"WE'RE HERE!" Sooyoung yells as she wildly runs up the stairs, her sister fulcrumed at her elbow that's clasped with that of her own. Curb your enthusiasm, child!

"Ow!" she yelps when her knees meet the edge of the ascent step of the stairs. Called it.

"Watch it, you fool!" Soojin says as she saves her dongsaeng from further harm pulling her up reflexively by the clasped arms. "I almost fell down too."

"Whatever," Sooyoung says recovering quite fast from it. "I'm here!"

"Oh, Youngie Jr. Did you fall?" Wooyoung asks rushing towards the sister.

"Annyeong, Soojin-ah," Hongjoong greets.

"Quit being formal, Captain. And Sorry for being late," Soojin proceeds to the group settled in the upper floor of Min's antique shop, leaving behind her sister at the peak of the stairs to catch up with Wooyoung.

"Look who's being formal now?" Yunho says.

"My dearest gratitude for your wordy but omittable contribution, gentleman, but I was speaking to Min Yoongi-ssi here. May I be formal to this gentleman in limelight here? Do I get the permission?" Soojin replies and a few chuckles and a loudly laughing Wooyoung happens.

"Oh, unnie, didn't know you knew such complex linguistic skills?" says Sooyoung and it calls for additional waves of laughter.

"Yeah," Soojin rolls her eyes. "Seems like nobody was bothered by us being unpunctual. Good, I guess."

Footsteps of someone else's feet ascending the stairs to their floor can be heard. "Ahh!" Yoongi's grandfather moaned in satisfaction eyeing the group of 11 youth settled in his store. "Everyone's here now."

"Yeah, sorry for being late grandpa," Sooyoung says.

"It's no problem child," the old man replies. "I just came here to tell you to enjoy the treat and catch up merrily. I won't be staying, I'm too old to fit in. I'm glad you could all make it even though you are all busy young, energetic people. I really believe you kids are the reason why this good fortune passed by me and my grandson and our family." He looks at Soojin and Ateez and passes them a warm, grateful smile. Of course, the Ateez members return it and of course, Soojin can only muster up an awkward, disagreeing smile at the best. Then there's Yoongi who openly disagrees with the statement with his whole existence.

Sooyoung playfully scoffs. "Wow, grandpa, I feel like an outsider."

"And our Sooyoungie is the one who brought all these people here, I'm grateful to her the most." Mr Min pats the girl's head.

The girl giggles. "And you don't have to be grateful for anything. They didn't do anything. Yoongi oppa got in because he's amazingly talented. Maybe there's something known as fate but in his case, what's fate without talent." Umm, there indeed is someone known as Fate.

"He'd have succeeded even without the statue," she continues as she passes a gentle smile at Yoongi who awkwardly stands, unable to respond. Sooyoung had come to know about Yoongi's relationship status and with a bit of her sister's advice and help, she had come to terms with the situation and her fate, she was currently moving on, she was almost there.

Yoongi's phone rings. "Ahh, the food delivery is here," he says excusing himself out of there, heading downstairs to collect the food.

"Okay, then, I will take off. Eat deliciously, alright kids?" the old man smiles at the group and excuses himself too.

"Bye grandpa," Wooyoung, San, Yunho and Sooyoung say.

So what's the occasion?

Oh just... Min Yoongi happened to have got into a music entertainment label as a producer and promised-to-be-soon-soloist-rapper. And then his grandpa: the man recently won a huge, comfortable sum in the lottery that he and his family could effortlessly live with for many years to come. Now, Yoongi's good news can be passed off as the pay-off for his talent, but the old man did not want to believe his own news was just a bit of coincidental luck. He is adamant in the theory that he was rewarded for keeping the statue form of me under his supervision when I was working on Soojin. And he's not wrong at all. I mean my client's ends were fulfilled so next was obviously the time of awarding the ones who kept me safe in my stay here.

Yoongi comes back with food, Seonghwa and Yeosang helping him with the bags.

"Congratulations on the producer post, Yoongi-ssi. Your hard work paid off, I've checked out your works, am a fan since I heard it. You absolutely deserved it, I don't think it's because of keeping the magical statue, the lottery, probably, but this, more likely your own hard work," Soojin says and Yoongi just blankly listens with very slight nods in between. His facial expressions —which is no unordinary than his usual— makes her nervous. "Uhh?.. don't think that I'm deliberately asserting this because I believe otherwise, please. God, I'm rambling... I really like your works. Uh...uh...but I'm still not very well-versed in music, why don't someone else, someone qualified—" she eyes Hongjoong. "why isn't anyone else speaking up, stop letting me ramble for God's sake..."

