#anaimals

Naye

Naye hadn't said a word.

Not last night. Not this morning.

Not about the thick stack of papers or the red eyed drive back from Seoul. Not about how her mother was slipping further away with each breath or how the house she was born in might not belong to her for much longer.

She just...couldn't.

So instead, she let the boys sit with her in silence surrounding her in a cocoon of warmth. No one asked. No one pried. They just were, each on their phones scrolling without purpose, barely blinking but never straying far.

She'd sat in the corner with her sketchbook on her knees, pencil gliding in soft strokes.

They didn't ask what she was drawing.

And they didn't see the way she stared at their eyes in the golden light of late evening, how she drew each one like they were constellations that kept her breathing.

Jungwon. Sunoo. Heeseung. Jake. Jay. Sunghoon. Riki.

She didn't know why, but after last night she felt something unspoken tethering her to Jungwon and Sunoo especially. It made her chest ache in a strange, unfamiliar way. Not bad...but not simple either.

Eventually, soft good nights were whispered. Lights went off. Doors shut with gentle finality.

But Naye didn't sleep.

Because today was a new day and she had work to do.

Now, standing on the porch in the soft pink of morning, Naye was dressed in denim overalls, her mom's worn straw hat over her head, and in her hands like a weapon of pure chaos a megaphone she had found digging through her mother's basement storage.

"I knew she had one," she muttered under her breath, flipping the switch with a satisfying click.

She cleared her throat, raised the megaphone to her lips, and shouted.

"RISE AND SHINE, SOLDIERS! WE HAVE A FARM TO SAVE!"

There was a pause.

Then a crash upstairs. A thud. A muffled scream that sounded like Jake. Something fell off a nightstand. Someone swore.

She grinned.

Five minutes later, seven men stumbled out the front door fully dressed in cowboy boots, faded jeans, loose short sleeved button ups, and absolute confusion. Apparently, they had insisted on buying cowboy boots when they tagged along to the grocery store earlier in the week. At the time, it was just a joke.

Now it was uniform.

They stood in a straight line like some ridiculous farm themed boy band. Sleepy. Shirt tails flapping in the breeze. Riki still yawning.

"You all look like country music backup dancers," Naye muttered under her breath, suppressing a laugh.

"You're welcome," Jay winked.

"Alright," she called ignoring him, flipping open her clipboard and instantly snapping into boss mode. "Here's the game plan. You want to help me? You're gonna help me sell the hell out of this strawberry field."

Seven sets of eyes snapped to attention.

"Jay and Heeseung you're the front line. You're on customer service at the strawberry booth. Smile, flirt, compliment their hats, I don't care. Just sell them berries like your lives depend on it."

Jay saluted. "Ma'am, yes ma'am."

Heeseung cracked his knuckles. "Time to seduce some grandmas."

Naye rolled her eyes and pointed to the next two. "Jake and Sunoo you're on the snack and drink stand. Sell the lemonade, cookies, rice balls, anything sweet or salty. Use your charm, and do not give discounts unless they're babies or super cute."

Sunoo blew her a kiss. "On it, farm fairy."

Jake grinned. "I was born to sell sugar."

"Riki" she turned next. "You're helping with the kids. I don't care how, but make sure they don't fall into the pond again. And don't let them ride the goats."

He gave her a look that said but the goats like it. She pointed a warning finger.

"And Jungwon," she continued, giving him a look that made his chest tight, "you're on elder duty. Help them pick berries, carry their baskets, give compliments, tell them they look beautiful. You're a golden boy today."

He nodded once, expression serious. "Understood."

"And you," she said, finally turning to the last sleepy eyed, silently brooding man, "get to hold my clipboard and follow me around because you're the only one who hasn't annoyed me yet today."

Sunghoon blinked. "That feels like favoritism."

"It is."

He grinned. "I'm in."

With one final nod of approval, she turned on her heel. "Let's move out! Gates open in fifteen!"

A cheer went up hollers and laughter and a whoop from Jay that got them all bouncing on their feet and then they were running.

Down to the fields, across the gravel path, racing one another to their posts.

And Naye?

Naye stood at the top of the hill for a second, clipboard in hand, rooster in the distance already squawking in challenge, and took a deep breath.

This was her land. Her family. Her legacy.

And she would fight for it with her soldiers.

Cowboy boots and all.

The strawberry fields had never seen chaos like this.

By noon, the summer sun shimmered over the hills, lighting the rows of ruby red strawberries like precious gems. A cool breeze carried the scent of sweet fruit, sugar dusted rice balls, lemonade, and the faintly tragic undertone of exhausted men in denim.

The wooden sign Naye had painted; NAYE'S STRAWBERRY PICKING: OPEN!, wobbled in the wind beside the entrance gate. Below it, another handmade board listed prices: 4,860 won per pound Drinks & Snacks - 2,000 won each NO EATING BEFORE PAYING (Looking at you, tiny humans.)

And yet...the children did not care.

"NO! YOU HAVE TO PAY FIRST!" Riki's voice rang out in pure despair, chasing after three giggling kids with berry stained fingers. "HEY SPIT THAT OUT!"

The children did not spit it out.

Somewhere behind him, Sunoo who had been directing another trio of small children toward a bubble machine snorted a laugh.

"You're losing your touch, Riki."

"I never had it!" Riki cried, horrified, as one toddler latched onto his leg like a leech with a juice pouch.

