'Y/n? You left the door open!' Changbin called out as you could hear him enter the room.
'What? I can't hear you; I'm in the bathroom!' you called back with a sly smile that he couldn't see. 'You can come in!' You added.
You could hear his footsteps as he walked over and opened the door.
'You left the door open; you should-' Changbin began, scolding you, but he instantly cut himself off as he saw you standing in the shower. Although the opaque bar in the middle of the glass obstructed the direct vision of your body, he could clearly see that you were, in fact, naked. His mouth was slightly open, and his cheeks turned red.
'Sorry, what? I can't hear you over the water,' you lied, watching Changbin's eyes being glued to your body. He didn't say anything.
'You wanna join?' you asked in the sweetest way you could. Even though the wet and steamy glass, you could clearly see Changbin's startled expression. Just like all the other boys, he had been slightly teasing you lately, giving you more attention and being more intimate, clearly hoping to get some attention in return. But now that he was getting it, and you were being very forwards about it, he didn't know how to react.
'What? No? I have to check the-.' Changbin spoke quickly, and before you could even open your mouth to call him back, he had already disappeared.
During dinner, Changbin's ears were slightly red, and you caught him staring at you whenever you looked over. Since he had left you blue, you decided to tease him some more.
'So, did you check the thing?' You asked him nicely as you brought the spoon with ice cream to your lips.
'What?' He said, slightly startled again. All the boys looked over at him, and it was easy to sense the awkwardness Changbin was radiating.
'You know, the thing. The thing you said you had to check on. The reason why you ran off when I asked you to come shower with me,' you purred.
Jeongin dropped his spoon, Hyunjin looked from you to Changbin with a smug smile, and Seungmin, who had brought his coffee to his lips but seemed to have frozen mid-air.
'What? Right! Yeah, erm,' Changbin began, clearly not knowing what to say. You faked a yawn and stretched, interrupting him.
'You know what, I'm thinking I'll go to bed early tonight,' you spoke, getting up, 'It was a tiring day. Although... could've been more tiring,' you added teasingly before walking away.
'Don't tell me you rejected her?!' you could hear Minho say in a hushed whisper.
'I panicked, okay!' Changbin defended himself desperately.
'Better not come knocking at my door tonight,' you could hear Felix chuckle.
'Me neither, dude,' Hyunjin said, tutting. You could practically hear him shake his head in disapproval.
The following day your alarm clock went off early. You stretched and let yourself slip out of bed. You and the boys had decided the day before to go out for a hike together.
You opened the curtains and stretched again. The sky was a clear blue, promising a lovely day with only good weather. You smiled to yourself.
You quickly got ready and were the first to arrive in the lobby, where you waited for the rest of them.
You were just scrolling through your phone when that unusual feeling at the top of your spine alerted you once more, and you heard a familiar voice speak.
'Good morning.'
You turned around and were not entirely surprised to see Jimin, the God you had met yesterday morning.
'Oh, hi!' you said, slightly too excited. He smiled at you friendly.
'You waiting for someone?' He asked, clearly noting your position in the middle of the lobby.
'My...' you had almost wanted to say "gods" but quickly changed it. 'Friends. My friends,' you said with a smile.
Jimin nodded, understanding.
'We're going on a hiking trip,' you added, lifting your feet to show the hiking shoes you were wearing.
'Oh! What a coincidence! So are we!' Jimin said, grinning. He showed you his own boots and pointed at the backpack he was carrying. 'Oh, there is Hoba now,' he added as a slender man walked over. It was the God who seemed to radiate sunshine and happiness.
'Hello there,' he said joyfully as he greeted you with a slight bow.
'Hobi, this is...' Jimin began, wanting to introduce you but suddenly coming to the same realisation you had. 'Oh dear, I just realised I haven't properly introduced myself,' he said, slightly bashful. 'I'm-'
'Jimin,' you said, finishing his sentence. 'Yes, I heard one of your friends say so yesterday,' you admitted. 'I'm y/n,' you introduced yourself.