"Your mixtapes are amazing, Yoongi-nim. I knew you'd become a soloist one day, and that's about to be. Congratulations from all of us," Hongjoong keeps it sweet and simple.

Jongho rushes to Soojin's side and pats her shoulders. He guides her to sit beside him onto the mat on the floor Yoongi prepared for the guests at his comfort-food party.

Yoongi smiles and nods. "A simple congratulatory statement was just fine," he says. "But your 'ramble' felt just as genuine, Soojin-ssi. Thank you for listening to my music and believing in me, both of you. Means a lot."

"Everything smells amazing. What all did you order, hyung-nim?" Wooyoung excitedly asks trying to open the bags.

"You're opening them anyway, you idiot," says Sooyoung.

"Yah, where's the respect? I'm older than you."

"It's okay Sooyoung-ah, it's just Wooyoung, you can disrespect him," Yeosang interferingly mumbles in between and Wooyoung glares at him.

"You and I have the same pet name, so..." Sooyoung tries to give an odd explanation.

"I'm Youngie Sr and you're Youngie Jr. Clearly, it's not the same, it speaks of my seniority in age."

"And mentality," Sooyoung mumbles. "You're a lot behind in mental age though," Yeosang says to Wooyoung. Double attack!

San and Hongjoong laugh.

"What did you two say!" Wooyoung asks and the bickerings continue.

"Wow, this is amazing," Mingi says relishing on a piece of fried chicken.

"I was gonna say 'help yourselves' but now, uh, I don't have to," Yoongi boredly says to Mingi.

Seonghwa eyes Mingi. "Yah, at least take the container out of the plastic bags. Don't eat it wildly like that."

"Wow, there's chicken," Yeosang rushes to Mingi.

"Let him eat, oppa. It's good food and it's free. Free food's always tasty," Soojin tells Seonghwa. She rests her head on Jongho's shoulders as they both peacefully sit holding hands intently waiting for San in front of them to serve them delicious food.

She then looks at Yoongi. "I bet you're regretting inviting us for this. Aren't you? Give us an honest answer. We're swallowing all this food regardless."

Yoongi lazily shrugs. "I actually don't care at all. It was grandpa's invitation. Normally, I still would have to sit here until the next two hours as well. So do whatever with the food. In my grandpa's words: eat well and until you're very satisfied. That's all I gotta say."

"He's used to seeing this, unnie. His friends are huge eaters, so.." says Sooyoung and when her eyes meet Yoongi's, she awkwardly gives a tight-lipped smile before averting it.

"Here," San passes a piece of chicken to Jongho, but before he could grab it, Soojin does.

"Thank you, Sannie," she says taking a bite and leaving her boyfriend pouting and playfully mad.

"Here, sweetie," she shoves the remaining piece into Jongho's mouth and laughs. "Don't try to be mad, it's ineffective 'cause you only look cute and harmless that way, darling."

Jongho chews it with an embarrassed smile and red painting his cheeks. Seonghwa watches the couple with a warm smile from across as Hongjoong serves and passes the assorted fast foods of his liking for him.

"Here," Hongjoong hands Seonghwa a plate and notices the object of his friend's interest. "They look happy," he warmly comments.

"They do and they are," Seonghwa says smiling at him. "It's cute."

"Yeah," Hongjoong says. "What about you?"

"I'm happy too," replies Seonghwa and smiles extra wide. "I'm going to meet Hyunji in a few days. All our old friends would be there, she's bringing her boyfriend too. I'm happy she gave me a chance to mend our friendship."

Hongjoong nods. "That's great."

"And are you happy, Hongjoong-ah?"

Hongjoong hums and slowly takes a look at each of his friend. "Look at them all, Seonghwa." They look at Mingi who's quietly eating different foods, asking Yeosang for a bite of his that the latter reluctantly gives. They watch Wooyoung who's complaining about San and Mingi stealing from the others' plate. They watch Yunho who's chatting lively with Sooyoung and being the mood maker between his bites. They watch Soojin who calls out Yeosang for not passing the chicken to her and Jongho who's trying to calm down his girlfriend feeding and stuffing her mouth with different foods to keep her quiet.

"They all looks so lively and happy," Hongjoong says. "How can I be not happy when they are all so happy. I'm the happiest, Seonghwa."

Seonghwa smiles and nods in understanding. "So, let's eat?"

"Let's eat!" Hongjoong says.

"Let's eat and enjoy the food and this time together, everyone. Let's eat well. You too, Yoongi-nim."

A series of 'yes's in different vocal pitches and ranges, all sounding happy, mixes together and happily harmonize with each other.

Cheers to the happiest leader and his happy troop of teammates and friends.

Cheers to my happy client and clientele.

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It's wrapping up. Only one chapter remaining( am I happy or am I sad?🥲)