Despite the chaos, the field was packed. Cars lined the gravel road, families from the nearby towns bustling through the rows with straw baskets and bright chatter. The boys had helped Naye hang up little sun shade tarps earlier that morning and now, the entire place looked like a summer postcard. If postcards included half a dozen wildly attractive men in cowboy boots and button ups, sweating in the sun and charming the entire female population of the countryside.

Jay and Heeseung had taken charge of the strawberry booth.

Which, in retrospect, might've been a terrible idea.

"Four pounds? That'll be 38,800 won," Jay chirped, pushing the cash box toward a blushing college student who looked like she'd been holding her breath since she got there.

"But wait," her friend frowned, pointing at the price board. "It says-"

"Have you ever seen a jawline like his before?" Heeseung whispered from beside her, resting his chin on his hand and blinking up at her slowly.

She went silent. Then pulled out her card.

"Make it five pounds," she said faintly.

Jay nodded, absolutely unbothered. "We'll throw in a sticker."

Ten minutes later, a man in his 40s bought two pints of lemonade for 10,000 won and left with a slap on the back from Heeseung and a free packet of strawberry shaped hand wipes Jay had found in a drawer.

It was legal robbery.

And it was working.

Meanwhile, at the snack and drink booth, Jake and Sunoo were on their own rampage.

Jake was pouring fresh lemonade with mint leaves, smiling wide, his honey gold hair sticking to his forehead and his rolled up sleeves exposing his forearms to the sun. Sunoo stood beside him wearing a pink apron and a disarming grin that could convince a person to buy salt water in a monsoon.

"Three lemonades and two rice balls, 19,900 won," Sunoo told a customer sweetly.

The woman squinted. "Shouldn't that be-"

Jake handed over the rice balls with a wink. "Comes with extra sunshine."

The woman blinked. "Oh. Right."

She walked away clutching her drink like it was holy.

Beside Jake, Sunoo snorted. "They're going to riot when they realize we're charging double."

"They're not being scammed," Jake defended, shrugging. "They're being...emotionally influenced."

"You're emotionally influencing them with your biceps," Sunoo huffed with a side eye.

Jake grinned. "You're welcome."

Down in the far fields, Naye knelt in the dirt beside a long bed of strawberry plants that had already been picked clean. Their leaves were browning, weeds curling through their roots like warning signs.

She adjusted her gloves and turned to Sunghoon, who was standing behind her in his newly bought cowboy boots with a clipboard and a skeptical expression.

"You ever mow down old strawberry plants?" she asked.

He scoffed. "Does anyone not dream of that?"

"Come here." She handed him the tiny hedge trimmer and showed him the proper angle. "You want to mow just the old leaves, leave the crown. Don't scalp the thing or she won't grow back."

"Like me after a bad haircut," Sunghoon muttered, taking the tool.

She snorted. "Exactly."

They worked side by side, cutting old growth and pulling up weeds. The sun beat down, sweat clinging to their necks and arms, but Naye found herself laughing really laughing at Sunghoon's dry sarcasm and the way he kept calling her "Manager-nim" every time she corrected his form.

"Oh my god, shut it, Hoonie," she groaned after the fifth time.

He froze. Like, completely froze. Then blinked. Then slowly, slowly smiled. "...You just called me Hoonie."

"And?"

"I can die happy."

She threw a weed clump at him.

A little higher up the field, Jungwon had been appointed the royal role of Elder Escort.

He carried baskets for grandmothers, fetched sun hats, and refilled water bottles like the world's most charming farm prince. His catlike eyes, polite speech, and dimples were a hit.

Too much of a hit.

"I know a nice girl for you," one of the halmeonis said, clapping him on the back.

"I am a nice girl," her friend who was at least in her seventies said.

Jungwon's ears turned pink. "Ah, I-I'm flattered..."

"You married?" asked another.

"Ah, no-"

"Engaged?"

"No-"

"In love?"

Jungwon paused.

His gaze drifted toward the fields, toward the faint sound of Naye's laughter echoing in the distance, and a quick sweep of what all his men were doing, and he smiled soft and distracted.

"...Maybe."

The old women squealed.

He carried three more baskets that afternoon with a flushed face and an aching heart.

The rest of the afternoon was a blur of laughter, music playing softly from a speaker Jay had rigged near the booth, kids running wild and covered in berry juice, and Riki constantly yelling some variation of "DO NOT FEED THAT TO THE CHICKENS...OH MY GOD."

Even the cranky rooster (unfortunately named Sir Pecks-a-Lot) was kept at bay by Sunoo, who kept bribing it with seeds and whispering to it like a horse trainer in a dramatic period film.

By the time the sun dipped low and the last customers filed out of the fields, the group was sweaty, exhausted, and glowing.

Their bodies ached. Their hair stuck to their skin. Their clothes were stained red and brown. But their eyes sparkled.

Because that day?

That day was fun.

That day was theirs.

And even if they didn't speak it aloud, each of them, one by one realized something they didn't want to admit.

They didn't want to leave.

Not this house. Not this land. Not this girl. Not these men.

And especially not this feeling of belonging.

The kitchen smelled like sunscreen, sun, and way too much money.

All eight of them were crammed around Naye's little kitchen table like a gang of giggling con artists red cheeked, tousled haired, and utterly high off the success of the day.

The stack of earnings in the middle of the table was frankly obscene.

Cash in mismatched envelopes, crumpled bills, a few coins jingling in jars, and an actual ziplock bag filled with strawberry shaped erasers someone had tried to pay with. Jake said it was symbolic, so they kept it.

Jay had two calculators out, one in his hand the other on his phone and he was scribbling numbers down on the back of a takeout menu while Heeseung dramatically fanned himself with a strawberry scented paper fan.

