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After your friend insisting that you go, you finally cave and go with her to the party. You partly are going so you can watch out for your friend so nothing bad happens to her.
She tells you that the party is beach themed, so you decide to wear a floral dress, sandles, and a fake flower in your hair. You put on some light makeup as well.
Your friend wears something similar to you, and she insists on putting some glitter on you.
"You look hot. I'm sure all the boys will be chasing after you," she winks at you, making you simultaneously blush and roll your eyes.
"I doubt that," you mumble.
You being shy makes you unable to find someone to date.
Once you arrive at the party, you find yourself in a tropical paradise. People are wearing similar outfits to you and your friend. There are blow up palm trees, flamingos, and an assortment of other tropical blow up decorations.
Your friend drags you to where the drinks are, and you decide to take a blue fruity looking drink. All of the drinks look fruity, but you thought that one looked the prettiest.
You don't intend to drink it, as you don't like to drink. You took it only to please your friend and so no one tries to push anything in your hand.
But something about it makes you want to drink it. There's something about it.
You look around, and seems like your typical party.
You decide to take a sip. And once that liquid goes down your throat, you are instantly transported to somewhere else.
The scenery suddenly changes. It's drastic to where you originally were.
It's colorful, like a purplish hue. But it's dark. You feel oddly comfortable, but slightly nervous as well.
"H-hello?" You call out.
You hear some rustling, and eight guys appear from behind some wooden boxes that were in front of you.
"Hi, we were wondering when you would appear."
"Excuse me?"
"We were on a journey to find a treasure. And you are the key to finding our treasure."
You internally start to panic. You look around to try to find a place to escape.
"We promise that we're not bad guys. We just were on a quest for happiness. We only had each other. We found out that in our last clue that someone would appear to help us find our treasure. But before we go any further, let's go around and introduce ourselves."
There's 8 of them in total, with various hair colors.
"It's okay if you don't memorize our names," Hongjoong says.
He appears to be the leader because he is the one doing all of the talking. There's a calming sense about him too.
"H-how did I get here though? Where am I?"
"You drank a special mixture. Only the right person is able to do so. It's unexplainable. You're the only one who's able to help us find our way to our treasure.
Over the course of the next few weeks, or what feels like weeks, you get to know all 8 of the guys. You become close to Hongjoong.
You enjoy their company, but you consistantly think about your home.
One night, you're sitting under the stars near the front of the ship. A presence appears next to you, and you see that it's Seonghwa.
"Everything okay?" He asks quietly.
"I'm just wondering if I'll ever go back to my old life. I enjoy being with you guys, but is this what I'm destined to do? I lived a boring life, but I'm wondering if I'll ever make it back to my old life. I keep thinking about this."
"Time moves faster here on this ship. Once we make it to the destination, you'll end up in your old life. Hongjoong didn't want me to tell you, partly because he really likes you. Promise me that you won't repeat this back to him. He never wanted you to know any of this."
You just nod and smile.
You and Seonghwa end up stargazing for awhile, where he points out different constellations.
After another couple of weeks, you end up at a small island.
The nine of you move to shore, where you find a mirror. In the reflection, you see...you at the party, gazing up at the night sky.
"This wasn't about us, it was about you all along," Yeosang quietly says. "This was to showcase that friendship is the true treasure. That you're a wonderful human being. Your friend really values you, even though she doesn't really showcase it a lot."
"It's not about the destination, but the journey, isn't it?" You realize.
They all nod, the mood sullen.
"Will I ever meet you again?" You ask.
"Unfortunately, no," Hongjoong says. "This actually was an illusion so you could learn an important life lesson. You were our treasure all along. Friendship is something you must treasure forever, okay? Promise me that you won't forget us, okay?"
You nod and give all 8 of your friends a hug, happy to help them with their journey, but it really was your journey.
After you blink again, you find yourself back at the party.
"Time really does travel fast in that dimension."
You're sitting on the deck, looking up at the night sky, thinking about your friends.
"Oh, there you are! I've been looking everywhere for you!" You hear your friend's voice.
"Oh yeah, needed some fresh air," you sheepishly say.
You're glad to have agreed to go to this party, as you were able to be taken to a place of your own, and learn more about yourself.
"Thanks for coming with me, [Y/N]," your friend gives you a smile and proceeds to give you a hug.
You hug her back, reflecting on the words of ATEEZ.
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This makes me want to reopen this imagines book for future comebacks and because I'll be seeing them at KCON NY lol
I can't believethat in less than a month, I'll see them :o I'll also be meeting fellow ATINYs <3 can't wait to meet some of you!
But I feel like this is truly the end of an era. I think after KCON I'll really stop~
