𝐒𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍 𝐆𝐔𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐒𝐄

12; 𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙪𝙚𝙨

seokmin laughed, getting back to what he was doing: pulling out the jammed paper on the printer. he had to keep it low key or else joshua will notice and he's grounded from the fourth floor. luckily, he pulls the jammed paper out just before joshua saw.

"is everybody done with their reports?" joshua asked, looking at the wallclock. "it's almost time for dinner. i'll ask HEUSC to print your reports out for you, then we can all go out."

"you named your virtual assistant HEUSC. yeah, not obvious that you got it from balance unlimited. god, you're such a weeb," junhui comments. hopeful, he looks at minghao who sat across him—but junhui didn't get the reaction that he wanted.

minghao liked anime and mangas just as joshua liked it, and he usually backed up joshua when his weeb is showing too much. but minghao really wasn't in the mood today, no matter how much junhui tried.

jihoon expected an over the top dinner, elegant and classy food served on the table while they talk about politics or something. jihoon ate steak yesterday night and he was expecting something like it today—but there wasn't any on the table.

instead, there were two boxes of pizza and three litres of various soda. jihoon shrugged it off. at least the food still tastes good, whatever.

"so, how did everyone's missions go?!" seokmin roared, jumping around with a slice of pizza in hand. he was one of the people who weren't entrusted with a mission today, so he craves some action. "i want to know!"

junhui secretly goes to the bathroom to avoid this conversation. nobody noticed. minghao also wanted to run away from the conversation—so he walks away quietly to go hide in the bathroom but he didn't know that junhui went there. wow, it's like they planned to meet there.

"wonwoo seemed to be really sefless." mingyu raised a hand, earning 'ooh's and 'woah's around him. "the bomb was underneath the car, then i told him to do something about it with his ability while i confront the butler—and the bomb ends up in his hands."

"if he didn't tell me to not die, my thought process would've stopped and i also would've hugged the bomb and crouched down to save the people nearby." wonwoo admits. "i panicked."

"my boy's really a perfect fit for seventeen! i knew it!" vernon cheered, then he got boos. (vernon wished that instead of boos he got boo seungkwan instead.)

"kihyun's caught and karasu mafia's officially gone from our list." joshua spoke, pushing the rim of his glasses up since it hung so dangerously low. "jeonghan fought a man who had an ability, cloning. he did well, too."

"aw, don't give me all the credit, babe!" jeonghan sets his cup of soda down to cling to joshua's arm. joshua laughed nervously, trying to get him off. "you did well, too! you were like, fighting the boss level!"

"so is this babe and flirting thing going on real or...?" jihoon asked. "actually, it's really disgusting and i wanted to know if i'm going to have to see it everyday."

"you will, jihoonie!" jeonghan gushed, squeezing joshua's arm. joshua winced, to which seungcheol laughed at. "get used to it! me and my love will be doing this everyday!"

"eww, a couple! scram!" seungkwan pinched his nostrils, as if there was an unpleasant fume wafting around. his action caused laughs all around the room.

"we-we're not a couple!"

"ouch, sugarpie!"

"we had enough of that." jihoon grunted, the dying laughs came back again. "we found sands of time."

"yeah! shrimpy was so fast and we traveled in a blink of an eye! i got shot with rubber bullets, too, but i beat all the guards and made them my minions!" soonyoung did his best villain cackle. "i'm so powerful!"

"stop calling me shrimpy-!" jihoon sighed, biting the last piece of his pizza slice. at the corner of his eye, he noticed chan happily eating but not actually speaking and whatnot. "hey, you, kid! did you finally realize that you're being unnecessarily positive?!"

"ah... jihoon-hyung..." chan smiled and turned his head to jihoon. "today was hell..."

"let me guess. seungcheol led you into that white room and trained with you. he socked you as his first move." mingyu asked. "you should've brought a knife. when he did that to me, i was randomly carrying a swiss knife with me so he let me go."

chan looks enlightened until he met seungcheol's eyes. chan sighs, nodding sadly. the other members laughed. "you won't improve if you do that, chan! don't listen to him!"

"you will improve in outsmarting dumb people."

"we're trying to improve your combat skills and stamina, chan. not what he said," seungcheol glares at the tall , tanned man who suggested such a ridiculous idea. "mingyu, you're not off the hook. i'll deal with you later."