"We made how much?" Sunoo wheezed, clutching a juice box like it was a flask.

Jay looked up, blinking. "Almost 3.1 million won."

The room fell silent but not for long. She was starting to realize that she would never have a moment of peace with them around. And honestly, she didn't mind.

"LET'S GO!" Riki shouted, jumping out of his chair and nearly knocking it over. Jake clapped his hands so loud it echoed.

Naye just blinked, stunned. "That's...That's more than I usually make in a month."

Jay adjusted his imaginary glasses. "That's what happens when you hire professionals." She wasn't too sure about that. Professionals? Pff. More like scam artist.

"You mean scammers," Sunghoon muttered, smirking as Naye nodded in agreement.

"Scam is such a harsh word," Heeseung offered, spreading his hands. "We just...enhanced the shopping experience."

"With our muscles," Jake added proudly.

They all burst into laughter again, shoulders touching, some of them leaning on the table, some halfway in each other's laps. The energy was buzzing summer night, friendship high, just stole candy from the universe kind of buzz.

Naye was giggling behind her palm, eyes crinkled as she looked around at all of them.

Operation Save the House? Yeah. It had officially launched. With a bang.

Jay tapped his pen against the table. "Okay. So, hear me out," he said. "What if...we keep doing this?"

"The field?" Naye asked tilting her head in question. Because of course she would keep having to sell product to keep the farm going. That wasn't even in question.

"Not just the field," he grinned. "Events. We go big."

Jake perked up immediately. "Like a bake sale!" Sunoo clapped. "A market stall in town! With our faces on little posters!"

"Scamming on the road," Riki whispered like it was a dream.

"I could bring speakers," Heeseung offered. "Play music. Make it a vibe."

"What about a movie night?" Sunghoon added, elbow on the table. Everyone turned to him. He shrugged. "Like, out in the strawberry fields. Blankets. Popcorn. Families."

Naye blinked. "That...that's actually so cute. But, like, where would we even find a screen big enough?"

Jay smirked like a man with secrets. "I have my ways."

"Oh god," Sunoo muttered rolling his eyes as Jungwon laughed.

"What does that even mean-"

"No one ask," Jungwon cut in with a rare amused smile, arms crossed. "He'll make it happen. Just let him cook."

"I'm always cooking," Jay said, popping a strawberry in his mouth like a villain.

Laughter again. So much laughter.

Naye leaned her elbows on the table, cheeks flushed from joy and sun and everything in between. "You guys are insane."

"And yet you're letting us stay," Jungwon murmured, eyes soft as he watched her.

She didn't look away. Just smiled quietly. "Yeah. I guess I am."

Something warm flickered through the room. A pulse. A pause. Something not said. And still everyone felt it. Hearts pounding too fast. Eyes lingering a little too long. The kitchen glowing with something that wasn't just the old light bulb overhead.

Naye sat back in her chair, a little breathless. "So...bake sale, movie night, market booth, maybe even hosting birthday parties..."

"I'll dress as a strawberry," Jake said immediately.

"I will pay you not to," Heeseung snarked back.

"Shut up, Hee," Jay added. "You'd wear the stem hat."

"I'd be a hot strawberry," Heeseung declared proudly.

"Do strawberries have legs?" Riki suddenly asked.

"They do now," Sunoo sighed. She could tell he was so done with these men.

"Guys!" Naye burst out, laughing so hard she had to cover her eyes. "You're ridiculous."

"Your ridiculousness," Sunghoon whispered, quiet but bold.

She froze. The room went still. Sunghoon stared at the table like he didn't say it. Jay coughed. Jungwon side eyed a very smug Riki.

Naye swallowed and looked away, lips twitching. "...We're going to need a really big popcorn machine."

And just like that everyone smiled again. Because this wasn't just a farm anymore. It was a battleground for her future. A place they didn't want to leave. And a girl they were all hopelessly, stupidly falling for in their own quiet ways.

They didn't say it.

But Operation Save Naye's Farm?

It wasn't just about the land.

It was about her.

(Next Day)

The kitchen looked like a bakery had exploded. A very happy, overstaffed bakery.

There were bowls on every available surface, flour dusted across the floor like a snowfall of powdered sugar, and seven men in various degrees of apron wearing madness.

Jake and Naye were the generals of this operation, barking orders, measuring ingredients, and somehow managing to stay only mildly sticky.

"Riki stop eating the raw dough!" Jake shouted as he pulled a tray of cookies from the oven.

"I'm taste testing!" came the indignant reply from the tall figure crouched at the counter.

"It's raw!"

"I like raw."

"You're deranged."

Across the chaos, Naye was bent over a tray of croissant dough, eyebrows drawn together as she inspected the rolling technique of her assigned partner.

"Riki," she said slowly, "What...are you doing?"

The man in question was already covered in flour rocked side to side on his feet, effectively blocking her view of the tray every time she tried to peek over his arm.

"Don't worry about it," he said innocently.

"I am worried."

She tried stepping to the left. He did too. She switched right. He mirrored.

"Riki."

"Shorty."

Her eyes flared.

"Oh, that's it."

The towel in her hand snapped through the air like a whip, landing a solid smack on his back.

"Ow!" He doubled over, not from pain, but laughter deep, evil, chaotic laughter that made Sunghoon, who was whisking frosting in the corner, and drinking from a cup snort milk from his nose.

"Shorty? Really?" Naye said, brandishing the towel like a weapon. "You're just a walking brick wall with legs."

