I have a black belt."

Jisung stared at him. "You are becoming more and more like Hyunjin, and I don't know if I can handle that."

At the mention of his name, Hyunjin stirred awake, forgetting that he had been sleeping on Seungmin and accidentally nudging him in the process.

"Are we heading to assembly?" He yawned.

Chan leaned over and gently pushed his head back down onto Seungmin. "No, we have about an hour and a half left. You're all good."

Seungmin opened his eyes instantly. "I smell bagels."

Bella smiled and waved the one she was making for Changbin in the air. "Same thing every year. Maple butter for you?"

He nodded, closing his eyes and wrapping his arms around Hyunjin comfortably. "Thanks, Bella. You're the best."

"Wait, why is Minho even coming?" It had completely slipped Jisung's mind that Minho wasn't even competing at all.

"He said he was gonna watch some rounds." Felix unscrewed the cap on a bottle of orange juice. "Probably you because he wants to see how his research played out, and then me, as the big brother thing to do."