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Chan has always been, and will likely always be, a protector. So it comes as little surprise to him when, after a lifetime of making (and mostly keeping) promises to protect almost anyone and everyone he comes across, he's granted with divine power to do so.
He uses his newfound abilities first to (gently) stop an older kid from bullying the younger ones. Then it progresses into keeping bandits away from his hometown and travelling short distances to take out roaming predators. Someone suggests to him that he should take up the adventuring life and it feels like a call to action that he can't ignore.
The whole town is present to see him off. They hand him a newly-made sword and shield and a bag of coin that everyone donated a little bit to. His parents give him a tearful hug and wish him the best. He can't stop his own tears from falling, but he's able, with some difficulty, to not turn around and look back when he leaves.
After a few tests of his skills, he gets accepted into the adventurer's guild three towns over. He shows exceptional promise during training drills, and he gets along well with practically everyone. He goes out on a few smaller quests with some of the more seasoned veterans who try to take him under their wing, but he knows that it's only a stepping stone to what he really wants: a pack he can call his own.
He starts paying more attention to who comes to the guild hall--who looks like they come in alone, who looks like they could use a party, or at least a friend.
He finds Jisung.
The veterans try to convince him not to take the ranger along. "He doesn't know what he's doing," they say. "He's just gonna get himself, or you, hurt." But Chan knows that all the other needs is a chance, and he's willing to extend the offer. If things don't work out, they can always go their separate ways.
Jisung has all the confidence of someone much older than he actually is. His combat skills leave much to be desired, but he makes up for it with boundless amounts of enthusiasm. He has a pet squirrel that he calls Acorn and swears that they're a package deal. Chan likes him immediately.
(Chan loves all his kids, as he calls them, but Jisung is and will always be the first, and so he holds a special place in Chan's heart. He could ask for the moon and Chan would find a way to give it to him.)
And so Chan collects his first stray.
He finds Jeongin when he and Jisung are out on their third quest together. Jeongin's still a kid, really, in many ways. He's at the local temple that they visit when Jisung breaks his arm because Chan's healing skills only extend so far and they need further assistance. Jeongin fixes Jisung up quickly, and in the course of the polite conversation that follows, he accidentally lets slip that he wishes he could get more out of life than just the temple. When Chan offers to take him out into the world and teach him what he knows, Jeongin smiles so widely that his eyes almost disappear.
(Under Chan's tutelage, Jeongin goes from a scrawny teenager to someone who can actually fill out the armor they get for him practically overnight. He still wears his holy symbol to this day, though he barely ever uses it for his spellcasting after he discovered that singing worked well too, and he's less preachy about his god's ways than he used to be. He's the youngest, so everyone in the party comes to adore and spoil him, which he both loves and hates. Chan has to fight to get any affection from him, which makes it feel all the sweeter when it does happen.)
And so their pack of two becomes a pack of three.
Changbin is next. Chan hears him before he ever properly sees him, that loud giggle that echoes off the walls in the guild hall and makes everyone turn around to see where it's coming from. Either he's new, or he hasn't been here in quite a while, because Chan doesn't recall having met him before, and he knows almost everyone. He's buff almost to a point of absurdity, with a massive hammer that he wildly swings around as a prop while he tells some story or other to the people sitting with him. Chan thinks about how he would welcome another front-line fighter at his side, then makes his way across the room.
It only takes about thirty seconds of conversation to convince him to join them; they could use some more muscle on the team, Chan explains, and Changbin laughs, flexes, and asks where to sign up.
(It's almost scary, the difference between Changbin-at-work and Changbin-at-play. It's like there are two versions of him--one that goofs off to make the others laugh, who likes cute things and the color pink, and one that abandons caution to the wind and runs into the fray like a man possessed. Chan is honestly impressed at the physical blows that Changbin is able to simply shrug off in a fight when he doesn't even wear any armor. Chan makes the mistake of suggesting armor only once, to which Changbin tells him that no set of armor would be able to contain his arms correctly, and laughs like the matter is settled. Chan doesn't try again and just lets Changbin do his thing. He seems to be good at it, after all.)
They're up to four. It's a perfectly acceptable number for a party, but Chan still doesn't feel like his pack is complete.
It's technically Jeongin who finds Hyunjin, by virtue of dragging everyone else along to some outdoor stage showcasing various types of entertainment (at this point, none of them are inclined to deny his requests). By the time they get settled in a good spot, there's a dancing troupe on stage, and front and center is a tiefling that stands out due to the bright red of his hair. He's got skill, anyone with eyes can see that, but more than that, he's using the dance to help weave complicated spells together. The magic culminates in a spectacular display that makes the whole crowd go wild. At the end of the performance, Changbin cheers the loudest.