"Thanks," he said proudly. "Brick Wall Riki has a nice ring to it."

"Sounds like a pro wrestler," Jungwon muttered from the sink where he was rinsing berries.

"He'd win too," Jay called, stirring batter with entirely too much drama in his movements.

Naye rolled her eyes but couldn't hide her grin.

The entire kitchen was alive. Crackling with energy. Flour streaked and cinnamon scented joy. And somehow, despite the fact that none of them had ever worked in a bakery before (aside from Sunoo's suspiciously good piping skills), everything was turning out perfectly.

Or...close enough.

Sunoo and Heeseung had claimed the far end of the table at the packaging station. Every time a batch was finished, it was delivered to them like an offering. They were surrounded by a growing mountain of transparent sticky bags, each sealed with a soft pink and green logo sticker: Cho Hollow Farms.

"Genius name," Sunoo said proudly, sliding a dozen chocolate chip cookies into a bag like a pro.

Naye beamed at him from across the room. "It was my mom's idea."

That made everyone a little quieter for a second. Not sad, just softer. Until Sunoo clapped his hands and went, "Okay! Now hand me the lemon bars before I cry on them."

Back to chaos.

Sunghoon and Jungwon had become the frosting duo after Sunoo got bored of it.

Somehow, somehow, they'd ended up with matching pastel aprons, Sunghoon's reading 'Yes, Chef' and Jungwon's 'Flour Baby.'

"You put too much frosting," Sunghoon mumbled as Jungwon piped a swirl onto a cookie.

"You put too little," Jungwon deadpanned.

Sunghoons huffed, "You're too careful."

"You're too rude."

"I heard that," Sunghoon said, smirking.

"I said it out loud on purpose."

And yet both of their hands were steady. Their cookies perfect. Their rhythm in sync.

In the middle of it all was Jake, turning like a tornado between the ovens and the mixing bowls, making sure nothing was burning, no one was crying, and everyone was thriving.

Naye stood beside him, ponytail messy and eyes gleaming.

"You know," Jake said, nudging her elbow. "We could start a show. Idols Bake Badly."

"We're not idols," she replied, completely oblivious. Missing the way the other men quickly glared at Jake who almost died on the spot.

He bit his cheek and smiled. "Right." Then leaned close, whispering, "Don't tell the brick wall I'm stealing some of his croissants."

Naye snorted and shoved a spoonful of filling into his mouth before he could escape.

They worked through the morning, through lunch (which consisted of stolen donuts and croissant scraps), and by the time the sun had started to lower in the sky, the kitchen table was absolutely covered in baked good.

perfectly crisp brownies

soft, gooey cookies

stacks of flaky croissants

savory mushroom and cheese pastries

colorful cake pops on sticks shaped like strawberries

and lemon bars so pretty even Sunoo had paused to admire them before bagging

Heeseung flopped dramatically on the floor with a groan. "I've aged. I'm elderly now."

"You were born in 2001," Jay said, stepping over him.

"Exactly. Prehistoric."

Riki wiped flour from his chin and pointed. "Hey shorty, admit I made the best croissants."

Naye, who was currently cleaning a blob of frosting from the wall, shouted back, "They look like toenails!"

Sunghoon choked on a giggle.

Jake caught a cake pop and whispered to it, "You're the chosen one." Then ate it in one go.

Jungwon wiped his hands and smiled so softly at Naye that Sunoo nearly dropped a tray.

By dinner, they were exhausted. Covered in dough, sugar, and suspiciously glittery sprinkles (Riki's fault). But the mood was high.

They'd made enough baked goods to feed a small village.

And tomorrow? They'd take it all to town and charm the locals to death.

But for now, they sat in the kitchen, cross legged and relaxed. Naye passed out juice boxes. Heeseung played guitar softly in the background. Jay was scribbling marketing ideas on a napkin. Ni-ki was braiding frosting into his hair, for 'aesthetic reasons'.

He really concerned her sometimes.

And Naye?

She looked around and thought, this is home. This is mine.

Even if just for a little while longer.

Jake

Jake had flour in his eyebrows.

He didn't even know how, considering they hadn't touched dough since yesterday. But somehow, despite it being barely 9 a.m., he had flour, glitter, and possibly a speck of raspberry jam in his hair, and Ni-ki had glue on his ear, so he wasn't the only one suffering.

The kitchen looked like a preschool and an art studio had collided at maximum speed.

Glitter was everywhere. Poster board was scattered across the floor, half painted signs leaning on the walls. Someone had drawn a giant smiling strawberry that now lived on the refrigerator door. And in the middle of it all, her.

Naye sat cross legged at the kitchen table, her sleeves rolled up to her elbows, a red pencil behind one ear and a black ink pen in her hand as she focused intensely on the menu board in front of her. Beside her, Ni-ki mirrored her pose his tall body hunched low, sketching like his life depended on it.

"Okay, who taught you two how to draw like this?" Sunghoon asked, leaning over their shoulders.

"I was born with talent," Ni-ki answered immediately.

"I took some classes in high school and do it for fun," Naye said with a shrug. "But I mostly learned from my eomma. But we have taught each other a few things as well."

She tilted her head toward Ni-ki.

Jake, sitting at the far corner of the table, blinked. Wait, what?

They had been bonding over art?

Since when!?

The drawing was almost too good. It wasn't just a menu anymore it was a full blown masterpiece. Each dessert item had a little cartoon version of itself, with personalities and sparkles. The brownies had capes. The lemon bars wore sunglasses. And there was a croissant that looked suspiciously like Ni-ki, complete with the same smug face and flour hair.

