*Timestamp: November 8, 2019,*
The rehearsals already began when BTS was practicing their choreography and vocalizing their lines of Anpanman. On the other hand, Royen was holding the camera, filming them.
"They're very energetic and focused on the dance. Yup... They're full of dedication and hard work almost every day," Royen said dully and continued on. "Whenever they need something or in case they pass out in exhaustion, I'm being assigned to stack towels, water bottles, and essentials. Yet, they don't even know or call my name..."
"Alright, alright. Stop," Namjoon signaled them to halt behind him. Then, he glanced between the two young maknaes. "Taehyung, Jungkook... What is up with you two?"
"He stepped on my left foot!" Taehyung blurted out.
"It's because you're damn slow," Jungkook scolded lightly.
"And you're a quick-tempered short-" Taehyung commented.
"Stop! You can bicker about this later. Right now, this rehearsal is important and we are one month away until the iHeartRadio Festival comes," Namjoon reminded, then sighed. "Okay, why don't we take a short break?"
"Good timing. I need some snacks and a bottle of a sprite to regenerate," Hoseok said and turned around to exit the room.
Jin and Yoongi went out to the washroom while they were chatting.
Namjoon went to the back and saw Royen, asking. "Hey, dude. Got any drinks?"
"Yes, I do," he chirped faintly as he tossed the bottle towards him to catch it.
Namjoon opens the lid and sips the rest of the liquid down his throat. He exhaled out in relief and nodded at him with a warm smile. "Thanks."
"You're welcome..." Royen responded back with a thumbs-up gesture. He watches him sit against the wall, whereas Jimin approaches Taehyung and Jungkook, who was avoiding eye contact.
"What's the problem? You guys have been coming at each other for two weeks," He pointed out in concern.
Jungkook slowly peeked over his shoulder composedly and said. "Taehyung has been non-stop texting the girl he was chatting online last night. I was talking to him, but he was far from listening or paying attention to the details. He's probably dating."
"No! She's my friend," Taehyung retorted back defensively.
"Oh, yeah? How do you explain the hearts?" Jungkook recalled in annoyance.
Jimin crossed his arms, saying. "As long as his relationship is hidden, then he's completely safe."
"Chia, is it?" Jungkook queried.
"Hmm," Jimin hummed in response.
Jungkook pressed his lips into a thin line, saying. "Wow. Both of my hyungs have partners."
"I'm not dating the girl online. I don't even know what she looks like. She is just one of my friends that I play in the PUBG game," Taehyung explained.
"I see. What's her name?" Jungkook asked.
"Um... I can't remember. There's so many of them," Taehyung thought deeply, then changed the topic. "Anyway, shall we continue practicing? I'm kind of losing my flow."
"Yeah, for sure. Just follow my lead," Jimin said as the three of them were getting ready in their positions. "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight."
They all sang and danced at the same time without stopping. They did a few double jumps in some parts of the verses and spins.
"Hehe. I've finally got them, Sir Kai..." Royen whispered, then ended the recording button.
Valerie gaped her mouth in puzzlement, then swallowed a hard lump in her throat. She clicked onto the very last one and pressed play.
*Timestamp: December 31, 2020,*
After the New Year's Eve Party, the two young men settled down on the couch and discussed their successful plan.
"Congratulations on your new music video," Royen said.
"If it wasn't for Taehyung, our group will lose its status," the guy smirked and continued on to scorn. "That poor guy must be so gullible after his argument with his hyungs."
"Was it satisfying to watch, Chanyeol?" Royen asked curiously.
"Indeed. I've given an order to my men to lock the doors, so the guests would pass out from the smoking bomb that was set up in the cake," Chanyeol stated smoothly and snickered. "How entertaining it is to watch those punies running to escape. What's even funnier is the young lady surprisingly shielded it with her jacket."
"Really?" Royen's eyes gawked in astonishment.
"Yeah. All the crumbs splattered to her like a huge bucket of paint," Chanyeol explained, recalling back to the moment.
"Was she pretty?" Royen asked curiously.
"Decent," Chanyeol answered and pointed out. "Although she seems quite enigmatic."
"What do you mean by that, sir?" Royen furrowed his eyebrows in wonder.
"It's like I've seen her before..." Chanyeol replied slowly and shrugged off. "So, now that the plan is accomplished. I suppose we keep this between us, including my friends."
The ending of the video stopped at where they were and Valerie was lost at her words. Everything she found out was all inside the mini camcorder and particularly, Jimin was friends with Kai, Taemin, and the others. They were known as the Padding squad.
"I'm surprised they get along together, even if they come from different groups. All is connected through the dots about their history..." she muttered perceptively and closed the device, thinking to herself in mind. "I've got to call the authorities and show them."
She pushed herself up from the floor and packed her stuff. She ran out of the building after hiding and was carrying the briefcase in her hand in a tight grip. "The reason why they were rivals was that someone's been working as a double agent in BigHit and SM entertainment agencies. That is why they have the same style of music. However, why do I feel like those are not the only reasons? Why do I feel like something else is missing? Ugh! I've got to stop overthinking..."
Until then, she crossed the empty street and took the bus for 30 minutes. Later, she arrived at the specific stop and resumed her running.
She glanced over her shoulder before she suddenly bumped into a group of guys. Panting breathlessly, she steadied herself and rubbed the back of her head a little achingly. "Sorry..."
"It's alright," he smiled at her in awe.
Valerie's eyes startled at the sight of them in which she gawked. "You are...!"
"Yep. We are Seventeen," Joshua chuckled.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Valerie Nown. A private detective from New York," She murmured, grinning tirelessly.
"You seem a bit troubled there, you okay?" Vernon asked in concern and noticed her shivering.