Jeongin idly mentions that having another spellcaster would be useful, as he's currently the only one, and Chan figures he owes it to him to at least inquire as to whether the tiefling wants a change in career or not. Hyunjin seems shocked by the invitation, as if he'd never considered being an adventurer before, but accepts readily enough and throws himself into the lifestyle without a backwards glance. He ends up thriving in it.
(Hyunjin's creativity is inspiring. He always has a plan, even if it's not always a good one, and he adapts on the fly quicker than anyone Chan knows. He also can't sit still--always dancing, always moving--which has gotten them into trouble on more than one sneaking mission. It becomes a sort of game within the party, trying to find other things that Hyunjin fails at, but the list is short. He paints his horns with new colors whenever the fancy strikes him and twists wire with beads and other shiny bits around them to catch in the light. Changbin follows him around with hearts in his eyes, and Chan smiles at the antics.)
Five, but somehow it still doesn't seem like enough.
Felix might actually be the prettiest person Chan has ever met, and that's really saying something, because Chan has met a lot of people. He notices the freckles first, because they're literally glowing, then the smile, which radiates such wholesome goodness that it almost hurts to look at him directly. Chan is half-smitten before they've even exchanged a word.
Felix is on his way to join the adventuring guild when they meet outside of town, and he hires them to escort him safely, because he's in unfamiliar territory and doesn't want to travel solo if he can help it. By the time they arrive there, everyone has already collectively agreed that they're keeping him. He's registered with the guild and going on quests with them before the week is out.
(During fights, Jeongin glues himself to Felix's side, dedicating himself to protecting their main healer, since he has the heavier armor and he doesn't need to get up close to cast spells, anyway. Felix swears up and down every time that he doesn't need the bodyguard, that he's perfectly capable of running and dodging with the best of them, but Jeongin never listens. Chan appreciates it, because it means he can concentrate on the enemy instead of protecting Felix himself. And when the opponents are down, Felix always runs up to heal Chan first, by unspoken agreement. Even if Chan can heal himself, even if he didn't get hurt, Felix always checks on him first. It makes Chan feel seen.)
That makes six, but something still doesn't feel quite right. Maybe just one more.
Everyone seems to think that Seungmin is an odd choice, at first. He always keeps to himself in various corners of the guild hall, which is what catches Chan's attention in the first place, but he's unfailingly polite any time someone comes near him. When Chan approaches him about joining the party, Seungmin is so quiet for so long that Chan thinks he's about to hear his first refusal. Seungmin asks for time to think about it, which isn't an immediate no, so Chan still holds out hope.
Barely two hours pass before Seungmin seeks Chan out to say that he accepts the offer. They shake hands and Chan introduces him to the others over dinner.
(It takes weeks before they discover how much of a menace Seungmin truly is when he wants to be, but by then it's too late; he's already embedded within the group and there's no returning him now. He's useful for scouting out for dangers ahead, even if he does so begrudgingly. He balances out the others in unexpected ways: he's quiet where Changbin is loud, better at sneaking where Hyunjin fails. When he smiles, it rivals Felix. Sometimes he feels like the one least in need of Chan's attention, but Chan does his best to make sure he gets it anyway.)
A pack of seven, and Chan is finally ready to consider that maybe he doesn't need to search anymore.
Then along comes Minho, dragged in by Jisung only recently, but it already feels like he's been part of the team forever. He can be relied on to keep an eye on the others when Chan is busy. He doesn't complain about watch assignments and he pulls his own weight effectively. He still hasn't opened up to them very much, but that's a work in progress. Chan knows he'll get there eventually.
They're eight strong, now. It's a good number. Chaotic, but manageable. At this point, Chan no longer feels a need to take in strays. He has all the ones he needs.
Every day, he watches with fondness in his eyes as his chosen pack grows closer and closer with each other. Jisung and Minho are two steps away from starting a relationship, and Changbin proposes marriage to Hyunjin with frightening regularity. Even the ones who aren't necessarily romantically inclined towards each other stick together as if it hurts to be too far apart. And there Chan stands, in the back or off to the side, where he can keep them in sight at all times, ready to rush in at a moment's notice if one of them needs him.
This is everything he wanted. This is everything he worked this hard for.
He loves his family, and he will protect them with all that he is.