Jake's chest warmed at the sight. This was the kind of dumb, silly happiness he hadn't had in years without exspectations.

"We make a good team," Ni-ki said offhandedly, eyes still focused on his shading.

"We do," Naye agreed, softly, almost like she didn't realize it had weight.

But Jake saw the way Ni-kis hand paused. The pencil stuttered. His neck turned a bright, traitorous pink and she didn't even notice.

Jake did, though.

And he laughed. Silently. Shaking. Biting the collar of his hoodie because if he let out even a breath of air, Ni-ki would tackle him into the wall. His shoulders shook as he curled in on himself and absolutely died of secondhand embarrassment.

Heeseung leaned over from where he was painting stars on another sign. "You good?"

Jake nodded, barely breathing. "Just...allergies."

Heeseung raised a brow knowing Jake was lying. Jay narrowed his eyes. "You look like you're choking on your own secrets."

Jake wheezed louder.

They worked for another hour, laughing, painting, glittering. At some point, Jungwon brought out snacks. Sunoo spilled paint water. Ni-ki declared his croissant doodle a national treasure. Naye made everyone pink lemonade with paper straws and had to keep giving Jake a new one as he kept chewing his. The house was filled with a kind of joy Jake couldn't name, didn't want to name. Because if he gave it a label, it meant it had to end.

And then she asked it. "What are you guys going to do when you go back to the city?"

The question dropped like a thunderclap. A soft one. Not loud, but it rumbled. Everyone fell silent as they looked around.

The glitter settled. The laughter dimmed. Even the pink lemonade suddenly tasted more bitter.

Jake swallowed.

He hadn't thought about the city. Not really. Not since the day they got here and he met her and held a baby goat in one arm while she lectured him on actual organic feed. He hadn't thought about schedules or agents or interviews. He hadn't even cared.

And now?

Now the idea of leaving felt like, "Hell," he mumbled before he could stop himself.

She looked up, blinking. "Hm?"

Jake coughed. "I mean. We'll probably do a fashion show or something. Get back into work." His voice came out smooth, polished. Not entirely a lie. But not the truth either.

"Probably launch a huge line," Sunghoon mumbled, eyes flickering slightly. More like a huge comeback with schedules on top of schedules.

She nodded, none the wiser, bless her sweet soul.

Jake let out a slow breath.

That was close.

Across from him, Sunoo shifted. Jay glanced away. Jungwon stared at his half painted sign with a weird look in his eyes. Even Ni-ki wasn't drawing anymore.

They were all thinking the same thing.

This was temporary.

This couldn't be forever.

But god, it felt like it should be.

Jake leaned back and looked at her again. Her hair was tucked messily behind one ear, her cheek smudged with pink glitter, her eyes focused as she leaned in to write Bake Sale 7,556₩ in swirly cursive at the top of the board.

He didn't want to leave.

He didn't want to go back.

But he just said, "That looks really cute."

And she smiled.

The alley was alive.

Strings of gold and white lights zigzagged overhead, tangled with paper lanterns that swayed gently with the wind. Dozens of street booths lined the narrow cobblestone walkway, their tabletops crowded with bubbling pots of fish cakes, steaming trays of tteokbokki, and baskets of sweet roasted chestnuts. Somewhere in the distance, a busker strummed a gentle song on guitar, and laughter echoed off the alley walls like music.

The air smelled of spice and sugar.

And in the center of the whirlwind stood the seven of them.

More accurately, they leaned, posed, grinned, and shamelessly sparkled behind their face masks, wearing jeans, white or black T-shirts tight in all the right places, cowboy boots, and thrifted cowboy hats Naye had lent them that made them look like the hottest country pop band Korea never knew it needed.

And in the middle of all of it?

Naye.

Sitting on a high stool behind the booth slightly elevated to the mens height, like the deity of sweetness herself.

She wore a light blue sundress with tiny white flowers scattered across the fabric. Her long hair was down and half behind her ears, showing off delicate silver cross studs and ears so dainty and pointed that Sunoo had to bite his tongue to not call her Tinkerbell. Around her forearm was a black and white bandana tied in a lazy knot just for flair and her brown cowboy boots peeked out when she crossed one leg over the other.

She hadn't planned to wear a mask.

But when she teased the boys for looking like a gang of off duty secret agents, they'd all pouted like she had kicked a puppy. Jungwon offered her one of his extras sleek black of course, and with a dramatic sigh she'd slipped it on.

Now she matched them. And that was the problem. Because now she looked like she belonged with them.

Like their eighth.

Their heart.

Their fairy.

And god help them, they all wanted to sing Polaroid Love.

Heeseung was the ringleader of the madness. He had taken one look at Nayes perfectly written signs and scribbled over the prices like a man possessed, muttering, "Trust me," while Naye stared at him like he had just declared war on the KM.

She had been ready to threaten him, "I swear if you ruin this-"

"You said we need sales," Heeseung said, already holding up the marker like a sword. "I am sales."

Jay didn't even argue. He was too busy already charming two older ladies into buying six bags of lemon cookies because "they pair beautifully with jasmine tea and romance novels."

Sunoo and Jake had already drawn a crowd by passing out free samples with megawatt smiles. Jake winked at someone and they tripped. Sunoo handed a cake pop to a teenager and received a confession letter in response. Riki had somehow learned how to twirl a paper bag full of scones like a baton, flipping it into the air before passing it off to a small child who immediately declared him the coolest cowboy ever. Sunghoon was handling the transactions silently with a type of charm just from his energy.