'Nice to meet you y/n,' I'm Hoseok,' the other God said with a friendly grin. 'Oh, and Kookie, Tae and Lady aren't coming with today,' he added to Jimin. Jimin pressed his lips together but then nodded.
The elevator dinged, and you looked over automatically, but it wasn't your boys that were coming out. Instead, it was the other group of gods, three of them, to be exact. One of them was the first God you had spotted, with the angelic vibes, another was the one that looked like a sleepy kitten, and the last was also tall and slender with shoulders that were so broad, they looked like they could poke someone's eye out.
'Hi guys,' Hoseok said, raising his hand to them. They all came walking over to the three of you.
'Who's this?' The tall, broad one said curiously.
'This is y/n,' Jimin said graciously. 'She's also a guest here. I had a charming chat with her yesterday morning,' he spoke, the words almost magical, feeling like they were twinkling in your ears.
'I'm sure you did,' the angelic one said calmly to Jimin with a soft smile. 'How nice to meet you, y/n. My name is Namjoon.'
His voice was low and soft, with a calming vibe to it, and you instantly felt at ease with him.
'Hi, I'm Seokjin,' the tall one with the broad shoulders said cheerfully.
'Yoongi,' the sleepy kitten said with a polite nod.
'Nice to meet you all,' you said, feeling slightly shy and in awe of the attention of these new Gods.
'I guess we're complete now,' Jimin said, looking at the others for a moment. 'Maybe we'll meet on the trail again,' he said almost hopefully.
'Who knows,' you giggled.
The Gods said goodbye to you, and you waved goodbye to the bunch of them. You could see Namjoon going to walk next to Jimin, talking to him softly. You wondered what they would be talking about, and for some reason, you were hoping it would be you.
Just when the other group of Gods disappeared out of sight, you heard the elevator doors ding again. You looked around, and this time, Minho, Han, Felix and Changbin came and stepped off the elevator.
You were slightly disappointed that they had just missed the other group of gods, but then you remembered that they didn't recognise each other anyway, so it wouldn't have mattered.
You were still trying to decide whether you would tell them, having no clue what their reaction would be.
'Morning baby,' Han said, putting his arm around your shoulder and kissing your forehead. Minho and Felix looked slightly giddy, and Changbin's face clearly displayed that he was discontent with being the centre of the unknown joke.
'You alright?' you couldn't help but ask. He had dark circles under his eyes and looked slightly sour.
'Didn't sleep well,' he said shortly. Felix snorted, and when Changbin gave a destructive look, he quickly buried his face into Minho's shoulder.
You couldn't ask anything else as Chan, Jeongin, Seungmin and Hyunjin were walking over.
'Good morning,' Chan said cheerfully as he greeted you all. Hyunjin still looked slightly drowsy, as he always did when he had an early morning. Jeongin, however, who was used to irregular sleeping schedules despite his often late nights, looked as fresh as ever.
'It'll be perfect hiking weather today,' Seungmin said contently. Hyunjin rolled his eyes but didn't say anything.
'Shall we go then?' Han said, tightening his arm around your shoulder. Everyone agreed, and the group of you set out.
It wasn't too far to the start of the hiking trail. Although it was bright outside and most of you wore sunglasses, the heat was almost unbearable, even with all the exercise you got.
'Race you to the top!' Jeongin suddenly said, turning around at you and smirking mischievously.
'Innie, I don't thin-' you began, but you couldn't even finish your sentence before he turned around and sprinted off.
'YA! Wait for me!' Han shouted, spurting after him.
'I'll get you, you little-' Changbin called after him laughing as he ran with the other. Chan followed as well, laughing loudly at all their screams.
'Last one needs to cook for a week!' You could hear Jeongin screaming over his shoulder. Instantly Minho and Felix roared and went after them as well.
