ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗥𝗧𝗬-𝗙𝗜𝗩𝗘
─◌✰್ 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖼𝗈𝗇𝗌𝖾𝗊𝗎𝖾𝗇𝖼𝖾𝗌 𝗈𝖿 𝗅𝗈𝗏𝖾

mymymy don't lie you were already awake...
> ryerye yeah i literally heard you talking to yourself in the kitchen lol
> catdad_lee @dingdonghong yeah you were cleaning up a spill on the floor, what happened
> dingdonghong @mymymy @ryerye @catdad_lee you guys are so mean sometimes dang
> mymymy @dingdonghong you were complaining about us in your insta post, that's mean!!!
> ryerye @dingdonghong yeah i'm pro drama but anti lie smh

catdad_lee people have said worse things about me than that lol
> matchatess guilty hehe
> cheesecakehannie @matchatess tbh you're just straight-up mean

> matchatess @cheesecakehannie and @catdad_lee isn't???
> changaroo97 @matchatess he can be a menace fr
> catdad_lee @changaroo97 DUDE YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO HAVE MY BACK
> matchatess @catdad_lee HAHA I'M RIGHT FIGHT ME

sk8terjj i will admit we had fun tho 😅
> huats.up we look so cute even though we got woken up at six in the morning???
> bin.there.done.that @huats.up you're always beautiful right when you wake up 💗
> the.official.hwang @bin.there.done.that dude why did you have to steal my thunder i was gonna say that
> huats.up @the.official.hwang you can still say something nice, you know
> ramenoodlaska @the.official.hwang i thought you were creative, come up with something unique dude

"C'mon everyone, c'mon, get your asses up!"

You woke with a start at the sound of Minho's yelling, right outside your door.

"What the fuck?" you groaned, rolling over into Changbin's muscular chest, squeezing your eyes shut against him to keep the barely dawning light out. "What's he doing here?"

Yes, you had slept with Changbin last night. And every night this week. After watching the stars for another half hour, the two of you had just crawled right into bed, and fallen asleep. And then you'd done it the night after the sleepover, and the night after that, too. JJ had insisted she was fine sleeping on the couch. You hoped after your girl talk, she would stick to her guns.

"What time is it?" Changbin muttered, arms tightening around you as he reached for his phone.

"Noooo, don't let him wake us!" you whined, uncharacteristically grumpy. If you were in charge of your wake-up schedule? Early was fine. If someone else was waking you? Straight to hell for them.

"What do you want, Minho?" Hyunjin screamed from the other room. "It's six in the fucking morning!"

"Wakey wakey!" This time, Mya burst through your door uninvited, shaking your shoulders. "It's so late, I've already made tea! Get up!"

"Mya, I am going to slap you in the face if you don't stop," you grumbled, squinting at her.

"What are you doing here?" JJ's voice... coming from the same room as Hyunjin's.

Oh girl, you thought imploringly. Had she really forgone her morals already? Or had she been sleeping in there since you kicked her out?

"Get up, Lovebugs!" Minho laughed at the pair, as Mya giggled along. "What are you doing in the same bed? Are you roommates now? Or wait-"

"Mya shut up!" JJ shrieked, amidst her friend's uncontrollable mirth.

As you and Changbin reluctantly pushed yourselves out of bed, you heard JJ complaining about getting too cold on the couch, being cramped, and a billion other excuses. You were calling bullshit already. You'd definitely need to grill her about her weak will later.

As you and Changbin exited the cabin, both dressed in pairs of his sweats and one of his hoodie, it was obvious your cabin wasn't the only one that had been victims of the rude awakening scheme.

Robin was still half-asleep, literally collapsing onto Alaska's shoulder, who was guzzling tea like it was her only lifeline. Felix was next to her, looking like a moping child in his baggy black hoodie and fuzzy slippers. Chan and Riley were passed out on top of each other, while Han cuddled Bbama in his chair. Seungmin and Renee were sitting together, staring off into space. Tessa was glowering at Minho, but didn't even have the energy to say anything mean. Jeongin almost dropped his tea in his lap, and Renee had to grab it for him before he spilled.

After grabbing mugs of tea, you and Changbin took seats next to Seungmin and Renee. Your eyes threatened to seal shut, so you tried to keep them open, hardly blinking.

When Minho and Mya finally appeared with Hyunjin and JJ in tow, the questioning opened up in full force.

"Where are we going?" Robin demanded, words cut off by a yawn.

"Why did you wake us up so damn early?" Tessa cried.

"On a hike, obviously!" Mya exclaimed. "We planned it before the party last night. Well, Minho, and I did, at least. We want to take the dogs out for some air, and more training!"

You had to admit, even to your sleep-addled brain, that did sound like a great idea. But, as Tessa said, why did it have to be at six in the morning??

"Do we have to hike?" Riley groaned. "I'm just starting to feel like a human again after Halloween. I don't know if I'll make it!"