And Jungwon?

Jungwon hadn't moved from Naye's left side.

He didn't need to.

With his arms crossed and stance calm, he had become the silent mysterious guardian of the dessert booth. Women and men alike kept stopping to ask if he was the rumored model boyfriend, and he'd just tip his head slightly sharp eyes laughing under his mask and hand them a brownie without a word.

Naye from her stool in the middle, watched them all with a look of half disbelief and a little bit of pride. Her voice was warm when she called out, "You guys are ridiculous," and Jake hollered back, "You're welcome!"

Business was booming.

More booming than the tteokbokki stand. More booming than the fried hotdog stall across from them. People were lining up just to talk to the pretty boys behind the fairy girl. Even the nearby vendors were beginning to grumble and mumble under their breath like, who are these people and why are they robbing us of customers with their stupid boots and K-drama smiles!?

Heeseung was too busy selling 5-for-1 donut bags to hear any of it. "Ma'am, I swear on my cowboy boots, these are life changing. I cried eating one. That's how real it is."

The woman squealed.

Sold.

Jay, meanwhile, was negotiating a bulk order with someone who claimed to own a wedding venue.

"Imagine these little rose cupcakes at the dessert table," he was saying smoothly. "It's romance in sugar form." Naye was convinced he was trying to start a catering business.

Sunghoon leaned against Riki and whispered, "He's dangerous."

Riki nodded along. "He's too powerful."

"And so humble," Jay stated, flipping a wink behind him.

The boys stood shoulder to shoulder around Naye, every single one of them facing the customers like a wall of charm and accidental masculinity.

They didn't even realize they were closing in around her. But they were.

Every time someone tried to lean too far over the counter, Jungwon shifted. Every time someone got too flirty, Sunghoon stepped closer.

Every time someone dared say something like, "She's too pretty to be single," Heeseung barked out, "We're sold out of that!" before shoving a box of muffins at them and shooing them away.

And Naye?

Oblivious.

Utterly, heartbreakingly oblivious.

She was too busy fixing a crooked cupcake topper or using a paper towel to clean sugar off Jake's cheek, or telling Sunoo to stop throwing sample wrappers at Riki, or watching Sunghoon take someone's payment and carefully place the change in their palm like a prince handing over gold.

She didn't see the way their eyes kept drifting toward her.

Didn't see the way Riki stared at her hands whenever she reached up to fix her mask.

Didn't see how Jay would sneak glances when she brushed her hair behind her ears.

Didn't hear the collective breath they all held when she stood on the stool for a second to grab a high box.

She didn't see.

But they felt.

Felt it in the warmth in their chests. The tightening in their throats. The laughter that tasted too much like longing. The sweetness that wasn't from the sugar.

Operation Saving the House was in full swing.

But somewhere between lemon cookies and chocolate hearts.

Operation 'Don't Fall in Love with the Fairy' was already a total failure.

And none of them wanted to stop it.

Sunghoon

Sunghoon was not used to this much noise. Not from people. Not from inside himself.

He sat on the edge of the bake sale booth like it was a wall between dimensions, between his usual silence and whatever strange dizzying dimension existed around Naye.

Jungwon had gone to find a bathroom. The others were scattered around, checking out the other booths, probably charming the life out of someone's grandmother or talking their way into free fishcakes. It left him alone. With her.

Which normally would've been fine. More than fine, really.

But Naye was sitting beside him now knees brushing every few seconds, fingers scrolling through the little screen of the card reader and softly humming under her breath. And Sunghoon, who had faced down screaming crowds and injury and the chaos of being known by millions was forgetting how to count bills.

"Is it always this crazy?" Naye asked, her voice full of wonder, her eyes still on the screen.

Sunghoon looked at her. His tongue was stone in his mouth.

She looked too pretty under the soft string lights. Her hair was tied back in a loose ponytail now, little wisps falling around her cheeks and she had pushed her mask down to her chin so she could drink soda earlier. It was still there, forgotte and the sight of it made his chest feel too tight.

"You and the others. I haven't seen people like this, this close. They're insane," she said, a fond giggle escaping her. "But I think I love it."

That was when Sunghoon short circuited.

He didn't know what it was, maybe the way she smiled so genuinely, maybe the way her eyes squinted when she said the word 'love,' or the way her fingers were still flying over the device, entirely unaware that he had stopped moving completely but something in his chest clicked.

Or maybe broke.

He blinked his heart clenching and opened his mouth to say something, anything.

But that's when they appeared. Three guys.

They were laughing as they strolled up to the booth, casual in a way that told Sunghoon they knew her. Guys around their age. One was carrying a skewer of rice cakes, another had a drink, and the third, the one in the center, was holding nothing but a stupid amount of confidence.

"Naye?" one of them grinned. "No way."

She looked up, surprised, but then smiled politely. "Oh, hey! What are you guys doing here?"

Sunghoon stiffened.

The three guys came closer, the leader leaning one arm against the edge of the booth. "We're just grabbing food after the soccer game. You selling sweets now? Never thought you'd actually keep this farm stuff going."

Naye laughed, light but polite. "Yeah, well...plans change."

The guy nodded, eyes dragging over her slowly like he had a right to. Sunghoon's jaw twitched.

"You look good," the guy added. "Real good."

Naye blinked, smile faltering slightly. "Thanks."

"When are you gonna let me take you out, huh?" The guy leaned a little closer, and his friends chuckled behind him. "You still avoiding me or what?"

Sunghoon's fingers tightened around the stack of bills in his hand.