'Why do they always have to be so loud,' Seungmin said, shaking his head.
'I want an Americano,' Hyunjin sighed, defeated. You giggled as they both walked beside you up the trail.
Their seemingly endless energy always surprised you. You knew they were supposed to be in their twenties, but still knowing they were actually ancient Gods who had lived through many centuries... It just didn't seem to make sense.
The three of you walked in silence for a bit. The sounds from the screaming, shouting and laughing boys up ahead, the wind through the grass, the waves of the ocean and the chirping of the birds sounding like music to your ears.
For most of your walk, the three of you were silent, now and then stopping when one of you wanted to take pictures.
Before you knew it, you arrived at the trail's peak, where you met the others. Felix, Minho and Chan were sitting on the ground or lying in the grass, apparently still trying to catch their breath from their run. Changbin, Jeongin and Han were taking pictures of each other and messing around, apparently unaffected by the intense workout.
'Why are you always so slow?' Jeongin called out laughing, when he saw the three of you arrive.
'Why are you always so loud?' Seungmin retorted, sticking his tongue out.
'Are you guys okay?' You asked Minho and Felix, who were lying half on top of each other as if they had collapsed as soon as they had arrived at the finish line.
'Totally fine,' Felix growled.
'Couldn't be better,' Minho added.
'You shouldn't be using all your energy at once,' Hyunjin said wisely.
'Did you get your morning coffee?' Han asked him in passing as he started to take pictures of Chan, who was sitting in the grass, looking like he was meditating.
'No,' Hyunjin said with a scowl.
'That explains,' Han said with a chuckle.
'Now that everyone's here, shall we continue?' Changbin suggested. The others groaned tiredly.
'We just arrived. I could do with a little break,' you said quickly. Changbin looked slightly disappointed but didn't object.
You went to sit down on Chan's lap, whose eyes were still closed. He wasn't startled by your sitting down, but he did wrap his arms around you instantly. Han came to sit next to the two of you. He took a deep, satisfied breath of air and smiled as he looked at the grass.
'Happy?' You asked him with a smile. Han nodded.
'Nature is doing very well here,' he said solemnly.
'Is the grass different here than at our place?' You wondered aloud.
'Grass is different everywhere. You have to keep in mind that nothing is "just grass". There are so many different types of grass which all grow and live in their own way, although most people won't notice the difference.' he admitted. He let his hand go over the tips of the grass as if he was petting it.
'They have such wonderful stories to tell,' he said, his eyes slightly dreamily as he stared down.
'Like what?' You asked curiously.
'Hmm,' Han hummed, closing his eyes. 'History. Stories of love, destruction, growth, people, everything.' His voice was soft and calm as if he was meditating now too.
You looked around you. Felix was sitting upright with Changbin's head in his lap. Jeongin and Seungmin were sitting back-to-back, keeping each other upright. Minho was still lying on his back, with Hyunjin now half on top of him.
You closed your eyes and took a deep breath as well. And that's when you felt it. It was weird. Almost inexplicable. A feeling of... peace? You weren't sure. But you felt more at ease, almost at home, like you had been missing a small piece of a puzzle that was now returned to you.
'This feeling...' you said, feeling slightly surprised but not sounding it.
'Hm?' Chan hummed, his chest vibrating against your back.
'What is this place?' You asked, opening your eyes and looking from Chan to Han, who had opened their eyes too. Han grinned.
'Have you never heard the saying that Jeju is the island of the gods?' he said softly.
'You feel it too?' Felix remarked, looking up as he stopped playing with Changbin's hair.
'Like... It's like...' you tried to find the words, but it was hard. 'Like home?' you decided. All heads turned to you instantly, open eyes staring at you.
'What connection does it have to the gods?' You asked quickly, not wanting them to start bombarding you with questions.
'No clue,' Seungmin answered plainly. 'All we know is that it's dubbed the island of the gods and that it's the only place that feels like where we were before. Not even the door where we came from gives off this feeling.'
