Crescent // ATEEZ ✔

66 [background]

Yeosang steps into the meeting room, the first meeting 1 week after the fateful night. They had to wait until all of them are recovered, or at least until they're able to sit down for a meeting. This time they'll be joined in by Danbi, Remy and Lee Minhyuk. During the period of 1 week, they promised to put everything on hold, their health prioritised over the discussion they're about to have. Everything resumed somewhat normally, beside the fact that their positions are currently uncertain, and they had turned away all the requests they received.

They're looking to put down their titles as secret couriers, but they know that the closure has yet to be found. The sudden burst of trainees they saved on the island were ferried away by the police and special forces who were tipped off by them secretly. The investigations are currently undergoing for the chaos ensued on the island, on the boat and at the restaurant by the sea. The authorities found the link between the three separate attacks, courtesy to Mingi who sent the information regarding the high-profile investors and the Bifidensis board members.

But they haven't found a link to whom it could be behind those attacks. Yet.

Yeosang had arrived at the meeting room a little bit earlier than their promised time, looking to download all the information he kept for the past week and prepare himself to relay whatever he had read during the break-in. None of the boys knew the full story of what happened in the data bank, because his explanation only went as far as them being test subjects, but the topic was dropped when they had to go undergo treatments at the hospital, pausing their activities as ATEEZ for a week.

The burden of the information was too much for him that Yeosang spent most of his last week in isolation; he did not even contact Anna when he got discharged from the hospital, partly ashamed and partly stressed with everything that's reeling in his head. He's scared that he would direct his stress towards Anna, and he doesn't want that, especially to someone as fragile as her. Unless she visited the cafe, she probably doesn't even know that all of them returned somewhat safe and sound.

"Earth to Statue," San comes in the meeting room as he hops into the seat. He was the least injured out of those who went on the initial mission, sustaining only bruises and cuts from the fights. He looked to be trying his hardest to forget about his feelings for Byul too, especially after seeing Hwayoung reunited with her mother.

"Oh, Shiber," Yeosang acknowledges him, but there's a distant tone to it.

"Are you unhappy to see me?" San tries to joke but he only receives a silent shrug from Yeosang. "How... heavy is this information you're about to reveal to all of us? One that you have kept for a week, refusing to tell us anything because you told us we'd need the mental capacity to accept it."

"Very." He presses down a button as the blank screen is projected with the information. "What I found and read... every file is in here. Even the details of our past before they recruited us." There's a grave undertone as he looks at San in the eyes. "Even some that we don't know ourselves."

San respects his following silence by waiting patiently for the rest to gather. They find Yeosang standing in front of the laptop, his mind wandering as he stares at the screen in front of him. Only when Hongjoong snaps his fingers to bring back his attention, he shakes his head and proceeds to dim the lights. He starts with the revelation of the information a bit hesitant.

"Thank you for taking time out of your schedule to gather for a meeting here," he says. "Uncle Remy, Kim Danbi and Lee Minhyuk too. Welcome to our headquarters."

The guests smile and nod politely, because they sense the atmosphere is not one where they can be celebrated as if they're special people. Even the members of ATEEZ and Byul feel that this is the most serious meeting they've ever conducted when all the members are gathered in one place.