"I don't mind a hike, but why did you wake us up to do it?" Chan sighed, resting his head on Riley's shoulder. They had gone on a couple more dates after their pottery class, and things seemed to be going well. You certainly hadn't heard any complaints.

"Well, I found a trail that looks amazing," Minho began, pulling out a map from his back pocket. "But apparently, the best time to go is in the morning, because you can see the sunrise from over the tops of the trees."

"But we knew none of you would agree to go so early, so we decided to surprise you!" Mya added helpfully. "I risked my life, entering your rooms to wake you up!"

"Yeah, you're still not in the clear." Riley eyed her friend dangerously.

"This was just foul," Alaska mumbled, wiping the side of her mouth, where a bit of drool had dropped onto Felix's hoodie. "But you're also right. I would never give up sleep to walk."

"Well, you're already up, right?" Mya beamed hopefully. "You might as well go!"

"Decide now!" Minho agreed. "Oh, and I packed a great breakfast to have when we get to the top."

Well, that certainly perked some ears.

Ultimately, everyone except Han (and therefore Bbama) decided to go on the hike, so the trail was very full. He'd been staying back from quite a few fun events over the past week. It made you sad to see, but he and Robin still hadn't talked it out since the Halloween party. He always used to be so excited to spend time with her. You hoped they could get back to that, if only they wouldn't be so proud. So instead, you'd offered Jiao to Robin, in hopes he might cheer her up.

"This is actually kind of fun!" Alaska admitted, running ahead and ignoring Felix, who was trying in vain to apply sunscreen to her cheeks. She had Bingsu on a leash, and Felix was in charge of Junjie. "Where does this trail lead?"

"We'll make it to the top of a mountain, in about three miles," Minho responded, pointing at the map. "That's not far at all! And it looks like there's a lake at the top, too!"

"Ugh, that's wayyy too long." Robin shook her head immediately, making sure Jiao was right next to her as she walked. "I can barely walk a mile before I wanna go inside."

"But you walk all the time when we take pictures together!" Tessa pointed out, finishing off her cup of tea. "This is the exact same, just with prettier scenery!"

"That's for work," Robin corrected her. "If I have the choice, I'm sitting at home in my bed, or hanging around with friends, not pretending to be a mountain man or something."

"Mountain men can be hot!" Tessa pointed out. "And the only way to find them is to spend time in the mountains."

Renee wrinkled her nose. "I don't want a mountain man. I like a clean, buttoned-up guy."

"Well you are an accountant, that's pretty buttoned-up," Tessa agreed, laughing when her friend pouted harder.

The group began winding their way up the hill, which was just getting steeper. The dogs, which were the main reason you'd gone in the first place, were having a great time, but it had only been about half an hour. You were sure Miso would tire after the next twenty or so minutes, and from the looks of it, Kkami and Berry would, too. Since you'd passed your own dogs off to others, you had taken charge of Miso. He was quite a challenge, being the most stubborn of the bunch.

"Do we need to stop for water?" Chan called from the back of the group. He'd insisted on hanging out there to "make sure someone didn't fall down the mountain and die, or something". You could tell he'd wanted to run ahead with Minho and map out the road, but he was taking his job as the eldest very seriously.

"Yes please!" Mya panted from next to Jeongin and Robin. She held Areum's leash, glancing down at her from time to time. It was clear she was absolutely in love with the dog. "I feel like I'm bathing in my own sweat!"

"You were the one who wanted to do this!" Jeongin pointed out, but placed an arm around her shoulders fondly. Ever since the Halloween party (still a tragedy you couldn't remember that iconic event), Mya and Jeongin had been engaging in a hesitant but endearing relationship. They'd been spending quite a bit of time with one another over the past week.

"I wish I'd brought snacks with me!" Alaska sighed, shaking her head. "I'm all hungry. If only someone had told me we'd be going ahead of time."

"I brought you some chips and apple slices." Felix rummaged around in his cat-shaped backpack. "I knew you'd get hungry, so I grabbed some while you were leashing up Bingsu."

Hyunjin raised his eyebrows at his friend judgingly, then shrugged. "Well if you packed some for Laska, you better have brought some for me too!" he declared, holding his hand out for some.

As the two Hwang siblings bickered over the bag of chips, you just sidestepped them, continuing up the path. As much as you loved hiking, you wanted to get this over with as fast as possible, so you could climb back in bed with Changbin. He'd walked beside you the entire way, in relative sleep-induced silence. You squeezed his hand, the other holding Miso's leash. The little dog was sniffing interestedly at a patch of grass a few feet away from you, looking happy as ever.

The rest of the group wordlessly followed the two of you up the path, quiet aside from the occasional crunching from the Hwang siblings, as they indulged in a shared bag of potato chips.

"Should we play a word game?" Tessa, ever the wordie, suggested from her place next to Renee. She was drinking a bottle of green tea that Minho had handed her from his backpack. "I'm getting bored of all this walking."