He looked average. Stupid messy hair. Earring dangling from one ear. Probably smelled like cheap cologne. Sunghoon could take him. Could obliterate him.

And the worst part?

He saw Naye hesitate. But then, she didn't laugh it off. She didn't play coy or ignore it.

She straightened just slightly.

And then her hand was on him.

Soft. Small. Curling around his forearm just above the wrist. The warmth of her skin bleeding through his shirt and setting off a firework in his chest.

"No thanks," she said, voice polite but firm. "I have a boyfriend."

Sunghoon's brain screeched.

Who? he almost said.

But the guy beat him to it, brows lifting. "Oh yeah? Who?"

Sunghoon nearly swallowed his own tongue when Naye turned her head and looked at him, panic dancing behind her eyes, pleading.

Play along.Please.

And what was he supposed to do?

Say no? Not when her fingers were still on him, holding him in place like she needed him there.

So he did what he knew best.

He glared.

"I'm her boyfriend," he said flatly, voice a little too sharp.

The guy scoffed. "Really? Since when?"

"Since before you walked over here," Sunghoon snapped. "So maybe back off before I sell you something that hurts."

Naye gasped softly, whether from the words or the sarcasm he wasn't sure, but her grip tightened.

The guy raised his hands in mock surrender. "Damn, okay. Didn't mean to step on anyone's boots."

"Too late," Sunghoon muttered as he stepped closer to Naye. Both of her hands softly holding his arm like she didn't want him anywhere else.

The three guys chuckled awkwardly and finally turned to leave, the wannabe Casanova throwing one last look over his shoulder. "You could've just said you weren't interested, Naye."

"I did," she said coolly. "You just didn't listen."

That shut him up. They were gone a second later.

And Naye finally let go, albeit a little hesitant. Her fingers slipped from his arm, and the warmth disappeared. But the ghost of her touch lingered like a brand.

She sighed. "Thank you Hoonie. Seriously. I didn't know how else to shut him down."

Sunghoon shook his head, still watching the alley where they disappeared. "You don't have to thank me. He was asking for it."

"I'm sorry I dragged you into that," she said sheepishly.

He glanced at her then. At the pink rising in her cheeks, the way she was fidgeting now, trying to act normal, like she hadn't just used him as a fake boyfriend shield.

Except he didn't really mind.

"I've been called worse things than your boyfriend," he said with a smirk. She laughed, shoulders easing. "Manager-nim would be proud."

Sunghoon almost choked on air. God, what was happening to him?

He looked down at the cash again, anything to keep himself grounded. But he could still feel the phantom press of her hand.

The truth was he wouldn't mind being her fake boyfriend.

But the idea of being her real one? That was the thought that made his head spin. And made the beat of his heart feel terrifyingly real.

The farmhouse was asleep. Or at least, it should've been.

But in the boys' shared room the one they had unofficially claimed as theirs since night one, was a much different feeling. The lights were off, with only the moonlight shining through the windows. The floor was creaky beneath scattered boots and jeans, and the air was thick with sugar, adrenaline, and a gnawing question that none of them knew how to answer.

They weren't asleep. Not even close.

Sunghoon was sprawled in the center of the mattress like a human sacrifice, long legs stretched to the edge of the bed one arm tucked under his head and the other moving in slow mindless strokes through Ni-ki's hair where the youngest lay curled on his chest like a sleepy cat.

Jake was curled into Sunoo's back as the two of them watched videos on Sunoos phone, and Jake kept nuzzling into Sunoos neck; said boy too tired to fight back. Heeseung's legs were thrown over Jungwon's shins as they both looked at the ceiling like mindless humans. Jay had a pillow on his face, groaning into it every time someone said something too emotionally vulnerable. It was a mess. A tight, warm, sleepy mess.

And it was the only thing holding Sunghoon's racing mind together.

Because his body was still at the bake sale booth. Still under Naye's touch. Still staring down those guys and calling himself something he had never dared to want to be.

Her boyfriend.

He should've been flustered. Embarrassed even. Teasing her about it by now.

But he wasn't. He was still trying to breathe.

"Hey," Jungwon's voice broke the soft hum of restless limbs and quiet thoughts. "You okay, Hoon?"

The room hushed.

Sunghoon didn't look away from the ceiling. "She said I was her boyfriend."

A beat.

Then Jungwon uttered, "Oh."

"Like...actually said it?" Jake asked quickly, halting his attack on Sunoos neck.

"She grabbed my arm," Sunghoon said slowly, "and told that guy she had a boyfriend. Then looked at me and called me Hoonie." He finally blinked. "I didn't even argue. I just went along with it."

Jay slowly pulled the pillow off his face. "You played the boyfriend card?"

"She needed help," Sunghoon muttered. "He wasn't getting the hint. So I helped. But.."

"But you liked it," Sunoo said gently.

Silence again. Sunghoon's fingers curled slightly in Ni-ki's hair.

"I did," he admitted.

No one teased. No one laughed.

Instead, Jungwon shifted to sit up slightly leaning on an elbow. His expression was unreadable in the dark, but his voice was steady. "Do you feel...protective of her?"

Sunghoon didn't answer right away. But the answer lived in the tightness in his chest. In the way he'd wanted to punch that guy. In the way her laughter stayed stuck in his brain like honey.

"Yeah," he said quietly. "Too much. It's not normal."

"It's not just protective," Jungwon added clearly thinking deeply about something. "It's possessive, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Sunghoon whispered. "It scares me."

Jake exhaled loudly. "Same."