'Is it everywhere?' you asked.
'Yes, but stronger here in nature than in human places like the hotel,' Han answered.
You wondered if that was why the other Gods were here too, so they could feel at home as well.
'Y/n,' Chan whispered softly in your ear. You looked up at him, his starry eyes on yours and a soft smile on his lips. 'Not to complain, but my leg is losing blood.'
'Oh shit, sorry!' you said hastily, jumping from his lap. Chan laughed and quickly stretched his legs out in front of him. Instantly Changbin got up, too, stretching.
'Well, since we're all almost falling asleep, maybe we should start moving again. Or else we won't be back before nightfall,' Changbin stated.
Although no one really wanted to leave yet, you all reluctantly agreed. You helped pull up Han, Chan, and Felix before the group of you continued on your way.
About halfway through your hike, you were starting to feel slightly uncomfortable.
'Erm, guys,' you spoke hesitantly. 'Do any of you know if there is a rest stop nearby?'
They all shook their heads. You stopped and bit your lip, looking around. You could do one of two things. Wait and hope you'd find a rest stop somewhere, which you had no idea even existed along this trail, as you hadn't seen any indication of it, or make use of the thick bushes and trees that were currently surrounding you and use the tissues you had in your backpack.
'If you gotta go, you gotta go,' Minho said simply, shrugging. You clicked your tongue and sighed.
'Alright then,' you said, deciding not to take any chances and just go for it.
'We'll wait here for you,' Chan said unnecessarily, but you nodded.
You stepped off the trail and ploughed through the bushes and trees for a while. You wanted to get as far as possible from the guys, not wanting them to be able to spot or hear you. Just when you started thinking you were almost far enough away from them, a familiar tingle at the top of your spine made you stand up straight and stop. Just behind the tree you had previously set your eye on to be your cover, you noticed a clearing. Curious, you walked over.
You had barely stepped from behind the tree when you almost got hit in the face by something. You managed to dodge it by ducking down, involuntarily letting out a soft squeal from the start.
'Sorry!' a familiar voice yelled. Opening your eyes, you looked up. One of the other gods, the angelic and coincidentally the first one you had seen, his name being Namjoon if you remembered correctly, came running over, his face slightly worried.
'Sorry! Did I hit you?' he asked as you stood up. You looked at the item at your feet, which turned out to be a bright yellow frisbee.
'No, I'm fine, it's fine,' you said quickly, shaking your head. Namjoon frowned slightly as he scanned your face.
'Hey, aren't you-' he began.
'Y/n!' Jimin came walking over with the other four right behind him. You smiled and waved at him.
'Did you get hit?' Jimin repeated the question, looking slightly worried as well.
'No, I'm fine,' you said once more with a polite smile and nod. You bent down, picked up the frisbee, and gave it back to Namjoon.
'Sorry, I'm really shit at these kinds of things,' he said, awkwardly scratching the back of his neck with a boyish grin.
'Hey, don't worry about it, me too,' you said with a chuckle, and Namjoon laughed, seeming to be more at ease by now.
'You do keep popping up out of nowhere, don't you?' Jimin said teasingly, crossing his arms in front of his chest and looking at you teasingly.
'I could say the same thing about you,' you responded playfully. 'I thought you said you were going for a hike?'
'We have gone for a hike, but we always stop here to rest and play for a bit,' Jimin explained. He pointed over his shoulder, and you spotted a blanket with food and drinks in the middle of the clearing.
'It's special here, isn't it,' you said with a smile, not knowing if he would understand the double meaning you were trying to convey to him.
'Definitely,' Jimin nodded, as did the others.
'So, erm, you wanna play?' Namjoon said, holding up the frisbee.
'I don't think it would be safe,' you joked. The others laughed.
'Just met you five seconds ago, and she already knows you're a danger to be around,' Hoseok said, laughing loudly. 'You have a good eye,' he said with a wink to you. You giggled.