"I'm so down!" Mya agreed, much too loudly, in your opinion, with her roommate. "I love games!"

"Okay, I'll say a word, and the next person has to come up with a word starting with the last letter, not sound, of the word I said. If you can't come up with one or you get it wrong, then you lose," Tessa said. "Okay, we'll start with kinds of sweets. Chocolate."

"Okay! Uh... eclair!" Renee said.

"Red velvet cake!"

"Egg custard!"

"Donut!"

The group continued playing the game, everyone momentarily forgetting that they were trudging up an unfortunately steep incline, until Felix accidentally said the wrong letter.

"Oh my gosh, is that the lake??" Alaska interrupted her boyfriend's laments that the game was rigged, as she raced up the rest of the path, her arm extended in a pointing motion, empty chip bag in hand. Bingsu ran after her, a huge grin on his fluffy face.

"I guess she's awake now," Felix sighed, hurrying after her.

Miso tried to run after the couple too, but you held his leash fast, even as he struggled against you. Maybe Se Ri was right, you weren't making proper progress with these dogs...

"It's so pretty!!" Robin gasped, as she made her way up the hill next to Hyunjin. "I wish I brought my swimsuit!!"

"Who says we need a swimsuit to swim?" Tessa smirked, causing Minho to spit his sip of water out on the ground.

"I'm not going in with my clothes on," Mya said nervously.

"No girl," Tessa sighed at her roommate, nudging her in the side. "There would be no clothes involved, don't worry."

"Can I join??" Chan asked curiously. "I've been working out for this!"

"I wouldn't mind seeing that." Riley covered her mouth, but the words had already slipped out.

The rest of the group made their way towards the lake, which was a clear, sparkling blue, oohing and aahing as they went. Minho and Mya began setting up the fold-out table they'd brought for you all to eat on, along with the delicious-looking lunch they had packed.

Changbin squeezed your hand tight in his, not moving from your side, even though he too was admiring the water. "How are you doing, after being forced out of your bed against your will?" he joked, pressing a kiss to your forehead.

You groaned, scowling at Minho and Mya, the culprits. "That was absolute torture. And I thought I was in shape!"

"You're usually an early riser, aren't you?" he mused. "But not that early."

"That's not even the worst part," you confessed, cheeks warming. "I mostly didn't want to get out of bed with you."

He paused, then slid a finger under your chin to force you to meet his gaze, as you hid against him. "I wish I could have stayed in bed with you too, Gorgeous." His eyes twinkled at you, and you blushed impossibly harder.

Then, he pulled you closer, and pressed his lips to yours, not caring that the rest of your friends were just a couple feet away, admiring the water. His mouth explored you, his love and passion expressed through the depth of his kiss. Momentarily forgetting your surroundings, you reciprocated his pressure, entwining both of his hands in yours and tasting the comforting flavors of him.

"Okay, lovebirds!" Seungmin snapped the two of you out of your trance by marching over, and tapping Changbin on the shoulder.

Changbin growled deep in his throat, slowly turning around to face his friend, death in his gaze. "Why would you interrupt a moment with me and Hua??" he demanded, throwing his hands up in the air. "It's like you want me to punch you!"

Seungmin snickered, glancing at you with equal craftiness. "Hehe, sorry you two. But you're blocking my way to the water."

You supposed you hadn't even realized he was the only one who hadn't walked to the lake with the others.

"Oh shut it, Seungmin." You waggled your finger at him. "You're just jealous, don't lie."

The man glowered, stepping around the two of you, and over to the water, standing suspiciously close to a certain one of your friends, who nervously shifted her feet back and forth, unsure if she should scoot away or move closer.

Changbin shook his head, eyes glimmering with amusement. "You love to push my friends buttons, don't you?" He grinned. "It's kind of hot."

You laughed, shaking your head. "It's hot that I like to mess with them?"

He shrugged. "Just that you know them so well! It's sweet." He planted yet another mind bending kiss to your awaiting lips, before gesturing to the water. "Wanna go see what all the hype is about?"

You smiled, nodding, glancing around you to call that rascal Miso to join you. But when you looked down, your whole body froze, heart stuttering in your chest, in limbo between denial and freak-out.

Because there was no little rascal at the end of the leash, which was still in your hand. There was nothing pulling your arm every which way, trying to sniff at everything he could reach. It must have happened while you had been distracted kissing Changbin.

Miso was gone.

laska's note —
well there it is y'all. miso ran away, while under hua's watch. that's the second dog she's let escape. 🥹 and they were just having such a great time! they were about to have an amazing lunch by the lake, and now who knows what's going to happen? will lanhua be okay? what will se ri and the rescue say when they find out? what do you think is going to happen next? give me all your predictions in the comments 🫣

𝖭𝖤𝖷𝖳 𝖴𝖯：
𝟯𝟲 - 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀
┊ ⇄ ◁◁ II ▷▷ ↻ ┊