It was cold.
Darkness surrounded you.
Silence.
But then...
'Here! Over here!' An unfamiliar male voice called out.
The sounds of panting and rushed footsteps entered your ears.
'God, Jeongin, what did you do?' another voice sounded.
Once more male and unfamiliar.
'Do? I didn't do anything?! I just happened to find her here,' the first man, apparently called Jeongin, answered irritably.
There was a sudden sound that sounded like a gust of wind, but you didn't feel anything.
'What's up? I was in the middle of something,' another new and slightly lazy voice sounded.
'Jeongin found this girl,' the other voice spoke.
It was silent for a second.
'What do you want me to do about it?' the third voice asked, still annoyed but you could also detect a hint of concern.
Another sound of a gust of wind.
'Sorry I'm late, what's - oh shit,' a fourth new voice appeared.
Again male, again unfamiliar.
'Shit, Hyunjin, do something,' the fourth said.
'Me? Why - how?' The third person, apparently named Hyunjin, asked, slightly panicked.
'You work with people the most out of all of us, help her!' the fourth person replied urgently.
Once more the sound of a gust of wind filled your ears, but you didn't feel anything.
'What happened?' a shocked new voice asked. This voice was extraordinarily low.
'I don't know, I just found her like this,' Jeongin said.
'Can you fix her?' Hyunjin asked, but the person with the low voice made a sound that unmistakably meant no.
Running footsteps.
Two pairs
'Sorry we couldn't find you guys but - what the hell?' a panting voice said in awe.
'Oh shit,' another new voice swore.
'Can you two read it?' The low voice asked.
Silence fell for a while.
'I'm... not sure,' one of the two new voices said hesitantly. 'Seugnmin quit that, you're messing with my reading,' he said, suddenly steady.
'It's... odd,' the other new voice spoke.
'It is, isn't it,' the low voice suddenly whispered.
'What is?' Hyunjin asked.
'There are no animals,' the low voice said ominously. 'Like, none. No birds, no bugs, nothing. Like they fled.'
'Plants don't wanna talk to me either,' another voice said, sounding almost bitter. 'Their vibrations are off,'
Everyone seemed to hold their breath.
'Well, this is new,' one of the newest voices said darkly. Apparently, everyone had been waiting for his answer.
'What is it, Lino?' the previous voice asked.
'It's like... time didn't exist before here. I can't see a future nor a past. It's weird. All I see is her,' the man called Lino answered.
The sound of a gust of wind almost startled you, even though you had heard it often now.
'What's-what's-what?' A new stressed, confused and slightly husky voice sounded.
'We found this,' Lino said simply.
'This? It's a girl you idiot!' Hyunjin protested.
'Is it? Girls in general carry time. She doesn't,' Lino argued.
'Chan, stop! What if it's dangerous!' one of the voices warned.
You had heard the footsteps nearing but it still startled you when you felt two strong arms lift you up.
A warm feeling brushed your face, the smell of it sweet.
'She has life,' the husky-voiced, named Chan, said. His voice sounded close to your ear. The arms that were wrapped around your frame and that had lifted you from the ground must've been his.
'Maybe we should bring her home?' the low voice suggested.
'She's not a lost puppy you can nurse back to health' another scoffed.
'Who found her?' Chan said, ignoring the two who had been talking.
'I did,' Jeongin said.
'How?' Chan followed up his question.
'I was just kinda strolling around when I happened upon her,' Jeongin responded simply.
'Why did you call all of us?' Chan continued.
'I... I'm not sure...' Jeongin admitted.
Suddenly everyone was silent again. It was a tense silence, one that none of them seemed to want to break.
You felt something sliding over your cheek softly, carefully.
'Can you hear me?' Chan's voice said just as softly.
It was a question.
A question for you.
Very slowly you opened your eyes.
The light hurt them and it took a while before your blurry vision managed to focus itself.
The face of an angel was in front of you.
Full, plush, kissable lips.
A soft nose that made you want to trace your finger over it.
Black eyes that looked like they carried stars in them.
A sudden movement in the corner of your eye caught your attention and startled, you turned your face towards it.
Seven men were staring at you. Some looked concerned, others afraid, and some even curious.