'I bet you're not that bad,' you said quickly when you saw Namjoon pressing his lips together.
'Oh no, I am,' he said, suddenly deadly serious. 'It's a thing,' he nodded. You were surprised by his reaction.
'Yeah, we don't allow him to drive either,' the broad-shouldered guy called Seokjin chuckled.
'Hey! I don't drive because there's no need, and it's bad for the environment anyway,' Namjoon defended himself.
'Whatever you say,' Seokjin said, laughing.
'Honestly,' Jimin said, bending forwards and putting a hand on your shoulder so he could whisper to you, 'he's the king of destruction.' You chuckled, and Namjoon shrugged, grinning.
Suddenly you heard some rustling behind you, and you quickly turned around. Felix's ashy light-brown hair was visible before he himself came stepping around the corner. It was clear he had heard you squeal and had come looking for you out of worry. His facial expression instantly changed when he saw the six guys standing near you and Jimin's hand on your shoulder.
'Oh, hi,' you said to him with a smile, hoping it would be enough for him to understand that everything was alright. Felix's face changed again to an expression of friendliness, although not quite yet relaxed.
'Sorry, I thought I heard you yell,' he said, his eyes going over the six men, all slightly taller than he was.
'Yeah, sorry, that was my fault,' Namjoon apologised, stepping forward and bowing slightly, after which he held up the frisbee in explanation. Felix simply nodded, and you noticed he slowly inched towards you, Jimin's hand still on your shoulder.
There was more rustling behind you, and before you knew it, the rest of the group was standing beside you like a pack of wolves protecting you. The other gods didn't seem at all impressed by their appearance.
'You're quite a big group; you sure you don't wanna join us?' Jimin asked, truly friendly as he finally let go of your shoulder and waved towards the blanket. 'I bet we have enough for snacks and drinks for everyone; Yoongi always makes too much,'
'No thanks,' Minho said as he put his hand on your shoulder right where Jimin's had been just moments before. His words and face were calm, but you were still slightly worried.
'No, thank you, I was actually on my way looking for a rest stop,' You added quickly, hoping it would sound friendlier.
'Oh right, well, if you go back to the trail, there's one just around the next corner,' Jimin pointed out.
'Great!' you said, suddenly remembering you really needed to go and happy to have an excuse to lead the guys away from them. 'Well, erm, bye then,' you said with an awkward smile.
'Will we see each other again at dinner?' Jimin asked innocently. From the corner of your eye, you could instantly see all the boys move forwards slightly.
'Erm, maybe,' you said vaguely before quickly turning around and rushing back, Minho's hand slipping from your shoulder.
'Who was that?' Hyunjin asked as soon as you were back on the trail again and sure to be out of earshot, his tone slightly harsher than usual.
'Just- another hotel guest,' you said, trying to remain vague.
'He's seemed to know you, though,' Felix objected.
'Just my name. We chatted before,' you answered stiffly.
'About what?' Han asked, his voice stern.
'Nothing! Just small talk,' you said, starting to get annoyed.
'Right...' Seungmin said sarcastically. You bit back a retort.
'So, are you going to meet him for dinner?' Hyunjin asked prickly.
'What? No?!' you said indignantly.
'Better not be,' Minho huffed under his breath. This was the last straw.
'Excuse me? What is wrong with you all? I was just having a nice conversation, and suddenly you all start acting like some pack of wolves guarding their prey!' you ranted.
'You're not prey,' Chan said stiffly.
'You know what I mean,' you snapped back instantly. 'Stop being so possessive, jeez.' you growled, stamping away, already spotting a small cabin in the distance.
'But you are ours,' you could hear Jeongin grumble. You weren't sure whether his words flattered you or only angered you more, but you could feel blood drawing to your cheeks and ears.
'I'm gonna take a piss,' you called over your shoulder, sprinting the last few meters to the cabin, away from the guys.