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It started, as most disasters did, with a calm before the storm, and a question nobody should’ve taken seriously. But of course, things had to escalate to another level when the two youngest is involved.
Normally, it's three. But Anxin is on another school project which required Sangwon to help him with improving his Korean to finish it. Especially after the last chronicle where he mistook the ‘restroom’ sign as a ‘room for resting," and napped there until a teacher had to get him before he could be late for class.
“Would you stab your best friend in the leg for ten million won?” someone read aloud from their phone. It was unspecified by whom but the effect was immediate.
The room fell silent. Then, Sanghyeon, who is too focused on his iPad playing mobile games earlier began to lean forward with the kind of eager sparkle that can only be spelled 'chaos.'
“Woojinnie can stab me,” he declared proudly. “And then when my leg gets better, we’ll buy a whole brand new game console and as many snacks as we want.”
As if summoned by some mystic force, Woojin entered the room and without missing a beat, replied. “But if we stab the hyungs too, then we’ll have more than twenty million won. Which means more games and snacks for us.”
From the kitchen, Junseo choked on his water so hard Leo had to smack him back to life before he died of secondhand stupidity.
“Wait, what did you just say?!”
Ignoring the eldest, Sanghyeon lit up like he just discovered gravity. “You're a genius.”
From across the room, Anxin lifted his gaze from his handbook, eyes blinking at the youngest pair with a confusion so honest it almost looked like they owed him an explanation. “But wouldn’t stabbing hurt?”
“Of course it would,” Sanghyeon said cheerfully, like it was common sense. “But think of the snacks, Anxinie hyung. Think of them.” He said, trying to convince the other of humanity's greatest creation which is honey butter chips and every salty snack known to mankind.
Woojin nodded sagely, his face perfectly serious, as if what his fellow 07 liner just said was the most normal thing in the world and not completely deranged. “Yeah, short-term pain versus a lifetime supply of honey butter chips? Easy choice.”
Behind them, Junseo buried his face in his hands, looking completely done with his life. “You two are going to be the reason my hair turns white before I hit thirty.
Sanghyeon grinned, before mischievously nudging Woojin on the shoulder. “Well, you know what they said, teamwork makes the dream work.”
“Besides, you're not even 25 yet Hyung,” Woojin added, clearly done with Junseo's antics as if he and Sanghyeon didn't just threaten everyone with bodily harm just seconds ago.
Junseo groaned loudly into his palms, completely resigned to his fate, “I don’t get paid enough for this.”
From the table, Sangwon turned a page in his book as he nudged Anxin to do the same with his Korean one. Without looking up, he said, “You don’t even get paid at all, hyung.”
Junseo stared into the void, which is just the refrigerator door, before muttering silently, “…Exactly.”
Beside him, Leo nearly choked on his drink in which Junseo shot him a flat look, unimpressed as the younger struggled to hold back his laugh at Junseo's resignation.
Traitor, all of them.