But all were handsome. They had something... aetherial about them.
'She can see us?' The man with the low voice asked. His face was surprisingly cute compared to his almost dangerously low voice.
You quickly looked away from them, feeling like you had done something wrong, and locked eyes again with the man holding you.
His expression was soft but one of concern.
You opened your mouth to speak, to apologize, to beg them for mercy, but no words came out.
'Hey, hey, it's okay,' the man with the angelic face said, holding you. One of his large hands cupped your face and his eyes looked deep into yours. 'We won't hurt you. You're safe now,' he said with a nod.
Instantly you felt calmer like a warm soft blanket had been laid over your frantic mind.
'Rest now,' your protector told you with a soft voice. It wasn't hard to do what he said. You instantly closed your eyes. You felt tired. So extremely tired.
'So I'm guessing we're taking her home?' One of the voices of the seven men spoke.
'Yes, we're taking her home,' The man holding you answered.
Softness surrounded you.
A smell that was almost intoxicatingly good entered your nostrils.
You were warm.
But still, there was something wrong.
You opened your eyes.
You were in a dark unfamiliar room, lying in a bed.
Hushed voices outside the door were speaking rapidly to each other.
Just as you were trying to distinguish them they suddenly shushed.
'She's awake,' the man with the low voice said, just audible enough for you to hear.
It was silent for a moment and even you could feel the thick tension that was hanging outside the door.
Then the door opened and someone got in.
It was a man with a serious face and grey hair. He had soft features and cat-like eyes, but when his mouth opened you noticed slightly more prominent front teeth that reminded you a bit of a bunny.
Just like the man who had taken you in his arms in the forest he was incredibly handsome.
You had seen him standing in the group of the seven men too and you remembered his expression. Although hard to read, it looked like a mix between curiosity and caution.
Now though, his face was quite blank and there was not a single emotion you could read from him.
He stopped in front of you, staring you down almost intimidatingly.
'Who are you?' The man asked you abruptly.
'I'm-,' you began but you suddenly stopped, your mouth still opening to form the words that needed to follow.
But there weren't any words.
You tried your best to think hard, the eyes of the man in front of you glued to your face.
Who were you?
What was your name again?
You couldn't help but frown.
There was nothing.
No words in your head that connected the words "I am". No names shot into mind except for the ones you had heard the men say in the forest.
There weren't even words to describe who you were as a person. Cheerful? Energetic? Pretty? You had no idea.
'I don't know.' The words left your mouth with a feeling of deep dread. You felt empty. Hollow.
'Right,' the man said simply. For a moment you had almost forgotten he was there. 'Then, what are you?' he followed up his question.
His first question had been totally valid. Logical. A normal thing to ask someone you had just met.
But this question was odd. Why would you ask someone what they are? Of course, you were just simply-
'Human,' you said, with raised eyebrows.
The man mirrored your look, also raising his eyebrows. However, unlike you, it was not in surprise but in disbelief.
Whatever else could you be than human?
'What is the last thing you remember?' The man now asked, his tone getting slightly more irritated as if he was waiting for you to tell him an answer he was expecting.
'Erm,' you said aloud, thinking hard. Your brain felt empty. Like someone had dug out all the information that used to be there.
There was only one thing left.
'The forest where you guys found me,' you said slowly, as the memory, your only memory, replayed in your brain over and over.
The man in front of you sighed disappointedly as if you had just told him one and one equalled three.
'I'm sorry,' you said quickly, unsure why you were apologizing as you had no particular reason to actually do so.
'Lix, can you come in here?' The man in front of you called out over his shoulder. His sudden loud voice startled you and you cringed slightly.
Another man came walking into the room. He was about the same height but slightly more slender build and there was no other way to describe his face than adorable. From the freckles on his cheeks to the slide-like nose and his doll-like lips he looked like he could've been designed by some pure and innocent child.
'Hi there,' the freckled man said with an incredibly low voice. His smile bared his teeth and you were surprised to see how pointed they were, almost animalistic and scary. Both his voice and teeth were the exact opposite of his outer appearance. 'My name is Felix and this is Minho,' he introduced himself politely to you. The grey-haired man that had interrogated you before was unmoving as his companion spoke, and although Minho was still staring you down, you already felt a lot more comfortable with Felix in the room, even though you were outnumbered.
'Did you sleep well?' Felix asked friendly as he came to sit on the edge of the bed you were sitting on. You nodded automatically in response.
'Are you hungry? Thirsty maybe?' Felix asked you politely. Before you could even think about your answer you saw Minho turn to his companion with an incredulous face.
Outside of the room you heard some protests and yells and the door flew open with a bang.
A group of five men was standing outside the room.
The angel is missing.
They were all looking surprised, and some even angry on top of that, as they barged into the room. You quickly backed away as you watched them stomp inside.
The man in the front was the smallest but buffest of all. He had a round face with kind eyes and arms that looked like he could pull any tree out of the ground easily.
Close behind him was a man with a slender posture and brown hair. He had a sweet face but his eyes were fierce.
'Lix, what are you doing?' the man with the sweet face said urgently. His face looked worried and it was almost like the room had gotten a few degrees colder.
'Relax, Seugnmin, if Lixie says it's safe it is,' the short buff man said to the brown-haired man as he came to sit on the bed too, and looked at you with curiosity.
'Felix never said anything about safe. He just asked if she was hungry,' Seugnmin corrected.
'Same thing,' the buff man shrugged.
Seugnmin still seemed unsure however and he looked questioningly at Felix.
'It's fine. She really doesn't remember,' the freckled-faced man assured him with a comforting smile.
The three other men who had also entered the room but kept their distance from you at first now also seemed to dare come closer.
It felt uncomfortable to say the least, the way the seven men stared at you. Although they were all equally handsome in their own way, and their posture wasn't threatening anymore, you still didn't feel safe.
'Oh, can you guys back up a little,' Felix said suddenly as he straightened his back. 'Sorry, we should've thought of your personal space.' Felix got up too and took a step back, smiling softly.
'How did you know?' You whispered the question, not being able to withhold your curiosity.
'What? Oh, erm, I mean, there's a lot of us staring you down, isn't there?' Felix said with an uncomfortable chuckle.
You shook your head. 'That's not what I meant. I meant, how do you know I really don't remember,' you verbalized the thought that had been knawing on you since the moment it happened.
Felix shot a look at the buff man who was still standing near the bed. It was only a minuscule second but it was there, you had seen it.
'I, erm, I guess I just trust you,' Felix said with a grin that was slightly too big.
It was silent for a while as you stared at him. Something was off... You could feel it.
'So, can we keep her now?' One of the guys who had stayed behind a little asked. You looked over in surprise. He had slightly more chubby cheeks than the rest of them and a cute pout on his face.
'She is not something we can possess,' a voice suddenly came from the door opening.
The angel had returned. He was leaning against the doorpost, dressed in all black. His face was calm, and for some reason, you felt almost relieved to see him.
His eyes locked with yours and he pushed himself off the doorpost onto both of his feet to walk over to the rest of the group.
'I understand you must be a little out of it right now,' the man in black spoke, 'so maybe you'd like to stay here for a while, just until we find your home and family?'
His question felt quite sudden and you were a bit taken aback by it.
You looked at the group, scanning their faces one by one.
The man who had asked if they could keep you had put on a wide smile that almost made you giggle. The freckled man named Felix nodded encouragingly. The brown-haired guy named Seugnmin looked at you curiously. The buff man winked at you. A man with pink hair and a face that looked almost too pretty to be true smirked at you. Another man with hair that looked like it was made of gold and fox eyes stared at you expectantly.
But most importantly you looked at the face of the man with the grey hair that Felix had introduced as Minho.
Minho had seemed most distrusting at first, his body language and the way he had all but interrogated you had made that clear. But now, with the chubby-cheeked man by his side, leaning his arm on Minho's shoulder, he seemed much more at ease. His facial expression was hard to read but you didn't feel the air of hostility that had surrounded him earlier anymore.
'I... Yeah, sure,' you said as you looked at the bunch of them before looking back at the man dressed in black. He smiled at you reassuringly and you noticed a dimple in one of his cheeks as he did so. It looked cute.
Looking back at the group of them, you started to feel more at ease.
If you'd stay a little longer, just until you'd remember something again, it would be fine, right?