"Same," Heeseung said, rubbing his face. "It's like...something in me is wired straight to her. I don't even think when she's around. I just want."

"I feel it too," Jungwon admitted. "I don't know what it is. But it's strong. Fast. Deep."

They all went quiet again taking in each others words. They all felt the same way without too much saying.

"It's like she's ours," Jake mumbled.

No one moved.

Ni-ki's breathing slowed where he lay, clearly not asleep just quietly processing.

"How the hell are we supposed to leave in a week," Heeseung finally asked, "if there's even a chance something like that is real?"

"She fits," Sunoo whispered. "She fits too well."

It wasn't just her laugh or her kindness or the way she somehow managed to hold each of them together without even realizing it. It was her soul.

Her presence felt like the answer to a question none of them had asked aloud.

She felt like theirs. And for a bunch of boys who had been born with seven matching soul marks and one empty space...that kind of feeling wasn't nothing.

"You don't fall like this," Jay muttered, "not for someone who isn't meant to catch you."

Everyone stared at the ceiling again. Hope was dangerous. But silence was worse.

Sunoo's voice was soft when he spoke up again, almost apologetic. "But I saw her shoulder." Everyone looked at him.

"That sundress she wore today," he continued. "The straps were thin. And I looked. She doesn't have the mark. Our mark. Not even a faded one. I thought maybe..maybe we missed it or she covered it..but she doesn't. She's not..."

He didn't finish the sentence. But they all heard it.

She's not our soulmate.

And maybe that should've been enough to kill the hope. But it didn't. Because even with that knowledge, Sunghoon could still feel her hand on his arm.

And all of them every single one, knew the truth.

She felt like home.

Even if the universe didn't mark her as theirs..their hearts had already done it.

And maybe that was even more dangerous. Or maybe, just maybe. It made it all the more real.

None of them got much sleep last night.

The afternoon sun streamed through the windowpanes, casting long stripes of light across the wooden floor. The scent of warm flour and strawberries still clung to the air, a soft reminder of yesterday's chaos and joy. But the house today felt quieter.

Too quiet.

Sunghoon sat on the floor of the boys' shared room, back resting against the bed frame, arms slung loosely over his bent knees. Across the room, Ni-ki lay belly down on the bed, cheek smushed into a pillow as he muttered, "It's going too fast."

The others looked up.

"It feels like we just got here," Ni-ki continued, his voice a sleepy whine. "Like...one second we're being rained on and almost electrocuted in that collapsing shack of a rental, and the next second this girl in bunny slippers and a metal light is dragging us out like we're potatoes."

A few soft chuckles echoed. Even Sunghoon cracked a smile.

"She really did look like a fever dream that night," Jay muttered from the corner, where he was fiddling with a thread on the couch cushion. "Wet clothes, bedhead, bunny slippers...and attitude."

"And the flash light," Jake added, laughing. "Don't forget the light."

"The slippers made her look like a cartoon," Sunoo giggled, "but that light was so real."

They all snorted quietly fond, warm laughter.

But it didn't last. Because underneath all the teasing, the truth sat heavy and unmoving.

"We have to leave," Jungwon said softly.

That quiet, brutal truth settled like dust in the room.

No one argued. They couldn't. They all knew it. The fantasy had an expiration date, and it was written in their contracts, in the city skyline waiting three hours away. Seven more days. That's all.

They had seven days left in the fairy tale.

"Should we tell her?" Heeseung's voice broke the silence, cracking at the edges. "About us?"

It wasn't even a real question. It was pain disguised as curiosity.

"No," Sunghoon said immediately, and when the others looked at him, he didn't waver. "We can't."

"She's not gonna want to hear it," Jay added. "Not after all this."

"She's trusting us now," Sunoo murmured, picking at a loose string on his sock. "She'd feel betrayed."

"And if she found out what we are.." Ni-ki began, but didn't finish. They all understood.

What they were.

What she was not.

What they could never be to each other, even if it felt like their hearts had already signed a different contract.

"We'll probably never see her again," Jake said quietly. "After this week."

The words hit like a slap to the chest.

Sunghoon's fingers curled slightly around the cuff of his jeans. His throat was tight. He didn't want to picture a world without her morning voice, without her yelling into a megaphone like a tiny general, without her asking him to hold her clipboard like he was her assistant.

He didn't want to imagine not being here.

And judging by the silence that followed, neither did anyone else.

This place, the creaky farmhouse with its unpredictable plumbing and acres of strawberries, had become more than just a pit stop.

It was something softer. Something sacred.

Not home exactly but a haven.

A place where they laughed more than they worried. Where late nights were spent baking and drawing and breathing. Where a girl with sassy comebacks and an ache behind her smile had somehow become the center of their orbit.

"She crash landed right into us," Jake murmured, like he'd read Sunghoon's mind. "Didn't even give us a chance."

"She's all heart," Jungwon added, "and she doesn't even know it."

"She makes me laugh like I did when I was a trainee," Ni-ki stated. "Before the pressure."

"She makes me feel," Sunoo said. "Even when I don't want to."

"Like we're people again," Heeseung whispered.

Sunghoon swallowed hard. His chest burned.

It wasn't fair. It wasn't right that someone so bright and rare had been dropped into their lives only to be ripped away just when everything started to feel real.

It was Jay who sat up with a determined look as he spoke, "Let's make some good memories, then."

"Before we go," Jungwon added.

"For her," Ni-ki whispered.

"For us," Sunghoon corrected, his voice low and thick.

The others nodded.

And if a few eyes were suspiciously wet, no one said a word about it. That was just the way it was.