Valerie shook her head, breathing out with a frown. "No. I need help, but I do not know if I can trust anyone at this moment. You see, I'm being followed."
"By who?" Mingyu asked suspiciously.
"I'll tell you the details. Right now, we can't stay here," Valerie said hurriedly. Her eyes were gleaming anxiously as her chest was heaving out.
"We can go somewhere privately if that's comfortable for you," Jeonghan suggested.
"Sure," Valerie said, nodding in agreement and raised her eyebrows. "How come there's only five of you?"
"The rest of the eight are at home. We've finished our rehearsals today," Vernon said.
"Hmm. That's good," Valerie nodded impressively.
"Alrighty, follow me!" Hoshi piped in enthusiastically.
Then, they went to the parking lot and headed inside the van. Hoshi turned on the engine and pulled the lever forward before he stirred the wheel.
"So, who is following you?" Mingyu asked again.
"EXO..." Valerie answered.
"Why?" He wondered.
Valerie gazed down on her lap as the rest of them were staring and listening at her attentively. A couple of minutes later, she spoke inaudibly as their expressions started to shift with gasps and consternation among them. They were marveling at what they've discovered about their closest friends, especially knowing them for a long time. Her situation made them grasp a better fathom as to what transpired with her. The scandals she mentioned had become familiar with Seventeen since they can relate to. She opened up a little about herself where she got involved in a gun shooting and fighting off criminals, which made them mindful of how lucky she must have been.
"You are a tough gal, Val," Joshua complimented.
"That rhymes," Jeonghan smirked in amusement.
"No doubt. You were unbelievably strong. You kicked those guys' asses," Mingyu chortled.
"I don't know..." Valerie said faintly.
"Huh?" Mingyu became puzzled.
"I've been doing some tossing and turning," Valerie smiled, clasping her hands soothingly to herself.
Vernon, on the other hand, noticed her offbeat movement in front of them. He observed her cautiously and pondered in thought. "She looks so tired, just by the way the red corners of her eyes are showing. How far can she handle it?"
"I don't want to bother you, but we're kind of skeptical of things if you don't mind us questioning, but..." Joshua trailed off of his words and tilted his head sideways queerly. "What made you care so much about the seven of them and why?"
"It's the same one that Bryan had asked me," Valerie chuckled slightly and sighed before she spoke out. "I guess I cannot say the obscure reasons about them being an inspiration and motivation, but when I found out they were a group... I became drawn to, not only their music, but to their personalities. Something about them had shifted me to make better choices in life. When I listen to their lyrics, I sometimes contemplate on my previous moments with the people I've encountered. They've given me the courage to know myself as a person. More likely, self-acceptance. I know you're all going to differ my reason for bringing them back together as a group, which is an unrealistic expectation because I know... I cannot control what is going around them. I cannot control their decisions, nor convince them. However, the only thing I can do for those seven young men is... to help them realize their own self-reflection and give them advice that they should never let go of the friendship that was meant to be there. Being a private detective is difficult and this is my first time working on their case. What I've learned was that I shouldn't keep relying on myself mostly and I know I was selfish for not allowing people or my friends to help me, but I wanted to redeem and prove that I'm more than enough."
She pulled out the mini camcorder, much to their puzzlement. "This device contains most of the past videos they've recorded. It was inside Mr. Si-hyuk's briefcase, along with the diamonds."
Joshua and the others stared at it with their peculiar expressions. "Can we watch them?"
"I'd appreciate that," Valerie said and gave it to him.
Joshua lifted the screen cap upward and pressed the power button on. He skimmed through the photos until he stopped to see the timestamps of the videos in chronological order. Mingyu and Jeonghan leaned in forward to watch the first one keenly.
"I assume that was the evidence you found," Vernon said.
"Yes," Valerie confirmed.
"Okay, so you can't report it to the police?" Vernon notified.
"I would, but we need to find a safe place to sort this issue out," Valerie informed shakily.
Vernon gestured with his head knowingly and thought onto his next question. "Does unite the seven will make you pursue and become an official detective?"
"Probably. Though I'm not so sure anymore..." Valerie said, looking away and giggling.
"Why not? Are you having second thoughts about it?" Vernon asked skeptically.
"Precisely," Valerie answered.
Vernon nodded in understanding and slightly chortled. "It's funny because you and I are on the same boat. You're trying to figure out what you really want to do for you and the people you love. Do you miss them?"
"Huh?" Valerie blinked twice with a blank expression on her face.
"You know, your family, friends, cousins, relatives, or anyone in particular?" Vernon went on specifically. "Because I do... Last time I had a hard time dealing with my companions fighting. I always wonder what can help them resolve. What do you think?"
"Ah. Well..." Valerie paused for a moment and gazed absentmindedly into space. She smiled, saying. "I would talk to them in a calming way. Not because of concern, but because..."
"What?" Vernon urged her on gently.
Valerie hovered her eyes at him and uttered softly. "It is something to believe in, hope, and enduring all the things. I not only care about them just because they were at their best, but because I saw them at their worst. I didn't think about leaving and it all depends on the choice. It may not be easy, but it is definitely valuable and grateful for," Valerie explained, then laughed as she shook her head. "Sorry, I'm not good with words."
"No, no. It's alright. I hear you clearly," Vernon said smiling, then started to falter. "You seem awfully worn out. Why do you constantly keep going?"
Valerie nodded and grinned in amusement. "Boy, you are full of curiosity."
"That's how I am," Vernon gestured his hands out.
"Gotcha..." Valerie said, giggling.
"So, why?" Vernon repeated dumbfounded.
Valerie stared at him melancholy with her simple response. "I've already given you my answer." 373Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCOdKabjAeX
